The Cruising Life

The Theisen Family has been living aboard their sailboat, Out of Bounds, since 1990.  The original Out of Bounds was a 1974 Gulfstar 41 sloop.  In 2005 the Theisens bought a 1990 39’Privilege Catamaran that they also named Out of Bounds.  The Theisens belong to both Seven Seas Cruising Association and Women Aboard.

Barbara Theisen has more than twenty years of freelance writing and editing experience and has writing credits insuch top national publications as Reader's Digest, Family Fun andFamily Circle, and in nearly every national sailing magazine including Cruising World, Sail, Latitudes and Attitudes and Mad Mariner. She is the editor for Seven Seas Cruising Association.

Besides her national magazine credits, she has been published in over 25 regional and specialty magazines including Home Education Magazine, Children’s Digest, Chickadee, Good Old Boat, Boating for Women, Sea, Heartland Boating, Coastal Cruising, Lakeland Boating, and Northern Breezes.  She has been published in a variety of newspapers across the country and The Associated Press has picked up her articles for national distribution. She was the Contributing Live Aboard editor at Northern Breezes magazine.  She writes how-to articles, personal experience stories, and travel pieces, among others.  She was a columnist at the most popular national homeschooling magazine, Home Education Magazine, for three years.  She was also a columnist at Coastal Cruising magazine where she wrote the Living Aboard column and at Coastal Boating magazine where she wrote the Family Boating column.  Her Cruising World article, "Smooth Sailing with Kids," is featured on the Best of Cruising World CD-ROM and her writing is featured in Disney's Family Fun Crafts Book.  Barbara is a member of Boating Writers International and is the editor of the Women Aboard newsletter, which goes out to members of this national boating organization for women.

As a freelance photographer, Barbara sells her lighthouse photography in gift stores on the East Coast.  She has had a dozen cover photos published and her inside photo credits include Family Fun, Cruising World, Home Education Magazine, Good Old Boat, Wisconsin Trails, Wildlife in North Carolina, Latitudes and Attitudes, Northern Breezes, Sea, Coastal Cruising, Heartland Boating, and Environmental Defense.

Tom Theisen is a jack of all trades. He hosts webinars (online seminars) for cruisers at www.SevenSeasU.com. This popular new way to add to your cruising knowledge allows participants to actively engage in live seminars--from the comfort of their home or boat. When it’s time to stop for a while and build up the cruising kitty, Tom has worked as the owner of SV Builders, a construction firm that builds beautiful homes, and as a project manager for engineering firms. He is also an accomplished photographer.

Tom is a passionate scuba diver and snorkeler and keeps his wife well supplied with fresh lobster dinners.  Although he claims he’s not a writer you can read his story about the “one that got away.”

Daughter Kate was born in Vail, Colorado in 1986.  She moved aboard Out of Bounds at the age of three.  Kate was homeschooled for most of her life and is currently a student at New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology where she is pursuing a degree in Astrophysics.  She spent several summers doing research at Caltech.  Kate earned her SCUBA certification as soon as she turned 12 (the minimum age requirement) and is now a member of PADI.  She enjoyed surveying fish populations for REEF (Reef Environmental Education Foundation) and was a member of CORAL (Coral Reef Alliance).  She has earned her Ham license as well. Kate was chosen as a member of Roy Disney’s Morning Light project (15 young adults were chosen to train for the 2007 Transpac race from California to Hawaii and the movie, Morning Light, was released by Disney in Oct. 2008). Kate raced in the 2009 Transpac as crew on the 122’ topsail schooner, Lynx.

Kenna Theisen was born in Pohang, South Korea.  She arrived into the Theisen family on her second birthday.  Kenna had a two day long birthday that year.  She left Korea on her birthday, Nov. 18, and flew to the US, crossing the International dateline.  She arrived in Colorado the next day, Nov. 18!  To find out more about Kenna’s arrival, read Special Love a story that was picked up by the Associated Press and published in newspapers across the U.S.

Kenna has lived aboard Out of Bounds for the past 20 years.  She loves spending time with her friends, snorkeling, singing (often times while snorkeling), reading (especially Louis L’Amour), listening to country music, writing her pen pals and anything to do with horses.  She is a talented cook and does most of the baking aboard Out of Bounds. She loves to play dominoes at Volleyball Beach in George Town, Bahamas.

Kai and Lani qualify as the BEST boat dogs in the world. At 11 and 12 pounds each, these two Havana Silk Dogs are the perfect size and temperament for cruising. Originally from Cuba, they're bred for the tropics and they don't shed! They have their own website at www.KailaniSilks.com. They're our on board entertainment system.

Many of you knew our two boat cats extraordinaire. Although they are no longer with us, Meeko and Perkins will always be remembered. Meeko joined life aboard Out of Bounds at the age of about six months when he was adopted from the humane society. Perkins was born at Bock Marine near Beaufort, NC and at the age of two months adopted Meeko (who was visiting while Out of Bounds was hauled out) as his big brother. Perkins made himself right at home aboard Out of Bounds. Both Meeko and Perkins were accomplished catnappers and had a remarkable curiosity in anything that came aboard via a fishing line.  Meeko was known throughout Cuba as “gato gordo.”.