Returning to land after a sabbatical
Number 3 on our FAQ list is “How long are you going to do this for?“, for which our standard answer is “forever.” While that may be our intention, it is definitely not the plan of many of the cruisers we have met in our travels. More common is to find people who have set a year or two aside for a cruising “sabbatical” and once that time is up, they’ll be heading back to land (I was tempted to say “back to the real world” but as all who have cruised know, the “real world” is actually out here, not on land).
Two families in particular who fall into the above sabbatical category are our friends Brandon and Carryn on Sol-Mate and Kevin, Dena and Connor on Sabbaticus. We first met the crew of Sabbaticus back in Beaufort, NC and were introduced to Brandon and Carryn not long after that. Sadly, after having these guys be a significant part of our little cruising community for some time, they have all returned to shore life and now have their boats up for sale. 🙁
I know that a good number of people reading this blog have plans to purchase a boat and head south. Sifting through the chaff to find a suitable vessel can often be a challenge though. Because of this, I thought I’d try to help everyone out and share the links for our friends’ boats. We can attest to the fact that these guys took incredible care of their vessels and each certainly proved to be a perfect vehicle to cruise and explore. If you’re shopping for a boat, take a look at the link for the Lagoon 410 catamaran Sabbaticus (link removed – boat sold), or if monohulls are more your cup of tea, here is the link for Sol-Mate (link removed – boat sold), a Morgan 45. If you’re not in the market for a boat but perhaps know someone who is, please pass along the link to this post, or the direct links to the boats’ Yachtworld listings.
Light-wind sailing with our friends on Solmate…
…and Sabbaticus.
We miss you guys and wish you all the best!
Mike, Thanks for this post. Our friends are actively looking for a Cat equipped like Sabbaticus, however they desire either a Dolphin or a Leopard. I forwarded the link to them anyway. So who knows!
Lagoons and Leopards we see everywhere, Dolphins not so much. I’m not sure I’ve ever seen one in person (the catamaran brand that is, not the mammal 🙂 )
Mike and Rebecca-
We so enjoyed hanging with you in Grenada last summer and cruising up the Windwards and Leewards over the winter. We shared some great volleyball, hikes and happy hours with you and Sabbaticus. Be assured that we will continue to follow your travels(you make it easy and entertaining) and hope our paths will cross again.
Thanks for sharing our link and promoting SolMate with your readers. She is an amazing vessel and she really took care of us for the last 3 years. We hope we can find new owners that will get her back out in blue water where she is happiest.
Keep on rockin’ in the “real world”!
🙂
Thanks, Brandon. You and Carryn were a blast to cruise with. Keep in touch!
could you have them send me pictures and history? thanks
Tony
The cat…sorry
Just click the link, Tony. All the specs and pics are posted on the Yachtworld links.
Really good price for the Morgan, but couldn’t afford the maintenance on “all that” boat. Vicky and I have got to …..K.I.S.S.!
Someone should snatch that deal fairly quick!
It’s a nice boat!
Mike,
Thanks so much for posting this information! Our family will hopefully be setting out on our new cruising life this summer. We are in the process of setting up our blog, looking at boats and making all the land based decisions that have to be done before we go.
I told my husband, “Now I know why more people don’t do this!” It is a lot of work. But folks like you inspire us.
hehe… true, it is a lot of work, but so worth it!