What a week! And it is only Tuesday.

Tracy Young
Jan 6
3 min read

We moved onto the boat full time on Sunday night. And somehow, by Tuesday, it feels like we’ve lived an entire chapter of life already.

I think that might be the most accurate definition of boat life I can offer so far.

The week began with a big moment — our first time docking her. After weeks of watching her sit patiently on her mooring, she finally got to move. Not far. Just a few metres. But it felt like a huge achievement.

I stood on shore so I could capture the moment on video, watching Mac and our son-in-law Justin calmly untie the ropes and guide her into the jetty. No drama..... yet!

Once tied up, we seized the opportunity and loaded all the heavy gear straight onto the boat — a luxury compared to hauling everything by tender. It felt like we knew what we were doing, well at least Mac did!

That feeling didn’t last long.

When they took her back to the mooring, Justin dropped the poles into the water while trying to pull up the mooring ropes. There was a pause — then Mac said "Jump in Justin". What followed was a splash and then a determined struggle to get back onto the boat, (with the poles)— saltwater, slippery edges, and plenty of laughter, (I think mainly from me) Eventually, soaked but on the boat, he tried again, and got her secured!

The next day, it was my turn.

Mac and I headed out, quietly focused. Other than me squashing my hand in the rope while tying up at the jetty — which hurt far more than I’d like to admit — it went well. Really well. I picked up the mooring rope first go and reconnected her smoothly.

Key lesson learned: Don’t try to do everything at once. Pick one rope. Secure it. Then deal with the rest. Boat life seems to reward calm focus and punish overconfidence.

By late afternoon, we discovered another essential liveaboard milestone: we ran out of water.

Fortunately, the solution was simple — we docked at the jetty (we are now Pro's) and filled up there. What we didn’t fully appreciate until we did it was just how big she is. It takes a full 30 minutes to fill her water tanks while docked - 3000 litres, one of those moments that really drives home the size of this yacht!

We’re also still sorting out the hot water system, which means for now we’re showering back at our house. We’re doing the final clean and getting everything ready to hand the keys over on Friday. The house is empty now — all our furniture is gone, including our beautiful king-size bed and huge TV.

That part was harder than I expected, I know letting them go is necessary but still hard to do. This chapter requires "lighter living" and smaller beds!

Tuesday ...... got up ready for the day - but as usual you can never plan - boat life always has something else in mind for you!

Sometime overnight, Tinkerbell — our new tender — escaped. We looked around, and she was just… gone. Mac set off on the paddleboard to search, then sensibly decided the boat itself would be faster. Thankfully, she hadn’t gone too far and was recovered without incident.

Our second night onboard was noticeably different. Better. The unfamiliar sounds began to soften. The creaks and splashes turned from alerts into background noise. Our cat joined us and settled in like she’d been waiting for this all along — calm, content, completely unfazed.

It is starting to feel like home.

Mac put up a TV for me — a small thing that felt huge — and we’re currently hot-spotting from our phones until Starlink arrives on Saturday. Each little system coming online makes the boat feel more liveable, more ours.

We’re also planning ahead. In February, she’ll come out of the water for the first time since we’ve owned her. Mandurah is the only place that can accommodate her size, so we headed down to check the facilities. All good. She’s booked for 16 February for a proper clean, antifouling, a new navigation system, and a few other long-overdue upgrades. The trip to Mandurah will be our maiden voyage!