I know it’s been quiet on the blog – and I apologize. But it’s because we’ve been working our tails off. And we have BIG news regarding our cruising plans.

While we’ve had semi-set plans for a leave date – it was still pretty far off.  But as they say;

“Cruisers plans are written in the sand”

And so as things have progressed, and opportunities have presented themselves, we’ve latched on and taken advantage!

Without disclosing unnecessary details, and due to our 5 years of planning and working our butts off and living frugally (minus travel…) we are potentially leaving in OCTOBER.  Of THIS. YEAR.  You know, like 2 months away…

Technically, Mark’s last day of work is currently August 11th.  So we could leave August 12th, right?  But we’re not.  So why not?  Well, we have been tossing ideas around for a few weeks, trying to decide when to go – and here’s what it boils down to:

• It’s freaking hot:  We live at the dock, with air conditioning.  In Savannah, GA.  It was 80 degrees Fahrenheit at 8am today.  And full-on 100% humidity.  So if we toss the lines and leave August 12th, we will be attempting to sleep in an 80 degree boat.  (It’s rarely dipping below 80 currently, and often going as high as 100+)  Our A/C  runs on 110v electricity, vs 12v batteries.  While we have loads of solar power, it fuels our 12v batteries.  And we don’t have (nor do we want) a large enough generator to efficiently run the A/C.  Until we acclimate/are somewhere with wind to cool the boat, sleeping will be pretty miserable.
• August 12th is a Friday:  Superstition has it that you should never start a sailing trip on a Friday.  While we are not superstitious, and could very likely leave on a Friday later, if weather permits, it just seems like a bad omen to start a potentially lifelong adventure on a Friday.  (Oddly enough, I would probably push to leave that day if it were Friday the 13th… but I’m weird)
• It’s still hurricane season:  While I could change our insurance to allow us to go into the “hurricane box” during hurricane season, it’s so close to being over that it seems like an unnecessary expense.  So we will follow our insurance requirements and stay above 31 degrees north.  Not a big deal – we still have lots of local areas we would like to explore.
• Projects:  Believe it or not, we really are wrapping up our projects.  I know they say that a boat is never “ready”, but we really are about done.  Other than ongoing maintenance and repairs, of course. Mark has to finish up details on the water maker install.  I am finishing up a few optional sewing projects (including a sun shade for the cockpit, a series drogue and protective covers for our Strataglass dodger) We also want to paint our decks in non-skid, and it’s a little hot to do that right this minute.  September should have better temps for that project.
• We could go North: We could leave mid-August/beginning of September and sail north.  At least that’s what we thought…  But guess what?!  It’s freaking hot up there as well.  We’d have to go so far  north to find cool temps, that it would be time to turn around and sail south by the time we got there.  We fully intend to head straight for the islands as soon as hurricane season is over.  If we could hit comfortable temps in a few days, we’d head north in September.  But the insane temps we’re seeing on the East Coast of the USA this year threw a wrench in that plan.

So while it’s not rocket science deciding where to go, you can likely see why we’re hanging out.  But don’t get me wrong – as soon as those temps drop, we’ll head south and poke around all the anchorages we have around here.  There are loads of small islands and towns that we love and look forward to visiting via boat.  It’s also a safety net of sorts – we will be close enough to the boat yard to have repairs done, if anything comes up before we truly head south.

But here’s another major consideration:  Mark’s job may be extended until the end of the year… We know this is a possibility.  And we’re cool with that.  More money in the Adventure Fund, and we know we’ll just head straight south at that point, as Hurricane Season will be long gone by then.  So as always, we’re writing our plans in pencil and adjusting course as necessary.  Just rolling with what the Universe tosses our way – while being as prepared as we can to leave at the drop of a hat!

About Author

Jennifer

Artist, food nerd, SUP/yoga enthusiast and travel obsessed blogger – chronicling the process of going from land to sea. Selling all of her worldly possessions so that she can set sail into the sunset with her husband and two dachshunds – searching for that next sunrise paddle. Follow along. It’ll be fun 🙂

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