OUR SHORT (25’) STORY

After reading a number of sailing paperbacks, we decided to stop dreaming and start living a life centered around adventure. We bought the first decent “trailer sailor” we found near our home in the Midwest and began to learn to sail while outfitting our boat for The Great Loop.

It took us just short of one full year to complete the loop on our O’Day 25 sailboat, Novella. This adventure forced us out of our comfort zone and gave us an entirely new outlook on life. Our self-guided tour of the eastern half of the United States and parts of Canada was a thrilling and challenging adventure full of exploring communities, making friends, discovering local eateries, and experiencing nature in an entirely new way.

The sheer amount of memories made can be difficult to recall at times, and we quickly found that our days were blurring together. We started a tradition of posting every day while underway. These nightly reminiscings were a way to take stock of the day’s activities, both the good and the bad, while cementing them to memory.

Looking back at and reminiscing about what was supposed to be a short sailing story is now one of our favorite pastimes, and we are excited to continue this tradition while traveling on Origami. For a day-to-day log including all of Novella’s travels, check out our Instagram account @sailingnovella. Otherwise, a summary of our Great Loop adventure, based on each state, can be found on the gallery page.