Hello and welcome to the fourth installment of my Meet the Cruisers series! So far I’ve interviewed nineteen-year-old solo sailor Richard of S/V Darwind, Emma and Daniel of S/V Indy, and Nicole, Keenan, and sailor dog Jack of S/Y Maison de Santé. I’ve been on a schedule to publish these once monthly, but I figured we could all use a little bit of an escape right now. So today, I’d like to introduce you to Jamie and Carson of S/V LeeAnn!
Like Garrett and I, Jamie and Carson were members of the 2019 Baja Ha-Ha. We didn’t catch up with them until after the Ha-Ha, though, in the dreaded anchorage of Los Muertos right before Thanksgiving. Our initial meeting was brief but they made an impact—Garrett and I were eager to spend more time with this fun Seattle-based cruising couple. We finally caught up with them again in Mazatlan and later in La Cruz.
These two are really great. Friendly, helpful, and just full of positive energy. And their boat is beautiful. We were sad to say goodbye to them when we left La Cruz to continue south but are so excited for their next step: they plan to cross the Pacific to French Polynesia in April! Let’s hope their dream can still come true in the wake of Coronavirus. Read more about Carson and Jamie and how they became full-time cruisers, separately and together.
What are your names?
Carson & Jamie
If you don’t mind sharing, how old are you?
Carson is 35 and Jamie is 34.
What is the name, make, model, year, and size of your boat?
LeeAnn, a 2000 46’ Beneteau 461
How did you get your start with sailing?
Jamie: A very good girlfriend of mine bought a 36ft Catalina and asked me if I’d like to “figure this whole sailing thing out” with her. The first time I stepped foot on that boat and we were able to get the sails up and the engine off, it was over for me. I fell in love and never turned back. I got on a few racing teams, got yelled at a lot but learned quickly and eventually bought my own boat in preparation for this adventure we’re on now together.
Carson: I saw sailboats and I thought they were awesome! I bought my first sailboat, a 1970 Cal 25 named The Firecracker and sailed her for over seven years before we got LeeAnn.
What made you want to cruise?
Jamie: I’ve always known I wanted to travel the world. Figured I’d backpack around but then I found sailing and realized that was how I’d wanderlust around the globe!
Carson: Not having a job sounded pretty sweet! Tack on seeing the world and why wouldn’t you want to cruise?
How long have you been cruising for, and how long do you hope to keep it up?
We left Seattle on August 23, 2019. Our dream is to circumnavigate but we aren’t in any rush and don’t have a set timeline.
How are you funding this lifestyle?
We worked for three years refitting the boat 90% ourselves while also working more than full-time in order to save up enough money to last us at least a few years before we would have to go back to work to make more. We know this is an inevitable reality but we plan to work and then continue the journey as many times as we need to in order to achieve our sailing dreams.
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 biggest challenge?
Jamie: The most positive thing about cruising so far has to be the community we’ve become a part of. The amount of knowledge and willingness to help fellow cruisers is absolutely amazing and we are so thankful for it!
The most negative part about cruising so far has been the amount of boat work we’ve had to do and pay for. It’s hard to swallow when something comes up that is out of your control but has to be done. We spent three years working through every inch of this boat trying to avoid some of these things but, it’s a boat and that’s just the reality. Frustrating for sure but we always get through it.
The biggest challenge for us has been being so far from our families. It’s difficult to miss the “big” things but we try our best to stay in touch and keep up with everyone. We are so thankful to have such loving, supportive families.
Carson: The most positive experience is seeing new places and being able to take our home with us!
Most negative… boat work!
Is cruising what you thought it would be? Can you elaborate?
Jamie: So far, cruising has been much more than we could have imagined and we aren’t even “that” far! We know crossing the Pacific to French Polynesia is going to change our lives. We are ready and completely open to fall in love and not want to leave so many places and we are just so excited for this next adventure.
Carson: Cruising is amazing! The only unexpected thing has been the amount of money we’ve had to spend. We’ve had to adjust our reality as far as the budget goes.
Is there one piece of advice or insight into this lifestyle that you would like to share?
Jamie: One of the biggest things I think about often is, in order to live this life and be “free” you have to allow yourself to let go of a lot. You let go of “stuff” because it can’t fit or isn’t practical to have on the boat. You let go of feelings you had about that “stuff” and eventually realize it doesn’t matter in the grand scheme of things. You “let go” of people and places that matter to you but with the knowledge that you can go back there one day or FaceTime that person whenever you want. I believe that the “letting go” is the hardest part about this life but once you do, once you’ve convinced yourself that you can do it, you become liberated from all of the “stuff” and realize there is a great big world waiting for you out there.
Carson: Learn how to work on your own boat!
