All about the “Geeze Lu Eze”
Published 8:22 pm Thursday, May 18, 2017
During the first month of 2017, Ronnie and Songa Gremillion launched a new life chapter. Home for this couple is a 46 Logical Cat, a 46-foot catamaran with four cabins, two baths, a living/dining room and a kitchen. One of the bedrooms has been converted into a workshop aboard the Geeze Lu Eze.
“Ronnie’s always calling me Louise,” Songa said. “That’s how we came up with the name.”
It’s the couple’s third boat, though probably not their last. They have travelled in it for two summers. This is their first experience with living exclusively on the water.
The last boat was a 47-foot sailboat with a 62-foot mast. Ronnie said the mast height and float requirements limited where they could travel.
Their favorite place to stay, so far, is Bay St. Louis, Mississippi.
“My brother is there and I decided we’d do a festival tour,” Songa said. “We were there for three months because there was festival after festival beginning with the crawfish festival.”
This year the couple has mapped out a few trips, but a strict agenda is not part of the plan. This time they have no brick and mortar home to return to. It was sold. They do have family and friends in the Lake Charles and Sulphur area. Ronnie grew up in Vinton. Songa is a native of Colfax, Louisiana. The Gremillions were docked on the Calcasieu River in Moss Bluff when the American Press interviewed them.
“This time we don’t have to be in a hurry to get back to take care of things,” said Songa. “When I sold the house, some of my girlfriends couldn’t believe it. I think they felt sorry for me,” she said laughing. “I told them, don’t feel sorry for me. I am loving this.”
Songa loves the water. She fishes. But she doesn’t swim. She helps drive the boat, but there was a learning curve. She learned boating skill through her affiliation with the Lake Charles Sail and Power Squadron, she said.
Living on a boat and going from marina to marina is a lifestyle some people only dream about. The Gremillions start the morning with coffee on the deck, and sometimes evenings conclude with a cocktail in the same relaxing spot. The view ahead is all water. The Gremillions said navigating a boat is much less stressful than driving. You can literally sit in the captain’s chair and do it with your feet.
“We keep life and food simple,” Songa said. “The morning might begin with watermelon or a bacon sandwich.”
They visit restaurants and churches in areas they dock the Geeze Lu Eze.
The couple is retired. He set his mind on sticking with his job until he could retire and use his time the way he wanted. She didn’t think she would ever be able to retire. They enjoy projects. She is writing a book. He works in his shop on the boat. They plan to write a blog from a female and male perspective.
“Ronnie’s had so many husbands tell him that they wish their wives would do this, we think a blog from both perspectives might help with the decision,” Songa said.
The couple thinks the fear of letting go, figuratively and literally, may hold some people back from the lifestyle.
The interior living space, minus the foredeck and fly-bridge is over 800 square feet, the size of a small home and more than double the space of the tiny home. There is plenty of head clearance.
This couple has developed a signal to use when one is getting on the other’s nerves and he or she needs space.
Living on the boat did mean paring down clothing, shoes and furnishings. The couple recently put their car on the market and will keep an older truck. They said marinas offer golf carts and cars.
“If someone is into stuff, this might not be the lifestyle for them,” Ronnie said.
Songa said once everything was distributed, it felt like a ton of bricks were lifted from her shoulders.
“My grandchildren love the tops and jewelry I gave them,” Songa said. “Care Help was really happy with me.”
The couple is paying for storage, something they said all the books discourage because paying for things you don’t use usually means you could simply save the money for replacing the items at a later date. They said it is handy for storing off-season clothing.
“It was hard to part with old photographs and keepsakes mostly,” said Songa.
She added a few blingy and feminine touches to the Geeze Lu Eze, such as sumptuous linens and blingy lamps. Ronnie and Songa worked together to create custom blinds covered in a yellow and gray modern fabric and an awning for the front of the boat. One of the areas at the back of the boat feels like being on a screened-in back porch with comfortable seating.
“We meet the best people,” said Songa. “At the last marina a couple we had just met invited us to go eat Thai food with them. You make friends at every stop.”
Neither could name a single regret, so far, with the lifestyle they’ve chosen. However, they did point out a challenge unique to people who have made their boats their homes.
“We didn’t have a home address, and sometimes you have to have more than a post office box for bank accounts and so forth,” Ronnie said.
“And you can’t vote without a home address,” Songa said. “I want to be able to vote.”
They found out about a service in Florida that provides people such as the Gremillions with an address and a way to get mail. They pay a yearly fee and when they’re at a marina and want their mail, they call the Florida marina. Residents of Florida pay no state taxes.
Don’t ask the Gremillions how long they plan to stay at their next stop.
“Being on a schedule can get you in trouble,” Ronnie said. “If we decide we really like a place and want to stay longer, we stay. We wait out bad weather if we need to. You can’t do that if you have a job or a house you have to get back to.”
Home is wherever they are. Geeze Lu Eze — what a life.
Ronnie and Songa Gremillion are always at home on their 46 Logical Cat, but their view and neighbors change throughout the year. (Rita LeBleu / American Press)