Our Story

Tate and Dani

His grip on the steering wheel was unusually tight and hot and he ground his jaw a bit. It was the tension that drove him to finally speak and air out that single question that had been haunting the deep places of his soul, “What do you think about sailing around the world?” It was spoken in dead earnest.

It’s not a normal question under the best circumstances, and it certainly wasn’t normal when he asked her. But his heart would not be stilled. It started when on their first camping trip she setup the tent all by herself and without him even asking. Something was very different about this woman. Something that spoke to him and whispered in his ear, “This is the one; She is as adventurous as you are.” But could it be? He’d long ago given up on ever finding a soul-mate that would follow him to the very ends of the planet. To the places that his heart told him he had to go.

Tate and Dani

Being a seasoned camper is a far cry from selling the farm and all the security of terrestrial life to go on some global adventure. But there it was. And the little hints just kept coming. How could he forget how enthusiastic she was about going to Burning Man? How could he not see that she’d been totally okay cruising the streets in that souped up corvette? What about the many hours they’d spent together working on his old house?

You see. Tate and Dani had met over some very bad martinis in a bad little bar and having made light of the situation, they became instant friends and soon it was readily apparent that some sort of love bond had formed. Tate’s adventurous lifestyle ran into Dani’s big dreams and that collision had brought them to this inevitable conclusion. The point at which Tate had asked the question that was lurking down in the pit of his stomach. It wasn’t so much the question but the answer upon which everything depended.

Then as Tate’s heart nearly pounded right out of his chest, Dani answered, “That sounds amazing!” And he knew, right there, at that moment, he was going to propose to her. He had been right about her. He’d finally found that soul mate he’d been searching for. And later, after they’d bought Sundowner and begun the preparations for sailing adventures, he did propose. And then they were married.

Dani

Both of us grew up in small town rural Louisiana. We both graduated from LSU. We both pursue wonderful careers. Tate is a IT person who leads a team of computer programmers while Dani manages huge construction budgets. We married in Jan 2012. We’ve been working on SV Sundowner since 2010 and hope to slip the dock lines and start on an attempt at circumnavigation in 2015.

Tate is… An Eagle Scout. A gearhead. A lover of old whiskeys, spicy tobaccos, and the wild places.
Tate

Dani is… A sportswoman and runner. A analytical mind. A lover of wines, a connoisseur of gumbo, and is in heaven tanning on a beach next to blue water.
Dani
Tate

We’re a team. A unit. An atomic particle on a collision course with this world and all of its adventures. We hope to reap the fruits of this most amazing planet and this wild and wonderful life. This blog is our chronicle. It is our story. It is Sundowner’s story. And if you chose to follow along with us, write with us, or maybe even one day visit with us, it can be part of your story too.