GETTIN' READY...

You're never completely ready to take off on a trip like this. At some point you just have to say "OK, this is the day we're leaving." Hmm, maybe "Okay, this is the week we're leaving." Well, we are going to leave sometime this month...


                                                         It's been a long time coming. In 2012 we sold our old boat,

Our previous boat, AD LIB,
a 37 ft trawler

sold our house, gave away our car, bought our current boat and left Chesapeake Bay

Annapolis, Fall 2012

in November, heading south. The plan was to spend Winter of 2012-13 in the Bahamas, then head north, cruising along the east coast of the US up to Canada and the Great Lakes. The story of how our plans got interrupted can be read here, but we are now, pretty much, back on track.

So, the general plan is to get back to Florida, get the boat in shape, fuel up, get some provisions on board and leave the dock somewhere between the 21st and the 23rd of April. An informal "flotilla" of boats like ours will be creeping up the east coast this Spring/Summer so we'll have some company of both old and new friends to socialize with along the way. Everyone will be on their own, but we will rendezvous now and then for sundowners, dinners, etc.

Our current boat, IMPROV, anchored in the Bahamas, Spring 2014

We don't have a specific end point, timeline or geographic goal set for this venture. We'll head north and see how far we get by the time we're ready to come home. Likewise, we'll see how the route works itself out. Once we're up to New York, the options include Long Island Sound &/or the Hudson River. Maybe New England, maybe Lake Champlain, maybe Erie Canal to the Great Lakes. A lot of thought went into naming our boat IMPROV, and even though it has already shown to be an appropriate name, I suspect this voyage will reinforce that.

Notes from Elaine

As Dave is getting ready for our voyage this year – fiddling with electronics, charts, buying assorted gadgets (most of which are unfamiliar to me) – I too am getting ready for the trip, namely, WHAT AM I GOING TO WEAR?  Since we have to fly to get to the boat, I have to schlep my seasonal clothes in suitcases and am thankful that I only have to bring a spring/summer combo. Hence, for the next few months, readers can spot me. “Oh, there’s Elaine – I recognize that shirt”.

For those of you who may not know, we probably would have been under way right now but we were delayed by my elective foot surgery. I have been sporting a bright lime green cast which will come off three days before we leave so I guess I will need to beef up my packing list with brightly colored accessories. And no, my walking boot does not count…

And so, we pack for our next adventure…