It's Not the Size of the Ship...

We've all heard this line before...

It's not the size of the ship but the motion in the ocean.

 Well I'm actually talking about boats here not... well, you know.

I'm going to tell you right now, it most certainly IS NOT about the size of your ship ESPECIALLY at first. The excitement that builds around the very idea of cruising is insurmountable. A floating piece of Styrofoam might seem like the perfect boat after you've been feening for it long enough!  Desperate times, desperate measures?!

In our experience we spent literally thousands of man hours scrolling through boats on the various web sites; YachtWorld, Sailboat Listings, The Florida Mariner and more trying to find our "perfect boat". AND we found it, 3 times!! Once in a 1981 42' Pearson, loaded with generator, A/C, pressurized water, auto-pilot the list goes on. The second time we feel in love with a 1979 36' Ericson that had recently been douched with St. John's river water and left on the hard for a few months (can you say mold, eww!). She was bare bones and we did a complete re-fit. Third times a charm right?? We'd like to think so, Felicity is our 1968 50' Hatteras MY.

All 3 purchases were different times in our lives, different cruising grounds. We felt we had different desires, needs and wants. When it came down to the nitty gritty we just wanted to get "out there"! We liked the looks, we could see past the projects and we went for it. Enjoying the journey along the way regardless of a 20 degree heel or hot food and lukewarm water served up at every meal! We've lived the cruising life from all sides of the coin, power or sail, big or small, it's really all about your personal preference with ships and... well, other things.

Years ago, when I heard other folks talk about how they "needed" refrigeration or a/c  - I laughed. Not gonna lie. Inexperience told me I'd be happy to take off on a Styrofoam raft, boy, was I wrong. I went for 3 years without refrigeration or a/c or even running (pressurized water). At the time, it was "fine." Some days I wished for more but I never "hated" it. The turning point came in Guatemala after a particularly HOT, MUGGY, BUGGY spell. I realized that we really were going to do this for the rest of our lives. I turned to GR, with a sincere look of desperation on my face..."Babe, I'd really love to just get up and walk to the fridge for a cold drink. I'd really love the option to turn on the a/c on a hot, buggy, sticky night. I think I need these options." "Options are nice," he agreed. And with that we began our search for the next boat, Felicity was our answer. We had more reasons for wanting a bigger boat but it wasn't all about space it was more about the utilization of said space.

We didn't pick her name, she came with it but she certainly describes the period in our lives, we are full of felicity;) Big or small happiness can override any discomfort not matter the size of the ship OR the motion in the ocean.

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