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WHEN TWO IDIOTS QUIT THEIR JOBS AND SAILED TO THE CARIBBEAN...WITHOUT KNOWING HOW TO SAIL...

"We'd just buy a boat and then take lessons on it. How hard could that be?"

Have you ever dreamed of dropping out of the rat race and dropping anchor, instead? Quitting your job and moving to the Caribbean? Michael Puceta and Renee Petrillo took those reveries to the next step. They had a big plan where they'd sell the house, buy a boat, and sail down to warmer climes where they could spend the rest of their lives living under blue skies.

There was only one problem: Neither of them could sail.

That didn't stop these nitwits from giving it a go, anyway. Their adventure is now famously known as A SAIL OF TWO IDIOTS: 100+ Lessons and Laughs from a Non-Sailor Who Quit the Rat Race, Took the Helm, and Sailed to a New Life in the Caribbean (International Marine; April 2012; Hardcover, $22.00). Here is the voyage of two adventurous people who fulfilled their dream - the hard way. Despite having no experience they managed to sail from Miami to Grenada ("without drowning!" exclaims the author), eventually dropping anchor at the island of their dreams. Determined to save future sailors from themselves, they're passing their unique story and scrappy wisdom onto you.

"What drives a person to even consider buying and living on a boat? Two Words: Midlife Crisis." At 40, Michael Puceta and Renee Petrillo were already fed up with the work-a-day grind and longing for a change of scenery; they were also young enough to be strong, courageous, and seaworthy. Their youthful exuberance got the better of them. Their first lesson came with the purchase of the boat, and the lessons kept on coming -- from anchoring, upkeep of a multi-hull and technology to local etiquette, money issues, and dealing with strong personalities in close quarters.
Michael Puceta and Renee Petrillo figured their way around the crucial lessons of living aboard and the life lessons of working through stressful situations with your marriage, your sanity, and your boat intact. A few lessons from the book:

• LESSON #77: DON'T BE FOOLED. That's the thing about recommended anchorages; they're usually protected. The weather can be wreaking havoc with gusty winds and high seas on the windward side, while your rum tonic barely splooshes around your glass on the leeward. Don't be lulled into that calmness and ignore predicted conditions. If you give in to your impatience, you might rationalize doing something really stupid.
• LESSON #78: DO NOT BE TOO PROUD TO TURN AROUND. This is a big one. Forecasters make mistakes, you can underestimate your capabilities or comfort level, and/or things can break causing dangerous situations. Safety comes first. Get your butts somewhere safe as fast as possible. If the closest place to you is the port you just left, then go back. If anything, you're return will allow you to warn others to stay put.

The hard-won lessons are set against the backdrop of the beautiful Caribbean - for every massive dose of on-board idiocy, there's a beautiful moment that will make you long to buy a boat of your own.

In author Renee D. Petrillo's warm, humorous and honest tone, A SAIL OF TWO IDIOTS is a must-have for armchair travelers, snowbirds, retirees, and everyone who has longed to chuck it all for a better life. Plus it's a guarantee seasoned sailors will be gobsmacked by the sheer idiocy of it all.

 "If you dream about chucking it all away and sailing toward an island life, read this first," warns the author. Get set for an enjoyable voyage of painful lessons and clear waters!

About the Author:
Renee D. Petrillo's professional career began as a technical writer, entertaining clients with telecommunication-engineering fetes and water pollution summaries for 15 years before awakening from her slumber and deciding to head for the high seas. She has been published in Caribbean Compass, and writes a monthly blog (http://islandbabble.blogspot.com) with more than 4,000 visitors per month.

Want to learn more? Watch "A Sail of Two Idiots" Trailer on YouTube!

A SAIL OF TWO IDIOTS: 100+ Lessons and Laughs from a Non-Sailor Who Quit the Rat Race, Took the Helm, and Sailed to a New Life in the Caribbean, by Renee D. Petrillo. April, 2012; Paperback, $22.00. ISBN: 978-0-07-177984-5; MHID: 0-07-177984-1.