We started our blog exactly one year ago today. Pam and I had purchased this old trawler some months before as a liveaboard. We had some pretty interesting things happen to us, and as winter was upon us and I was looking for something to keep me occupied, the idea of a blog came about. We wanted to write about what it's really like to live on a boat. Sure, there are plenty of people writing about it, mostly magazine articles and books, but a blog is a bit different.
Magazine articles are short and usually deal with a very narrow view of living on a boat. You really can't impart much useful information in a thousand words or less, and so restrict the article to one or two facets of life aboard. Plus, you can't imbed videos.
Books have to have a beginning and an end, with some sort of path in the middle connecting the two. It has to hold the reader's interest. It has to be publisher worthy and commercially viable. Authors of books have to write keeping those idea in mind.
Not so a blog. Since there's no money involved (unless you "monetize" it) a blog can be anything the blogger wants it to be. I'd written several magazine articles in the past, but I had never blogged about anything before. I could look at it with a fresh perspective. Just like I did with my computer business, I could approach it any way I wanted to. Well.... what would people like to read about?
People like to be entertained. They want to be intrigued, interested, fascinated, educated, or to laugh. Living on a boat, especially an old boat that needs a lot of work, is blog fodder in and of itself. Combine that with a klutz (me), a perpetually happy person who looks at the best in everything (Pam), and then toss in a couple of pit bulls and a few cats and you have the perfect recipe for the "what were they thinking?" category. Then mix in wintering over in Stamford, and then make the whole thing move up and down the coast, and you've got some really good material.
So I hope that's what it's been. Entertaining, fascinating, educational, and certainly funny at times. We've described our life aboard as accurately as we could. I included our many boat projects, which has resulted in numerous comments and emails of support and encouragement, so that anyone else choosing to buy an old boat might see what they're in for. I've included our travels so that those bitten with the wanderlust bug can see what that's like. I've included our pets, which keep us constantly amused and who have defined our lives (as in the need for two or three potty walks a day), and who also have enriched our lives immensely. And since September, it's included our travels, from Stamford Connecticut to Albany New York, and from there to (so far) Norwalk Virginia.
I know that our blog has many regular readers, and to them, I'd like to say that I hope we meet up someday. Pam and I have met many wonderful people through the power of Al Gore's internets. Just last night, we had dinner with a couple that we've known for years, but only met in person a few times (thanks for dinner, John and Bev!!). If we're in your neck of the woods, let us know, come and visit, meet Chevy and Ruby in person. To all of you who check in from time to time to see if we've sunk yet... no. Close. But no. And to those of you who just googled something and found our blog, well, I don't know what to say, other than howdy. Ya'all come back now.
Almost 30,000 hits in one year is astounding to me. 41 followers is awesome. And as another person whose blog I follow wrote so incisively, comments are like fertilizer to us. "Follow" us, comment to us, and we're encouraged to write more.
So on our first anniversary of our blog, I hope you've found it interesting, funny, helpful, a way to spend your lunch hour, educational, or whatever. I encourage you to click the "follow" button. But I especiallly encourage you to follow your dream, whatever it is. I don't care if it's to sail around the world, or to be in the audience of Judge Judy. Just do it. Life is short.
And for those of you who read our blog for the funny stuff, here are a couple of videos.
Chevy is upset because a strange dog is on the boat.
Magazine articles are short and usually deal with a very narrow view of living on a boat. You really can't impart much useful information in a thousand words or less, and so restrict the article to one or two facets of life aboard. Plus, you can't imbed videos.
Books have to have a beginning and an end, with some sort of path in the middle connecting the two. It has to hold the reader's interest. It has to be publisher worthy and commercially viable. Authors of books have to write keeping those idea in mind.
Not so a blog. Since there's no money involved (unless you "monetize" it) a blog can be anything the blogger wants it to be. I'd written several magazine articles in the past, but I had never blogged about anything before. I could look at it with a fresh perspective. Just like I did with my computer business, I could approach it any way I wanted to. Well.... what would people like to read about?
People like to be entertained. They want to be intrigued, interested, fascinated, educated, or to laugh. Living on a boat, especially an old boat that needs a lot of work, is blog fodder in and of itself. Combine that with a klutz (me), a perpetually happy person who looks at the best in everything (Pam), and then toss in a couple of pit bulls and a few cats and you have the perfect recipe for the "what were they thinking?" category. Then mix in wintering over in Stamford, and then make the whole thing move up and down the coast, and you've got some really good material.
So I hope that's what it's been. Entertaining, fascinating, educational, and certainly funny at times. We've described our life aboard as accurately as we could. I included our many boat projects, which has resulted in numerous comments and emails of support and encouragement, so that anyone else choosing to buy an old boat might see what they're in for. I've included our travels so that those bitten with the wanderlust bug can see what that's like. I've included our pets, which keep us constantly amused and who have defined our lives (as in the need for two or three potty walks a day), and who also have enriched our lives immensely. And since September, it's included our travels, from Stamford Connecticut to Albany New York, and from there to (so far) Norwalk Virginia.
I know that our blog has many regular readers, and to them, I'd like to say that I hope we meet up someday. Pam and I have met many wonderful people through the power of Al Gore's internets. Just last night, we had dinner with a couple that we've known for years, but only met in person a few times (thanks for dinner, John and Bev!!). If we're in your neck of the woods, let us know, come and visit, meet Chevy and Ruby in person. To all of you who check in from time to time to see if we've sunk yet... no. Close. But no. And to those of you who just googled something and found our blog, well, I don't know what to say, other than howdy. Ya'all come back now.
Almost 30,000 hits in one year is astounding to me. 41 followers is awesome. And as another person whose blog I follow wrote so incisively, comments are like fertilizer to us. "Follow" us, comment to us, and we're encouraged to write more.
So on our first anniversary of our blog, I hope you've found it interesting, funny, helpful, a way to spend your lunch hour, educational, or whatever. I encourage you to click the "follow" button. But I especiallly encourage you to follow your dream, whatever it is. I don't care if it's to sail around the world, or to be in the audience of Judge Judy. Just do it. Life is short.
And for those of you who read our blog for the funny stuff, here are a couple of videos.
Chevy is upset because a strange dog is on the boat.
And the best of all...
Well done! *Cheers* :-)
ReplyDeleteCongratulations, Keep up the good work, Dave. I have friends who send out regular cruising updates by mail. The stuff they write about is so boring, I have relegated their email address to the junk mail category.
ReplyDeleteOn the other hand, I check your blog every morning when I come to work to see if you have posted, yet. I was a little cranky this morning, when there wasn't anything to read... It says you posted at 6:58, but for some reason, it hadn't yet shown up for me at 0900 when I got to work.
Anyway, I've enjoyed following your travels and hiccups and the whole ball of wax. You write about it well, with plenty of self deprecating humor about the whole thing. I think Pam's not the only one in the pair who is an eternal optimist.
cheers.
d'oh, based on the time stamp of my post, I see now that it must have been 0658 PST.
ReplyDeleteI also get a little cranky when I go to the blog and there's nothing new, and I live with him! Lol....often times David will write the blog in the wee hours of the morning, then crawl back in bed, so a new one is there when every one checks. Other times he writes it while drinking his morning cup of joe.
ReplyDeletePam
This blog is a lot of work! I admire your dedication. I've followed a few sailing blogs, they're hard to do well, especially for any length of time.
ReplyDeleteYours reads like a daily(or nearly so) book, that's being written for the reader, one chapter at a time.
It's a good read Dave, and I don't know how it's going to end.
Well done! I've read every post. Best wishes on your travels. I'll look forward to many more entries in the blog.
ReplyDeleteCongratulations. One year down, many more to come (hopefully). I also enjoy your content and writing style. Keeps me coming back. Thanks for all the good posts.
ReplyDeleteHappy Birthday!!! Love the blog! Great fun to live vicariously through it and educational as well. You are doing exactly what I want to be and hope to be doing in the future. Keep it up!!
ReplyDeleteCongratulations Dave! Keep it up... I look forward to your adventures.
ReplyDeleteOne year down, one day at a time. I love your spirit Dave and Pam. Like I said in an earlier post we will be travelling this road one day too...All the Best.
ReplyDeleteGrant T