How Did We Get Here?
If you had told us a few years ago we’d be living on a boat, planning our version of the Great Loop, and referring to things like “draft” and “bridge clearance” in everyday conversation… we would have laughed and gone back to whatever perfectly normal thing we were doing at the time.
But here we are.
Like a lot of people, everything shifted during COVID. Travel stopped feeling easy, normal life felt a little less certain, and we found ourselves looking for something that felt both safe and a little adventurous. That’s when we found sailing. Fresh air, open water, just the two of us (and eventually Wimbi), and a whole lot of figuring it out as we went.
What started as a “this seems like a good pandemic activity” quickly turned into something more. We didn’t just like being on the water—we really liked it – and the people who came with it. Enough that we started asking the dangerous question: what would it look like to do more of this?
Enter the idea of the Great Loop.
At first it felt like one of those things other people do. Retirees. Experts. People with way more boating experience than us. But the more we read, the more it started to feel… possible. Not easy, not simple—but possible.
We realized pretty quickly that while we loved sailing, what we were envisioning for the Loop looked a lot more like a floating condo than a sailboat. More space, more comfort, less dependence on wind, and something we could truly live aboard for extended stretches. So we started down the rabbit hole of trawlers—and eventually set our sights on a 42-foot Kadey Krogen.
Then things got real.
We sold the house. (Still not entirely sure how we emotionally survived that one.)
We rented for a bit to give ourselves flexibility.
We searched for the boat—scrolling listings, learning way more than we ever expected, and trying to balance excitement with “let’s not make a terrible decision.”
And then, in what might have been the most humbling and memorable chapter of all, we moved in with Mom (Thank God for Mom!)!
That season deserves its own highlight reel. Equal parts chaos, gratitude, and logistics. Downsizing our life, figuring out what stays and what goes, and trying to prepare for a floating lifestyle while living under someone else’s roof again. We truly could not have done it without her—and without the incredible help from friends who showed up in every possible way.
Because once we found the boat, the work really began.
There were projects. Then more projects. Then the projects we didn’t know were projects yet. Through it all, our friends jumped in—fixing, troubleshooting, teaching, lending tools, lending patience, and occasionally reminding us that yes, this would all be worth it.
Somewhere in the middle of sanding, wiring, cleaning, and learning systems we’d never even heard of before, it started to feel real. Not just like an idea or a someday plan—but like a life we were actively building.
And that’s how we got here.
Not in one big leap, but in a series of small, sometimes messy, always meaningful steps—from a pandemic hobby to a full-on lifestyle shift. From a house to a boat. From “should we?” to “we’re doing this.”
Next up: actually taking her out and heading north.
What could possibly go wrong?
Aboard MV Tortuga 