Couple Who Set Out To Sail The World Has Boat Sink On Day Two

MADEIRA BEACH, FL — A Colorado couple who sold everything they owned with a dream of sailing around the world set off on their journey after years of planning only to have that dream end abruptly. On the very second day of the journey, their boat sank and now the couple is left with nothing.

Tanner Broadwell and Nikki Walsh set sail from Tarpon Springs for Key West on Tuesday but their boat sank Wednesday night in St. John's Pass, according to the Tampa Bay Times. The only things the couple is now left with is what Walsh was able to grab before they abandoned the ship: the couple's social security cards and some cash. They also have a 2-year-old pug named Remy.

Walsh, 24, and Broadwell, 26, bought their sailboat last year for $5,000 and spent another $5,000 fixing it up. The couple was living in Colorado when they started saving money, and finally sold everything they owned to buy the sailboat. They relocated to Tarpon Springs in May and had limited sailing experience, according to The Tampa Bay Times.

As the couple navigated through St. John's Pass Wednesday night, their boat hit something in about eight or nine feet of water, stopping the boat completely, ABC Action News reported.

The couple described it as being a traumatic moment, watching the water destroy everything they owned. They recounted to The Tampa Bay Times that water leaked into the cabin and they put on their lifejackets before calling for help. When the tow boat arrive to rescue them, they had to abandon ship and jump into the water.

"Everything I've worked for, everything I've owned since I was a child, I brought with me. It's just floating away and there's nothing I can do," Walsh told ABC.

"I sold everything I had to do this, and I lost everything in a matter of 20 minutes," Broadwell told the Tampa Bay Times.

The couple said friends and family began to show up Thursday morning to help the couple. They don't know where they will live and have to pay to have the boat recovered from the water. But even though the boat sank, the couple says their dream is still alive and they are not giving up yet.

Read more at The Tampa Bay Times.

Read more at ABC Action News.

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