Water We Thinking

December 31, 2015 was the first time Chicago had any official New Years Eve event in our lifetimes. This year the city decided to host  Chi-town Rising on the south branch of the Chicago River and we were not going to let this one pass by unnoticed.  Sure the name is kinda dumb, and they originally said it would be free to everyone and at the last minute decide $150 per person was better than free, but we decided we'd avoid all the hubbub and take Cygnet for a ride. The star, pre-assention This year, knowing El Niño was coming, we decided to wrap the boat late and prep her for a cruise on New Years Eve.  So with 19 people aboard we fired up the generator and twin 454s and headed down river to the area between Michigan Ave. and Columbus where the event was centered.  We putted around a bit and finally talked to the CPD and CFD boats and found that as long as we stayed west of Michigan Ave. we could hang out and watch from there.  The event had a fireworks ...

First of all, we are very sorry for taking so long between posts.  We won't bore you with the details, but just know it has been a very busy and difficult couple months in our work and personal lives.  So again, sorry. ______ Oh shit it's winter again!  Well, at least it seemed that way this past weekend when we got our first snow of the year.  After learning so much last winter we are doing some things differently this year, not everything, but some things.  We aren't wrapping the boat until January.  That has the most to do with the fact that we want to take Cygnet out for New Year's Eve.  You see, this year, Chicago is premiering a  New Year's Eve  shindig like NYC.  It just so happens that it is based on both sides of the river near Michigan Ave. which is a short ride from our marina.  Hopefully the weather holds up and we can have a front row seat for the "star ascension" without dealing with any crowds. Once we wrap we wi...

The previous weekend was the Chicago Scene Boat Party  but we aren't much into hanging with a bunch of Douchebags with SeaRays rafted 10 wide feeding drunk girls cocaine and ecstasy.  We know it's not all that, but it does have that reputation.  So we avoided it.  The one thing we never miss is the Chicago Air & Water Show  however because 'Merica! Blue Angels rise above. On Saturday we fired up Cygnet and left about 11AM for the 45 minute trip from the marina to the lake.  We just missed the lock so we had to wait but once inside you realize how many boaters really have no clue how to drive their boat.  Some people are absolutely clueless, including a hired captain we saw piloting a pontoon from our marina.  The girls aboard definitely looked scared and the guy was messing it up for everyone else.  Eventually we made it out to the lake and found a relatively open area among the sea of boats.  We were anchored in the southeaste...

We've been living aboard for just over a year now and there are still some questions we get fairly often.  It's starting to get old - answering the same questions over and over, but when you meet someone new and they find out you live on a boat in the middle of Chicago you have to put on the happy face and indulge them.  There are a lot of the same questions you have to answer but every once in a while you get something new.  If you, dear reader, are not a live aboard and are curious about what it's like to live day after day on the water this post might help you. Sunset We lead somewhat different lives than many of the other liveaboards that we know about.  Many of the liveaboards we know of are retired, lots of them in Florida or the Caribbean living out their golden (or at least silver) years in paradise.  We are not those people.  To anyone who meets us you would think that we have a completely "normal" life and live in a "normal" place like an...

It's f-ing 2015 and we shouldn't have to write this post, but we don't live a "normal" life so... The internet has come to River City Marina!  It's such a glorious thing, this connectivity.  The ability to live like everyone else in modern society is splendid.  You see, for the last year we've been living without internet.  Sure the management company told us we could use the wifi that was in the marina but we couldn't really get a good signal, and when we did it was about as fast as a snail on a tortoise's shell.  Sometimes it was too slow to even check email. Another beautiful night When we moved in we knew the internet was an issue so Kevin had Comcast, AT&T, and RCN all come out to run internet to our slip.  None of them would do it, they said it was too far for them to go (about 300 feet total) or they couldn't get access to the building so they just wouldn't do it.  Basically all three services sent their guys out to do a r...

Memorial Day Weekend is what many of us wait months for.  It's the beginning of the summer season, and in the northern climates, like here in Chicago, it signals the beginning of the boating season.  Sure, many boats are in the water as early as April and Cygnet was in all year, but it's the time when the weather is usually warm enough to get out and wear shorts, or better yet a bikini.  This Memorial Day Saturday we set out in the evening to celebrate a birthday and just get Cygnet out on the water.  Kevin's mother turned 70 this week so we invited her and her boyfriend along with her brother and nephew out on the water for the first Navy Pier fireworks of 2015. The Playpen in the shadow of the John Hancock Building We started the day in the mid afternoon, just hanging out in the marina, and departed about 5PM for the lake.  We had perfect timing through the lock and made it through in record time.  We love going through the lock for many reasons. ...

I came across this similar blog called Luv'n the Regal Life  which originally was written about a couple's adventures on their weekender Regal 3760 boat.  The blog is now about their life aboard a Carver a bit larger and quite a bit newer than ours.  They have just crossed the two year mark of life aboard and as we are at the one year mark we thought it was interesting that this couple who we don't know is experiencing many of the same things we are at nearly the same times.  They got a one year jump on us, but many of the experiences, frustrations, projects, and joys are the same as we have.  I find these folks interesting because judging only by a couple photos on the blog they seem to be about the same age as us (Kevin just crested the hill and Colette is a ways behind him).  You can find thousands of live aboards with silver (or no) hair but trying to find ones under the age of 50 isn't as easy.  Sure we are around, but it's not like we always run ...