Becoming A Liveaboard

[ksanders]

I'm becoming a liveaboard, pretty much as we speak if you will as I am still in transition. I have spent most of the summer getting the stuff I need on the boat and stowed. Without getting into it too deeply I am transitioning from married life to married but living apart life. At least we are amicable and it was a mutual decision. We had a close friend that did that for over 30 years and they both were happy and remained friends.

Right now my boat is "stuck" in Seward, Alaska for the winter. If I'd have gotten everything done a month or so ago I would have taken the boat south, but we're pretty well out of our weather window up here, and I don't like being in a hurry.

So, for the winter it is a period of planning, adjusting, and settling in. I bought the boat a little over a year ago with the knowledge that this would be my lifestyle, and have outfitted it very well for extended cruising.

For this winter in Seward Alaska I have to deal with heat and humidity control. The temperatures average in the low 30's as the high and the 20's as the daily low. Fortunately I thought ahead and instaled three wallas diesel furnaces totaling 27K BTU. These furnaces also provide ventilation as they bring in and mix outside air. I'll have to see how the humidity works out, and possibly get a good sized dehumidifier if necessary.

Next spring the plan is to cast the lines off and spend the decent weather months really exploring southeast Alaska. I'll take 2 weeks at a time of exploring, then park the boat for 2 weeks while I replenish the wallet at work. I'll probalby spend some time in Juneau visiting with my son, his wife and the grandaughter.

By fall, the idea is to be somewhere warmer and dryer than Alaska. People in Seattle think it rains allot. For example it rains twice as much in Seward as in Seattle. I might spend the winter in the PACNW, and I might head south. Time will tell. I spent a week on the boat in Anacortes last winter and loved it.

This is a new and somewhat scary adventure for me. The cruising is exciting, and is something I've dreamed about for a very long time. I have no problem single handling my boat, it is rock solid in a docking situation. The scary part is that it is a time of life transition.

[Dulcesuenos]

Best of luck!!! Any change in life can be scary and challenging! Sell those heaters and head South!! Look forward to hearing your adventures

[cruzer757]

Used to live in Kodiak. Always raining there too. But I can imagine the islands of SE AK are beautiful cruising grounds. Take lots of pics and share your adventures. Transition is always a bit scary but forums like these really do well to bring like minded people (and sometimes polar-opposites) together. Knowing that others are facing same or similar challenges makes it just a bit easier to deal with.

[Hudson Force]

Kevin, Within a recent post someone had said that they were living in the "OC". I never understood where that was supposed to be, but maybe it's us! I'm in the "Opposite Corner" with Florida as my home port. Living aboard can have a few complications, but yours and mine are far different. We both would probably find it difficult to adapt to the other's weather. I can deal with the hurricanes, heat and humidity, but I see your challenges as far tougher,- at least from over here in the "OC".

[Amapola]

Kevin, Welcome from sunny Florida!