Knapp Family 2020 | Tacoma, WA Family Photographer | Heather Hurt Photography

What is it like to live on a boat? With three boys and two cats? Well, I got a little taste of it for a week with the Knapp family! They have been living on a boat for six months now after selling everything from their life in Texas and moving to Florida! While the timeline and details have looked different from their years-long dreams, they are soaking up every moment of this time together. This is only the beginning, there are lot of dreams and goals ahead for this family of five!

Partway through our visit, I set out to capture the memories of a typical day in the life of their family during this unique time. It was filled with ordinary moments and incredible sights!

We started the day with cat snuggles and schoolwork interrupted by sibling tackles. Then lunchtime (they do a lot of cooking in that teen tiny kitchen! Impressive.) and a family game. Then some laundry. And doing the dishes. And seven people sharing a bathroom….

Then it was time to set out for our afternoon dolphin search!  Jolene went through the checklist. The boys helped get everything ready. The cats hate the process- they hide when the engine starts. In fact, I never saw Cheddar again for the whole day! Tiger, on the other hand, likes to be up with his people when things get moving.

Cruising through some of the most gorgeous Florida Keys water, we kept our eyes out for dolphins. The LEGO playing for the boys never stopped. We didn’t see any dolphins in the area they said they always are but we did pass some friends coming back from their time in the Bahamas. A very exciting sight!

We reached our turnaround point and headed back. I was a little bummed… No dolphins (you all KNOW how much I love those ocean creatures!) but it  had been a wonderful afternoon anyway. “Well, lets just get some pictures of all of you together while we are out here” we agreed. I got everyone clustered together. It started to rain. I fired off a quick lighting test shot and then, “DOLPHIIIIIIIIIINS!!!”

We all dispersed and ran to both sides of the boat (me shrieking, of course) and watched them jump and play around us. They stayed with us for quite a while, almost seemingly encouraged by our collective “Oooooo’s and Ahhhhs” and cheers. “Oh, you want us to jump more? Higher? Ok!” One even barrel-rolled in the air every time it jumped. They broke off for a while and then came back. I was mesmerized by their glides through the water. The boys even took a LEGO break.

We approached the marina as the sun was setting and the boys had tucked inside for a movie. We sat and relaxed and took in every moment of the warm light and memories of a successful dolphin expedition. It sure was different than a normal day in our life, which is exactly why they are doing what they are doing…

For more on the Knapp family and what life on a boat is like, check out their YouTube channel Wandering Knapps! You may even see a no makeup, dorky sun hat wearing cameo of yours truly in one of their recent videos!