About the Siegels

About Us

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Pre-sailing scoop:

Dreaming of a trip

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Since finishing college, we have wanted to take an extended trip to experience other parts of the world.  Originally, our plan was to save up and travel by land.  We tried to live very inexpensively, bought a reliable vehicle, and started dreaming over hot tea and an atlas.

In 1999, we were married and went to Scandinavia for our honeymoon.  Angela's family was from Sweden and Norway and

Our 4th anniversary

it was wonderful to be able to see that region.  While there, we were taken with the scenery, the people, and the nautical heritage so infused in Scandinavian life.  While we had thought in the past that it would be fun to travel by sailboat, we had decided on a land-based journey due to funds.  The time along the Norwegian coastline, was enough to make us wonder if we could rearrange our budget and plans to travel by sea.

Once back in the USA, Angela began creating a huge Excel spreadsheet, filled with all of the possible options that might get us to our boat.  While it meant saving for another year (at the time we were only 1 year away from our trip), we decided to go for it!  We decided, for both financial and experiential reasons, it would be best to buy a boat early and live on it -- a decision we are glad we made!

To read about our boat search, visit About Rouser: How Rouser found us.

So...  two years later, with a boat, an enduring dream and much work behind us, we are ready to toss our dock lines!

Sailing Background

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Eric

Eric grew up in Washington, DC, sailing on the Chesapeake Bay with his family.  He has made several trips up and down the Atlantic Coast and participated in the 1992 Annapolis-Bermuda Ocean Race.  He chose to attend Eckerd College, in Saint Petersburg, Florida, partially because they had a competitive sailing team that raced year round.  He has dreamed of taking a journey like this since the age of 12.  At that young age, he even wrote a letter asking Lyle Hess (designer of the Bristol Channel Cutter) of the possibilities of "donating a boat" to help attain his childhood dream.  Hey, a kid can dream!

Angela

Angela grew up around the great lakes in Minnesota.  She has spent her entire life on the water... though the first 18 years were on freshwater being towed behind a competitive ski boat.  She competed in waterskiing (slalom, trick and jump) since the age of 5.  She chose to attend Eckerd College partially because they had an intercollegiate water ski team and the ski lake never froze!  Until college, she was never presented with an opportunity to even step aboard a sailboat.

Since taking up sailing with Eric during her first year in college, she has become a very competent sailor.  From dinghies, to ocean races off of Western Australia aboard a Northshore  31', to a single-handed race aboard our Tartan 37, Angela has logged many miles below her keel.

Together

After meeting Eric, Angela became interested in sailing.  We began sailing together in dinghies.  Both of us taught sailing alternating years at Camp Nor'wester in the San Juan Islands of Washington state.  While there, we led "big trips" on Lightnings around the islands.

After gaining experience as a team, we bought a C&C 25' sailboat while still in college.  We sailed together around the Gulf of Mexico and Tampa Bay.

When not sailing, we each spent much of our time on oceanographic research vessels in the Gulf and Atlantic Ocean.  Having obtained degrees in Marine Science (Eric - Physical Oceanography, Angela - Math & Marine Geophysics), much of our work involved time at sea.

Having enjoyed the summers in the San Juans, we decided to flee the heat of Florida and head for Washington state.  During their time in Olympia, Washington (at the southern end of Puget Sound), they have been actively involved with the South Sound Sailing Society through racing, cruising and general merriment.  Peruse the site further to read about our sailing adventures in the Pacific Northwest and beyond.