Sailing Sea Pearl: A Journey Over the Horizon
By Steve & Steff Plein
We’ve all heard that old saying. You know the one—be careful what you wish for.
When the years press on the once extraordinary can quickly become watered down by mundane repetition. When this phenomenon sets upon us, it is easy to get lost. We set goals and climb hard on the wind towards the finish line with no relent and when the spray settles and the beating subsides we are left only with silence. That form of quiet rings in the ears of those who thirst for adventure the most. For many, the calm is not enough. We begin to crave the chaos, lusting for the search for a new shore, virgin and unspoiled, taunting us from afar.
It was only three years into owning our first home when I realized that mowing the same fifty foot patch of grass and blowing around the same leaves for the remainder of my adult life would not be enough to keep the call at bay. The fruits of owning and operating an eco-charter business had been good to us. One boat turned into two, and the employ of additional captains became a necessity. As business boomed, so did our financial engagements and responsibilities. As minimalists at heart my wife Stefanie and I have always veered away from accruing too many things. When all the charter guests were taken care of we would often sit at anchor in our center console charter boat along the shores of Southwest Florida and gaze off out over the Gulf. The sun was shining, but still there was something else out there that pulled at our contentment. Within both of us we knew that we would never be happy sitting along the same coastline for decades without ever setting forth and exploring the other side of that horizon that we knew so well.
The dream began to take form as we decided to scale back from charters and sell one of the boats and downsizing to one vehicle. The thought of selling our home at the height of the market came upon us, as did the idea of renting it annually. A month after the decision to downsize a storm began to brew. Little did we know, our lives would be forever changed.
Cue Hurricane Ian. The most destructive storm Southwest Florida has ever seen.
After wading through the physical and psychological debris we came to a crossroads. Our small home had been completely flooded and the sea took from us most of our earthly possessions. It quickly became clear that our best option would be to sell the damaged home and rebuild our lives one piece at a time. The idea of simplifying our life into a floating home would be the best plan of action in order to have a mobile asset that could be removed from harm’s way come storm season. The dream of having one asset where we could live, work, and play was about to become a reality.
The boat search had already begun prior to the storm in the form of “window shopping.” Post-Covid a seller’s market was rampant and thriving. Our options for a four cabin, four head catamaran large enough to host guests were slim pickings. As prices soared we made the decision to take on a project cat that needed a minor refit. We settled on a 2005 Fountaine Pajot Bahia 46 in Coconut Grove, Florida. After six months and many tens of thousands of dollars later it was time to splash and allow the fruits of our boatyard labor to be enjoyed.
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