The Plan

We started this blog on March 1, 2010 after purchasing s/v Nirvana, a Catalina 30 sailboat, in November, 2009.  On tax day, April 15, 2010 we took Nirvana out of the water for a haul-out.  Two and half long, hot months later our sailboat had a freshly painted hull and bottom.  This past summer of 2010 flew by, but we spent some of it in Lake Pontchartrain (New Orleans) learning the basics of sailing.  We have a long-time friend that has been living on a sailboat since 2002 and he's been helping us out.  We'll also continue to work on the sailboat to meet our needs for cruising and sell all kinds of odds and ends that we've accumulated over the years.


It is our hope to sell our home in 2011, but with the real estate market, who knows.  Our daughter, Erica, started her first year in college in August, 2010.  We don't want to leave her too soon, we need time to make Nirvana ready for cruising, and we need to sell everything. So... we're thinking that we'll "set sail" around the summer of 2012 or soon thereafter. Of course, we'll always stay close in heart and spirit with our daughter.  We'll  just be a plane ride away, and with the wonders of technology we'll be able to keep in touch frequently.  Hopefully Erica will spend her summer breaks from college with us sailing in the islands.  How many kids have that opportunity?! 

Our cruising route will consists of the Florida Keys, Bahamas, Cuba (any sponsors?), Mexico, Belize, and Guatemala.  Basically, the perimeter of the Gulf of Mexico.  Maybe our thoughts will change when we become more experienced, but long passages are not in our plans.  Maybe a one or two night passage, but not anything more than that.


If our home sells soon, we'll have a huge garage sale and move into a waterfront, 2 bedroom apartment.  We'll be able to keep Nirvana out back where we can work on her, and our daughter will have a place to come home to every weekend when not in a dorm.   


In the meantime, we're working on downsizing and we don't buy anything that won't have a place on the sailboat.  It's amazing how once the decision was made our whole thought process changed when thinking of a purchase.  We've always been frugal, but now it's even easier.  Every penny not spent is another penny for our cruising budget.  So, that's our cruising plan!