tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12630726.post4380498887658873278..comments2024-03-29T02:13:08.192-05:00Comments on Windtraveler: From Dream to Reality: Our TimelineWindtravelerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11933432135694020418noreply@blogger.comBlogger5125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12630726.post-10380135521740968672012-03-18T19:31:07.840-05:002012-03-18T19:31:07.840-05:00Jeff and I often comment on how lucky we are that ...Jeff and I often comment on how lucky we are that it has been "our" dream. I clearly remember Irish's boatyard in Harbor Springs, 1999. The rest is history :). We met many couples/families who are constantly trying to convince the other (usually the man convincing a woman, but we've seen it the other way too) and it never seems to work out, at least not smoothly. We are on hiatus now, but still loving the "dream" <br />Xoxo AbbyLast Paradisehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00378766739082927817noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12630726.post-35466974777578909122012-03-15T21:13:06.929-05:002012-03-15T21:13:06.929-05:00Good to hear your story, Dan and I have similar pl...Good to hear your story, Dan and I have similar plans and we are currently at the refit phase. It's good to hear that it is possible and that after all the efforts there is hope:)cath and Danhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05995004919656180906noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12630726.post-50177045049293206592012-03-15T18:54:49.868-05:002012-03-15T18:54:49.868-05:00Thank you so much for summarizing your journey! I...Thank you so much for summarizing your journey! It's great to see how far you have come and I always love your practical tips. Thank you for always giving me the inspiration to someday do what you two (three) are doing!Emilyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05479131197076217419noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12630726.post-79598270595039537512012-03-15T16:59:02.223-05:002012-03-15T16:59:02.223-05:00Carolyn!! Awesome stuff - you guys hit the fast tr...Carolyn!! Awesome stuff - you guys hit the fast track for sure...and yes, I completely agree that if you have two heads working together it is much easier to accomplish! Fantastic that you bought a semi "turn key" boat too...I have another post cued up on how to fast track the dream and that is one way to do it!! Thanks for sharing your story, always a pleasure!!!Windtravelerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11933432135694020418noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12630726.post-83291572950775719702012-03-15T15:37:19.311-05:002012-03-15T15:37:19.311-05:00Somewhat similar story here . . . Dave and I were ...Somewhat similar story here . . . Dave and I were both life-long sailors, although we raced small dinghies and had never thought about cruising. Dave and I met racing, went through other relationships, finally got together and got married. <br /><br />We spent more time discussing it, but even less time making it happen once we decided to.<br /><br />I had done lots of travel before, and got the bug to bite Dave as well. We retired in 1997 and moved into a small apartment to make it easier to travel. Everywhere we went, we'd walk marinas. Then did a charter with friends, a couple more charters, and finally in May 2002 -- while in Turkey on a charter -- said "if we're ever going to do this, we need to DO IT." <br /><br />We thought we'd be heading to the Caribbean and I began researching boats for sale there. One day, instead of hitting "US-East Coast" in the search, I hit "North America" and found what looked to be an ideal boat in Mexico.<br /><br />We visited it in June (yep, less than a month of looking), signed on the spot (with survey), and it was final in July. Made several trips down over the next few months and fully moved aboard in November and began cruising immediately . . . working on her as we went (one reason we picked her was that she'd been outfitted for cruising when she was brought to Mexico, so didn't need much work).<br /><br />We kept our apartment until the following March, when we went back and sold most everything, put a few sentimental pieces in storage, and then headed back to cruise!<br /><br />And I agree, it made a HUGE difference that it was something we BOTH wanted to do -- neither of us had to do any convincing. And we both knew how to sail and are pretty mechanical. Yes, we sort of developed "specialties" on the boat, but not always along traditional lines: I did most close-quarters helming, Dave the bow work and dock lines. I did most electrical work, navigation, route planning (although we both knew what was going on) . . . and virtually all the cooking. And yeah, Dave did most of the "muscle" work -- hoisting the dinghy and outboard, raising sails, etc. although we made sure that everything was rigged so that I could handle it if I ever had to. <br /><br />In case you couldn't tell, I absolutely LOVE this post on how you can make it happen pretty quickly . . . if you BOTH want it to!Carolyn Shearlock - The Boat Galleyhttp://theboatgalley.com/noreply@blogger.com