Phew, I am really behind on our blog, but things have been a little busy around here. Not like the whirlwind of the first five months of 2024 though. This is a different kind of busy. This is a “What is next?” kind of busy.
Frank and I closed down our life in Dallas in 2015 and since then we have lived full time on our sailboats. Well ok, except for a short stint between Let It Be and Ticket to Ride when we lived in an RV. But essentially, we have been on the move for close to 10 years.
After much discussion and deliberation, we have decided it is time to begin establishing a community again in the U.S.
The last few trips back to the States we explored several areas we would consider living and on our last visit, we decided we would settle in NW Arkansas when we return to the U.S.
We have chosen NW Arkansas because it is a beautiful area with a strong emphasis on outdoor activities including biking, hiking, water sports, festivals and more. We think the “Natural State” will be an excellent place to establish roots in the States.
Does this mean the end of our time on Ticket to Ride? The short answer is “we don’t know.”
We love TTR and we do not want to see her languish on a dock because we aren’t using her enough. In our travels we have seen many neglected boats sitting at anchor or in a marina and that is not what we want for Ticket to Ride. We have discussed selling TTR in the next 6-18 months after we have had a chance to experience a little time in Arkansas. We may also decide to spend some time on land and some time on TTR but we haven’t solidified that decision.
What we do know is that we will continue to explore Fiji for the next few months, then we will sail to New Zealand in October or November.
Since taking delivery of TTR in January of 2019, she has only been hauled out of the water once in 2020 when we had the paint water line adjusted and we had some work done to improve the tolerances of the dagger boards.
Thankfully we have had no major issues with Ticket to Ride; in fact she has been incredibly reliable, stable and comfortable. But it is time to renew the copper coat bottom paint, replace the standing rigging, replace the port lights and hatches because the painted frames have bubbled and corroded, and attend to other general maintenance items. TTR will get some well deserved spa days when we are in New Zealand.
Prior to COVID 19, we thought we would explore beyond New Zealand, but we no longer feel the urge to continue the journey west. Circumnavigation has never been our specific goal, so we don’t feel any pressure to check that off some mythical bucket list.
So now you know what has been occupying our mental energy lately. We are definitely enjoying our time in Fiji but we have been a little distracted as we worked through closing on our “new to us” house. We seem to have cleared most of those hurtles now, so we can once again center our focus on cruising.
The last several days we were hunkered down because of strong winds, but those have finally reduced. Recently we took a short hike to Lo’s Tea House, a well known local spot across the island we are sheltering behind in the Yasawa Islands. Lo’s is on the windward side of the island and even though the wind has dropped significantly these last two days, these pictures show you what a difference there is on the windward and leeward sides. Look at the white caps on the windward side and the flat water on the leeward side!
Although we have heard good things about the snorkeling and diving in Fiji, we have only had a chance to check out two or three places for snorkeling because of the weather. One was a very pretty snorkel with excellent visibility.
Hopefully the weather will continue to settle and we can spend more time in these very clear waters. We have notice many different fish from the ones we saw in French Polynesia and we hope to see a lot more.
Thanks so much for stopping by to read our blog. If you would like to hear from us more often, please visit us on Facebook or Instagram. We hope your days are filled with good health and fun adventures.
Ticket to Ride 
So many things to do, so hard to choose! Our HH50 is
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I’m on tender hooks….. your HH50 is???
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Looks like the rest of my comment did not transmit! We are on s/v Avalanche (new to us – purchased from original owner Aug / Sept. 2023). The boat is at the marina in Opua and we are currently back in the US awaiting slightly warmer weather in NZ. Our plan is to continue working on the boat with an eye toward heading to Tonga & Fiji next season as she was not quite ready for this season and we just had a family wedding in Boston that took priority over sailing plans.Sailing & schedules do not mix well as I.m sure you know!
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Oh I know of Avalanche. The prior owner visited our boat before placing an order for the HH50. I hope you love it!! Congrats on the wedding. Sounds like fun adventures ahead for you. I hope we get to meet in NZ. Also, we would love to hear your experience with yards/services in Opua as we are determining where to have work done on TTR. It’s always good to learn from others who have first hand experience.
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I remember so well the day that Bob and I, almost at the same moment, voiced the thought that a land life might be something to look forward to. Marriages and grandchildren filled our years on land. You will find that, after cruising, you have a bond that few other couples share. The shared goals, isolation and teamwork required to cruise are hard to describe to those who have not experienced it. Best wishes. Bev
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Bev, thanks for your words of encouragement. You know first hand how interesting and challenging this lifestyle is. It is hard to let it go and my usual insecurities of what comes next show up when we make big changes. I agree that Frank and I have forged a very strong bond – 40 years of marriage and almost 10 of them on a boat together 24/7 – yep, we have learned how to get along. 🙂 Wishing you good health and much joy.
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Wow! Looks like you guys have made a big life decisi
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Still making decisions.
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While I am excited for you and your next chapter, I am surprised it would be so far from the ocean. It seems like you just got TTR. Where did the time go? We have been off the boat for 5 years and are missing boat life. While we wouldn’t want to live on one full time again, the thought of long vacations (winter) is sounding good. Enjoy your time; you still have many adventures ahead, both on sea and land.
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Yes, the time has flown. December marks the end of our 6th year on TTR! Amazing. We will see what the future holds…..I didn’t realize you miss boat life. Do you miss boat life or do you dislike cold weather? : ) Those are certainly questions we are pondering.
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We live in south Florida so it’s rarely cold here, although January and February do seem cold to me now. We miss boat life and keep looking at trawlers. We wouldn’t live on it full time, but escaping the extreme heat of summer and a couple winter months looks appealing. We do love the community we chose. We have so many friends and there is so much to do.
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Ahh, yes, not cold in FL. I am so happy to hear how much you and Brad enjoy your home there! A trawler could be a ton of fun, especially if you plan on exploring the ICW. I look forward to hearing what you decide.
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Thanks for sharing your thoughts! We are roughly 10 years behind you guys and are very envious of your successful cruising life you’ve experienced so far. We are “tidying up” our lives here in Michigan, to begin slowly traveling on our catamaran for the next 2-12 years (as long as it’s still fun!). You guys are an inspiration and this is just the next chapter. We debated keeping the big house to come back to, but I think its best not to be tethered too much and have to worry about stuff back home. We are contemplating purchasing a small but very nice place to land to when we are return, but so hard to predict where that spot 10 years from now will be!
One thing on our “bucket” list after cruising is to get a trawler type boat and do the Great Loop very slowly over a couple of years. Could be a great way to keep your toes in the boating lifestyle and there are endless places to explore along the route and pretty easy to stop and hop off.
Anyway best of luck with your transition, one of my best friends’ parents live on a little lake in Hot Springs and absolutely love it down there, great choice!
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Thank you so much for reaching out! Oh I bet you can hardly wait to move to your cat and cast off the lines…. it is so hard to wait to begin!!
For us, cruising is definitely still fun, but we also want to put down some roots after 10 years of being nomads.
I don’t know which lake you are referring to near Hot Springs, but we spent many summers playing on the water in Lake Ouachita near there. It is a beautiful area.
We aren’t certain what our transition will look like yet, but it is fun to have new activities on the horizon.
Best of luck with your transition to boat life. It is indeed a unique and interesting way to live (and StarLink makes weather information and staying in touch SO much easier!).
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