Moving Aboard: From Hotel Guests to Boat Dwellers

Goodbye Hotel, Hello Floating Home

The day finally came May 22nd, 2024. We checked out of the hotel, returned the rental car, and officially moved aboard. It felt surreal standing on the dock with our bags, realizing this wasn’t just a visit anymore — this was our home now.

And since you’ve been following along on this journey with me, maybe it’s time I admit something… small spaces aren’t really my thing. Neither is motion sickness. Or being away from our girls for long periods of time. Basically, I signed up for a two-month adventure full of things that normally terrify me. But Tom’s excitement is contagious. His eyes still light up like a kid every time he talks about sailing the Caribbean one day, and somehow that makes every fear feel just a tiny bit smaller.

Not Quite Ours… Yet

Even though we’d moved aboard, Serenity Isle still technically wasn’t ours. The money was still sitting in escrow until we completed the sea trial. We thought the surveyor would return to take us out and that the previous owner would join us, but since splash day got bumped up, he couldn’t be there.

So there we were, living on a boat we didn’t yet fully own, learning everything we possibly could… courtesy of YouTube university. And wow, did we lean on it hard.

Systems, Leaks, and “Fun Discoveries”

Before anything could be finalized, we had a list: check all the systems, test electronics, raise sails, learn where everything was… and then test everything again. The marina had replaced the radio, but the galley portside portlight was still leaking like a cranky faucet. When we asked, they confidently assured us it was “fixed.” Spoiler: it absolutely was not. This turned into days of hunting down leaks — multiple leaks — only to discover they had repaired the wrong portlight entirely. They weren’t impressed with us. They attempted fixes (poorly) more than once before Tom finally rolled up his sleeves and fixed it himself.

Discovering the Truth About “Turnkey”

We were originally told Serenity Isle was a well-loved, well-maintained turnkey boat. Reality… had other plans. The more time we spent aboard, the more we realized maintenance likely hadn’t been a priority for quite some time. Then we started learning things like, she had in fact spent time in salt water, including at least one winter in the Caribbean, despite being advertised as a freshwater boat only.

Once you start uncovering inconsistencies, you can’t help but start digging… and questioning everything.

Settling Into Marina Life

Despite all that, marina life quickly became home. We got to know the staff, built friendships with incredible slip neighbors, and soon Tom was helping others with projects while juggling our own list. Serenity Isle slowly started transforming into Agra2. He got the full enclosure up, sails sorted, and step-by-step she started feeling less overwhelming and more like ours.

Boat Life Reality Check

Meanwhile, life carried on, even afloat. The fridge/freezer that had “recently been repaired”? Completely dead. With no vehicle and limited food access, that added a whole new challenge. Eventually we had it fixed, but it was stressful. I fell into routines: daily laundry with my little portable washer, clothes drying in the cockpit, finding personal touches to make the space feel like a true second home.

And it seemed like every time we fixed one thing… something else joined the party. The cockpit starter button started acting up, although thankfully the backup engine starter button still worked. Though while Tom was repairing the altenator, the starter went. Parts were going to take at least 1 week to arrive, que the panic that we may not even start the trip home on time and with so little time to practice sailing and getting used to her. The batteries, supposedly only one season old, turned out to be completely shot. Thankfully, this is where boating magic shows up: community. One neighbor drove Tom to town for batteries. Another loaned us his truck for provisioning. These are people we may never see again, but will always be part of our story. They changed everything for us.

Finally… Ours

It took three solid weeks of daily work, troubleshooting, stress, laughter, learning, and a whole lot of determination to finally get everything functioning enough to sign the papers and have our first official sail or sea trial.

And when we did? It didn’t feel like a simple purchase anymore. It felt earned.

Yes, we’d poured time, money, and energy into her before she was even officially ours… but by then, she already felt like home. 💙⚓️