My husband, Harry, and I spent 25 months cruising the Pacific Ocean. We returned to land at Bainbridge Island, Washington. Friends and family gathered on the dock to greet us. They rang cowbells, boomed a cannon and cheered when I expertly slalomed our 44-foot Mason, Oh Joy II, to the dock. It was an overwhelming experience, and that feeling didn’t fade for months. Before we departed on our adventure, we’d watched videos, movies and in-person presentations about cruising.