Sailing SV Cordelia: May 2022

We've been full time liveaboard cruisers now for three years, however our decision to sell up the family home, buy a boat and sail as far as we can for as long as we can started over 13yrs ago.

We had great jobs, not massive highly paid jobs, but we earned enough to have holidays abroad and buy our own house. I can't say it was easy, that would be lying. We started off in a 2 up 2 down mid terrace house and ended up in a 3 bedroom semi. It was never about how big the house was, it was about family time with our children, which was never easy because we both worked.

Family time for us wasn't just about holidays together or about big Christmas presents, it was about ALWAYS sitting down to Sunday dinner together. Our children moaned, but we insisted no phones, no door answering, just us and sometimes grandparents. It was about quality time sat around a table eating together. Other times we would hire games or films and have what is now known as 'Movie Nights'. We tried to be the best parents we knew how to be. We weren't perfect but we bought up our 3 children in a loving, working environment and now each of them are doing the same with their families. We didn't do a bad job.

Steve and I both have parents that are still with us. My mum passed away in 2018 under a particularly bad strain of Alzheimers and Steve's dad passed away with cancer a few years before. My dad, step-mum and Steve's mum are still with us. My dad hated the thought of us going away and even now he often says I should be back in the UK, 'where I belong' apparently! Steve's mum is happy if we are happy, which is great. They both still live in their own homes, my dad still drives and is fully independent.

When we decided to sell up and sail off we naively thought it would happen quickly. Reality is that there is so much more to organise that it sometimes takes years longer than you initially plan. In our case it was our children getting married, grandchildren being born, parents passing away and financially making sure we could manage it.

Steve's parents were both from Liverpool and moved down to Southampton in the 1960's. In those days it might as well have been the other side of the world to the family they were leaving behind. They built their lives bringing up 3 children, emigrating to Portugal and then returning to the UK. No-one was going to stand in their way. Steve's dad had a boat when he was young and boasted to his mates about us and our Venus Ketch. If he was still with us, he would have loved sailing on Cordelia in the Med and beyond.

My dad was adopted when he was 4. When he was 18 he decided to find his real parents. My grandparents were mortified and called a big family meeting where he was told he was not to go and find them. He did anyway and the result was not quite as he hoped but he did gain a brother he never knew he had, who's daughter was my bridesmaid many years later. My mum had parents that were deaf. It was a real wrench leaving them to marry my dad as she was the eldest and had helped them so much in a world that didn't understand at the time that being deaf was a disability and that they were not freaks.

When we look back over the years our plan was being implemented, there is nothing we could have done differently. We had prepared our family by telling them well in advance that this was our dream and one day we would be taking-off.

We worked for 30+ years, brought up 3 beautiful children, went without in the latter years in readiness for our trip of a lifetime. We introduced both parents to Whatsapp so that we were easily reachable and so they could see us when we spoke to them. We told all our family that we had put aside a contingency that in the event either or both of us were needed back in the UK, we had the funds to return.

Our parents are in the 70-80yr bracket and still have plenty of time with us. Our children are building their lives with their children. We miss them all of course, but we built family values with bonds that tie us together forever. Our 3 children have a fantastic outlook on life and their positivity and enthusiasm for life helps us not feel too guilty about fulfilling our dream.

You live once and in the great scheme of things we are here on earth for a miniscule of time. You'll only every regret the chances you didn't take.