Author Archives: Shelly Johnson

We are at anchor in Beaufort, NC, as I write this. A beautiful anchorage and city are waiting for us to explore. After breakfast, we will head over to the farmer’s market to pick up eggs, bread, and vegetables. I can’t wait. I love the atmosphere of farmer’s markets, open-air, freshness, and the feeling thatContinue reading “Half Way Done!”

It has been a while since I have posted a blog. We can all thank my new time sucker….videos! This trip is one year out of our life, a relatively short time, and we are creating a lot of memories. In 10-20 years, I want to be able to look back, remember the trip, andContinue reading “Crazy New World”

We have spent the past month living in the Florida Keys, it is the island life; lots of water, sand, boats, and good times. It has the island time, laid back feel. Things are unstructured, rules loose. I was able to bring the dog into almost every store. And you know it, we had roostersContinue reading “Island Paradise”

In our modern age, our phones are now more than just a phone. They have become a portal to a larger world, the keeper of our memories, our security, and sometimes our secrecy. We feel lost without them. Davy Jones Locker took mine. After a well-protected anchorage on Marco Island through some significant winds, weContinue reading “Davy Jones Locker Wins Again”

Scott and I discussed our travel plan to go to the Everglades with a kind individual we had just met. He had an interesting response. He said there is nothing there. If you count human-made structures, it is true; there are few marinas, minimal restaurants, no shopping malls or big box stores: no theater, artContinue reading “There Is Nothing There”

Glorious sunsets, breathtaking sunrises, beautiful water, and exotic locations; this is what you see on social media in Facebook posts and YouTube videos. Before our leap to full-time boat life, we tried to imagine what the day-to-day reality of living on a boat would be; surely there is struggle, strife, and stress? If you takeContinue reading “What I Wish I Would Have Known”

If you have been reading my blog, you know that my husband and I disagree about our dinghy and motor, whether to keep fixing the old or getting new. When we started researching choices, I was amazed at how many options we now have for dinghies. The previous posts discussed what our criteria were andContinue reading “And the Winner Is….”

Buddy is a 14-year-old, 28 pounds, red-haired, miniature Australian Shephard with diabetes, glaucoma, and an anxiety disorder. We worried about traveling, moving onboard a boat, and how he would adapt. He is a dog of routine, the same things, in the same order, by the same person. His vision is mostly gone; he requires twiceContinue reading “Blind Dog Travels”

Well, we got a much-needed new motor. We upgrade from a 1969 Evinrude 6HP to a 2021 Mercury 4HP. Step 1! As for the tender, we continue to investigate options as we try a last round of sealing the leaks on our current tender with 3M 5200. We have come to an agreement that ifContinue reading “Tender War Update”

My wonderful husband and I are having a hard time coming to a compromise on a tender that is right for us. When frequently anchoring, having a small tender to get you to shore, take the dog for a walk, explore shallow areas, visit neighbors, and just general safety is one of the keys toContinue reading “The Tender War”