A Beginning

Have you ever thought, "If I could only [fill in the blank]..."? Of course you have. That is the human condition. We are by nature dreamers. We long for something that is just out of our reach. We are restless. But we also crave security. We are aware the risks come with daring. And so most of us lead lives of relative comfort that is mortgaged by our dreams. While vivid in our imagination, our dreams remain largely unrequited. This is the cost of comfort.

One day, I was with my wife, Mary, and she saw the look on my face as I was watching the sunset over the ocean. She asked what I was thinking. I responded, "I miss sailing." That offhand comment began a change in our lives' trajectory. A year later we were living on our floating tiny home, Tiburón.

Tiburón is an Ericson 39, built almost fifty years ago. She has undergone substantial upgrades, which will be outlined in other posts. We have sailed this boat in the Santa Barbara Channel for just over a year, with out two cats, Selene and Aurora. We will continue to make upgrades, inclusive of solar and wind power generation, a new staysail, and a self-steering windvane system. We are also working on upgrading our navigational skills. Both Mary and I grew up sailing. Much of what you will find here will document how we are rediscovering our skills.

I am not a romantic about the ocean. I know that it is bigger and badder than I will ever be. I don't approach blue water cruising with a naive sense of entitlement. I know that the ocean can swallow my boat - and Mary and me with it - in a heartbeat. But the ocean still beckons.

To reference Christian Williams: Throw off the docklines. Our boats will takes us wherever we wish, if we only trust them.