LIVING ABOARD ~ MY LIFE ON A SAILBOAT ~ PART I

                                                         
MY LIFE ON A SAILBOAT ~ Part I
I realized the other day that many of you have no idea who I am or how I live. My name is Donna and John is my husband. We live a very unusual life.

You would think that because I bake, cook and drink wine, that I would have a big fancy kitchen with stainless appliances and a huge oven. Sorry to disappoint you, but that was in our former life as bakers and caterers. Gone are the Kitchen Aid mixers, 10 burner stove, 30 quart mixer and convection oven.

Most of you probably live in a house with four walls, a basement and hot water.  Square beds, refrigerators and more than one shower. Many people think we live just like they do. Not even close!

Enter my world. Here's a quick ten minute tour of My Life On a Sailboat.
We started boating around 7 years ago on Lake Champlain in Vermont. We loved the mountains, but the peace we found on the water was like therapy to our tired souls. We were catering and baking big time, and it wasn't long after we started boating that we got burned out. It's like the flame went out one day and we knew we had to do something different with our lives.

We gave our four grown children two years notice that we had decided to do something crazy. We let  the inn know 10 months prior to leaving to start thinking about a replacement. Surprisingly, our kids were fine with it, albeit a bit sad at the thought of losing us. Our friends were filled with envy when we explained we were sailing off into the sunset. The innkeepers were not that happy, but were able to find a chef a month before we left.

                                                                        
We bought a bigger boat in Rhode Island a year before and had it trucked to Vermont for the winter. What a sight that must have been to see a sailboat half buried in the snow at a dairy farm! We gutted the boat during the winter and our son-in-law started making gorgeous mahogany cabinets and beautiful blue counter tops and table. He designed built in bookcases and lockers. It was beginning to look like home by the end of spring.

                                                                         

We sold the wholesale business to our son and our daughter took over the catering and wedding cakes. Our kids grew up in the business and because we had done this for what seemed like forever, they were able to step right in and take over. The departure date was set for June, but one thing led to another and it wasn't until the middle of July that we were able to cast off the lines and sail away.

                                                                              

COME BACK LATER FOR PART II ~ MY LIFE ON A SAILBOAT

Comments

[Erika Martin - Stampin' Mama]

Pssst! Your kids STILL miss you! :)

[Brian Aslak]

Why not sail over here to Norway? Far, far away from those noisy kids of yours...

[Kerri]

wow this sounds JUST like my parents story!!! They even have the same names as you!!! FREEEAKY!

*snerk*

[Amanda]

What an exciting lifestyle!

I have family that live in Newport, Vermont and one of my cousins (or maybe aunts) spends most of her life on a sailboat. I wish I had it in me to do something like that.

[Donna]

Hi Amanda,
Newport, Vermont! Yeah, that's up there all right. The lake there would be Lake Memphremagog, right? Pretty lake. We've been up there a few times, but boy, what a long ride! Further north than I want to be!

I wish we could spend half the year on Lake Champlain and half the year a little further south. But it's just not in the cards right now!
Thanks for reading!
Donna

[Donna]

Kerri & Erika,
My adult kid's comments don't count, although I am flattered!

Brian,
As much as I'd love to sail across the "pond", I'm afraid we wouldn't make it. Our boat might, but we'd likely kill each other! The boat would be found bobbing along with no one on board.......

[Mary C. Anderson]

Hello Donna,

What a pleasure it was to read the first part of your story "My life on a Sailboat.I look forward to reading your next chapter. I must say that I wish I had your sense of adventure.

Mary from NH

[Erika Martin - Stampin' Mama]

Do you have kids that aren't adults? ;) *wink*