Liveaboard, work aboard & fun aboard

Lightkeepers Marina, Little River, SC. One of our first ports.

We decided to just go for it! The ever elusive "it" that so many are searching for... whatever It is that will make you happy. For us, our "it" is like indoor, on the water camping.

In 7 days we are setting sail for the Keys aboard our 68' converted shrimp boat.  She is a beast with a 24' beam. And, by God we love her! We are leaving from Charleston, SC, which has become thus far, my favorite place I've ever lived. But we did not buy this boat to settle down at the first locale we fit into or fell in love with. No, no, no. We bought her so we could explore upon the great blue, meet a lot of salty people & eat our own fresh catch of the day!

The boat, Miss Betty, is our home, our sanctuary, & a complete wreck as a construction zone.  Originally a commercial fishing vessel, we have de-rigged her & are still in the process of refitting her. So while we may step outside & watch dolphins frolic in our backyard, the boat's interior is a chaotic masterpiece of construction.

Dolphin off our bow while under way, making way towards wherever the whim takes us

Though living in a construction site has it's downfalls (like no point in having nice decorations up yet, insert wistful sigh), the site itself being a large boat has definite upsides all in a class of their own.  As I mentioned earlier, we see dolphins everyday, multiple times a day! I will never be anything but profoundly amazed at the sight of these wondrous creatures in my midst, there almost every time I walk outside. I mean, I am often times heard to squeal like a child, unabashedly. We find ourselves running up & down the catwalks for a closer look, giggling & excited.  Even the dogs get in on the action, whining at what must surely be meant as a new playmate or toy for them!  Once while we were out tubing behind our Carolina Skiff, dolphins were swimming beside me as I clung onto the tube.  Sometimes we take the skiff out on the water, cut the engine, & are rewarded with pods of dolphins coming to check us out.  All this dolphin interaction right here in Charleston, SC! We've been told that even in the Keys, we will not have as many dolphin encounters as we do here... but we are still going to take a shot traveling down to the Florida Keys on the next leg of our adventure!  Dare I say, stay tuned.

Miss Betty in all her shrimpin' glory. Basically, this is her Before pic.