It’s all in your head, and if you’re a boater, eventually the conversation always goes to this topic. Am I talking about losing your mind or going a little crazy living in these tiny spaces? Well, maybe (someone once told me that you have to be a little crazy to own a boat), but in this story, the ‘head’ is that little place landlubbers refer to as the potty!
So, if you’ve been following along with this story, we left off with my husband saying “what’s that smell?” It was our first official sleep-over with the boat in the water. Being April, it was a bit chilly outside so we had a space heater going. We woke up to an awful smell. Dead mouse? Spoiled food? Nope- worse. Poo!!!
It seems the new-to-us boat we bought had a cracked holding tank (like a big plastic container for toilet treasures) which had leaked at some point. When the boat heated up, so did the smell. Ick! This lovely discovery was just the first of so many over the next year.
If you’ve ever seen the movie “The Money Pit” you are not far off from this boat. Our beautiful Bayfield 32′, Luna Sole’, had a myriad of problems that our “top notch” surveyor (note: never use the brokers survey guy) didn’t find. Hummmm.
Everything from a rotted bowsprit ($4000 for that replacement thank you very much) to damaged flooring (conveniently covered over by a laminate floor) and more. It’s not an understatement to say that we have spent more than double the cost of the boat in the 10 years we have owned her. I’ll say this, someone’s gonna get a great boat when we sell her.
Because we are gluttons for punishment, in the midst of this craziness, we decided to buy another boat. A 1987 Cabo Rico 38′. She’s our future home, and is currently undergoing her own face-lift. I’m happy to say though, we got a much better surveyor this time.
Just imagine the determination, and foolishness, that it took to keep going for 7 years on our first boat. When you buy a boat it’s from the heart because it’s not an investment. BOAT stand stands for “Break Out Another Thousand” and you just keep going. I can honestly say though, it was (and still is) a labor of love.
I didn’t get my dream boat 10 years ago. No sunset sails. No cute nautical clothes in which to lounge around in while sipping cocktails. Instead, I got something much more valuable. I reconnected with my husband (we are stronger than ever as a result of the madness), found out that I’m tougher than I thought I was and learned how to fix a boat (which is really important if you’re going to live on one.)
So what’s in my head? Something that’s not stinky. It’s the knowledge that life doesn’t always give you what you want, but it always gives you what you need.
(If you missed the other 2 parts, you can start reading the story here. Stay tuned for the fourth and final chapter of the story…..for now)
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