And so it begins

Our family decided over a year and a half ago that we would embark on a sailing adventure that would take us around the world.

During that time, I have continued with my work as a Senior Software Engineer in Silicon Valley (Santa Clara), California - mostly working for Microsoft writing Sidebar Gadgets for Windows Vista.

By being extremely frugal, we were able to save up enough money ($30,000) to purchase a 1973 41' Gulfstar Ketch sailboat in Florida. As one can imagine by the price, this is by no means a new boat and, in fact will require several major repairs before we go anywhere.

Although we had long been anticipating the day when we would set off for Florida from California to meet up with the boat, nothing could have prepared us for the harsh reality of actually doing it.