It’s fun to fantasize about dropping out of the mainstream to live a life of nomadic travels and adventure. I oughtta know, having tried it myself when my family sold everything to move to the island of Rarotonga. And we learned quickly that fantasy and reality don’t always mesh the way we imagine it will. After only five months my family returned to Los Angeles after many misadventures, some of which included chronic fungus infections, relentless lice, school bullying for our daughter who hadn’t had that problem back home, and pneumonia that our infant contracted without up-to-date medical care available.
So I applaud those who attempt to break out, even if their adventure lasts for only a few months – or a mere two days, such as the case with a couple who had dreams of living on the high seas.
Tanner Broadwell and Nikki Walsh were tired of living a 9-5 lifestyle, and decided to sell everything, buy a sailboat, and travel the world. Having no sailing experience didn’t deter them (oops). The couple, in their 20s, spent two years planning their adventure, and Broadwell Ubered on the side to speed things up. Last April they bought a 28-foot sailboat, spent time and more money fixing it up, and finally set sail with their two-year-old pug last week from Anclote Key in Florida.
Welp, a two-day adventure is better than none, some might agree.
According to Tampa Bay Times:
It was about 8:45 p.m. when they sailed into a new port, navigating a channel they had never sailed before, in the dark, fog rolling in.
Broadwell steered while Walsh stood at the bow, lighting their path with a spotlight, trying to figure out the navigational buoys. But the red and green buoys seemed out of place, they said, and the shoal wasn’t where their 2016-17 navigational charts said it should be. Had Hurricane Irma altered the channel?
Then it happened: The Lagniappe struck something underwater. Walsh almost flew off the deck.
They called for help and made it back, along with their pug, to land as their boat sank, taking everything with it. But the couple isn’t giving up – they plan to work and save and hope to try this again in the future. Hopefully, this time, with more sailing lessons under their belt.
