Small Is Beautiful

So, I feel a little like I’m behind on my Gypsy Danger posts, which is probably because I am… Work has been crazy-busy lately, and between that, my other writing projects, dipping a toe back in the waters of the dating pool, and assorted other little projects, I hardly ever spend any time aboard my boat which doesn’t involve sleeping.

But perhaps you’re thinking that’s just as well, for isn’t a boat a very small space in which to live?

Perhaps, but you must understand a couple of things – I’ve just come from spending six months living in a tiny little room in Afghanistan, and before that, in a little carriage house over the garage of a larger property which I own in Beaufort.

Floorplan and Lines

The accompanying picture shows Gyspy Danger’s floorplan – she has a vee-shaped forward cabin, which is basically one big bed, with a little closet and a plethora of nooks and cupboard for storing things; a compact but fully-functional kitchen, a bathroom complete with a sink, shower, and toilet, and a pair of little wooden steps that lead up into the salon, which is the equivalent of a living room / dining room.

I currently have it outfitted with tatami mats and a Persian rug and pillow set; still working out the final floor-covering plan, but this should do for a start…

The Salon

From the salon, you can go down a narrow set of stairs to the aft cabin, which features a pair of twin-sized beds and another bathroom, or you can go up the stairs and out to the aft deck, which is quite big enough to lounge around and sunbathe on, or set up a grill, a small patio table, etc. From there, you can mount another set of stairs to the cockpit – currently exposed, but which I could enclose in the fashion of a sun deck to have another spot for entertaining small parties.

The Kitchen

Down and around on the front of the boat, there’s plenty more room for laying out, doing yoga, or just sitting and pondering life’s mysteries…

All-in all, though, there’s only about 200 square feet of inside space, and another 150 square feet of outside space – not a terribly great deal of real estate, but absolutely perfect for me.

Well, I believe that’s enough for the nonce – but hopefully I've succeeded in giving you a little taste of what my cozy little ship looks like, and I shall now turn my pen to other writing tasks.

Ciao for now!

Edward

Le Premiere Poste!

The Gypsy Danger in her old berth near Folly Beach, SC

Greetings and salutations!

Welcome to my latest literary project, a journal of a year spent living aboard my latest acquisition and project, a 32-foot motor yacht!

I found this little diamond in the rough on PopYachts.com while I was still over in Afghanistan, and made an offer on her when I returned to the U.S. in mid-July...

It took a while to get everything sorted out, but I finally took her on a maiden voyage last weekend from her old berth near Charleston to our new home at the Lady's Island Marina in Beaufort, SC. This was a 66-mile cruise through the Intra-Coastal Waterway, which proved at times peaceful and relaxing (cruising with both engines) to worrying (losing an engine) to white-knuckle terrifying (docking for the first time at night in tight quarters with one engine and the horrifying prospect of crashing your floating home into someone else's!)

All's well that ends well, as the Bard said, and now we're happily ensconced in a cosy berth walking distance from a great restaurant, a couple of dive bars, and a yoga studio. Downtown Beaufort is just over a tall bridge, a long walk or a short bike ride away, and work is a 15-minute drive with no traffic to speak of... All in all, it's a pretty great spot, and rent, when you're living on the water, is quite inexpensive - I'll probably pay less than $400 a month, including WiFi and electricity.

This whole week I left and returned in the dark each day, and wasn't able to do much besides sleep and fix lunch - work has been terribly busy of late and shows little sign of abating. So, this morning it was quite nice to sleep until I felt like waking up, spend the morning cleaning out the salon, going to a yoga class, and then sunbathing on the forward deck with a good book.

During the afternoon I got a haircut and signed some papers for a real estate transaction, and then enjoyed a light supper, poured a glass of Apothic Red (a rather delicious vintage, to which I was recently introduced by my lovely sister Kaiti) and got cracking on putting up this blog.

I spent a good bit of time putting together the art for the header, and a few more minutes before bedtime in scribbling out this little post. Tomorrow I'm making a run up to Charleston to say hi to the nephews and my lovely sister-in-law, and to catch a matinee with my brother Joe, pick up some stuff I had mailed to their house, and come on back down to (hopefully) do a bit of writing before bedtime.

I'll be updating this blog weekly, putting together the material for another future book, perhaps...

Wishing everyone a wonderful weekend!

Cheers,
Edward