So long and thanks for all the fish

Ten years ago, we had a dream that never left the shores. Today, we have a shot at it. The difference is all in the wonderful community that helped us to bring the dream into reality.

In no particular order, we’d like to thank:

Tig’s parents for unconditionally supporting us even though our visions of success are different.

Victor and Rebecca for letting us “house-sit”, for the loads of free laundry, and use of their garage to build the dinghy. They have been dear friends ever since our girls were babies and we will miss them.

Ellen and John for all their good advice, tools, and listening ear. V will truly miss the girls.

Dick for all the help making our sail covers, for taking me under his wing, and giving us valuable advice. He fielded about a hundred emails and offered help and encouragement during the great coupling saga.

Steve for helping us out with boat work, calibrating the autopilot and showing us how to heave-to. He was always game for a sail on short notice.

Tim for mentoring Tig in building the dinghy, and for his advice on everything from engine work to electrical work.

Lauren for inviting us to that first marina brunch that lit a fire under us. Her positive energy, her friendship (priceless), constructive ideas, and help babysitting will be missed.

Chris on French Lessons for giving us a dremmel, This Old Boat, and inspiring us to keep forging ahead even though we don’t know what we’re doing.

Dan for being a great neighbor, for lending us his New England cruising guide, and just being the all around good company that he is. We’ll miss his pancakes and corned beef and cabbage.

Mark and John for dinner, stories of inspiration, and the countless times they’ve listened to my tales of woe with the coupling. Cruisers are a wonderful breed.

Jared for crewing with us on the first leg to P-town. You were awesome.

Chris and daughter A for babysitting so that we could clean out our basement. V will miss A so much!

Craig for spending the time pouring over charts and Eldridge with Serena and sharing his tips on route planning.

Ahmet for pitching our delivery trip to the Yahoo group, which got us a crew, and for all the charts. He has always been supportive of us.

The nice folks at Admiral’s Hill marina, like Billy Murphy, the engine mechanic who is a former and soon to be again cruiser.

Jeremy and Siiri for coming through with a great dog-sitting gig that brought is back together as a family. And Pula for being a great puppy.

Cindy for cheering us on, connecting us to a powerful network of women sailors and boat bums, and taking my anxious calls for advice.

Bruce for all the striped bass, bluefish, and flounder. Yum.

Lee and Jeremy for letting us stay when we had nowhere to go. And their son for being a great playmate to V during this time.

Aunt Cecilia for cheering us on and encouraging me to live authentically.

The kind folks at Constitution Marina who took good care of us our first year aboard.

All the cruisers out there doing their thing, inspiring us everyday with news from around the world. We will be posting sporadically, as part of the attraction of cruising is the chance to unplug and to slow down our lives.