Ok, let’s catch up.
- May 7th, 2021 we arrived back in Lake Worth, FL from spending 3 months in the Bahamas
- May 9th, 2021 we took a road trip out to Colorado to surprise our family and friends
- July 15th, 2021 off we went again, first to our New Mexico property…then back east to the boat.
- July 25th, 2021 Steve and I started working full time
- August, 11th, 2021 Our son went back to public school to complete high school
- August 2021-December 2024 Consisted of working, school, short sailing trips plus tons of improvements to Konstantina including revamping the electrical system, added radar, all new electronics, added A/C, new water heater, haulout with bottom job, rudder bearings and more.
If you were paying ANY attention to the timeline…you’ll notice that we had QUITE the stint of hanging out in Stuart, FL from August 2021-December of 2024. Wow did the time fly. I’m a bit embarrassed to say that we didn’t really get to take any decent sailing trips during that time! We did some overnights here and there, a few weekend trips to Ft. Pierce or down to West Palm, but that was about the extent of our trips due to work and school restrictions. If you’ve followed us on other social media (like TikTok or Instagram) you *might* have gotten to see some of our adventures!
What can I say? Life took over. We got sucked back into the rat-race routine and I have to say….I’m OVER it (again!) We all had jobs, Cody started working at a marina at age 15, and of course, Steve was busy being a Captain and sailing folks all around so he did get to travel a bit. I was stuck in corporate America for most of my working life here in Stuart. Fast forward to December 2024…Cody graduated High School early (that’s my boy!!!!!) and is still working hard. Steve and I are also still working full time but now, we are in a MAJOR transition period.
Cody is turning 18 soon and is considering joining the ARMY. I am going to be semi-retired come April 1st (AKA working remotely here and there) and Steve will still have a few jobs as a Captain. However…this year is like no other because (and it makes my stomach queasy just thinking about this but…) we’ll be empty nesters soon. With Cody off on his own grand adventures of life, we find the freedom and flexibility to sail full time again.
Great. Now I’m crying. I’m so nervous, sad and excited at the same time. Also a little depressed at getting older. Becoming an empty nester and retiring is something you hear “older people” doing. Now, I’m that older person! We are in a unique position to be “retired” in our early 40’s. I won’t say “we’re lucky” because the main reason we are afforded this lifestyle opportunity is due to the fact my husband risked his life in the ARMY during OIF and was lucky to come back to America alive. Veteran’s benefits is a whole other topic I will not get into at this moment, but it’s a very small way for our country to endlessly thank those that have served us. So, thank you for paying your taxes, you help take care of my combat-injured Vet! With my husband’s military benefits, our small marine business and my odd-jobs here and there, we can afford to live on the boat much better than in a home on land. Plus, our monthly bills will be a lot less once we’re not sitting in a marina paying slip fees. Hence the reason I can work (a little bit) less.
So what does the future hold? It’s all still a little blurry but the big picture looks something like this:
- April-June 2025: Repairs, maintenance and improvements on the boat including; standing rigging, new sails, new watermaker, additional hatches, additional solar, patch the dinghy, replace the lifelines and netting, new halyards, new bimini, and MORE!
- Summer 2025: Cody leaves us (noooooooooo!!!!!) and we “take off.” I put that in quotes because I’m not quite sure what that means.
When you live on a sailboat and travel, you can either plan…or you can sail. It’s hard to do both. We have an idea of where we want to go and what we want to do however, Mother Nature (and our boat needs) usually dictate our final “plans.” We know we want to escape Florida for hurricane season but we also want to stay close to the U.S. while Cody gets settled with his new routine. So in our minds, it makes sense to head north along the eastern seaboard until fall. Our general idea for this winter is to head back to the Bahamas. Maybe spend Christmas with family on some remote, deserted island somewhere! 🙂
After that, we have NO CLUE what our schedule might be…and WOW does it feel soooo good to say that! We will truly be “playing it by ear.” So, in the meantime…be sure to tune into one of our many social media accounts for the latest updates and you’ll also see more and more trip reports posted to this website (since I’m overdue posting these from the Keys and Bahamas in 2021 still!)
Thank you for being a part of our first 5 years of boat life…we hope you stick around for more!
-The Hitchcocks
Destination Adrift 