My Adventures Aboard "Our Girl"
 

A few weeks ago in one of the threads, I posted a picture of the 1995 Carver 310 Express Cruiser I used to own and live on. I've had a few people ask me what it was like living on a boat for a few years and if I had any neat stories that I would like to share. Well, I've finally come around to typing up part one of what could be many parts indeed.

My adventures aboard “Our Girl” began back in 1998 when I was 5 years old. My father is a man of the sea, and boats are his absolute passion. He received word of this particular Carver, and just had take a look at it. It didn't matter that it was being stored outdoors 2 hours away from where we lived or that it was the middle of January in Wisconsin. My father was determined to cash in the 24' Sea Ray in exchange for a 31' Carver. One look was all it took, and he decided to purchase it.

My family and I spent many summers and countless starry nights on that boat when it resided at McKinley Marina in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Our vacations consisted of traveling to and from Door County, Mackinac State Park, the shores of Grand Haven, Michigan, and many other unique destinations. The boat was our home away from home, and we absolutely loved it.

http://www.ft86club.com/forums/pictu...pictureid=3180

I first started living on the Carver after my junior year of high school. I secured a position at a catering company based out of downtown Milwaukee, and it was simply easier to live off the Carver than travel 30 minutes each way to and from the suburbs. The freedom was immense, and that was one of the best summers of my life.

After I graduated from high school, I enrolled in classes at Palm Beach Atlantic University in West Palm Beach, Florida seeking a nursing degree. Around this time, my father was looking to sell the Carver in exchange for something a little bigger and more practical. Needless to say, I took interest in it, and bought it instead of paying the astronomical housing costs in West Palm Beach. About a week before classes began, we drove the boat down to Palm Harbor Marina (a few blocks away from the college) and launched it. It wasn't long before all of my friends found out I was living on a boat, and it became a sort of hang out spot after classes. I was fine with that, and my friends loved me for it.

http://www.ft86club.com/forums/pictu...pictureid=3179

Part two in progress...

There's nothing like it. My wife and I were living in Michigan when we developed our interest in boating back in the mid 60's. By the mid 70's we were heavy into sailing and were used to the ritual of hauling the boat in the fall and putting it back in the water around Easter time. Suddenly the light bulb in our minds went off and we decided that a sail boat shouldn't spend nearly half its life in a cradle and so in 1976 we moved to San Diego where we developed a new ritual; every Christmas morning we would go sailing. :)

What an awesome tradition!

So cool! Can't wait for part two.