Finally Making it to Spring after Living Aboard All Winter- Stoked on Sunshine!

Everyone knows that feeling of a never ending winter.. For us here in the Pacific North West, its not usually the snow but the rain that seems to keep falling. We live in a rainforest, so we get an incredible amount of rain especially from November to April. It can be weeks of rain until we see the sun. But then, April comes around. The days start to become a little warmer, the sun starts to peak out a few more days a week… and everything changes.

When you live aboard, you are much more connected to nature and what is going on- the wind, rain, hail, snow, fog.. you see it all, and often have to venture out in it. When the sun comes through the boat windows and into the salon, you know you have made it through the long winter.

Spring is when you can finally start imagining the anchorages you will go to this summer, the friends you will have over for drinks in the cockpit, and the morning coffees on deck. The washboards stay open and the fresh, spring air fills the boat. Dinghy rides in the harbor after work start to become a regular occurrence, and you feel like a bear coming out of hibernation. Although winter can be cozy on the boat, cabin fever can definitely get real, and you have to get all your rain gear on for a walk just to stay sane. Laundry, showering, garbage & recycling- all the things that feel like a bit of a slog in the winter- become simple and easy to get done once the sun starts shining.

After completing our second winter living aboard, we have learned a lot. Most importantly I think, we have learned living aboard in the winter is worth it to experience everything that living aboard in the summer has to offer. That first sunny week, you forget about the rain and the cold, and sit in the cockpit with the dinner you just cooked up on your boat bbq, and realize that boat life is 100% awesome, despite the never ending projects, extra effort required for everyday tasks, and the sometimes sleepless nights from noisy wind and rain. When I wake up early, open the curtain and look out at the sun rising over the mountains and the ocean, I have nothing but gratitude for this life.

-Keel