Plans, Plans, Plans

Right now we are in the "planning to plan" stages of going cruising. We have our vessel, we have a vision and  we are working on a plan to get us there. This is harder than it seems: deciding to take a complete 180 from everything you know and setting off for distant shores. Sound scary? That's the best thing about it! First and foremost there is no clear and cut path to this type of life. There are books, blogs and forums written by others that have done it before but they are still only the few. None of the seem to say exactly how they broke away. Some say how easy it is and some say "just go!" but is it the honest truth...or glossed-over hindsight? 

First mate and I have chosen to take a path less followed. Life is a very finite entity. We decided working day in and day out, each day so similar to the last that it seems like sleepwalking until days blend into years and years become old age, is not for us. We have been fortunate enough to travel the world together once already. We have seen the beauty of  east and west coasts of USA, Caribbean, Puerto Rico, Canada, France, Spain, Italy, Israel, Kuwait, United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Turkey.....we have been many places and met many wonderful and interesting people. We want to keep going. There is still a whole world out there to explore and we want to experience it. 

Getting Sal ready to take us on such journeys will take time and dedication to the project, but won't be the hard part. While the work itself will be difficult to get done, there are many books, blogs and parts available out there to make her a safe voyaging vessel. 

As I write this I am passing ideas around in my brain on ways to make a living while we're out there. This is the hard part...figuring out what we will do to maintain this lifestyle. We want to eventually be live-aboards on the west coast. That to me is easy and attainable. I can work while living aboard. But we also want to cruise. Can we save up enough money while stateside to leave for years at a time? My guess is no. We want to visit many foreign places but we know we will need income. How will that income be earned? This is the great question and the hardest to answer. All of my money making experience tells me I need to trade my skills and efforts for cash. Can one just cruise up to a foreign country and get a job? Probably not. So what will we do? 

This is where I am right now, trying to formulate a plan and a good one to keep us moving toward our goal of enjoying the life we were given and not waiting for the golden years. We are working hard at the moment and that is all that matters. We are continuing to plan...while moving forward with our plan.

Flying the drifter in 2012

Physical Fitness, She's got it!!!!

    Many of you who know us and for those of you who do not, my wife is a fitness fanatic. It is not just a hobby but a way of life for her. She is by far the most dedicated person I know when it comes to working out and eating right. I will have to admit I am jealous because I just cannot keep up with her. She has endless amounts of drive to keep pushing herself to her physical limits. She has participated and trained endlessly for  triathlons, duathlons, ½ marathons,  1mile swims, yoga(almost daily)and crossfit and everything in between. By the way, all this after recovering from ACL tear over 10 years ago! She is a machine!

All warmed up and ready to ROCK!

    Well yesterday was no different. This was a new event for her, an event that was short in duration but would challenge her limits of physical fitness! It was called MetroDash. This event was a series of obstacles, one right after the other. This included tire flips, farmers carry, 12ft wall climb, rope traverse, concrete ball carry, monkey bars, sand bag carry…… I believe there was 15 all total. For more details check out www.metrodash.com.

Final Obstacle........scale an 8ft wall! No Problem!

    So how did she did she do? She killed it! As usual she was nervous! I never know why because I have seen her train! She kicked some serious butt out there completing obstacles many fit men could not complete! She did awesome! I am proud of her and even prouder to say she my beautiful wife! You are an outstanding athlete my dear and you should proud of your accomplishments!!

Here she is recovering with some cold water! She kicked ASS!

    What does this have to do with our sailing adventures? As many of you know and for those who don’t, sailing, especially offshore, requires a certain level of fitness and physical health. When you are hundreds or even thousands of miles from shore you can only depend on yourself and/or your crew members to handle whatever comes your way. These types of events and training for them prepare you, your muscles and your mind to be able to handle anything that may come your way. I have jumped onboard with training as well. I am nowhere near my beautiful wife’s fitness level, but I have been eating better and training 4-5 times a week for a few months now. I feel a lot better and the pounds are coming off. The wife and I have teamed up for an upcoming Toughmudder event. We will compete as a team! Check it out at www.toughmudder.com, so stay tuned! I hope I can keep up!

There she is! This Alberg 30 will be our new home and take us on a journey to true freedom.