As you already know, we bought this boat at auction after she sat unused for over two years. After a big round of upgrades and repairs, we're only a couple of weeks into properly cruising and living aboard UNDRA.
We are still learning her systems, discovering her quirks, and figuring out routines that normally only have to work for the two of us. We haven't even been in salt water long enough to commission the watermaker yet. 🙈
So naturally, this seemed like the perfect time to invite our longtime friends from Texas, a family of four with zero boat-life experience, to move aboard for a month. 🤪
We have traveled together before. Just last year, we explored Uganda, so we already know we like taking on big adventures together. But this is not just another trip. This is them living in our floating home.
The tricky part is that none of us are in vacation mode. The adults are working and the kids are taking online summer school.
So add in things like learning to conserve water and power, adapting to tides and weather, compounded by getting six very different humans fed, clean, charged, entertained, and moving in roughly the same direction...
That’s a lot to adapt to (for all of us).
All six of us are figuring this out at the same time. The difference is that Jason and I are also the ones responsible for running the boat, managing the systems, keeping UNDRA afloat, and making sure everyone stays safe.
There are also a lot of exciting firsts. First wild dolphins, early morning paddle boarding, learning to drive the tender and tie knots.
UNDRA still feels remarkably comfortable with six people aboard. But comfortable does not necessarily mean easy. Then again, we have a 12-year-old and a 15-year-old on board, so easy was probably out the window before the trip even began.
Turns out the hardest part of having guests aboard has very little to do with the boat.
