A True Sense Of Freedom

This young couple sold their home to live aboard a Nordhavn 43. Now, they plan to cruise around the world

- Elizabeth Krenke

Many couples celebrate the start of their lives together by buying their forever home and planning a family with 2.4 children and a dog. Others, however, go to a boat show!

Our story began in 2004 at the annual Milwaukee Boat Show in Wisconsin. Shawn was 24 years old and ready to trade in his motorcycle for something more exhilarating; I was 21 with two more years of college ahead of me, yet very much in love with the idea of cruising Lake Michigan and enjoying summers on the water. Like many boat show attendees that night, we were there only to escape a cold Midwest evening and not to buy a boat. Within a few short weeks, however, our motorcycles were sold and we were the proud owners of a brand new 24ft Glastron pocket cruiser, aptly named Tide The Knot.

As many boat owners will attest, buying a boat isn’t exactly a great use of financial resources, especially when you don’t have a lot of them! Rather, buying a boat is more of an investment in personal experiences and life-long memories, and less about future financial gains. We had no idea at the time that our new boat would take us to countless destinations along the west coast of Lake Michigan, introduce us to life-long friends and open our eyes to a whole new way of life. When thinking back on how our journey began, a quote by Robert Frost always comes to mind: “The sea, once it casts its spell, holds one in its wonder forever.” The sea, albeit a freshwater Great Lake, had begun to cast its greatest spell yet!

REALISING A DREAM