On this first full day of our Sarasota trip, we were ready to dive headfirst into boat life… right after a long and well-deserved sleep-in. Our goal for the next two weeks is to settle into Koko steadily, with everything in its rightful place, just like back home. You know, the kind of living where you can blindly reach for your keys and find them without a second thought. But here on the new-to-us boat, we still are more like, “Wait, where did we put the towels? And where again did this spare part go?” Yup, it still feels like an unknown place to us. And our mission for these two weeks is to change that.

Late morning, we set off with our slightly crumpled shopping list. Since we plan on spending most of our days—and a few nights—on Koko during the next two weeks, we need to get the essentials. Koko is still pretty barebone these days. First stop? Aldi. Because nothing says “tropical boat life” like stocking up on essentials in a German store under palm trees. Who knew buying towels and groceries could feel like a mini vacation? Next up, Walmart, where we made a game of who could find that missing item on our shopping list in this enormous store. We found everything—except that bag of coffee beans we needed for grinding in my beloved hand-powered coffee grinder. These stores only had ground coffee. For me, true boat life is sitting in the cockpit of a sailboat and watching the sunrise over the ocean, slowly grinding coffee beans, eagerly awaiting the blend of the ocean breeze to mix with the aroma of freshly brewed coffee.

Then, on to West Marine to pick up an online order we had placed the night before. Metal wax for polishing the stainless steel of our bimini and dodger. And finally, a Starbucks stop was mandatory because no other store had whole bean decaf coffee. Priorities, right?

By the time we wrapped up our retail marathon, it was early afternoon. Two reasons for that: First, everything boat-related always takes longer than anticipated. And second, we are on vacation, prioritizing fun over stress! 🛒😅

When we finally made it to the boat, weighed down by our treasures and with a first sense of accomplishment, we jumped right into boat work action. Our mission: to restore Koko’s stainless steel to its full glory by polishing away the few rusty spots. We did not want to re-install the canvas otherwise—our Koko deserves better. Once that was done, out came the many canvas pieces that make up the dodger, bimini, and full cockpit enclosure to shield ourselves from the elements and create a cozy haven once more.

Assembling the dodger, bimini, and cockpit enclosure turned out to be like tackling a giant, nautical-themed jigsaw puzzle, except this puzzle had no picture on the box and all the pieces were weirdly shaped bits of canvas. With no visual cues or instructions, we fumbled and puzzled over how to fit everything together. Predictably, it took way longer than we thought. Eventually, we took a break to soak up some sunshine and recharge with a snack. As for that bimini—it could wait a bit longer.

Freshly re-energized after our break, our heads seemed to clear, and the puzzle pieces started to make more sense. Piece by piece, things fell into place, and with plenty of laughter—and some frustration—over our struggles, we finally managed to assemble something that looked correct. We had our dodger and bimini back in place, transforming Koko’s cockpit into the cozy cove we had enjoyed before dismantling everything to prepare for hurricanes Helene and Milton. We only realized it was already evening when we finally took a step back and noticed the darkening sky. Time to head back to our home away from home in Sarasota, where we were greeted by an absolutely delicious roast that Gabe had prepared in the new Instant Pot the happy couple got for their wedding. As much as we enjoy hanging out on the boat, these two hosts make it incredibly difficult to stay away from their lovely home!