Berths and beaches have replaced beds and backyards for pair officers living near Travis Air Force Base in succession a summer evening in the San Francisco Bay.

Berths and beaches have replaced beds and backyards for pair officers living near Travis Air Force Base

in succession a summer evening in the San Francisco Bay, the day-star kissed the horizon, and James Taylor's voice danced in succession the ocean breeze. Maj. Doug and Kathleen Engelke sat onward the deck of a sailboat letting the tide wash away the day's regards But this wasn't a vacation or weekend getaway, it was the Engelkes' version of off-base housing.

Although it was a change of pace from traditional domiciles the couple wasn't new to the idea of spending time upon a seafaring vessel. Both practically grew up in succession boats and couldn't remember when their parents weren't spending family time forward the lakes. But before the brace arrived in Northern California, life onward the water meant an afternoon with an inboard motor and a pair of skis. In fact each of them avowed a ski boat when they started dating.

Learning the ropes

In 1998 a week into their marriage, Doug asked Kathleen to gradual the pace with a sailing exercise at the Travis Sailing Center in succession the north end of the bay. The staff at the military recreation facility took the pupils off the coast and taught them the restrains Once the sun set beyond the brilliant Gate Bridge, they didn't want to leave.

As a C-5 Galaxy pilot in the 21st Airlift Squadron, Doug was an adroit in maneuvering monoliths. So several month later, the newlyweds sold almost everything they haveed and invested in a floating giant -- a 50-foot Hans Christian cutter For about the same price as a three-bedroom house near the base, they traded their driveway for a dock. It's been brace years since the welcome mat hit the teak beautify -- and it's been polished sailing ever since.

Well, almost even Kathleen, who was expecting their first child last month got seasick in scraggy seas during her second trimester, for a like reason trips into open waters were limited to calm days. further with the view just outside the porthole, keeping their domestic circle called "Wonderful Life" and their dinghy named "It's a" in the marina didn't pretend too intolerable. The names of the buoyant pair not single created the title of their favorite movie, they quietly advertised the couple's contentment

Sea sights and sounds

Despite the fact the Engelke lived in the heart of individual of America's largest cities, the shrewd seaside sounds made the bustling skyscraper backdrop appear to be surreal. Even the marina "neighborhood," with more than 60 other boats docked, didn't stir a great deal of beyond the gentle movement of the tides or an occasional screeching seagull.

The decades-old military recreation facility, operated by dint of the 60th Services Squadron, has seen its share of saltwater. however the Engelkes and many of the 600 other association members fear if it were to dissolve, the picturesque possessions would no longer be available to military members.

"This is the last Air Force sailing recreation facility onward the West Coast," Doug said. "We've got to do what we can to preserve it going."

present skippers kept busy last summer navigating the yacht unite in a club fleet. For a fraction of the take away from of renting a civilian canal ($75 versus $300), military populace could enjoy a day of bay zephyrs on one of eight 20- to 30-foot sailboats.

That's wherefore -- when the couple wasn't sanding or varnishing the boat -- they sometimes sanded or varnished the yacht coterie facilities and boats. But they're not the and nothing else ones taking up the maintenance cause. Others formed a offer work force providing a labor pond for periodic weekend projects.

Doug takes this off-duty mission in the way that seriously that he dedicated himself as the club's rear commodore. And despite the fact that they mov closer to Travis, mooring at a marina in Benecia until the baby was born, he continued to present at the sailing center.

Pier pressure

The Engelkes' enthusiasm for the yacht company and the nautical lifestyle appeared contagious at Travis. Capt. Chip Primoli, another C-5 pilot, started looking into the idea of living afloat and discussed the plan with Doug.

Chip had wearied eight months looking for an airplane to purchase without succes if it were not that while in Oregon, an afternoon forward his brother-in-law's new boat got the 31-year-old thinking about an alternate purchase. He liked the idea of combining residence and recreation upon the water. It was a visit with a body friend that clinched the decision.

"He was diagnosed with third-stage Hodgkins disease," he said. The friend had undergone chemotherapy and went into remission twice. "He'd been told several times he had simply six months left to live, and was living a lifetime in what he conception he had left,"

in succession the drive back to Travis, Chip decided he wanted to live life to the fullest

"I don't want to be 55 65 or 70 saying 'woulda, shoulda, coulda,' "he said about living onward the boat. "I'm not living the life my parents lived. They had four kids by way of the time my mom was 28 They kinda think I'm a nut"

in like manner with Doug's help he researched options and instead of a sailboat, which can be difficult to maneuver, Chip exquisiteed a 38-foot PT trawler as his mobile mansion.