It’s been exactly 1 month since Randy and I brought the DeFever home from Longboat Key in Sarasota. We put the boat temporarily in Cape Coral Yacht Club since my parents are live a boards there. We’ll eventually end up in a marina on the southern end of Fort Myers Beach. The marina we’ll eventually settle into permanently is having some major construction going on this summer, so we decided we wanted to stay away from the noise and just spend a couple of months in the Cape until it is over.

I’ve adjusted quite well to living on a boat and marina life in general. Granted, there are things I have to live without, such as a dishwasher and washer and dryer, but the tradeoff is worth it. It has been a bit of a change going from living with luxury items like major appliances to having none, but being near the water and without the noise of our old neighborhood (tons of dogs barking, neighbors weed eating their grass at 8:30pm, etc) has been wonderful. There’s nothing quite like waking up to being on the water and enjoying happy hour on the back of the boat looking out at the marina and river beyond. Somehow our view in the marina trumps any I’ve ever had living in a house in a subdivision.

I’m happy to say that I now get outside a lot more, whether to walk Sophie, fill up the water tanks or to walk to the marina laundry room, it’s nice to be outside more walking down the docks. Prior to living aboard, the only time I would ever leave my office (or my “hole” as Randy calls it) was to go to the grocery or to the gym. Other than that, there were some days where I never went outside. Necessity of life in a marina sort of forces me outside more and I think that will make me a lot healthier and happier in the long run.

Even though we are only here temporarily, we’ve enjoyed staying at the Cape Coral Yacht Basin. The monthly slip rentals are very reasonable and we are able to enjoy some of the things the park offers, like the swimming pool, tennis courts, fishing pier and man-made beach on the river. While, it might not be the same as being on Fort Myers Beach (as we will be soon) it’s still more scenic than anywhere else I’ve lived.

Living on a boat is hard to describe, there’s a constant feeling of always being on vacation, even though I’ve done nothing but work (physically working on the boat and actually working on client projects) since I moved aboard. Somehow, I just feel happier all the time while being here, knowing that the next trip isn’t too far away. I can’t wait to untie the lines and be free from land again.