Phillip and Stacy enjoyed this sailing lifestyle before, pre-kids. In Australia, we were paid crew aboard charter boats in the Whitsundays. South Africa had us crewing in weekly races including an exciting race to Mozambique. Living in Florida in the early 2000s took us to Cuba and all over the Bahamas. We raced in the BVIs and USVIs. But we were always on someone else’s boat.

Having the Caribbean in our “backyard” while living in Florida inspired us to buy our first cruising sailboat, a Tayana 37 Pilothouse. SV Gone with the Wind sailed us around the Bahamas for many years and then on to nearly every island on our windward path to South America.

We’d lived in the Caribbean for several years when something happened… My taste buds changed overnight… I couldn’t stay awake for more than 5 hours a day. Was it some kind of Caribbean sleeping sickness… a stray African tsetse fly? A pregnancy test revealed the answer. There was a baby on the way.

“Lets head to Panama to have the baby!” Phill said. “No, take me back to Virginia!” I insisted. Tristan was born in 2006 in Richmond where grandma, uncles, aunts, cousins and friends were all around. We were planning to sail south soon after but time just got away. Then we discovered another little boy was on the way. Bodin came along in 2009. Our boat became too small… 2 kids, 2 dogs and a working mom and dad. So we sold her and bought a Leopard 45 catamaran thinking that if this was going to work long term, then the boat needs to be a bit larger.

This new adventure is an experiment… can we sail, run a business, make money and homeschool while voyaging under sail? How will the old dog Jock cope? Will the kiddos like this nomadic lifestyle? We’ll find out as the journey unfolds…