Since we’ve been talking a lot about storing Selah in Puerto Rico, a lot of you have been wondering what’s next. Allison mentioned it briefly in her last post, but I figured I’d expand a bit more. And since Allison isn’t going to be sitting beside me to document our experiences for the next few months, it’s time I opened up the laptop and started writing again.
The essence of our plan at this point is as follows: After a brief pitstop at my parents house in Mississippi to get a haircut and repack our bags, today I (Bo) travel to Brazil and Allison travels to Ohio.
I’ve been given the opportunity to work on the production team for the sailing event at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games. This will be my second olympic experience, the first of which you can read about in the sailingbo.com archives.
Allison will fall right back into her remote project management/marketing director roles within a few different organizations. This, in addition to spending a lot of quality time with family, namely nieces and nephews.
We’re definitely in for an adjustment, Allison and I, considering we’ve spent 24/7 within arms reach of each other for the last 6 months. We’re hoping it works out for her to come visit at some point.
After the Olympics in August, we’ll be back together, based out of Ohio as I likely continue to travel for work through Christmas. My fall work contract isn’t a done deal so I can’t discuss it yet, but suffice to say I’m excited about the work opportunies lining up for the next 6 months.
In January, we’ll hop back on the boat in Puerto Rico and figure it out from there. Will we cruise the Caribbean chain down to Grenada? Will we high-tail it to Panama and cross the Pacific? Will we take our time and work our way back up the US East Coast to Maine? All ideas are currently on the table and at this point I have no clue which we’ll choose.
We never set out to be 6-month-on, 6-month-off sailors, but that’s the way it’s shaping up for now. Luckily, the Atlantic Hurricane season generally coincides with my busy season, allowing me to take 6 months off and pick right back up in the summer.
Allison thrives in a much more predictable (read: land-based) environment, but she’s been a trooper, adopting the cruising lifestyle as her own. I can’t imagine it being a fraction as enjoyable without her. Having said that, to say she’s excited about playing nanny for the next few months would be an understatement.
So, while we’ll be posting highlights, how-to’s, recommendations, videos, and memories from our last several months on the water–I still have a lot to process and write–for the next few months, don’t be surprised if there are a few posts about the other things going on in our lives.
But if you’re just here for the pictures of sailboats and palm trees, stay tuned. We’ll be back to our regularly scheduled programming in January.
Leave a note in the comments if you have questions or topics you’d like me to post about while I’m in Rio!

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Hi Bo,
Best of luck on your new endeavor. Are you concerned at all about the pollution/contamination in the sailing venues at the Olympics? Are there any special precautions you anticipate?
Looking forward to reading about your Olympic adventures and Alli’s US land adventures! Be safe both of you! Much Love!
I’d like to check off “go thru the Panama Canal on a sailboat” from my Bucket List, if that’s the option you guys select. I travel light and fit in small spaces. KD
I’d love to connect with you guys! My boyfriend and I plan to take off next November on our sailing adventure and it just so happens I’m from Ohio and will be back there in Sept and most likely Xmas. Ps… love your blog!
Hey there Bo and Allison, (and Alison from above) we were just browsing through some other younger sailer’s websites and found yours. We love your story. It just so happens we’re also from Ohio (hence why i’m posting here 😉 and we’re planning on taking off next spring from Houston Texas where we currently live. We’re planning on heading East to the Caribbean Sea for some island hopping and then up the East Coast to Maine once hurricane season sets in. We hope to see you guys on the water again soon!
Doing a little catching up on your blog while the kids sleep. Hope you’re enjoying Rio and that Alli has enjoyed her time with family. I’m sure the distance has been hard–that was never easy for us. Praying it’ll go by quickly and that you’ll both have lots of fond memories from this time. Stay safe, and look for my Australian friend Tim while you’re in Rio (he’s the Aussie women’s rugby coach).