This month, marks our third year living aboard Blue Turtle. It’s hard to believe it’s been that long already. Our first year was mostly overwhelming and spent repairing lots of things that were broken on our trawler. Our second year living aboard, was less overwhelming although we still had quite a few boat projects on our list. We still managed to get off the dock for long weekends during those first 2 years, although with the first several trips we always returned with something broken. With year 3, I think we hit our stride with no major boat projects to be endured. After 3 years, Randy has become more adept at fixing and repairing things. He’s also gotten better at troubleshooting issues although he is constantly learning in the process. With our third year also came our first major trip aboard Blue Turtle when we headed south to the Dry Tortugas and then the Florida Keys.
This past year, we also enjoyed having Randy’s Dad and April as well as my parents living aboard here in our Marina. Randy’s Dad has since moved their boat to Fisherman’s Village and my parents sold their trawler that they cruised the Great Loop on. It was nice having both sets of parents here near us even though it was only for a short time.
As far as boat projects this year, it was mostly minor stuff. We finally got around to organizing our bridge storage compartments and all the spare parts we have aboard. We also did our yearly maintenance coats of Cetol on our exterior wood. Randy did the regular oil changes and maintenance to the engine and generator and is currently replacing a busted water pump that broke yesterday. Now that we have some knowledge and experience under our belt, things seem a bit calmer and we are enjoying living aboard and cruising.
Three years, really! Best wishes for three more years! Can’t wait for another visit.