Al was my scuba instructor. We started dating about six months after I earned my certification and we never looked back. We were a perfect fit and still are. We have been a couple since 1993, and were married in 1999 on a boat anchored off Lizard Island, Australia. Al surprised me by popping the question and placing an opal ring on my finger. I said YES! and a wedding erupted around me. Apparently, everyone else on board was in on the surprise! We have bungled our way through most of the mistakes made by folks who learn to sail the self-taught way. Screw-ups aside, we have emerged with the wisdom one gets from experience. We have ventured out in "less than ideal" conditions and periods of blissful weather, and have learned the difference a day makes. Now that we are retired, we will sail the south east coast; the Bahamas, and the islands to the south beckon us. Of course, this time around, we can take our time.
Hi, I'm Martha. I got my feet wet at age 9, on my Uncle Bill's sailing dinghy. The seed was planted and I always figured I'd sail solo around the world
someday. Sailing was put on the back burner while I raised a family, but the dream never died. Fast forward to 1998... Al and I were given the rare opportunity to own a Hobie Cat. The dream morphed through my second boat, and now I can finally say that while we may not circumnavigate, we have a boat (our third) that will carry me anywhere I want to sail.
Hi, Al here. I occasionally raced Hobie Cats during the 80's with a friend, but the dream of sailing off into the sunset was MJ's. I was only too happy to go along with it as it sounded like a fantastic plan. First we needed a boat and the boats seemed to magically appear just as we were ready for them. The Hobie Cat, and more recently, the Islander, have been our learning platforms. And wow, did we have a lot to learn. I think we're ready for whatever comes next, as long as it's on the water, and we're together.
