The transition from house to tent is not a glamorous, daredevil lifestyle. A video montage of recent weeks would look like a family sleeping in a tent, eating under a tarp, and me buying milk and a bag of ice for our cooler.

But, it isn’t a hippie lifestyle either – as suggested by someone in the ‘Comments’ section – of a recent CBC article about our upcoming liveaboard trip.

Before we downsized, my husband owned at least 30 suits. His shirts were packaged in bags by our dry cleaner, all neatly arranged and ready for his next business trip. His ties occupied a full drawer. And he liked tie pins – round ones – so he didn’t have to straighten them throughout the day.

My husband used to travel 3 weeks out of 4. In fact, this the first family trip I can recall taking where he hasn’t packed business attire in a suitcase. When we camped in Colorado, he protected his suits like they were newborns so they didn’t reek of wood smoke.

It was challenging to look after our kids when my husband travelled for business, but we had some help and managed.

As we approach our 11th wedding anniversary – I can honestly say It’s a joy being with someone like my husband who is passionate about everything he does. He has a genuine concern for people and an interest in life-long learning. He is an excellent pancake maker, pushes himself constantly, and makes a point of making good memories for our children.

Here is one example of how he helped the twins celebrate their birthday while I was in Antigua learning to sail.

And, this the ice rink that he built for us this past winter.

Sailing expert, Jimmy Cornell, struck a chord with my husband when he spoke of his relationship with his now-adult children. Jimmy credits sailing for the tight relationship he enjoys with his children today.

Hippies? I don’t know. In terms of substance, spending time as a family is one reason we want to sail.