A former Breckenridge couple sold all their worldly possessions and bought a sailboat, with the intention of sailing the world. The boat sank on the second day of their voyage.
When former Breckenridge residents Nikki Walsh, 24, and Tanner Broadwell, 26, set out to sea on a 28-foot boat from Tarpon Springs, Florida, they had no idea their journey would last just two days ... and approximately 30 miles. Tired of working, Walsh (who booked time share tours) and Broadwell (an Uber driver) sold their SUV, their furniture, and all their belongings to purchase the sailboat roughly a year ago. “How can we live our lives when we’re working most of the day and you have to pay so much just to live?” Walsh, told the The New York Post, regarding their decision to launch out and live outside the norm. [gallery type="rectangular" size="medium" ids="33480,33477"]
Inexperienced in sailing, the couple then spent a year planning the maritime adventure by living on the sailboat in a Florida marina and working in a boat yard to learn as much as they could about the industry. Their first stop would be Key West, they decided; then they'd eventually sail the world.
All of those plans were cut short, however, when the boat encountered rough winds, collided with a submerged object, and capsized off the coast of Madeira Beach.
Walsh and Broadwell were able to quickly salvage a few of items (important papers and a few clothes) before fleeing for their lives and boarding a row boat with their two-year-old pug, Remy. But when they returned to the wreckage later, they discovered the entire vessel under water.
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With no insurance, no jobs, and just $90 to their names, the couple found themselves back at square one.
Undeterred, they took their plight to GoFundMe and successfully crowd-funded nearly $15,000, surpassing their goal of $10,000, within just a few days.
"The first thing we need to do is get the boat out of the water!" Walsh wrote on their GoFundMe page. "Anything extra is to get a new boat and continue our adventure. We aren't giving up on our dream."It will cost approximately $6,700 to salvage the sunken boat. In the meantime, the couple and their dog are staying with relatives in Jacksonville, according to Fox News. What do you think? Would you donate to somebody else's sailing dream? I mean, I'm sympathetic to their misfortune, but maybe I should start a GoFundMe page for myself and my dreams, amIright? ;-) We'd love to read your comments below!!!
