When I had the boat docked in Virginia at a little marina in Deltaville, I met a French woman. She was petite and had three sons and two dogs. They were living on a tiny little sailboat as they worked on this one.
I watched her working from sun up 'til sundown before heading off to work in a bar for the evening. Day after day she worked. Usually on her own as the sons weren't much use for anything.
She would drag in bits and pieces she had acquired from other boaters that frequented the marina and the bar.
Her and her sons would take every opportunity to go sailing on anyone else's boat that offered to learn and learn sailing.
Eventually they floated the finished boat into the dock and sailed south for the Bahamas and beyond.
As she worked, plenty of the wealthier boat owners sneered at her. They were hoping and expecting her to fail. How could anyone be so stupid as to think a cheap old boat, fitted out with second hand parts by a tiny French woman would ever get anywhere?
She and her sons sailed away one evening and left them all behind.
Those she left behind all had fancy boats and were all planning their trips south to the Bahamas too.
But things always got in the way to delay them. No sense in leaving without proper new rigging. The new depth sounder was on order and would be here in a few weeks. best get it hauled out and redo the anti fouling before we set off.
Excuse after excuse and none of them ever left the dock.
I hope the French women and her kids are having the time of their lives. I'm sure as she sits on a beach somewhere watching the dogs splashing in the warm ocean and sipping a pina colada, she thinks back on all the wealthy nay-sayers that are still polishing their stainless steel and tut-tutting at the next little boat with a dream to chase.