Sometimes the hardest part is to just start

I have been wanting to get this blog going all week, but having never written a blog I have been intimated. However, like all things you have to start somewhere. I don’t need to have crazy cool graphics or fancy vocabulary to begin. Much like this journey we are taking this year, you just need to start somewhere. So here I am starting a blog of our seabbatical on No Worries to preserve our memories and to share with so many who have said “I can’t wait to follow your adventure.”

How it began

As a small child I did some sailing on Lake Champlain as I grew up in Vermont until 6th grade. I have vague memories of floaties and cold water, but they might be memories created by the few photos taken (this was the 80s) and are now currently in storage. I spent summers at my grandparents in Duxbury, MA riding in the Whaler and even hit the Big Bridge once when I was allowed to drive it. Also my Mom is still a huge mermaid who craves the ocean when she has been landlocked for too long. She would show me how to hold horseshoe crabs and hunt for sand dollars.

Me and my Mom in Cape Cod (approx 1977/78)

We would plan our days with the tide “clock” on the fridge and end the day with lobster races in the driveway before they met their demise. My childhood was not full of sailing but the ocean was always a happy place and to be feared, just respected.

The Honeymoon

I began to learn and love sailing when Nate and I sailed the the Whitsunday Islands in 2000 for our honeymoon. We chartered a 41’ monohull and the week was magical with spots like Palm Island where we tied up to a Palm tree. There was one unsuccessful day when we did not time the tides and ended up in “God’s Washing Machine” while trying to sail to Whitehaven Beach.

Official Lessons

Nate and I took turns taking sailing courses while we lived in Darwin, Australia in 2011. There we passed our Australian Level I and Level II Keel Boat certification. On a date night, I promptly ran our Sunfish boat into an anchored boat. We returned to the Yacht Club to report the damage and were informed that the owners had been MIA for so long that there was no way to contact them!

The Timor Sea where we took sailing lesson in Darwin. The is Jo, Finn and Addy (left to right). You could not swim here because of box jellyfish (deadly) and Saltwater Crocs (also deadly). During sailing lesson you had to wear a full wetsuit (with booties) or pantyhose to protect from jellyfish that splashed on you. It was SO hot.

Family Sailing

We finally got to charter another boat 11 years after our honeymoon with some work friends. Chartering with friends and/or family is the most affordable way to sail for a week at a time. It is also cheaper if you have your own Captain (Nate) and do all your own cooking. Another hack is to go during off season (the hot months).

Whitsundays Australia 2012. This trip we actually made it to Whitehaven Beach and knew better to watch the tides. We also heard whales through the hull in our cabins.

Christmas 2012 on my inlaw’s boat Archimedes in New Zealand. The Flemings also joined us. Here Jo and Addy help Grandpop at the helm. Nate’s Dad has a passion for boats and sailing. Nate and his family took sailing trips during Nate’s college years. During our week we saw our first Orcas! We were told they snack on rays.

2014 Whitsundays Australia. Nate and Jo. We returned to take my Mom on a week sailing trip. Unfortunately she felt too sick the whole trip (no good pictures) and it turned out she had Shingles!

2018 Key West FL. Jo at sunset. We moved back to North America and had to find new spots to sail. We took a trip with my inlaws. It was a lesson in anchoring with crab pots and sailing in storms.

Key West 2019 with the Sobieszczyk family. Addy, Caroline, Salina and Jo. It was a magical week of the ocean and all the games/crafts created by Cat.

Belize 2020 with Jim and Trica. Addy at bow. We had to cut our trip a day short because the airport in Belize City was closing as COVID swept the world.

Friends Maura and Sean renewed their wedding vows
BVI 2021. Tricia, Sullivans, Sofia and Sophie. Nothing like a pandemic to ignite your dreams. This year Nate and starting researching boats. So we took a big group out on a Voyage catamaran to see if we liked this style boat. The logistics were tough coming out of COVID but the vaccines and masks were worth it. Plus the islands were very uncrowded.

Our Own Boat

We made the leap and bought No Worries (52’ Voyage Catamaran) in January ‘22. The boat was in charter with Voyage Charters for the next 2 years. From 2022-2024 we were able to use owner’s time to host a wide collection of family and friends in BVI, US Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico. What a privilege to share boat time with some many and to continue to hone sailing skills. Some of these guests have included:

Thursday, September 12, 2024 Chesapeake Bay, Maryland

Preparations