For Kevin and Elizabeth King, life aboard a Leopard 50 wasn’t an overnight decision. In fact, their partnership began long before sailing entered the picture. The couple met in church in Fort Smith, Arkansas, when they were about two years old. Their families were close, their fathers eventually became business partners, and Kevin and Elizabeth even share the exact same birthday.
Decades later, that lifelong partnership would take them from building a successful real estate business together to crossing oceans and embracing full-time cruising aboard their Leopard 50, Southern Charm.
Their journey was more than a decade in the making, shaped by sailing lessons, bareboat charters, offshore passages, boat shows, and careful planning. What began as an escape from the demands of entrepreneurship eventually became their vision for the future.
From Childhood Friends to Business Partners
“Elizabeth and I met in church in Fort Smith, Arkansas, when we were about two years old,” says Kevin. “Our families were close. We went to church together, and our fathers eventually became business partners. Elizabeth and I even have the same birthday — day, month and year.” After attending the University of Arkansas and working for their families’ telecom company, Kevin and Elizabeth decided to go into business for themselves.
In 2005, they launched their own real estate brokerage. “It took off like mad,” Kevin says. “With Elizabeth’s marketing skills and my sales and recruiting experience, everything just exploded. We became the number one volume real estate office in our region in just our third year.”
Their success was rewarding, but it also came with a demanding schedule. Eventually, they began thinking about two things: how to occasionally escape the pressures of entrepreneurship and what they wanted their eventual retirement to look like. The answer to both turned out to be sailing.
How a Sailing Vacation Changed Everything
Elizabeth came across the idea of taking a crewed charter vacation in the British Virgin Islands. They went — and immediately fell in love with life on the water. “We fell in love with sailing on that very first trip.” For Kevin, simply enjoying the ride wasn’t enough. He spent much of that first cruise learning the basics of sailing from the crew.
When they returned home, the Kings began turning their newfound interest into a serious pursuit. They completed ASA courses, took additional cruises and bareboat charters, and continued building their sailing knowledge. Kevin volunteered to crew on passages along the East Coast to gain offshore experience and eventually earned his U.S. Coast Guard captain’s license.
Over time, sailing evolved from a vacation activity into a long-term plan.
Preparing for Full-Time Cruising
Kevin and Elizabeth didn’t rush the process. For years, they intentionally prepared themselves for the cruising lifestyle while continuing to manage their business and raise their three children. They chartered frequently, attended boat shows, continued their sailing education, gained offshore experience, and learned as much as they could about the realities of owning and operating a cruising catamaran.
One of their biggest tests came in 2019, when they successfully crossed the Atlantic via the Azores with their three children aboard a friend’s Leopard 45. The experience helped confirm something they had been working toward for years: they were ready to make cruising a much bigger part of their lives. “We bought our Leopard 50 in 2018 and finally took delivery in 2020. We’d been preparing for this lifestyle for years.” Their youngest daughter, Caroline, even joined them aboard Southern Charm, completing part of her senior year of high school remotely while cruising.
Finding the Right Catamaran
The Kings didn’t initially set out to purchase a Leopard. Like many prospective catamaran owners, they spent years looking at different boats, attending shows, and comparing layouts, features, performance, and price points. Then Leopard unveiled the Leopard 50. “I remember waking Kevin up one morning when Leopard teased the Leopard 50 online and saying, ‘I just found the boat,’” Elizabeth recalls.
They had developed a clear list of priorities from their years of sailing experience. They wanted four cabins, a true owner’s suite, a flybridge, excellent visibility, comfortable offshore performance, and enough space to accommodate family and guests. The Leopard 50 checked those boxes.
Why They Chose the Leopard 50
Several of the Leopard 50’s defining features immediately stood out to Kevin and Elizabeth, and after putting thousands of nautical miles beneath the hulls, many remain among their favorite parts of the boat.
The Forward Cockpit
The forward cockpit was one of the features that initially drew them to Leopard. “Once we stepped aboard and saw the forward cockpit, Leopard just started ticking boxes for us.” Beyond creating another outdoor gathering area, the forward cockpit allows the Kings to take advantage of airflow and provides another place to relax depending on the sun and weather. On hot Caribbean afternoons, it can become the perfect place to find shade and a breeze.
The Flybridge
The Leopard 50’s flybridge was another major selling point. Whether they’re enjoying morning coffee, entertaining guests, or relaxing after a day underway, the flybridge has become one of their most frequently used spaces aboard Southern Charm.
Visibility and Natural Light
For Elizabeth, the Leopard 50’s expansive windows are another favorite feature. “The windows are amazing. You can practically see 360 degrees from inside the boat.” The visibility makes the saloon feel bright and open while maintaining a strong connection with the surroundings.
Offshore Capability
The Kings have also been impressed by how their Leopard performs offshore. “We’ve been very happy with the performance. The boat sails surprisingly well, even loaded for cruising.”
Their boat carries the equipment that comes with serious cruising, including tools, spare parts, dive equipment, solar panels, provisions, and other gear.
Kevin also appreciates the boat’s solid feel and upgraded engines. “We’ve been in some pretty high winds being offshore, and it handles great. We’ve never felt unsafe with the Leopard. Taking the option of the larger engine was a good call. We use that added power a lot coming in and out of some inlets in Florida.”
Taking Southern Charm Offshore
After taking delivery, Kevin and Elizabeth began putting their years of preparation into practice. They logged more than 2,700 nautical miles aboard their Leopard 50 during their early cruising experience, including a major offshore passage from Charleston, South Carolina, to the U.S. Virgin Islands.
The 10-day passage required extensive preparation, provisioning, weather planning, and careful consideration of backup systems. “We probably spent almost as much time planning the passage as we did sailing it.” Their offshore experience reinforced one of the most important lessons of their cruising journey: preparation matters.
Weather Routing and Passage Planning
Weather forecasting and route planning became an especially important part of Elizabeth’s role aboard. Over time, she developed a collection of resources to help the couple evaluate weather patterns, currents, routes, and changing conditions. Their frequently used resources have included Tropical Tidbits, PredictWind, Windy, MarineTraffic, Aqua Map, iNavX, and MyRadar. “During hurricane season, Tropical Tidbits became my morning routine.”
The process reflects the approach Kevin and Elizabeth have taken throughout their sailing journey. They aren’t afraid to learn something new, and they put in the preparation before taking on the next challenge.
How They Customized Their Leopard 50
Like many long-term cruisers, Kevin and Elizabeth made Southern Charm their own by choosing upgrades suited to how they planned to use the boat.
Lithium Batteries and Solar
One of their most significant upgrades was their electrical system. The Kings installed six 300Ah lithium batteries, more than 2,000 watts of solar, and upgraded inverter systems. “The lithium and solar setup completely changed how we use the boat.” The additional capacity reduced their dependence on shore power and generator use while cruising.
Full Cockpit Enclosure
The Kings originally planned to enclose only the helm but ultimately decided to enclose the entire aft cockpit. After experiencing offshore passages aboard the boat, they were glad they did. “We’re so glad we enclosed the whole cockpit.”
A Surprisingly Important Ice Maker
Not every favorite upgrade needs to be complicated. For Elizabeth, one of the most appreciated additions aboard is also one of the simplest.
“The ice maker is the MVP of the boat.”
Navigation Station Conversion
The couple also found a creative way to make the interior better suited to their lifestyle.
Because they rarely used the traditional navigation station, they converted the space into additional refrigeration and storage. “We never really used the traditional nav station, so converting it gave us significantly more usable space.”
Favorite Cruising Destinations
While Kevin and Elizabeth have long-term ambitions to explore much farther afield, several destinations from their early years of cruising aboard Southern Charm have already become favorites.
Exuma Land and Sea Park, Bahamas
The Exuma Land and Sea Park quickly earned a spot near the top of their list. “It’s one of our all-time favorite places.” Its protected waters, marine life and remarkable scenery make it an especially memorable cruising destination.
Culebrita, Puerto Rico
Culebrita is another standout for the couple. The small island’s beaches, snorkeling, hiking opportunities, and remote atmosphere embody much of what drew the Kings to cruising in the first place.
The Sailing Community
While the destinations are memorable, Kevin and Elizabeth discovered that cruising is just as much about the people they meet along the way.
“The sailing community is made up of a lot of good, caring people,” Kevin says. “They’re like-minded. They enjoy sailing, obviously, but they also enjoy the sense of community and helping others.”
For a couple accustomed to building businesses and communities on land, the relationships they found on the water became another unexpected benefit of their new lifestyle.
Their Advice for Future Cruisers
After spending years preparing for the cruising lifestyle, Kevin’s advice for people dreaming about doing the same is surprisingly simple: “Do it now.”
That doesn’t mean skipping the preparation that served the Kings so well. Instead, it’s about recognizing that there may never be a perfect time to begin. “Even if it means starting with a smaller boat than you originally planned, start the journey sooner rather than later.”
They also recommend leaving plenty of room in the cruising budget. “Boat bucks are real. Everything costs more than you think.”
Education, preparation, offshore experience, financial planning, and choosing the right boat all played a role in making their transition possible.
Enjoying the Slow Route
Perhaps the biggest change for Kevin and Elizabeth wasn’t simply moving from land to water. It was changing their relationship with time. After years of building and running a successful business, cruising offered an opportunity to stop measuring life by the next meeting, deadline, or destination. “We were on a treadmill with work for a long time,” Kevin says. “We want to spend some quality time enjoying the slow route. Not hurrying on an agenda to get anywhere, but enjoying the places we visit and taking the time to meet locals and enjoy the local food, and get to know people a little bit instead of hurrying to get to the next spot.” That philosophy also shapes how they think about their cruising future.
Their ambitions may eventually take them around the world, but getting there isn’t the only point. For two people who have spent nearly their entire lives side-by-side, the next destination matters a little less than experiencing the journey together.
From the Leopard 50 to Today’s Leopard Sailing Fleet
Kevin and Elizabeth’s Southern Charm is a Leopard 50, a model that became an important part of their transition to full-time cruising.
Sailors exploring Leopard’s current generation of sailing catamarans can discover the Leopard 52, the flagship of today’s Leopard sailing fleet.
More Advice From Leopard Owners
Kevin and Elizabeth’s experience is one of many unique paths to Leopard ownership. From choosing the right catamaran to preparing for offshore passages and adapting a boat for full-time cruising, hearing directly from owners can provide valuable insight into what life aboard is really like.
Explore more firsthand cruising experiences, practical advice, and stories from Leopard owners around the world in the Ask a Leopard Owner hub.
