What's This All About?
Just like thousands of others. we jumped on the "lets quit work and sail around" bandwagon. This was no recent rash decision, we had actually been thinking of doing this for years - about 17 in fact. The majority of that time was a very vaguely talked about dream of a future undertaking as we went about living our lives, but now here we are.
We actively worked towards this goal for 3 years. Darrin left corporate America in October 2017 and Linda followed in February 2018 and are now living the cruising dream!
This website is primarily a way for our wonderfully supportive families to follow along with our travels, and also a way for us to remember how we went a bit crazy, bought a boat and sailed away, in search of a life (a little) less ordinary.
For our current travels you can check out our blog here.
Blogs & YouTube Channels we follow
As the idea of leaving work and sailing south evolved and our plans solidified, we spent a lot of time researching and dreaming about our cruising life. Every day we'd come home from work and would either read a blog or watch a video - it galvanized us into action because we knew we could make this work if we wanted it badly enough! Others did it - so could we - and we did! Here are a few we found particularly inspiring and motivating. I hope they inspire you too, regardless of what your dream is!
Pat and Ali have been travelling around in one form or another for many years all over the world - catamaran, VW van, sailboat, motor home, Airstream and now a motor yacht. Their blog is one of the first I ever read and is filled with inspiring stories and the most beautiful pictures of their travels. They now have two children, Ouest and Lowe, living the most incredible kids life!
Picture copyright - Pat Schulte
Who isn't madly in love with Molly, the little redhaired mermaid aboard the Sandflea? We are! Ben and Tambi have detailed their process of finding their boat and setting sail to the Bahamas. Back on land now, they're working to head out again when hurricane season is over. We love Ben's humour and nothing fazes Tambi, and there's absolutely nothing to NOT love about Molly!
Picture copyright - Ben Clardy
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After buying their Oyster 435, Esper in Turkey, Jamie and Liz have sailed to Thailand via India and Malaysia with a complete refit inbetween. They're planning their next passage to the Pacific Northwest and Alaska and we love the detail they go into when talking about when they can leave, weather factors, items to purchase or fix and all the costs involved. They're not afraid to answer any question and we always enjoy their banter and occasional eye rolling!
Picture copyright - Liz Cleere
We've watched Wes and Kate from the very beginning and are so happy they're back on the water after much in the way of trials and tribulations! Their positive outlook and determination is truly inspiring...nothing can stop them!
Picture copyright - Wicked Salty
I absolutely love Black Adder and Baldrick is my favourite! His Coq Au Rat was a masterpiece! In any case, anyone who knows Black Adder has a wicked wit and sense of humor, so of course I was drawn to Melissa and Mike's blog about their plan. We read this obsessively as their plan was so similar to what we were thinking about - kids are grown, ready for a change, sailing, moving onto a boat. They're also from PNW and have now leapfrogged past us, but we hope we'll catch up to them at some point.
Picture copyright - Melissa White
Where Are We?
We're in sunny Puerto Vallarta!
We left La Paz in December to transit the Sea of Cortez over to the mainland and spent Christmas in Mazatlan before moving on to Puerto Vallarta.
It goes without saying that it's been a bit of a crazy year. In March we isolated completely on the boat as the COVID-19 numbers steadily increased here, as they did the world over. As summer approached and the heat became unbearable (despite aircon), we decided to take shore leave for a few months and moved into a lovely condo on the beach. This was a perfect time to get some boat projects done too! We're back on the boat now and preparing to go sailing.
We've updated the ways for you to contact us or see where we're located:
We have an Iridium Go! tracker on board. When we're underway you can see where we are by clicking here.
You can also message us any time via this page. Our phone number is +881 6234 92441. Alternatively, if your cell provider allows you to send SMS messages to a New Zealand number, you can text us at that number as well.
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