Hello and welcome back to my Meet the Cruisers series! Each month, I plan on introducing you to the cruising individuals, couples, and families that we have met since beginning our own cruising adventure in October. My intention is to provide insight into this lifestyle, share the different types of stories, dreams, and reasons that drive people to cruise, and to give you an inside perspective on what it’s really like to be out here.
Last month, I introduced you to Richard, the nineteen-year-old Alaskan solo sailor on S/V Darwind. Today, I want to introduce you to Emma and Daniel from S/V Indy! Emma and Daniel were the very first cruising friends we made, through social media and then in person while preparing for the Baja Ha-Ha. We actually went across the U.S./Mexican Border with them the first day that we met—we needed to get the Temporary Import Permits required to be able to bring our boats into Mexico, and Emma thought it might be a good idea to do it together. She was right! It was a unique experience to walk across the border and find the banjercito that would give us our paperwork; I’m glad we did it in a group. The four of us hung out for the rest of the day on Thisldu, getting to know each other over drinks and dinner, and from there on out, we were pretty much inseparable until Garrett and I crossed the Sea of Cortez in December.
They’re great people full of infectious optimism, and I can’t wait for you to hear their stories.
What are your names?
Daniel Eicher and Emma Davis
If you don’t mind sharing, how old are you?
Daniel-31, Emma-27
What is the name, make, model, year, and size of your boat?
Indy, Pacific Seacraft, Crealock 37, 1981, 37 feet
How did you get your start with sailing?
Daniel: I was on the sailing team as an undergraduate at William and Mary. It was all dinghy racing on the James River, but I loved playing on the boats. I got introduced to larger boats and cruising while living in the Mediterranean after graduation. I was working as an English teacher, and each year my coworkers would charter a sailboat for a weeklong trip during spring break. That’s when I fell in love with sailing as a lifestyle.
Emma: I learned to sail within the first week of meeting Daniel. He took me out on his little 16-foot sailboat (Com-Pac 16) on a Central Texas lake. We went sailing during the day then laid out in the cockpit at anchor at night. I relished harnessing the wind and making the boat glide through the water. There’s absolutely no feeling like it! Sailing scared me at first. I didn’t trust the physics of the boat. But, I persevered and began to get the hang of it with minimal freak outs.
What made you want to cruise?
Daniel: While living abroad I felt so incredibly stimulated and alive. Colors seemed brighter, music seemed more beautiful. When I returned home and got into the 50 weeks of work, 2 weeks of vacation cycle, life felt dull by comparison. I yearned for the thrill of international travel, and cruising seemed the perfect way to achieve this goal in a financially and environmentally sustainable way.
Emma: I want to live simply, purposefully, and adventurously while seeing the world and experiencing new things. Traveling via sailboat seems like the perfect way to do so.
How long have you been cruising for, and how long do you hope to keep it up?
We began cruising while refitting the boat in February of 2019. We plan on cruising until it is no longer fun! That may be too optimistic but that’s what we are sticking with for right now. Our cruising will be punctuated by periods of working to re-up the kitty. We have accepted this as a financial reality, but have come to welcome it as a way to immerse ourselves in local communities. It will also keep us from getting sick of living on a boat, and (hopefully) keep us from becoming weird boat people who can’t socialize with other humans.
How are you funding this lifestyle?
Before we became sailing vagabonds, we renovated a 100-year-old house in the heart of San Antonio, Texas. The purpose of renovating the house was to turn it into an Airbnb/VRBO while we are traveling. It helps some but we are finding that it is not quite enough (right now) to keep us cruising for the foreseeable future. Hello, foundation repairs!
We plan on stopping during the hurricane season and putting the boat on the hard. Emma will work remotely in Education and Daniel plans on working and/or captaining boats. We will most likely continue this pattern until cruising is no longer fun or we pop out some babies.
What’s the most positive experience you’ve had with cruising so far? What’s the most negative experience you’ve had with cruising so far? The most challenging thing?
Daniel: I am so happy to be living an active lifestyle. Finally I can eat whatever I want and not get fat. I also enjoy the self-sufficiency associated with cruising. During a downpour in Baja we captured 25 gallons of rainwater! I am looking forward to catching more seafood and boosting our solar array until we are electrically self-sufficient. The most challenging thing has been finding a daily routine that keeps me feeling productive. It’s real easy to be a bum in a beautiful anchorage.
Emma: The most positive experience I’ve had so far would be seeing my confidence and my abilities grow with the more and more we sail and cruise. This is a physically and mentally demanding lifestyle. It is not at all without its challenges, but I have enjoyed seeing myself grow stronger in every way because of it. Being forced to be self-sufficient has been a welcome challenge as well. Of course, the sunrises and sunsets, the fish we catch, and the places we see are also a huge highlight. But that’s a given!
I like being clean. Our boat does not have a shower or hot water so a shower is either jumping in the ocean and lathering up or a solar shower with limited water. I have really missed a real shower that has unlimited hot water coming out! I have also found that in cruising I have felt really lonely. We meet amazing people (ahem Audrey and Garrett) and have a fantastic time together. Inevitably, we have to say goodbye without knowing if or when we will see them again. Most of the time it is Daniel and I. While I love him dearly, there is nothing like having a good girlfriend and a group of friends to hang out with.
Is cruising what you thought it would be? Can you elaborate?
We both thought we would do more actual sailing. We probably motored 80% of the way coming down the US coast. It doesn’t help when you start your journey in the roaring 50’s, and we are looking forward to getting into the trade winds.
Is there one piece of advice or insight into this lifestyle that you would like to share?
Daniel: I would recommend crewing as much as possible before getting your own boat. This will do two things:
It will give you an idea of the pros and cons of different boats. It will help you figure out what is important to you in a boat and what doesn’t matter that much. This will help you make a better buying decision when the time comes to get your own boat.
it will give you a chance to learn from someone more experienced. There’s no reason to reinvent the wheel. There’s merit from figuring things out from yourself and learning by mistakes, but there’s also no reason to make cruising any more difficult than in needs to be. If you can find the right mentor, soak up as much knowledge as you can before you set out on your own.
Emma: Know that when things get hard, scary, or frustrating, it will pass. Soon, the storm will dissipate or you will finally be able to start the outboard yourself or you’ll be able to make a cup of tea while underway! The most important thing is to persevere and not let your emotions get the best of you. Maintain a larger perspective. Just because you can’t do it now, doesn’t mean you are not capable of it.
Is there anything else you’d like to share?
Don’t forget the baby powder. Your butt will thank you!
