Life Aboard a Chinese Junk

I got a bee in my bonnet a few years ago that life might be simpler (i.e., cheaper) if I were to live aboard a boat.

To wake up every morning to the fresh sea air on my face. To wander down the marina as I sip my morning coffee. To never pay rent again!!

I wondered with the Guster’s reaction would be, but I was sure that he would adjust to his new surroundings.  We both would.  There might be a little bit of anxiety and sea sickness at first, but ultimately we would achieve a truly sustainable way of life.  He would take up fishing with his mighty cat claws…perhaps he would catch both our dinners!  And the days he would spend sunning himself on the deck.  He would be happier there, he’d learn.  It would be a good place for him to grow old.

Imagine the sunsets we would see from our birthing spot on the San Francisco Bay.  Imagine how real the storms would be, with waves sloshing all around us.  It would be a truly glorious adventure.

I started searching Craigslist for boats for sale or rent. Most of the boats I found did not have the ethos of my romantic adventure, which had its origins in the beautiful boxy houseboats of the canals of Amsterdam.  The boats I found were small, and made of plastic. They looked more like a child’s toy then the home base for this beautiful life.

Something inside of me knew that the right boat was out there.  I searched on.

And then I found this:

A 57-foot Chinese Junk!

Yes, these were the decks for Gus to sun himself.

This was the desk for me to work at.

Look at this detailing!!  To be surrounded by inspiration.  What a place for painting!

The gorgeous kitchen came equipped with a dishwasher.  A dishwasher!  With walls already painted red to match my kitchen accessories!

Yes, the world would be our oyster living here.

The Guster, the Chinese Junk and I would sail happily away into our future, whatever that might be.

Oh what romantic days those were, daydreaming about our new life aboard our Chinese Junk.  We daydreamed and daydreamed.  (Gus too!)  Until I heard back from the owner of the Junk.

She paid about $766 a month including birthing fees and utilities.  That was more than I was currently paying in rent!

The bad news didn’t stop there, though.  Chinese Junks have wooden bottoms.  It’s very hard to get a loan for a wooden-bottomed boat, so I would need to buy my $80,000 home outright.

Oh, the heartbreak when our dreams are dashed.