The Crew
Fred and Iris took a slight detour in their lives in 1999. Not quite ready to retire, but wanting to expand their skills and experiences in some different directions after 20+ years in the computer business, they decided to spend 18 months or so on a voyage of self-discovery.
The Preparation
Planning began sometime around 1996, when Iris, then a middle manager at IBM attended a corporate education class that focused on attaining career and personal growth. Her conclusion was somewhat unconventional (as far as the class was concerned) since it led her to leave IBM and begin an investigation of different kinds careers and lifestyles.
Fred at this time was also going through a period of introspection, pondering the question of “is this the way I want to spend the rest of my life?”
Since they have always liked sailing, from the Islander 24 they had in San Francisco in the 70’s to the extensive chartering they did in the 80’s and 90’s, a 10 day charter in the BVI in late ’96 was enough to plant the seed that “we could live like this!”.
Like most technical people who are thinking of a cruising lifestyle, they immediately began to read anything they could lay hands on. Notable influences were Liza Copeland (“Just Cruising” and “Still Cruising”), Beth Leonard (“The Voyager’s Handbook”), Steve and Linda Dashew (“Offshore Cruising Encyclopedia” and “Bluewater Handbook”), Bill and Laura Cooper (“Sell up and Sail”) as well as many others. For variety, “Desperate Voyage” (John Caldwell) and “My Old Man and the Sea” (David and Daniel Hays) also provided inspiration. Cruising World, Latitudes and Attitudes, and This Old Boat magazines kept them focused, and trips to the Miami and Newport Boat shows helped identify the options.
By the middle of 1997, it became clear that there is a limit to the gratification you can get by reading about an activity, and at some point you have to “just do it!”.
Therefore, in March 1998, checks were signed, trips were taken, preparations were made, and the first requisite (i.e.. a real boat) became part of the mix. Preparing for and sailing the boat for the 700 or so miles across the Gulf of Mexico brought the plan into focus.
By this time, Iris ended her relatively brief sojourn in the travel business and began to work full time on the plans and preparations for a real voyage. Fred, likewise made plans to obtain a leave of absence from his job at IBM, effective in January 1999. Preparations involve real life-changing stuff like selling airplanes and cars, and a house, and getting rid of the large quantities of “stuff” that has been accumulating over 25 years of marriage and homes in 4 parts of the country. They never quite remembered why after six years in Austin they still had sleds, kerosene heaters, ice skates and all those winter coats! The 5 generations of (mostly) useless PC equipment was also a mystery, sitting as they were in the original boxes. At this point it is worth pointing out that another book with a significant influence on the plan is “Your money or your Life” whose message is in a word “SIMPLIFY”.
The First Voyage
We left Texas on May 9, 1999 heading off into the unknown after 3 months of intense effort. Sure we had a plan, but we didn’t know for sure what we were getting into. Our trials and tribulations are covered in detail on our original web pages – which include the photo album, daily Windwalker Log, route plan and status updates. Click HERE to view the Voyage 1 pages.
If we were to reflect on our first thirteen month cruising experience we’d have to say that we probably felt the greatest range of emotional highs and lows, often in the same day that we’d ever experienced heretofore. We always had a strong marriage and constant togetherness only strengthened our bond. That doesn’t mean that in the heat of a disaster all was sweetness and light. But we learned not to take emotional outbursts personally, to build on our strong problem solving skills, and to rely on both our intellectual and gut-feel assessments of situations. Mr. and Mrs. Patience also learned to sail into improving conditions instead of into worsening ones, at least most of the time! We still agonize when we think we’ve hurt Windwalker in some way and don’t expect that to change. While many cruisers we met felt the need for land after six to nine months of cruising, we would have remained content to continue on our way. But Fred’s leave of absence had an end-date and we had to return.
Voyage Interupted – Back to Work
After our first cruising sabbatical, we expected to return to Texas or another IBM site in North Carolina but fate took another detour. We made landfall in Ft. Lauderdale on June 1, 2000, ostensibly to have our watermaker fixed by Village Marine. Fred remembered that he’d worked with a team in Ft. Lauderdale, they were hiring, and lo and behold we were going to live in Florida. We cleared out of storage units in Texas, shipped our household goods and cars to Florida, and Fred started his new job on July 1, 2000. We survived re-entry culture shock and a hectic schedule.
While life on land offers a lot of luxuries, Iris found that what she missed most and appreciates more than ever is long, hot showers. Sure access to all kinds of stuff is nice, but there is certainly more challenge to making do aboard and juggling belongings in a very confined space. But we did appreciate having access to our tools and garage space to work in for the more difficult projects. And unfettered access to internet and cable news, both of which have become addictive. Living in notorious Palm Beach County has been quite entertaining, what with the 2000 election turmoil, first case of anthrax, temporary home to several of the Sept. 11 terrorists, etc. No dull moments here!
Voyage 2 – 2002-2003
Windwalker is made to sail. We spent much of our spare time working on the boat during 2001-2002 other than our brief respite in the Bahamas during May, 2001. After that trip we decided that it was time to start planning for another voyage. Fred was granted another leave of absence starting in July 2002 and we spent the next year again cruising the US East coast and the Caribbean. This time we followed the “Gentleman’s passage via the Bahamas and Dominican Republic. The original plan to sail west via Jamaica, Honduras, Belize and Mexico was modified after 3 weeks of high winds (mostly from the west) kept us in Luperon, and will have to wait for a future trip. Click HERE to view the Voyage 2 pages.
After returning from Voyage 2, Fred returned to work in October of 2003 and then retired in 2006 when we started preparing ourselves and Windwalker for Voyage 3. This took us north again in July of that year to Maine, then a leisurely sail back down the coast, arriving back in Florida in November. During this trip we started having engine issues and the old Volvo was hard to start on the cold mornings. Rather than continue on to the Islands, we decided to spend 2007 on projects. Ultimately this led to repowering and other major work, interspersed with annual trips and sea trials to the Florida Keys and elsewhere. Click HERE for the Voyage 3 pages, and consult the trips and project pages for the other activities.
The Adventure Continues
At the time of this update, we have recently returned from the Bahamas, and are planning a longer voyage for 2014. Recent years have been consumed with land-based activity, including the formation of a small company that provides technical services to political campaigns, and various excursions into activism on several levels. The new look of this website is an indicator that we will be returning to sea in the near future.
As they say: “First star on the right and onward until morning!”
TO BE CONTINUED