Big news kids! I’m going to give an invaluable gift of cruising to one of my Patrons. If you all help just a little, I can give something very BIG to one of YOU. I believe this is the best way to use my Patreon funds to give back. Get inspired. Get on board. And GIVE!
I hope you’re excited about this idea because Phillip and I sure are. We kept beating our heads against the wall trying to think of a better way to use Patreon, which is an awesome platform, in a new, creative way to really help people. I wanted to set up some rewards for my supporters and, to be honest, I felt guilty saying “Help us get to $100 so we can get a drone,” “Help us get to $200 so we can go to Cuba,” etc. Why? Because, it’s not about us and our needs. It’s about you.
Many of you may agree and many of you will find when you begin cruising that cruisers are some of the most helpful people you will ever meet. I will continue to share our journey and progress through blog posts and videos, because I love doing it and I believe in it. The free sharing of helpful information is one of the best aspects we have found about the cruising community. Hundreds have helped us and we want to give back. We want your dollars to enable us to help others not just help ourselves.
Phillip and I made the decision a long time ago to cruise and we are working very hard to do that because we have found it to be an incredibly rewarding lifestyle. Life on the boat is smaller, more meaningful. In my view, it is an infinitely better way to spend the only commodity I believe we really have─our time. I have had many people who read Keys to the Kingdom and wrote to me expressing the same sentiment. They also want to change their lifestyle, focus on living with less while enjoying more and finding a more meaningful way to spend their time. In short, they too want to cruise, so I have decided to use Patreon to help them.
I am going to give the Gift of Cruising to one of you.
My ultimate goal in all of this, the videos, the books, the blogs, is to share cruising with others, make folks understand the ups and downs and realities and rewards of it and get more people out on boats exploring the world. We each have our own hurdles and obstacles holding us back and I want to give one of you that little nudge that makes this year the year you make the shift to really do it─go cruising.
So, what’s the first step? We need to find you a boat! I have many followers ask me what kind of boat I think they should get or what I think of certain models and layouts. While I appreciate the credence they are giving me, I have to admit I feel like such a novice when it comes to this because I am truly only familiar with one type of boat─our Niagara 35. For this reason, coming soon in the videos I plan to take you all on tours and show you the different types of boats we see out on the water and talk to their owners a bit for you so you can learn why they chose the boat they chose, how they use it or how they would improve it. Learning about the different features and systems on different boats is key to helping you choose the right boat for you. But, while learning about boats is key, it’s not enough. What I really want to do is see one of you find your boat this year. Hell, maybe you’ll be rigging and readying your boat to toss the lines when Phillip and I do this October. I would love to see that happen. With your help, I can.
Here’s what I plan to do. One of the first things I always recommend to anyone looking for a boat is to contact Pam Wall.
For those of you who do not yet know Pam, she is a seasoned forty-year sailor, a circumnavigator, a speaker at all of the big time sailboat shows and the most knowledgeable boat owner I have ever met. She was the cruising consultant for West Marine for years and she now offers her highly specialized skills in finding the right boat to folks just like you who are getting ready to go cruising. Her “Find Your Boat” package is $1,000 and well worth every penny.
Pam will help you determine what types of boats will be right for your cruising needs. She will scour boat listings, review and provide her opinion on any boat you want to consider. If you want to bring her out to the boat, she will inspect the vessel from bow to stern and provide you with her detailed thoughts and opinions. Pam will also help you line up a surveyor and vendors whom she knows and trusts to perform repairs if necessary. She will essentially be with you─an expert sitting on your shoulder─through every step of the boat buying process. I mean, really?! While we had a fantastic broker when we found our beloved Niagara, I know we would have benefited from Pam’s input as well. Heck, she might have lifted the floorboards and found our rotten stringer. Ha!
I want to give the gift of Pam’s knowledge and cruising skills to one of you to help you find your boat and follow your dream. I want to see one of you in a boat this year accomplishing your cruising dreams, be it dropping the hook with your family for weekend outings or small trips or shoving off like Phillip and I for southern climates this coming season. That is my goal, and I can do it with your help. I’m going to do my part by donating toward Pam’s “Find Your Boat” package, Pam is going to do her part by stepping in to help one of you find your boat. Now all we need is you, just a small donation from each of you to help support the cause. Once my Patreon level reaches $200, your contribution will be enough to match my donation to get Pam working with one of you to help you find your boat. Thousands of folks are watching these videos. If you’re watching because you, too, have the desire to cruise, then I’m talking to you. If only a fraction of my viewers give just a few dollars a week, I can do this. What an awesome thing to be a part of!
And, we will follow the lucky Patron as Pam connects with him or her and starts working her boat-finding magic! We all will get to see the different boats they consider and watch as they inspect certain vessels, reject others and ultimately decide on and purchase a boat. You will get to watch the entire journey develop.
And, I won’t stop there. After the first gift, I’m going to give more. I will set another goal and seek out other cruising “gifts” to give. If you have any ideas or want to donate something for me to give one of my Patrons, I’m all ears and open arms. This is about getting everyone “inspired and on board.” I hope, at the next benchmark, perhaps I can send one of you to an on-the-water sailing seminar at one of the big boat shows, or give you a free ASA certification course or perhaps send you on one of Andy Schell’s offshore passages. How effin cool would that be?! It just takes a small donation on your part to help me give a very big gift to one of you. You never know, it could be you! Get inspired. Get on board.
HELP ME GIVE THE GIFT OF CRUISING! Click to donate!
Annie, Your link on.the PATRON sote.gove.a.502 error. I have no idea what.that is Maybe its.me Jay On Jan 29, 2016 7:42 AM, “Have Wind Will Travel” wrote:
> anniedike posted: “Big news kids! I’m going to give an invaluable gift of > cruising to one of my Patrons. If you all help just a little, I can give > something very BIG to one of YOU. I believe this is the best way to use my > Patreon funds to give back. Get inspired. Get o” >
Hey Jay. Thanks for letting me know. It seemed folks were getting through just fine (or so I hope!). Several more donations came in yesterday. What an awesome thing folks are enabling me to do. Glad you’re on board too! Thanks again!
Thanks for sharing Lance. I am really pumped about this idea!!
Hey this might seem like a weird thing…but I swear my credit card hasn’t been charged for being your paetron
From: Have Wind Will Travel To: admiral@exceptionalescapes.com Sent: Friday, January 29, 2016 6:41 AM Subject: [New post] #44: The Gift of Cruising #yiv4154605613 a:hover {color:red;}#yiv4154605613 a {text-decoration:none;color:#0088cc;}#yiv4154605613 a.yiv4154605613primaryactionlink:link, #yiv4154605613 a.yiv4154605613primaryactionlink:visited {background-color:#2585B2;color:#fff;}#yiv4154605613 a.yiv4154605613primaryactionlink:hover, #yiv4154605613 a.yiv4154605613primaryactionlink:active {background-color:#11729E;color:#fff;}#yiv4154605613 WordPress.com | anniedike posted: “Big news kids! I’m going to give an invaluable gift of cruising to one of my Patrons. If you all help just a little, I can give something very BIG to one of YOU. I believe this is the best way to use my Patreon funds to give back. Get inspired. Get o” | |
Hey Brandy! It hasn’t. Your pledge never went through because I dont see you listed as a Patron. If the card info isn’t exactly right it wont take. Please try again and I’ll let you know when I see you pop up! Thank you!
Annie
This is so great. I love seeing the “pay it forward” kinds of efforts. Something to consider when we are finally able to take the plunge and get “get on board” of our own vessel. In the meantime we will continue to “get on board” with your adventure. I sure wish we could join in on the opportunity, but just a little too soon for us.
Understanding the opportunity to utilize Pam’s services is very exciting to know and we plan and hope that Pam is still offering such services at that time, so we can hire her to help us find our boat. We are about 2.5 years away from starting our boat shopping, and to say that we are novices is a complete understatement. Basically we are (both my hubby and I) are where you were on your second sail. We have gotten our ASA Certifications equating to 7 days on a sailboat but that is the extent of our sailing experience. Scary? Yes. But we are on the same page to make this dream a reality and learn as we go, taking our time, being positive through all adversities (this is a big thing I personally am taking from following your adventure) and not being in a hurry when we finally cast the lines.
Thank you for sharing your story and being such a inspiration to not be afraid of your lack of experience. If your capable to learn something new, then you can do this.
Angie
Angie, hello! Ahoy! Glad to meet you here. Thank you for the kind words. I’m definitely trying to do something new and different with the Patreon platform. It just takes a little from the group to help me do something HUGE for one of my Patrons. Like you said Pam is invaluable. I cannot wait to give that gift and let everyone see what an essential tool she can be for budding cruisers. You never know … help me get it going and it could be YOU down the road that gets the gift! So exciting to hear you and the hubster have your own plans to cruise. That’s awesome. You two are the exact type of people I love to meet, talk with and help. Have you read any of my sailing books? Salt of a Sailor or Keys to the Kingdom? They will give you a good laugh at my own “novice-dom” which I’m sure dwarfs yours and help get you motivated to really live the life you want. Let me know and I’ll send a free eCopy to you that you can read on the Kindle! Thanks again for reaching out. I hope this gift idea works out. I’m so excited to see it come to life. It’s definitely a new, novel idea so I’m trying to get folks inspired and on board. Spread the word! Thanks!
Hello again, Annie. I am so happy you responded!
I sure hope to meet you one day and I will seek you out when the opportunity presents itself. You never know when!
Yes I have both your sailing books and throughly enjoyed them. Working on reading them a second time through. I share your story all the time as you are hilarious. Your life and how you grew up parallels mine in so many ways it is unreal. Meager, but you always knew you were loved and never felt you were missing out on anything. I had two brothers and I was in the middle. I was what I call a “chicka-dude” and raised my girls the same. The basis is to not be a foo foo girl as you miss out on so much by being afraid to get your hair wet, but clean up good when you must. My girls are fearless now.
At any rate, in addition to your books, I have listened to your pod casts and obviously am following your blog. I can’t wait to be out there doing it, even if I have to wear a Hazmat suit. Better than the current gopher pit I am in right now. Ugg!
I will for sure be contributing to the cause and look forward to your hilarious and fun updates through your own journey. You have no idea the impact you are making. So great!
May you and Phillip have Fair winds and following seas. Or should I rather say “May you soon have solid stringers, followed by smooth glassing!” 😉
Angie
If course I responded. You are an inspiration to me! But I’m knee deep in the wine now. More tomorrow. Thank you so much for the contribution!!.
Ha. You got a response after 6 pm. That means you really made it to the top of the priority list. I try to put the phone and all the social media stuff away in the evenings and enjoy dinner and wine with Phillip but your comments moved me so. Love the “chick-a-dude” reference. I am definitely proud every day my Daddy raised me to mend fences and get my hands greasy. I would have never guessed how much my “country skills” translated so well to cruising. Sounds like yours will serve you equally well. Can’t wait to meet you out there and see you on the Patron page. I’m so excited to give my first gift that I could just fart! Thanks again. Happy to send you some signed books if you’d like. Just say the word!
Hey again.
I would love to have a signed book from you! What an honor that would be! So “word!” 😉
Know that I am on the West coast (WA) so you are 3 hours ahead of me. Then I have the Mon through Friday job that prevents me from responding back quickly so this is already late into your “wine” as you say! So totally understandable for delays. I feel privileged to even interact with you.
I just watched your first boat tour. What a beautiful boat ( yours too). Interesting insight to the traveler being in the cockpit. I would have balked at it being a safety hazard at first glance. Now I will think of that differently. See, your plan is already helping!
I am chomping at the bit to shop for a boat. Unfortunately circumstances dictate we wait (yes, I know the exact month and year- did I tell you I am by profession an analyst? Business Analyst to be correct. Drive my hubby crazy with spreadsheets, research, and such OCD behaviors – you can imagine what I have for this cruising dream)
Patreon contribution coming no later than this weekend. Had to pay the gas bill this last week so waiting for the next bacon order to be delivered! The cook takes a few days to deliver! wink!
Fair winds!
Angie
Yeah, it’s funny sometimes the things you THINK you will like on a boat and the things that really turn out to matter to you. You just have to start using the boat to know, which can be hard when you’re boat-shopping and have no idea what you’ll like or not like. That’s when a broker like Kevin is invaluable.
Sweet! Can’t wait to see you on the Patron page. $5 folks get a free book anyway, so send me your mailing address (at anniedike@gmail.com so it stays privy!) and I’ll get a signed book out to ya. Would you like Salt or Keys?