For the past couple of years, we’ve been looking for the perfect boat to call our floating home. This particular boat, a Najad 34 located in the far north of Scandinavia, seemed like it could be the one. It took us a month and a half to go and see it because the river was still frozen, and we had to wait until it thawed. Finally, we were set to see if our dream would become a reality. We woke up early and took a bus to the airport. Walking to the bus stop, we realized how heavy our luggage was. Usually, we travel with just a small backpack each—a promise we made during our backpacking days to never travel with heavy luggage again. But this time, the circumstances were different. We hoped we would be sailing back on our floating home. The journey was long: 24 hours consisting of two flights, a night train, and a 45-minute car ride. We ventured so far north that it was always day. We arrived at the boat club, which was also a campervan camping site. The club's members were all over s
Days until departure: 12 Preparations have started. I am taking advantage of a lull with my clients and my own bootstrapped projects to focus on making sure I pack everything we need while trying to keep to the absolute basics- an oxymoron in itself. The goal is to travel with one backpack each and dispatch a duffel bag. I am the Queen of Lists Where are we taking off to? North of Sweden, in the Gulf of Bothnia (Ever heard of it? Me neither until about 2 months ago). Way up north in the Gulf of Bothnia, see where Oslo is for reference Why that destination? We've been on the lookout for a sailboat for a couple of years. Although we've saved some money, it's on the lower side and not enough to buy a sailboat that meets what we need, so we've been hunting for an opportunity. Those who know us understand that we are quite frugal, so our requirements are pretty basic. We've visited a few boats, but none were right, either because of their price or condition. But now