Blog

  • A 14yr update – Home on Lake Oconee

    14 years since the last update on the blog. Where does the time go? Drew and I still talk about this adventure and our time aboard Dosia nearly every single week. The journey burned itself into our souls and we have never let it go. We still get emails from this site and have even been recognized at a few boat shows over the yeras. And our plan is to return to boat life again…eventually! In the meantime, we have settled into a happy existence here on Lake Oconee in Georgia. We now have 3 kids growing at the speed of light – Shafer (13), Lydie (11), and Lincoln (9). Days sitting in the cockpit of Dosia have been replaced by weekends driving to soccer games in our giant land yacht Yukon XL, full of chairs and coolers.

    We did find a bit of paradise though. We live a hugely fulfilling life here on Lake Oconee. Post covid, this area has become a thriving relocation and second-home destination. It really is the perfect place to live. Still country enough to know everyone. But developed enough to give us ample activities to keep the family busy. We bought a house on the lake, a wake boat, and our kids have grown up in and around the water while attending Lake Oconee Academy, one of the best schools in the state. I transitioned into my full time career in Lake Oconee Real Estate and have helped hundreds of families from all over the US find their dream homes here in neighborhoods like Reynolds Lake Oconee, Cuscowilla, and Harbor Club.

    So there is happiness on land albeit in a different way than happiness on a boat. We are so happy we were able to get out and really live life to its fullest before committing to a more traditional life. And we will encourage our children to do the same. There is a short window of time in everyone’s life where health is high and obligations are low. Take advantage of that time. And never regret it.

  • Traveling Around the World – Greatest Hits 6th edition

    Wow.  Almost a full year since our last post on this blog.  We are completely assimilated back into the real world now with car payments, cell phones, business lunches, and limited vacation time.  Weekly lottery tickets give me hope that maybe, just maybe, we can give it all up and head back out there but I know in the back of my mind that it will be a while.  At least business is great.  We stay too busy to follow other blogs and see what we’re missing so out of sight, out of mind as they say.  In the meanwhile, here’s a few more photos for the world to see (though they are probably more for me than anyone else at this point)!

    The Hong Kong Jockey Club right in the middle of the city is an AWESOME experience
    The Hong Kong Jockey Club right in the middle of the city is an AWESOME experience

    One Foot Island in the Aitutaki Lagoon.  Still one of our favorite places on Earth!
    One Foot Island in the Aitutaki Lagoon. Still one of our favorite places on Earth!

    One of the very few salvaged from a faulty memory card during our time in Paris 🙁

  • Margie around the world – Greatest Hits 5th Edition

    Over a year back from our journey I routinely peek back into the photo archives to relive our adventures.  Business is crazy.  Margie closed her first real estate deal and is hungry for more.  My business has taken off in ways I never imagined.  In less than three months we get married here at her parents house in Greensboro, GA so I thought a tribute post to the girl I love was totally necessary.  Due to her new website, she’s known in these parts as “Marge at Large.”  In the photos below she is truly at large.  I am a lucky, lucky man.

    Cocktails in Bora Bora
    Sunsets Cocktails – My view every night in Bora Bora

    Queenstown Canyon Swing
    Harnessed up and ready for the Canyon Swing – New Zealand

    Hong Kong Park
    Wandering around Hong Kong

  • Traveling by Sailboat-Greatest Hits 4th Edition

    We’ve finally settled into life in the States after a year ashore. I actually bought a car last week…my first in years. My grandmother passed away a while back so I’ve been driving her old 1991 Chrysler New Yorker with the plush seats and vinyl top. Hell, it only has 54,000 miles on it so why not? But alas, my new party rental business, Goodwin Event Rentals, needed a truck so off I went to the Ford dealership. Margie is fully involved in real estate here in Lake Oconee, Ga where we live.  I spend a couple of hours every week secretly searching for a new boat although my money is going into the new company and I know it’s not a possibility for a couple of years.  The idea of it keeps me sane at least.  Here’s another edition of greatest hit photos from 4 years of sailing and traveling the world!

    Volcano near Pucon Chile
    Petrohue Volcano, Chile

    Salvador Brazil Carnival Beach
    The Beach in Salvador Brazil during Carnival

    Hong Kong Street
    A contrasting street in Hong Kong