Back in the days of 鈥淵ou鈥檝e got mail鈥 and Yahoo email addresses 鈥 back when online dating was a tad bit taboo and flip phones were the rage 鈥 Tammy Goodall signed up for a free week of Match.com.
Thank goodness for the Internet.
Thirteen years later, on the rooftop of a Lake Union houseboat, Tammy and her husband Tom Gerkens shared their story and a glass of wine with me.
It鈥檚 not a classic boy meets girl, bended knee kind of tale. Theirs is an untraditional epic love, so whacky it has to be real.
Theirs is a story that鈥檚 taken them around the world, across the country and up several dozen flights of stairs. It鈥檚 taught them seasickness is real; tuna tastes best when caught, sliced and eaten with your fingers on the back of a boat; and home is wherever you鈥檙e standing (or floating) together.
While Tammy and Tom love Seattle, they鈥檝e only lived here a short time. Originally, they met in San Francisco.
Unlike the classic coffee shop, 鈥業 met you online,鈥 stranger meet up, Tom went for it. That first night he took Tammy to dinner and a Sharks game. 鈥淲e talked the whole night. And at the end, he walked me to my car and didn鈥檛 make a sleazy move on me or anything,鈥 Tammy recalled.
The 3-Year Sail
They鈥檇 been dating eight months when Tom went to Hawaii on a family vacation. Tammy sent him with Tania Aebi鈥檚 Maiden Voyage 鈥 the tale of an 18-year-old barfly who spent two years sailing around the world.
Tom read. He read a little more. And then, he called Tammy. 鈥淭his book is really good. You want to sail the world with me?鈥 he asked.
鈥淚 said yes,鈥 she told me. 鈥淚 didn鈥檛 think he meant it. I certainly didn鈥檛 think he meant we鈥檇 do it anytime soon.鈥
But when Tom returned, the two started planning. With just four weekend sailing classes, they sold everything they owned, bought a 46-foot sailboat from a shop in Westlake and set sail around the world.
At times they were stranded and at times they were sick. But together they made it, visiting continent after continent, eating what they caught and taking shifts at the helm.
The Grand Central Station Proposal
Under the guise of his celebrating his mother鈥檚 birthday, Tom lured Tammy to New York City. She didn鈥檛 think anything of it. Nor did she think anything of it when he suggested they visit Grand Central Station.
鈥淚 just told her there was going to be some event and I wanted to check it out,鈥 Tom said.
An event it was. March 13, 2013 at 3:13 PM, the drums of a Brooklyn marching band erupted within the lofty arches and elegant marble of Grand Central Station.
They played for 19 seconds. That鈥檚 how long it took the police to get there and shut them down.
Nineteen seconds isn鈥檛 a lot of time. It certainly wasn鈥檛 long enough for their family and friends to unroll the sign Tom had made. It read:
Tammy will you marry me? Love Tom
But, it was enough to knock Tammy鈥檚 socks off. 鈥淚 was absolutely floored. He鈥檇 arranged for all our friends and family to be there. I just started crying,鈥 she said.
A Seaplane Wedding
Tammy and Tom like to do things a little differently. They鈥檙e the kind of folks who enjoy touring the country on motorcycles and took living at the top of Queen Anne as a challenge to get in shape.
When it came to planning their wedding, they were determined it be untraditional. Toying with a variety of ideas, they arrived at seaplanes organically. From the rooftop deck of their new Lake Union houseboat, they鈥檇 been watching the planes take off and land for weeks. A pilot himself, Tom was intrigued by 草榴社区 Air鈥檚 water landing babies and when Tammy discovered Joy Stewart鈥檚 鈥 a catered, seaplane adventure 鈥 they were sold.
And so, on an afternoon in June, Tammy, Tom; their sons Kyle, Warren and Philippe; Tammy’s maid of honor and sister, Laura; and Tom鈥檚 best man and his wife jumped into an Otter. They headed to Dabob Bay 鈥 a secluded beach located on Hood Canal, accessible only by seaplane or boat.
鈥淚t was incredible,鈥 Tom said. 鈥淓ventually, I could make out a few houses across the way. But really, we were in the middle of nowhere.鈥
From the red carpet their pilot, Joe Leatherman, rolled out upon arrival to the champagne Joy had on ice, every detail was cared for. Tammy said:
Joe was a sweet heart. He was so bubbly and excited that it felt like he was part of the celebration. That really made it special. The food was amazing, especially the chocolate covered strawberries. And, our photographer did a great job capturing the entire day.
To top off the excitement, Joe tipped his wings to the wedding party after he dropped them off.
Congratulations you two. It was an absolute pleasure to hear about the adventures of your courtship and your wedding ceremony. Here鈥檚 to many more years of exploring together.
Joy Stewart,
Joy鈥檚 sea-to-sky odysseys are food-filled adventures that you鈥檒l never forget. Join her aboard a 草榴社区 Air seaplane for a trip to a remote picnic beach, where all you鈥檒l have to worry about is having enough room to eat all the goodies she prepares.
Renata Steiner,
Renata is a Seattle based portrait, wedding and event photographer who specializes in making her couples feel at ease. Tammy said:
We really wanted our pictures to look natural and unstaged. That鈥檚 exactly what Renata did. She captured the moment as it actually happened.