About Us

Hi, we’re Tom & Nina.

In 2022, we conceded that we needed to make a change. We had done everything right and checked all the boxes. After college, we excelled in our corporate jobs, bought a big house, cars, etc. The life we worked so hard to build and the stuff we worked so hard to acquire just wasn’t fulfilling us... So we quit the materialistic rat race to downsize and chase something different.

With a lot of planning and hard work, we made the leap in 2023. We sold just about everything, quit our in-person corporate jobs and bought a catamaran to be our new floating home and office.

We chose the name Willful Escape because this is not a story of running away to become degenerate pirates. It’s a deliberate effort to upset the norm to spend more time living. We only get one life and risk is better than regret!

Just several months into our new life on the water, we were sidelined after taking a direct lightning strike (or two) to the mast. We're just extra lucky, I guess. It impacted every system on the boat, from engines, power generation, battery storage, wiring and appliances. The eight-month refit was extensive to say the least. Most importantly, we lived to tell the tale and what a beginning to our story it was.

We've been documenting our journey since the beginning. Initially, we just wanted to record it for our own memories. When we set out to do this, we learned so much from others who have done this before us. Now we're sharing our experiences to possibly help others or perhaps inspire someone else to take a life-changing leap of faith too.

I hope that you'll join us through the ups and downs that come with the cruising life. Give us a follow on Instagram and subscribe to the blog for more on this wild life we're living!