About Us

The vessel’s decks include a spacious and functional main deck with the galley and salon stepping out to the cockpit with a built-in settee and built-in gas grill. Stepping up from the galley is the pilot house with 2 Stidd captain’s chairs, a built-in settee, and a watch berth. Above the pilot house is the flybridge with a full enclosure, built-in settee, and 2 Stidd captain’s chairs.

Stepping down into the hall on the deck below has the amidship master stateroom with an ensuite head and an external hallway leading to the two forward staterooms each with two single beds, sharing a spacious forward head. On the lower level with the engine room is the captain’s quarters with a twin over a full-size bunk bed, desk and storage, full head, and enclosed laundry area.

With over three decades of refinement and innovation, Nordhavn sets the gold standard in true oceangoing passage vessels. Whether coastal cruising or circumnavigating the globe, Nordhavn delivers unmatched durability, efficiency, and peace of mind. A testament to this standard has been experienced by Gratitude over the past 18 years.

• EXPEDITION 1: As Shearwater, A Continental United States Excursion (2006 – 2012)

• Stuart FL to Baltimore MD (9/06-10/06; 1008 nm)

• Baltimore MD to Georgetown BA (10/06-2/07; 1593 nm)

• Georgetown BA to Boston MA (2/07-6/07; 2303 nm)

• Boston MA to Kingston NY (6/07-7/07; 372 nm)

• Kingston NY to Boston MA (7/07-8/07; 356 nm)

• Boston MA to Ft. Lauderdale FL (9/07-2/08; 1584 nm)

• FLL-Lucaya BA-FLL (2/08-3/08; 216 nm)

• Ft. Lauderdale FL to Chicago IL (4/08-6/08; 4253 nm)

• Local Lake Michigan Cruising (6/08-7/09; 325 nm);

• Chicago to Bar Harbor, ME via the St. Lawrence (7/09-9/09; 2600 nm);

• Bar Harbor to Key West to Ft. Meyers, return up East Coast to Boston MA, cruise Narraganset Bay & to Philadelphia PA (9/09-9/10; 5000 nm)

• EXPEDITION 2: As Ocean Pearl, An International Journey (2012 – 2018)

• EXPEDITION 3: As Gratitude, Our European Adventure (2018 – 2024)

• 2018 Palm Beach, Florida to Nova Scotia & back to Palm Beach

• 2019 Palm Beach to Key West to Palm Beach to Ft. Lauderdale to Palm Beach

• Stuart, Florida to Bermuda, Horta Azores, & Kinsale Ireland

• Cruise Ireland, then to London England & Channel Islands

• Atlantic Spain to Lagos Portugal. Winter in Lagos Portugal

• Winter 2019-2020 in Lagos, Portugal

• Cruise to Gibraltar, Cartagena Spain, Ibiza, Mallorca, Menorca Islands

• Sardinia, Tunisia, & Sicily. Wintering in Ragusa 2020-2021

• Summer 2021 Sicily to Montenegro, Croatia, Italy, Slovenia, Montenegro for the winter 2021/22

• Summer 2022 Montenegro, Greece, Turkey. Winter in Kas, Turkey 2022/23

• Summer 2023 Southampton, Ireland, Scotland, Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Germany, Belgium, & winter in London 2023/24

At the time, I was living and working in Houston and flying to New Orleans to celebrate my birthday. Greg was also headed to New Orleans to meet up with his brother and soon-to-be sister-in-law. It was a Southwest Airlines flight — no assigned seats — and Greg, ever the last-minute guy, was literally the final passenger to board. The only open seat left, of course, the one right next to me.

If you know Greg, you know calling him an extrovert barely scratches the surface. He makes friends everywhere he goes, and this flight was no exception. First order of business – drinks for all – he bought a round of drinks for everyone around us, chatted away with that signature charm of his, and by the time we landed we had – generally connected. Then the flight home…wow there he was again.

Fast forward to our first date in August of 2000 at Truluck’s in Houston — the best (and last) first date I ever had. We laughed and swapped stories for six hours over cocktails, stone crab, steak, wine, and dessert. The restaurant finally asked us to leave at 12:30 a.m., long after we were the last couple there.

Then, in true whirlwind fashion, we bought our first home together just two months later in Lafayette, Louisiana. One year after that, we were married on October 12, 2001.

Since then, we’ve lived a life defined by bold choices and intentional action. We’re the proud parents of two incredible daughters — Lauren, now 22, and Anna, who turns 20 this year. They’re strong, smart, independent, and kind — everything we could’ve hoped for and more.

Now, as we prepare to launch into their own lives, we feel like this is our window — a perfect moment to begin an exciting new chapter together. Something bold. Something novel. Just like that unexpected flight all those years ago…