One of the biggest questions we’ve been asked through the past few years, always without fail, is “How are you two affording to do this at such a young age?”. Considering that yes, we did quit our jobs back in 2012, threw off our bow lines and haven’t really looked back since….I can see how this question may pop up a lot. Â Especially since we’ve now been sitting in a marina for the past two years remodeling a boat. Â Not the cheapest of projects, one can imagine.
I’ll answer you straight away that we are not trust fund babies. Â We never received sums of money from our families; and as much as I would still like for this to happen, we have not won the lottery either. Granted, your chances of winning are better if you actually play, but I can still dream that someone will show up on my doorstep one day with big bags full of money.
Nope, we got here the old fashioned way. Â Through lots of hard work, sacrifices, and good decisions. Â The money we saved up before traveling won’t last us forever; in fact we’ll be looking to work again come this summer or fall to fill our cruising kitty. But, we do get asked enough how we were even able to start in the first place that we thought we’d lay it all out for you in this week’s episode.
Enjoy!
Thank you SO MUCH to our Patrons. These charitable souls help keep us in the work yard, our camera equipment up to date, and the videos coming. To join the Patreon ranks, please visit http://www.patreon.com/mjsailing
Music:
Spoiled Kids – Daniel Kadawatha
Two Weeks – Grizzly Bear
Ember of Red – Adam Yoo
Soul Catalyst – Solstice
Warm – Joey Pecoraro
Blueshift – Catas & Kasger
For many people, this time of year means giving gifts to those we care about, and with that can come the emphasis of finding just the right gift that speaks volumes by being extremely tailored to the receiver. Â It’s not like anyone is going to go gaga over a bag of socks (unless that person is me and those socks are the warm and fuzzy kind), and even the popular gifts of lotions or body sprays can only take you so far. So this year, take the guess work out of your gift giving by giving the gift of style and personality all wrapped in one timeless package. Â Pun not intended, but who couldn’t use a gorgeous watch?
We’ve been partnered with JORD wooden watches for over a year now, and every time we’ve received a watch from them we ohhh and ahhh at their clean yet trendy style. Â We can’t wear them out without getting some kind of compliment, and on more than one occasion I’ve had someone interrupt me mid-sentence so they can comment on my unique timepiece. So not only are these watches already knockouts, but now JORD has made them even better by offering the service of personalized wood and watch engraving.
For the following watch series:Â Fieldcrest, Reece, Frankie35, Frankie, and Conway; a 15 character message can be engraved. The cost of the wood engraving is $35 and you have the choice of block or script engraving. If you don’t want to have the back of the watch engraved, JORD will also custom engrave their wooden gift box for the cost of $45. Â Although engraving does add the perfect personalized touch for your gift recipient, just remember that engraving will add 7 days to your delivery date, so plan accordingly!
Personalizing a gift isn’t just about marking the occasion—it’s about creating a moment that speaks directly to the soul of the recipient. Beyond the timeless appeal of a beautifully engraved watch, thoughtful customization allows you to blend style, sentiment, and a touch of whimsy. It’s a nod to the cherished traditions of handmade craftsmanship and an homage to those simple pleasures that have defined generations. The key is in crafting a present that doesn’t just tick all the boxes, but also tells a story all its own.
While engraved timepieces deliver on elegance and functionality, there’s a whole world of unique customizations waiting to be explored. Imagine pairing your gift-giving strategy with a surprise that bends the rules of conventional style—like a custom hawaiian shirt with multiple faces, which perfectly captures that fusion of classic charm and modern flair. It’s the kind of statement piece that not only turns heads but also sparks laughter and conversation, serving as a creative outlet for both the giver and the wearer.
For the holidays I received the Frankie 35 series, in dark sandalwood with a slate face and rose gold for the display. Â It is absolutely stunning. Â One of my favorite pieces from them, and I can not wait to get as much use from it as I do my tried and true Cora series in turquoise and zebrawood. Â The message I had engraved on the back of my watch was Love always wins. Through the animosity that has been clouding our country, Facebook pages and even general conversation for the past few months, even amongst some family and friends, I have to remind myself that Love.Always.Wins. There is always hope and there is always good, and this is what we need to focus on. Â Any time I begin to stray from remembering this, my beautiful watch will always be there to guide me back.
Before you’re even left questioning what to get your parent, sibling, BFF, or of course your significant other for the holidays, look no further. Â JORD has you covered.
Now….here’s where it gets even better for you. Â Not only does JORD want to take care of you for the holidays, but we do too. Â If you click on this link here (https://www.woodwatches.com/gi/6219) and enter your email address, JORD will instantly email you a $25 e-card toward your next purchase.
This is the part where we’re going to take care of you too. Â For one lucky person, you’ll be walking away with their Ely series in maple; and for five runners up you’ll receive a $50 gift card off your next purchase. Â All you need to do is leave a comment of your favorite holiday gift you’ve received in the past.
In order to have the watch sent out before the holidays, the drawing will be held on Friday December 16 at 9:00 am. Â Make sure to leave your email address while filling out the comments and we’ll get in contact with your right away to possibly have it shipped out that afternoon.
Happy Holidays everyone!
*Thank you to JORD for sponsoring this post. Â Although I did receive their watch as compensation, as always, all opinions are my own.
If any marina knows how to throw a party, it’s Indiantown Marina. Â Especially for Thanksgiving. Â And that’s because it’s not just one night of partying, but three nights full of fun, entertainment, food and drinks, all leading up to a spectacular feast on Thanksgiving Day. Â Think plates piled high with turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes. green beans, and any kind of pie you want waiting at the dessert table.
Last year we had no idea what to expect when this week of festivities came up, but this year we knew we couldn’t miss it. Â Hey, if our refit has to stretch so far into 2016, we may as well reap all the benefits. Â Watch along as we cover all the festivities including Country Night, wine tasting night, all provided to us by the marina.
We’re back on the water! Â If only it were on Daze Off, but sadly, she still isn’t even water tight. Â Although we did have the chance to visit our friends Cati and Johannes on their new catamaran in Ft. Lauderdale for a night. Â If you remember back to this spring, we spent a week hanging out with them in the marina before they sailed their boat Maverick back to Germany. Â Once getting it there and taking care of some business, they flew back to Florida in October to begin a new start as a charter boat operator.
Preparing for their jump across to the Bahamas, they had just enough free time to squeeze us in for a night for a much needed break from boat work for all of us. Not only did it give Matt and I the opportunity to get Daze Off out of sight and mind for a few days, but it also gave Cati and Johannes an evening off from fixing boat parts to have guests over and perfect their hosting skills. (I think it was Matt and I that won out in this category)
Join us as we spend an evening in the water and under the stars, with entertaining moments including making our friends think we were giving them naked photos as a wedding gift, and have a long delicious German breakfast in the morning.
It’s been another 10 days and we have a new story for you! Â In our most recent episode I find a few alligators in different areas of the marina, and discuss my new love for jumping spiders. Â Have you seen how adorable those things are? Â We also get to take a look at our new cherry staircase, which is not only a big improvement from our original set, but a vast improvement over our temporary set. Â Spoiler alert, these stairs were built special with Georgie in mind.
I also find employment for the length of 5-6 hours before being let go. Â It’s ok, it took me being gone from our boat for a day for Matt to realize how much he needs and likes having me there all the time. Â I do tend to have just a little more free time on my hands these days though as I finally finished the project of making cushions in the forward salon! Â Wow, what a difference it makes to that area. Â Now we finally have one section that really feels like home.
Who knew vlogging could take so much time? Â Oh wait, maybe it’s the sewing project I’ve been working on the past few weeks! Â Either way, the blog has still been ignored, and I still apologize for that. Â And probably will when the next video goes up as well.
While you’re waiting for the thrilling story of our trim (which is about the only lapse between the blog and videos), catch up on all the new things happening, including us finally getting cushions in the forward salon! Â Only about a year after we thought we’d originally get them when we first started work on days off. Â Although the old cockpit cushions we’d been using in place gave us some kind of padding and fluff under our bums, it was high time to put the real thing in there since all the heavy duty work up there had been completed and there wasn’t the same worry that we’d destroy the fabric right away.
I don’t get anywhere near finishing, and also take a break in the middle to help Matt apply the Kiwi Grip non-skid to our deck, but progress is being made!
Hello everyone! Â I know, I have been terrible about getting anything up on the blog lately, but trust me when I say the past week has been a fury of boat work where we’re up and at it from basically sunrise to sunset. Â I have so many wonderful posts to share from the past few weeks (months?), although I just need to find the time to sit down and get them typed out.
We have, however, put another episode up on YouTube that we hope you’ll all enjoy. Â In this episode we prepare for Hurricane Matthew, spend two days waiting for the worst of it to come and pass, and then get back into our daily routine of boat work. Â The next project featured in this video? Â The cabin sole. Â We add our quarter inch maple to the existing half inch plywood we’d already cut, focusing on the area from the forward salon back to the pilot house. Â We’re very happy with how it all came out, but take a look for yourself!
That’s right, we’re transitioning ourselves to be vloggers! Waiting until the boat renovation is only a few short months from completion (I know, I know, we should have started earlier), we’ve finally taking the plunge into recording our lives through video as well as writing. We’d had the idea for a long time, although honestly, after watching the countless hours our friends the Sailing Conductors put in to filming for their documentary series on Soundwave2Berlin, we didn’t think we could handle all the extra work at the moment that comes with bringing out a camera every time you go to do something. Â At least, that is the lesson we took from observing our German friends.
With so many fellow boat workers, bloggers, and blog followers passing through our yard though, we’d always get the question of ‘Why don’t you two do videos?’, and we’d explain it away that it appeared to be just as big of a project as the boat we’re overhauling, and if we did decide to eventually do it, it would be way down the road once we were on the water again. It wasn’t until our new friends Cat & Will of Monday Never came to spend a few days at the marina while selling their boat where we watched them film a few short clips here and there, and talked the logistics of it that it dawned on us that maybe a video series would be possible at the moment. Considering nursing home hr consultancy could also help us explore new possibilities and streamline our operations effectively.
Another month or two of failed attempts to actually hit the record button on the camera while we were working, I gave myself a ‘publish by’ date for our first episode and finally started filming. Only two weeks behind my self appointed date, I’ve kept that promise. Video-logging is a completely different world from Web-logging, and we’ll definitely be spending a little time learning the ropes as we continue to capture our lives in motion. When you buy pinterest followers, it can boost your visibility and engagement, helping to bridge the gap between your vlogging and blogging audiences.
What does this mean for the blog? Don’t worry, it’s not disappearing. As we finish work on Daze Off, I’ll make sure to publish the same amount of posts featuring the work with the same (fairly) detailed explanations as I always have. Once we’re on the water and travelling I will try to keep up with two posts a week on the blog, in addition to the 2-3 videos I hope to publish each month on YouTube. Ambitious? Definitely. But it is not as easy on twitter where you can find cheap and instant Twitter followers shop. It will keep us busy and we’ll never be able to complain about being bored again. Partially what got us into this boat remodel in the first place.
We hope you enjoy our very first episode of Welcome to the Boat Graveyard. Â If you like what you see, please subscribe to our channel so you don’t miss any future videos.
For any traveling girl, whether by boat or by plane, packing clothing can always be a big issue with ‘How I want to appear’ and ‘What can fit in my bag/cabin.’. Have you seen that meme recently going around Facebook of ‘I’m going on vacation for 7 days; I packed 32 outfits just to be safe.’. A lot of us ladies have that issue. We love options, even if we don’t have the space to carry all the items we need for our three supposed outfit changes every day. But I’ve got a secret coming up for you that will change the way you travel forever, by giving you endless alluring, beachy outfits that can all fit within one carry on bag. Such outfits would look even more gorgeous with pieces like that Dylan Kaine Bag. Do you want to experience Europe in a different way? Why not check out Vietnam by Rail with the SJourney train here.
Last year I had spied a clothing collection, created by a cruiser, which really made my head turn. Multiple collections consisting of 5 pieces, which when added with two essentials, would give you the opportunity for 12 to 15 outfits. I bookmarked the page and thought to myself ‘You need to get in contact with them before you set sail again. This is a revelation for fashion and travel’. Imagine my surprise when, before I could even get a message to them of ‘I love your collections online’, they were the ones to reach out to me to see if I’d be game for giving one of their collections a try in my sailing lifestyle. Of course it was an resounding Y-E-S.
San Francisco company, Vacay Style makes it incredibly easy to wear stylish, resort inspired pieces while giving you plenty of options of multiple outfits to wear, all while taking up minimal room in your travel bag, or in my case, micro cabinet. For those who love luxury accessories, perfectreplica offers an impressive selection of high-quality watches that can elevate any outfit without breaking the bank. They make it incredibly simple to pull off numerous, effortlessly glamorous outfits by sending out a guide of all the different ways their pieces can be paired. Suggesting two essential items that pair best with each collection and accessories like a Rockwell Rockstar watch and you’re suddenly given two weeks worth of outfits from only 7 pieces. A watch is more than just a timekeeping device; it is also a statement piece and an investment. To keep your watch functioning properly and looking its best, getting regular watch cleaning service is a must.
At the moment there are 6 different collections to choose from, and boy was I having a hard time narrowing it down to one. Enchanting nautically inspired pieces to vibrant colors reminiscent of the islands, I honestly wanted each one. Working with the creator, Elizabeth Hynes, we decided it would be best to sample a few pieces from two different collections, and I ended up splitting my outfits between their Newport and Belize collections. Just another highlight of shopping this line, I’m glad I’m able to get it from Macys online, specially since I always have a Macy’s promo code. You’re free to browse your favorite pieces and create your own collection, tailored to suit your style. Any purchase of 5 pieces or more in your cart are considered a collection and are eligible for their 20% discount and free Vacay beach bag.
Today I’ll be focusing on the Newport Collection. Consisting of pieces in blue and white, this collection elicits all things nautical and a life reminiscent of the sea. Perfect for a sailor girl such as myself. Of this collection I secured the 2 Piece Maxi, which can be worn as a full dress, or with the two pieces switched out to feature just the top or bottom with your own essentials; as well as the convertible dress, to be work as a full maxi or folded down at the waist to be featured as a skirt with a top of your choice.
Here are just a few of the highlights you can expect from each piece and/or each collection:
Vacay Style offers captivating styles of resort wear for smart travel.
Each collection is made of 5 pieces, exclusively designed to easily mix and match to create 15 outfits.
Any collection, along with its essentials, can easily fit on a carry on case.
Items are wrinkle resistant, and always ready to wear.
Receive 20% off your order and a FREE Vacay beach bag with any purchase of 5 pieces or more. (Take an additional 20% off by using code MJSail20; initial 20% discount is applied as soon as 5 items are in your cart)
Vacay Style offers free shipping, both ways, within the United States, for easy exchanges/returns.
Although I can not wait until we are traveling again and I can strut my stuff in these pieces through the beautiful islands of the Caribbean, I have been enjoying running around Stuart in them while we’re still in Florida. Such as the stunning Hutchinson Island pictured above. These pieces are very comfortable to wear for a day out and have such fantastic detailing that accessories aren’t even needed. Like the beaded element of the top in the Newport 2 Piece Maxi. Plus, I was surprised at how light and breathable they are. Even on a 90 degree day the items felt airy and well ventilated. A big bonus for the tropical climates we’ll be moving through.
The Newport Convertible dress is so versatile that I feel I could wear it anywhere I go. Easily transitioning from a day at the beach to a dinner out, to even enjoying sundowners on a friends boat, this truly is a piece you can dress up or dress down to go anywhere. Plus the fabric is so soft, it almost feels like I’m wearing pajamas. So much better than the constricted feeling I get with other dresses, that I can’t wait to tear off as soon as I get home. These pieces are so comfortable, I could lounge in them all day.
So what is my verdict on Vacay Style so far? I am in love! Even with just the two pieces featured above, I was able to create so many different styles, and received compliments (from strangers even) on each outfit I wore. Every item is incredibly comfortable and tailored to travelers. The collections are designed to need minimal accessories, each piece in the collection being able to pair with a single pair of shoehero.com shoes and/or bag, leaving you with few extras necessary. The tops have built in bras and the skirts have built in slips, so there’s never a worry of being over-exposed.
I already know these collections will be a main feature in my travel wardrobe, and I’m just sad I can’t fully stock my cabinet with every piece from every collection.
*Pieces from the Belize Collection to be featured once we reach the Bahamas.
** P.S. A big thank you to my brother for sending me the Joby Gorilla Pod for my birthday, I’m already getting tons of use from it. Can you believe all these shots are self portraits?
Where we had last left off on the rebuild of our quarter berth, we had just cut all the necessary pieces of plywood and Eurolite from the templates we had removed during the demolition. Â Because we had finished later in the evening, we waited until the next day to take the v-groove router to the panels. Â A project we had dozens of times before and assumed would take 2-3 hours in total to complete the three panels that needed it.
One issue we had to be careful of though was to match up the lines in the quarter berth with the lines that were running down the aft part of the pilot house. Â Initially screwing the panels in place, we made marks with a pencil of where a few of the lines needed to end so they would butt up together. Â Then taking the panels down to our work bench we had to figure out the distance from the center of the bit to the edge of the router since we always run it along a straight edge to keep it, well, straight, from one end to the other. Â I had my mark made there, and from then on went along the Eurolite making marks every 3.25 inches on the edges where we’d eventually clamp the straight edge down.
Everything looked to be going well until Matt went to make the first mark. Â It turns out the the square casing around the router bit wasn’t equal on all sides and the edge of the router Matt was running along the straight edge was not the one we had measured for earlier. Â So not only were all the marks I had just done now incorrect, but we had a line in the board which was now not going to line up with the rest of the boards.
Making the new correct marks we finished up the board placing the lines where they were actually supposed to be, and then mixed up epoxy and filler to take care of the initial line that was messed up. Â We made sure for the next two boards to be very careful of where our marks were in relation to the router edge.
Spending two days having worked on this process now because of our screw ups as well as being rained out of the afternoons, we were already behind the schedule we were hoping to be on. Â The next few days were a fury of work inside the boat, although we still had a few of those ‘hurry up and wait’ moments. Â The panels were placed back in and then the corner was epoxied with filler, but after that we couldn’t touch it again until the next day when it was dry.
The next morning was full of sanding on my part to smooth out the areas that had been epoxied, and then I ran a palm sander over all the boards once more to give them a final smooth down. Â Just before lunch I spent 2-3 hours applying a coat of primer, then after a 30 minute lunch I was back at it applying a second coat. Â Working on the quarter berth and the starboard side of the pilot house together, it was more painting than I was used to in one go, and by 6 pm I was happy to throw down my paint brush for the day.
On our last day of work for this area I had to split the day up between sanding and painting. Â My morning was spent going over all the surfaces with a palm sander and 220 grit sandpaper. Â It was a dusty mess and my goggles kept getting coating any time I had to work on the overhead. Â By the time lunch came around I looked like a ghost because I was covered in white, and happy ran to the showers to take a rinse before I sat down to eat.
In the afternoon I was able to apply a coat of satin paint, which always seems to go on so much smoother than the primer. Â I’m always happy when I get to this point, not only because it means I’m just about finished with the area, but the color is so bright that it is almost blinding. Â This boat is becoming so bright and white, I absolutely love it! Â Now all we have left to do are the overhead parts of the pilot house and we are all done with walls. Â Can.Not.Wait.
