Monthly Archives: July 2014

Frequently asked questions – Part 1

So more people are starting to check out our blog site. As mentioned before…we won’t be regularly updating it until we get underway, but in the mean time……

When people hear that we are going to live aboard and cruise around for an extended period we get 1 of 2 reactions that are about 50/50 split: 1 – you guys are nuts, 2 – wow, that sounds exciting, wish I could go too

There is usually a lot of questions, most are the same from person to person, so I thought we could start a FAQ page (which I will do when I post part 2 in the future). This is the beginning of the FAQ process.

Q: Why are you doing this crazy thing?
A: We want to simplify and get back to nature, travel and see the world via H2O. We will spend some time checking out places on the water that we have targeted as potential places to live. While very rewarding, the lifestyle of living on a boat is physically demanding and we need to do it now, if ever, before we become physically unable. If you have never experienced it, moving on the water under the power of the wind or floating at a beautiful anchorage experiencing the natural world around is absolutely incredible. If you have experienced it, you are probably one of the 50% that wants to go with us!

Q: Where are you going?
A: We don’t believe you can survive this lifestyle if you need to have a hard and fast plan with any specificity. Our preference is to take the boat through the Erie Canal to the Hudson River, down the Hudson to New York City, out on the Atlantic Ocean around New Jersey to the Delaware Bay and into the Chesapeake Bay. We have friends and family that we would love to spend time with in the Chesapeake and the Bay area offers so many places to explore via boat. From there we want to get to the Bahamas for the winter and to get there we will do ocean passages between major harbors on the east coast if the weather is good, or use the intracoastal waterway if the weather is bad. In spring, head back to the Chesapeake and also cruise New England, then back to the Bahamas for winter. We do want to head down the island chain in the eastern Caribbean, down to Grenada, but we will figure that out after we get the first year under our belt!

Q: Aren’t you afraid of being on the ocean?
A: We have chartered boats and sailed the ocean and have experienced 30 knot winds and 12-14 foot seas, so we have some idea of how rough it gets. We will be conservative in our planning and make sure that we have adequate weather windows when making ocean passages. We have also been on the water in 50-70 mph winds in Lake Erie. Many people who have extensive experience sailing the ocean and the Great Lakes will tell you that they have had more challenging experiences on the Great Lakes, especially Lake Erie. The storms can come in fast and without warning, and the shallow water builds the waves steep and with a short wave period. All that being said, we are not naive enough to think we will not be challenged on ocean passages. Bottom line is that “afraid” is not the right word, but rather
respectful of the power of the ocean and nature overall. A deep and serious respect fosters safety and a conservative approach.

Q: Aren’t you afraid of hurricanes?
A: Yes! Because of our conservative nature and that our boat insurance requires us to be out of the “hurricane zone” (north of Georgia in the US) during hurricane season, we will be out of the hurricane zone during the season. We do understand that hurricanes still strike north of Georgia….see the answer to the previous question.

Q: Won’t you miss your family?
A: Hell no…we want to get away from those people! I had to open this answer with a joke because it is the most difficult part of doing this. We love our family dearly and will miss seeing them regularly. We will come back and visit, and there is already planning to come visit us. We also see this as an opportunity to teach the grandkids about the world, nature, and living a simple life. Most children grow up without this perspective, especially in this technology dominated era. We will also miss our friends very much. One of our favorite blogs we follow has called this the “true cost of cruising”, and I think it will be for us too.

More to come….