“You’re either making excuses or you’re making it happen” 

“Why” is just about my favourite word in the whole English language. My mom doesn’t think this is so great… but I think it’s a pretty grand way to get to the real heart of the matter, and quickly too.

So, why are we going sailing?

Well, why not? I know that’s not the most satisfying answer, but in a lot of ways that is the answer. We are young, we are healthy, we love the ocean, and we have a boat.

A few other reasons:

• We’ve both grown up in sailing, ocean-loving families.
• I lived on a 41′ sailboat with my sister and parents from 1995 to 2002; we spent 4 of those years cruising around the world: 37 countries, 4 years of home-schooling, and 37,000 miles travelled

Halloween in Gibraltar with all our boat-kid friends (I

• Jonathan grew up in Maine, and he loves the ocean as much as I do (if not more, actually). He’s run his own business for 6 years and continues to find ways to make our dreams possible.

• I am Canadian. Jonathan is American. We’re in love with each other, with sailing, and with the idea of a life that does not have to revolve around a 9-5 job. Sailing enables us to be together, to be on the water, and to enjoy life the way we really want to.
• We sailed around Vancouver Island in June 2010 as a “test” of everything: would we be okay spending 6 weeks together 24/7? Would J like offshore sailing? Would I remember how to rig up a preventer? Should we start looking at RVs instead???

Roller Bay, North End of Vancouver Island

• Winters suck. Winter in Vancouver = Grey & Rain. And Winter in Maine = More snow than a Vancouver girl knows how to deal with! So we’re boycotting winter, throwing caution and career to the wind, and embracing as much adventure as we two thirty-somethings can find on a Nor’West 33.
• By working some of the time and cruising some of the time we hope to keep the best bits of both worlds and finance the whole dang thing. As much as I’d love to cruise full-time, I’ve also seen first-hand how hard it can be to “re-transition” to normal life once you’ve accomplished your goals. By doing it this way, we hope to avoid the ‘what next’ questions for at least a while and enjoy all that life has to offer in the meantime!!
• Finally, life is too short and fragile to say later. It’s been said before, and it’s cliche, and it’s overworked… but you only get one shot at this. No one makes it out alive, and you just cannot know when you’ll get a curveball. So while we have our youth, our health, our spirits, and our little bit of cash, we’re going to make the most of life while we can…

 With Brio.