kateandjohnsail.boats

Long before John and I resolved to live on a cruising sailboat, our friends Ann and Ed showed us how it is done. Windswept Dreams, a 39 foot Island Packet, was the boat of their dreams, and in 2008 we joined them for a week in the Bahamas, and a few years later a week in the British Virgin Islands. Our friends showed us how to wander among islands, to seek sheltered bays, to make a small village home for a few days. Together we traveled with a buddy boat, sought out local festivities, swam and snorkeled daily, cooked local food, and of course, made boat repairs. In the evening, if we had any remaining energy, we played Mexican Train Dominoes and Farkle.

Fast forward to 2025. Ann and Ed no longer own Windswept Dreams, but their dream has become ours, and we had the pleasure of their company on Quintessa in the Cyclades. We have nowhere near their cruising experience, but we were able to share experiences together: we buddy boated with our sister ship Manketti, celebrated a Greek national holiday in Ermoupoli, poked around in small bays, kayaked and snorkeled, sampled and cooked the local cuisine, and played Farkle when the sun went down.

Oh, and about boat repairs: Ed helped a great deal with several of them, including puzzling through the failure of a bilge pump valve, revealed only by tearing apart one side of the salon. Meanwhile Ann generously used her special gifts of meeting the locals and cleaning the boat. Oh, and she also met, named, and fed every cat on Syros.

We are indebted to this couple for bringing on board their sailing wisdom and experience, and we had a lot of fun together.