Ask anyone living aboard what made them go and there is almost always a story or a trigger. It is very much the case for us. The time has come for a Sea Change for a mix of reasons: wearisome work environment, health problems… but the biggest is a desire to not defer living our dream any longer.
Work
Something which keeps some people working for ages is the lack of appealing and absorbing activity to engage in together instead of work. As a couple, finding that common interest and at the same time can be a real challenge. But that is one aspect we are not worried about! We both share a passion for cruising and work kind of interrupts our sailing! The more we cruise part-time, the more we want to do it full-time.
So the time has come for both of us to give up work. Wade has sold his business, got rid of his stock and closed down his warehouse space. The company I work for has been going through yet another restructure and the whole thing has become very tedious, particularly when I am unwell. It used to be fun, but it no longer is, so I have resigned. It is quite liberating, if a bit scary! If anyone says to us: “Your Money or Your Life” – we definitely choose our life… no more money making, but plenty of living!
Money matters
The other big thing that holds people back is money. The concern of not having enough to stop working keeps many people in employment longer than they’d wish. You worry about your cashflow once the regular pay cheques no longer come.
But we reckon we will be OK. We have saved like crazy for many years, building the kitty for later, and putting dollars aside for the “boat project”, either maintaining or improving her. We are debt free, have assets behind us that will hopefully allow us to live a sustainable and comfortable lifestyle. We could wait and save some more, but how long for? We’d rather enjoy the fruits of our labour!
Health and family concerns
The last two years have been shockers for us. We each lost our Mum. There were many dark days dealing with grief and its aftermath. My lonely Dad’s words resonate with us: “Enjoy the time you have together while you can because life is not fun on your own”.
And then there has been health concerns. In my case, the stresses of my job with its constant travelling and volatile work environment as well as family concerns all ended up being a toxic mix which made managing Type I Diabetes and Osteoarthritis a challenge. As the last few months passed, I was getting worse and really struggled, feeling very unwell and unable to keep going with work.
And Wade has his own health issues. A month after Elaine passed away, he got diagnosed with early prostate cancer. It really was the last straw! He is on close watch now, with a schedule of six monthly blood tests, annual MRIs and biopsies every two or three years.
It would be easy to feel very disheartened. But we want to enjoy life and it is now high time for a change of pace. A regular need to get monitored won’t stop us from living our dream. Both of us will just trot along periodically to pathology and liaise with our medicos on Skype once we hit the high seas!
The boat is ready
The last 12 months have been focused on getting the boat ready for full-time cruising. We have equipped her, updated the electronics, given the internals a face lift, so as to ready her for life afloat. At last, we can say Take It Easy is as good as she can be.
So it’s time
So this is it, it is time for that long awaited change. We do not want to hurry anymore. We want to focus on ourselves. We want to extract all we can from our shared passion and not be weighed down with ill-health, work, or schedules. It is time to listen to yachting friends and family who often say to us: “Don’t leave it till it’s too late. Go early, go now.”
We still have a few things to sort out to pack up our land life. But in a few weeks we will take the plunge and cast off the mooring lines. It is a bit daunting, like standing on the high diving board looking down, with your heart in your mouth. But it is also really exciting. We are going to have fun, we are going to enjoy every mile of our voyage while we are still able.
Sv-Anui 
This is very exciting, you two must be flying so high! I wish you the best possible in the years to come! ❤️🌴😎
Thanks for your good wishes, John. Yes very exciting but right now with the mountain of work to do we are exhausted. Not long to go though and we will be off!
God bless!
Chris, I’m so happy for you. As one who has osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis, I understand that it’s important for you enjoy the time sailing while you can and NOW is the best time to go for it! We get to use it or lose it! Happy water trails!
Thanks Janis! Yes, no time like now to relax and have fun on the water. Quilting is on hold for a few years, but photography has already taken over. 🙂
Ahhhh so jealous! We aren’t too far behind on cutting our lines as well. Look forward to rafting up with you guys somewhere along the way 🙂
That would be amazing Viki!
Good luck with it all Chris, I hope you have lots of great sailing days and the stresses of work will be left far behind. What an exciting time for you both.
Let’s hope so Leanne. The last few weeks have been hard, but the end is near! Thanks for commenting and we will catch up in person at Docklands. We are off tomorrow night to sail from the Lakes to Melbourne!
Hooray for you both Brenda and I are hanging in there till end of Sept this year then its a new chapter in our lives for us too! All the best.
Henry and Brenda
Thanks guys. We are about to go to the Lakes to sail the boat to Docklands. Once there we will give you a yell for a catch up. Hope you are feeling stronger. Three months will fly for you and Brenda!
🙂 Happy days
Good for you, I am sure you are doing the right thing. I think sometimes we just have to grab opportunities and run with them, we have come to learn that the rewards of a life enjoyed and well lived far outweigh the monetary rewards we had before. Xx
So true Susan. With the strength of our dream and our health concerns, there is only one thing to do for us, escape and have fun while we can.
Good luck Wade & Chris towards a happy & very enjoyable retirement & many more sea adventures on Take it Easy. We will look forward to many more stories & photos
Lindy & Phil Smith
Thanks so much Lindy and Phil for your good wishes. Hope to catch up with you on the way up and meet that kitten of yours!
Well done to both of you for getting this together. It sounds awesome! I look forward to your posts – some of which are quite educational! All the very best from Chus, Bryce and Carolina as well!
Thanks so much Craig. It has been a long dreamt and planned lifestage and now we are just about there! We are sure to have stories to tell once we set off!
Go you good people! Have a lot of fun and adventure.
We will Sue – and so will you along the way too as you join us for escapades!
Every factor you mention says that it time to do it. ENJOY.
I look forward to your posts of coming adventures
Thanks Graham – yes, time to go. Hope we keep your interest up with our adventures!
Well done you, all those soul destroying restructures, mind numbing meetings, massive egos and rarely a good decision so how much will you miss it? Jenni and I planned for years to jump at 55, we got a little nervous and finally jumped at 56. Five years ago and so far so good. This is our time not having to worry about others which really at the end of the day we barely influenced, but gratefully took the money that has enabled us to jump earlier than most. Chris enjoy every bit of it, knowing you , you would have over worked yourself to get here. Look after yourself and your man and have many great years full of fun. Never feel guilty just focus on your lives, and like us wonder why you did not do it earlier.
I have to ask is Benji several lives after Dim Sim?
Take care.
Jon N
Hi Jon, so nice to hear from you! Yes free at last. We have taken the jump and can’t wait to go and leave our land life behind. We are currently bringing the boat up to Melbourne so we have somewhere to be while we finalise everything. Sitting at Phillip Island waiting for the wind to calm down! A very welcome forced rest in all the mayhem of the transition. You asked about Bengie and remembered Dim Sim! Dimmy died at 18 some 11 years ago. A few months later we got Bengie as a kitten. She has been on boats, in cars and even a plane, so a very adaptable and well travelled critter. Thanks for your good wishes and stay in touch!