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SALTY DOG ADVENTURES

Crew Info:                                                                           

Captain:            Bryan D. Bershee,  age 34 (at time of trip)     Middle school PE teacher

First Mate:        Carrie E. Bershee,  age 32 (at time of trip)      Junior High School counselor       

Crew Bio:

Bryan and I both grew up sailing the waters off Southern California with our respective families.  When we met in 1998, we quickly realized that we shared a passion for the ocean and for sailing, and the rest, as they say, is history. 

We were married in July 2000, it was less than two years before we had purchased our own sailboat, an Ericson 27.  Quickly outgrowing the 27-footer and feeling the need for more space for us and our dogs, Bryan and I soon began shopping for a bigger boat.  The day the Pearson was hauled out for survey, the surveyor commented to us that the boat was sound enough to take us all the way to the South Pacific if we wanted.  That was all we needed to hear to seal the deal on the Pearson and plant the seed for our future plans.

Bryan and I began to seriously talk about our desire to go cruising in January of 2004.  At the time, we thought we could make it happen in six or seven years, after we had children and saved up a sufficient amount of money in the cruising fund.  However, things don’t always turn out the way you plan, and by late summer of 2004, we knew that an opportunity to set sail was staring us in the face, and we decided to go for it.  As luck would have it, that June Bryan was offered an opportunity to crew for a friend of ours on the schooner “Lifee P. Baker” on a voyage from Puerto Vallarta to California.  On the trip he gained a tremendous amount of experience and confidence, and came home more convinced than ever that now was the time.  In August we attended a cruising seminar sponsored by Latitudes & Attitudes magazine, which only served to spark our confidence and excitement even more. (And, as if a sign from above that we were on the right track, we even won the grand  prize in the raffle drawing – a week long bareboat charter in the British Virgin Islands!) 

On the home front, we had begun preparing our house for the market.  This was no small task, as many of you know.  However, we were finally able to put it up for sale in early May, and it sold almost immediately.  Since we had opted not to tell our employers of our plans to go cruising until after the house was in escrow, this gave us the confidence we needed to give our resignations to the middle school we both worked at.  Finally!  We had been keeping our plans to ourselves for so long that it was a huge relief to finally get it out in the open.  Once able to say the words “WE QUIT” out loud, we realized that we

were not scared or nervous about this huge life decision, but consumed by an intense and almost overwhelming sense of freedom.

From the very first mention of our cruising plans, Bryan and I had nothing but support and encouragement from our families.  We know what a rare thing this is, and we know we were truly blessed.  We were also been fortunate to have a great deal of guidance and assistance from Bryan’s dad, Dave.  Dave spent many, many hours helping with mechanical fixes, installating new equipment, and the unfortunate task of squeezing into tiny, cramped, little spaces better reserved for someone less than 5 feet tall.  To him, we are eternally grateful.  While there was no doubt that we would all miss each other while Bryan and I were away, we knew that both sets of parents, as well as Bryan’s brother and my sister, would come visit us along the way.  The fact that our loved ones encouraged us to fulfill our dream means more to us than they know.

Bryan and I won’t be alone on our trip, however.  We were accompanied on this amazing adventure by our two dogs, Fletcher and Sadie.  Fletcher, our Weimaraner for whom the boat is named, was six years old at the time of the trip.  Sadie, an adorable spaniel mix, was 2 1/2 years old.  Fletcher and Sadie kept us laughing and kept  us sane, and we are so glad we had them along.  They both love the ocean and love sailing.  If they could talk, Bryan and I are convinced that the dogs would tell us they are happiest living on the boat and being with their owners 24/7.  They get to swim, hike, lay around in the sun or on the deck under the sun awning, and play with other dogs on the beach.  Life is good for these two mutts!