Next Steps: Moving East

Happy New Year!  2014 is starting off with a bang as we prepare for our move to the east coast.  I thought I would write a bit about the process since this is what we’ve been up to for the past few months.  I’ll start with finding a place to live…

This will be a two part move for us:  first we’ll move into an apartment for the commissioning period, and then we’ll move aboard Blossom.  We spoke with several people who have gone through the commissioning process and were advised to be there if possible.  This will give Martin the opportunity to learn more about the boat and to be present when the electronics are installed (he’s especially excited about that!)  It will also be easier for me to work with local vendors and have a bit more time to shop for soft furnishings and outfit the inside of the boat.  

Finding a place for us to stay in Stuart was tricky.  To begin with, we didn’t know when the boat would arrive, and therefore, when we’d be arriving.  Originally we were thinking the end of October but by mid-November we were relatively sure the boat would arrive around the end of February.  Secondly, we didn’t (and don’t) know how long we’ll need to stay in the apartment as this depends on how long the commissioning process takes.  We’re guessing 2-3 months max. Adding to the complexity was the fact that this is occurring during the “high” season in Florida so furnished rentals are at a premium and hard to find – especially on short notice.  And lastly, and perhaps the most option-limiting of all:  we have a much loved, geriatric cat and we’d like to ease his transition to ‘boat cat’ as much as possible.   

There were a few hotels nearby that said that they accepted pets. These options were extremely pricey, especially if we needed to rent for months, but we thought they could be a backup plan.  When I did a bit of research, however, we were disappointed to discover that even if a listing said “small pets welcome”, it actually meant “dogs welcome, not cats”.  A true cat lady, I was offended. I don’t think cats are potentially any more destructive than dogs, but that’s what we were told!  We also found two furnished apartments but they were equally pricey and lacked flexibility – for example, you couldn’t necessarily extend the rental time if needed because someone else may have reserved the unit – so these didn’t seem like the best options either. 

After a lot of research and an extremely productive visit to Stuart in late October, we found an unfurnished apartment available in early January with a short term lease that accepts pets and had a 45 day flexible move-in date.  As a bonus, it’s just a few miles from where Blossom will be docked and they have climate-controlled storage units for rent as well.  We found that it’s much more economical to rent unfurnished and then lease a few pieces of furniture.  The rest of the apartment will be filled with furnishings meant for Blossom.  It also means that we’ll be comfortable, having a home to live in rather than a room.  George will even have a lanai to lounge in where he can watch birds and smell the outdoors!

We’re heading out for a short visit today to set up the apartment and make it cat-ready.  We’re also looking forward to seeing Martin’s Mum and her partner, Michael, who will be visiting Florida while we’re there.

Happy New Year everyone!