Water We Thinking

The weather has certainly improved over the last couple months, it seems nearly impossible to think it was snowy and frigid just 60 days ago.  We've planted a few flowers and plants on our "dashboard" and they are thriving.  We've done a bit of spring cleaning and are excited for summer.  We're in that part of the boating season that can best be described as a first kiss.  For boaters who store their vessel in the winter there is planning and work and dreaming about what the summer will be like.  Now is that time that the barn doors are opening, the trailer tires are being filled, the cranes are lifting boats in the water, and the engines are being fired up.  It's that anticipation of summer, not knowing how great it's going to be, not knowing if the weather is going to be warm and sunny or stormy and unfair.  Just like that first kiss, hoping for the spark, but unsure if it'll actually happen. Green For those of you who read our last post we hav...

Now that we are in the water and officially living aboard many of you want to know what is actually like.  Well, it's great!  Mostly.  Up until last night Cygnet was not in her regular slip since they've been rebuilding the docks.  Before that we were on the river side of the marina wall.  It wasn't as calm as it will be in the marina and that is the number one complaint we've had.  There was a lot of traffic on the river last weekend and many of the other boats are not as respectful as we are when passing moored vessels.  "No wake" zones are not really enforced so many people don't slow and that rocks our boat. There is barge traffic at night and a steady stream of tour boats during the day.  Cygnet has shown to be very stable despite all the attempts at pushing her around.  We've gotten used to the movement but it's never fun when you are trying to shower, or make breakfast, or use the toilet!  Last night was much more calm inside the ...

Taking inspiration from our good friends Matt and Val we figured it was about time to explain why we are committing to an aquatic lifestyle.  Essentially, Water We Thinking?  Many friends and family have asked the same question and it is something that is difficult to answer in a few sentences.  So, if you've wondered why we have this crazy idea please read on. '71 Sea Ray SRV 220 Cuddy Cabin For those of you familiar with the boat in the picture above, you know we love the boating life.  Kevin has struggled to keep Two Wrights running the last few years and in the summer of 2013 we started looking for a replacement.  We were still a couple years away from making the commitment to a larger vessel, and since Kevin finally got Two Wright running pretty well at the end of the summer we were happy to do another year or two.  We also considered putting Two Wrights in the barn for a couple years and saving the money we normally spend on the slip, gas, an...

We'd be willing to bet a lot of you have thought about downsizing.  Some of you however might dream of up-sizing. Whether you want room to sew, work on motorcycles, garden, or just spread out, it's always nice to fantasize about bigger and better.  After living in apartments for what seemed like a very long time we were thrilled to finally buy our house and have the positives that come with it, including s p a c e.  While a reader outside a major city may think that a "postage stamp" lot of 125 feet by 25 feet sounds tiny, in the City of Chicago it's the standard.  We made use of the 1,756 square feet (not including the basement) and two car garage that our house offered as best we could.  When we moved in we inherited a collection of furniture that the previous owner left for us.  None of it was nice, but it was what we needed after our previous purge when we moved back to Chicago from Los Angeles.  At that time we kept only what fit in our beloved S...