Yeah, where ARE we going?
1) Where are you guys now and where are you going?
Our home is in beautiful Missoula, Montana. We have a modest little home near the Clark Fork River just outside of town. Our destination has fluctuated throughout the planning stage (see the progression here). As we’ve refined our plan, the Sea of Cortez has become the clear choice. We were searching for a locale that was inexpensive, lonely, remote, and tolerant of our hairy, four legged child.
The wind isn't really free....
2) How do you plan on financing this trip?
Our day to day expenses will be drastically less while on the sailboat, but alas, we still have bills that will follow us to sea (student loans, health insurance, etc). We’ve been paying down debt, pinching our pennies, and tracking where our money disappears to on Mint.com. If our budget estimates hold true, it looks like we’ll have enough money for about a year of cruising once we leave Montana. Feel free to take a look at The Budget page for more details.
We’re also planning on drumming up some work along the way (don’t worry, we won’t be doing any drug running)! Our vehicle for this potential lucre is our small map making and GIS analysis business, Blue Water GIS. We’ll carry on with our current contracts and seek out more map making and consulting opportunities. Most importantly, we will be keeping our budget lean, mean and flexible. When you come visit, don’t expect to see the modern conveniences like hot water, refrigeration or fancy electronics on our boat!
He's loving the sailing life so far....
3) Do you really think Wylie’s going to like living on a boat?
Well, his favorite things in life are swimming, snuggling with us, long walks on the beach and sleeping. Given that, this may in fact be the greatest year of his life (assuming we can track down the elusive Sonoran Desert Saguaro Squirrel). We’ve put him to the sailing test on our much smaller 20′ boat in previous summers and he loves it! If somehow we’ve misjudged his tolerance and there comes a point where he’s obviously not enjoying the adventure, we’re committed to returning him to dry land. We have plenty of offers for temporary homes if need be and I think a certain Austin family is secretly hoping he’ll hate sailing! Check out our most popular web page, Wylie’s Bio.
The captain is supervising the First Mate and deckhand!
4) What sailing experience do you have?
Katie has been sailing for about 10 years, holds her US Coast Guard Captain’s license and has worked on sailboats for years in Hawai’i. Mark has been learning alongside Katie for about 2 years now on both of our Previous Boats and diving into every sailing book, website and resource he can get his hands on! Katie has the experience, but he’s the one that’s truly obsessed!
The best laid plans start close to the heart
5) How long have you been planning this adventure?
Well, we’ve been dreaming of it forever, talking seriously about it for 2 years, and we finally made the decision to actually do it about a year ago. As we discuss in our Why Are We Doing This post, our desire for a change in lifestyle, scenery and the undeniable ticking of the biological clock makes this the perfect time to go.
- Let the boat projects begin
6) Have you guys bought a boat yet?
As of March 2012, we are the proud caretakers of a beautiful 1962 Pearson Triton. Check out our Triton Page for details on our boat Selkie, and tons of links to other useful Triton related sites.
Yep, we know
7) Wait, you’re thinking of moving to Mexico in June? You do know that’s the start of hurricane season, right?
Yep, we know. Read more about our plan and our safeguards in the Weather and the Itinerary pages.
Are there more questions out there we haven’t addressed? Let us know! We’d love to hear from you!
