Jim and Nancy Aadland grew up around water; Jim on the lakes of Minnesota, and Nancy on the sea coasts of Washington and Alaska. Somehow they both ended up landlocked in Oklahoma.

During their first year of marriage, they attended a boat show and walked away with a brand new Bayliner. The next year, they bought a little bigger boat; and on their fifth anniversary they added a small sailboat – just for fun. Eventually they found “Solitaire”, a 41’ Morgan Classic Sloop. 

Throughout our lives, Jim and Nancy have gravitated toward the unconventional and sometimes adventurous choices. They both had careers in aviation as airline transport pilots, flight instructors, and – in Jim’s case – crop duster, as well. They have flown just about everything from gliders to helicopters; and from hot air balloons to jets. They spent the last 20 years of our careers working as aviation safety inspectors for the Federal Government.

For recreation, they soared in sailplanes; motored along lakes and rivers in a little cabin cruiser; sailed inland and coastal waters in a succession of increasing larger sailboats; learned to scuba dive; and traveled to destinations all over the globe. Together, they have hiked the Great Wall of China, white-water rafted in Fiji, celebrated St. Paddy’s Day at an Irish Pub in London; and explored some of the most pristine coral reefs in the world.

In 2005, they sold their home in Oklahoma, moved their sailboat to the Chesapeake Bay and became full-time liveaboards. Two years later, they set out on a cruise from the Chesapeake to Maine and from Maine to the Islands of the Bahamas.  They plan future cruises to Central and South America, and eventually the South Pacific.

They plan to continue cruising and writing about their adventures as long as they are having fun.