Sold the House, Buying the Boat and Off We Go

[neurotica]

Salutations!
One of the sole places in the Universe that still remains under the domain of the free may very well be the open waters.
Long being a dream to explore the world and appreciate the capacity and complexity of the human being , we have decided to just "go". We are literally selling all fixed assets and in so doing, unburdening ourselves of the possessive material world.
Never to be one to follow and assimilate, we are anxious to demonstrate to our four girls that there is place for all individuals in this world. I'd like them to learn to navigate themselves both in the societies they are raised in combined with the knowledge and confidence to move outside this box. The development of a person is a life long pursuit destined to move at it's own unique pace.
This belief firmly entrenched in our minds, we decided that there has been enough talk; time to do it.
There really will be no ideal time; so this is it.
So!
Any thoughts on where to start?
Not being a family who can idle under a palm tree, we are looking for projects where we could engage ourselves in the culture we are visiting while also giving something back to the people who's land we are frequenting.
The first destination will be the Bahamas for this coming winter of '09-'10. This first season we are going to be gone for a trial run in our smaller 27' vessel for a period of five months. ( We can actually trailer this boat down from Eastern Canada faster than sailing the Ditch, so we will launch from Florida and head across).
We have been desperately trying to link up with those in need of our time and skills in the less popular Outer Islands. Ideally, we would like to help out at an orphanage or school.
Carpenters by trade, accented with a miriad of talents ranging from midwifery to mechanics and any links in between, we feel that there would inevitably be a place in need of our attention.
Any thoughts? Any sense of direction or connection would be greatly appreciated.
Glad to be part of the forum!
Cheers,
Simonne, Luke and Crew
ps. The most potent step was that of declaring," Yes, we're going." So few words, but so colossal in meaning!