Three years ago neither of us had ANY clue we would EVER be doing anything associated with sailing.

Lala was looking into getting a master’s degree in acupuncture, and a few other things before that, but none of it was really lining up. An artist by nature, Lala is a weaver and a dancer/performance artist who has been exploring the often underpaid world of combining livlihood and artistry with varying degrees of success. Her background includes herbalism, aromatherapy and permaculture, experience living in intentional, alternative communities, and world travel.

Cap’t. K was heading towards med school, with the long term goal of becoming a doctor. A computer geek at heart, with training in massage therapy, a background in e-commerce, and an extreme passion for kites, flying, and the wind, K. is a man of many talents.

But the idea of facing a lifetime of debt from graduate school degrees or home ownership was not appealing, and the whole rat race thing was not making us happy. We were working unsatisfying jobs that were getting us by, but every day we would come home feeling like this wasn’t REALLY the life we wanted together. We knew we were meant to live more adventurous, inspiring lives. We both have a keen interest in off-grid living, and in crafting a simple yet rich way of life less dependent on fossil fuels. We’ve always wanted to travel together, but how could we do that without lots of fuel?

Enter sailing.

A few years ago for our one year wedding anniversary, we rented a little sailboat for the afternoon in Provincetown, MA. K. had sailed dinghys in college, and Lala, who grew up in the landlocked Midwest, had NO sailing experience. We managed to sail around the harbor and had a fabulous time. Lala didn’t think too much more of it, but K. became obsessed. For the next 6 months he read about sailboats, researched sailboats, and talked about sailboats night and day. Then, in the dead of winter, he started suggesting that we sell out, buy a sailboat, and go cruising. A crazy idea. We had no money and no experience, how could we do such a thing?

But the idea took hold, and then, the doors started opening. Before we knew it, the boat that K. had meticulously researched as the cheapest, safest, most sturdy ocean going vessel we could possibly afford (a Swedish sailboat called an Albin Vega) appeared before us and was offered to us at a great deal. All the details started falling in place, and we knew that we HAD to go on this trip. And what did we have to lose if it didn’t work out? We could always come back and pick up where we left off. Neither of us was at a point in our careers where we couldn’t leave our jobs for while, and although we had tried, we do not have children. It couldn’t hurt to just go through the open door and see what might be on the other side.
So we jumped. We downsized, sold stuff, quit our jobs, and took care of a million and one details to set ourselves free.

Launch day!

On Oct. 1, 2010, a mere 6 months after the idea was first conceived, we set out on our first boat, a 27-foot Albin Vega that we named Wee Happy. We left from Lake Champlain to go SOUTH. We didn’t have a destination, as the entire point of leaving was to see where divine guidance would lead us.

Why was our boat named Wee Happy? We are experimenting with being happy with less, and our boat was very, very small, or as the Scottish might say, wee. The log our our adventures on the Vega are online at http://weehappy.com

Happy on our wee boat!

Now, we’ve upgraded to a larger boat that is more comfortable for full time cruising or living aboard. It’s a 37 foot Islander sloop with a fin keel. We love her, and since she’s way bigger than wee happy, we’ve named her Way Happy.