In 2009 we finally got around to taking our first sailing class. After years of talking about sailing for our retirement and reading about other couples living the dream we signed up for ASA 101 Basic Keelboat Sailing. We were still living near Fort Lewis, WA so did a search of the local sail boat instructors. We decided to go with Puget Sound Sailing Institute. After signing up we received an ASA 101 course book and DVD of instruction in the mail featuring the owner, Mike Rice, to review before our class. It helped to ensure that we weren’t completely ignorant of basic sail terminology. The day of our first on the water class was great. Lisa really enjoyed being at the helm and seemed to have a natural affinity for finding the wind. Our instructor Sandy was very laid back and was always happy to be out on the water teaching new students how to sail for the first time. If you have never been on a sailboat before, ASA 101 covers most of what you need so you don't destroy your boat or someone else's while you’re out on the water. We went over everything from basic knots, using an outboard motor, and docking to raising and reefing the sails. The course spanned five days of on the water instruction followed by the ASA 101 written examination. We were in the class with 2 other students on a Martin 242. It was nice to be in a small class with fellow students that were all trying to learn something new.
In 2006, we were living in Fort Lewis, Washington and Lisa’s mother had come for a visit. While she was in town we decided to take a whale watching tour with P.S. Express around the San Juan Islands up to Friday harbor. It was there we met a young female marine biologist who was guiding the whale watching tour. During the trip she was telling Lisa and I about how her and her husband were sailing around the world on their 40’ wooden sailboat. They were in port for the winter to refit and take a few jobs to save money for the next leg of their trip. She kept me enthralled with her stories of sailing around the world and traveling when and where they wanted.
After the whale watching tour I started to look into sail boats and reading cruising magazines. I was eagerly trying to talk Lisa into purchasing a 26’ MacGregor sail boat so we could purchase it outright and start sailing around the world. Fortunately for Lisa, I finally saw one in person during a sailboat show in Seattle, Washington. I finally ceded her position that maybe, possibly 26’ would not be quite large enough to move us comfortably around the world for any amount of time. Some of the common questions we get when telling people about our retirement plans are: Where will you guys go? The short answer is “Everywhere”. Since our whale watching trip we have been noting every interesting place we hear about. Whether it is from a web page article or something we happen to see while watching television. I have been keeping a library of places on Google earth. I think I have talked Lisa into seeing Polar Bears and Penguins in their natural habitat. How long will you sail? However long it takes. We’re semi-set on around 10 years. I had to start Lisa out with something a little less drastic. Originally it was only 5 years for our circumnavigation. I’ve steadily worked her up to 10 years with the excuse of not wanting to be rushed when we get somewhere gorgeous. Stay tuned to see how long I actually talk Lisa into sailing. How will you pay for that type of lifestyle? Fortunately I was smart enough to marry a smart woman. She has had me saving for retirement since I have been in the military. We have saved and have been frugal with our spending. We have both always worked and sometimes worked a couple jobs at once. We are going to wait until my retirement from the military to start our adventure. We will be a little older than some when we start our sailing trip, but we are willing to wait and save for the boat we know we’ll be comfortable on for our long journey. We have had lean times but hopefully it will pay off when Unwritten Timeline finally splashes into the water. |
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