When we lived in our house and went to school and work in buildings, we were largely protected from the whims of the weather. Maybe it was really cold outside, but inside it was warm. Maybe there was a storm blowing outside, but inside it was dry and calm. We might have to take a short walk to the car with a coat, jacket, or hat, but after that, the weather was mostly out of our minds until we had to go into it again.
Living on the boat, though, we are more exposed to the weather. When its cold outside, it's cold in here. If we are connected to shore power, we can turn on a space heater or two. But this still leaves some parts of the boat chilly. Plus, we have to watch out that we don't trip the breaker. We've been sure to stay at a marina with shore power when it gets low into the 40s, but mornings in the low 50s at an anchorage feel chilly.
And the wind has a big impact! The wind causes the boat to rock, even if we are at a marina or harbor that protects us from the waves. When there are waves, those rock the boat as well. And it's noisy, too. At a marina, the movement of the boat causes the lines to creak. This can happen at an anchorage, too, as the anchor bridle lines rub on the side of the boat. Sometimes I can hear the chain moving. At about 15 knots or more, the wind howls through the boat's rigging. And some of the lines may smack against the mast - donk donk donk! Sometimes the slides that hold the mainsail in the mast track ripple up and down in the wind, making a clattering sound.
When there is a thunder storm, it seems like we can hear the thunder more loudly that in a house. The rain sounds nearer as it patters on the deck above us.
Some of these sounds and movements wake us in our sleep. Sometimes that's because they are disturbing. Sometimes they make me worry (Will we break loose? Will something break? Are we safe?). Other times, they are comforting--like a white noise machine or a rocking cradle. Either way, though, we certainly feel the weather more than we used to.
Besides all that, of course, the weather is one of the biggest drivers (brakes??) on our forward progress. I am reluctant to go out with waves predicted to be over a meter. Those predictions are an average and we would surely see higher. That will probably cause me to be seasick. And, to be honest, bigger waves still scare me! When we sail in winds over about 14 knots, we put a reef in the sails. That means we shorten the main sail so it doesn't raise all way and we don't furl out the genoa (our foresail) completely. This keeps the boat under control in higher winds and prevents excessive heeling. But I have not sailed in winds over 20 knots. Though the same reefing strategy (with even less sail out) should work, I am a little daunted by it. So we look for weather windows that have reasonable wave height and wind speeds from a workable direction. Those days don't come as often as we'd like sometimes!
Living at the whim of the weather is just part of boat life. That's why boaters we meet say, you can't live on a schedule with a boat. We are enjoying the places we stay while we watch the weather, and seeing what destinations we get to and when is just part of the adventure. As for the movements and the sounds we experience regularly now, we're getting used to it (and also feel more appreciative of the comfort of a climate controlled house!).