We spent the years from 1993 to 2004 planning and doing everything possible to achieve our dream of going cruising. It all started in San Francisco, CA when we decided that we should learn to sail at a sailing club in Alameda called Club Nautique. We loved it so much that we immediately bought a sailboat: a C&C 38. This proved to be a good sail boat for the Bay, but not such a good boat for the cruising plan.
After a year, we sold our boat and got busy with the planning of the major cruise. Roma poured over sailing magazines and other sailing references while Steven concentrated on his software career. We both took many sailing courses and trips in and out of the Bay. A couple of charters in the British Virgin Islands cemented the idea of cruising firmly in mind.
The road of life was not a straight and narrow path, however. At times, it seemed like we were moving in the wrong direction, literally. Shortly after Leif was born, Steven did a stint for Apple in Singapore, and upon return we moved to Redding, CA, which is seriously inland.
Not until the later heydey of the great Silicon Valley software startups did it appear that we had the financial means to acquire the equipment for our dream. Meanwhile, Leif and Gage were firmly fixed in the family. Roma vowed to not leave to go cruising while the kids were still in diapers. Our favorite statement was, "We're two years from leaving on our trip." This was said over more than 8 years!
The initial general plan was to go south from San Francisco and cruise Mexico, perhaps going through the Panama Canal into the Caribbean. However, at some point Roma read Tanya Aebi's Maiden Voyage and decided that if a teenage girl who barely knew how to navigate could make it around the world alone, so could we. The idea was sparked to go all the way around.
As we were still two years from leaving, we finally narrowed down our boat to the Hallberg-Rassy line. These Swedish-built boats are one of the top-of-the-line production sailboats. After checking into pricing with the west coast dealer of HRs, West Coast Yachts, and with the help of a strong U.S. Dollar, we placed an order for a new HR 39.
Again, the road of life twisted and turned, and we decided that a 39 foot boat would be much like the 38 we had before: too small, especially with two rambunctious boys aboard. Before it was too late, we changed our order to an HR46, which had the benefit of a separate stateroom with bunk-beds for the boys.
After waiting for two years for our new boat to arrive, and with a job-change in the middle that put Steven working for Microsoft in Seattle, we finally greeted our boat at the Tacoma docks in December of 2001. We christened her Trinity after the Carrie Moss character in The Matrix. At that point, we knew that we were really three years from going cruising, and started making the plans in earnest.
In March of 2004, we sold our house in Redmond and moved aboard Trinity. Later that summer, in June, we left Seattle for good to circumnavigate Vancouver Island, BC. After staying a month in the lovely city of Victoria, we left for our current cruise on August 28, 2004.
We are currently on an open ended cruise to who knows where. We will keep going as long as there is money and fun to be had.
Steven is a nomad at heart. The longest time he's lived in any one place in his life is four years, and that has happened only twice. Naturally, he fits right into the cruising lifestyle. He is the Captain and runs a tight ship, a fact which sometimes causes the other family members to cringe. Steven's background is in computer software, where most recently he worked for Microsoft writing audio mixing services for the Windows operating system. |
Roma is a mystic and an incredible mother. She misses her Mom and wishes she could call her every day. She likes to make bead jewelry in her spare time, which unfortunately is few and far between. Roma has been a full time mother since Leif was born, and until we left to go cruising, was the sole home school teacher for the boys. |
Leif is 10 years old. He loves reading and playing it safe. He is a very considerate and mature young man. If there is a little left out kid, Leif will be the one to go play with him or her. |
Gage is 8 years old. He loves video games and taking chances. For instance, he was the only kid to try fried grasshoppers on a trip to Oaxaca, Mexico. His family members often call him "Hurricane Gage" because he usually leaves a wide swath of chaos behind him. |
