Transitioning from Land to Water

"Isn't it going to be hard living in such a small space?  Won't you get in each other's way?"  We heard these questions, or variations thereof, quite often in the period leading up to our move (in late June) from a 1700 sf condo in Seminole, FL to a 42 foot trawler in the Harborage Marina on the south end of downtown St. Petersburg, FL.  Our usual response was along the lines of "we think it's going to be just fine, but if it's not, we'll try something else."

Well, nearly 4 months into this "grand adventure", I can safely say that it was a great move for Lon and me.  After some initial hiccups with boat systems that hadn't been used much in the last couple of years, we are very comfortable with the space and are thrilled to call C.A.R.I.B. II our 360-degree waterfront home.

Zipper (the cat) has adjusted better than we dared hope.

We love living in close proximity to downtown St. Pete.  We can walk or bike to numerous restaurants or partake in the multitude of activities that downtown offers.  We have great dock neighbors.  Lon continues to play hockey and we just had our first successful social outing on the boat with some hockey friends.  (Lesson learned: red wine is allowed ONLY if the boat is stationary or a “sippy cup” is being used).

We hope to be able to enjoy much more of St. Pete over the next six months, even as we prepare to start cruising the “Great Loop” in mid-April 2014.  More on that and C.A.R.I.B. II in future posts.