Drop Anchor Podcast

Whoa. We accidentally went three weeks without a new episode! So sorry! On this one, Kendra talk through some of her concerns about continuing to live on a boat - the impact on the kids, the loss of some old traditions, etc. Is it all worth it?

By the time next episode rolls out, the Culleys will have been on their boat for an entire year. They talk through the ups and downs of boat-life through the first year, and give hints about their next-summer destination. Also, what did Kendra step in?

If you wondered who would be the first in this boat-family to fall into the water, wonder no more. It was Josh. Of COURSE it was Josh! Also, it looks like Josh and Kendra might be trading places in the first-time role-reversal for the household. After weeks of waiting, job-statuses have changed!

They did it! The Culleys have finally anchored out, which means that the title of this podcast actually makes sense now! They also talk through their kids' wisdom teeth, an encounter with a porcupine, and... did Josh bury a body in his backyard when he was younger?

On this special episode, Kendra and Josh celebrate their 18th wedding anniversary, Josh's 42nd birthday, and of course, the sudden attack of the kidney stones. What a way to celebrate! Between being at the Island, spending a week in Poulsbo, and encountering a cross wave big enough to clear the counters on the boat, it was quite a week. Sorry for the late episode!

There's only two major concerns you have when you live on a boat. STINKING or SINKING! On this latest episode, Josh and Kendra run against both! Between an overly detailed explanation of the holding tank (thanks, Josh) and a harrowing tale of nearly losing the boat, this episode has it all.

Josh and Kendra talk through the impact of Covid19 on their lives. Between school, work, and general boating, almost nothing has gone untouched! Fortunately, they're able to laugh their way through it with boat projects, dreams of blue water, and each other!

It's been TWO WEEKS since we last recorded! That's the longest we've gone without an episode, and we have a lot to cover. Family vacation #1: Road trip down to California for Kendra's baby brother's wedding. Family vacation #2: Boat trip up to Poulsbo to celebrate the 4th of July. Great fun, lots of goofs, and a very relaxing time. Don't mind all of the firework sounds booming in the background! Link to the website with photos: https://www.dropanchorpodcast.com/2020/07/04/episode-51-family-vacations/

There's been a burglary! The Culleys are safe, fortunately, but the neighbor two boathouses up had a rude awakening. Between the newly installed security cameras, the sewing projects, and some new pet-grooming tools, they are ready for anything now. Also, was that a penguin under the boat?!

The Culleys fled from the heart of downtown Olympia to escape the potential fallout from the protests. Where did they go? To the Island, of course! Stories of crab catching, failed fishing attempts, and... some odd smell in the fridge makes us all wonder: could they really survive out there as pirates? Link to the website with photos: https://www.dropanchorpodcast.com/2020/06/08/episode-49-the-great-escape/

The Culleys are back at the Island again. With the weather turning nice, this may become a regular weekend getaway! That is, unless Kendra convinces Josh to pilot the boat down to the Bahamas somehow. In the meanwhile, this weekend brought more paddleboarding, some red rock crabs, and some frisbee-throwing on the shore.

The Culleys took a break last week to celebrate Mother's Day, but they got one recorded tonight. Between a slight misstep coming into the boathouse, and another shower pump failure, it's been a couple of weeks of boat projects. But also some creative projects: rock painting, boat upgrades, and Josh's weird 3D-scanning project. Maybe he'll scan something interesting and share it!

What's the best way to pass the time? Keeping busy. Kendra has been painting even more, only instead of the boathouse, she's painting nails, painting rocks, and with her newly acquired body-markers (for temporary tattoos), she and the girls have been painting themselves! In the meanwhile, the gang are getting ready for a Mother's Day weekend by heading out to the island. Hopefully, there's no unexpected leaks along the way. Link to the website with photos: https://www.dropanchorpodcast.com/2020/05/04/episode-46-keeping-busy/

Even pirates have to swab the deck! It's spring-time, which means that it's time to make everything pretty again. Kendra takes charge this time, and does a major overhaul of the boathouse. With a fresh coat of paint, and a remodel of the entry way, it's looking a bit more like "home" every day. Not to be outdone, Josh gets in on the action and redesigns his work bench (although you can't really tell the difference!) Link to the website with photos: https://www.dropanchorpodcast.com/2020/04/27/episode-45-spring-cleaning/

The Culleys are becoming pirates! Well, sort of. They're hanging laundry off their back deck, anyway. After spending a few days out of the boathouse, it was a little challenging to want to go back in. So... they spent a couple of nights out on the marina guest dock and enjoyed the sun.

Happy Easter! This one sure was... different. Josh and Kendra talk through how they celebrated this year. The kids have been on spring break, so there's been a lot of Netflix and Disney Plus. Probably too much. Also, anybody else losing track of the days? PARENT ALERT: We mention that the Easter Bunny, Santa, and the Tooth Fairy are all made up. Just a heads up!

It is officially SPRING BREAK! Of course, during this crazy time, it really doesn't mean much change for the Culley family. However, it sure was nice to have the sun shining so brightly! On this episode, the Josh and Kendra talk through their limited power supply, failed science experiments, and cold showers. YouTube link to the video we posted this week: https://youtu.be/S4OjR2Id2zE

When both of the showers on the boat start to leak, there's bound to be a problem. A stinky problem. The Culleys talk through making those repairs, stocking up on more food, and figuring out how to manage their time while maintaining social distance.

As the novel coronavirus outbreak gets worse, the Culleys are staying at home on the boat a lot more. Well, except that they need to pick up a propane tank. And a wash-down pump. And a banjo? They also talk a little bit about how people are coping with the stress. Special Feature: YouTube video alert! https://youtu.be/FRS3lKQbbEE Laundry has never been so exciting.

In Washington state, schools, businesses, gyms, etc., are all closed due to the containment measures for the coronavirus. So how do the Culleys deal with this on a boat? Is there enough Spam? Or toilet paper? Also, is Kendra going to have homeschool flashbacks?

Kendra is back and fully recovered from the flu, just in time to confront the deadly coronavirus pandemic! Did Josh buy enough toilet paper? And why is there so much Spam in the boathouse? Lastly, if it looks like a duck, but doesn't quack like one, what is it, exactly?

If you've been following us on Instagram (instagram.com/theDropAnchor) or Twitter (twitter.com/theDropAnchor), then you know that Kendra has been down with the flu for the past few days. She should recover just fine, but with the Coronavirus running around close to home, there are a lot of precautions being taken. Kendra does not do well with respiratory illnesses! In the meanwhile, the Culleys STRONGLY recommend you take biohazard precautions - wash your hands, don't touch your faces, stay at least 6 feet away from people who are coughing or sneezing, and if you're sick, wear a mask to prevent spreading it to others!

Turns out that coming home from vacation is nearly as much of an exciting adventure as the vacation itself! Between high wind, a rough current, low tide, and cute little bow/stern thrusters, it turned into another fun story. Also... high water alarm, again?!

On the first available sunny day of February, Josh and Kendra have taken the boat out and headed off to a private island. It would sound more romantic if they didn't have to bring their teenagers with them! Also, are those... cat paw prints all over the boat?

The Culleys aren't people who live on a boat with teenagers. They are parents of teenagers, who happen to live on a boat! It's amazing how much of life is wrapped up in dealing with the kiddos, and this past week was no exception.

The latest addition to this boat life: a gym membership. It's hard to work out on a boat, so heading to shore and hitting the gym is the only way to get good exercise!

Josh and Kendra talk through the single pain-point in this boat life: Laundry. With five people on this boat, there's a lot of dirty clothes to handle!

How's it going? How are you doing? How's life? Or... how's BOAT life? Kendra and Josh try to navigate the minefield of small talk now that everybody knows they live on a boat. Also, snow day! Why on earth do they call a snow day when there's only 3 inches of snow on the ground?

A daring rescue at night! Josh and Kendra talk through their last-minute, late-night rescue attempt of a sailboat caught in the shallows. But first, a few boat stories from childhood.

Josh and Kendra talked about the risk of having bugs on the boat several months back, anticipating the usual boat critters: ants, roaches, weavils... but what they encountered was much, much worse!

After taking a week off from podcasting, Josh and Kendra recap their Christmas road trip down to California. Everyone is along for the ride, except for the cat... who managed to get sooty paw-prints all over the boat! As always, it's an adventure!

Wisdom... as in teeth. Josh and Kendra talk through some teeth stories, as their oldest daughter just had her wisdom teeth removed. What are they even for, anyway? Also, there's probably some wisdom in doing routine checks on the boat!

It's the most wonderful time of the year! Josh and Kendra talk through Christmas lights on boats. Before that, they explain the steps involved in getting prepped for a trip. Lastly, Josh gives "dropping anchor" a whole new meaning.

The Culleys experienced their first storm. Well... "storm." Ok - it was only 15 kts, but it sure bounced them around a bit, and did some damage to some of their neighbors' boathouses. They also talk through Thanksgiving and their upcoming Christmas plans.

With Thanksgiving coming up in a few days, Josh and Kendra decided to dedicate some time on this episode to mention a few things that make them thankful. Some of it is the usual stuff... and some of it is uniquely boat-related. They also talk through some more back-story on how they viewed water life growing up, and manage to bring up Water World and Three Fugatives into the discussion.

Happy Birthday, Hayden! The oldest Culley daughter turned 16 this weekend, so Josh & Kendra talk about our lives when they were sixteen. Kendra was "home schooled," or something like that. She sure learned a lot about I Love Lucy and Laverne and Shirley. Josh, on the other hand, spent half of his 16th year in Korea, nerding out to Dungeons and Dragons and Magic: The Gathering. Life on a boat has become more normal for the Culleys, but as they discovered right before recording... sometimes the poop-tanks fill up faster than expected. That's just life!

No, this one didn't end in a shipwreck! But they did come dangerously close to some rocks at the Tacoma Yacht Club, and the bow-thruster stopped working for some weird reason... Josh and Kendra talk through some additional tweaks and upgrades, as well their first adventure as a family on our new boat. They've decided: this is a good life!

Winter is coming! Josh and Kendra talk through their winter experiences, and go into detail about Josh's dinghy repair this last week. Also, when exactly does a boat feel like a home?

Holy moly! Twenty episodes into this podcast, and three weeks into this liveaboard life, Josh and Kendra are still adjusting to life on a boat. They've now gone through a homecoming dance, grocery-store adventures, miles and miles of walking the dog, and… golf? It’s work… but it’s a good life. They wouldn’t trade it for anything.

On this special episode, Kendra talks through her experience being a surrogate mother for a husband and wife who were unable to have children. However, before she was able to tell her story, the high-water alarm went off during the recording! Listen in and find out what happened this week! Also... something about a poop boat.

Well, that didn't take long. A black lab on a boat is bound to result in a dog overboard. Time to re-think some safety measures to ensure the dog can get back onto the boat! We also tackled some water issues. You know, things like making sure there's enough water for showers, and that the boat doesn't sink when the plumbing fails. Also, how does electricity on a boat work, exactly? Kendra has been posting a lot of great photos of our adventures on Instagram - make sure to check those out as well: www.instagram.com/theDropAnchor

They've done it! They are now podcasting from the boat! Of course, getting to this point wasn't without opportunities for mishap. Between nearly running aground just five minutes after getting under way, and trying to make it through the Ballard Locks, it was another adventure bringing the boat home. Moving in? That was another thing.

This is a short episode, as Josh and Kendra lead-up to next week's GREAT BIG DEAL! As usual, Kendra is right, and it's probably a good thing Josh doesn't have to mow the lawn anymore. He's not very good at it.

Josh is back from Chicago, and Kendra tells her tale of being a regatta-mom. It's like being a soccer-mom, but cooler. Also, the website now has a forum where audience questions can become a part of future episodes!

Some people are SO lucky. Others... not so much! The Culleys talk through some of their luck, and explain a bit about some sailing superstitions.

On this one, Josh& Kendra talk through more details about the the survey and sea trial for the 1991 Bayliner 4588. Also, if boating navigation requires identifying red, green, and white lights on the water, what do you do if you’re colorblind?

Bayliner? What happened to the Viking? Kendra and Josh change course on their journey towards living on a boat, heading back to a previous boat that somehow escaped mention on this podcast. Also, Josh isn't the only one who needed stitches this month!

The Culleys took the 1980 Viking out for a spin up in Anacortes, Washington. Did they like it? Will they decide to keep this boat or move on to try out another one? Also, downsizing is hard. It can be emotional to let some things go. But it's probably for the best.

The Culleys have finally picked a boat that may work to live on. It's not at all what they expected, and they're not sure what they're getting into! Also, listening to Josh coming off of anesthesia is something else.

No, they don't have bugs on the boat. But what's stopping bugs from getting on? Also, another mention of Keanu Reeves during the corrections. Lastly - what if you could take peer pressure, and use it for good, and not evil? The book Kendra mentions is "Why Didn't I Think of That" by John & Susan Roberts

Kendra and Josh tell their "how they met" story, and really, it's not romantic at all. Also, because this is a podcast about boats, find out if we are buying the boathouse or not!