TEN REASONS WHY WE LOVE TO LIVE ABOARD, Part Two...

(Continued from yesterday's entry...)

6. I find lots of writing material – interesting characters, events and happenings around an interesting harbour.

A few years ago I owned a regional boating magazine, and in the summer, I could hardly keep up with the water-related events. In one month alone, I remember having to juggle my time to cover the Cadillac Van Isle 360 race, an Open House at the Institute of Ocean Sciences on the Saanich Peninsula, tribal Canoe Races in Cowichan Bay, the Chris Craft Rendezvous in Maple Bay, Oceans Day in Campbell River, The Cowichan Bay Wooden Boat Festival, at least one sailing regatta, and the Spencer Yacht Rendezvous in Montague Harbour!

7. Our ‘pets’ are seals, sea gulls and otters – and we don’t have to feed them, amuse them or take them for walks.

8. When we have to move, it's easy -- start the engine, untie the ropes, and go. (Except for having to pack up the yarn stash, that is...) Four years ago, when we made the decision to move to Victoria from Nanaimo, it was less than 3 weeks from the moment of that decision to tying up to our new home (marina) in Victoria -- and that included time to 'haul out' (4 days) and cruise here (3 days)!

9. We get ‘rocked to sleep’ every night. Where we live now is actually quite sheltered so it's calm most of the time, but there's always a slight movement under the hull, and we love it! And when it's stormy, we love it even more .... it's a great excuse to 'hunker down,' 'batten down the hatches', wrap up in the warmest shawl I own (and I own several, lol), and light the fire. When we first moved aboard, every time a storm blew through, some friend or family member would call to ask if we'd like to come spend the night ... it took a long time for them to get that we were really doing this by choice!

(Besides, we do live in the Pacific North-West -- the weather patterns here are not hard to take!)

10. Nothing beats watching a sunset – or a lightning storm, or a rainbow or a Snowbirds fly-by – outside, with your feet up, from the bridge of a boat. Especially if that boat is 'swinging' from the hook' in some deserted little cove and there isn't a sound anywhere.

It's been ten years on the Wind Walker, 12 years of life afloat ... and we still wouldn't trade it for anything!

(Meanwhile, I FINISHED the black socks, and I'm doing the happy dance in them!!)