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, and savor it. 

And who knows, maybe we will go around again!

My plan has always been to make videos to remember the trip and post them on Facebook for friends and family concerned about our safety or who are jealous and want to see everything. I thought it would be no big deal. 

How naïve I was.

I have zero background in video editing, content creation, and how to do all this. It has been a steep learning curve, with a constantly moving home, learning boat skills, changing locations, and new people. At one point, I gave up and thought, forget it.

After a break and getting settled into our new lifestyle, I went back to give it one more try. I watched YouTube videos on how to edit videos, tried several different editing software until I found one I could figure out, and made about 5 or 6 “practice” videos.

I had no idea how much time, effort, and money it takes to make a “free” YouTube video. I probably spend about 12-24 hours per 20-minute video in just editing alone. I had to buy an external hard drive and a new laptop due to this much video content’s storage requirements. A professional microphone for voiceovers….you get the idea.

I have started posting videos on YouTube that show the beginning of our journey and plan to have the complete Loop recorded, not for fame and fortune, but for us, the future us. To remember times, just like this. 

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 roosters rooming free.

It is also sweltering. Like I have a dainty, ladylike “glistening” after a leisurely one-block stroll. At 8 am. 

Thankfully we had decided to splurge and stay at a marina, with a pool and air conditioning. It was a lifesaver for this Midwesterner.

We found the sense of community was prominent, from the daily 9 am cruisers net, to the community garden, yoga and pickleball at the park, and the wide variety of activities. Here people know you by your boat name and your character at the moment. There is little history or status symbols. Thrift is the name of the game.

There are minimal commercial development and only one big box store. Mostly mom and pop, locally owned businesses. Local taxi services, no uber; you walk or bike almost everywhere. 

For the nature lover, it is paradise. There are a plethora of day mooring balls at the snorkeling reefs. Here you can swim with the fish, enjoy the coral and cool off for the day. You can ride your bike from one end of the keys to the other. Turtle hospitals and dolphin rescues, nature preserves, parks, beaches, and lots and lots of water. 

Would I return? You betcha. 

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, we started making our way down the channel, out to the Gulf of Mexico, and turned south towards the Everglades. 

Being the videographer of record, I was up on the flybridge taking a video of our departure when a beam wave rocked the boat, and I lost my balance. I was in the middle of the boat using my leg against the back for leverage, so I was in no danger, but as I gripped the side rail for stability, the phone dropped from my hand to the deck below.

If it had stopped there, all would have been well. We had, however, placed an 11-foot plastic kayak there a couple of weeks ago. You know what is next. My phone hit the plastic kayak and elegantly flipped straight into the ocean. I was in shock. I told Scott; my phone just went into the water. We turned around to make sure it sank (it did) and then continued.

I felt sick. I hadn’t uploaded photos and videos in almost a week; they were gone. We were now down to one phone, which we used for navigation. I cried. Mainly for the missing memories but also for the loss of independence I felt. We were heading into one of our trip’s most remote areas; there is no Walmart, Best Buy, or Verizon store.

It was a weird feeling, like a part of you is missing. 

Once we arrived in the Florida Keys, where shipping is possible and stores were available while limited, I ordered a new phone from Apple, and this time I got the insurance for loss. I also bought a waterproof case with a lanyard and floatation device. Just in case, I bought an extra two floatation devices. Reordering the phone was way more an ordeal than needed because I did not have a device to trade up or trade-in. Layer on to that the new way of doing business, with artificial intelligence and computers, not humans. 

So far, I have not again dropped it into the water. It feels more secure with the lanyard that I can have around my wrist while still using the phone, and I have the floatation device attached continuously. Given that we are constantly surrounded by water and in constant motion, I suppose this was an eventuality. Lesson learned, the hard way. 

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, art galleries, and waterside cafes. 

We saw a lot there. It depends on how you look.

Everglades National Park is the third largest park in the lower 48 states, covering 2,400 square miles. Most critically, the Everglades provide a habitat for marine wildlife. The shores are lined with Mangroves, with their bright green leaves and gray exposed roots, where various wildlife thrive. The sky is open and expansive, bright blue with its partnering white pillow clouds; as the hour changes, so too does the show the sky provides. The openness makes space to enjoy and savor the natural beauty. 

You will be rewarded for waiting quietly. A speckled stingray silently gliding past our bow, dolphins playing and hunting for fish, birds hovering just above the water, fish nibbling on the surface insects, the alligators sunning on shore, and the gentle manatees lumbering past. At dusk, the sky rewards you while the insects descend from the trees. As the fading sun shines her fiery orange glory, the water reflects it to her. 

As night descends, the crystal-clear night sky appears. Stars seem close enough to reach out and touch them. The moon shines brighter as the sounds of the nearby animals serenade you. Pitch blackness descends. Eerily calm, coal-black dark, silent, and still. 

In the morning, the bright sun greets you as it peaks over the Mangroves, and a new day begins. 

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 take social media and YouTube at face value, it is romantic, peaceful, and glorious. And it is. 

It is also stressful, messy, physical, and demanding on relationships. 

Stressful from continually living in the unexpected and unknown. From encountering unexpected fog to sudden mechanical breakdowns, running aground, and constant boat repairs, you will experience it all. It is not a carefree existence. It takes planning, patience, and the ability to plan, not to have a schedule. You are now at the mercy of the weather, and it is vital to respect her terms. Immense personal stress for me is feeling awkward when learning something new, being uncomfortable, and feeling like I am not 110% competent. 

Messy is from living in a harsh, unforgiving, and small environment. The boat needs daily cleaning, constant organizing, and frequent repairs. Saltwater damages, wind, and waves knock things over, fighting dust and mold is a constant battle. The small space can quickly become disorganized. It takes discipline to put things away immediately. Everything must have a place.

Physical as in physically demanding. I reach, bend, twist, stretch and walk more than when I lived on land. Everything is now more challenging, getting groceries, doing laundry, and getting supplies. Doing those three things can now take all day. Dishes are washed by hand, and laundry is an ordeal; vacuuming and cleaning are daily. There are lines to handle, fenders to place, stairs to climb. 

This lifestyle is demanding on relationships because we live in a much, much smaller space. We joke that we are never more than 2 feet from each other. Even as I write this, he is next to me correcting this blog post. After 23 years of marriage, we are discovering new things about each other. Roles and who does what is robustly and actively renegotiated, communication needs to be crystal clear, and finally, we give each other grace. 

Some people react to all this and stop boating. Others lean in and embrace it. I have learned to be comfortable with feeling awkward at first, trusting instead of controlling, and adjusting my expectations. Stress is part of the adventure; messy and physically demanding keeps me fit. I am now in better physical condition than I have been in years. Relationships can grow more profound and more robust. I no longer take anything for granted, and I am profoundly more grateful for the simple and every day.

At the end of a tough day, you can look around you and say, wow. This lifestyle is worth and part of the experience of discovering new places, the wonder of watching wildlife, and the joy of simply being. How lucky I am.

This is what I wished I would have known. And now you know it too.

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 and a summary of the options.

I did agree to let Scott try to fix the old dinghy one more time, and while it did improve, it still leaked water at the transom. We discussed what we were trying to accomplish, where we had access to purchase a dinghy, and how much we wanted to spend. We live and travel full time on a boat, limiting options; we can’t quickly jump in a car and head to the nearest Costco without some planning. 

While I love, love the new options in a hard dinghy, given this trip is a year and we are not sure what is next, combined with the need to keep the dinghy light, we decided to go with the inflatable with an air stitch floor. While still heavier than our current dinghy, it was the next lightest option. I have an air stitch floor kayak, and I love it; it is stable and feels sturdy. While not the most durable option, ideally, we need a year’s worth of use. If we decide to continue the cruising lifestyle after we complete the loop, we may need to invest in a different option. 

That decided, next was where to purchase. West Marine is the logical choice; however, we have found them expensive and, surprisingly, not easy to get by water. I did some research on alternative brands that had good reviews and found one-Newport. Their website showed the 9 foot was sold out, however. Not good.

So where do you go when you need something delivered and fast? Amazon. I found the Newport dinghy on Amazon and a much higher price than the Newport website, but it was available. As we debated, I kept watching the Amazon page for this product, and like magic, I found a deal!

Amazon sells items that have damaged packaging at a significant discount. I had used this trick a couple of times before and always had success with the product itself being in good shape. Plus, Amazon has an excellent return policy.

So, for $300 less than the Newport site and $1,500 less than Amazon’s full price, we took a gamble. I am cheap that way. We had the dinghy shipped to a friend’s mother in laws near where we were and waited. It arrived when promised, and the packaging was damaged. We brought it to the boat and opened it and….there was slight damage to the wrap around the dinghy…ugh. We decided to keep going and fully inflate it before we made any decisions. We looked over the entire dinghy carefully and found one small superficial mark on the PVC. 

We fully inflated it and checked the pressure an hour later. The pressure was holding. Next, I requested Scott take it for a test drive, passed. We waited a couple of days, and still no issue, holding air just fine. Good deal!

I can even stand up in it!

We have had it for almost 2 weeks now, and I have to say I love it. It is sturdy, and I am getting better at gracefully getting on and off it. The tubes are 18 inches, which means more stability, flotation, and less splashing. It has an air floor and keel, and I have a seat! I am not a fan of the ropes for handles, but I can live with it with a deal like this. As an unexpected plus, it is easier to pull up onto the swim platform to store than our lighter old dinghy. 

Overall, it is excellent. We have a light, new, clean dingy with a seat for me. I stay dry, feel comfortable, and we now have a reliable motor. And we got a great deal, can’t ask for much better than that.

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 twice daily insulin, which must be continuously refrigerated, a special prescription diet, and lots of love.

We came to know Buddy through our work with the Australian Shephard rescue. We went to pick him and his sister up in Indiana; a family had purchased them for their two children. With the parents working long hours and the kids losing interest, the dogs were not in ideal conditions. The parents quickly realized it was not best for the dogs, did the right thing, and contacted the rescue. When we got Buddy, he was scared of everything-brooms, hangers, people, vacuum; he would get car sick. When three adoptions fell through, and we discovered he needed two knee surgeries, you know what happened. My gullible and soft heart won over my pragmatic; we don’t need a third dog mind. 

And so, Buddy became a much-loved part of the family. The last dog we have left and a blessed one indeed. Now what to do with him when we travel the Great Loop? We started by doing a two-week trial with Buddy and us on the boat. I read up on what to do for Buddy’s bathroom needs. We purchased the green “pee pad” for the transom. We got a doggy lifejacket and all his supplies. We discussed it with the vet, brought his special anxiety meds, and headed out. The first few days were difficult. We found we had to carry him downstairs, they were too slick for him, and he was scared. He remained glued to my side. By day 2-3, he started to get more comfortable and courageous. 

We had to make some accommodations for him; nonskid on all the stairs, a dedicated doggy bed spot, a gate to keep him on the flybridge. At the end of the two weeks, we had our answer: he was a champ. He took a right to the “pee pad” for his needs when we couldn’t get on to the shore. He found his food, bed, and was finally able to navigate stairs. He was no longer scared, could walk around the outside of the boat with his lifejacket by himself. He loved to lay outside and smell the air; he found joy.

Now we had work to do. His medication and food required a vet prescription and were typically ordered and picked up at the vet office. As we talked this over with the vet, she said, no problem, I will write the scripts, and you can order and have it delivered through Chewy. We made sure the refrigerator worked even when at anchor, found storage for the large bags of food, and discuss used insulin needle disposal.

Ninety days in, and all is well. We order Buddy’s insulin, needles, and food through Chewy and ship it to a marina. It typically comes within a day. He has adapted to wearing the lifejacket when outside the boat cabin and has learned the travel routine. We try to bring him with us whenever possible, and just as at home, he struggles with being left alone. You can hear him singing the blues in our absence and see the excitement when we return. And most importantly, he still finds joy in our presence, smelling the air, going for walks, and getting petted by people. A good life indeed. 

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 if this does not work, we get a new dinghy :).

To help others in their future dinghy decision, we thought we would share the research we have done so far. Here are our criteria for a new tender/dinghy:

1. It floats J

2. It is light enough for one person to pull on to the swim platform. No desire to add expensive davits to this boat. 

3. Small enough to fit on the swim platform (9-10 ft or under)

4. Stable enough for the coordinationally challenged to get on and off safely

5. Can use our new 4HP motor

6. Relatively inexpensive as we plan on selling our trawler when done with the loop. Not sure if what the future holds after that. May buy different boat and keep this lifestyle, may get dirt home. 

Here are the options we looked at:

Hard dinghies

1. Portland Pudgy-love, love, love this. It fits the New England look and feel of our trawler. Pros: Rugged, floats, small size, can take our motor. Cons: Heavy and relatively expensive. Difficult to find on the used market. 

2. Whaly: Love the seating along the sides instead of across. It comes in a variety of sizes, including one that will meet our needs. Pros: Can take shoring without worry, small size, motor compatible. Cons: Again, heavy, difficult to find used. Not sure about stability.

3. Walker Bay-Most affordable option. Pros: Easy to purchase at Marine Trader and used. Close to weight requirement, available in size needed. Cons: Not stable. Can buy an optional inflatable collar. Unable to determine if this will be stable enough for getting in and out. Minimal videos on YouTube to see this product in action. 

4. Others are rowing/sailing dinghies. There are a variety of smaller companies that make rigid bottom dinghies, especially for rowing or sailing. Fat Knees, Bauer, Gig Harbor, etc. Most are more expensive and designed for rowing or sailing, not necessarily a motorized dinghy. I love the look and idea of them; they just don’t appear practical for our needs. I am open to the idea that I am wrong about this. 

Inflatable dinghies

1. Wood floor-cheap and same as our current dinghy. Pros: inexpensive, light, fits transom, stable, will fit our motor. Cons: Easy to puncture when beachy, prone to leaks, will not last a long time, or take a beating.

2. Air floor-little more stability than the wood floor. Pros: good price range, light, fits transom, stable, fit motor. Cons: Again, punctures, leaks, and ruggedness.

3. Aluminum floor-much more stable can plane with two people. Pros: rugged bottom, stable. Cons: heavy

4. RIB-Same as an aluminum floor. Too heavy for our needs. 

5. TakaCat-an inflatable catamaran. Pros: light, right size, very stable. Cons: Not a fan of the seating. 

6. TrueKit-a product from New Zealand. Great product, meets almost all of our needs. Pros: light, durable, right size, can take motor, stable. Cons: Expensive as must be shipped from NZ, also will take weeks to get. 

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 to a positive experience. 

Our current tender is an old eight-foot wood floor inflatable with a 1969 six horsepower outboard motor. It is a hand me down that has been much loved. When we made weekend trips, it was great, now that we are living this full time, not so much. We are grateful that we have had it for years. 

I am married to Mr. FixIt, and 99% of the time, his skills allow us to make this trip cost-effectively. The tender leaks, he keeps fixing it. He added plywood to the bottom for more stability; he has fixed the motor repeatedly. In my opinion, we are done, but he wants just this one more time. And as a shot across the bow, he says he wants to make sure my expectations are clear, that a new tender will still get my feet wet. So, I responded, I want it clean, a seat and reliable. Enough said. I have won a small battle, he has agreed that at a minimum, we need a new motor. 

It has been said that every boat is a compromise, and that is especially true of a tender. Because we are not retired, live off of savings and part-time work, our pennies are precious to us, making compromise even more critical. There are many options, lighter in weight or heavier with a lift, hard or soft bottom, kayaks, rowing or a motor, inflatable or noninflatable, electric vs. diesel vs. propane motor, 8, 10, or more feet. You can now even get a hard dinghy with an inflatable kit.

So, here we are. Our discussions of late are around what we want from this and how long we will keep it. Will we use it to explore areas in the keys, does it need to handle rough water, how big/small do we need to stay light, do we buy new or used? We have ten months or so of our Loop adventure left, and the future beyond then is uncertain. Buying a used inflatable is a gamble and new is expensive. We need something reliable, relatively stable for this non-coordinated writer, can carry two adults, a dog, groceries, cleans easy and light enough to pull on to the swim platform manually. 

We have looked at various options: the Portland Pudgy, inflatable RIB, Walker Bays with an inflatable kit attached, aluminum floor inflatables, air floors, even kayaks. It would be helpful to have them all to try out in real life, but it doesn’t work that way. So, we search YouTube, Google, ask for advice and in the near future watch the AGLCA webinar on dinghies. We shall see who wins this war. For this one, advice or recommendations are encouraged!