Thoughts and reflections form the past week or so from my own financial independence campaign.

Progress on my goals

Boat plan – we have gas!

Never thought I’d be keen to announce to colleagues and friends that I have gas!

On the boat. I have gas on the boat.

This means that our final chores is working out how to get the dog aboard. I’ve ordered a metal swaging/crimping tool, which should turn up any day now, so that I can basically make the safety rails detachable while we’re moored.

We could be moving aboard as early as next weekend..!

Yeah, pretty excited.

I stayed aboard on my own on Monday night so that I could meet the gas fitter. While I was there, I confirmed that (a) I still really want to do this, and (b) you can work remotely from a boat as a lawyer.

I also made a cargo net to turn a weird shelf into actual storage. Pic below. Sorry about the mess, I was just testing concept by stashing random items into it! The real use will be much cleaner.

This required some screw-in eyelets (x4), some bungee elastic and some paracord that I bought from Amazon. I used novelty paracord with a colour that Lady SierraWhiskyMike chose, because you have to keep your partner happy, but the quality is a bit ropey (heh!). In hindsight I would have preferred a thinner, thought cord, but that only came in green or black.

You know what? Have some affiliate links, that way if you make your own I get a few pennies:

I picked up the eyelets from B&Q so no links there. I think they were 10mm diameter.

I’m going to make a few more of these, since shelves aren’t useful on sailing boats. Every time you heel over they become useless. At least this way they become storage places for safely stashing stuff.

Distractions and detours

Effin Birds

I’m not keen on having ceramic or glass crockery and cups on a boat, full stop. There are enough health hazards, splintery bits and all sorts of dangers already, and I don’t want to add to the carnage any time I drop something.

Porcelain mugs in boats tend to get chipped. Go on any sailing school boat and borrow a mug – you’ll see!

Well, Lady SierraWhiskyMike discovered Effin Birds, a year or so ago which is basically cute cottagecore paintings of little birds in their countryside idyll, Beatrix Potter style… speaking obscenities. They have an online store, and we learned that they print onto stuff.

So we now have a set of four enamel mugs en route, featuring the kind of profanity that would earn you a slap from your mum.

We regret nothing.

Non-FIRE goals

My guitar rock god quest (AKA learning to play)

My solo came out OK from last week, but I messed up the performance in the lesson. Fuck. Spent ages writing that.

Eh, it happens. My lessons are at the end of a workday, I literally push on working until it’s bus time and then hop on with my guitar to see the teacher. By the time I’m there, it’s been a full and stressful day without a break from work. Sometime I turn up and I’m just not ready to play.

This week I’m learning Wherever I May Roam by Metallica. I’m picking up basic riffs a lot faster now that I’m, what, seven or eight months into this. There’s a lot of progress, and I now sound like an enthusiastic but incompetent beginner.

It’s still a big step up from not playing to where I am, so that’s cool, it just takes a long time before you can be reliably listenable. Some days you just suck, and that’s OK.

Fitness

Another week with only one dedicated fitness session, but it was a deadlift session so it’s not too bad I guess. I may go for a run this weekend to add some actual cardio to my week.

Final thoughts

We’re making a re-gain on the boat plan after last week’s self-medicated slap to the face. As we should!

With one big task to go before moving in, it’s only a matter of time. It might take a few attempts and a bedding in period to get the dog comfortable, but unless he completely surprises us he’s always been up for these kinds of adventures before. I’m a little nervous, but relatively confident that this will work out for our little family.

Everything else is kind of pootling along. We’re not spending big amounts of money, we’re not really planning anything massive, we’re just focusing on what’s important in the short term.

My financial independence campaign continues!