"Mexico, Hawaii and New Zealand," said Sydney with a big smile.

It's easy to untie the boat and take off for new spots. The Buelts spent 42 days cruising last summer.

But there also is little room for people and belongings.

"If we buy something new, something else has to leave," Shari Buelt said. "It's just a much simpler life."

KNOWING YOUR NEIGHBORS

Lester and Meridee Marsh live aboard their 42-foot Chris-Craft at Swantown Marina.

Lester, who is a retired machinist, has lived afloat for 12 years in Olympia and Tacoma, Wash.

"I paid $1,500 for a small 28-foot boat on a Monday, and we cleaned it up that Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday," Marsh said. "Then we decided to stay the weekend, and we didn't want to go home."

The house was sold, and that little boat was home for four years.

Then Lester bought a 50-foot retired U.S. Navy launch, and that was home until the Chris-Craft floated into their lives.

Being close to nature and being rocked to sleep every night — along with no more lawn mowing — are just a few of the pleasures of living on a boat, Marsh said.

"But you also get to know the best people," Marsh said. "I lived in a house in Tacoma for 22 years, and I knew one neighbor.

"Down here, I know dozens of people, and I talk to them every day."

A HOUSE THAT'S ALSO A BOAT

Ginny Stern is still getting used to having "tons" of space — 360 square feet — on her new houseboat moored at West Bay Marina.

Stern, a state Department of Health hydrogeologist, lived for four years in a 190-square-foot boat before she sold it and bought her new boat.

The stern of the boat has a gracefully curved ceiling and huge windows with a view of Budd Inlet and the state Capitol.

"I've got one of the best views in town," Stern said. "I like to sit there and watch the water and read."

Stern's boat is actually a house built on a barge. It began as a floating ranger station in Alaska.

The boat is airy and attractive, and Stern has a nice kitchen and bathroom.

The downside to the space: Stern's bedroom is small, and she has to tuck her legs under a bulkhead when she goes to bed.

But the rocking — the connection to tides and winds and nature — is important to Stern, who also has lived in U.S. Forest Service cabins.

"If the wind shifts when I'm asleep, I wake up right away," Stern said. "Then I go right back to sleep."

Stern, like many other liveaboards, loves the social life of living in a marina. Friends stop by every day and check on the boat when she's away. And there's always someone to talk to over a cup of coffee.