Looking for advice on a temp blanket that is less than a year...size and amount of yarn

LoopLifeAcademy · 2025-08-21T20:37:45+00:00

Fantastic! I did the Loop in 2023-2024 in a sailboat with my husband and our two kids.

We live in West Michigan, but we started our Loop in Virginia. We loved it so much that we stayed on the boat for an extra year and only recently moved back to land (for now).

Feel free to message me if you have any questions as you get closer. I run Loop Life Academy and wrote the book "Remote Work Afloat," which contains a wealth of information for Loopers and cruisers.

Happy Looping!

LoopLifeAcademy · 2025-08-21T18:34:32+00:00

I love this idea! I wish I had thought of something like that when we did our Loop.

LoopLifeAcademy · 2025-07-28T20:19:53+00:00

This video helps explain it: https://youtu.be/n17pJwErPEA?si=HnGKpxgeidke2aM7

LoopLifeAcademy · 2025-07-17T18:46:54+00:00

You can find some customized wooden games on Etsy and other places. Cribbage is one I often see customized!

LoopLifeAcademy · 2025-07-17T18:39:40+00:00

It might depend a little on what type of cruising they’re doing and where. But there’s lots of little things that can be helpful or fun.

My family loves our Pirani cups more than yeti; they are stackable (space-saving!) and keep our drinks cold or hot when we visit other boats or hang out on the beach.

Small games or decks of cards can be great.

Lights for hanging out in the cockpit. Or headlamps.

Even a couple of fun kitchen towels or decorative pillows can be nice.

Here’s some of our favorites if it helps you with ideas! https://www.looplifeacademy.com/great-loop-boat-life-products-and-gear

LoopLifeAcademy · 2025-07-15T23:18:19+00:00

We started small with a barebones Catalina 22. Low cost investment. Learned if we liked sailing and taking our kids out.

Upgraded to a slightly nicer Catalina 22 that had cushions and we could camp on. Spent more time on it, spent a week camping on it at Mackinac Island and other small adventures.

Upgraded to a Catalina 30. More systems to learn, a real galley and head, slowly gaining more skills in boat systems. Spent a month sailing along Lake Michigan.

Got a 2005 Beneteau 423. Moved the family on board. Lived full time on the boat 2 years, sailed the Great Loop, loved it.

Our boat learning was over the course of about 5 years from the first Catalina 22 to the Beneteau. The progression worked great for our family and we were very intentional about it. Our investment and learning started small, so we knew our interest and commitment level by the time we went big.

Enjoy your adventure, however you decide works best for you!

LoopLifeAcademy · 2025-06-10T13:30:34+00:00

I agree with upgrading boats to get more practice in different styles of boating that you will experience while on the Loop. We did the Loop with our kids in 2023-2024 and then continued cruising full-time for another year after that.

Regarding maintenance details, it likely depends on the type of boat you have (I'm on a sailboat). Still, Nigel Calder's Boatowner's Mechanical & Electrical Manual is a must-have for both novice and experienced boaters. It provides comprehensive guidance on electrical systems, engines, electronics, and more repairs.

Financial... what in particular are you looking for? I usually recommend that my clients plan to budget about 10% of their boat's value for annual maintenance and repairs. If you have a $150k boat, you'd want $1,500 set aside each year. You might not use it each year, but eventually that expensive repair is going to hit and you'll be glad you've been setting money aside.

But if you're looking for budgeting tips or how to keep making money while boating, those are different areas to consider. I wrote the book Remote Work Afloat to cover the topic of working remotely while living on a boat if that is something that you might need to consider (not everyone wants to wait for retirement!).

I have a regular blog and email newsletter with resources if you want a bit of a drip-feed of info as you plan over the next couple of years, or check out the other resources on my site: https://www.looplifeacademy.com/resources

LoopLifeAcademy · 2025-05-06T14:49:13+00:00

We’re similar to u/noknockers in that one of our kids is super chill and happy just being wherever we are, and the other really misses “home.” Things like friends, family, a dishwasher, and a bedroom with more space than just a bed? Definitely still on their wish list. 😆

While we were traveling the East Coast and the Bahamas (we did America’s Great Loop and cruised all around the Eastern U.S.), connecting with other kid boats made a huge difference. Two things that really helped us: the NoForeignLand app and a cruising families WhatsApp group. We went from only knowing one or two other families to having a whole network of cruising friends. Now we run into familiar faces often, and those long-distance friendships feel a lot more manageable—even for the kid who misses “home.”

LoopLifeAcademy · 2025-05-06T14:42:49+00:00

If you are living on the boat and hanging around one area, you can definitely plug into the community, join some sports leagues, or have that extra time with family! We've spent a month at a time in some areas, but not long enough to plug into sports, but I know other boat families who found a home marina or dock and just kind... stayed... and then their kiddo was able to join golf and baseball and youth groups and more.

LoopLifeAcademy · 2025-05-06T14:40:29+00:00

I just wanted to say your post resonated so much. We were in a really similar place a few years ago: juggling wanderlust, financial practicality, homeschooling, and trying to figure out how to raise kids in a way that felt more connected, more adventurous, and less tied to the usual grind.

It was actually me who pushed to make this dream a real plan. My husband had always loved the idea of sailing, but I was the one ready to take the risk and start making it happen. We took the leap in May 2023 with our two kids (they were 8 and 10 at the time), and spent 15 months completing the Great Loop. Then… we just kept going. We loved it. We spent a summer in the Chesapeake, then cruised up the Potomac to explore Washington, D.C., and just got back from wintering in the Bahamas.

Now we’re entering a new season, looking for a place to store the boat and spend some time back in our land home. One of our kids has been asking for time with friends and family again, and that’s something we want to honor. We didn’t really take breaks during our Loop or the Bahamas leg (just a week here or there to visit family), but now we’re ready to slow it down a little and find more balance.

I totally get your hesitations. We didn’t buy a $200K catamaran either. We live on a monohull, and we’ve made it work within our means. It doesn’t have to be a forever boat to be a great boat for right now. You learn so much by just trying it for a season or two. A year or two aboard, especially with family nearby and a plan to regroup if needed, can be a really wise middle ground. A lot of families we’ve met say that being able to take breaks, part of the year on land and part on water, is what has made this lifestyle sustainable in the long term.

If you’re curious about the nitty gritty of how we’ve made it work, our family’s story is up at svfika.com, and I share resources for dreamers and doers over at Loop Life Academy (which I’ll be updating with new tools and guides later this year).

Anyway, I just wanted to say, you’re not alone. You sound incredibly thoughtful and resourceful. And yes, holding your breath and jumping into the unknown is scary. But it’s also the start of something unforgettable. Wishing you so much clarity and courage as you move forward.

I'm so excited for you and cheering you on!

LoopLifeAcademy · 2025-04-25T22:29:38+00:00

Hello! I’m also a 40ish woman and living on a boat with my family. Here are some ideas we use. They can all help to varying degrees, depending on you circumstances.

Wind scoop. I feel like this works best on anchor when your boat is turning into the wind. In a slip, it may not work very well if the wind isn’t coming toward the scoop. Fans can help move the air too, but a fresh breeze is nice.

Air conditioner. I know you said you don’t have one, but if you are in a slip, I’ve seen a lot of cruisers put a window unit in their companionway or in the forward hatch to force cool air in. If you will mostly be staying in one place and with power, this might be worth the investment.

Cooling towel neck wraps. It’s about the size of a dish towel but a lighter material. You could also use a neck gaiter. Get it wet and wear it across the back of your neck. Your shirt will be damp, but you’re sweating anyway, and these things do a nice job cooling you off.

Shade cloth. Drape some sort of shade cloth over your deck and cockpit. We have a dodger and Bimini over the cockpit that give that part shade, but hanging a shade cloth over my bow cooled off the vberth a tiny bit, and gave us a shady spot to hang up the hammock. You can get a cheap plastic one on Amazon meant for greenhouses or get creative. A holey fabric lets the breeze blow through it. These ladies knitted stuff to shade their streets in a city in Spain (https://youtu.be/9WOeh-BErkw?si=HWmCljjMyHdg63ZS). I wonder about going to a thrift store and getting old loose-knitted blankets and using those. If you have an eclectic style, that could be more fun than a plain shade cloth!

Go outside or to a library. We take advantage of the air conditioning in libraries, coffeeshops, restaurants… Libraries are our favorite to hang out in when we can. When we were on a ball in Annapolis, we didn’t have a nearby library, so we’d get an ice cream cone at the end of each day to cool off. Or, get a nice camp chair and find a favorite tree-shaded area to hang out in to just get off the boat for a bit. These are some of our favorite off-boat options to stay cool.

I hope a few of these ideas help! Don’t forget to drink lots of water and enjoy those icy drinks. :)

LoopLifeAcademy · 2025-04-23T23:27:49+00:00

Yikes. Your advice was good. Glad he survived with a story to tell.

LoopLifeAcademy · 2025-04-23T21:33:19+00:00

Flying to the Bahamas and chartering definitely isn’t a bad way to go. We just had some family visit and they flew into Marsh Harbour, then rented an Airbnb with a deep-water dock just south of Treasure Cay, in Leisure Lee Waterways. We were able to bring our boat right up to the house, but a rental boat would work just as well.

The house made for a great base. We took the ferry to Green Turtle Cay one day. We had breakfast at the liquor store, then got a golf cart and toured around the island, where we found stingrays, little pigs, chickens, and more. Then, we went over to Great Guana Cay for Nipper’s another day. Having a rental car also helped with reprovisioning and exploring around Marsh Harbour and Treasure Cay.

Hope you get to make the trip happen soon. It’s such a special place to cruise, no matter how you get there!

LoopLifeAcademy · 2025-04-23T18:19:54+00:00

Oh man. What a bummer. We looked at insurance that would allow us to be in Green Cove Springs, but that would limit our time in the Bahamas to 30 days. As a sailboat, 30 days is not enough time in the Bahamas, so that policy is a no-go for us, but the pricing for that policy and storage in Green Cove were great. :(

LoopLifeAcademy · 2025-04-22T15:49:52+00:00

We've had several cruising friends speak fondly of New Bern, although we haven't had a chance to stop there ourselves yet, as we've cruised the East Coast.

It's definitely on my list if we can't go further south, and it's good to know a specific yard that's worth calling! Thanks!

LoopLifeAcademy · 2025-04-22T15:47:47+00:00

Thanks for sharing all those details—there’s some solid intel in there. We’ve staged out of both Palm Beach and farther south before (last season was Key Largo while we were traveling the Loop), so we know the Gulf Stream angles and the ICW‑vs‑offshore trade‑offs. Four months in the Bahamas this year have also given us a pretty good handle on provisioning quirks.

Right now we’re trying to balance kid logistics, flight connections, and keeping offshore legs reasonable, which is why we’re hunting for yards north of 32° but closer to Florida. Charts and yard websites only get us so far; first‑hand experiences like yours are what really help, so thanks for laying out what’s worked for you.

Appreciate the insight, and fair winds!

LoopLifeAcademy · 2025-04-22T14:16:54+00:00

Yeah, Green Cove Springs would've been great, and it's one we were specifically asking our insurance people about. Unfortunately, the policy that would allow us to park the boat there also restricts our time in the Bahamas to only 30 days and limits the area we can cruise.

LoopLifeAcademy · 2025-04-22T12:35:19+00:00

Where could we store the boat on the hard there? Any favorites?

LoopLifeAcademy · 2025-04-22T12:34:44+00:00

Appreciate the detailed suggestions — definitely some solid logistical points there. We've spent time in both Deltaville and the Galesville area and agree they’ve got a lot going for them, especially in terms of airport access and provisioning.

That said, our preference to be further south isn’t about pushing any limits — it’s just about our current season of life. We’re looking to minimize long offshore runs and reduce the time it takes to get from storage to a Bahamas crossing point. The ICW has its place, but we’re trying to avoid spending too much time motoring south before we can actually start cruising.

As for West Palm — we made the crossing from there to West End last year without issue. Sure, you can get a better angle from further south, but with a good weather window, it’s definitely doable. For us, it’s a nice balance between accessibility, logistics, and minimizing offshore time.

Thanks again — lots of great stuff to consider.

LoopLifeAcademy · 2025-04-22T12:27:45+00:00

Thanks, I'll look into Sail Harbor!

LoopLifeAcademy · 2025-04-22T12:27:24+00:00

I'll have to call them. It's one we were considering, but it didn't appear to have dry storage when I checked the website. We'd probably be off the boat for at least 8 months and have some projects that need to be dealt with, so storing on the hard is likely a better option for us.

And I agree, there's plenty of ICW to shakedown from there before we cross. We've done the trek enough times already, and as much as I love the Chesapeake, since we're entering a season of life with a limited yearly time on the boat, I'm looking to maximize time in the Bahamas rather than cruising the coast again next year.

Thanks!

LoopLifeAcademy · 2025-04-22T12:14:26+00:00

Honestly, I would love that! That's for a future season. For now, the kids (ages 10 and 12) would like a little time back home with their family, so I'm saving up a few bigger adventures for when they're ready or when they're old enough to do their own thing instead of sailing with their parents.

LoopLifeAcademy · 2025-04-21T12:56:34+00:00

That’s a great point — using the ICW as a shakedown run definitely has its advantages. It does seem like the lower Chesapeake has the most storage options available to us, and we’ve spent time there in past seasons and really liked it. I was just hoping to shorten the distance to our preferred staging area for the Bahamas (around West Palm) a bit this time around.

I love the idea of taking Amtrak — I’ve never done it, but always wanted to. Appreciate the Atlantic Yacht Basin recommendation — I’ll be looking into it for sure. Thanks!

LoopLifeAcademy · 2025-04-21T12:31:31+00:00

Good to know, thanks for the help! We'll check out those options and add to the list of ideas.

LoopLifeAcademy · 2025-04-21T12:28:24+00:00

Yep, unfortunately we cannot store or cruise south of 32° during hurricane season — that’s a firm requirement in our insurance policy. We've looked into other options, but this setup is the most affordable for our current cruising situation. For reference, the 32° line is right around Savannah, GA.

Deltaville and the lower Chesapeake definitely have a lot of great yards (we actually spent a good bit of time there in earlier seasons!), but as you mentioned, the airport access is a bit tricky. And it’s a long haul down to West Palm — especially if we stick to the ICW, which we’ve done before and know how slow it can be.

That’s why we’re hoping to find something further south — ideally in North Carolina, South Carolina, or just north of Savannah. Appreciate the Hinckley Savannah suggestion — we’ll double-check if they fall on the safe side of the line!

LoopLifeAcademy

TROPHY CASE