It's
not that I'm only happy when sailing... but I'm always happy
when I'm sailing. There's just something so visceral of using the
power of the wind to propel our vessel through the water. Without a
doubt my favourite moment is when I turn the engine off and hear the
just the sound of the water rushing past the hull. So pure.
Every summer I would sail with my
cousin on lake Champlain in upstate New York / Vermont. It just was
not summer until we sailed. I have defining memories of being
very small on a Sunfish dinghy with my cousin and my father. I of
course had little idea of what I was doing and had no concept of
“lift” or tacking vs. gybing but it I just knew it was great!
Fast forward to turning 30 and reflecting on where I was and what I
wanted in this life; “I'd love to retire on sailboat in the
Caribbean! Life's too short why wait to retirement to start."
The learning curve is actually quite long and retirement age would
just not do! Research commenced and the more I learned the more I
was inspired. Turns out many people are doing just this (including many Canadians) and sharing
their stories on the internet! I was particularly inspired by Theresa
Carey's Sailing Simplicity and the Pursuit of Happiness.
While I do absolutely love my home city
Montreal, a city with a “joie de vivre” unique to North America
and the “city of festivals” in the summer, I am not a fan of the
long cold winters we endure.
The plan ultimately is that every
September as the temperatures dip we will head down the
eastern seaboard visiting various friends & family along the way
and interesting ports of call (NYC, Atlantic City, Myrtle Beach,
Savannah, Miami, etc.). Once in Florida, likely around December we
wait for a weather window and head across to the Caribbean. Enjoy the
coldest winter months December, January, February island hopping and
hosting friends & family who fly down for a cheap vacation. When
the weather starts to heat up again (the Caribbean can be brutally
hot in the summer months) we turn our bow north and start heading
back up the eastern seaboard arriving back in Montreal around June
just in time for summer and to see friends and family we've missed.
Transiting up and down the eastern
seaboard we could alternate between ocean coastal sailing and the
intra-coastal waterway (ICW).
Also one alternate plan is to cruise
the winter months in Mexico instead of the Caribbean. Cassandra
speaks Spanish and has previously lived in Mexico on a student
exchange program. She speaks very highly of it. This would also limit
the customs headaches (and costs) of Caribbean island hopping. There
are some interesting blogs of cruisers in Mexico who expound the
great food and the low costs of everything.
We'd love to hear your thoughts,
comments and advice about our ambitions so please feel free to add a
comment below or send us an e-mail.
Fantastic plan! Just what I'm planning too; sooner rather than later as well. Keep up the great blog!
ReplyDeleteCongratulations on setting off on your journey. Your dream tab will need to be renamed "reality"!
ReplyDeleteWishing you smooth seas and steady winds - Steve and Sue Stamm
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ReplyDeleteIt was cool to meet you two in George Town . Good luck with your voyage and I wish you the best!
ReplyDelete-Chris and Peter from LIfesong