Its days like these.....

I know its been a while since I posted.  I have been working extra shifts for the holiday season, both to make money for the boat, but also because both of my jobs are incredibly busy during the holiday season.  However, on to boat related things.

It is days like today that make me wonder if I might be making a crazy mistaken decision.  It was 0 degrees F this morning when I was at work.  I was cold in my apartment, and wondered on my drive to work this morning past the steaming ocean whether I am making a mistake.  My thoughts were something like this:

If I was cold in my apartment, how cold would I have been on the boat?
Do I really want to do winter in an even smaller space than I already live?
What am I going to do if I get to the end of summer and realize this isn't for me?
How well am I going to be able to heat the boat?
What happens if it does not get warm enough for me to finish my projects before my lease on my apartment runs out?

In case you are wondering, I do have my doubts, and they were many this morning.  I am not inhuman.  I cannot just power though the project without wondering if it is going to work.  I am willing to voice my doubts.  Honestly, if I did not have doubts about this endeavor, I would be worried that there was something that I was really missing as a key piece of information!  This is a big project, but also a big change in my lifestyle.  No longer will I have copious amounts of space to fill with stuff.  I will have to temper every purchase with the question "Do I have space and a real NEED for this purchase?"  If I cannot answer yes to both parts of the question, then I can't buy it, which is something new for me.  I think it will be a good thing, but new and, therefore, will take adjusting to. 

In other thought processes this week, I have determined that I will probably be living on a mooring this summer rather than in a marina at the dock.  That means that I will have to be self sufficient in terms of power for lights and electronics.  This means I need solar panels because wind generators are too expensive!  Fortunately I am happy to experiment with off the grid living, as it is also one of my life goals.  Even better, I think I found some marine grade solar panels at a very low price.  I am a bit skeptical because you generally get what you pay for, but when you are on a budget, sometimes you have to go with the cheap alternative because you cannot afford the good stuff.  On the other hand, when you buy top quality equipment, it last longer, saving you on replacement costs and repairs.  The solar panels are an unusual size (long and narrow), so that might fit into the price factor.  Who knows.  I hope Monday I can get some things done for the boat, but we will see.  More updates to come.