As Anne headed back to Minneapolis for the second time this summer, and Jim headed on to Halifax, we took a little time to reflect on our experience thus far. We’ve also included some of our favorite photos. Thank you for following us!
- Living on a boat has similarities to living on land. Some days are really fun, some days are chores and organizing. So far, even the chores and organizing are more fun on a boat than at home.
- Nearly everything on a boat takes more planning and effort than on land.
- This life is good for developing patience. As Jim has said many times, if you need to go somewhere fast, don’t take a boat. Beyond simply the slow travel (about 7 mph), there are weather delays. More so than on land, we are captive to other people’s schedules, be it the marina or harbor master, the lock schedule, or the bridge schedules. For both of us, especially Anne after a busy year at work, it’s been great to slow down and get a visceral sense of our distance travelled.
- We have met kind and generous people all along our route. This is especially true with fellow sailors, who’ve offered to run us for groceries and freely given advice based on their own experiences on routes that are new to us. It also holds true for marina staff and other people we have met when out and about, both in the US and Canada.
- It’s been wonderful to have friends and family on the boat and to visit family, and we have a really lovely time, too, when it’s just the two of us.
- Marinas are convenient for easy access to land to reprovision, refuel and fill our water tanks. We’ve had wonderful stops in the heart of Quebec City and Montreal, as well as stops in small towns in the US and Canada. However, our favorite remains a night on anchor with the beauty, privacy, and peace it brings.
- When you have a particular direction to go and a time you need to be there, as we often have had on this journey, it’s rare that the wind speed is in the right range and coming from the right direction. As we’ve been told by others, we have motored more than anticipated on this trip. We have learned to savor the sailing when all the stars align.
- We love this lifestyle!
