You’re Doing What??

When we told family and friends of our new life plan which involved uprooting our settled lives to go sailing around the world, we were met with many responses like “Wow that’s inspiring!” or ”There’s no way I could stand being alone on a boat with my husband/wife for that long.” or “Isn’t that dangerous?” And a common one was: “You’re Doing What?? Now?? How??” Covid-19 was in its early stages and the future was full of uncertainty.

This is a series of short posts about how the dream was born and how we hatched our plan.

We both enjoy adventures and decided to take a day sail off Oahu while we were vacationing in Hawai’i in December 2018 to see if sailing was something we’d enjoy doing together. Peter grew up on and around boats from a young age and had sailed in the Caribbean several times before. He loved sailing. Wendy had no experience and had never been sailing save for one short three-day jaunt in Belize with her brother on a captained catamaran when there was no wind.

We went for a day sail offshore from Ala Moana, Oahu near Diamond Head with Captain Gaelyn aboard her 42’ Beneteau, s/v Kaikiwi. The conditions were perfect: bright sun, steady breeze, and small but regular open ocean swells.

Once the sails were raised, the engine went quiet, and we gently heeled on to a beam reach. Wendy took the helm. A few moments later, she was in silent tears. Concerned, we asked if she was alright. She replied, “Some times I do this - I tear up when I’m overwhelmed with beauty. The sea, the sun, the wind moving the boat — it's magic. I love it.”

Captain Gaelyn smiled and said, “I think we’ve got a sailor here.”