Our guest blogger Cheryl shares her story of falling in love with boating and making the transition to live aboard her boat full time.

"20 years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn't do than by the ones you did.  So, throw off the bow lines. Sail away from the safe harbor.  Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore.   Dream. Discover."

However, some people need more of an explanation as to why my husband and I would want to sell our home, our cars, and our possessions to live on a 30 foot sailboat without air conditioning, fresh water, or much living space.  The idea first came about when we were vacationing in Hawaii a couple of years ago. We were on some of the most beautiful beaches in the world, when we noticed tents with homeless people living in them.   We thought, "Wow!   If that's how homeless people live, we need a tent"!   Of course, we weren't really serious about living in a tent, but after returning home we kept thinking about those homeless people in Hawaii.   The idea of living in a tropical area and having no debt to tie us down was really appealing!

Not long after our trip to Hawaii, a friend of ours was telling us about some people that were living on a sailboat and cruising the Caribbean.  Like the people that we tell about our future cruising plans, we raised our eyebrows.  But, we weren't thinking the idea was crazy.  Instead, we were thinking that this was something we might want to look into!  It's odd that we've gone our whole life without ever hearing about such a lifestyle.  Living and cruising on a sailboat was a totally foreign idea, and we wondered why we'd never thought of this before.  We'd seen sailboats anchored, but we'd never stopped to think that these sailboats were homes and that anchoring was allowed overnight.

My husband and I have always dreamed of retiring by the age of 50 to travel and see the world.  We don't have a lot of money and have always lived a frugal lifestyle.  I'm proud to call myself a "low maintenance" girl!   So, the idea of living on a sailboat seemed perfect for us.  Without ever sailing, we decided to buy a sailboat just a few months later.  We bought a 1987 Catalina 30 and named her "Nirvana", which is a Buddhist term meaning bliss and freedom from material possessions.  Since then we've anchored overnight and have spent a few weekends on our sailboat.  Now that we've experienced the joy of a breeze through our hair, the beautiful sunsets, going to sleep under the stars, and waking up to a sunrise and a waterfront view... we're hooked!  Sailing on the water, with nothing but the sounds of the waves is truly an amazing experience!

So, this year we hope to sell our home and everything with it!  When we hear the familiar saying, "The best things in life are free ... we believe it!  No house, car, outfit, or piece of jewelry can compare to the beauty that this world provides!  Why cruising ... why not?!

Follow us, Ken and Cheryl, as we sail and make the transition from landlubbers to liveaboards at www.mid-lifecruising.com