As I sit here attempting to encapsulate everything that happened over the span of 12 months, I feel like time passed by in a blink. I have spent the last weeks of 2019 and the beginning of 2020 trying to write this very blog. Usually, I am inspired by recent events and can not wait to pour my thoughts out onto the screen, but for some reason every time I sit down to collectively type about 2019, the enthusiasm leaves and I am left with a blank screen and a lack of motivation. Although typing and erasing my words doesn’t give the same satisfaction as crumpling up a page and tossing it into the wastebasket, I do find comfort in knowing that this year was so important to me that I want to write this blog as near to perfect as I can, no matter how many revisions. So, I guess let’s just jump on into it!

Our 2019 started off with a BANG as we danced into the New Year at China Peak Mountain Resort, our tradition going on 5+ years. The fireworks show lit up the night sky while Chris DJ’d the party, setting the mood for the new year. The week following New Years Day, I flew to Las Vegas, NV to attend the Consumer Technology Association (CES) Conference on behalf of one of my clients. It was incredible to be surrounded by so much technology and be introduced to new and exciting people, it was an experience I will not forget. As much as I was enjoying the conference and being back in the Silver State, I was pretty boat sick and missed my little family. When I touched down in Burbank, Chris was there flowers-in-hand waiting to take me back home. To wrap up January, Jon and Shannon flew home for Grandma Alice’s celebration of life. She had passed away on December 30th, 2018 at the age of 93 years old and was one of the sweetest women I have ever met in my life, who defined style and exuberance. In her honor, Mama Neely and Tess threw the most wonderful celebration of life with all of grandma’s friends and family. Jon and Shannon flew back for the occasion which excited us all to get some extra time with them before they returned back to work on their Hans Christian 33, Prism. While in the mountains, we were able to enjoy the fresh snow with some good friends, Mitch and Quincy who are the crew of S/V Esprit, a beautiful KP 46. Anytime a group of sailors gets together, it is bound to be a great time.

January was over in a blink, which was the reoccurring theme of 2019. Chris and I both celebrated our birthday’s in February, Chris turning the big 2-1 and myself turning 22. We sailed to Catalina Island to celebrate with the whole family and our very best friends. The sail from Channel Islands Harbor to Avalon was our first-night passage aboard Avocet. 14 hours later, we made it to Avalon safe and sound where we connected with the rest of our friends and family onshore. It was a great week exploring the town and soaking in every last moment with Jon and Shannon before they left to finish refitting Prism. When the time came to depart, we hugged everyone goodbye and set sail for Channel Islands Harbor; just Chris, Cleo and I. A few days after we returned home from our Catalina adventure, Chris surprised me with a trip to Disneyland! Since my birthday is February 14th, also known as Valentines’ Day or the “Hallmark Holiday”, the whole park was decorated with hearts and cupids as lovers gallivanted through the different lands. It was absolutely perfect.

In March, we decided to take a break from our own boat projects and drive to Berekely where Mitch and Quincy were on the hard-working on Esprit. After a long day of helping Esprit’s crew, we were treated with delicious food prepared by Quincy, who is a master galley chef as well as a nutritionist- check out her Instagram here! It was nice to be in the bay again, aboard Mama Neely’s Mason 43 which is the boat that helped inspire the Neely boys to become true sailors.

When we returned home from the bay, we finally finished our head refit. Naturally, the project lasted longer than anticipated due to conflicting schedules. It was half-finished when we sailed to Catalina, essentially just in “working” condition but we were still steps away from completely finished. I can not tell you how good it felt to lay the tile and finish painting… it actually almost felt as good as the first shower aboard did! We were ecstatic and to this day, our head is still the crowning jewel of our refit portfolio.

We closed out the month by hosting my 6th(?) annual Jib Jam at China Peak, a skiing/snowboarding competition that benefits charity. In 2019 I chose to send the proceeds to Protect Our Winters (POW) an organization dedicated to environmental activism and overall, protecting winter. The Jib Jam was a great success, all of my friends young and old came out to support which always means so much to me. We raised over $300 for POW and made a lot of memories. little did I know it would be the last time I hugged one of my biggest supporters, Shane, who passed away later that year from a motorcycle accident. Shane was one of my favorite people to snowboard with, he

taught me so many tricks and above anything taught me how to be confident in my riding abilities which naturally correlated to me becoming more confident in myself as a person. I could always count on him to be at any of my events, even with a broken arm! In that case, I had him commentate which was extra funny due to the pain killers. This year, in 2020, I am pleased to announce that my Jib Jam will benefit the Shred Life Foundation, A foundation created on behalf of Shane dedicated to supporting adolescents who share a passion for extreme sports and may have setbacks that prevent them to do so. Shred Life is a company that sells apparel whose profits will sponsor and benefit fellow shredders providing equipment, lift tickets, medical bills, etc. and give those the opportunity to share Shane’s love for the outdoors. Thank you for being who you were Shane, I will never forget you.

In May we were thrilled to be invited to participate in the Home Port Regatta, a regatta specifically for cruisers and liveaboards, aka… us “slower” folks. It was our first time sailing Avocet semi-competitively but she stunned us with her speed on the water. We don’t have a spinnaker, so already at a disadvantage, we did our best to tack strategically and keep our eye on the horizon for lifts. To our absolute surprise, we finished the race in 11th place out of 20+ boats! In 2020 you better bet your rum we will be back out there on the start line, this time with more strategy and determination to make the top 10. A few weeks after the regatta, my good friend from college, Angel, flew out from Boston to visit us. It was really our first time hosting a non-family member so I felt obligated to go all out and be the hostess with the mostess.

I prepared a “Welcome” gift basket and planned out some fun things to do to give Angel the best California experience… if only the weather got my memo. The Santa Ana’s were not quite finished blowing yet, and we got hit with a nasty cold spell bringing cold harsh breezes making our attempted beach day more of an impromptu natural “spa treatment” thanks to the sand blowing against our bikini-clad bodies. All I can say is: I tried. One of the highlights of Angel’s visit was taking her to a Taco truck we newly discovered called Mom and Pops. We fell in love with even more menu items and have since become good friends with Mom and Pops family; Diego, if you are reading this… thank you for your hard work and excellent food! We are so thankful we have you as a friend. If you are in Ventura, be sure to check them out! Here is their Instagram: @momandpops 

It is so wild that we have already been married for one full year. Chris and I celebrated our very first wedding anniversary in Chris’s hometown Shaver Lake, where we got married. My cousins Ryan and Rony joined us at the local bar where we were thrilled to see at least 6 of our other friends already inside- an absolute bonus! We played pool, drank, sang along awfully to the country music playing and then eventually made it back home and sank into the hot tub, which melted all our mistakes away. Clarke, one of our best friends and also our wedding officiant joined us the following day along with Chris’s highschool bud Turner who came up the mountain to continue the celebration.

It didn’t take us long after we returned home to Stowe away the cabin and set sail for Santa Cruz Island: our first voyage to the island of the summer, and our first time anchoring without Jon and Shannon aboard. It was incredible to sail with the sunrise, arriving at Potato Bay just after daybreak. We had a wonderful weekend exploring the island and took pleasure in knowing that we would be returning again very soon. You can read all about that adventure here or watch the video recap on YouTube!

Why we started varnishing our stateroom in the middle of the “island” season, I have no idea, but I am glad we did it even despite the amount of time it took. Chris got a fire under his butt to start working on something, his hands were idle for far too long. It was our first time varnishing the interior of our boat, so we went through a few trials and errors. Chris invested in a spray gun which resulted in needing a box fan to ventilate and decrease overspray. We also painted the large locker under our bed, moving our hot water heater and a brand new diesel tank into space in preparation for our upcoming diesel heater project! There are so many details regarding this seemingly minor project, it gives me a headache just thinking about it. So, to save my sanity (and probably yours as well) check out the video on YouTube!

July seemed like such a short month. We celebrated the 4th of July at home, watching the festivities from our boat with our friend Anna while the hustle and bustle ensued around us. Naturally, the morning after the marina was completely trashed. Chris and I went on a walk to collect as much garbage as we could to do our part, but despite our efforts I know it wasn’t enough. We would have needed at least a crew of 20 or more friends to have joined us to make the marina absolutely spotless… better yet, we just need people to step up and throw away their trash properly! A new goal for 2020: take a walk every day with a bag, and fill it with trash. Small pieces, big pieces, I don’t care! I challenge you, reader, to do the same. We all live here on this earth together, let’s be the best caretakers we possibly can be in 2020!

We were so excited to sail our Victory 21 in the High Sierra Regatta at Huntington Lake, a yearly tradition. 2019 was extra special because on the same weekend it was also our fleets National Regatta! Chris and I made the executive decision to ditch the 300-pound lead bubble that was attached (aftermarket) to our keel since we were one of the last boats in our fleet to still have one. Completely convinced it was the bubbles’ fault we were getting our butts handed to us sailing downwind, we made do with the tools we had and tried to pry that sucker off. Did I mention we were unprepared for the severity of the project? Well after 6+ hours of using screwdrivers, hammers, and anything else we could possibly use as a crowbar… our nephew Troy who sat silently watching us casually mentions that there is an actual crowbar on the side of the rental house. Thanks, kiddo. A couple amounts of pure force did the trick, and we were finally bubble-free. After a little sanding, fairing, and temporary painting we were ready for bed. Bright and early the next morning, we towed our boat to the lake where we rigged and launched. Then it was race time. The boat was much more responsive-without the extra weight, and we pointed just as high as we did before. To be quite honest, the issues did not lie with our modification, it lied with the rest of the boat which had been neglected. If you read our blog, you know we lost our cap shroud mid-race, lost a cam cleat, had some play in our tiller and had the oldest bottom paint in the fleet. It was clear after our horrible 4 days of nonstop torture on the water that we need to put some love into our little boat and in the Spring of 2020 we plan to do just that… just in time for the next High Sierra Regatta. Look our Uncle Scooter and Uncle Chuck… we are coming for you!

When we lived in Lake Tahoe, I had an amazing job working with animals at the Pet Network Humane Society. I managed the front office in addition to helping take care of all the animals which were a great experience for me! I deeply missed working with animals in need, and my baby fever (yes we are young, yes we are waiting, but YES I do still get baby fever) was kicking in so when I saw a post on Facebook looking for a bottle feeder for a 3-day old kitten I took the leap and offered my assistance. 3 hours later, a tiny little ball of fleas and dirty fur was delivered to me. I brought him home where Chris and I dove right into doting on him. A few hours of flea picking and a little bath later, we named our new temporary crew member Atlas. We had always thought Cleo would be a great mama cat, but boy were we wrong. She did not like sharing attention with Atlas one bit, but a few hours later she began to tolerate his tiny presence and squeeks, taking pity on him, and licking the top of his tiny head. Just one or two licks though, she ran away somewhere high out of reach afterward.

Atlas filled our boat with so many precious “mews” as he rolled around, still unable to open his eyes. He made working on boat projects like completely restoring our portlights fun and difficult since he liked to attack feet and needed attention ever hour. However, we made it work and a couple weeks later we had sparkling portlights and cabin sides. Atlas-the-boat-catlass accompanied me to work, making friends with all the boaters and making toys out of anything that landed on the floor. Cleo became more tolerant of the tiny tyrant and played with him every once in a while taunting him with her out of reach tail grazing over his ever-growing head. When he started teething, he began chewing on Cleo’s face. We expected her to teach him that his behavior was inappropriate but she completely ignored his existance and let him carry on. As we rolled into September, my parents arrived for a visit to the Island so we gave Atlas to his new furever family, one of our best friends Mallory who took him in as a trial-run while we were away.

A week before my parents arrived, we made a last-minute trip to Sacramento to buy our dream dinghy! Even before we had Avocet, we always wanted a Fatty Knees sailing dinghy, designed by Lyle Hess. UNfortunately, they are very hard to come by and very expensive brand new which is why when the opportunity presented itself we took the plunge and drove my subaru north. Long story short, the woman who was selling it used to be a cruiser aboard an Islander 36 with her husband who has passed. She had a garage full of memories and boat things in addition to our dream dinghy. We purchased it from her, and promised to keep in touch since we could tell it had been hard for her to part ways with it. Previous ownder, if you are reading this, we want you to know that you made one of our dreams come true and we promise to continue cherishing and taking good care of this dink!

It was a good thing we had invested in the Fatty when we did, because when my parents came to go sailing to Santa Cruz with us in September, we really needed it! That trip was such an adventure, it was my families first time “really” sailing, let alone staying aboard at anchorage. They handled everything great, even when we almost lost our anchor chain and got caught in a nasty 45+ knt wind… but im sure you read that story or watched the video. When we returned back to our slip safe and sound we said goodbye to my family and began to decompress. Mallory and Atlas (who had since been named Sassy Mittens, or “Mittens” for short) had bonded, making us nothing but more confident in our decision to have her be his adoptive family. With the peace and quiet, we began brainstorming our next project and adventure, realizing our year was already almost over.

In October, or “Spooky Season” as I like to refer to it, we flew to Annapolis Maryland where Prism was, to celebrate Jon’s 30th birthday! It was a family affair, so we were joined by Mama Neely, Sister Tess, and Best Friend Clarke for the occasion. We had a blast exploring the city and meeting new friends as well as visiting with our extended family (on both sides) who accompanied us in D.C. for an “adventure day”. You can watch our little recap video on YouTube since I didn’t write a blog, I hope you enjoy it! And before you ask because I KNOW you will… YES! Jon and Shannon are in fact still filming, editing, and producing videos. They will have a new upload in 2020, so stay tuned!

When we returned home, Atlas- I mean, uh… Mittens…- was just about 2 months old meaning it was time for his parts to get snipped. Since Mallory has 4 dogs and 2 kids, we agreed that it would be best little kitty healed up in the comfort of his floating home with Chris and I tending to his every demanding need. Cleo was less than enthused with Atlas- I mean MITTENS- re arrival, and hissed the biggest hiss at him, booped his head, and hid in our room for the duration of 3 days. I don’t blame her either, Mittens was just big enough to start jumping on her back in attempts to play and she was not having any part of that. Our little fluffy terrorist was home for Halloween, so it was only fitting he partook in the holiday. Chris and I were dressed as Dr. Indiana Jones and Lara Croft, while Cleo was our little pumpkin and Mittens was… BATlass-the-boat-catlass! Having his fluffy butt back aboard for a few days was wonderful, but we were so happy to return him to his furever home where he can chase around his dog siblings and demand things from his new humans. If you are interested in becoming a foster parent or donating to a great cause, check out Surf Cat Adoptions, who connected us with our foster baby Atlas/Mittens.

October ended right after I had fulfilled my Rocky-Horror-viewing-quota and we resumed our lives a little less-spooky. We were featured in the local magazine, Anchor Magazine, which gave us a “neighbor spotlight”. It was so cool to see ourselves on the cover in a romantic, novella-esque pose… it makes me giddy every time I look at it. The day we picked up the magazines was the day one of my best friends Megan came to visit us. It was her first time really sailing so we decided to give her an easier experience and sail to Ventura for a little staycation. It didn’t take long for word to get around that we had arrived, soon our cockpit was filled with our friends and we shared laughter and cocktails while enjoying the famous Ventura Sunset. Megan left us to host her bear rally in Lake Tahoe, in an effort to advocate for the local bears. She is an incredible person and will never cease to amaze me. I hope we get to visit again soon!

Thanksgiving is a big deal on the Hushaw side. My aunt and uncle do a wonderful job hosting us all for dinner, and fortunately Christopher’s family opts for a Thanksgiving lunch making it easy to spend time with both of our extended families since they live within 30 minutes of each other! It is always wonderful to reflect back on what we are thankful for and my, my do we sure have a lot this year. We are thankful for our floating home, good health, steady jobs, and the future. I always wish holidays like Thanksgiving would last a little longer so we had a proper amount of time to visit with family, but in 2020 it is one of our goals to spend more of our time with the ones we love.

Right when I thought we couldn’t possibly eat anymore, December greeted us with treats and sweets completely testing my (lack) of self control. We were so excited that the first week of December brought loads of snow to the mountains, resulting in China Peak opening. We loaded up and drove north to get some turns in and film some commercial content for the resort. It felt so good to have my board underneath me again, but as much as I miss the snow I wouldn’t trade my life afloat for anything. Another reason I am excited to sail to Alaska: best of both worlds! Back in June, mama Neely gifted us a spa day as an anniversary gift. due to our busy schedule, we were unable to cash it in until December, but we are so glad we did! Since it was the “off season” Glen Ivy spa was basically all to ourselves which meant we got to enjoy all 17 pools and the mud spa with just eachothers company. It was a relaxing day spent soaking and enjoying a massage treatment, Glen Ivy has definitely become one of our favorite date spots. As much as we stress saving money, we realize that it is healthy to take care of ourselves mentally and physically so spending a hundred dollars every once in a while to do something that takes care of “us” makes it all worth it.

A week or so after our spa day, our new friends at Remora Marine came to visit and film some promotional video with us and of course Avocet herself. We haven’t really announced anything yet since I wanted to wait for a full video in 2020, but we are partnering with Remora Marina as our first official sponsor! We received their Remora Solo hull cleaner to try out, and we are thoroughly impressed. Chris is such a nerd with that kind of stuff he was so excited to pick the Remora Reps’ brains about specs and such. We have much more to tell you, but I am afraid it will have to wait for a little later this month. Stay tuned!

Of course, Christmas and New Years capped off our 2019 in an epic way. On Christmas Eve, we drove to Santa Cruz to spend the night and Christmas morning with my family, opening gifts and seeing what the jolly ol’ fat man brought us. Naturally, my parents wanted to see their favorite (and only) grand cat so Cleo came along to partake in the Christmas fun. She was doted on by “grandpa” who gifted her new toys (that she has since demolished) and investigated by my two curious golden retrievers who still don’t seem to understand what a “cat” really is. We enjoyed our sweet but short time, and then packed up the car and headed to the mountains to spend Christmas day and night with Christopher’s family. We are so thankful for our families and the generous gifts they gave. My family gifted us new bedding which we direly needed since we have been using Chris’s comforter from when he was a kid (and I think it was Jon’s prior) for the past… 4 years! Christopher’s mom also gave us a very thoughtful gift: new foul weather gear! We are more excited than ever to go sailing again, and can’t wait for our adventures in the new year. Speaking of New Year’s, we continued our yearly tradition of ringing in the new year at China Peak where Chris and I DJ’d the party. This year, I actually had my hands in the planning process and decided to make it a Roaring 20’s themed party… seemed appropriate given the fact we are going back into the 20’s! The event went off without a hitch, people even came dressed in 20’s attire! I was very proud of the success, so proud we took all of New Years Day to recoperate from our “celebrating”. A memorable moment from the party for Chris was being recognized as “Chris from S/V Avocet” while shuffling gear around on the ski resorts day lodge deck, which made us both feel very proud and humbled that people really like following our story. If you are reading this, new friend, cheers!

On the 2nd, we drove back home to Avocet and prepared her for our next adventure: surprise! We are moving harbors! Ventura Harbor was so nice, we decided to take the plunge and move Avocet there which will be more convenient for work and project purposes while we continue to outfit our boat for our big crossings. Although we will miss our little “neighborhood” in Channel Islands Harbor, it will only be an 11 minute drive and a 1 hour sail away. Right now as I am writing this, Chris is stowing the cabin preparing for the move in the morning. We canceled our internet, ended our contract and are ready for the changes and excitement the New Year will bring us. This morning we hit 2000 subscribers on YouTube and are just 100 followers shy of the same on Instagram- I can not tell you how much it means to us that you enjoy our story. We hope to meet you all someday, whether it be on the water or on shore somewhere. Cheers to 2020!