Well.....Keith really took his blog post in a direction I didn't think it would go - welcome to "Mi Vida Loca".
As you can see, after 18 years together, we are still two different people, two different trains of thought, two different writing styles, and two different outlooks on life and events. Be prepared for a crazy ride with this blog!
So, while Keith had some experience in sailing and vessel construction, the most I can say for myself is that I've been on a cruise ship. That's the extent on any mariner experience in my background.
While he loved hot weather, the desert, water and sky......I loved the mountains, even temperatures and huddling by campfires in the cold.
He liked drag racing (and has done it himself); I liked NASCAR (and loved to watch it!).
He likes to sing Karaoke. I am tone-deaf (Lucille Ball sang better on the "I Love Lucy" episodes than I sing). But to give myself a little credit here, I love music and I do know the lyrics to more songs than Keith does!
When we met in the Sierra Nevada mountains of California, we both had just come out of broken marriages. We both had two children (he had two sons while I had a son and a daughter). I was staying with my parents and he was staying with his mother; and both of us were at a crossroad - trying to find the right road to take that would give us some purpose in life.
Keith began driving long-haul - and living in the Sierra's became impossible for us. So, we moved to Las Vegas, Nevada. After the move, I got in the driver seat, too.
Our original plan was to make as much money as possible and buy a little ranch somewhere - complete with cows, chickens, horses, etc. Obviously, that didn't happen.
Our relationship was always in turmoil. We had disagreements, out and out arguments, and we let others influence and dictate our choices and decisions......and we spent a great deal of time separating and getting back together.
The last split-up we lasted two months. We were so miserable. Keith contemplated just "ending it all", while I contemplated just walking into the forest (I was back up in the Sierra's at the time) and not stopping until I collapsed and died.
It really was morose. So, I called him with a "deal", of sorts. We would go back team driving as driving partners (not as a couple). I was sitting on a ton of bills and no job. I could pay them off, save some money and start again - somewhere and somehow. What surprised me was that he actually agreed.
Long story short - in a small space such as a truck, we talked out our problems and ended up together once again - but this time with a goal - and this is where our bet comes in.
We decided we needed a goal. We needed something we could work toward together, do together, accomplish together. The ranch thing wasn't feasible, and we had lost interest in it, anyway.
We kicked around different idea's and narrowed it down to two; and, naturally, one idea was his, and one was mine.
Keith wanted a sailboat. I wanted a motorhome. He wanted to sail to different islands, different countries. I wanted to drive the States (okay, I was thinking genealogy here - drive through each State, see the sights, and research). Now, this is where the bet comes in.
Since we couldn't decide on who's idea to incorporate, we decided to compromise - and made a bet. The bet was - the first one to save their money and get their respective "mode of travel" (ie, boat or motorhome), that's what we would do. Guess who won the bet?
Okay, so I am lousy at saving money - and I still had my debts to pay off (which I did); but, also, as time went by I realized just how miserable Keith would've been traveling around in a motorhome.
After watching him for a few months eat nothing but soup and sandwiches in the truck so he could put aside every spare penny, I began using my income to supplement his savings. I bought all the essentials of living on the road while he saved for the boat. It just developed into a natural process of working together. I, also, think that because of that process, the five year saving plan was cut down to just a little under two years.
So, on our first earned two-week paid vacation together, we bought the Moonlight Sue.
Comes a time in a man's life when he begins to see a necessity to re-route his life; you know, the "what'll I do after work" life. So I began to think of all the things I've done in my time.
I dismissed drag racing - too expensive and always on the road to different tracks. I thought of flying (almost got my private pilot license), but money and age would prevent that idea. I really liked competition desert racing - but again, age was a factor, too. Then, there was sailing; but that was for the rich - or was it? Could a sailboat be a possibility? Not as physically demanding as dirt racing, but it would keep me active; and,after all, I really did love to sail!
Splashdance
My first introduction to sailing was with some friends of mine on an Erickson 36 and, after a couple of day cruises, I decided to build my own Glen Ellen-designed 12' day sail-er. I completed it with a rabbit cage wire mold, over which I laid Matt fiber and epoxy resin on both sides of the wire. Oh, and I lengthened the design by 2 feet. I made all her bright work out of Mahogany and the spares from Sitka Spruce. I even molded her dagger-board trunk and laid the fore deck with Mahogany plywood. On the day of the test sail, complete with her new name, I pushed "Splashdance" into the waters of "diaper bay" (as it was known) and I almost yelled with joy. She floats. SHE ACTUALLY FLOATS!
I stepped her mast, attached her shrouds, and pushed her deeper into the bay, setting her rudder in the pintels and raised the main and jib. I lowered the dagger-board and we were off!
Uh oh! Hey, hold on a minute. I've never sailed a boat by myself! Oh, I've read about how to sail; but, here I am - SAILING!
It was a light wind, and as I began to remember (and put into practice) what I had read, it all seemed to come together. I tacked, reset the main and jib to close haul, and Splashdance came to life. As she picked up speed and heeled over, a feeling came over me which, until today, I CANNOT FORGET! I built my own boat, launched and sailed her, with no outside help.
This is what I was thinking about when we chose to sail.
So, lets fast-forward to about 8 years ago. After seeing some of the prices on sailboats, I began to realize that maybe if I saved long enough, say about 5 years, I could afford a boat that would get us to all those exotic islands I had been reading about in Latitudes & Attitudes magazine. Yes, I did have a specific style of boat in mind, and living in Vegas at the time, we decided to take part of our vacation in Port Isabel,Texas - which is where I had seen a Morgan Out Islander for sale for $50,000. This also happened to be where my Father's relatives once lived, and in fact, my Grandfather is buried in the local cemetery. It was also my childhood playground, as South Padre Island is just across the bay by way of Queen Isabella bridge.
I am a very impatient person. I had only saved $23,000, but, maybe, the owner of the Morgan would take that as a down payment, and I could finance the rest. I talked to Bill, our broker, and, when we arrived, he let us tour the boat.
We boarded the boat. The first thing I saw was every square inch of gel coat was weather cracked. Below decks was the same story - a LOT of dry rot. Bill told me that the owner was firm on $50,000 cash and the bank was not willing to "float" a loan. I told Bill. "This boat will sink before I pay $50,000 for it." Ironically, about 8 months later, IT DID!
My next blog post will be finding "the one".
Have you ever had a crazy idea, and without thinking about it, just did it?
Have you ever thrown away all your good sense, that inner voice screaming "no" at you, thrown caution to the wind, and forged ahead?
We're here to tell you right now - it's the only way to live life - like there will be no tomorrow!
Keith and I are really just a couple of average people who were looking for a way to make life as interesting as we can before we "kick the bucket". The first half of our lives - oh say, from 18 years old until about 12 years ago (you really didn't think I'd reveal my age did you?) - we did every possible thing that was expected of us.....from our parents, our respective ex-spouses, our kids, our employers....okay, so every one.
One day, we decided before the grim reaper comes to collect our bones, we were going to choose something together that we want to do.....a goal.....an adventure....a life so totally different from what we were living that we'd have to learn it as we go along. Our brainstorming gave us the Moonlight Sue.
Sue is a 1981 36' Hunter Sloop (that's a sailboat for any of you who may not know what that is - like me before Keith had me memorize it because I didn't know either). Keith scrimped and saved his paycheck as I paid for essentials with my paycheck - for almost two years. That's two years of driving long-haul team from one U.S. coast to the other U.S. coast.
Our dream? Now don't laugh like I did when I really had to sit down and seriously think about this - to sail her wherever we decided was the coolest places to visit (by water, of course) and the best places to find that ultimate beautiful white sand and clear blue sea. I guess if one is going to follow a dream one might as well "shoot for the moon" with it.
We will talk about how we found Sue, bought her and customized her to fit the lifestyle we wanted on the water. Keith will talk about all the changes he's done to her, the work involved - the whats and whys and hows of making her our home. I'll post my pictures as we talk about where we've been and where we're going.
So, grab your favorite sundowners and join us on this journey. It goes up. It goes down. It even goes sideways. We can't tell you whether you'll like it or not, but we can promise you that it will never be boring (at least for us!).
(Okay, so maybe we drove Peaches the dog a little crazy)
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