# Moving back aboard



## sailorduff (Sep 9, 2011)

Hello, my husband and I are in the process of moving back aboard our sailboat. We've been landie's for over a year!  Our boat is in dry dock right now on the St John's in Florida. We plan on putting it back in the water and doing a LOT of repairs on it. So my husband is super excited and I'm super anxious/nervous and almost dreadful of the day. We'll be in the boat yard for a few weeks, I'm sure there are many of you familiar with this, and sometimes the boatyard is not the most pleasant experience. In addition, the tight living quarters, constant cleaning, the long list of repairs, and just general lifestyle modification you have to go through when living aboard is making me crazy. Any tips or advice???


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## wingNwing (Apr 28, 2008)

Hi Duff - I'm hoping you're dreading the time in yard, not the moving back aboard (the latter seems more like a marriage negotiation and not something for a sailing internet board). For the yard:

* Get the yard guys on your side - life just goes more smoothly when they think of you as one of the "good" customers! Learn their names. Find a reason to bring a box of donuts or a tray of cookies to thank them early on (maybe for keeping your boat safe while you were gone?) Don't overdo it, you certainly don't have to make it a regular thing, but its amazing how far a little appreciation will take you. 

* Plan a few sanity breaks - depending on your schedule, knock off work early once or twice a week. Get cleaned up, dressed up, go for a long drive and out to dinner. You come back refreshed and ready to face the tasks of tomorrow.

* Its almost impossible because some projects end up turning the entire boat into a chaos of tools, but try to make a calm island somewhere at the end of the day. If the main salon is trashed, maybe you can keep the cockpit clear, or if you have the luxury of a second cabin. It helps you work when you're working, and relax when you're relaxing.

* Remember the goal, and keep a photo of your boat under sail or in a beautiful anchorage perhaps as a screensaver. Yard work is temporary, after all. Hope to see you out there!


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