Newbie Transitioning

[Valacirca]

Transitioning to live aboard life is hard when you are the type of person who is REALLY set in their ways. No regrets of course. The plan was to wait and prepare ahead of time, ease into it slowly... but I managed to run across the perfect boat for me, at the perfect price, and my apartment lease was up, so I ended up jumping in quickly. ( literally I was at a conference in Ohio when it all came into place and had 1 week to pack and move when I got back. No time for downsizing prior.) I am actually astonished at how well I did at getting rid of 80% of everything I own. Took 3 months of constant sorting and boat Tetris but aside from a few boxes I am sending to my parents its finally done. I am especially proud of how I cleverly repurposed many things such as my couches. Saved the cushions and green upholstery since I had none on the boat. Tossed the frames.
BUT...
BAH!
The kitchen!!!!!
I love my green dishes. I especially love my awesome green wine glasses that too FOREVER to find to match my dishes perfectly. Very sad I will be having to let these go soon. I know its just *stuff* but dang. They are just sooooo flippin COOL. Change is good I hear, and I'm not clinging to many other things at all... but I will never be as happy with any set as I am with these. Having to redo my green and copper kitchen theme is proving to be a MAJOR kink on my OCD chain. I need to get unbreakable, lighter weight things eventually... but I am going to hold out on these till the last possible minute which is just incredibly stupid but I JUST CANT HELP MYSELF!!!! Agh!!!

Anyone else struggle with adjusting to their new version of normal? Does anyone else have that one thing they are reluctant to let go of?

[David M]

The only thing that I have that I could never let go of is my wife. The rest is just stuff.

[wingNwing]

It does get better. The first time you watch the sun rise in the mist, while sipping coffee in the cockpit, yes, you realize it is worth it. And you realize, as David M posted, that the most important things in your life, aren't the things you pack in boxes at all, they are your health, your friends, your experiences. If the wine glasses are the things that are crazy-making for you right now, keep them in storage or find a way to carefully pad them in a dedicated spot on the boat. After a while, you'll either find it easier to let go of them, or decide that for you, this one thing is worth the hassle. There's no right way to move aboard or one-size-fits-all solution. Below are links to two collections of blog posts from others on this topic ... and welcome aboard!

The Monkey's Fist: Collecting Cruisers' Perspectives: Moving Aboard: Transitions

The Monkey's Fist: Collecting Cruisers' Perspectives: Did we leave that behind?

[Valacirca]

Thanks!
I feel silly because "I know" ya know? Lol
I'm just being difficult! Haha
Recently a friend lost everything when his boat went down and he was lucky to survive AND the coast guard saved his cat too which was like WOW. All that really put alot into perspective as to what I was keeping here and what I needed to send home.
My sisters wedding anniversary is next month.... hmmm.
I'm thinking she needs wine glasses!

Thank you for the links!

[PapaBruce]

Wing - what a terrific post. We've gone thru the downsizing and are about to move aboard and even after a year's prep, your links are invaluable. Thanks!

[Hudson Force]

Keep them,- or some of them!




We keep plenty of glassware on board. When it breaks we clean up and replace!

[Randyonr3]

Following what CaptForce has said, our dishware is the same as in our home, even went to Target yesterday and purchased a couple new ceramic pans, the green pan, they work great. You don't have to do the "melmak " thing just because you move to the boat.

[noelex 77]

Originally Posted by CaptForce

Keep them,- or some of them!
We keep plenty of glassware on board. When it breaks we clean up and replace!

Good advice.
Surprisingly we break very little.
In 5 1/2 years full time cruising the list has been

1 champagne flute
1 Portmeirion bowl
1 Baccarat glass (that one hurt)

Probably not any, (or at least not much) more than we would have done at home in the same time period. Why do without?

[wingNwing]

Thanx PapaBruce and Valacirca - glad you found it useful.

[Valacirca]

Thanks for all the great replies! I am being cautious of weight though as I know I need to do a lot of work on here still. Need a new floor, new batteries, solar and or wind power... and some basic tools. In addition I have three cats. Which means when I am under way a lot of food and litter. Perhaps I am being overly cautious about it? I do really love those plates and glasses though lol.

[noelex 77]

Originally Posted by Valacirca

Thanks for all the great replies! I am being cautious of weight though as I know I need to do a lot of work on here still. Need a new floor, new batteries, solar and or wind power... and some basic tools. In addition I have three cats. Which means when I am under way a lot of food and litter. Perhaps I am being overly cautious about it? I do really love those plates and glasses though lol.

You won't be entertaing large crowds on a 28 foot boat. (and if you do cruising people are pretty laid back so mismatched / plastic / paper glasses and plates is fine)
Therefore you only need a couple of nice glasses and plates. The weight is negligible.

[Driftwoods]

This topic resonates for me. We bought our boat last November. We close on our home sale in Feb 22nd and the estate sale to get rid of all our stuff is this weekend.

Oh my God, did we have stuff. We have a embarrassment of stuff. When I say embarrassment, that's not exaggeration, Amy (my wife) actually cried when she saw it all. We emptied a storage unit we hadn't visited in probably 3 years, maybe more (what were we doing with that stuff?). We cleaned out the attic spaces and all the cupboards. I think we both were overwhelmed with it all. We hired a estate seller to take care of it all for us after that - they're over at my house as I type setting up displays and pricing it all.

Amy could not part with a antique dining room set she got from her grandmother so we got a PODs storage. Since the smallest one is still pretty big, we decided to keep whatever could fit in there - won't cost us any more than we're already on the hook for with the storage. I'm happy to say we did not fill it up! Mostly a lot of photographs in plastic boxes and various things like that. We got rid of, no kidding, I bet 99% of everything we owned. To be honest, after two teenage boys a lot of that stuff wasn't worth keeping anyway.

Right now we're spending a little time at my mother's as we get some decks and plumbing redone but we'll move on board within the next couple of weeks at the latest. We are, essentially, homeless right now. I know this will get better but I feel a little adrift, kind of lost and out of control. It's strange to be both excited and terrified at the same time. You'd think after all the planning (over a year) and the slow ramp up to the home sale (6 months on the market) I'd be all set but it's a bit of a roller coaster for me. I'm 100% sure this is the right thing for us to do only to be unsure of it 10 minutes later - somebody tell me that's normal!

[PapaBruce]

Join the crowd Driftwoods! All your feelings are the same that I have had since we "sold out" this past summer. The estate sale went very well with a hired pro. We kept about 5 plastic bins worth of keepsakes and a couple winter jackets at the in-laws and whatever was listed in our wills to give to the next generations we gave them now. They can enjoy them longer and don't have to think about how they received them! We're moving aboard about April 25th as the admiral has an employment contract till then. We're renting from "snowbirds" till then.

I had lived in the same village for 60 years! You talk about mixed emotions! But you know what...I read things like WingNWing put up here and can't wait to experience the joy. I've done alot of sailing, bluewater, bareboat, and Great Lakes, and if I can wake up every morning and go stand on deck and breath it all in till I can't anymore, I can't imagine a better existence. Fair winds to you and Amy.

[Hudson Force]

Originally Posted by Driftwoods

....................Right now we're spending a little time at my mother's as we get some decks and plumbing redone but we'll move on board within the next couple of weeks at the latest. We are, essentially, homeless right now. I know this will get better but I feel a little adrift, kind of lost and out of control. It's strange to be both excited and terrified at the same time.....................

You may be temporarily out of your home during some repair, but I think you will soon adapt to the term "houseless" instead of "homeless". I've never done any significant downsizing when moving aboard, but I feel I have an understanding still for the adaptation from land to water and the thought that you have a less stable home,- and I don't mean the rocking. I think it's normal to find that moving on a boat requires some time to gain confidence that your new home will be sound and secure. Even after over forty years aboard, if I've been away for any length of time, I'll look for my mast standing proud upon my return. I've never been disappointed. I've never owned a house, but if I did, I might look anxiuosly to see it standing secure and undamaged after being away on a trip. Once you've established yourself aboard I expect you'll gain a great deal of comfort with your home!

[cricket7045]

Just starting the down sizing in preparation to eventually move on the boat that we have yet to buy.... so can't even really imagine moving and downsizing that quickly and efficiently. But as David M commented the only thing that I can't let go of is my husband, everything else is just stuff. and who says you have to get rid of your perfect wine glasses and dishes.... as items break replace them with something new and different and at that point maybe something a little more practical for a boat.