Boat Life

  • Ultimate Guide to the Okeechobee Waterway 

    Ultimate Guide to the Okeechobee Waterway 

    The Okeechobee Waterway connects the Gulf Coast of Florida to the Atlantic Coast, with Lake Okeechobee in the center. We cruised through the waterway during our 2022-23 passage of America’s Great Loop, and it was an incredible part of our journey on our boat, Pivot. In this blog, we share the ultimate guide to the Okeechobee…

  • The Best Marine Navigation Apps and Other Boating Apps

    The Best Marine Navigation Apps and Other Boating Apps

    Although boating has been done for centuries without any fancy apps or technology we have today, we relied on many different apps aboard PIVOT. During our 6,000-mile boating journey around the United States and Canada, we consistently used several marine and boating apps on both our smartphones and tablets. We’ve compiled the apps we’ve personally…

  • Best Snorkeling in the Florida Keys

    Best Snorkeling in the Florida Keys

    One of the best parts about the Florida Keys is snorkeling in the beautiful water. We’ve visited the Florida Keys three times, spending over three months exploring the area, and have snorkeled on several occasions, visiting several different locations. We’ve compiled the best snorkeling locations, gear, and tips and tricks to make your snorkeling experience…

  • 15 Tips for Boating on a Budget

    15 Tips for Boating on a Budget

    We compiled all of our tips and tricks for boating on a budget after traveling 10,000 miles on our boat, PIVOT. Most of this journey was on America’s Great Loop, but any of these 15 tips will help you manage your budget while boating. As a young couple on a budget with a goal of…

  • Boat Anchors: What you need to Know

    Boat Anchors: What you need to Know

    Boat anchors and how to anchor your boat are seemingly confusing but surprisingly simple. We spent over 300 nights on anchor through many different conditions over two years and we’ve compiled all of our tips and tricks for boat anchors. There’s a lot of controversy on the type of boat anchor, so although we’re going…

  • Our Guide to Boat Internet

    Our Guide to Boat Internet

    Whether you want to get tomorrow’s weather forecast, join a Zoom meeting for work, or watch your favorite YouTubers, you need internet on your boat. Considering that while boating, you can be miles offshore or in remote parts of the world, getting internet is a tough challenge. Luckily, today, we have many options to get…

  • The Best Boating Essential Toolkit for Full-Time Cruisers

    The Best Boating Essential Toolkit for Full-Time Cruisers

    After living on a boat and doing all the maintenance ourselves for 2.5 years, we upgraded our tools to find the essential boating toolkit. Boats (Break Out Another Thousand) always require work, and having the right tools will save you time, money, and headaches! We listed all the tools below in our tool kit and…

  • 9 Boat Maintenance Tips: Keep Your Boat in Ship Shape

    9 Boat Maintenance Tips: Keep Your Boat in Ship Shape

    After spending three years owning, living aboard, and cruising 10,000 miles on our 1989 34’ Trawler, we learned the specific actions to keep our boat in ship shape. These boat maintenance tips kept our engine healthy and our boat floating and made our boating life enjoyable! If you’re new to boat ownership like we were,…

  • Boating Guide to the Big Bend in Florida

    Boating Guide to the Big Bend in Florida

    This is a guide to Boating the Big Bend in Florida, also known as Florida’s Gulf Crossing Rim Route. Boating in some of Florida’s most beautiful Gulf waters, with landscapes that take you back to Old Florida and unique things to do that leave you with lasting memories. The Big Bend in Florida is a…

  • Our Experience Living on a Boat For 3 Years

    Our Experience Living on a Boat For 3 Years

    We bought an old Trawler in January 2021 and lived on that boat until we sold her in September 2023. Our boating lifestyle consisted of full-time cruising, where we would stay in place for one night, all the way to our longest stay of three months! We traveled across the Eastern United States while journeying…