It's Irie

Publication of My Sailing Memoir "Plunge - One Woman's Pursuit of a Life Less Ordinary"

2020-12-27T16:20:00.006-05:00

Hello everyone!

I thought (old) readers of this sailing blog, It's Irie, might be interested in my recently published sailing memoir, Plunge - One Woman's Pursuit of a Life Less Ordinary.

* A Women Who Sail book club selection *

* An Ocean Navigator Notable Title *

Blurb

Tropical waters turn tumultuous in this travel memoir as a free-spirited woman jumps headfirst into a sailing adventure with a new man and his two dogs.

Join Liesbet as she faces a decision that sends her into a whirlwind of love, loss, and living in the moment. When she swaps life as she knows it for an uncertain future on a sailboat, she succumbs to seasickness and a growing desire to be alone.

Guided by impulsiveness and the joys of an alternative lifestyle, she must navigate personal storms, trouble with US immigration, adverse weather conditions, and doubts about her newfound love.

Does Liesbet find happiness? Will the dogs outlast the man? Or is this just another reality check on a dream to live at sea?

Free sample

You can read the prologue and first two chapters of Plunge for free by clicking the cover or "FREE PREVIEW" underneath.

Reviews of Plunge

To read what others have to say about Plunge on Goodreads, have a look here.

To read what others have to say about Plunge on Amazon, have a look here.

Check out the review of Plunge in Cruising World, the most renowned boating magazine of the world, here.

You can find the excellent, in-depth review of Plunge that was published in Caribbean Compass here.

Good Old Boat posted their review of Plunge here.

Why Ocean Navigator crowned Plunge as a Notable New Title can be read in their book review here.

The Caribbean boating magazine All At Sea posted a review of Plunge here.

Check out a featured, in-depth review of Plunge by versatile author, blogger, teacher, and vine voice Amazon reviewer Jacqui Murray here.

Look for memoir author and blogger D.G. Kaye's detailed featured review of Plunge here.

Purchase links

On Amazon:

To buy Plunge in the US, click here.

To buy Plunge in Canada, click here.

To buy Plunge in the UK, click here.

To buy Plunge in Germany, click here.

To buy Plunge in Australia, click here.

To buy Plunge in Belgium and the Netherlands, click here.

(The section above contains a few affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases without extra cost to you.)

Elsewhere:

To buy Plunge as an eBook, find retailers here.

To buy Plunge as a paperback, find which retailers carry the book here .

In-store availability

Plunge is available in Newburyport's local, indie bookstore Jabberwocky (50 Water St #22, Newburyport, MA 01950) and in select libraries across the world. It is also possible to order the book at your bookstore of choice or request it at your local library.

Signed copies

If you happen to meet me on the road, I always carry a few paperbacks of Plunge with me and am happy to autograph a book for you.

Happy reading!

Check out Our New Blog!

2015-11-09T13:41:00.002-05:00

Now that Mark and I have sold Irie and temporarily moved onto land in the United States, we have created a new blog called Roaming About - A Life Less Ordinary. This new blog showcases our semi-settled life and all our current and future adventures, with flashbacks to our "old" cruising life. It links back to this website when appropriate. On Roaming About I write about our new lifestyle of house and pet sitting, side-trips, upcoming travels and plans, thoughts, ideas, writing, food, health, frugal living and much more. Basically about everything that strikes my fancy! :-) The goal is to post more often and write shorter pieces. Feel inspired to live a life less ordinary, check in often, or sign up to follow our alternative lifestyle blog by email! Click here to see what it is all about...

(Update: Since the summer of 2017, we have a new home on wheels! Our 19ft campervan is called Zesty and has taken us to many places and on heaps of adventures. In June 2019, we also extended our nomadic family with an adult rescue dog called Maya.)

Farewell Irie!

2015-10-01T09:23:00.001-05:00

It is final. Irie has been sold. Her new Australian owners will soon bring her to their home country. She will leave French Polynesia after more than two years, just like we left her after more than eight years.

Mark and I are a bit sad, but mostly happy that she will be sailing again and that the burden of owning a sailboat on the other side of the world is lifted. Of course, we will miss Irie; she meant everything to us and was our home for eight years. She brought us all the way from Annapolis, MD on the east coast of the United States, via the Bahamas and the Eastern Caribbean, to the northern regions of South America. Then, she safely sailed us to our all-time favorite, the San Blas Islands in Panama, before transiting the famous Canal, and entering the Pacific Ocean on the other side. Before we decided to put Irie up for sale, because other priorities arose, we had a great time in the Galapagos Islands and lived two interesting and diverse years afloat in French Polynesia.

We loved the cruising lifestyle and will always have fond memories of Irie, our watery surroundings – the beautiful beaches, the clear water, the amazing wildlife, the colorful and peaceful snorkeling, the people we met (locals and cruisers alike) - the intriguing sites and pulsating cultures, and especially, the peace and solitude of exquisite anchorages. And we will definitely miss the tropical climate!

While we totally enjoyed being one with nature for so many years, appreciating what she had to offer and living a pretty basic life, we are currently content with the quirks of “modern” living. We indulge in daily hot showers, are aware of conveniences like unlimited internet and electricity, and embrace the fact that we can just take the car somewhere or go for a walk. We are ready for some comfort and landlubber “delights”!

With the sale of Irie another special experience and adventurous chapter of our lives has ended, but a new one – intriguing and exciting on a different level – is about to begin. Officially homeless, we will have our base in the United States for now, but anyone who knows us pretty well, can predict that it is just a matter of time before the next adventure presents itself… What that will be, is anybody’s guess! (But we do have some ideas. :-))

More photos of Irie and stories of our cruising life can be found in older posts on this website. The archive is listed on the right (bottom of the sidebar).

My last view of Irie, when I left Moorea for the last time in July 2015

Irie hauled out for a buyer's survey in Tahiti, August 2015

Irie hauled out at Technimarine in Tahiti - August 2015

Mark's last view of Irie - under contract - in Moorea, August 2015

Bye bye Irie and the cruising lifestyle (for now)