Read below some excerpts from an interview we have recently given to “Multihulls World” Magazine for an article entitled “Change your life! They did it…”.
What did you do before leaving to roam the oceans?
Mapi says: “Pat worked for 25 years for a major TV channel, which got rid of him when he refused to implement a restructuring plan he didn’t believe in. At 50 years old, we considered his redundancy as an opportunity to be seized. We have also lost some very dear friends, taken from us at less than 50 years old, before having been able to realise their dreams, or enjoy what they have built.
Our two children were becoming teenagers and were beginning to be sucked in by brands and our consumer society; it was time to react and change our life!
We sold our flat, our furniture and our winter clothes. We bought a catamaran, and left with the children, the cat and the little puppy we adopted for the occasion.”
So, how do you organise yourself to change your life?
Pat and Mapi took advantage of a redundancy (which could have been a difficult experience) and made it into a happy event; they bought a catamaran, crossed the Atlantic as a family and launched themselves into yachting charters in Turks and Caicos and the Virgin Island. For Mapi, changing your life: “is very simple: all you have to do is take the decision, and do the first thing that commits you to the realisation of your project (for us it was selling the flat). Events then follow one another, and commit you to all kinds of problems, which you find a solution to, one after another. Just like life!”
After these years spent cruising, what lessons have our sailors learnt from their new lives?
Mapi and Pat are in seventh heaven: “Finally we are freed from the consumer society, no more fashions to follow, or useless gadgets (except for the on-board electronics!). No shop windows or shopping arcades. Advertising doesn’t affect us. We are content with what is really necessary, and lack nothing. We live in extraordinary natural surroundings, where the blue and purity of the water are incomparable, and the light is fascinating. The inhabitants know this and generously share the love they have for their islands. The welcome they reserved for us quickly made us forget the aggressiveness of the Parisian drivers! We have met all kinds of people; some of them, who we would never have met in our Parisian microcosm, have become close friends. Certain destinies are extraordinary. In the Turks and Caicos, most of the population is immigrant. Everyone has left somewhere behind, and has therefore changed their life. Our story is not very rare, here. Which just goes to show that everything is relative!”
Finally, Mapi and Pat are, in addition, having to develop their new boathire business, and this is not always simple: “things take time to set up, we proceed by trial and error, we make mistakes, and we start again; this can be a source of stress. You have to be able to finance the adaptation period, not knowing if it is going to last, and whether the new life
will allow you to take care of your daily needs. You leave a life, friends, who envy you at the start, then become more distant, naturally, promising to come and see you one day. You also leave the family and parents, who in our case are starting to grow old. They are pleased for us, but of course our absence is hard for them…”
So, should we do it?
Yes, yes and yes. The experience is very definitely worth living. And when should we do it?
Mapi: “as soon as possible; if you really want to change, do it. Stop waiting for a better moment. If you are in good health, save some money, and go! Life is short, and you are
capable of doing lots of things. Have confidence in yourself; you will discover skills you didn’t know you had until now. It’s extraordinary to observe that you become
much smarter when you take a bit of a risk…”
Sailing in the Caicos, with Pat and Mapi:
“Since we met, 17 years ago, we have wanted to move. We dreamed of boats and the tropics. We often thought about what we could do in this field. Our profiles and skills seem to be suited to the charter business (Pat manages the boat, Mapi the marketing). It was realistic, so we took the plunge. We have always worked together and we get on perfectly, which is a major advantage.
Our love of the tropics led us to discover, 3 years ago, our coral paradise in the Turks
and Caicos Islands. It was love at first sight! We immediately noted that chartering was not developed in the region, and that we could offer this destination.”
It is now reality: so, if you would like to discover Mapi and Pat’s paradise aboard a superb owner’s version Lagoon 440, there is just one address:
www.caicossailing.com
This article is extract from “Multihulls World”, special edition released Summer 2010. Today, Patrick and Mapi have settled in the British Virgin Islands so their kids can go to school. They offer yachting charters in the BVI from September to June and summer (July-August) in Turks & Caicos.
