Family cruise

Deepa Bharath

“The year-trip” was always a buzz at the Fultses’.

It was something the children had heard their parents talk about

forever. It was something Greg and Suzanne Fults has been fantasizing

about even before they got married.

And today, the Lido Isle couple and their three children will set

off on their 44-foot Beneteau sailboat on that yearlong adventure

they had been dreaming about their entire lives.

The Fultses know they’re going to be “cruising.” They know they’re

going to Mexico first. But after that, who knows?

“Maybe after we hit Cabo, we’ll cut across and go over to

Polynesia or some of the Pacific islands,” Greg Fults said.

“And maybe, just maybe, we’ll figure out this cruising thing is

not for us and head back home,” Suzanne Fults said. “It’s possible.

We just don’t know. You can make these grandiose plans, but it may

not work out.”

The unpredictability of it all is exciting to the couple. They

first resolved to “go cruising” during their honeymoon to Fiji about

18 years ago.

“We told ourselves that we wanted to come back there because it

was so beautiful,” Greg Fults said.

And then life went on. The couple had three children. They bought

a house in Costa Mesa. Greg Fults’ contracting business was picking

up. Suzanne Fults was a stay-at-home mom. Life fell into its groove

and stayed there for a while.

“But then, suddenly, one evening a little over a year ago,” Greg

Fults said, “I came back from work one evening and told Suzanne,

‘That’s it. We’re leaving. We’re going to do this.’”

Their children -- Kyle, 13, Cory, 10, and Heidi, 7 -- couldn’t

believe their ears. It was actually going to happen.

School, homework, friends, family, dogs, home -- they were going

to get away from it all.

The preparations for this family voyage began about a year ago,

Suzanne Fults said. First things first, they needed a boat to cruise

in.

“We already had a sailboat,” Greg Fults said.

“Daddy bought it for us for Valentine’s Day,” Heidi said.

The Lemuria, as they called it, came more than three years ago,

and the family has taken several weekend cruises on it. But this

would be the ultimate test for the green and white sailboat, which is

named after an ancient civilization in the South Pacific.

“It’s just something we read about,” Suzanne Fults said. “It

sounded perfect.”

The boat has “four beds and three heads [bathrooms],” as Heidi put

it.

The children started school at home the beginning of this school

year, Suzanne Fults said. Greg Fults has been fixing up the boat and

buying everything from every little spare part to cleaning solutions.

“We can’t go looking for parts where we’re going,” Greg Fults

said. “So we need to think of every small thing, especially the parts

that wear easily.”

Suzanne Fults has been in charge of the food.

“We’re going to have to eat a little differently,” she said.

“We’ll have to eat more pre-cooked meals, canned soups and energy

bars.”

“We also have a lot of jelly beans and candy for Halloween,” Cory

said.

And just in case they’re in the mood for something fancy, Suzanne

Fults is taking along condiments such as balsamic vinegar.

“And lots and lots of sunscreen,” she added.

“It’s a list that never gets shorter,” her husband said with a

laugh. “It’s not really a list, it’s more like a book.”

The couple also took a number of classes in Orange Coast College

from navigation to nutrition.

“The best way to get ready for it is to go out and do it,” Greg

Fults said.

Each member of the family admits that he or she is a “little

scared.” But they all seem to know that it’ll be the experience of

their lives.

Greg Fults said he is looking forward to “a slower life.”

“We live in a beautiful area,” he said. “We have a nice life here.

But it’ll still be nice to get away from it all.”

He, like his wife, hopes to spend more quality time with his

family.

“Here, I’m really busy with work,” he said. “But now I’ll be Mr.

Mom. It’s going to be all family all the time.”

Cory believes he’ll enjoy the physical proximity to his family.

“We’ll be all crammed in one boat,” he said.

Older brother Kyle wants to enjoy the pleasures of a “simpler

life” -- such as riding a bicycle on the streets of Mexico.

“I also hope I’ll also get enough waves to surf,” he said. “I love

to surf.”

For Suzanne Fults, it’s all about getting closer to her husband

and children.

“It’s family time -- good, bad, whatever,” she said, shrugging.

“I’m sure we’ll come away with a bond hard to acquire on land, where

we’re so busy with other things.”

* DEEPA BHARATH covers public safety and courts. She may be

reached at (949) 574-4226 or by e-mail at [email protected].