Three years ago, HK and I began to explore our options for the future. What possibilities are there for our second half of life? So he quit his job, we bought a camper, and took off on a soul-searching, life-changing adventure.

We enjoyed traveling around the country, visiting national parks, and making new friends. It had its downfalls, too, though. Our camper didn’t have a bathroom, so at night we used a bucket. During the summer, good campsites are hard to come by, and many National Parks don’t take reservations. And gas- Holey-Moly! It ain’t cheap!

HK and I have enjoyed chartering sailboats with friends in the past, so after much discussion, deliberation and decision-making, we are now the proud owners of a sailboat of our own!!!!

We closed on her last week, moved her up the Chesapeake Bay to the Annapolis area, and are Ready to Run! I’ll discuss our reason for choosing the Annapolis area in another post, but for now, The Boat:

Her name is currently “Panasea II”, but, as we promised each other when we began this journey, we will re-name her Kismet, meaning fate, or destiny. It is no coincidence, however, that Kismet is also the name of our 16 year-old Tibetan Terrier.

The Boat is a 1997 Gozzard 36, although with her extended, classic bowsprit and rear dinghy-davits, her length-over-all is closer to 42-feet. What attracted us to this boat is the open salon in the bow (front), with seating arrangements much like that of a small (really, really small) den. The 2 couches slide together to make a queen-sized bed for comfy sleeping, as I am personally not a fan of holing up in a cramped quarter-berth.

Gozzard boats are also known for their spacious cockpits, which we learned during the course of boat-shopping, is where the vast majority of our time will be spent.

She also has a fold-down transom for easy boarding from a dinghy (which we do not yet have). All the bells and whistles that were on my short-list are there, all wrapped-up up in a pretty little package.

We took all three pups on her for the weekend, and I was pleasantly surprised that hey seemed comfortable.

HK is trying to convince me to sell the Pup-Up, but I am hesitant. We had many good times traveling with her. I suppose after one last rendezvous, we may list her on Craigslist.

Letting go, after all, is all a part of moving on.