Our First Sailing Season Done! - What's Next?

Bernard Moitessier, writer of the autobiographical sailing saga "The Long Way", when about to win a sailing race around the world, decided he wasn't ready to give up the sea for the glory of a trophy. He famously sailed on past his finish line, so that he may spend seven more years alone on his boat, Joshua. He (some would say) selfishly left his family, his home, and his country for his love of solitude, simplicity, and the sea. He wrote in his novel, “There are two terrible things for a man: not to have fulfilled his dream, and to have fulfilled it.”

We've tucked our sailboat, Wanderlust, safely into a marina slip in Fajardo, Puerto Rico, to wait out the rest of hurricane season, and our first year sailing officially comes to an end. It's August, and the tropical heat is just beginning to relent as the day dwindles. Ben and I sit in the cockpit of our sailboat, with our Ruca pup snoozing on deck, sipping iceless rum and cokes, and watch a gorgeous cotton candy Caribbean sunset over the hills of Puerto Rico. We look at each other, and grin, because we still can't believe we actually pulled it off. Over the last 12 months, our wonderful sailboat took us all the way from Key West, through the Bahamas, to Turks and Caicos, to the Dominican Republic, the Virgin Islands, and now Puerto Rico. Cheers to that!

We're feeling happy, proud, and like able sailors, but it is also bittersweet.

What could possibly come next... after a year like this?

A sailor's plan typically doesn't stay a plan for long... But, we can tell you as vaguely as we've nailed it down, what we plan to accomplish during the next part of our journey.

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Boat Repairs and Improvements

Wanderlust has been SO GOOD to us this year, and we haven't made it easy. We've traveled thousands of miles, anchored in hundreds of places, and braved dozens of Bahamian cold fronts and tropical storms. Our boat has had really minimal issues, meaning no big "show stoppers" the whole season. The sails always raised when we needed them, the engine started right up, and the anchor never ONCE dragged. She's been a safe, reliable vessel, and we feel super lucky. But, a year of full time use means she's in need of some love.

Sailboats are notoriously needy, and regular maintenance is hard work. But we love our girl Wanderlust, and we want to keep her healthy, so she can sail for years to come. It's the least we can do in exchange for such a wonderful year of travel. Here's just a few of the projects we've got lined up this year to get her into tip top shape.

- Bottom Paint

- Exterior Teak Refinishing

- Cabin Sole Refinishing

- Hull Gel Coat Repair

- Anchor Chain Re-Galvanization, Re-Marking

- Replace Some Running Rigging

- Inspect and Replace Some Standing Rigging and Lifelines

- Repaint Deck Non-Skid

- Repair Broken AutoPilot System

- Repair Broken Watermaker

- Repair Broken WindVane/Backup AutoPilot

- Sew New Cabin Cushions

- Dinghy Overhaul

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Getting to Know Puerto Rico

We'll call the east coast of PR home for the next several months, maybe the next year, living up the lush marina life. Wanderlust will reside snugly in a slip for at least the remainder of hurricane season, while we accomplish our work this year. The marina is ony one hour from the airport in San Juan, and we're close to groceries, marine parts stores, and we can receive mail whenever we want! Oh the luxury! Although anchoring would be free of charge, the marina gives us unlimited and invaluable access to things like water, electricity, and transportation, not to mention, full time security.

We're brushing up on our Spanish, becoming regular Medalla drinkers, and pincho eaters extrordionnaire. We can't wait to visit all the natural wonders of this island, and get to know the unique and special culture.

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Make Some Dinero

We're sad to say, money doesn't grow on palm trees. :( :( :( We're heading back to the working world to jump-start our careers again.

But the good news is, even if we are in search of the J word, we're not going back to the cubicle farm. There's many flexible employment options we're discovering, like temporary contracts, and remote work. Flexible employment options are much more condusive to a full time traveler's lifestyle, while still allowing us to make enough green to fund our next big adventure - whatever that may be!

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Shave Ben's Beard

We left our jobs in Kansas CIty August 28, 2015, almost exactly one year ago, and Ben hasn't cut his beard since that day. It's safe to say, the beard has had it's glory day and Ben has successfully "stuck it to the man." But, truth be told, we are a little over it.

When non-English speaking children run out into the streets to point and exclaim, "Osama Bin Laden! Osama Bin Laden!", it has gone from manly and captainly to straight up terrorist. And that's not fashionable.

We'll be sure to post pics and a video as Ben goes from Abraham Lincoln to normal person once more, but I've promised him that it doesn't mean he'll have to put on his tie, pick up his calculator and be an accountant again. :)

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Plan our Next Adventure!

We have NO idea where or when we might venture to next! But that's the beauty of the sailing life, and the world is a big, beautiful place. :) We know one thing - we aren't quite done adventuring yet!

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We're so happy that we've had readers following our blog this year, and actually a little surprised that anyone found us interesting enough to follow! Although we originally only planned one year of travel, we're just not ready to give up the freedom of this lifestyle yet. The experiences this year, the cultures we've grown to love, and the friends we've made, have changed our lives for the better.

We hope you continue to follow this crazy travel adventure - which has now just become our LIFE!

Thank you for Reading,

Ben, Quinn and Ruca

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