EP18: From "You're Nuts" to "This Is My Dream Too": A Skeptic, a Pilot & the Life They Built at sea

In this episode, we sit down with Tammy and Dale Johnston aboard their 2022 Leopard 45 catamaran. Dale is a retired Air Force and airline pilot, Tammy is his "spunky" wife of (almost!) 40 years, and together they turned a dream four decades in the making into a life on the water. Chapters: 0:00 Welcome, and a year of cruising so far 3:18 Where the dream began (and why Dale waited to retire) 7:05 Tammy the skeptic: "I thought it was all storms" 9:25 The bucket list, and holding the dream loosely 12:55 Now or never: the 10-year window 15:57 Finding the boat: the Leopard 45 and a "pocket listing" 20:24 The boat-buying lesson: right boat, right money 23:24 Is this a selfish dream? Being a good neighbor at sea 27:47 When the boat takes over the romance 30:55 Family: grandkids, aging parents, staying connected 32:58 Marriage on a boat: commitment and communicating for connection 43:52 Expectations vs reality: the deal you make 49:42 "This is my dream too": locking arms and the tandem bicycle 1:00:04 Advice: nail your mission ("what-if it to death") 1:03:56 Getting your partner on board: curiosity and YouTube 1:06:06 Training, and a plan for when things go south 1:08:47 The only ask: just be curious We chat about how a dream sparked by two books and a first date on a little Hobie cat finally set sail at retirement, why Dale waited until he was done flying instead of leaving early ("I loved my job"), and how Tammy went from thinking sailing was all danger, storms and adrenaline to looking over his shoulder at YouTube, getting curious, and claiming the dream as her own. "This is my dream too." We get into the Bluewater Cruising lesson that changed everything ("you have time or you have money"), why people spend too much on the wrong boat and not enough on the right one, finding their Leopard 45 through a "pocket listing," and the 10 year window they've given themselves to cross oceans before they "buy a trawler." We also go to the honest, unglamorous places most people don't talk about: communicating "for connection, not just understanding," the boat taking over the romance, staying close to grandkids from a thousand miles away, holding the dream loosely through their faith, and the tandem bicycle truth at the heart of it all. You either get there together, or you don't get there at all. If you've ever wondered whether it's too late, whether your partner will ever be on board, or what cruising as a couple is really like, this one's for you. To follow along with Tammy & Dale's journey, check out the links below: YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@SailingTinyBubbles-yc2mh To download our FREE GUIDE for Aspiring Bluewater Cruisers visit: https://ebook.bluewatercruising.com/ebook Join our FREE "Let the Journey Begin" Facebook Group with over 6,000 other Aspiring Cruisers visit: https://www.facebook.com/groups/bluewatercruising To start learning everything you need to know and do to go Bluewater Cruising visit: https://www.bluewatercruising.com/