The couple who sold their belongings and quit their jobs to sail around the world but lost everything, have now purchased a new boat for $1

1 March

An American couple who quit their jobs to pursue their dream of sailing to the Caribbean and around the world but lost everything two days after setting off when their boat sank, have purchased a vessel for $1.

Nikki Walsh, 24, and 26 year-old Tanner Broadwell’s dream was shattered last February when their 28ft sailing boat Lagniappe hit a submerged object en route to Key West and quickly sank.

The couple lost everything but quickly set up a crowdfunding page to help them get back on their feet.

Many donated money and the couple were also offered a new sailing boat.

The Tampa Bay Times reports that retired GP Mark Reinecke, sold the couple his 36-foot boat Odyssey for $1. Reineke was moved by the fact that the couple come from Colorado like him and that, like him and his wife, they have pug.

The Tampa Bay Times reports Mark Reineke saying: “So I’ve had it there behind the house trying to think of something to do with it.

“That boat is like part of our family, but we also feel that the sailboat deserves to be at sea, not just sitting there, so when this situation came up, we said, ‘Let them have it.’ It’s like passing it on to the next generation.”

16 February

A US couple from Colorado who used their life savings and sold their belongings to buy a 28ft sailboat and planned to sail to the Caribbean and then around the world lost their boat 48 hours into their voyage.

Nikki Walsh and Tanner Broadwell had purchased the 28ft sailing boat and were en route to Key West when disaster struck and their boat hit a submerged object. The stricken vessel sunk in minutes.

Walsh says: “We lost every single one of our belongings with no insurance, but we all made it to land alive.

Continues below…

The couple hit a submerged object in Johns Pass near Tampa. This week Broadwell went out with a local dive team yesterday to assess the boat but reported it is in multiple pieces beneath the surface of the water.

The couple are resurrecting their dream of a liveaboard life and have set up a fundraising page, which has currently exceeded $15,000 in donations.

Nikki says on the page: “We are not giving up on our dreams.”