But enough of politics

Sometimes I can't help myself and descend into the pit of political commentary. I'd rather talk about boats, homesteading, self reliance, or anything else that I have some sort of actual control over.

Today it's boats.

We've been having fun with the little 12 footer I built and expect to go boating in more interesting places with it. Since my lovely wife got her discount access pass to Federal campgrounds camping is a reasonably priced activity. It doesn't help at state or private campgrounds, but we stay at enough Federal places that it takes some pressure off the budget. The little boat is great for day trips.

No regrets, but we miss the living on a sailboat lifestyle. Waking up to dolphins playing around our boat never got old. Sunsets on the water are amazing. Living on a boat allows us to travel, but still sleep in the same bed every night.

When we bought our little Oday 19 we thought it would be a good trainer boat. It's called “The Weekender” as it had a V berth and space for a cooler and porta potty. We took a boat designed for the occasional overnight and spent 10 weeks on it last year. For a number of reasons we've yet to upgrade to a bigger boat.

Price is a concern, of course. One thing we've pretty much decided is that we really don't want to let this boat go. Selling it would offset the price of a bigger boat, but that's hard to do. It doesn't help that most folks who've sold theirs express regret for doing so. It's a fun boat to sail. When it gets right down to it a sailboat is all about sailing.

After careful consideration my lovely wife and I think we could easily spend another winter living on it. Modifying our existing boat for longer trips is cheaper than buying a new one. One thing that would give us more usable room would be some sort of shelter over the cockpit. Last year I brought down a canvas tarp/fiberglass pole arrangement for use as a boom tent. It worked fine home on the lake, but we never used it all winter long. It took too long to set it up. The lesson here is that any sort of shelter arrangement has to be quick and easy to set up.

I've also been looking to replace the sails as our are pretty blown out. The outboard could be replaced or even repaired. Some new rubber on the trailer, some bottom paint, and we'd be good to go.

Frankly, it's a darn good feeling to know that freedom on the water is well within my budget.

-Sixbears