Retired couple take the houseboat plunge

PITTSBURGH – While some head for the hills as retirement nears, this couple ran to the river and it has been smooth sailing ever since.

Cheri and Bernard Feinman decided to downsize from their large home in Pittsburgh’s Highland Park neighborhood to a houseboat at Fox Chapel Marina.

“We’ve always been boat people,” Cheri Feinman said.

Before their new life, each May through October, they lived on a boat at another area marina. “I would go back to the house to do laundry and get the mail,” she said.

Four years ago, they decided it was time to downsize. “Our house was only fully used once or twice a year when the kids came back for the holidays,” she said.

The Feinmans have five grandchildren and a great-grandchild on the way. They knew they needed a boat big enough for everyone to come and stay, so the listing for an 85-by-22-foot houseboat in Louisville, Kentucky, seemed perfect. They named it Trivial Pursuit.

“The original owners raised five children on this boat,” Cheri Feinman said.

They also wanted a boat that they could comfortably navigate. “The plan is to travel south via the inland waterways to Mississippi and Florida once Bernard retires,” she said.

It took a week running 7 or 8 mph for Bernard and six other men to bring Trivial Pursuit from Louisville to Pittsburgh. They had to take supplies because they weren’t sure when or where they could stop.

“Many of the marinas were not open because of the high water in the spring,” he said.

The other problem was finding marinas that could accommodate a big boat.

“Fortunately, we were able to fill it with diesel fuel prior to leaving Louisville, and we only needed to fill once more before getting to Pittsburgh,” he said.

They have a stowaway or two. “Birds came with this boat,” Cheri Feinman said, laughing.

Bank swallows (or barn swallows) nest near the bow each year and can be very protective of their territory. “If I find it before they lay the eggs, I try to get rid of it. But if the eggs are there, I leave it alone,” he said.

It’s part of the charm of this floating home. Watching the blue herons is another plus to living on the water.

“We have seen significant changes to the aquatic life – tremendous improvement in the water quality,” Bernard Feinman said. Another change they have seen is a growing community, with more people opting for house- boat living year-round. While there are many pluses, slippery docks in the winter can be tough.

“I think the only thing I really miss is having a garden,” Cheri Feinman said.

Keeping a close eye on very young visitors is also part of river life.

“When the grandchildren come to stay, they wear life jackets. We get a little life jacket-nutty,” she said.

Their grown children and grandchildren sleep below deck, where three of the four bedrooms are. The master bedroom is on the main deck at the stern. Off the master is a spot perfect for morning coffee or sun-downers.

Docked with the bow facing up river, the boat’s stern deck faces west for sunset cocktails.

They have an en suite white marble bathroom as well, making the captain’s quarters the perfect retreat when the boat is filled with guests.

“There is always a nice breeze on the river, which makes sitting back here in the summer very nice,” Bernard Feinman said.