On one of our first dates at The Melting Pot, while twisting hot, gooey cheese, alternating bread chunks, cauliflower and apple slices on our fondue forks, we shared our mutual love and attraction…for the water and the sea.
His father worked tirelessly in the construction trades for the family to have the best boat they could afford, eventually saving enough to purchase property and build a home near the Gulf of Mexico in Florida. He grew up enjoying fishing and visiting the islands aboard his father's 1970's 24' Wellcraft airslot and later on his own 12' skiff and 18' Bayliner center console.
Meanwhile in the Northeast, my cousin graciously invited me to enjoy her lake lot/dock within biking distance from my house. I spent countless evenings watching the sun set over the lake, delighted in late night swims, and learned to waterski. Once I had my license, drives to beach, swimming in the Atlantic, and building drip castles were my summer goals.
We strategized our shared dream of living on a boat (this was the early 2000’s - 5 years before YouTube was founded and even more years before sailing channels were a thing!). We knew no one living on a boat. Although now aware many were already living our dream with less means, at the time we thought only the rich could live aboard. We figured "someday" we would find a way to make it work.
We had no idea how far the next 20 year passage of time would take us away from our dream.
