Help launch Sailing Instead this summer!

Both raised in the golden prairies of Alberta, Canada, we weren't born and bred to be sailors.  When we first found out we shared a common dream of living a wanderlust lifestyle - we decided to try sailing on a lake for our first time.  We quickly became eager to learn more about sailing and decided that dipping our toes just wasn't enough.  Instead, we jumped in with both feet - relocating to Canada's west coast to kick off our search for a sailboat that would become our first home.

Moving from a condo to a sailboat meant we would have to do a great deal of downsizing - selling and donating the majority of our things.  Living fulltime at the boatyard would allow us to focus on the hours and hours and hours of research, design and construction of our boat, all while saving some condo fees!  

We would've loved to buy a brand new Beneteau.  Who wouldn't?  Instead we found a 30' Rawson masthead sloop, built in 1975...the same year Sony released Betamax.  ​It had been severely neglected, and we were deflated to  find a dangerously corroded and pitted rudder shaft, leaking chain plates causing rotten bulkheads hidden behind wall coverings, and a vaporized subfloor hidden below 1" mahogany floorboards, all unexpected projects that would extend our stay.  Since we'll be living in the boat fulltime we decided to focus on the cabin and one day hope to put the same amount of effort into the exterior.

Starting in BC's coastal waters then chasing the sun south - when appropriate and safe to do so - we plan to head down the Pacific Coast to the Panama Canal, exploring with no schedule and stopping along the way for work to sustain our journey.  Sailing through the Caribbean we plan to head north to prepare for our first Atlantic crossing to the Mediterranean!

The re-fit was initially budgeted and scheduled for 6 months, but due to the discovery of additional projects needing to be addressed we find ourselves over schedule.  We are working diligently to complete the remaining projects ourselves with the goal of putting 'Sea Jay' in the water this summer.  We plan to take you with us on our cruising adventures! Tune into our YouTube channel, "Sailing Instead" - an alternative lifestyle vlog of our voyages - launching this summer, thanks to supporters like you! 

Jenna and Charley