The idea...

Where to start? We are a couple in our mid 40’s that met at a very young age. I (Clyde) was in the Navy and stationed in Jacksonville Florida aboard the USS Saratoga. Anna came to the states from Sweden working as an Au Pair. We saw each other at the gym and started stealing glances at each other. After a few weeks of flirting, we went out on our first date and that lead to us getting married in 1994.

We have always enjoyed traveling and not following the norm. While we were living in Panama, we came up with the idea of sailing around the world. That is also when we came up with the name Viking Goddess for the boat. Anna, coming from Sweden and a name with a female connotation.

At that time, it was more of “Yeah, that would be cool and we should do it” but we did not the idea much more thought.

Fast forward to about August 2010. We went to visit Anna’s sister on her boat. We started talking to her and her husband and it was here that the sailing bug was reawakened. From that point, we started to get more serious about sailing around the world. We planned to do it once we retired but after some life things happened, we figured we should do it now while we still are able to. I am pretty sure that on my death bed, I will not think, "I am glad I spent those extra hours at work" but "I am glad I sailed and traveled when I did".