Its's a lifestyle

It is quite amazing to us the reaction we get when people learn for the first time about our plans. It is understandable that people who have not had exposure to the live-aboard cruising life style have no basis to form a picture of what this really means. In fairness, like anything else there is a wide range of options.

For us, this is our home and we wanted the conveniences to which we have grown accustomed. Our last boat by comparison was more akin to camping, which was acceptable for weekends and the one or two week vacation cruises. We decided to outfit Ariel to be as comfortable as we could possibly make it. We decided that if something was a minor irritant at the marina or at a weekend anchorage, it would become a major annoyance as living aboard full time.

We have heat and air-conditioning which functions exactly like any home. We set the thermostat or program it and forget about it. We have both hot and cold pressure water, with a double bowl sink in the galley. Okay, the sinks are much smaller than can be found in most homes we do not have an automatic dishwasher. We do have three burner propane stove with a thermostat controlled oven which bakes very well. Rounding out the galley we have a freezer and a refrigerator.

We have a single head (toilet) and a spacious shower. The head area includes a full length mirror. Out berth is about queen sized and is extremely comfortable. The guest berth is full sized.

We have comfortable dinning in both the main cabin and in the cockpit. We also have a gas grill we can use off the stern rail.

Yes, of course there are tradeoffs as compared living in a house. One is that while we have adequate storage, things are often not at your finger tips. It usually requires removing a cushion to gain access and may require some digging around. It is also important to put things away immediately. Our space is very limited so it can become cluttered very quickly. If something is left out, it will invariably be in the way of accessing the next needed item. Everything must be secured before we get underway so it is just easier to keep things that way as much as possible.

We do not have a clothes washer and dryer. Just think about how much space, water and power these would consume. The other big adjustment from the life on land is that we do not have a car. Shopping has to be well planned as everything needs to be schlepped back to the boat by whatever means is available.

All in all we think Ariel is very comfortable. We have spent enough time on boats that we know how to respect each others space. It is not hard to find a quiet place to read, or work on the computer or to just take in the natural surroundings. We split the work load pretty evenly so we both have a comparable amount of leisure time. It helps that we have many common interest and have long enjoyed doing things together.

The real reward is that no matter where we travel, we have our home with us

Family Reunion

We managed to get our first coat of finish on the teak toe rail. This was after two weeks of preparation and crucial to protect it while we are away. We completed all of our planned projects beyond the finishing so we are feeling pretty good. There is so much to do this summer so it is very satisfying to keep on our schedule.


This was a very exciting weekend for us. We left Ariel Saturday morning bound for the Karns Reunion in Cochranton, Pennsylvania. We stopped by our house to water the plants and check that it was ready to be shown as the activity level had accelerated since lowering the price earlier during week. Everything was in order so we were on our way to our first stop to visit Linda’s mother. While there I check on our storage and retrieved a couple items. We stayed to celebrate Sam’s seventh birthday. Sam is Durwood and Terry Lounsberry’s one of two adopted children from Taiwan. While there we received an offer on our home with no serious contingencies and very close to our new asking price so we readily accepted. We stayed over at Norm’s mother’s home. She was not there as she had gone on ahead earlier in week, but kindly let us stay over. Sunday we went on the additional four hours to the park where the reunion was to be held. This was a first time at this park, and as it turned out everyone liked the location so it will be scheduled there next year. The weather was great and while the turnout was on the light side compared to recent years, it was extremely enjoyable and nice to see everyone. All of my mother’s brothers and sisters were there. Two of my three brothers were there and well as Scott and Pamela. After the reunion we stopped with Scott and Pamela at the outlet mall in Grove City, Pa to shop for baby clothes. This was right on our way to Pittsburgh where I will spend the workweek before we return to Ariel.

We are now working our a daily plan for July as there is so much to do between moving, preparing Ariel, and travel for work and family. Neither of us seem to be able to keep it all straight.

Back in New England

We arrived back after two weeks away. Saturday was devoted to getting settled in again. Linda went shopping for groceries and then later did the laundry. We will only back in New England for two weeks before we travel again for the Karns family reunion in Cochranton, Pa and another business trip to Pittsburgh. We have a lot planned, with finishing the teak caprail as the highest priority, but we have many other small projects as well.

Saturday morning I took and passed the exam for my Amateur Radio General Class license. This was a goal I set for myself early in the year, having expected to complete it during the winter. Work demands got in the way, so I resorted to selecting a test day and therefore forcing myself to get ready. I had originally planned to get my General Class shortly after I passed the Technician. I was studying Morse Code at the time and coincidentally at about the same time the Amateur Radio Relay League (ARRL) petitioned the FCC to drop the Morse Code requirement. With that, and trust me it did not take a lot of arm twisting, I decided to wait until the requirement was dropped and then take the General Class examination. The wait was longer than I expected, but they did eventually drop the requirement. So, what is the benefit? Many boats cruising have SSB radios which are used for long distance communication. These have marine bands which do not require an Amateur license. These same radios however have the Ham banks which can be opened up for those with a license. These bands expand the available frequencies and also make it possible to transmit email free of charge. We do not yet have a SSB radio, but expect to add it before we leave or shortly after we depart.

Back in Ohio

We had been getting excited as this past weekend approached as we would go on to Ohio and see Scott, Pamela, Kimberly, Michael and Evelyn. The last time was the week after Christmas so it has been a long wait. The weekend was great and met our expectations. We had devoted all day Friday to getting the car titled and registered in Ohio, getting our Ohio drivers licenses and transferring our insurance to Ohio. It did take most of the day, but everyone was nice and we really didn’t mind. I think approaching this with realistic expectations helped.

Scott and Pamela were our host for the weekend. The big difference since our last visit is that the quest bedroom is in the process of being transformed to the baby’s room. The room is very nicely decorated and the colors in the afghan Linda made marched perfectly. We went out to dinner Friday evening at a restaurant named ‘The Boneyard’. It is a very odd theme for a restaurant but the food was good and we enjoyed it. Amazingly it was our first time there even though it is very close-by and Scott and Pamela go frequently. We had allotted Saturday for Kimberly. Michael and Evelyn. This worked well as Pamela had a shower to attend in Columbus and Scott went with her to help with the driving. Michael’s seventh birthday was Thursday, May 31 so we continued the celebration with a visit to Chuck E Cheese. We all had a good time. We arrived back just as Scott and Pamela were also arriving back from Columbus. We spent the rest of the weekend mostly relaxing and enjoying each others company, returning to Pittsburgh Sunday afternoon. We started formulating plans for our family get together this summer. This year the activity will be a visit to the Cleveland Zoo. It is the same weekend as the baby shower Linda is arranging. The good news is that we will see Scott and Pamela before then as they plan to attend the Karns family reunion at the end of June which this year will be in Cochranton, Pa.