All Hands On Deck   Adventures on land and at sea

Time for a long overdue update on our plan.

The original plan was to head South for the Caribbean in the spring, leaving as soon as possible after I finished my thesis and returned from California. That departure date began to seem unrealistic the more we thought about sprinting down the East coast and through the Caribbean to someplace relatively safe from hurricanes before July at the latest. We’re not sure how fast we can sail and everything is dependent on the weather. Various boat projects are also not complying with our original timetable. The mast is still out while Hall Spars manufactures our new rigging. Some of our sails should be done in the next couple weeks but our MPG (multi-purpose genoa) won’t be ready till mid-April. Piecing together the solent stay attachment and deck reinforcement is also taking more time than we anticipated. All these things will come together in the next month or less but there is no way we’re getting out of Pirate Cove in time make a safe passage to the Caribbean.

I must admit, we saw this coming. We have been mentally preparing ourselves for the possibility of cruising the East coast of the U.S. this summer and fall so it’s really not a disappointment. Last summer I learned that New England is actually really beautiful and warm in the summer so I’m really looking forward to exploring the Maine coastline.

The current plan, in all its vague glory, is to start sailing south by the end of April. Our slip lease at Pirate Cove expires April 30 and we might as well head for warmer water. This is where things get fuzzy. We’re not sure how far South we’ll sail. Maybe just to Annapolis, maybe all the way to Florida, but we’ll head back North eventually. That way we can enjoy New England in the summer and get lots of sailing miles under our belts. By the time we head for the Caribbean in November, the ideal time for that journey, we’ll be pros!

Lee has always told me to go with the flow. I think this new itinerary exemplifies that. Now it’s my job to learn to use the electronic chart programs and figure out where we’re going!

The wonderful, sunny weather is over and the rain has moved back in.