Back Story
Stu & June worked for the State of Washington for over 30 years. In January 2014 Stu retired after 32 years with the State. Using Stu’s retirement savings, they put a down payment on a rental house (Dec. 2015). Then the following year they put another down payment from Stu’s retirement savings to purchase a used sailing catamaran (2012) with Moorings in the British Virgin Islands (BVI). We (Stu & June) retired at the end of March 2018. The final step of their plan was to sell the house they build and lived in for 24 years. The 3,540 square foot home was just too big after their two kids were grown and out of their Olympia home (June 2018).
During 2014 when Stu was retired, between State Government work and private sector work with University Mechanical Contractors, Stu and June’s friends Gray and Joy Graham partnered on the purchase of a new Lagoon 450 sail cat from the factory in France. They knew Stu was retired and recruited him for a sail from the Canary Islands to the BVI. An Atlantic crossing of over 3,000 miles. The 22 day sail in November and December 2014 locked in Stu’s desire to purchase a sailing cat of their own.
Over the next 4 years Stu and June developed and implemented their retirement plan to be Retired Vagabonds with one foot on land and the other in the sea.
The Retired Vagabond Plan
- June 14, 2018 – We will go to the BVI sail the boat (Leopard 39) for a sail for a couple weeks, then lay the boat up for hurricane season.
- July 5, 2018 – Fly to Guadeloupe. After a 4 day stay we will catch a direct flight to Paris and begin our 4-month tour through Europe, Croatia and the Canary Islands.
- October 2018 – Back to the States, including a couple weeks back to home town, Olympia, WA.
- November 2018 – Return to the BVI to start the 2+ year sailing adventure exploring the Caribbean Sea, Bahamas, East Coast of the US, the Yucatán, Central America, Panama Canal, up the Pacific Coast, back to Puget Sound and Olympia.
Shoe & Fin Travelers 