It's not Christmas, but the time has come for making lists. We are moving to Florida in twelve days. Twelve days. Hard to believe that we are here at this point after having been temporary landlubbers for a whopping seven months. Crazy.
We have doctor's appointments to schedule, last minute visits with friends to squeeze in, belongings to pack and all sorts of logistical minutia to figure out. Asante is still getting work done, and because we are installing our new watermaker ourselves, we're not going to know where we want to install the thru-hulls until we do a dry fit of the system which means we'll be living in a hotel room for a few days. We've got to book that and make sure they have a crib for Isla. This baby can roll from one end of the room to the other. She's also begun the process of crawling...yikes.
Road tripping is a new beast as well because it's no longer just Scott and I. We've got a baby to contend with who needs her regularly scheduled feedings, naps and 6pm bedtime. Driving from Chicago to Florida should be...interesting. Unlike doing things they way we used to and just letting the chips fall where they may, we're going to need to map everything, drive no more than 6-8 hours a day and pre-book hotels so that we can ensure a crib gets in the room. Did I mention Isla is not a fan of being restricted in a car seat? Fun stuff.
Then there is the boat. Not only do we have to "move" aboard and unpack what will probably turn out to be forty boxes...but how we 'baby proof' it? What stuff do we bring? What do we leave behind? How are we going to make sure she stays contained in the v-berth during her slumber times? How will she handle living/napping/sleeping in a mini-construction zone? Rest assured, we'll let you know!
It's a surreal feeling when you come to a date that has just been hanging out in front of you for months and months; when one life chapter ends, and another begins. They're not always cut and dry, life chapters, and you don't always know when one begins and another ends - but this one is one of the distinct ones. This is definite. There is an end and a beginning. Clear as Christmas day.
We're excited, anxious and very busy. It won't all be perfect, we won't tick everything off our growing to-do list to but we'll make it happen as we always do.
If only we could borrow Santa, a few elves and his sleigh!
The countdown begins...
Love,
Brittany, Scott & Isla
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5 comments:
Good luck with your new boat and the transition back to life on the water. I will be following right behind you on the way down to Florida where I put my boat up on the hard in Marathon. Will take off from Angel Fish Creek on the way down to the Exumas and then head south. I'm a single hander in an IP27 so it will be a much slower slog to windward for me but then again I'm in no hurry. Enjoy your new boat!
you have probably already done this but be sure to buy a FL cruising permit. As I recall you can get one for 90 days and also an extension for another 90. Might be around $400? Otherwise Florida will look for 6% sales tax. We bought our tayana 55 in 2010 in Tampa Bay and within the 180 days sailed her home to Newfoundland (where she has survived Igor and Leslie so far)but FL was pretty militant about the cruising permit or the tax. Congrats on "everything".
We sailed quite a bit with our son starting when he was around 9 months old. The baby "proofing" was a challenge. Really, it was one of us with him and the other with the boat while underway. It was a small boat though, so it was pretty easy for one person to do the boat handling. We made a safe spot for him with lee cloths for those boat emergencies that really required 2 people. If it was scary, we'd just have to listen to him cry, but we knew he was safe and those situations rarely lasted more than a few minutes. He's 11 now and doesn't seem to have picked up any permanent damage. :)
Jeff - good to know!! Yeah, one of the reasons we bought our new boat was due to the fact that everything is run back to the cockpit and the boat is easily reefed, sailed and handled by one person. We anticipate having two hands on the baby, two hands on the helm - at least to start, but good to know it worked out well for you! Thanks again for the encouragement! ;)
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