The transition of our soon-to-be sailing family, 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.
At times, this transitional camping lifestyle is kind of awful, and that’s coming from someone who usually enjoys camping a lot. Good thing that our motivation to sail is built on something stronger than a hippy aesthetic.
From Corporate Suits to Sailing Family Life
Before we downsized, my husband, Rick, 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.
Traveling for Work
Rick 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 Rick travelled for business, but we had some help and managed.
Passion and Purpose
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.
Why We Chose Life as a Sailing Family
Sailing expert, Jimmy Cornell, struck a chord with Rick 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. But spending more time together as a family is one reason we want to sail. For the full background, including what inspired our plan to travel by sailboat, see From House to Sailboat: A Road Trip.
Related Post
On Pinterest
This early blog post about our sailing family is available to save on Pinterest.
