The Beginning

We have successfully transformed our boat into a home! This means that we have made it both functional and pretty. We did not-so-fun things like tearing up sections of rotting wood, changing the fuel filters, and connecting the head, but we also got to put up new wall panels, pick out bed sheets to put over the cushions, and pack our favorite books and clothes onto the boat. We spent the past few sleep-deprived weeks alternating between realizing we were actually going to do this trip and giggling about butt splices, and then suddenly it was time to leave. My parents came to Crescent at 7:30 am with coffee to send us off, and that was it. Now we’re in the middle of Lake Huron.

So far, this Great Loop trip has been about finding balance: Grace is a night person, and I’m a morning person. Grace needs 55 alarms to wake up in the morning; I only want one. Grace is fearless; I’m afraid of the alcohol stove and spiders. It’s also been a crash course on skills that I didn’t get from my liberal arts degree, such as how to connect wires, how to change the oil in an engine, and how to epoxy something. Maybe most importantly, we’ve learned that humor (and a rum and coke) can make every shitty situation better (pun intended, our head is not functional and we had to pee in a bucket and I’m not over it yet). However, the sunrises have been unreal beautiful, and the pre-packaged quinoa and rice dinners are actually pretty decent. Here’s to hoping life on our trip around America’s Great Loop continues to be this good.

P.S. A million thank yous to everyone who put in hours of their life helping us get ready for this trip or who donated spare boat parts or money to make sure that we can afford food, fuel, alcohol, and other necessities. We appreciate you so much.

Naming the boat

Underneath the Bluewater Bridge

Sunrise

Elpis and Iris, Day 1