Our Dash is a 1989 Hatteras 40′ Double Cabin. We named her “Our Dash” as a reminder to make the most of the space between the years, or the “dash,” that will someday appear on our grave stones. (See “The Dash Between” by Ron Tranmer.)We made the offer on a bitterly cold day in January, had the survey done on a bitterly cold day in February, closed the sale on a bitterly cold day in March, and we’re waiting for a much warmer day in May when she can be moved from the back corner of the indoor storage facility where she spends her winter and into Lake Michigan.

FAQs

Have you ever owned a boat?

No.

Why on earth would you buy a boat if you don’t know much about boating?

People have been boating for millennia. We’re not reinventing the wheel. We’re ahead of the game because we have YouTube. And the US Power Squadron. And a captain who’s committed to training us. We know what we’re good at and, more importantly, what we’re not.

Owen knows a thing or two about engines and is always an eager learner. Wendy is learning about engines out of necessity and is soaking up all kinds of other boating knowledge. Then, practice, practice, practice!

What do your kids think of this?

They are amused and excited and have correctly diagnosed their parents’ midlife crises.

So, what are you going to do with this boat?

Our plan is to keep it on Lake Michigan for a couple summers while we get the hang of boating. Then maybe we’ll start taking it south for the winter and bringing it north for the summer, completing America’s Great Loop. Let’s make sure we like boating first.

Wendy, is it true you can’t swim and suffer from motion sickness?

Yes.

Whose idea was this?

It was Wendy’s “thinking out loud” followed by Owen’s “why have we not already done this?” We’re a dangerous team in the best way possible.