Question:
My husband and I are thinking of living aboard a sailboat in four to five years from now. His daughter is grown and just purchased her first home while my daughter is a freshmen in high school.
I suppose it is harder for me to take to the idea of living aboard because I have a really great paying job and I feel I need to help my daughter with college. I am only 39 so leaving my career is harder than I thought it would be. Any advice for me? My husband is 47 and more than ready to leave tomorrow. He is self employed and can build or fix anything so he will not have a problem finding work along the way of our adventure.
I look forward to hearing from you if you have time or advice.
– Judy and John
(Women and Cruising sent Judy’s question to several of our friends/contributors for their thoughts. You can read Beth Leonard ’s response here, and Sherry McCampbell’s here. Here is the third response we received, from Kathleen Watt.)
Kathleen Watt responds:
Dear Judy,
When I was asked if I would be interested in responding to your question, I not only wanted to, but felt compelled to do so.
You see, my story is not unlike yours.
I moved aboard and went cruising at age 38.
I had a daughter who was a sophomore in high school, a great, well paying job, and was about to complete a university degree that I had worked long and hard for, while working full-time for many years.
I was not a boater (I got pretty seasick), I was not a water person (terrified of deep water and not a strong swimmer) and I had never sailed before. …Read more
