Not quite over

Just like the election (with a few votes to be counted here and there), the boating season is not quite over. I hope to get to the marina early tomorrow but a visit to the office has to come first so "early" might be a relative term. A little boat maintenance is first on the "to-do" list. (As usual.) While at lunch in Bettendorf, Iowa today friend Cooper (my normal crew mate in the Citation) asked how the first season had gone; if I had enjoyed the boat as much as I expected. I told him we had but later I got to thinking about it.

We have certainly enjoyed owning little Nomad this year but it has been so much more than that as well. First and foremost we (bad pun warning) tested the waters when it comes to living on a boat full time. We spent just about a month's worth of nights onboard this season and a little more than a month's worth of days sailing. And it was never enough time. I really think, if the lake was within a half hour drive of work, we would spend more nights in the V-berth then we would in the Central West End. At least until old man winter really arrives. We can't sail south to warmer temps as the lake is only 5 miles long! Since the "door" on the boat is really an overhead hatch that slides back out of the way opening it after a winter night's snowfall will be rude way to start a day. Midnight trips to the bathroom will require planning and perseverance and keeping warm in a boat floating in near freezing water is certainly going to pose a challenge.

The Central West End in the middle of February will clearly be the more comfortable abode. But if we could sail south, or if we lived somewhere warmer year around and with work close enough to the water to live on a boat I suspect we would think seriously about making the move. And that's a pretty impressive thing to figure out before the first season comes to an end.