About Our Sailing & Cruising Life
We didn’t start out living aboard or sailing offshore. We started where a lot of people do - with a curiosity that wouldn’t go away. At the time, we were raising kids, working full-time, and living a pretty typical life on land. Sailing felt interesting, but also a little out of reach.
So we took the first step. We invested in sailing lessons. We spent years sailing on a local lake. We saved, planned, and slowly built toward something we weren’t entirely sure we could pull off yet. That’s really where our cruising life began… long before we ever stepped onto a liveaboard boat.
Our Journey to a Cruising Lifestyle
For a long time, this wasn’t a lifestyle. It was just an idea we kept coming back to. We balanced everyday life raising kids, working, managing a home, while slowly building skills and confidence on the water. Nothing about it was fast. But over time, it started to feel less like a dream and more like a direction. That shift didn’t happen all at once. It happened through small, consistent steps.
From Planning to Living Aboard
When we were finally ready, we didn’t just buy a boat and go. We searched. We traveled the East Coast looking at boats that fit our budget and what we thought we needed for a liveaboard sailing lifestyle. After visiting multiple boats, we found the one that felt right.
From there, we went through the full process:
Survey and sea trial
Preparing our home to rent
Downsizing years of life into what would fit onboard
Moving across the country
Transitioning into marina and boatyard life
It wasn’t simple. And it wasn’t quick. But it was the bridge between planning and actually living this life.
Learning the Sailing & Cruising Lifestyle
We’ve learned most of this life the same way many people do… by doing it. We’ve:
Managed our assets, packed up, and moved across the country to our boat
Sailed down the East Coast through the ICW
Stopped in different cities along the way
Figured out provisioning, maintenance, and daily life aboard
Navigated the logistics of traveling with pets
Adjusted to a completely different rhythm of living
Some things came easier than expected. Some didn’t.
We've just completed our first offshore passage and our first time checking into another country by boat. Still learning. Still adjusting. Still moving forward.
Why We Share Our Sailing Life
We created this space for people who are somewhere in between. The ones who:
Feel drawn to a sailing or cruising lifestyle
Aren’t sure where to start
Are trying to figure out if this is actually possible
Because that middle space can feel overwhelming, and sometimes a little isolating. It’s easy to think you have to figure everything out on your own. You don’t.
Our goal is to help you plan your cruising life with clarity and confidence, using real-life experience, practical tools, and honest insight into what this transition actually looks like.
Our Boat – S/V Lovesong
Lovesong is our home and our starting point for this next chapter. She’s a Beneteau 423, and for us, she struck the balance between comfort, function, and the ability to support full-time living aboard. When we found her, it wasn’t just about specifications. It was about finding a boat that felt like it could carry the life we were building toward.
Meet the Crew
Phillip – Captain
Phillip has spent most of his life on the water, both power and sail. Now retired from his professional career, he leads the big-picture side of this lifestyle, from route planning and navigation to maintaining the systems that keep the boat running. He brings experience, calm decision-making, and a steady approach to learning and navigating this lifestyle.
Lara – Making Life Aboard Work
With a background in public health and education, Lara focuses on the everyday realities of this lifestyle - provisioning, cooking, organizing, health and wellness, pet care, and figuring out how to make life on a boat feel like home.
Feline First Mates – Xander & Blue
Xander and Blue made the transition with us and have settled into boat life in their own way. They’ve adapted to marinas, movement, and new routines… and still manage to act like they’re running the whole operation.
Start Planning Your Cruising Life
If you’re still in the dreaming or planning stage, you’re in the right place.
We’ve been there. Everything we share is designed to help you move from “maybe someday” to a plan that actually feels possible.
You don’t need to have it all figured out. You just need to start.
Life is about experiences. Don't wait to live it - go do all of the things!
