Greg: El Capitano, Dutch Dreamer
Carol: Galley Wench and Communications
Brett: Navigator and Computer Specialist
Dylan: First Mate to the Captain
Greg and I are originally from southern Manitoba, Canada. Greg grew up on a farm outside the small town of Roland. After a year at Red River College where he took an Aircraft Engineer course, he worked as an Structures Engineer for various small airlines throughout the Eastern Arctic. In the 10 years prior to moving to Yellowknife, he owned and operated his own body shop, Van Wyck Auto Body in Roland.
I grew up in Winkler. My background is in printing and publishing. I joined my father and brother, and worked in our family owned business Pembina Printing Ltd. as Vice President of the publishing division. In Yellowknife, I worked as a graphic artist at Canarctic Graphics, and then after Dylan was born, had the opportunity to join Artisan Press as Supervisor of Graphic Design. After four years, I went took a job as Administrative Secretary at the public high school, where I enjoyed shorter work days and summers off to be with our boys.
Greg and I were married in 1994 and moved to Yellowknife, Northwest Territories. Our two boys Brett (15) and Dylan (13) were born and raised in the north. In 2008, we decided we needed a change in our lifestyle. We had enough of the minus 50 celcius winters and needed to unthaw. We also felt the need to spend more time together as a family. We bought a 50 foot Haak motor sailor in Charleston, South Carolina. We sold our house, left our jobs, and began our journey south. We spent a month in Manitoba visiting family, and put the majority of our earthly belongings into a sea can on Greg's parents' farm. The rest we packed into a small U-Haul trailer and headed down through the United States to Charleston.
Almost two years have flown by. It has been an incredible experience, and we have never been closer as a family. We work together as a team on the boat. The boys are home schooled, we focus on Mathematics and Language Arts. Social Studies and Science come naturally along our voyage. They are gifted musically, they both play the guitar, and Dylan plays the soprano saxophone.
We have never looked back on our decision to cruise, and want to continue our adventure, travelling to the San Blas Islands, Panama, and eventually through the Panama Canal, and then to Fiji and Australia. We have met many wonderful people, making lasting friendships with cruisers from around the world.
Twenty years from now
You will be more disappointed by the things
That you did not do
Than by the ones you did do.
So throw off the bowlines
Sail away from safe harbour
Catch the trade winds in your sails
Explore. Dream. Discover.
- Mark Twain
