4 FOCUS - OCTOBER 2018 Runnin� for you! VOTE Tracy McGarry WARD 5 ✓ • Commitment • Dedication • Community Most of all ... Trust and Respect. Lives in Ward 5 905-985-5671 tracymcgarry4ward5@gmail.com Brokerage #10428 dayna.ballagh@migroup.ca www.mortgagesbydayna.com Mike has experience sailing, though he stops shy of applying an “expert” tag to his abilities. “I did some sailing as an Army Cadet before I came to Canada [from the U.K.] and had an uncle in the Royal Yacht club who intrigued me with his stories. I’ve reinforced my basic sailing skills and taken a course in Open Water Survival.” Boating, it seems, had crept into Mike’s blood. “When we moved to Port Perry, we bought a cabin cruiser.” He chuckles. “It’ll be quite a difference, though, moving from that to a 29-ton boat… quite a different beast!” The Caribbean trip isn’t the cou- ple’s first extended sail, nor will the year-long journey be their first adventure. “We chartered a boat for a week in Thailand, after backpacking for six weeks,” Andrea recalls. “That was our ‘reward!’ “Another time, we did an African safari, then sailed for a week.” Needless to say, only their unique jobs allowed the Bayers to consider such adventures. “Andrea’s a paramedic and I’m a firefighter. We’re fortunate to have such flexibility.” Before leaving, the couple’s to-do list has been long – and relentless – Andrea says. “We rented our house and sold the majority of our possessions at yard sales or online. There are so many little things, like vaccinations, which pop up and need to be taken care of before we go. It’s been non-stop.” Then there are family consider- ations. “We’ve taken the girls out on a small sailboat,” Andrea reports. “We watched YouTube videos together about life aboard a sailboat, and in- cluded them in conversations about the logo and branding which’ll ac- company our blog. “At this age, spending time with Mom and Dad is still cool!” Arya’s Montessori school has been supportive. “They’re going to provide us with training materials and the curriculum for both girls. At their levels, we can easily home-school them.” The two young Bayers join our conversation, and beam at the pros- pect of their upcoming adventure. “They only see the positive side,” Mike smiles. Andrea and Mike, on the other hand, take a more expansive and realis- tic look at the prospect of living at close quarters for a year on a catamaran. “Thisisoff-the-gridliving,”Andrea acknowledges. “And in spite of all our preparations, we don’t know for cer- tain yet if we’ll enjoy it as a family. “But look at it positively: we love to travel, and to do that as a family, that’s the best of all worlds. And I’m looking forward to watching the kids grow and adapt.” Bayer Family (continued from page 3) A drone shot of Mike and Andrea on board with friend Scott Meyers in the British Virgin Islands before moving the boat to Grenada in June of this year. Earlier this year, the Bayers started getting the boat ready for the trip of a lifetime. Mike and Andrea will have the boat decked out in true Canadian fashion.