Join us in congratulating David Higdon, who is celebrating his 5 year anniversary with Higgins Insurance. David is a financial coach at Higgins Insurance. David specializes in protecting people with life insurance, Long term Care insurance, critical illness insurance, disability, health and travel insurance. As well as retirement planning, investments, RESP, RRSP, RRIF, Annuities, TFSA and business planning (buy/Sell funding, key persons funding, executive compensation and group benefits.
Congratulations David!
When David is not at work, we can find him sailing, here is the interview with David on sailing.
How did you get interested in sailing?
My Grandfather was a sailor. He was one of the original crew of the Bluenose. He built and sailed his own boats. I think I inherited the passion for sailing from him. I have loved sailboats for as long as I can remember, I guess it is in my blood.
Tell us about your current sailboat?
It’s funny you should ask about my “current” sailboat – all sailors love their boats but are always thinking of their “next” boat. My “current” boat is a MacGregor 26. She is a great boat and very practical for our needs. A MacGregor has a swing keel. With the keel up we only draw 9.5 inches of water – meaning we can navigate pretty shallow water. This is important for us because the water where we keep her, and spend our Summers, is very shallow.
What is your favorite part about owning a Sailboat ?
It is hard for me to put this in words, but when I am sailing I am absolutely at peace. I love every second of it and I love everything about it. Even in the off season when my boat is out of the water, I will go and get aboard and just spend time there.
Where do you like to sail?
We sail the Saint John River. We keep our boat in the Belleisle Bay and sail the river system from there. I plan to expand our reach some day and sail out of the Saint John River to explore the waters around Nova Scotia and the Eastern Seaboard of the United States.
Tell us about boating education, courses & Marine Safety required?
Boating/Safety education is very important. Sailing itself is fairly intuitive. The first boats I sailed were 16-18 foot catamarans and small sailboats (Sunfish etc). With the rudder in one hand and the Mainsheet in the other, what to do comes pretty naturally. However, there is a lot of technical knowledge involved in becoming a good sailor. There are a lot of really great on-line courses plus most marinas offer sailing school to people wanting hands-on training. If you want to become a really good sailor, be a lifelong learner.
What is your sailing dream?
We were planning to charter a boat in the Caribbean next Summer. We have had to delay that trip due to COVID-19, but the dream is still alive.
We live on one of the World’s greatest water systems (often referred to as the Rhine of North America). I encourage everyone to get out on The River and explore what it has to offer.