Author: admin

I know it has been a very long time since I have written an entry – so here we go!

It has been a crazy 6 months. As most of you know I had a desmoid tumor last year which almost took me out but by God’s grace I was spared and here we are. I am back at work and back in school, so it has been a bit busy.

ATB- She is looking great! Wes has been doing a great job and working on her. She is still at the marina, and we have not gotten her out of the water yet, but are getting there. Aqualand marina has had quite a bit of drama itself with broken docks, heavy storms, trees down, electricity and internet out as well as some of our neighbors boats sinking and on top of all of that burglaries. Whew! But as you will see in the pictures, the work continues.

Beer cap wall- so there is a blank wall in the galley(kitchen), that we have decided to put beer caps on the wall. We have been collecting them for about 3 years…and we still do not have enough! So, I am reaching out to you guys to help us get to our 1800 cap goal. That is a lot of beer! We are looking for tops that are not to dented and still have pretty good shape. So, if you would like to donate some caps, please let me know! The more the merrier! When Wes finishes the wall, I will take pictures and post them so you can see!

Bathroom #1- Wes has been diligently working on our bathroom with the shower. He has painted it and now he has tiled it! If you didn’t know tile is Wes’s specialty! He can tile anything. It is a skill for sure. He has added railings and doors for the cabinets and next we are looking to paint the galley. The counter top in the galley are tiled with brick pavers with epoxy on top.

Enjoy the pics!

Stay safe and see you soon!

Sara & Wes

Well spring is finally here, and our world is going back to somewhat normal. I am back at work and go back to school in May.  After a year of illness, it is good to still be here.

Wesley has been really motivated and has done a lot more work on ATB. I keep going back to or original photos of her because it is amazing how much she has come along.

Last weekend Wes spent his time with the second bedroom. He replaced most of the rotted wood that was on the walls and placed a light as well. Here are some pics of the new wood he put in.

I really need to go hang out with him while he works on her, but it is not my thing. I have been banned from power tools- last spring I nearly knocked my front teeth out from holding a drill the wrong way. I had to go to the dentist to make sure I did not break anything because it hurt so much. But I was good, just had to wait for the pain to pass.

But living on the boat and sailing I will not have a choice but to become more of a mechanic as well as know how to work the boat. I am looking forward to the challenge. It is something new and it is always good to get out of one’s comfort zone.

 Especially since being out on the ocean our main goal is not to capsize and drown. Just saying.

I am excited and nervous at the same time. But what I have read about people who live on boats and sail the world that if you did not feel that way then something is wrong.

Well until next time….

Wes & Sara

Good Morning!

I know it has been a while since my last post, but life happens with all its ups and downs. Since August I have been dealing with a desmoid tumor and have not been able to work or go to school. Fortunately, now I am back to normal and excited about posting again!

ATB is coming along. Wes has been working on her on and off, but now that the weather is getting warmer, he can spend more time putting her back together. So, what has he done? Well, he has labeled all the water and electrical lines and which way they go, which I have read in other blogs is extremely helpful when in a rush. I am so happy about it because it will be immensely helpful to me should anything happen, and he is not readily available (on hand).  In addition to this, Wes has almost finished gutting the smaller boat we bought. Everything from cushions to electronics and even teak wood is being removed for use on ATB.

We were out at the lake yesterday to check on her as well as to fit a new sink that Wes made specially for her. What a relief he has decided to put a regular head in since I do not like dealing with the compost toilet at all. Yeah!

Below is the new sink in the second bathroom that Wes built himself. The faucet is from the smaller boat.

Well that’s it for now…stay safe and be well!

Sara and Wes

This year has bought many changes to our normal lives! Sometimes I do believe that everything happens for a reason and this extra time with our families is a gift.

But sorry for the delay. School is online and work has been terribly busy for both of us.

There have been many changes at Aqualand Marina where ATB is on Lake Lanier. They installed a wake wall to help with the wake that we get from all the boaters going by. We have new neighbors as well. That has been the biggest change. But we are handling the changes and thanks to all for coming by and giving us advice about boats. It is a never-ending project.

ATB is coming along! I cannot believe how good she looks now. I had to go back and look at the photos of when we first got her. One reason why I wanted to write today is because Wes did a fantastic job on the ceiling in the pilot house. Now he said it was quite a bit of work so it will only be in this room. Which is fine because most people will only see this room. Wes has combined different types of wood with some original parts to make this room special. We are not using teak because of the cost but oak and cedar work just as well.

We have electricity as well as water! We will use the tank water for showers, cleaning and use bottled water for drinking and food.

Another addition is that we have a stove! It is a propane stove that is used for camping. It fit perfectly and though we will probably not use it as much because it does heat up the galley, Wes attached a grill outside so we can use that as well.

Recap on the compost toilet. So, Wes has used the toilet but only for poop! He made his own compost mixture made from kitty liter and sawdust. There is no smell and if you do pee and poop, it soaks it up very well. A few people we have been watching on You Tube change theirs out about once a month. In the other bathroom which is basically for pee- it can go straight out into the ocean. Now do not quote me on this- we shall see how long this will last. But for right now it is working well.

We hope everyone is staying safe and healthy!

Sara & Wes

February is almost gone! Wow this year is moving along and we are moving along as well with ATB! Wes has been diligently working on one of the bathrooms. As I have mentioned before, we are moving towards compost toilets. Which is great and environment friendly. Now he got this idea from Sailing Uma on You Tube. I love the fact that others are more than happy to share their adventures as well and make videos on how to get stuff done on their boat! It has been a rough couple of months out at the pier where ATB is docked. Between the snow and all the rain, the pier is now almost under water in some places. The marina has also shut off the power due to the high water.  

I hope everyone is having a good start of the year. As usual we are busy, but I do not think there is day that doesn’t go by that we do not talk about life on the boat. She is surely becoming a part of our life.

Sara & Wes

Hello everyone!

 Wow this is year is almost over! We have been very busy with ATB. She now has some lights in the cabin and in the front bedroom, but it is a step forward. I placed a small glass Christmas tree on the boat just to try to get her in the Christmas spirit. We have also been trying to get the bedroom up front together so we can spend a weekend out there on the lake. She has come so far! The diesel smell is just about completely gone. When we got her there was diesel in the bottom of boat and t took a while to get the diesel out of the boat. Wes also received 8 new bumpers for the boat. Now maybe we can keep her from getting beat up by the dock. It was cold out on the lake and windy, but she keeps the cold out well. We have a heater, but we did not need it inside the boat. I love how even though the water is really moving she does not rock too badly.

I must admit I have been watching more boating videos of Sailing Uma with Dan and Kiki. They are a great couple and they have been where we are with putting their boat together when it was a mess. I can’t wait to start our own you tube channel to share our adventures! I will keep you posted when that happens. You should check them out. Love them.

Stay warm!

Wes and Sara

Good Morning,

Wow! It has a been a minute and please forgive me for that. We have made great strides on ATB! We have been reading many stories of people giving up their lives on land and sailing off into the sunset. I am looking forward to that myself. We can come on land from time to time- I still want to work at all the many careers that I have. But until that time, we will keep working on her. We are still on Lake Lanier and are trying to come up with a time to take her out of the water so we can do some exterior work.

So, our short-term goals are to get her ready so we can at least spend the night on the boat. We have been looking at bedding and again compost toilets which have been getting great reviews. There are numerous videos on You Tube that explain how they work and gets rid of the need of having a waste holding tank on board.

We have been talking about where we want to sail to as well. I think at first, we will stay in the Gulf of Mexico, but I am looking forward to sailing the Atlantic to Baiona, Spain. My little brother lives in northern Spain and I love it in Baiona. Very beautiful.

I hope everyone has a great holiday season! We will be at the boat for Thanksgiving so I will post some pictures.

Happy Thanksgiving!!!

     The Ocean

     I do not know if you have been on the ocean, but it is wonderful! On my way to school this morning, I just kept thinking about being out on the ocean and waking up to “Big Blue”. I can’t quit put my finger on it but there is something about being out there knowing that there are millions of life forms just beneath you.

     Kenny Chesney wrote a song called Ends of the Earth. In it he says:

…” What good is living a life

You’ve been given if all you do

Is stand one place?”

This is so true. It is a great song and it reminds me of being out on the ocean.

    Update on ATB!

     She is coming along nicely! Wes is doing such a great job and really enjoys spending time with her and getting to know her inside and out. I will learn more but at this time he needs time and space to make sure is put together correctly. We have been discussing, sails, doors, and of course the mast for the sail. Wes wants to build his own. So, it must be at least 45 feet high to accommodate sails large enough for ATB which she is 43 feet long.

     I have been asked to include more pictures and here is one of the doors that is not stained yet but will go on one of the bedroom doors.

Be safe out there and enjoy the day!