Fellow Cruisers

Ken and I have been really busy working together in the heat again this week.  I'm exhausted and sore and was glad to have a day off today.  However, Ken had to go back to work in the heat again today and will again tomorrow and again on Sunday!  I'm not able to help him with his latest job - he needed a guy's help.  It's times like these that I can not wait to start our cruising dream.  Ken is working so hard, taking jobs while they're available, and he deserves a permanent break.  We know cruising will also be work, but not like what he's been doing for over 15 years. 

Needless to say, the water pump has not yet been installed.  It shouldn't take very long, but Ken hasn't had a break and the last thing he wants to do at the end of a hot day is crawl in our boat to work some more.  I can't say I blame him.

So, I thought this would be a great time to write about other bloggers that are cruisers or future cruisers that we have had the pleasure of coming across during the past several months.  Ken and I have become more and more motivated and excited after finding so many great people with our same dream.  We really hope to meet some of these bloggers one day.  It seems that a lot of the bloggers we've been following have really had some great happenings lately.  I only wish I had more time to speak of every blog that we're following, but at this time I'll just cover the ones with breaking news.  I'll start in alphabetical order with their latest adventures.

Barco Sin Vela II is about a couple that have had many sailing adventures and now have a trawler that they plan on enjoying by traveling The Great Loop.  However, Darryl will first be sailing the Cook Islands, Fiji Islands and other great places in that area (I don't know what they are but am excited about learning from Darryl).  The adventure begins August 2nd!

The second blog, Bumfuzzle, was actually the first blog that I came across.  I can honestly say their web site is what got me hooked on the idea of cruising.  This couple seems to be about the same age as Ken and I, and they've already sailed around the world, camped around the world in a VW, lived in Mexico for the birth of their daughter (now about 7 months old), and have just recently become sailboat owners again.  Their first sailboat was a really nice catamaran, but this time they're trying a monohull.  They've only had possession of the sailboat for about 2 weeks and we're really excited that they will be sailing again - this time with a precious baby girl.

The third blog is Knotty Cat Tales, which is about a couple sailing their catamaran for the next few months.  Time flies, and although it seems like they've just started their adventure it's probably already been over a month.  Their last post had them in the Washington D.C. area, and Laura's humor makes this a great and entertaining blog to follow.

Livin the Dream Cruising is about a couple that have been liveaboards since 2006 and have been cruising ever since.  They've just returned from Honduras and Belize and share some beautiful pictures, as well as the costs of "Livin the Dream".

The next blog is Sailing Me Voy, which is about a couple that is currently fixing up two boats.  They are living on one boat and fixing it up while also getting their sailboat ready for cruising in the near future.  They are getting married real soon, so we wish them well and look forward to hearing about their wedding.  They're keeping it small, which we think is really smart.

Another blog we've been following is Pineapple Girl on Tiki J.  Tiki J is a sailboat that just completed the Pacific Cup race from California to Hawaii.  We've enjoyed reading about the preparations for the race, and are looking forward to seeing the upcoming pictures.  If my memory is correct, the race took about 7 days.

Moving on to Tropical Nuthouse, which is about a couple that have been liveaboards for years, and have just finished the first phase of their new house in the Bahamas.  They've spent many years working in Marathon, FL during the hurricane season and then sailing and living in the Bahamas during the winter months.  After their recent completion of the first phase of their house, they have sailed to NC for the summer and are excited about finishing their home in the Bahamas this winter.  They've done a great job so far.

Windtraveler is about a couple that is planning on cruising in only a couple of months.  They've been working hard on getting their sailboat ready, and just got the sailboat back in the water a few weeks ago.  If that weren't enough, they just got married this past weekend.  We wish them the best and can't wait to see more pictures of the wedding, as well as hear about the upcoming sailing adventures.

Last, but not least, is Zero To Cruising.  This Canadian couple sets sail in less than a week!  They've sold everything and just yesterday got rid of the automobile and the cell phones.  We're really excited for them and know they'll have some great stories to tell.

All of these people are living their dreams (or getting close to it), and have been an inspiration to us.  Their stories provide a good explanation of why we're working on becoming full-time cruisers.  After reading their stories and seeing the beautiful pictures, do you still have to ask, "Why"?!  We wish them all the best and hope our paths cross somewhere in the blue cruising waters.

As I mentioned, there are so many other great blogs (and people) that we're following and as the others get closer to their dream we'll be mentioning them as well.  There's just not enough time right now to cover all of them.  However, if you look to the right of our web page, you'll notice "Other Cruisers" with their links underneath.  Check them out.

Hasta luego ... until then.  Mid-Life Cruising!