Cheri + Tom Ward Discussion started by Cheri + Tom Ward 15 years ago

It's always been our dream to live aboard our own boat and sail around the world.  We bought La Vida Dulce, IP420-35, in Sept. '09 with that purpose in mind but didn't plan to move aboard until right before we retired in 2014.  In January of '10 we decided it made more sense financially to unload the house and move onto the boat.  We put the house on the market in March and sold it in 30 days.  Yikes!  We had 30 days before closing and managed to sell everything we owned, every stick of furniture, everything.  We're hoping to be on the boat for at least 15 years and it was more realistic for us to just start over again with the possessions when we return.  What little we kept is with Cheri's sister and anything we wanted to hand down when we die was given now instead of later.  Now our monthly expenses are way down and we can concentrate on paying off the boat and equipping her with the gear we'll need and want for our cruise.  Our official retirement date is December 25, 2014 but with time off for good behavior (accumulated sick and vacation hours) we're hoping to cast off in June 2014.  That gives us three years of preparation.

This past winter (December 2010) was our first winter spent full time on the boat.  We're located on the Chesapeake Bay so the weather isn't all that brutal but we did see temperatures in the single digits and the creek where we live was frozen over for most of December and January.  We installed an Espar diesel heater to keep us comfortable and it maintained a steady 73 degrees for the entire time.  We placed insulation along the hull beside the forward bunk and inside some of the storage compartments, wrapped the mast, and had the sole carpeted, all of which added to the comfort.  We also made "shower cap" curtains for the ports and placed insulation between it and the glass.  Insulation on the outside of the hatches underneath the hatch covers prevented moisture from forming on the inside surfaces there.  The insulation we used is 1/4" bubble plastic with aluminum backing - great stuff, highly recommended.  One other major thing we did was adding a full cockpit enclosure.  That provided more living space and creates a greenhouse effect.  We actually went sailing in February and March in total comfort.  We could keep the companionway open and run the diesel heater to keep everything toasty.

One issue we faced was the wide variation in tides brought on by winter storms where the wind just howls non-stop for days on end.  When the wind blows out of the south it forces the Bay to back up into our creek.  When it blows out of the north or west it drains the creek.  At times we had our keel stuck in the mud and at others we had water up to and even over the decking on the dock.  With the water this high it was difficult getting on and off our boat.  Our finger pier is too narrow for those plastic box-steps you can get.  We tried keeping a 5 gallon bucket leashed to the railing and used that for a step.  Finally, at West marine we found a plastic step that hangs like a swing and clips onto the base of the stanchions on either side of the gate in our railing.  It's unobtrusive, cheap and works great.  When the water level is low getting on and off is also difficult, if not dangerous.  We're planning to add a wooden step (like in a tree house) and a grab handle to the piling on the finger pier.