We enjoy an ever-changing musical playlist onboard Dagny, and many tunes suit our present moment. An obvious artist is Jimmy Buffet who sings of his many seafaring and beach adventures.  He wrote a few lines that I find humorous:

“I was supposed to have been a Jesuit Priest 

or a Naval Academy grad

That was the way my parents perceived me, 

Those were the plans that they had,

But I couldn’t fit the part 

Too Dumb or too Smart, 

 Ain’t it funny how we all turn out? 

 I guess we are the people 

our parents warned us about…” 

I applied to the Naval Academy because Dad went there (Class ’52). I applied to schools in San Diego because I liked the nearby beaches. I applied to U of Maryland because I knew someone there. I applied to other schools for similarly weighty reasons. I didn’t really care where I went at the time. Somehow I got accepted to Marquette University without applying and spent minimal time with the Jesuit professors in classes and a majority of my time enjoying the newfound distractions of college life. While I was having a good time, I was a bit rudderless, drifting along, doing ok without much effort. I was looking for my path in life. My own line. 

I grew up in and around boats, sailboats mostly, so it was an easy sell when I learned about the Marquette Sailing Club.  They had free beer at the meetings in a musty off-campus basement.  I thought that was pretty nice. I felt at home talking about boats and drinking free beer.  Still do. The racing program was an added benefit, and I honed my sailing and racing skills on small boats down at the lake. This led to crewing on local one-design race boats out of the Milwaukee Yacht Club and getting a variety of big boat experiences. The following sailing seasons I would spend more time out on Lake Michigan. I competed in national and international races and we did well. I sailed a lot in the 1980s.

 Every course has its tacks and jibes. After the birth of our first daughter, my commitment to sailing waned and Amy and I jumped aboard parentship with gusto. We were not totally out of the boating scene. I don’t remember a time we didn’t own at least one small boat, but big race boats and little babies didn’t seem a great match.

For a while, we owned a Boston Whaler motorboat and our boating was mostly inland lakes. This was familiar grounds for Amy who grew up on Pine Lake water skiing and sailing small boats in circles. Great family fun. 

Years passed and as our youngest was about to finish high school we contemplated our next waypoint and where we would spend our leisure time.  We bought a sailboat and got back on Lake Michigan. Racing had lost its appeal and we started to take extended cruises on our S2 7.9m race boat, Time Machine. Across Lake Michigan, north to Door County, the North Channel in Canada. It was camping on water. That boat had minimal live-aboard comforts, but we did enjoy getting places quickly. Fast forward a few years and we bought a real cruising sailboat, our current Caliber 33, Dagny. We could then start serious planning for our eventual escape to the warm weather and full-time onboard living. 

Our girls have now grown up, graduated, and set off on their own paths. They come home to visit. Our future plans will focus around our ability to visit them for time together.  In the meantime, Amy and I relish the portal we have to their ongoing adventures through calls, texts, emails, and social media. We marvel at the technology we have at our fingertips.

We left Milwaukee in October 2023 and took Dagny from Lake Michigan down the inland waterways to the Gulf of Mexico. We then sailed the Florida Keys and over to the Bahamas, as far south as the Tropic of Cancer, the northern boundary of the Tropics.  We have traveled over 3000 miles so far.

So here we are. Living on a boat full time. Boat people.

Our parents were supportive of our pursuits while we were growing up and behind us no matter what course we chose.  I’m pretty sure if they were still around, they would be especially proud of us for following through with our dreams and taking our own line. We would have welcomed them aboard.

Ain't it funny how it all turns out?
~p
s/v Dagny, Marsh Harbour, Abaco, Bahama