Living Aboard: One Year Later

For the past 365 days, I’ve woken up on a boat. How crazy is that? One year ago, after a restless night’s sleep (I was nervous about this major life change, as you can imagine) Brian, Indy, and I were moving our remaining belongings onto The Catalina Wine Mixer. In the middle of a huge rainstorm. It poured all day! Thankfully, that wasn’t a bad omen.

That night, the three of us snuggled up on the couch with a pizza and a movie (couldn’t tell you which one) and took it all in. This boat was our new home. We really lived here. The next few days would involve hours of unpacking and organizing (yes, even in a small space getting settled can be a pain), but things started to feel normal surprisingly quickly.

It didn’t take me long to fall in love with our boat, our harbor, and this tiny lifestyle. Brian and I often found ourselves wondering why we didn’t make this move sooner! It just suits us.

Of course, it hasn’t been easy all the time (is anything?). But I wouldn’t trade this past year for anything. So, as we look forward to year two of living aboard, I wanted to reflect on some of our major year one milestones.

Living Aboard: Our First Year

• We got rid of 70% of our stuff (and don’t miss any of it)

• Turned our boat into a home (on the cheap)

• Navigated some of the pitfalls of tiny living (so many stubbed toes)

• Learned how to captain a 46-foot yacht!

• Cruised all over the gorgeous San Francisco Bay

• Got a handle on this whole minimalism thing (tiny kitchen? Miniscule closet? No problem.)

• Watched Indy thrive (he really loves life onboard)

• Overcame fears of the unknown, of being different, of seeming crazy

• Started this little blog!

• Celebrated holidays, birthdays, and christened the boat

• Brian started a new job (and we mastered the art of working from home – on a boat)

• I got my very first fiction story published AND got accepted into a creative writing program

• I started covering boating topics for the Progressive Insurance lifestyle blog!

• We moored the boat overnight at Angel Island

• Realized that we love virtually everything about this lifestyle

• Made purposeful steps toward financial freedom

• Woke up to tranquil waters, sunshine, seagulls, and a picturesque view every morning (life doesn’t get much better than that)

One happy little boat family :)

 And we’re just getting started! When we daydream about our next home, it’s not some mansion on the beach (although, if you’re offering, we won't turn you down), but it’s another boat. Maybe a catamaran or a trawler next time. Maybe something with a dishwasher and a washer/dryer. Nothing too crazy. It feels like this is where we belong. And I never would have predicted that just a few short years ago.

The biggest thing I’ve learned this past year is how important it is to stay open to change, listen to yourself and follow the paths that interest you. They could lead to a dead end, and that’s OK. But they could also take you somewhere spectacular.