What started it all

It all began when the Hubster said, "I've always wanted to live on a tall ship."

It was meant as a joke. We were house-hunting and going into sticker shock at the cost of real estate. Just on a whim, I went to Yacht World to look at a few boats. What we found is that not only would a boat large enough to live on cost significantly less than a house, but that there are literally thousands of people already living aboard in marinas around the US. People like us--folks with jobs, kids, dogs, the works. We also found that since the cost of boats wasn't going through a period of bubble price inflation they were holding their value at a fairly consistent rate.

We did some calculating. Yes, it would be small, and we'd have to get rid of a lot of our stuff to make this kind of a move. Really, though, do we need a tv for every person in the family? How about three computers? Do I need to be hanging on to clothes I haven't fit in since before the kids were born? Not really. Can the four of us really live in a space somewhat smaller than your average one-bedroom apartment? I certainly hope so!

So now we've switched from house hunting to boat hunting. I'm using this space to chronicle the frustrations and joys, keep a list of the things we like and the things we don't, and hopefully get to casting off with my sanity more or less intact, or at least as intact as it's ever been.