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Share Your Story

What’s your paradise?

Have an adventure you’d like to share?

Tell us a story about your travels, or about re-making your career. We’ll share it here on our website for all to enjoy!

And thanks for sharing!!

Email your story to WinCyn@WinCynBook.com

'The book was so good, I didnt want it to end"

 

Like a good movie that you don't want to end, this book was such an enjoyable read that I was a bit saddened today when I finished it.

"I loved the author's writing style. It was funny, entertaining, transparent and easy to follow. I felt like I was right there with them on all of their adventures--the good, bad and ugly ones. I also like the way Cynthia put Winston's words in quotes so that I could tell who was saying what. I was so engaged with this book that I now feel like Winston and Cynthia are good friends of mine. Whether you're a sailor or a "landlubber" you won't want to put this book down!"

"Just finished your book and enjoyed it immensely.  Also sent a copy to my brother. We are both retiring soon. And our plan is to run a sailboat charter in the Boca del Toro area of Panama.  (No Hurricanes). Don't need work, just want to enjoy sailing with new people.  I spent many years as a tour guide in Seattle, and enjoy hosting. So your book really hit home. Thank You”

- Richard H.

"I am reading "Yacht More to Life" and can not put it down."

- Laurie C.

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Now

Available

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Here is a story and photos Jim and Kathy shared with us
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Celebrating our 40th!

Kathy and my motorcycle

Hi Winston and Cynthia,

 

I am not finished with There's a Yacht More to Life but have been impressed with your writing and amazed for a couple reasons. First, your openness and honesty, which makes it much more compelling and also helpful for those that want to follow your path. Second, I felt I had gone through so many adventures and when I looked, I was only around 1/3rd of the way through the book. You put Harrison Ford and Indiana Jones to shame for adventures. 

 

Here are some random thoughts, thus far, for no particular reason. This is not the type of feedback you asked for, they are just my stupid thoughts as I go through them.

    •    When we were in the Caribbean, I had more than my share of Rum and Pineapple Juice but Tonic? Really? I guess I have to try it. 

    •    You got me to love the parrots too and I never even met them.

    •    You made me feel I know the characters you met and worked with. Love it.

    •    At Blunder Bay it is perfectly okay, even grand, to run around naked all the time but shouldn't you have had a dinner bell for guests to ring and announce themselves when they tied up to your dock?  :-)

    •    Yes, sex on the beach is good ... uh ... until sand gits a bit gritty. But have you had Sex on the Beach drink? It comes in four equal parts: 1 can of lemonade, 1 can of vodka, 1 can of water and 1 can of beer. Yes, the beer sounds weird but it really does help and the drink lives up to its name. I was introduced to it by the Business and Professional Women's club.

    •    Your book brings back good reminders of Megan's Beach on St. Thomas, some of the other islands we hit and, of course, the 365 beaches on Antigua. I bet you know this bar pictured.

    •    On our trip for our 40th anniversary (pictured above)

    •    You have helped me to know the islands and the culture much better than I would ever know otherwise.

    •    I was reading about your land travels and motorcycle trip and thinking to myself, "Haven't they been on Hwy. 50 in Nevada?" Then I read it and was glad you traveled it. When Kathy and I drove it in our "old" RV, in one 7 1/2 hour period, no one passed us going our direction and only three vehicles passed us going in opposite direction. 

    •    Talking about rides, I think Winston needs me to ride his motorcycle to keep it in shape. :))  Photo is Kathy standing by my motorcycle as we rode somewhere along the Puget Sound between Port Orchard and Shelton, an area you know. 

 

Anyway, I am enjoying your book and read it anytime my five small grandchildren give me a chance to read. I will write a serious review when I finish ... and it will be positive.

 

By the way, where did you stay in San Antonio? Any RV park you recommend? We will probably be there around the middle of January as we head east. Also, Dee at the state park in Marathon did not show much, if any, interest in us so that is a no-go, but we appreciate the referral.

Keep living and loving,

Jim White

Here is another wonderful shared story from Norma

Just so very many things made me smile as I read your book.  When I woke up this morning, I was sad because our journey is over.  I was right there with you. (I just looked down at your comment about my reading it quickly.......I loved it!  I’m so sad it’s over!☹️)  As you were puttering up the ICW, I wondered if you were going to hit Murrells Inlet, and there it was:  Wacca Wachee and bike week. 

 

I have frequented Abaco for 20+ years, often going several times a year. 

“Don’t Stop the Carnival” was suggested to me about the first time I went there, and I have shared that book with so many people.  And I truly lived the theme of the book when I attempted to build a cottage on Great Guana Cay, “home of world-famous Nippers Beach Bar and Grill on the beautiful Sea of Abaco” (I can hear Johnny, the owner, saying that on “The Net”, Abaco’s morning radio show on the VHF that you mentioned.)😊. About the cottage......got hooked up with a crook, (an American, not Bahamian) he had the majority of my money because it was a land/house package deal, and I thought the nightmare would never end. I DID get my money back, and my little cottage is sitting there painted inside and out with my colors......it was lime green because I named it Lime Cooler 😜......boarded up and never finished.   So I participated in “the carnival” for sure. 😬🙄.  And to know how the book relates to Saba Rock was interesting. 

 

Having grown up in coastal state parks, I am a great lover of nature and animals and everything water. Daddy and I were as close as our names (Norma and Norman) and traveled a good bit before his death.  He and I shared Africa together the first of the 5 trips I have been on to that lovely continent.  I have two themes in my home.....the islands and Africa. (My Murrells Inlet home was aptly named UP THE CREEK, and here in the Lowcountry we named our place CLUB MUD. 😁).   That seems like an odd combination, but I so dearly love the land, people, scenery, and critters of both places.  Oh.....all that to say........I particularly enjoyed your description of the boat with the safari theme. How unexpected!

 

I have lived my life on the coast playing in small runabouts.  I remember being a new visitor to Abaco and in conversation with someone talking about my boat at home......someone commented, “Oh, you mean a dinghy”!  To me, I had a “yacht”......you know....a 16-footer or something like that. NOT a little old dinghy! . I have had the pleasure of going with a neighbor in Murrells Inlet to deliver a boat to Walker’s Cay years ago. So cool......we left my dock, went out the jetties, took a right, and ended up in the crystal waters of the Bahamas. And I had a rather adventurous trip with my doctor/friend in Myrtle Beach when I went with him to take his 52-foot cruising yacht (can’t remember the make of the boat right now) to Abaco.  We picked it up in St. Augustine and made the crossing from Ft. Pierce.

 

 I know you have a few special trinkets, but oh, the fabulous memories that you hold in your hearts will forever be with you. 😍❤️😘

Thank you for sharing your wonderful story!

 

Norma Cooler

Port Royal, SC

Love many; trust few. But always paddle your own canoe.

Glen is "Boatless"

Like a good movie that you don't want to end, your book has been such an enjoyable read that I was a bit saddened today when I finished it.  I now feel like you two are good friends.  Perhaps your book was so enjoyable to me because I can relate to you in several ways:  I'm originally from Southern California; I was in advertising and marketing for many years until I retired about 5 years ago; I have been a sailor off and on for the past 40 years; I attended the Offshore Sailing School in Florida to get several sailing certifications; and my wife and I have done bareboat chartering in the BVIs and the Chesapeake.  I sold my Catalina 36 sailboat a couple of years ago that I had in Kemah, TX, and eventually moved it to Dallas.  Right now there's a big hole in my heart because I am currently "boatless."  On one hand I'm thinking I'm too old to sail (I'm 75 years old); but then I learned that Noah was 600 years old when he set sail on the Ark.  So maybe there's still hope that I can do a few more sailing adventures.  😀

 

I loved your writing style.  It was funny, entertaining, transparent and easy to follow.  I felt like I was right there with you on all of your adventures--the good, bad and ugly ones.  I also like the way you put Winston's words in quotes so that I could tell who was saying what.

 

Thanks for writing such a great book! 

- Glen Sale

Jim and Kathy share a story about Bob and Myrtle

Hi Cynthia and Winston,

 

Talking about age, we gave one copy of your book as a Christmas gift to our dear friends, Bob and Myrtle (recent picture attached).

 

Myrtle calls herself a "cougar" since she is ten years older than Dr. Bob (a Harvard M.D.) who is only 91 years of age. Myrtle is a very elegant and bright 101 year old (now closer to 102) who is so much fun to go out with. She and Bob go out, normally live music venues, 3 to 5 nights a week. Yes, Myrtle still dances.

 

When they ride with us, Bob will ask, for us to hear, "Myrtle, did you remember your birth control pill today?"

 

Myrtle, who is very elegant in dress and talk, will often offer a toast ... such as:

"Here is a toast to martini's,

I can have two at the most,

Three will find me under the table,

and four under the host."

 

I could go on and on about having fun going out with this aged couple, but how old would one be if they did not know?  :)

 

Take care,

Jim (and Kathy) 

Billie and Hubby getting ready to set sail

Hey there!

Yes, I read the free chapter, it was very interesting. I ordered your book as well as the other book you recommend that you were required to read before getting jobs in BVI. Hubby is retiring in a couple of years and we are moving to the east coast of FL. We already have a 23' boat we putter around in the Potomac River off the coast of VA where we currently live (I cannot WAIT to get out of this horrid cold weather!). We may also buy a bigger boat in FL, not sure yet whether sailboat or power boat, so we can go out in the ocean and take trips in it. I'm sure your book and the other one will help in us knowing more things than we do now about that kind of adventuring. 

Thanks so much, happy to find you and looking forward to the reading!

Billie

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21 Things to Never Trust on an Island

by Chrissann Nickel

It’s easy to sometimes get nostalgic about childhood and the luxury of innocence that allowed you to have blind faith in the world around you. As a child, you could do things like ride the roller coasters at the theme park with confidence that the people operating them had been well trained and were looking out for your safety. Only years later did you discover that the employees at the helm were actually just degenerate teenagers, so high that the only thing they were looking out for was a bag of Doritos to satiate their munchies. You were given a new sense of perspective with age, you lost your ability to fully trust in the ride, and another piece of your childhood certainty slipped away.

The same is true for island life. When you first move to a rock, if you’re at all like me, you’re a pampered softie from the Land of Convenience. You approach everyday life with a sense of assurance that the basic life things will go your way, just as they always have. And just like in childhood, you grow out of this naiveté, losing your faith faster this time around, with each hard lesson the island hurls your way...

Very Special for Me Knowing Saba Rock

I used to charter in the BVI for 17 years and am now living in Belize and working on a charter yacht here.  A few weeks ago one of our guests came on board with your book and left it for me to read, I was so excited because I had seen it on a few of the FB pages and wanted to order a copy.  Great book Cynthia and it was very special for me to read knowing Saba Rock from old days and all the places mentioned.  I have it at my home and will cherish it forever - loved the photos too!!  All the best xx

- Angie W.

Thank You for Being Part of our Path

Hello Cynthia!

 

I want to take a moment to thank you for being part of our “Path”.  I have always believed in paying attention to the signs in life that guide your direction ... listen and surrender to the journey.  A year ago life brought me a true life adventure partner and together we are living our dreams.  Covid-19 has definitely put the minds and hearts of these two workaholics in perspective ... Nick is the Culinary Director for a large casino corporation in Northern Indiana/SW Michigan (currently furloughed due to Covid) and I (Kirsten) am currently in Real Estate.  The forced freedoms has made us realize that there is nothing stopping us from dropping everything and making a change ... why can’t “someday” be today?  Kids are gone and on with their lives, we aren’t clinging to any of our “stuff”, we LOVE meeting new people and learning their stories and we have hustled all our lives and appreciate (and prefer)hard work to make our dreams come true.  

 

Yours was the first book we read and said “These are our kind of people!!”    The adventures that you and Winston shared have only cemented our desires even more.  We truly hope as we begin this journey that our paths cross with Winston and yourself someday so we can honor you with a drink and say thank you!  

 

- Kirsten and Nick

 

In October:

COVID furlough turned into a lay-off so we are now the “sold-everything-and-moved-to-south-Florida” couple.   Found jobs and are taking some additional classes to further our dream.  If you have any tips on yachts looking for a professional chef in the Ft Lauderdale area let us know!

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