We are about a week out from leaving the dock.  ?

For the most part, we are just wrapping up projects and hanging out with friends.  And while we’ve been on 1, 2 and 3 week trips on s/v Luna Sea, we’re honestly not 100% sure what to expect when we leave our marina slip for good.  I thought it might be fun for us to write out a list of 5 Things We Think We’ll Miss.  And we can check back later and see how close we did (or didn’t) come!

I wrote my list of 5 things, then asked Mark what his top 5 would be.  That way neither of us could be influenced by the other’s answer.  These are also not in a particular order, since we just spewed what ever popped into our heads at the time.

Jennifer

1. Air Conditioning: Yes, we are spoiled by living at the dock. We have full on A/C – and have no problems having it run full blast 24 hours a day. But guess what!? As soon as we leave, and disconnect that giant yellow power cord, we become A/C-less. I’m am certain I will acclimate – and it will likely be quick. But I do enjoy sleeping in a cold bed!

2. Friends: Surely it goes without saying that I will miss my family, as well – but everyone except our daughter* lives in other states/countries, so we’ve only stayed in touch via the internet and occasional visits for years. But friends? We try to visit at least once a week with a variety of friends, and they will be sorely missed. Drinks poolside, fireside chats, and dinners around town have kept us social for years. Those friendships will now rely on the internet as well. Fortunately, some of our friends will definitely come and visit as we sail around to ALL THE BEACHES. (*surely it goes without saying that Britney is the main person we will miss, so I didn’t give her a slot on my list.  I kinda thought that was a given… But Mark likes to make me look bad ?)

3. Vegetables: I am all for making a beeline to islands that grow their own veggies. I can straight up be vegan with no sense of loss whatsoever. But living on beans, rice and fish is going to be the reality. Not too shabby in my opinion. And the plan is to supplement with fresh veggies wherever we land. Unfortunately, some islands are no longer producing their own food, and rely solely on what is shipped in. Which, from what we’ve seen so far, results in a sad, wilted, wimpy veg selection. Somehow we will manage to distract ourselves from the lack of veggies by snorkeling, swimming, beach walking, hiking, exploring, etc…

4. Amazon Prime: Ok, so I don’t really shop much. I rarely buy new clothes. I make a weekly trip to the grocery store. That’s about it. But when we need something (usually boat project related) I just add it to my Amazon Prime Shopping Cart and everything arrives in 2 days. Like magic.

5. Reliable Internet: We are getting used to hit or miss internet, here at the marina. Truthfully, though, it’s a pretty darn good connection. Don’t know the answer to a question? Just Google it. Need to know how to clean the air filter on my car? Youtube to the rescue. Need a new recipe to mix it up in the galley (kitchen) a little? Yep – online search. I’m very dependent on the internet. I guess I will just have to start a list of questions and save them for when we have wifi! (I’m also stockpiling recipes in a notebook and have a few boat maintenance books to hopefully save us!)

Mark

1. Britney: Even though she’s leaving soon to do her own thing, it’s been great to have her nearby and spend time with her over the last few years.

2. Friends: We have an amazing network of friends in Savannah. It will be hard to leave them behind.

3. Air conditioning/hot water: Even though I will adjust, we won’t be running a generator around the clock. So to just be cold when it’s cold outside and hot when it’s hot outside will take some getting used to. And while we will have hot water when we run the engine, we won’t be running the engine just to heat up the hot water tank…

4. Cycling: I will miss my weekly rides – both the exercise and the social nature of the local rides.

5. Gulfstream: I will miss my job. It’s an amazing company with an incredibly passionate and talented workforce. It will be crazy to go from the high paced workforce that is highly schedule driven and regimented to not know what day or month it is.

Bonus Item: Cars: It will be the first time in 30 years that I haven’t owned a vehicle. The convenience of being able to go grab a part, or a beer or a meal. No need to plan the logistics. Going forward these will all be more of an adventure.  (not sure why HE got a bonus item… ? )

So there we have it.  The top 5 things that jumped out at us when the topic came up.  We’ll have to see how things go, and I’ll try to remember to check back in 6 months or so and see if we are remotely close.

Are you planning a life changing adventure?  Are you already doing something challenging?  What do you actually miss?  Feel free to chime in!

About Author

Jennifer

Artist, food nerd, SUP/yoga enthusiast and travel obsessed blogger – chronicling the process of going from land to sea. Selling all of her worldly possessions so that she can set sail into the sunset with her husband and two dachshunds – searching for that next sunrise paddle. Follow along. It’ll be fun 🙂

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