It began with a sticky note on the refrigerator. A bright square of paper with a single date written on it: November 16, 2005. The seed was planted the day before Phoebe; our eldest was born in 1998. That note became our goal, to cast off from the everyday world and sail around the globe together.

 

Once the idea took hold, everything shifted. Savings were redirected toward the voyage, and home projects were paused in favor of preparing for life at sea. Sailing and cruising magazines piled up on the kitchen table, their pages marked and clipped for future reference. Navigation and seamanship courses through the Coast Guard Auxiliary became part of the weekly routine. Research made one thing clear: the ideal age for children to cruise was between six and thirteen. Old enough to swim, young enough to remember, and still eager to spend every breakfast, lunch, and dinner with their parents. Drake turned six in November 2005.

 

Experience on the water grew through Tuesday and Thursday night races aboard s/v Priorities, a boat owned by Bob and Val Cole at King Harbor Yacht Club. Racing demanded quick thinking and teamwork, perfect training for the challenges ahead. Through that community came an opportunity to join Dick and Jean Reinhardt and the Galloways in co‑owning a 30' Catalina, s/v Sandpiper. It was an ideal stepping‑stone: shared ownership, shared learning, and the flexibility needed with two young children at home.

 

A year before the departure date, the search for the right ocean‑going vessel began. The goal was clear: a full‑keel, center‑cockpit boat, safe, steady, and spacious below. After visiting several options, one stood out immediately. Blue Sky felt like a home the moment we stepped inside, she was solid, roomy, and full of potential. And so the dream that started with a sticky note on the fridge began to take shape.