Bloop, bloop

At 38, six months out of a six year relationship, I decided to do something out of the norm. I bought a boat. I knew I couldn't afford a condo or home without having roommates and moving in with my mother wasn't an option. Especially since she lives three doors down from my ex. Living on a boat is the cheapest waterfront living I could find. I know, I know. Boat does stand for "Break Out Another Thousand." But, I needed this. A complete change in scenery, a change in life, a positive move forward. Not all my friends and family were in support of me living alone on the docks, but I have been around boats and salty characters all my life.

MY new home. A 35 foot Cruisers powerboat, a fat-bottomed girl (like her owner), named Sun Pacific. Although the boat is supposedly from Downey, where there is no body of water, it now resides in lovely Wilmington, California. I am in heaven. "Bloop, bloop" is the sound I hear every time I climb into my new home. Water laps the hull in a soothing rythm that makes all my worries disappear (that is after I check the bilge pumps to make sure the boat isn't sinking).

I chose the marina in Wilmington because I once read an article in the LA Times that refers to this section of the harbor as "where the sewer meets the sea". I know that doesn't sound appealing, but the marina provided just the change I needed and suited my pocketbook. Plus, finding a liveaboard slip in Southern California is close to impossible with all the new Homeland Security restrictions. Once a haven for people seeking a cheaper lifestyle or escapism, now marinas are only allowed to offer 5% of their available slips to liveaboards.

Once completely settled in I realized that a single female on the docks is quite a comodity. "A chick on a boat? You know how to drive that thing? What kind of enginges do you have? You married? You have an ice maker?" I was thoroughly amused and happier that I've been in a long while. The prospective suiters covered the spectrum of eccentricity.

I've decided to write this blog to document the relationships and experiences that go along with living on the docks. Dish of the dock. It's definitely a source of entertaiment and wonder. I hope you all enjoy it.