S2E4: Fixing Boats in Paradise! There's a common saying in the cruising community: "You're just fixing your boat in beautiful locations" - and wow, has that been true for us this week! Our poor windlass is barely hanging on, but at least the scenery is stunning. We soaked up our last days at Little Bay ??, enjoying the insanely soft sand and the crystal-clear water (seriously, you could see our anchor!). Then it was time to carefully pull anchor and head back around to Staniel Cay ??. It was definitely time to provision - we were running low on fuel & propane, we desperately need to do laundry? everything! Plus, Brent's parents arrived, bringing much-needed supplies from the States! After they arrived, we sailed back up to Warderick Wells ?, trying to snag a mooring ball before a big blow hit. Warderick has some of the best protection in the Bahamas - but arriving at night is no joke, with mooring balls, sandbars, and reefs to dodge. Thankfully, we had tracks from our last visit! We squeezed in some amazing snorkeling and got to show Brent's parents all of our favorite spots! Plus, they brought a brand-new bridle (remember the one that snapped on Night One in the Bahamas?). After installing the bridle, we made our way back down to Staniel Cay again for a lunch date with some of our favorite sailors and another big grocery run - feeding 7 people takes a lot of food! Oh - and our new windlass is on the way! Stay tuned for next time as we head toward Georgetown for the legendary Geogetown Regatta! ? ____________________________________ ? Places We Explored: ?? Little Bay ?? Staniel Cay ? Warderick Wells ? Compass Cay ? Rocky Dundas #Sailing #CruisingLife #Bahamas #SailingAdventure #SailboatLife

From crystal-clear waters to hidden beaches, airplane wrecks, and pig-filled islands-this leg of our adventure had it all! We set sail from Warderick Wells and made our way south to O'Brien Cay, a spot packed with incredible snorkeling, secret beaches, and some pretty wild surprises. ? The Aquarium - Thousands of fish, the most unreal snorkeling experience! ?? Sunken Plane - Brent swam through it? definitely a little eerie but super cool. ?? Johnny Depp's (ex) Island - Apparently, he sold it to J.K. Rowling? Either way, we weren't exactly invited, so we found our own epic beach instead. ? Hermit Crab Beach - So. Many. Crabs. But adventure aside, we were running dangerously low on fresh food, so it was time to move on. Staniel Cay, here we come! ?? Staniel Cay - Time to stock up, meet up with friends, and explore! ? Pig Beach - Because no trip to Staniel is complete without feeding the famous swimming pigs. ? Sandbar Playdate - One of the best sandbars we've ever been to, and the ultimate kid boat hangout spot. And for those wondering how we homeschool on a boat-spoiler: it looks a lot like homeschooling on land, just with way better recess. ? Next stop: Black Point! ?? Black Point - A quiet spot with a great little restaurant ?? Blow Hole Hike - Surprisingly better than the last one we saw, which was, well? not great. ? Softest Sand Beach - No joke, the softest sand we have ever felt under our feet. And finally, the grand finale-my beach bonfire birthday. ?? Brent made my only wish come true, and surrounded by good friends, glowing embers, and crashing waves, I can honestly say? this was the best birthday ever. Let's dive in! Check our friends Zoku's channel! https://youtube.com/@SVZoku?si=oOPHFbzb_JLok70p ? ? Places We Explored: ?? O'Brien's Cay ? The Aquarium ?? Sunken Plane ?? Johnny Depp's (ex) Island ? Hermit Crab Beach ?? Staniel Cay ? Pig Beach ?? Black Point ?? Blow Hole Hike ? Little Bay - With Softest Sand Beach

After ringing in the New Year in Nassau, we took the kids to Bajamar to celebrate Weston's upcoming 7th birthday! Even though it was chilly, Wes, Ari, and I braved the lazy river-especially since one lifeguard kept playing rock-paper-scissors with Wes every time we floated by! And, of course, no stop in Nassau is complete without a visit to The Poop Deck! From there, we set sail across the Great Bahama Bank, heading for the Exumas. Our first stop: Highbourne Cay, where we did some fishing and prepped for Weston's birthday celebration. Cupcakes, a piñata (a first for his new friends!), and a whole lot of fun made it a birthday to remember. Next, we crossed another shallow bank to Shroud Cay, the first island in the Exuma Land and Sea Park. The crystal-clear water looked more like a swimming pool than the ocean! Exploring the winding tidal rivers by dinghy, it really started to hit us-this is why we chose this life. No deadlines, no rush-just adventure. One more beach stop, and we were off to one of the most beautiful places in all of the Bahamas: Warderick Wells. Here, we followed an old sailor's tradition, leaving an offering to Poseidon at Boo Boo Hill-using a piece of our boat that no longer fit after our fridge replacement (seemed fitting!). We also hiked to see the musical rock, the blowhole (which wasn't blowing), and the infamous poisonous trees. But my favorite spot? The Pirate's Lair-a secluded anchorage with fresh water, making it the perfect hideout for pirates back in the day. We explored the trails, saw trees that sprouted from seeds pirates unknowingly carried in their bedding, and imagined what life here must have been like centuries ago. Along the way, we met some incredible cruising families-some we'd end up sailing through the entire Caribbean with, and some who will be lifelong friends. ? Places We Visited in This Episode: ? Nassau ? Bajamar Water Park ?? The Poop Deck ? Great Bahama Bank ? Highbourne Cay ?? Shroud Cay (Exuma Land & Sea Park) ? Warderick Wells ? Boo Boo Hill ???? The Pirate's Lair #SailingFamily #BoatLife #Exumas #Bahamas #SailingAdventures #LiveaboardLife #HighbourneCay #ShroudCay #WarderickWells #BooBooHill #PiratesLair

After six months at the dock, we finally set sail again-but our first passage was rough! The crossing to the Bahamas was anything but smooth, and we ended up spending Christmas Eve and Christmas in Bimini, where it was super rolly. Not exactly the peaceful holiday we imagined! From there, we made our way through the islands, ringing in the New Year in Nassau and exploring the Berry Islands, surrounded by massive cruise ships. It feels amazing to be back on the boat, soaking up the sun, crystal-clear waters, and island life. Join us as we navigate this new chapter, rediscover life at sea, and enjoy everything the Bahamas has to offer! ? Places We Visited: ~ Bimini, Bahamas ~ Berry Islands, Bahamas ~ Hoffmans Blue Hole ~ Nassau, Bahamas

Wow. A lot happened this month. We leave the dock for the first time in over SIX MONTHS! But things don't go exactly as expected. After unexpectedly replacing the transmission and a second sea trial, we are ready to leave Harbour Town Marina, hopefully for good this time! We met another boat family with some boat kids the same ages as our kids and made plans to meet up with them again in the Bahamas. And after all our chores were done, we prepared for our first Christmas onboard, still hoping to make the Bahamas! Make sure you catch a lil sneak peak of season 2 at the end, because it is EPIC!! And also the reason I've slowed down on making videos. We have been having the absolute time of our lives in the Caribbean!

We enjoyed all things fall =) From grilling (and frying!) oysters, which you can only do in months that end in "ber," to carving pumpikins and trick or treating. We even took a trip up to West Virginia to see my mom and experience REAL fall, with the leaves changing colors and everything. Something I haven't seen in many years! We also make several trips to the boat and back. And as always, it is eventful. That port side transmission has went out again so that is another issue that has to be addressed. We celebrate Thanksgiving with some special guests and Weston goes to his first Gator game. Then it's time to pack up and head down to the boat one last time. We really need to be on board for this last leg of the repair. And hoping and hoping to set sail before Christmas!

So yea. The title says it all. We spend SIX MONTHS (almost seven!) on the dock at Harbour Town Marina, in Ft. Lauderdale, after being struck by lightning twice in a row! And we have been all up in our feelings. This whole year has been an emotional rollercoaster for us. We started by selling our home, the business, our boats, and trading our entire lifestyle, that we were really comfortable with, for the adventure of liveaboard sailing. And to have it just abruptly end like this, has been really discouraging. We questioned if we made the right decision, what are we thinking, should we just sell now and forget this craziness?! That isn't what we want to do; those are just the thoughts you have in these situations. We made the most of the time on our hands! The kids thoroughly enjoyed living with their grandparents. Aria took advantage of grandma's pool and learned to swim. Wes started first grade and is off to a great start! We visited lots of friends and lots of family, we took day trips, field trips, lake trips, and play dates. And we accomplished a few things that had been put off before we left. So all in all, we stayed busy. But definitely, everyone is ready to get back out cruising!

After.our 58 foot catamaran was struck by lightning, which was the most terrifying experience of our lives, we were safe, but stranded in Turks and Caicos. Which isn't such a bad place to be stranded =) We Celebrated Aria's third birthday on the boat in the marina. This was the first birthday for any of my kids that I didn't have a proper birthday party. It was just the five of us. She had fun and loved her cupcakes and gifts, but it broke my heart. Probably just because of the circumstances and the stress of the situation, but still, broke my heart! We rented a car and did exploring on the island, found a really nice restaurant with amazing sushi, went to the beach, went for lots of walks around the marina, studied jelly fish, took showers every night which was nice and refreshing, did some laundry and school work, Ana flew home, Scotty Boy flew in with parts to get the engines started! I flew home with the kids, his sister Christi and Tom flew back to TCI (Lots of flying happened!) and when the engines were finally running, the new Sea Dog crew set sail for Ft Lauderdale, with only an iPad and iPhones for navigating. They had no working instruments, which makes for a dangerous passage. Did I mention it was storm season? After making it back to Florida safely, Sea Dog had to be towed into Port Everglades, and down the Dania Beach Canal. There were no throttle controls at the helm, it could be adjusted in the engine room, but there was no way to navigate a busy port with heavy boat traffic, turns, or docking, without a throttle. She had to be towed s second time into her permanent parking spot several days later. That is when the unthinkable happens. We were in disbelief. It felt like we were hit in our hearts and souls. Then we drove five of the longest, most quiet hours we had ever driven. Cannot believe this happened again...

There are a handful of things that every sailor fears. A fire onboard is probably the worst case scenario, followed by sinking, then man overboard and not being able to retrieve him or her. And lightning... which can cause all three of those to happen simultaneously. We have heard stories of sailors going 30-40-50 miles out of their way to avoid lightning. And we now see why. One of the worst possible scenarios happened to us when we were least expecting it. We were struck by lightning, on the open ocean, while underway, and of course, it was dark. We met an awesome group of boat friends in Georgetown. Brent actually met them in Staniel, while I was in West Virginia with my mom. We met back up in Georgetown and had a whole lotta fun! From a full beach day, to the guys playing on the efoils, to dinner, to a dance party, we had all the fun sailors could possibly have! We were really sad to have to leave our new friends, but our transmission went out and we were down to one engine. We needed to have it diagnosed and repaired. Plus we are late in the season and we are trying to make Grenada before hurricanes start rolling though the Caribbean. Little did we know, we were already too late. It was a beautiful sail. I did not know the ocean could be so calm and so flat. There was not much wind, so we were motoring sailing, and just really enjoying this passage! It was kind of reinforcing that we did the right thing and this was one hundred percent the right choice for our family. And then. All of the sudden....chaos. There was a small squall. And then three. And they all converged, right on top of us. It happened so fast, there was no going around it. Everyone on board was okay. Shaken, but okay. Sea Dog was still floating. Needless to say, this was one of the scariest situations we had ever been in. And we learned some serious lessons about this lifestyle. We will talk about that a little more in the next episode. This all happened almost one year ago, to the day. We were struck on May 24th, 2023. Today, the day of uploading, is May 17th, 2024. One week shy of our one year lightning anniversary. Stay tuned to see what this means for our family in the coming months...

After an epic shakedown cruise, and a month long refit, we are finally living our dreams! We have our old friend Tom with us, to help us out, while we settle into live aboard life. And we welcome a new crew member, Kattia. We explored Nassau and got lots of play time on the water before heading to Eleuthera. However enroute, I got news from home, and had to make an unexpected trip back to The States. Sea Dog kept on cruising through the Exumas, hitting some of the best spots in the Bahamas! Places that you only see on YouTube, like Compass Cay and Staniel Cay and Thunderball Grotto! The kids are really settling into this lifestyle and I am so proud of them. I was gone for one whole week, and finally reunited with Sea Dog and her precious crew in Georgetown, Exumas. Which meant I missed the entire Exuma chain. But it is mid May, and storm season is just around the corner... Stay tuned. #liveaboard #Bahamas #ThunderballGrotto #Catamaran #Leopard58

Aria and I make it back down to the boat, with just a few days to provision and organize one last time. We make trip after trip to Walmart, Sam's club, Aldi, and Publix. And yes, people were staring at us with our two carts full in each of those places! LOL My husband and my dad both thought I over provisioned and there was no way I was going to be able to put everything away. It took about 3 days, but I got everything into its forever home. =) And I also feel like over provisioning is a rite of passage. Like you've got to do it at least once to learn your lesson right? We heard MATTHEW McCONAUGHEY on the VHF asking for a bridge opening, which was super cool! And that started days worth of Matthew's best movie lines. This is also when we realized Ana had never seen Dazed and Confused. So we watched that for the first time with her and it was hilarious!! We enjoy one more night out at good ole Dave & Busters, one more trip to Publix. We say goodbye to Harbour Towne Marina, Fort Lauderdale, and Port Everglades one last time, before we sail off into our new lifestyle and we just cannot wait to see what is waiting for us =)

We spent the last month getting our *New to Us* 58 foot catamaran equipped for off grid living! We upgrade our previous gel batteries to lithium life force batteries, and added almost 3000 watts of solar power!! It has been a game changer. While we still absolutely have to be mindful of power consumption, our days of accidentally running the batteries down are a thing of the past! We also had a massive stainless steel arch built to hold our solar panels, along with a stainless davit system to lift our new dinghy. Our old dinghy was a 12 ft Highfield with a 25 hp engine. But we really needed something with more power. Our kids like to ski and wake board so we bought a 14 foot AB with 60 hp engine. The lift platform is not strong enough to lift the larger, heavier dinghy, which is why we had the davit installed. So now, we disconnect the dinghy from the platform, drop the platform, then drop the dinghy with the davits. Same with lifting. We hook up and lift the dinghy with the davits, lift the platform, then tie the dinghy down. This way, she is very nicely secured from the top and bottom, and doesn't bounce around at all! And while Brent and Ana are handling the refit in South Florida, the littles and I are living it up out in the woods! We are visiting our old friends and hitting up some of our old stomping grounds. From baseball games to the county fair, we are soaking it all in... knowing this is going to be last of our hometown experiences for who knows how long!

Here's a quick trip around our brand new (new to us) Leopard Catamaran. All 58 feet of her! Okay Disclaimer: This was filmed as we were moving onto the boat, so she is still pretty empty and bare. And it wasn't really meant for YouTube, (I sent these clips to my mom actually lol) However, I really wanted to do a quick boat tour BEFORE the refit, you can get a little bit of a before and after idea! Hope you enjoy this quick little video, with the promise of a bigger and better one in the future!

We just spent an entire week in Bimini, which is only about 60 miles East of Ft. Lauderdale, but feels like a whole new world! We were immediately taken aback by the that Bahama Blue! It takes on a whole new meaning, seeing it from this perspective! We explored Gun Cay up one side and down the other, quite literally! The kids called this place Sting Ray Beach, because the locals sting rays were so friendly and just wanted to socialize every time we came to the beach! It was a nice little surprise =) When we picked up and moved back to North Bimini, we were swarmed with nurse sharks! Talk about another cool experience! The kids wanted to get in the water and go swim with them! Not quite that comfortable just yet kiddos...LOL Our second time in Alice Town, was completely different from the first. There was a cruise ship docked this time, and it was also Friday vs Monday, so there were people everywhere! Golf carts, and Razors, and Gators, there were food trucks out, more restaurants were open, there were people walking around on the streets. Totally different vibe! When we moved to the NE side of the island, we found a hidden little gem of a river that seemed to go on forever! It was full of Sea Turtles, and birds and fish,a nice little unexpected surprise! These are the kind of things that we are absolutely LOVING about this lifestyle...Just the joy and excitement of what's around the next corner. Our very last night in Bimini, we had to pull anchor and leave in the middle of the night, due to a crazy swell that came in from the East. We were rocking! I mean, we have not rocked like that the whole time we've been on the boat. Definitely another learning experience. We make our way back to Ft Lauderdale, and to Harbor Town Marina. Which is where Sea Dog , Brent, and Ana, will spend the next month while the kids and mom go back up Gainesville. As sad as it is to leave the boat, we desperately need this refit! We will be getting some fancy new solar panels and a few other goodies to make our lives easier. Stay tuned for next time! #sailingfamily #sailing #travel #catamaran #leopard58 #LivingOnACatamaran

We make our way back to Key West, and civilization ,for the first time in about ten days! Before anything else, Brent and Wes had to take care of some business...and barely made it out alive. LOL! We explored Wisteria Island, which is kind of a local hippie hang out. And we got to visit with about half of Brent's family. They had all made plans to come down to Key West before we bought the boat, and we just happened to be down here at the same time! We had our first drama at the dinghy dock. Brent got yelled at by the dock master for picking up and dropping off his "charter guests" at the courtesy dock, and told him he needed to rent a boat slip. Which I completely understand, if he was actually a charter captain and making money, but in in reality it was completely the opposite. Anyhow, after all the aunts and uncles and cousins packed up and started back home, Brent's mom and dad packed up and left us too. So for the rest of the trip it is just us and the kids. We start making our way back up the coast and end up having the worst day on the boat to date!! Now I know any seasoned sailor is going to laugh me right off the boat when they see the conditions I'm calling "rough!" I realize it was not "that bad" and yes it gets "so much worse." But, this was a good first bad day for us. First of many I'm sure! We are still brand new at this and learning so much with each new situation. Every bad day and new obstacle we overcome, just builds our confidence. Pretty soon, we are going to look like Lt. Dan screaming at the hurricane "You will never sink this boat!!" ? We finally get to Bimini and very quickly realize what all the fuss is about! We have never seen water this clear and blue before. Next level blue. Bahama Blue. ?

We left The Dry Tortugas, to spend a few days in the Marquesas Keys. Then we will head back to Key West, and civilization! We only stayed in this area for about three days, but we could have explored even further! We still saw so much though! Again, disappointed that we do not have a Go Pro for this trip =( The good news is that at the time of making this video, I have a brand new Go Pro in my possession! Bad news is I'm six months behind, so, all the fun under water stuff will have to wait. But regardless, we thoroughly enjoyed our few days here in the Marquesas Keys. So much wildlife! The kids were blown away by the dolphins swimming with the boat. We saw sea turtles and all kinds of fish and birds. Wes found both the biggest hermit crab you've probably ever seen, and also the smallest one! Both super cool critters! Neither were harmed, and were put back where he found them. We swam and snorkeled all around the boat. Weston even got a little boat school lesson! We sang Happy Birthday to our Captain and he saved the day! Twice. First time, we caught a crab trap. Second time, it was bound to happen! We've been towing this dinghy. And you know how when you anchor, you have to back up...lol. Yea you do the math. Like I've said before, we are learning from our mistakes. That was definitely a "well we won't do that again..." moments! With that being said, Brent is turning into a great captain! I have said this to plenty of people, but he is good at everything he does, so I knew this wouldn't be any different =)

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We sailed the 70 miles from Key West, to The Dry Tortugas. It took us TEN hours and was our longest sail to date. It was also the first time we lost sight of sight of land! It's a little intimidating, knowing there is no where to swim to! You are at the complete mercy of your boat, especially with us having so little experience. But just outside your comfort zone is growth right? Soon we will be seasoned sailors with tales of...well who knows?! But for now, we are embracing this time and we are all super excited! I know I mentioned this before, but this exactly where this whole crazy idea started! The Dry Tortugas. We came by sea plane two years ago, but it was only for four hours. Which sucked! And almost not worth the money (Because its pricey!) but looking back, it was the best money we ever spent. This place is so huge, there is no way to see it all in four hours, or even eight. You need DAYS to see everything here. And that is the exact thought I had two years ago. So I mentioned to Brent that we should charter a boat next summer and come back. Over a few months, that conversation evolved into buying a boat, then selling it all and living on a boat. I mean hey why not? You only live once and we are only getting older! So after two years of planning and strategizing and stressing and moving, we are finally here. This is one of the most rewarding feelings. This is the hugest goal we have ever had and we just killed it! Hell. Yea. There is so much history and so much nature. And then all of that meets beautiful, secluded beaches! Literally, Loggerhead Key is the most beautiful beach I've ever been to. Between Loggerhead and the Fort... like, "pinch me, is this real?" Looks and feels like a fairy tale! The Dry Tortugas are only accessible by boat or sea plane, which means it is one of the least visited national parks the country, The ferry comes in around 10:00 am and leaves around 3:00. Same with the sea planes, so after 3-4 o'clock in the afternoon, we had the entire place to ourselves (we including a few other cruisers.) How is this real??!! Anyway, this place is amazing. We have explored and explored. And I still feel like we didn't get to see everything. Brent wanted to dive the windjammer wreck, and we could never find the mooring ball for that. ALSO, our GoPro died at some point in all the moving. We pulled it out when we got here and it it just would not communicate, so we got zero videos of the snorkeling and underwater life. That is half the fun and allure! So we have to come back. We just have to! #sailing #sailingfamily #Sailingkids #catamaran

After weeks of preparation, its finally time to set sail! Brent, the kids and I, plus grandma and grandpa, and an old salty sailor named Tom, leave Ft Lauderdale, en route for Key West! We get settled into our new floating home and try really hard to embrace boat life and all her obstacles. Things you take for granted in your home on land, like fresh, running water and getting groceries, take a lot more preparation and monitoring. We have some visitors on the boat for the first time. And it's all starting to sink in that this is really real! This is happening! The last two years of dreaming and sacrificing, and the more recent months of packing and moving here to there, all the stressing over details that had to come together to make this happen...it all comes together here and now, and has all been worth every second! It is not all rainbows and sunshine. We've had some serious WTF moments. But we are trying to keep a sense of humor during this learning curve!