Well, we finally are living at ground level, instead of 15′ overhead! With a 6′ keel, the cradle and then the hull of the boat we have been high above the Earth, swaying with the snow storms since we moved in on May 1.
You need to realize that we had to move in EVERYTHING (we empty the boat each fall before it is pulled out of the water) by taking it up the 15′ ladder, up the swim stairs on the back of the boat, through the cover (while it was still attached) and then down the stairs into the living quarters. This included the very large v-berth, aft cushions, many, many bags of mason jars and canned food, clothes, tools, cleaning supplies, bedding, etc! This was done during March since our original move in date was April 1st… so, in Erie, the weather in March, esp right next to the lake is howling wind, blowing sleet and snow. It was treacherous to say the least.
Once we moved in to live on May 1st we thought the snow was over, boy were we wrong! We had several days of terrible snow squalls and sleet. Bitter cold on the boat. The day we finally were dropped into the water was raining and about 35 degrees. There were whitecaps in the marina so we had to stay in the well overnight to wait for calmer conditions to move to our slip.
Once in our slip we could feel a bit more at home and get things settled. Swaying from the water is not nearly as scary as swaying while 15′ in the air!
