Kitra and Ben Gray and Cousin John Harrington
Preface
So the question that needs answering is how did we begin this journey? Living in the islands or living on a boat was always a dream for both Ben and myself. I probably would have gravitated more to living on an island and Ben having a boat to use as a charter boat or something rather than actually living on a boat full time. Nevertheless, it wasn’t until 2019 that we could entertain either of these ideas. Since Ben was an only child, he could not move away from Texas as long as his aunt and mother were alive.
A year after losing Ben’s aunt, his mother, Dottie, moved in with us. So making a five-year plan while she was with us was out of the question. However, in February of 2019, Ben and I both lost our moms. These two losses gave us pause to reflect on the past, present and future, especially the future.
I was an educator who retired in 2016 so that I could assist with taking care of Ben’s mom. Ben, however, did not reach retirement age for social security for several more years. Yet, it was now time to begin planning for the next phase of our lives. In Sept. 2019 Ben and I took a little road trip to a lake in Oklahoma which gave us some much needed time to reflect and discuss the future. It was decided that Ben retiring and sitting around the house was out of the question as he would go nuts. It also was evident from our discussion that the main thing Ben liked to do was sail. Sitting on an island also would not meet his needs. Now the discussion turned to buying a blue water boat and sailing. As this thought became a more feasible plan, I told Ben that we needed to do this sooner than later, because this decrepit body of mine was not getting any younger. Then suddenly we were off to the races!
I signed up for a January sailing school in Fort Lauderdale, FL to complete ASA 101, 103, 104, 105, 106 and 114 and Ben began looking for boats. I tried to slow him down and wait until I finished school before getting serious about a boat shopping, but that was not to be. Ben was on fire. He first looked at monohulls, but then after thinking about the fact that I had two hip replacements and was not as agile as I use to be, he switched to looking for catamarans. So, the boat buying story began.
Please leave comments as I am new to this process! Thanks!
I retired as early as I could on C431 Hull 4 and never looked back. Lived aboard 8 years before the health became an issue. Those years were the best of my life.
I am glad you had a good eight years. I kept telling my husband it was now or never as my body wasn’t getting any younger. Thanks for sharing your encouragement.
Your story mirrors ours in many ways. Moving to a full time live aboard is not possible due to our many family obligations. After our recent visit with Don and Shelley a fire has been lit to at least investigate the possibility of boat life. I had not considered that a multihull could be less physically demanding.
I won’t say a multi hull is less demanding except in the area of balance. For me not to have to walk to the foredeck while heeling is a big plus. The stability of a catamaran is helpful to me. However, the sail area is very large and there are two of everything. So overall load and force can be immense. Also maintenance can be overwhelming at times with two of every system or bigger systems. As with everything there are pluses and minuses. Good luck on your boat life journey.