Home Sweet Home!

There she is!

 

Well, It's been a crazy 6 weeks, but we are settling in!  Since my last post, we have had our survey, made our purchase and brought our new "house" home, but not without incidence.  We were very excited after the closing, and couldn't wait to bring our new boat home!  Unfortunately, when we went to pick her up, there were problems with the motor and after a day of troubleshooting, we decided it was bad gas.  The next week we tried again...with external gas tanks, and we were off!  Unfortunately, there wasn't much wind, so it was a long motor home. We made it from Atlantic Highlands, around Sandy Hook, down the coast, into Manasquan Inlet, under the train bridge and the Brielle bridge, and through the Point Pleasant Canal.....well, almost through the canal!  About 100 yards from the end of the canal our fuel pump failed and there were a few minutes of OH NO!  But, thanks to a quick thinking Capt'n and crew (and a guy who jumped off the work barge to help us) we were able to secure the boat to the the side of the canal and fix it right up.   After settling into our slip at the marina, the to-do list began to grow, and it hasn't slowed down! 

 

At this point we are counting down to our closing on the house at the end of the month. Very exciting, and very scary. You don't realize how much stuff you have accumulated until it's time to scale down. It's actualy been pretty cathartic though.  I'm gonna keep plugging away and we'll see how the next few weeks go!

 

 



How time flies...

I can't believe it's been 16 months since my last post. Boy, did we get off track. Life, work, projects, all seemed to get in the way.  Well, look out...we are on the fast track now!  As of last year we were trying to accomplish our to-do list to sell the house.  Bud's business was keeping him as busy as ever, and my job took me to California for most of last Summer. When September rolled around we bought a project house with a friend of ours and spent the Fall and Winter renovating it. What a great learning experience and an overall fun job for me!  After the sale of that house we decided to get a move on!

We are not putting the house on the market. Our son Pete will be moving in so we can keep the it in the family for a while.  And the boat search...well, we checked out 10 boats, in 6 states over the last month!  Of course the one we decided was for us is right here in New Jersey.

Our survey and sea trial are in a few days, so hopefully everything will work out fine. 
                                                                                                                                     We love this boat!

We will keep you all posted on our progress!

And the Search Begins...

Well, It's official! We have begun our search for a boat. No matter how many boats you look at online, no matter how many specs and pictures you pour through, it's not until you step foot on that first potential vessel that it feels like a reality. Granted we are not at this moment ready to drop a bundle of cash on a boat, but we are trying to figure out exactly what kind of a fixer-upper will fit into our budget. It should be interesting! This past weekend we were lucky enough to join some really great friends for their wedding in St. Lucia. The wedding was absolutely beautiful, and we had a great time. Being in the Caribbean really got us itching for more of that warm and breezy weather. 

While we were in St. Lucia we took the opportunity to check out a boat that I had seen online. Luckily for us the boatyard where the boat is was just a short taxi ride from our resort.Unfortunately the boat was not quite what we are looking for. We are really not picky, but adequate headroom is a must! While speaking with the manager of the boatyard we inquired about any other available catamarans. He did show us one more. A 32' Gemini, exactly the boat for us...in theory.  This boat, on the other hand, well lets just say I almost lost my lunch! There was such a stench down below that it was the quickest tour ever! Worse than the smell was the fear that this boat was gonna be the kind of boat in our price range. We still haven't heard the asking price yet, so I guess we will see. 

Well, I guess the important thing is that we are moving forward. That's really all that matters, right? So, back to our to-do list for getting the house on the market. We had said we wanted to have it listed by May 1, but I'm not quite sure that's possible. Things happen, we just have to roll with it. If we are gonna be cruisers, that is one lesson we will have to learn!

Change...

Change is hard. Change is scary. But change can also be exciting. Whether it's a new job, a new home, a new state or a new lifestyle every change has it's challenges. And every challenge is an opportunity for growth. Sounds all well and good, right? Well, for me, easier said than done. But I have decided at this point in my life, it's time to make a change. After a few years of waffling back and forth we have decided to sell our house. Despite the crappy market we are hoping to get enough money out of it to buy a boat. Not just a boat...a cruiser, a liveaboard, a home. Anyone who knows Bud, knows that he is the sailor. On the other hand, anyone who knows me, knows that I have never been a water person. I must say that over the last 16 years I have come a long way. I'm sure my nail marks are still in the fiberglass of our Catalina, remnants from our first date, and my first time on a sailboat. But I knew from that very first date that if Bud was the guy for me than I better learn to like the water. That was a big change. Come to think of it, that was the first of many changes to come. Getting married, raising kids, yup...those were some pretty big changes. Looking back, maybe I'm not as bad with change as I thought. One thing I'm sure of, life is short and nobody knows how much time we are given. I do know that I don't want to have any regrets. I don't want to have any "wish we would've"s.  Up until now, it appears that every big change was certainly a challenge. I also feel like I have grown through each experience. So...bring it on! I am looking forward to the next new challenge!