I am very happy for you and at the same time it gives me great encouragement and motivation to focus on my exit plan. I am currently at a fractional and going to graduate school. Although flying airplanes is great, I now realize that I would like to fly for fun and not for a living. Anyways, good luck and please share pics and stories from your adventures overseas!

 

Thanks for all the well wishes. I know this is the right choice for me for many reasons, but it may not be the right choice for others. I won't lie, it is scary as hell and many friends and family who think in a more reasonable way than myself have tried to talk me out of it, giving me a little self-doubt. But at the same time, I know I will regret it more if I don't do it.

I wrote to a friend recently about this self-doubt and he replied: "And isn't that why most of us cling so steadfastly to the mundane, humdrum security of the familiar? The unknown can be terrifying; put one foot into the wilderness, and all your primeval instincts will awaken. Step off the ledge and only the present will matter. Take the road less travelled! Whatever hardships you will eventualy confront will be the touchstone of exhilirating personal growth." It was nice to have a friend who didn't think I had gone off the deep end.

Mark Twain once wrote "Twenty years from now, you will be more disappointed by the things you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover." I can't agree more!

 

I just don’t wish big enough. My plan was to sell out and purchase an appliance repair van. Hopefully I’ll be able to finally hold a line.

Be safe on the open seas.

 

Looking forward to following your adventure! I'm sure many of us are wishing we could do the same.

 

tausap,
My take for your many friends and family: You are simply following the same adventure and determination that took you into aviation in the first place.
Congratulations. It is actually the 'scary' part taken with purpose that provides the best in life!
Enjoy.
Fair winds and following seas!

 

tausp,

Best of luck to you. I left JetBlue as Capt. on the A320 5 yrs ago after a medical scare from a head on car accident, had the same thoughts, life is to short. I went back to flying a G-IV, while getting my 34' trimaran fitted out for cruising. That gig ended last Dec when the a/c was sold. I'm just putting in some desk time, paying bills until the house sells (?) in this tight mid-Atlantic market.

BTW is the boat now owned by the Geisemann's ? I didn't know that they had it on the market, we know them through SSCA.

 

Hope you get out there soon! Also going to sell my house, but plan on pricing it for a quick sale.

Yes, its the same Liberty. I know them from when they were living aboard at the same Marina as me in Colonial Beach. I heard recently through mutual friends that Liberty may be for sale and contacted Ty and Suzanne to express my interest. She was the perfect boat for me....very shipshape and I knew her history and how Ty keeps her. They accepted my offer and we are going to complete the deal in June. The boat is in RI, so they are going to sail back to the Chesapeake with me on Liberty.

They bought an RV and are going to be doing some land cruising for a while before buying a smaller boat.

Brett

 

The blog I have started to document this adventure:

Liberty's Voyage

 

I give you a lot of credit and wish you the best with your decision.
If you follow your heart, you will never be disapointed !
The challenge and experience you will gain will be life changing and I applaud you for going for what it is that matters to you.

Money and career is not what life is all about, But it sounds like you have that figured out. The airline pilot "career" is something of the past. It is now just a High risk J O B..
The example and lessons that your daughter will gain from your experience and your new lease on life are priceless.
Best to you in life and your adventure.
God bless and protect.

 

That is awesome! Makes me really think about what I want to do with my time! I don't want to wake up at 42 (wait a second, I am 42!) and wish I had done things differently!

Good Luck!