About Us

Jessie

Jessie was raised eight miles from the nearest paved road on a small ranch in Southern Utah. Surrounded by big blue skies, wide open spaces, and the smell of sage brush and freshly cut alfalfa, she has always had a curiosity for the world. However, with cow troughs for swimming pools and about as much exposure to sailboats as to space shuttles (ahem, none!), she never imagined that bidding adieu to a landlubbers life would be part of her story. But Jessie loves stories, and a good tale always involves unexpected twists and turns! After college, she ventured to sunny Florida where she earned a PhD in clinical psychology, before moving to Seattle, Washington. Jessie’s love for people and desire to chase the rainbow has taken her to 20 countries on 4 continents, typically with a backpack and without much of an itinerary. She is a sentimental dreamer with a big heart and a deep belief in the good of the world. She is compassionate, quirky, and her wanderlust is insatiable. Jessie has been sailing since Neil took her (and three girlfriends – brave man) out sailing on their fourth date. She fell in love with sailing and Neil at the same time, and her bucketlist has grown exponentially since her eyes were opened to the sea.

Favorite things: Getting lost in moments…cooking (which is linked tightly with her love of eating), traveling, sailing, yoga, talking to strangers, capturing memories in photos, fishing, and theme parties.

Neil

Neil was born and raised in the heart of the Pacific Northwest: Seattle, Washington. Being a stone’s throw away from mountain peaks and rocky shores, he has a deep love and respect for the outdoors. His passion for sailing was born 8 years ago as he watched sailboats work in tune with the wind on Lake Washington, while he sat confined in his car during a gridlock summer commute. Soon after, he threw himself into learning all he could about sailing and spent several seasons crewing as a bowman on a J105 on the Puget Sound. Neil earned a business degree from the University of Washington and his aptitude for solving problems in the business world has generalized to the inevitable challenges that arise aboard our floating home. He is a resourceful handyman whose ability to troubleshoot difficulties in any of The Red Thread’s systems never ceases to impress his new bride. Neil is witty, sharp on this feet, and a passionate consumer of information. He is a natural leader who exudes confidence and competence that lead others to trust his skills as Captain. An adventurer at heart, his eyes are always looking to the horizon, eager to seek challenges and new destinations.

Favorite things: Sailing, scuba diving, snowboarding, scotch, reading, and traveling.

Our Story

We met over breakfast on a beautiful morning in late August of 2011. Two hours of nonstop chatter guaranteed a second date and a third and a fourth….and the rest is history. Within a matter of months we were sharing dreams and making plans. Neil brought to our relationship his dream of sailing the world – a passionate traveler, I contributed the “why not now?” Three months into our whirlwind romance, we began looking at sailboats. We fell hard and fast…for each other and for our boat. A few days shy of our nine-month anniversary, on May 25, 2012, The Red Thread became ours. We got engaged in 2012, then we tied the knot in 2013, and set our departure date –October 1, 2014– for what we’ve dubbed our South Pacific Stitch. What can we say, just another eHarmony success story 😉