Like Bill, I grew up in the northeast, in northern New Jersey right near NY City.  I spent many fun times at the Jersey shore and the local lakes, but cruising?  Just not on the radar screen.

Bill and I had known one another for almost 13 years before we started dating.  We had worked together in the late 60's and early 70's and, along with other co-workers, we remained friends and we all got together about once a year.  We were both married to other people.  All of a sudden, we were both divorced.  Next thing you knew we were hanging out together and the rest is history.  Along with the kids (most days), he's the best thing that ever happened to me.

For me, the defining point was in 1980 when we went to the now defunct Club Med on Paradise Island in the Bahamas.  We're early risers and were sitting on the deck outside the dining hall, overlooking the harbour.  There was an absolutely gorgeous Tahiti Ketch anchored out right in front of us.  As we watched (and drooled) a man came up on deck (buck naked), yawned, stretched, scratched and went below to get a cup of coffee.  I was dumbstruck and could only think of all of the sail-off-into-the-sunset movies I'd seen as a kid.  Ironically, Bill was thinking the same thing, but he turned to me and said, "I've always wanted to do that."  What a shock!  We'd known one another for more than a decade and I didn't know that about him.  Nor, I might add, did he know it about me.

That very day we started making our plans.  We didn't know if it was possible, but we were going to give it our best shot.  We did... and it worked... and five years later we were on our way.  That was the When.

The Why is just as simple... just because!  Bill wanted to cruise and so did I, so why not?!