We bought a boat

It’s hard to believe that 25 years Mark told me he was going to sail around the world and he really, really, really wanted to do it with me. I totally dismissed his crazy idea and told him I hoped he had a great time.

Fast forward a few years and we were married with two children, two dogs…and a sailboat. We spent weekends and summers over the next ten years sailing the West coast of Florida, the Florida Keys, and the Bahamas on our tiny sailboat.

It was rough. No air conditioning. Poor ventilation. Lots of mosquitoes. Broken screens. The head (toilet) kept breaking. We showered on deck using a ”sun shower” bag that we filled with fresh water heated up by the sun. The galley (kitchen) was too hot to cook in. And, I get seasick. Every single time. Ginger chews, ginger tea, ginger root, scopolamine patches, acupressure wrist bands…I’ve tried it all.

Through all the challenges, I found the joy in our time off-grid as a family. Watching the sunrise and sunset, the magic of dolphins swimming off our bow and the stars lighting up the night sky. I fell in love with the eco-friendly, minimalist lifestyle that comes with sailing, where every resource is closely managed and you learn to be self-sufficient and self-reliant out of necessity.

It’s taken me a few years to get excited about the idea of living full-time on a sailboat. Part of the journey was finding a boat that Mark and I were both excited about—and that was not a linear process.

I still have some anxiety about moving onto a sailboat. I’m hoping by sharing our journey with you it will provide me with an outlet to process my emotions while also sharing a little piece of our adventure with you.

I am excited for the opportunity to travel in a different way, experience new countries and cultures and ports. I’m excited to learn new ways of meal prep and food storage, develop new skills and meet new people. I’m excited to learn and grow and develop and experience this new adventure with Mark.