{"id":1757,"date":"2022-04-28T21:45:16","date_gmt":"2022-04-28T21:45:16","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/secondchances.sailingtranquilitybay.com\/?p=1757"},"modified":"2025-07-30T13:12:43","modified_gmt":"2025-07-30T13:12:43","slug":"interview-with-sailuniverse-scott-and-kim-sailing-is-another-chance-to-reinvent-yourself","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sailingtranquilitybay.com\/index.php\/2022\/04\/28\/interview-with-sailuniverse-scott-and-kim-sailing-is-another-chance-to-reinvent-yourself\/","title":{"rendered":"INTERVIEW WITH SAIL UNIVERSE: \u201cSailing is another Chance to Reinvent Yourself”"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
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In a previous life, Scott and Kim called themselves an engineer and an advertising rep. Since 2005, however, they\u2019ve been fleeing corporate oppression and pondering the meaning of escapism. They\u00a0left everything behind to head out on a sailing adventure in search of a more connected and sustainable way of life. This is their story.<\/h2>\n

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Enjoying The Crystal Clear Water<\/h2>\n

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You sailed over 25,000 miles. How did your adventure start?<\/strong><\/h2>\n

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Our adventure started with lots of fear and anxiety. For a long time we had dreams of escaping the rat race, but in 2005, another crash was looming in Detroit. Consumed by the heavy burden of paying off a thirty year mortgage, we really wondered if all that we were putting into it would one day blossom into fortune or would instead become an ever-widening hole that would swallow us up.<\/h2>\n

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Araya, Peninsula Venezuela<\/h2>\n

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So we quit our jobs as a mechanical engineer and an advertising rep, sold the house and most of the junk it was stuffed with and moved in with Kim\u2019s parents.<\/strong>\u00a0A couple months after that, we found ourselves sweating in a dusty Florida boatyard.<\/h2>\n

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From early on,\u00a0we had this idea that we could stretch our adventure a little further on our tight budget if we started out with a fixer-upper<\/strong>. It\u2019s an idea that probably spawned from watching too many home improvement shows. More than just needing repairs, the boat that we settled on two months after selling our house was an unfinished project that needed serious attention.<\/h2>\n

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Running Up The Hudson In The Wee Hours To Escape Hurricane Irene<\/h2>\n

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After flying from Michigan to southern Florida to see the boat for the first time, we found out that the broker had lied about the boats condition.\u00a0The engine didn\u2019t run, the sails were torn, and the rigging was coming apart.<\/strong>\u00a0The boat had large dents on both sides of the hull where it had undergone a confrontation with a reef during a tropical storm, and suffered serious damage. Thanks to its heavy-duty aluminum construction it wasn\u2019t holed, but the damage was much more extensive than the broker had led us to believe.<\/h2>\n

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Almost twelve years later, we\u2019re still paying for our decision to take on such a serious project. More than just a ticket to paradise, the boat we chose was a huge commitment.<\/strong>\u00a0It has, however, forced us to carefully consider the value of our experiences. All of our hard work has certainly launched us into a much more interesting life. It has also provided us with a serious outlet for our creative needs. The rewards and hardships of the choices we have made is what we intend to explore in our new video series \u2013\u00a0Sailing Tranquility Bay<\/a>.<\/h2>\n

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Kim gets her nose painted for the Kuna Revolution celebration.<\/h2>\n

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Please tell us something about your sailboat.<\/strong><\/h2>\n

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Our sailboat is a thirty-eight foot aluminum Reve d\u2019 Antilles designed by Finot and built in 1986 by Maurice<\/strong>. Beyond all of the damage, it has been an unfinished project since it first floated. We are the third owners attempting to finish the job.<\/h2>\n

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Since we\u2019ve had the boat, we\u2019ve added a windvane, self-tailing winches, and a lot of cabinetry \u2013 along with all of our initial repairs.<\/strong>\u00a0The boat we started with had eight berths, and not much more. We are currently undertaking a major reconfiguration of the interior so that we can have an indoor shower\/wet zone and some more functional storage space.<\/h2>\n

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Our boat sails marvelously and is equipped well for sailing in the tropics, but over the past decade, we\u2019ve often been pushed to our limits by its campy set-up.<\/strong>\u00a0On more than a few occasions, we\u2019ve had a good laugh when we\u2019ve heard people panic on the VHF because their windlass is broken and they can\u2019t get their anchor up. For us, lifting the three-eighths chain and sixty pound anchor hand over hand has always been part of normal operating procedure. We now have a shiny new power windlass awaiting installation.<\/h2>\n

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We\u2019ve enjoyed a summer in Maine and two summers in NYC<\/strong>, and with autumn weather riding on our heels, we\u2019ve found ourselves struggling with very basic things \u2013 like hygiene \u2013 when the weather turns cold. Taking a shower in the cockpit is not fun when there\u2019s frost on the deck. That was OK a decade ago, but now we\u2019re ready for a little more comfort.<\/h2>\n

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What\u2019s the \u201ctrick\u201d to living so long in a boat with your partner?<\/strong><\/h2>\n

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Scott<\/strong>: I don\u2019t think there are any tricks \u2013\u00a0we just try to focus on love and patience instead of fear and hostility<\/strong>. Referring to the small space that we share almost 24\/7, people frequently tell us, \u201cwe could never do that. We\u2019d kill each other.\u201d While we certainly do have a special kind of relationship, I think they often wonder what it is that we have that they don\u2019t.<\/h2>\n

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Working On The Boat In Exotic Places<\/h2>\n

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In this part of our lives,\u00a0our relationship is reinforced by the fact that we both would rather deal with each others constant presence<\/strong>\u00a0than take on the complications of a mortgage, ugly commutes, and a lawn to mow. If we ever do manage to put down roots again, I don\u2019t think that it would be due to a desire for more personal space \u2013 but it would be nice.<\/h2>\n

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Kim<\/strong>:\u00a0 When we first moved aboard, our neighbors in the boatyard told us never to crawl into the v-berth angry.\u00a0It\u2019s important to be able to work things out and forgive each other quickly because sleeping in the dinghy is extremely uncomfortable.<\/strong>\u00a0We were married for seven years before we started on this adventure, but with our work schedules, we were apart for ten hours of the day. Our time together has essentially doubled. It\u2019s sometimes easy for our egos to get hung up on the little things, but when the weather gets ugly or we\u2019re in a tough situation, we always know that we have each other to rely on.<\/h2>\n

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Salardup Guna Yala, Panama<\/h2>\n

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What are the five most beautiful places where to sail at least one time?<\/strong><\/h2>\n

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We\u2019ve always felt that that is a funny question, but also one of the most common questions we\u2019re asked. Our definition of beauty is something that changes daily.\u00a0The time we spent several weeks exploring the reefs off of the coast of Nicaragua and Honduras definitely topped the charts.<\/strong>\u00a0In contrast to the horrors spilling out of the Deep Water Horizon just to the north of us at the time, we experienced some of the most beautiful and prolific coral reefs we\u2019ve ever seen in the ocean. Everywhere we looked, we were surrounded by colorful life.<\/h2>\n

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Our favorite stop there was at a place called the Quita Sue\u00f1o Bank.<\/strong>\u00a0With our sometimes inadequate Spanish skills, we were charmed to think that that translated literally to the \u201cThe Lost Dream Bank.\u201d But we later learned that quita sue\u00f1o means to lose sleep.\u00a0The reef is a hundred miles from nowhere.<\/strong>\u00a0A dangerous current that flows over the top of the bank has sucked many ships to their graves along its jagged windward edge. Based on wicked stories we heard further along in our travels, we now look back at our experiences there and are thankful that we didn\u2019t cross paths with some of the other dangers that we learned of \u2013 the lawless smugglers and dangerous outlaws that traverse them.<\/h2>\n

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Scott Repairing the Dents in the Hull<\/h2>\n

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Despite what a lot of people say, there still\u00a0are<\/em>\u00a0unspoiled places in the Caribbean.\u00a0The coast and the islands off of Venezuela were incredibly beautiful.<\/strong>\u00a0The terrain varied from rolling red deserts to swampy jungles to jeweled reefs. We liked it so much that we spent nearly a year there, but we definitely wouldn\u2019t recommend traveling there right now.<\/h2>\n

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To flip this question on its head,\u00a0we\u2019ve enjoyed sailing past the skyline of NYC several times<\/strong>. On the Hudson or on the East River, at night or in the daytime,\u00a0NYC has always been a reoccurring land of wonder for us<\/strong>. While the air quality and noise pollution aren\u2019t so spectacular, having the chance to dwell someplace that you may have been too busy to appreciate in a previous life is something that we\u2019ve always rated highly. A lively city can be as fascinating as a wild reef when you\u2019re exploring it on your own terms.<\/h2>\n

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Strange Encounters In Far-Out Places<\/h2>\n

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Beyond these, it\u2019s really hard to narrow our favorites down to five places.\u00a0There have been a lot of places in between that we\u2019ve found beautiful for their own special reasons.<\/strong>\u00a0We could certainly fill pages about them. It\u2019s a tough question. To any readers wondering more about our specific ideas here or there or anywhere, toss us a few coins on Patreon and we might even fish you out some coordinates.<\/h2>\n

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What are your future plans?<\/strong><\/h2>\n

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Our biggest ambition right now is to finish putting our boat back together while exploring the possibilities of free expression on\u00a0YouTube<\/a>.<\/strong>\u00a0It\u2019s a whole new world for us, and a whole new opportunity to interface with the world we left behind. After we wrap up our latest boat installations, we plan to continue our broadcasts from further afield.<\/h2>\n

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Watching Island Regatta From Our MastTop In Georgetown, Bahamas<\/h2>\n

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We\u2019re envisioning a decompression stop in the Bahamas<\/strong>, where we\u2019d like to bring viewers along to some places that have affected us deeply. After that, we\u2019d like to travel to a place we\u2019ve always had our hearts set on. We\u2019d\u00a0like to travel to northern latitudes<\/strong>\u00a0and the edge of the ice-field, where our aim is to take our own look at what we\u2019ve been hearing about for the last couple decades. It\u2019s something we\u2019ve always intended to do, but has been hindered by our need to further condition our boat for a comfortable voyage.<\/h2>\n

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What does sailing mean for you?<\/strong><\/h2>\n

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To us, the word sailing, like the word cruising, encapsulates a whole lot more than just the technical operation and challenges of navigation.<\/strong>\u00a0Our sailboat is also our home. The experiences that we\u2019ve found through sailing, are so much more than the process of traveling from point A to B at incredibly slow speeds. Sailing is a way to explore places that most people will never even have the option of seeing.<\/h2>\n

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Unadultered Paradise<\/h2>\n

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There is certainly plenty of joy and romance that goes along with pulling on the strings and facing technical challenges. Overcoming adverse conditions can also feel very rewarding. But for us, the idea of sailing\/cruising is more about leaving behind everything that you\u2019ve grown accustomed to and heading out \u2013 across some patch of the Sail Universe \u2013 into the unknown.\u00a0Sailing the boat is rewarding in itself, but when you get the chance to transport yourself and your home into a whole new world, you have yet another chance to reinvent yourself.<\/strong><\/h2>\n

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If you need to know more about Scott and Kim<\/strong>
YouTube:\u00a0www.youtube.com\/SailingTranquilityBay<\/a>
Blog:\u00a0www.sailingtranquilitybay.com<\/a><\/h2>\n

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Thanks to sailuniverse.com<\/a> for adding us to their Best Blogs category. Check them out and subs<\/h2>\n

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In a previous life, Scott and Kim called themselves an engineer and an advertising rep. Since 2005, however, they\u2019ve been fleeing corporate oppression and pondering the meaning of escapism. They\u00a0left everything behind to head out on a sailing adventure in search of a more connected and sustainable way of life. This is their story. \u00a0 […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1641,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"disabled","footer-sml-layout":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"set","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1757","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sailingtranquilitybay.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1757","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sailingtranquilitybay.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sailingtranquilitybay.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sailingtranquilitybay.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sailingtranquilitybay.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1757"}],"version-history":[{"count":16,"href":"https:\/\/sailingtranquilitybay.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1757\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2469,"href":"https:\/\/sailingtranquilitybay.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1757\/revisions\/2469"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sailingtranquilitybay.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1641"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sailingtranquilitybay.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1757"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sailingtranquilitybay.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1757"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sailingtranquilitybay.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1757"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}