When Neal and I initially planned this voyage for our family we committed to sticking with it for at least 2 years. This number was strategic on our part, most people we have talked to have told us that the first year of boat life “kind of sucks” and that you often don’t really start enjoying yourself until the second.

There are legitimate reasons for this: namely the extremely steep learning curve which can make the first year uncomfortable, expensive, and sometimes downright scary. Since Neal and I are not coming into this lifestyle with a solid history of water based skills and experiences, we figured we’d experience the steepest of the learning curves and we’d better prepare for the suck.

There’s no preparing for the suck

The past month has been tough. It was harder leaving Mooresville than I had anticipated, harder leaving the dock than I anticipated, way colder than I expected, and we have not made as much progress south as I had hoped. We told the kids we’d spend Christmas in the Bahamas, and instead we’ve been sitting in Beaufort, South Carolina for almost 2 weeks, watching our weather windows pass us by (as well as all our new friends) as we wait for engine parts for an unexpected and frankly terrifying engine problem we developed as we pulled in here. It’s cold, the days are short which makes keeping our batteries filled from the solar panels difficult, it’s lonely, and there’s not a whole lot to do while we wait around. Tempers are often short and the kids are eating our food at an alarming rate, either in an attempt to stay warm or out of boredom. Probably both.

Embracing the suck

I overheard Neal telling the boys a few days ago “It’s ok that this is hard, we’re in the suck. It’s supposed to be hard. It will only get better from here.”

There have been some genuinely good things that have come out of the past month. Sitting here in Beaufort has allowed us to get a really smooth start to our homeschooling without the distractions of passages, friends, and new adventures. I believe it will be much easier to work those things into our new school schedule rather than trying to fit school in the other way around, and I’m grateful to start off on a strong foot.

The lack of weather windows as we travel south has made us slow down and really appreciate the scenery on the ICW. We’ve had the best anchorages, and been able to practice anchoring and mooring in low stakes environments without having to worry about hitting another boat. At one of our anchorages we woke up to the most beautiful sunrise and two baby dolphins frolicking around us.

This break without the stress of trying to get somewhere has been good for our family. We’ve been able to relax more the longer we’re here, and the kids seem to be enjoying the family time. I watched Neal and the boys play tag at the park today for almost an hour. When have we ever had time to spend together like that, with no need to rush home?

We can do hard things

One of our goals for this trip is to teach the kids that we can do hard things. Often the best things in life are hard won, and we can get there if we work together. This time in Beaufort has been a perfect reminder.