Being Open

          When I first met Jon and for maybe the first half a year we were together he would talk about dreams of sailing the world, non-stop travelling, living anywhere and everywhere. I thought he was crazy, a dreamer, and I chalked it up to his Sagittarius-ness showing through. I would ask, "But how would you afford all that? It'd be expensive. It's not realistic." I knew that someday he would be beaten into submission like the rest of us and give up his dreams for a desk. I tried to be gentle and refrain from stomping all over his dreams, but at the same time wanted him to think about the logistics of it. In my head I would think, "I could never do that; it would never work" and would worry about the implications: would I be able to fit into his future or would our lifestyles just be too different and we'd have to go our separate ways?

          Slowly, over the course of the past year or so, without even realizing it my mind has been opened to new possibilities. Over the past 6 months I've started reading about these "tiny houses" all over the Internet. I fell in love with the idea. I've been inspired by people who live in their tiny space (house or boat) and make their living through working at home, writing, blogging, taking odd jobs, reducing bills and debt. Simplifying your life, streamlining, reducing stress and anxiety by reducing clutter....it makes perfect sense to me. Along with that, I liked the idea of going against the mainstream (something I've always been good at) and refusing to participate in the 9-5 Monday through Friday full-time daily grind, expensive clothes, expensive car, big house, slaving away at a job that drains you just so you can afford all the shit you don't need that is slowly taking over your house. Over the past 5 years working full-time as a counselor in various community mental health clinics and feeling my life energy drain away, the notion that there must be a different way to do things has taken root and grown. Now, it's unstoppable. The idea of spending more time at home (I've always been a home-body), maybe even working from home, but just working less and not being a slave to a higher authority and instead answering to myself sounds...fantastic.

          The idea of living simply in a tiny space has unknowingly appealed to me for years. While living in a suburb of Portland, OR, I started out with a small 1-bedroom apartment for 3 years then moved to a much bigger 2-bedroom for one year. I came to hate my extra bedroom and avoided it for the most part. Unfortunately, that's where all my books were! Cluttered around my many bookcases was all the extra "stuff" or "creep" that would get thrown in there. I didn't want to see it, so I kept the door closed most of the time. It was actually a relief to downsize and go for another 1-bedroom for my next venture - I was forced to not bring lots of stuff home because there was nowhere to put it! My spending decreased.

          Now, it's similar with Jon and I sharing a 1-bedroom. We had to downsize a lot when we moved in together and it is ever a work-in-progress. With all this practice, I think we'll do just fine in a boat (or maybe a tiny house someday as well). For the past year we've been sailing our Macgregor 25 and have been getting used to camping overnight in the boat, and I love it! It's so nice and cozy; there's plenty of space for us. Waking up early in the wilderness surrounded by gorgeous scenery (the Snake River or Lake Coeur d'Alene in Idaho - check them out!), bundled up out in the cockpit, listening to the chatter of strange birds, sipping coffee, reading a novel and gazing out on the water...what could be better than that? Maybe now I'm the dreamer but having that every morning sounds like perfection.

It Begins with a Dream

About two weeks ago I jokingly sent my father an email titled, “Graduation Gift,” which contained a link to a sailboat that I thought looked awesome! Two days ago I sent a down payment to the current owner. This is where the journey begins, but the roots for the tale have long been brewing.

          I wish I could say I was an expert sailor, even a good sailor, but I’m just a kid bred for adventure with a “learn to sail” book and a kayak. This was a little over a year and a half ago. Never had I stepped foot on a sailboat, or even seen one up close for that matter, but the fires were being stoked with fresh paper. Amanda’s big gift to me for Christmas that year was, “The Complete Sailor,” by David Seidman, and I soon had read through the book a few times. It wasn't until late the following spring that I would get my first taste of sailing. In May, after watching Craigslist religiously for a month, I saw a Lido 14 show up for $500. I was interested in other boats too, but they were quite a bit more expensive, and I figured I should at least see it. I looked, it needed some work to be perfect, but I figured it would do the trick. A few weeks later, after figuring out how to rig it in my driveway, I took it down to the Snake River for my first sail… but that fiasco is a story for another time.

          Eight or so months ago I traded up for a Macgregor 25, getting lucky enough to pick it up after a few folks got lost trying to find the owners house, and one backed out after seeing the sails. It was a great find for me and I've been working on the boat on and off since. Then, last Christmas Amanda grabbed us a membership to the local sailing club, which has surrounded us with a wealth of experience, opportunities, and know-how. My sailing skills have been improving greatly, though I feel like a child at the helm still, and I've been lucky enough to place 3^rd in a local day race, the Alex Bell, due in majority to a great crew. A few weeks ago I had my first taste of lake cruising, taking a two day trip to Coeur d'Alene with the sailing club. That trip brought me back to dreaming about bigger boats and ocean sailing, which returns us to this week.

          I look for boats, draw sailboats, and dream of sailing far more than is healthy. So while perusing the internet for my dream cruiser, as happens far too often, I came across Drumbeat. The possibility hooked me; all wood boat, ketch rigged, exterior work all done, and affordable. Every day I came back to it to just stare, to dream of what it would be like to sail and live on this boat. Then I made the grave mistake of emailing the owner with some questions… and so begins our little journey.