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moving onto a sailboat

Overloaded Sailboat & The Anti RV Treaty

“We can’t keep the RV here” Jason said to me as he flew through the door. “You have got to be kidding me, why do marinas hate RV’s?” I asked, knowing he didn’t have an answer.

The only thing I can figure is that somewhere along the line, some RV’er really pissed off a dock master. News of this horrible discretion slowly traveled the waterways and much like an 18th century treaty, Floridian dock masters made a pact that all RV’s would be henceforth banned.

Needless to say, transitioning from the RV to the sailboat has proven to be more of a challenge than we anticipated with the anti-RV treaty.

We had already moved most everything out of the RV and onto the boat in Vero (where we had our first no RV’s allowed experience).   However, we still had a few things left in the outside bays, the refrigerator and the daunting task of removing all of our technology upgrades.

Why remove the technology you ask?  The short answer is because the technology is ours and the RV belongs to Fleetwood.  You can see the long answer to that question here: Virtual RV Yard Sale – Our Technology & Lifestyle Gear

We had planned to park the RV at the Harbor Towne Marina in Ft. Lauderdale over the weekend so we could take our time, clean up along the way and say goodbye to the RV on Monday morning.  As you may have guessed, things didn’t exactly work out that way.  But rather than tell you how the day went, why not experience the silliness and chaos with us?  You may want to grab a cold beverage before hitting the play button, things are about to get sweaty.

For the boat we will be keeping the All-Electric Solar Kit, the iSUP, our Folding Bikes and of course our Composting Toilet.  That same toilet has been with us through 3 RVs and now we’re planning to find it a new home on our sailboat.  Obviously we’re keeping all the cameras and computer gear along with our two travelling kitties (even though you didn’t see them in this video).

The bright side of being forced to complete in one day what we had planned to do in three…is that it was complete in a day.  Well, almost, now we’re stuck lookin’ like the Clampetts while we’re surrounded by all these other fancy yachts.

The downside is we had to say bye a little faster than we’d of liked.  The Bounder was our first gas powered RV and we took that thing all the way to Alaska trying to beat it up.  Even though we never gave it a proper name like our other motorhomes we still felt a tad sentimental as it drove off…of course in between our violent swats at the no-see-ums.

moving onto a sailboat

We have some major organizing, cleaning, and minimizing to do in the days ahead. It’s been a great run we’ve had on the road and we wouldn’t change it for the world.  However, there is a new adventure on the horizon.  We’re looking forward to new surroundings in new countries as we set sail across the ocean in our new home.  But I don’t think we’re getting outta here that quick, there’s a ton of service to be done, we have sailing classes and of course we have to do a proper renaming ceremony to make happen first.

See ya on the water!

Do you happen to know why marinas are anti-RV?  Do you have a crazy moving story you want to share? Have any tip on how to make our Sea Frost Fridge/Freezer work better?  Tell us all about it in the comments below!

Hello there! I honestly don’t know what to say, so I am going to tell you a bunch of random facts instead. I'm a fish eating vegetarian who hates spiders and loves snakes. I almost never took vacations growing up. I wanted to be Pippi Longstocking (still do). I misspell about every other word I write and still struggle with grammar. I love splurging on a good high tea (which is really hard to find these days). And whatever you do, don’t tell me I can’t do something, because then I'll HAVE to do it!

Comments (76)

  • Joe Steele

    A shame you gave up the rv lifestyle without fully experiencing all there is…with your business savvy you could be touring Europe in a new rv with sponsors. A totally new adventure that would have taken you to so many beautiful countries where you would have experienced different cultures, languages, food and met so many wonderful people.
    Instead you are moored at marinas, traveling at 2-4 nautical miles per hour when you leave port and ending up in another stuffy marina with people ( mostly wealthy) who could care less about the statement you are trying to make. Sure the sunsets are cool as is the sound of lapping water against the hull of your catamaran…but what then…you can only go so far.
    May the wind be always at you back and the sun to keep you warm.
    Joe

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  • Michael

    I have a shiny new class B RV and have had similar issues with marina owners. The Cabrillo marina in LA has about 10 acres of brand new parking. I typically only see 20-30 cars parked in the lot. I pulled in one evening and saw several full sized vans and pickup trucks parked there. It seemed I’d fit right in. I went to the office and asked the marina manager if he’d mind me parking in the back of the lot for one night. He reacted as if I had just strangled his cat or sunk his boat. It wasn’t just a no, it was a NO! Being city owned, open access, public property you’d think it wouldn’t matter.

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  • caleb louis

    Are you selling the rv and car

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  • Rosemary Capen

    We are living (for a month) on a 20′ sailboat in The Bahamas. Check out our cruising log on FB “Matilda 73”

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  • Christopher E.

    Refrigerators are over-rated! After living overseas in the Peace Corps, my wife and I learned how well one can eat without much in the refrigerator. (You wouldn’t know it now that we have 2 kids and a bursting freezer.) Eat fresh. Eat preserves. Leave the butter on the table: it (and other things) will be fine. You will need to make more frequent trips to the market, but you’ll want to do that anyway in the places you’ll be visiting. You’ll be in port most of the time where you can find fresh food, and for those extended blue water trips, you’ll have to rough it with canned food. Challenge yourselves to eat what’s available instead of trying to plan a meal. Observe what the locals eat. You’ll feel more spontaneous and creative, and probably healthier! Bon appetit!

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  • Dale beebe

    Please put up a list of things you are selling. What are you asking for the towbar?

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  • Hi Jason and Nikki,

    Congratulations on the New Yacht! I think you have made a great choice in boats, how do I know? We also have a 2007 Leopard 43 “Holiday”. If you ever want to chat about boat stuff feel free to contact me. I am very knowledgeable about diagnosing trouble and repairing things on these cats as we have gone through the entire boat preparing for our circumnavigation which we will start this November. We have had ours for 4 years now and previously owned a Lagoon 380 for 6 years, so lots of catamaran experience.

    We seem to have very similar tastes with technology as well, Holiday has 2800 watts of solar and 800 ah of LifePo4 batteries. We are completely energy independent. Lots more high tech items installed if you are interested.

    The Sea Frost Fridge/Freezer was originally designed to have 2 compressors one for the fridge and one for the freezer. Leopard decided to convert it to a spillover system that is inefficient and in my opinion does not function properly. I spoke to the manufacture and he recommended installing a second compressor and holding plate fro the fridge and isolate them from each other. I decided to go with a NORCOLD
    SCQT-4408 Icebox Conversion Kit (Westmarine) for the refer side as it is very efficient and has adequate cooling for that size box. I had to seal off the holes in the decider with insulation. Works like a charm and the freezer gets much colder now (able to hold solid ice-cream). Also nice to have independent controls for each side. One way to make the system work better is also to plug the drain in the freezer with an insulated plug. Cold goes down to the lowest point and there is no insulation on the drain.

    Feel free to contact me for more info on this or any other project on the new boat. Chances are I have already done it.

    Best of luck with the new yacht!

    Cheers,

    CJ & Giselle Viggers

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  • Randy Johnson

    Very entertaining, J&N. I took my catamaran sailing course in St. Augustine, FL. In June, 2008, I did a one-week live-aboard class on a 44ft Bavaria monohull in the BVI’s. I had planned to continue, but in July, 2008, I had total-knee-replacement surgery. Complications ensued, infections and more surgeries followed. Long story short, they had to perform an above-knee amputation in Jan, 2012. Yeah, that put a damper on my sailing plans. I did have some adventure going to Costa Rica to get fitted with a new socket and prosthetic knee. 🙂 (My wife fell in love with the country.) Anyway, I am a kindred spirit when it comes to sailing. I enjoy the stories, and who knows? I might be able to continue down the road. I’m looking more like the “pirate-type” these days.

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  • Susan Varner

    Have you checked out the ice cream shop in Dania called Jaxsons?? It’s the best!! We had our first date there several decades ago.
    Good luck in all your adventures and be safe.

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  • Dennis Moyer

    Have you sold the Magnum Hybrid Inverter yet? If not what is the asking price?

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  • David Krumm

    Why are you selling the Magnum Hybrid Inverter? I would think it would be great on the boat? I just installed one (MSH3012) in my 5th wheel along with the BMK and a couple hundred additional watts of solar. I absolutely love it!

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  • Harold Bevins

    Hi Jason and Nikki, I have been following your posts for about three years and have enjoyed the country and stories you share with us. I was just wondering how y’all are doing with the storms in Florida, and praying that you are safe and not getting any damage to the boat, also that you are not getting seasick in the choppy waters.
    I am looking forward to sailing with you in the videos and stories that you tell, also in learning about the boat and how it works…
    Be safe out there…

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  • Lynn Dirk

    Maybe a portable ice maker and a cooler? I’m guessing that’s not very economical but it was an idea I saw a few years back from an RV’er and that ice maker was pretty impressive. I am loving these videos and sure wish they were every day!

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  • T C Spencer

    Did storm Colin in Florida give your area any miserable weather conditons?

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  • Donna

    Keep the videos coming! I’m enjoying this!

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  • Gary

    Do you know about the 3 mile rule? 3 out miles you can dump your crap!

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  • Patrick

    My thought on RV’s & Marina’s is cost of the space. Most East & West Coast Marina’s are located in expensive areas and people would store their RV’s in the Marina lots if they owned or rented a slip “two birds one stone” concept.

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      • TK

        RV’s in resort or gated communities multiply like rabbits, frequently with new owners that don’t know how to drive them wreaking havoc on rooflines and gatehouses. Best to ban them and grant limited exceptions as in your case. Adequate parking space for owners is already a problem in many instances.

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  • DR. JIM LINN

    Ivam not aware of your decision to get out of N RV and into a boat. Please tell me what the video is called about your decision to change life styles. Was it the RV PAYMENT OR WHAT???. I AM SO CONFUSED.

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  • Heather Scott

    When you opened the fridge on the boat I almost jumped with fright! Never seen anything like it, must have been really hard space wise to go from that nice big RV fridge to that small one….I really enjoy all your video’s, you keep it so real and I think that is what everyone appreciates so much..hope everything is sorted out now…

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  • lulu

    Here’s my crazy moving story which I’ll try to make short-ish. I had lived in my house with my son for ten years. He was about to graduate from college out of state, and on a lark, I applied for a promotion within my company that would take me across the country. Moving hadn’t really crossed my mind – I had lived within two-hours of my family homestead and fam and friends all my life. Well, I got the job/promotion with a message, “report in two weeks”. uh oh. I had to break it to my family and friends, put my house on the market, clean out, paint, pack for moving and sort for furniture/stuff to go to my mom’s / donate / dump; sell my old Corvette, find a rental there that would take pets, plus a pet sitter (traveling a lot in new job) and prepare to drive across country (east coast to Las Vegas) with my old jeep and two dogs in July. Thankfully, a friend offered to go with me to help with driving and the dogs. It all worked out. I got there; rental was great; pet sitter was the best; movers brought my stuff and I started on an awesome next chapter. I trusted the Universe and just went with the flow. Those have always been my greatest adventures – when I really didn’t know what I was doing, but I allowed forces greater than I to guide me. Next up is living full-time in my RV, expecting to take delivery this fall.

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  • sven

    Thanks for showing your crap Nikki 🙂

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  • Shawn

    Sorry if you posted this elsewhere but now that you purchased a more expensive vessel than originally planned, how are you going to fund this new adventure?? Did you get more sponsors?? It’s like having a new mortgage really on top of daily life but without steady paycheques.

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  • You have come a long way in the past month. Now the fun begins.

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  • Bonny

    How many hours/days do you expect it will take you both to become competent motorboaters/sailors? Do you have to get a qualification to be Skipper/Navigator ?

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  • Skye and Bennett

    We are visiting from Holland and have come to know you, as our friends we are staying with follow your adventures. We all agreed that we must tell you, Jason… we think the beard looks GREAT! All of the best to the four of you. We’ll be keeping up with your travels when we get home.

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  • Sandra & the 2 Spaniels

    Every move is a nightmare! I have just decided that no matter how I plan, how much I pack ahead, How organized I am with lists, color tabs on boxes, important stuff in the car, etc.-it just plain sucks! You two handled all of the hiccups with aplomb!
    Why can’t you have a regular residential fridge (especially that like your nice RV model!), on a boat? I am not boat savvy, so there may be some deep resounding thinking on this. However, it just uses electricity like the crappy one, so why not get a nice new Samsung or whatever? My spaniels would never survive without crispy cold carrots to snack on. 😉

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  • Brenda King

    OMG..I feel your pain. We sold the house and are sorting through 20 years worth of treasures and a fair amount of just junk. Trying to decide what goes in the 38 ft RV and what more we need on our 38 ft boat. Can’t wait to start our new 38 ft life and know you must feel, exhilarated, exhausted and slightly panicked. This too shall pass and the new adventures that await you will make all this craziness worthwhile!! That’s a and a few well deserved beverages!!! Happy sorting …

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  • Mike

    Should have stayed in Charleston, OR we have RV’s at our marinas we even have an RV Park on the water

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  • I will cook, clean, kitty-sit, shoot video, take photos in exchange for room and board on your new SV whatever her name shall be! I’ve been following y’all for years and would love to assist. I’m currently on my own “Great American Roadtrip” (You inspired me!) but I’ll be home and ready to set sail when you are!

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  • C Veno

    What about the expensive 12 volt arb cooler to supplement your refrigerator. It doesn’t take as much battery power as a conventional 12 volt cooler. With your solar power maybe its enough.

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  • POLA

    Funny, I feel I know you both…. You make the craziest situations look silly and effortless, you encourage so many including myself. What’s happened to your smart car???
    I know in my heart your going to have some amazing adventures!!! Sending you good vibes via solar panels for all you do!

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  • LouH

    I’m pretty sure there are a bunch of “us” out there following your adventures. The “us”‘s are folks who have transitioned from boating to RVing…probably more in numbers than the other way around (like you guys). My opinion…there are way more ‘rules’ and less tolerant folks around (& in) the boating world (marines especially) than the RV/camping world. I love hear about experiences…reminds me of why I’m RVing and not boating any longer ??. Hang in there …you’ll be on a secluded mooring or hook soon!!

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  • Pamela Andringa

    NOSEEUMS!!! Miserable creatures. They leave itchy welts on me. I have tried pretty much everything to enjoy evenings outside with them and found lavender oil (on pretty much anything close to you) and a fan running near where you are sitting/standing works best.
    So looking forward to your seafaring adventures – love that you take us along virtually!

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  • Peg C

    Where will your ‘Gone with the Wynns’ logo go on the boat? It would look very cool on the sail.

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  • mike albanese

    space

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  • Bonnie

    Somehow your post is reassuring and comforting. We would like to do similar on waterways with a motor boat. Nice to know it can be accomplished with problem solving learned in the years of RV Ing. Safe journeys to you and thank you for your share!

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  • Rose

    Congratulations on your new adventure….
    May this hiccup be the last you endure, You can only move forward from here.
    Smooth sailing?

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  • Patrice and Kirk Wilde

    Okay, I wasn’t expecting the fridge to be THAT bad!!!

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  • John Puccetti

    You asked about marinas and RV’s. I hate to sound snarky ( your word) but my father in-law had a twin diesel Hatteras in Newport CA. Very snooty people in marinas. We owned a horse for our daughters in Ventura CA horse owners were even more snooty.

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  • Tony

    I knew you had large hit to the windshield early in your Alaska trip and you were able to patch done to the windshield. I would like to know how it held?

    Its been fun watch you guys make the transition to sailing. Keep those videos coming.

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  • Lawrence D

    So, maybe some experienced yachties/boat peeps could answer this – what is it with most of the fridge/freezers on boats, but especially monohulls?
    First off, do they work differently? I’ve heard some terms used with them that leads me to believe they get some of their cooling abilities from seawater? No?
    Second, why even in 40+ size monohulls Do they still look smaller than a similar sized RV? I mean heck, it’s not as if most times you’re going to be stuck 14 days in an RV and hundreds of miles from a food store – unlike when you cross the Atlantic, etc?
    Third, why is it many of these boat design fridge/freezers simply end up being top load boxes’ mostly unshelled, unsegregated boxes, horrible for convenient access to everything in them (at the very bottom for instance) at any time?
    What’s the deal Skipper?

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    • Lawrence D

      Oops …unshelved, unsegregated…

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  • John S.

    We all knew that this happy/sad good-by-to-the-Bounder video was coming soon so I find it pleasingly ironic that you posted it within days of me finally finding the RV I’ve been looking for during the past many months. (it’s a 45′ Newmar)

    Nikki, Jason, people have commented on how brave you are for making the choice to live aboard full time with so little prior sailing experience. I’ve often thought the the biggest worriers and nay-sayers were those with the least sailing experience.

    But then I saw this video. It ought to change the minds of any doubters.

    Nikki – if you are brave enough to show me that mess of a refrigerator then you are brave enough for anything!
    And Jason, if you have the sense of humour to live with someone who can stuff a fridge like that then you’ll be just fine too!

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  • I have a folding bike. They are wonderful for short trips. Sorry you had such a difficult time with the switch over. Good luck on the water!

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  • George

    I find your adventurous attitudes truly inspiring. If I just read your adventures and then saw you both on the street, I would say, no way, no way are those two the adventurous people I just read about. I can’t imagine living off the grid like your adventures lead you to.

    Keep up the wonderful inspiring adventures. And yes, those Florida no see ems are miserable.

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  • Mary

    Well, I have a few tears in my eyes!

    I’m very excited for you and all of the new adventures you will be sharing with us.

    Love you both!

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  • Congratulations, you truly are waist deep in the new adventure now! I expected to see a sign peeling party near the end of the video, guess that one is up to the Fleetwood folks. Cheers, looking forward to the videos to come!

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  • Roger Brekas

    Whew! Tired me out. I suppose now I need to take my motion sickness pill before I watch your sailing videos.

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  • Another great video. Can you put these out every other day? 😉

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      • Krislee

        Work in exchange for room and board? On the SAILBOAT? YES PLEASE!!!

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      • Jim

        Maybe hire a virtual assistant. They are available all over the internet for cheap. Maybe you read the book “Four Hour Workweek”. With more videos everyday, you will make more money which will pay for a VA easily. This is called leverage.

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  • Al Lipscomb

    You can get a small “residential refrigerator” (bigger than a cube but smaller than what you had) or a small chest freezer and use it to supplement your built in unit. A small chest freezer will keep your ice cream hard and only draw a small amount of power compared to the large refrigerator you had.

    Also don’t worry about packing the fridge up, they work better that way. The more “density” you have in there the better it does when you open the door.

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  • Terry Apple

    Purchased a used late 90s Winnebago Chieftan after selling the house so we could take our time looking for the diesel pusher we wanted. We had a particular brand, model and year in mind. So, we loaded up the Chieftan never meaning to travel with it, parking it in the local KOA. Then, boom, there it was – the diesel pusher we wanted and it was in the same town. Bought the Country Coach and moved it to the KOA in a space next to the Chieftan and starting transferring and transferring and transferring. Would you believe we had more in the Chieftan than would easily fit in the 6000-pound cargo capacity diesel pusher? Good thing we never intended to travel with the Chieftan. We would have been so overloaded. Still, I had a real appreciation for that Chieftan. A few years later, our Country Coach went up in flames because of a Norcold fire…. Wouldn’t mind having that Chieftan back…

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  • Maribeth

    hi guys,

    I’m doing the opposite of you, sold the boat and buying RV! Like you, I wasn’t too terribly sad to see the boat go since I will have many new adventures on the RV. Good luck out there and stay safe 🙂

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  • Chuck

    Wow that’s a lot of stuff you had to move around. When we traded our 34 foot Damon class A for a 38 foot Gulf stream last year I thought for sure moving from one to the next would be simple, we even loaded up everything into bins that we could prior to hitting the dealership. It still took a lot longer than we anticipated and I found that we really had molded into our old Damon over the years we had her. Needless to say we found out the hard way that when a dealership says they close at five in Jacksonville they mean five and they don’t care that your jeep you towed in with you in still behind the gates. We wanted to pull a mission impossible crossed with a dukes of hazard to get our jeep back but we chocked it up to a lesson learned and we will never do business with that particular chain of dealerships again. I think we had purchased things along the way that we knew would fit and work well in the space we had. I am sure going from an RV to a boat is even worse. I am sure you will have a few left overs, not because you don’t need them but because it wasn’t purchased with the boat in mind.

    Good luck sailing guys. I have to say I will miss your RV videos I really enjoyed them but I am sure you will bring us all some great new adventures that will inspire us in a different way

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  • Kurt

    Do not concern yourself with the refrigerator. This is one of those things that just takes getting used to, as bo boat icebox/refrigerator will ever match a home version. One suggestion I would make, is to ensure the most temperature sensitive products are at the back. Think about condiments or anything you could leave on a table and not have it spoil for an hour or so. Those are your front rows.
    Every time you open that door you are dumping the cold air into the living space. (It is why many refrigerators top load on a boat.)
    I am glad to hear you’re not sad as further adventures certainly await.

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  • illya

    I was sad to see the RV pulling away 🙁 ah well, better than some repo video lol.
    I have caught on to your posting schedule with vids on sunday typically, so i always look forward to them on the weekend.
    I joined patron this morning early just in case, just the low level though :(. Main reason i didn’t want to is i don’t want it to go unpaid at some point in the future, but i talked to my wife and she agreed to it. I wan’t my daughter to be surrounded by people like you guys. she will be 5 June 28th. You are aware of my situation and no telling when im going to expire (liver cancer, quit chemo, never been a drinker either) so hopefully my wife will continue to see the value in this for Anica for years to come and even increase it, (named after Anica Hanson 7 of 9) She loves to watch your videos. You guys are the best and i know at some point this is just going to go boom for you or viral (dislike that term viral) or whatever. Your future is blessed beyond what you can imagine i do know this.I thought the inverter was sold?? Ill buy it right now!! haha
    So much work you guys have to do, and ummm Nikki, you may have to let go of a few refrigerated items LMAO.
    Thanks so much for sharing so much of your lives, you guys are the bright spot in my week for sure.
    Thanks, illya

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  • Joe the computer guy

    I am sure you are going to have a blast sailing. I have been perusing youtube on all the different people living the sailing lifestyle. Looks like a blast but not for a single person like me. I am living vicariously through you guys though. So many more interesting places to visit and cultures to see. Thanks. Be safe and have fun.
    PS, you know renting an RV is not going to be the same as driving your own with all the bells and whistles. Right? 🙂

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  • Wendy

    I love you guys. I think you’re so brave . I look forward to your videos . I have Lyme disease and I’m sick alot, so I don’t get to go on vacation . But I do get to come along with you and that makes me happy. Thank you for sharing your adventures .

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    • Wendy,
      Thank you for taking the time to say hello! We’re so happy to have you on board with us. Can’t wait to bring you somewhere beautiful once we get signed off with our sailing classes.

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