Does it start when you finally push off from a pier? Does it start as a child, throwing a stick into the current of a river, dreaming your dreams of a nautical voyage until it passes out of sight around the bend? Or is it in between, perhaps when you firm up your plans and commit to the journey, with no going back?
For us, it feels like the journey has begun. We do not yet know which boat will be ours, but we have a plan, albeit one that it is continually shifting in details. We’ve spent many nights and weekends making piles of stuff we thought we needed, but are now ready to shed – to sell, give to friends, or donate. Much smaller is a pile of “stuff that goes on the boat” and a few things to go into storage. We’ve looked at hundreds of boats for online, and have begun to narrow our focus. On trips to the coast, we’ve started wandering through marinas, talking to liveaboards, peeking inside boats when invited to do so, and looking at boats listed for sale. We immerse ourselves in books-Chapman is being read cover to cover-as well as websites, YouTube channels. We ask naive questions on online forums, and later smarter questions. We talk to lots of people, filter through opinions, skim through maritime magazines, browse major marine parts vendors. We lock in on a boat, then pick it apart, later repositioning it on the list. We graph out asking prices versus year for particular boat models. We dissect our financial position and refine our calculations as to what is possible, what is preferable, and what will always be beyond our financial reach. We practice knots, discuss best practices. In the end, we learn, and learn, learn. Our maritime vocabulary expands, we hone our skills in assessing boat condition, and learn about our limits. All of this, it is part of our journey.
So, the journey has already begun. And we are psyched!!