First of all, a big hearty thank you to those who contributed to our camera replacement campaign by donating and purchasing Wee Happy coffee! It means a lot to us to feel loved and supported by all of you out there! If you would still like to order some, just go to the last post and click on the “donate” link to go through Paypal.
So in today’s post I don’t have gorgeous photos or wonderful adventures to tell you about. I’m going to write a bit about the dark side of living on a boat called “Wee Happy”. I know this may be shocking, but the truth is we are not happy all the time. Especially this week. Living on a 27 foot boat has it’s advantages to be sure: we are actually out here doing this, for example. If we had a bigger boat we would still be only dreaming about being able to afford it. But it also has major disadvantages, mainly that it often feels too “wee”. We have been struggling more and more with not having enough space — no space to adequately work on projects, to cook, or just hang out and be comfortable. These are not minor things. I’m starting to long like never before for a real bathroom, and Cap’t K. fantasizes about things like standing headroom. And it is starting to put a strain on our relationship. We love each other like crazy, and we also love being really close to each other a lot (that’s how we made it this far!) But everybody needs a little space to themselves sometimes and we have been having a hard time finding that while living on this boat.
So we are trying to find creative solutions to continue making this work, but the options are somewhat limited. This morning I wanted to just go out and get a hotel room to get “away” for a few days, but unfortunately, that is absolutely not in my wee budget. It’s kind of depressing.
Some looming difficult family matters have also arisen that we need to deal with back in New England and this is putting a damper on our spirits. We are starting to plan our trip back north. We may or may not stop for an abbreviated visit to the Bahamas on the way back. We were hoping that the path of what to do next would just become clear one day while we were out here sailing, but unfortunately it’s not that easy.
Oh, and did I mention that Cap’t K. has been working for a week straight on his taxes? Like I said, we’re not so happy this week. Crabbiness prevails.
And me, I’ve been working on my weaving projects and just got yards and yards of expensive silk tangled into a horrendous mess. Joy!
But hey, we have dolphins visiting us daily here in the harbor, so it’s not all bad! Just the other day I was returning to the boat in the dinghy and saw a small group of dolphins. I decided to shut off the engine and row to see if they would approach me. Sure enough, they came right over to me and began playing all around the dinghy. They swam under it thumping the bottom with their flippers, and came right up alongside close enough for me to touch them! They even stuck their heads out of the water and smiled at me!! It was magical. They followed me closely for about 15 minutes. A friend was on a boat nearby and saw it. He told me to sing to them, which I did. He said they love music. He took a few photos that don’t really show that much, but since I don’t have any other pictures I’ll post one anyway. You can just see the dolphin fin coming out of the water near my outstreched hand.
Lala reaching out to pet the dolphin
looks magical! been following the blog. life is full of challenges, be thankful that the challenges are there for you and that you can overcome them.
Thanks for the feedback Marty!
So you guys are getting cabin fever….
I read somewhere that one couple deals with this by having a ‘special’ hat for each of them. When a person puts on this hat, the other person pretends that the hat wearer is not there. An interesting way to get some ‘solitude’ while being stuck on a small boat. It seems easier just to tell the other that you want to hideout for the day or something like that. This would probably work only if the other person realizes that everyone needs some private time and doesn’t take it personally. If you end up wanting to wear the hat or hide out everyday, it could be time for a vacation from your vacation.
Remember Rule # One; the wife is always right!
Whatever you guys decide to do I want to say thank you for sharing your journey. I’ve so enjoyed reading your post and seeing pics/vids. What an amazing experience!
Thanks Josh! It has been great staying in touch with you throughout our trip!
You are welcome to soak anytime in our bear claw tub…and meditate in our large-for-the-bay-area yard. I, too have envied and enjoyed your journey and travails and the love you have for each other…I can’t imagine spending that much time with my husband…I’d go mental!!
Know that I love you and am sending you some Cali spring: my beet, carrot, eggplant, lemon cucumber and cosmos seeds have all sprouted…hoping you can join me for a summer salad!
Much love to both of you…lici
Lici!
Thanks for the message and the invite…if it was a bit easier and cheaper to go the west coast I would SO you take you up on the offer to visit!!!! Soon, though, soon.
Tha ks for the love, Im sending a bunch right back at you!
I say ditto to the above post from Joshua. I spent Sunday afternoon with your mom at the Washington Pavilion listening to Handels “Messiah” and we visited about your travels and I decided to check up on you again. (I had to go back a few weeks). It has been an awesome adventure for me, you are both such good writers, it is just like being there with you on Wee Happy. I want to go to the Bahamas before you head back up north! Happy sailing.
HI Guys
I went searching for information on the Albin vega and found your blog. I have been a dedicated reader ever since. I hope you can overcome your cabin fever and continue to enjoy the trip. I too hope to make the same trip some day. My soon to be wife and I have chosen a different path however putting house, job, probably kids first whom we hope to take with us to see some of the word up close. Your trip is inspiring to us, we have just bought our first sailboat an o’day mariner (smaller than wee happy!!) to learn on. Anyway I cant wait to see the posts from the bahamas crossing. I hope your camera that shoots the videos was the one K managed to fix. I am off to hit your banners again before returning to work. Have a great day and keep the posts coming.
Thanks for the message!!! We love to hear from readers we haven’t met yet. Hopefully we will meet you out sailing with your family someday, and until then we will continue to try to be inspiring, despite our shortcomings……
Thanks James!!! Glad to hear that our stories are finding some interested readers! The life aquatic has its advantages, for sure. We are currently planning a few posts about the finances of living aboard compared to living on land. The concepts look interesting!