"Throw off the bowlines…Explore, Dream, Discover" – Twain
Early in their book How Not to Buy A Cruising Boat, our good friends, Tim and Deb Akey of The Retirement Project, discuss the importance of deciding what kind of cruiser you think you are before attempting to buy a boat. Since we began our travels this summer, I have been learning first-hand that there…
The tiny-house trend may be the current craze, but what if your tiny house is one that floats? Life can be pretty great on a small boat; for example, a deep clean of your interior living space takes maybe an hour… Two tops. However, there are always compromises. If you are considering living on a…
The first time I visited Florida, I was 6 or 7 years old. It was during Thanksgiving break, and I don’t remember a whole lot other than our trip in grandpa’s boat up the Peace River and the gator. Grandpa was driving the little speedboat uncharacteristically slowly, looking for one of those prehistoric monsters so…
“This curious world we inhabit… is far more wonderful than convenient; more beautiful than useful; it is more to be admired and enjoyed than used” — Henry David Thoreau One of the main reasons I love traveling is because I absolutely delight in taking in the various forms of beauty of our natural world. I’ve…
When we first started telling our friends and family members about our summer plans for cruising, the few who were not completely flabbergasted had questions. Lots of questions. As a teacher, I love questions. Questions mean that individuals are curious, invested, and/or interested, all of which are necessary for learning to occur in a positive,…
We set off yesterday morning at 6:07 AM, determined to make the most of our skinny weather window. Since anchorages and mooring fields are scarce on the bottom part of Florida, we had three options for our course. Between Marathon Key and Fort Myers, there are only two anchorages that are deep enough to accommodate…
For the last two weeks (and almost a month for Joel) Marathon Key (and more specifically, Boot Key Harbor) has been our home base. Marathon lies near the middle of the chain that is the Florida Keys, and it has proven to be a pretty good spot for cruising newbies like us. At an area…
My friend Chris and I have had several conversations about A and B-type personalities and have ultimately decided that we are AB combinations. However, one of the more A-type traits that I possess is my love of making lists. At any given time, there are at least 5-7 lists going on my phone’s notepad app….
