A Chatham-Kent couple will be spending the holidays in the Bahamas after setting sail from Lighthouse Cove.
Candice Pletsch and Tim Labute started their adventure in August, leaving it all behind to cruise to the Caribbean. The two recently arrived in the Bahamas and are planning to enjoy the tropics for a while.
"I can honestly say if anybody out there has this dream or anything similar to this, do it!" said Pletsch.
"Don't wait until you're 65 and can afford a $500,000 boat, go on a $15,000 boat and enjoy it," said Labute. "I think the only regret that we have is that we didn't go sooner."
The couple did face some rough times while they were out at sea. The two were travelling at the time of Hurricane Florence but were able to stay out of the path of that specific storm. Hurricane Michael was a different story.
"Hurricane Michael came up shortly after [Florence]," said Labute. "We were a bit further south so we did have to ride out the tropical depression that followed Hurricane Michael so that was extremely rough. We were both terrified and we were anchored in a little inlet between some trees and we rode it out."
However, once the storm passed, Labute said it was "smooth sailing" from there. The next hurricane season, which Labute said is in the summer of 2019, will determine how long the two stay in the Bahamas.
"We have probably a month or so in the Bahamas itself and then we have to go on to Turks and Caicos," he said. "Then we're debating on whether or not we're going to go south of the Dominican Republic and Haiti or if we're going to continue north towards Grenada."
The two left their belongings, family, and friends behind when they set sail this past summer. The couple agreed it has been an adjustment but they have been able to stay connected through social media.
"When we have harder days and we're sort of exhausted, I think we miss our friends and our family as our support system," said Pletsch. "But as long as we have cell service or Wifi it's just a quick 'Hi there.'"
Labute said in addition to staying connected with loved ones, they're also able to connect with other people through their YouTube channel. The couple has been posting episodes of their trip that have generated thousands of views.
"We've met tonnes of people," he said. "For example, when we sailed into St. Augustine, someone got on the marine radio and called us at Lady K [and said] 'Welcome to St. Augustine, it's great to have you guys here.'"
Those who are interested in keeping up with "Lady K Sailing" can follow them through Facebook and YouTube.