From a BIG house to a TINY boat!

Helloooo from La Paz, Mexico! We are happily ensconced in a GORGEOUS marina here on the Baja Peninsula in the Sea of Cortez. We’re spending the entire month of December here working on boat upgrade projects, before we set sail for the mainland and begin picking our way down the coast.

But before I tell you about all of that, we have some catching up to do. As you may recall, I started a YouTube channel to chronicle our adventure…and as often happens with such channels, I now find myself having to play catch-up. We took a TON of footage of our preparations, our cast-off, our sail to San Diego, and the amazing Baja Ha-ha rally down to Cabo…but there hasn’t been a moment to spare to pull it all together into YouTube episodes. Consequently, our channel has sat there with no new content on it for the past couple of months.

Now that we’re settled into one place for a while and have some time, I’m working on that…and I’d like to re-introduce you to our channel. Here’s a link to our latest video, which covers emptying our house, moving onto the boat, and our final preparations before casting off. Please watch, and I hope you enjoy it! 

Now that I’m getting back on track, I will be releasing episodes every few days until we’re caught up.

In the meantime I will be posting blog updates about what it’s like adjusting to our new life. For me, one of the biggest adjustments is just learning how to move more slowly and deliberately! Living on a boat means there’s something to catch your toe or knee pretty much everywhere you move. You HAVE to pay close attention to where you put every part of your body, every time you move. It’s even worse when you’re out to sea, as your house is constantly rocking. For those of you who’ve lived through an earthquake, imagine living through one that never ends!

The funny thing is, when I was on my Mahina Expedition Amanda made a comment to me that I move like a bull in a china shop. I felt a bit…affronted at the time, but I realize now that she was totally right! I just sort of barreled through space, paying little attention to where my body was in relation to everything around me. Which is fine when living in a big house with wide rooms and empty hallways, but NOT so fine on a tiny boat.

And what did it take for me to realize this? One broken toe, multiple stubbed toes, several shin smashes, and a plethora of “boat bites” (a goofy name for the many bruises that turn up all over your body when cruisers go out to sea).

Changing something as basic as the way you move takes thought, time and serious intention. I still sometimes stub my toe or bang my shin, but it’s happening less frequently. So…progress!