February 22, 2022
What a difference a year makes. I realized today that it was approximately one year ago that our lives began to seriously shift towards finally realizing our dream of cruising. It started inadvertently with an idea to move the boat to Monterey for the upcoming summer vacation with the kids.
The plan was for Charles and I to sail the boat down beforehand, anchor in Monterey for two weeks, and at the end bring the boat back to the Bay Area,… likely battling wind and current for the entire two-day passage. Ugh! But…, now that I am aged and wizened, and I no longer relish the ‘adventure’ of unnecessary discomfort, I began thinking of alternatives. I had been mulling an idea over, and one day I asked Charles, ‘What if we don’t come back?’.
The response from my husband was laughter and wishful agreement. However, our initial plan had been to retire the following year anyway, so it would only be a year ahead of schedule. In addition, I had been laid-off from my job due to the pandemic, and neither of us were happy in our situation or with the circumstances we were living in. We felt trapped and our lives were stagnant. We needed to make a change and it has only been in hindsight that we are able to see just how badly.
Needless to say, that one little sentence, ‘What if we don’t come back?’, was all it took. The damage was done, the seed was planted, Charles started doing what Charles does best. He figured out how to make it work. He triple-checked our finances and put us on an incredibly tight budget (no marinas, no laundromats, and no eating out) but we could do it, if we were willing to sacrifice, and willing to look for work in the future if needed.
Well, willing we were! We left our slip at Ballena Bay in Alameda, California on Friday, June 4, 2021. Charles had handed-in his notice at work the previous month and was now, after 25 years, officially retired. As we headed out across San Francisco Bay towards the boatyard in Richmond we were hopeful, nervous, excited, terrified, you name it, and we were in disbelief. I remember a lot of disbelief. We had sold our dock steps and given up our rare liveaboard slip at the marina. There was officially no turning back.
4 responses to “It Started with a Question”
I’m so glad you asked that life-affirming question…because now you are my friends!!
That alone made it worth asking!
I seem to be reading these backwards. Can’t wait to hear of your further adventures. ♥️ Loving these posts, hated when we didn’t hear from you.
Aww, thank you Denise! We definitely had/still have obstacles to get through but it is nice to finally be on the path. It has been a very difficult and emotional process but we are determined to keep going! Thank you for always having kind encouraging words, it makes a world of difference.