It’s hard to believe that it’s been 10 years since we said “goodbye” to land life and moved aboard our floating home. It’s been so much fun and so much work and we wouldn’t change it for the world.

We’ve been through many phases in our journey living and cruising on a boat. Our son, Corey, was just 8 years old (Sophie was only 2) when we first bought our trawler and began living aboard. That phase was all about trying to have the most fun while both of us were working full time, learning about boat systems and fixing up a broken trawler. We got off the dock as often as we could even if it was only for a weekend and we looked forward to every summer when Corey was out of school and we could cruise to the Keys and Dry Tortugas for an extended trip.

Once Corey was a little older and got bit by the wakeboarding bug, we didn’t cruise as much. It was all about shuffling Corey to-and-from wake cable parks and competitions and cruising was put on the back burner so we could help Corey pursue his passion. We still loved everything about living aboard and the community we had with our neighbors, and when our schedule would permit, we’d head off to Keeywaydin or somewhere else to anchor for the weekend.

With Corey nearing high school graduation, we knew we wanted to cruise full time in the future. After living aboard a trawler for 9 years, it was time for something new. Sailing was always something that interested us and we thought a sailboat might be the ultimate vessel for long-term cruising. So, last year we bought a 1978 CSY 44′ walkover and moved aboard. With that, we learned the differences of living aboard a sailboat vs. a trawler. While they can be a bit different to live aboard, they offer the same sense of freedom and lifestyle we’ve come to love. And with our 10th year living aboard, we finally got off the dock again and are cruising around Florida and up the east coast while loving every minute of it!

Past living aboard anniversary posts

• 9 Years living aboard! Blue Turtle then & now
• Celebrating 8 years living aboard
• Celebrating 7 years living aboard our trawler
• Blue Turtle crew celebrates 6 years living aboard
• Celebrating 5 years living aboard – reflections and observations
• Four years living aboard!
• Third year living aboard recap
• Celebrating 2 years of living aboard
• Celebrating 1 year living aboard!