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October is Children’s Vision Month P. 10
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Tuesday, October 21, 2014
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Scottish Country Dancers meet in Chemainus P. 15
Family setting off on adventure of a lifetime Lindsay Chung THE CHRONICLE
Brad Porter wears a bracelet that has the words “carpe diem” inscribed on the inside. The inscription means “seize the day,” and the bracelet was given to him by his wife Krista on their wedding day. It’s a reminder to do what you love now and not wait because the “right time” might never come. And this month, Brad and Krista and their nine-year-old son Cole certainly are seizing the day, as they begin a much-dreamedabout, much-planned, much-researched adventure that will see them leave the comforts of their Saltair home to cross the United States in a motorhome and then buy a catamaran and sail around the world. The Porters live in Saltair on a seven-acre property bordering Stocking Creek Park and run Creekside Inn Bed and Breakfast out of their home. They have lived here for almost eight years, and while they love their beautiful property in Saltair, they’ve decided to leave for a few years and live out a new dream that combines their love of travel with a desire to simplify their lives. The Porters are seasoned travellers. They’ve been backpacking or camping their way through Thailand, Laos, Australia, New Zealand and more with Cole, spending a month or more away each winter. “Cole has been an amazing little traveller, with nine passport stamps and a Laos visa to his credit,” says Brad. Later this month, the Porters will embark on their largest family adventure so far. First, they’ll head south in their new-to-them 1981 motorhome Maple to tour the United States until they reach
Brad, Krista and Cole Porter of Saltair are getting ready to embark on the adventure of a lifetime. They’ll be taking this motorhome, Maple, across the United States, camping and seeing the sights along the way, to Florida, where they will buy a 40-foot catamaran and then sail around the world. LINDSAY CHUNG Florida. Once there, the Porters plan to sell the motorhome and buy a 40-plus-foot sailing catamaran and sail around the world, homeschooling Cole as they travel. The Porters are aiming to leave Saltair Oct. 27, visit family on the mainland for a few days and hopefully cross the border to begin their adventure Nov. 2. This whole dream started many years ago with Brad. “When I was in my early 20s, I wanted to do something exciting and different than everybody else and I wanted to go and move to warmer climates, bluer seas, and I loved sailing, so I thought
I would maybe see about getting work in the Caribbean, maybe starting up some kind of charter business or at least working for a charter business,” he said. Instead, Brad bought a restaurant on the Sunshine Coast with help from his parents. Before he went to the Sunshine Coast, Brad started taking courses and going to lectures and slideshow presentations by the Copeland family, who were sailing around the world with their three boys. Brad created scrapbooks filled with articles about the travelling families he’d been following, photos of places he wanted to go and information
about courses he took. “It’s something I’ve been dreaming about for a long time,” he said, flipping through the book. When Brad and Krista met, they found they shared a passion for travel. “I hadn’t really thought of the sailing part of it, but I really wanted to do a lot of travelling,” said Krista. “When I graduated university, the goal was always to travel Europe and beyond. I met Brad, so those two dreams sort of collided.” The couple travelled through Europe together, and after they were married, they moved to the Caribbean. They lived in the Cay-
man Islands for a year and a half, working at the same restaurant together. When they returned from the Cayman Islands, they bought a sailboat and sailed through the Gulf Islands and the San Juan Islands. “We’ve hit some pretty good weather out there in our little boat, and we’ve always enjoyed sailing,” said Krista. “For me, I’m a little bit more apprehensive as far as big waves. As for Cole, he’s along for the ride, but he’s an awesome traveller. He’s been on a sailboat since he was eight days old.” The Porters decided they were going to do this adventure in April and May 2012. “We talked about it a lot, bounced it around,” said Brad, adding with a laugh: “Mostly me talking about it.” When the Porters decided they were going to do this, they had two rental homes, and they knew they didn’t want to pay for storage over here, so they started the process of selling all their assets and personal belongings. They also started taking educational courses. The Porters are members of the Bluewater Cruising Association, and they’ve found that to be very valuable, as they’ve taken many courses through the association. Right now, the Porters’ Saltair property is still on the market. They had hoped to sell it by now, but they believe they’ve found somebody suitable to house-sit for a few months, so now they’re hoping to leave Oct. 27 and begin the first phase of their adventure right away. They’re hoping the house will sell while they are travelling in the United States, and one of them, likely Krista, can fly back and pack up whatever’s left in the house. See Trio Page 3
Where dreams come home
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