Back to School! (and so much more)

The first day of school! But with it surfaced LOTS of emotions for this homeschool/boatschool momma. This was also likely the last first day of homeschool for us…the last first day of boatschool…and perhaps even the last time the kids start the school year by waking up on the boat.

I am beyond excited about this upcoming year of travel we have planned (or at least loosely laid out!). I’m even pretty excited about all the possibilities facing us when we return, which includes a possible shift to a real land home for the remaining schooling years for our kiddos (but maybe back to the boat…who knows!). But that doesn’t mean that I won’t wax poetic about all the amazing memories I’ve collected while living aboard since 2009 and while cruising since 2019.

Why would we consider leaving this lifestyle and perhaps the boat? Well, it’s simple—the kids asked for it. We made a lot of the choices we did over the years so that we could truly enjoy time with them before they flew off to adulthood. It’s made better if they are enjoying themselves, too, and they are quite curious about what “normal” is like! We have the ability and flexibility to pursue it, so we will.

We have more questions than answers right now about what exactly awaits us when we return from South America sometime next year, and while that pushes some of my anxiety buttons just a little, there’s a bit of excitement about seeking the next adventure together.

Much, much, more to follow!

~Jo, soon-to-be former 1st Mate/soon-to-be CLOD/something of a nomad/chick just trying to figure out what she wants to be when she grows up 

Hurry up and wait...and get home!

As military veterans, "hurry up and wait" is something we have known all too well over the years! It transfers well to boat life as we are always at the mercy of Mother Nature and boy does she make us hurry up and wait sometimes!

We hurried out of Charleston after one night with the intent to do an overnight passage to Beaufort, NC. In the middle of the night, thunderstorms offshore and lumpy, short-period seas drove us to head for Wrightsville Beach, NC instead. We arrived just after sunrise and grabbed a prime spot to wait out the clocking winds over the next few days. Shore access is super easy here so we went right in for a big Mexican lunch and some errands!

Passing by the T/S State of Maine at anchor in Charleston; a little bird hopped a ride with us; and we finally had a meal and margaritas ashore!

Winds were pretty strong out of the north for days. We kept looking for a chance to creep along close to shore to Beaufort but seas were still forecast to be uncomfortable (and this is supposed to be fun!). The ICW was an option, but we aren’t huge fans of this section so we waited. We booked some travel (woo hoo!), relaxed, and eventually…I got stir-crazy. We have sooooo much to do this summer and once I was rested, I became restless! So I pitched a plan…a 24-hour run to Florida and back. See, we have some things in storage that we need for travel and school next year, and some things that would be better to have on the boat this summer. With a 1-day rental I could make it there, get stuff out of storage, get our mail, sleep a bit, and get back! I left at 1730 one day and was back 24 hours later with our stuff and a bag of Bojangles biscuits for the boys. Success!

The life of a road warrior. Outside of the boat and our car, this little bit of stuff in storage is all we own.

By the time I got back Frank had also decided that we might as well take the ICW. With just a few long days in the ditch, we could be back to our marina in Maryland. After six nights in Wrightsville Beach we set off on a long, cold, windy transit to Morehead City. It honestly went fine and we had a pretty good rest despite thunderstorms in the area.

I was NOT ready for this wardrobe!

Wind, fog, and thunderstorms would continue to factor into our travels as we went from Morehead City to just south of Dowry Creek Marina. Our transit of the Alligator-Pungo Canal and Albemarle Sound the next day was one of the calmest we’ve ever had, and we had a very peaceful night on the hook in the North River, just south of Coinjock. We were up at sunrise Sunday to make the run to Norfolk, but opted to continue on until sunset and settle into a nice creek up the Poquoson River near York Point, VA to wait out some severe storms the following day.

Scenes along the NC/VA Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway.

We were up at sunrise again today and now here we are, heading north in Chesapeake Bay, just north of the Potomac River. Tonight we will tie up to a dock for the night for the first time since mid-December. 

I really do love sunrise on the water!

This will be our home base for the summer. In two weeks we will begin some travel that will end with our daughter returning to the U.S. after 10 months in France. We won’t spend much time on the water this summer and will instead spend our time visiting friends and family and preparing for the next chapter as this one closes. Lots of changes coming, but it’s good to be home.

~Jo, 1st Mate

What is next?

What is next? We ask ourselves this question ALL THE TIME. And the answer usually requires an accurate forecast and a few back-up plans, but we're talking about here is the BIG "what is next." 

When we started cruising full-time we knew it was only a matter of time until the younger crew mutinied. As we coast into the second half of this school year it's time to start figuring out what the next year will bring. We've already decided to bring the boat back to the U.S. in the spring and welcome our daughter back from France. We then have some work to do on the boat and some guests from France to host! Then what? I am at the "end of tour" point I'm used to...2+ years of doing the same thing was a luxury in my old line of work so I am programmed to expect a "next." Our original plan of cruising and travel was adjusted by COVID, and that's still a factor. The kids will both be in high school next year, so that's a factor. We have family, friends...those are factors.

We asked the kids for their input and they have unanimously chosen "normal" high school. Their second choice was a year of air/land travel. Me? I am not ready to leave the boat, but I'm simultaneously ready for something else or some more purpose. Frank? He'd be happy with an off-grid cabin in the woods!

So what's next? Give us your thoughts!

Chatting it over with one of my girlfriends.

~Jo, 1st Mate

Au revoir, Katreina!

After months of planning our crew is officially embarking on our biggest change to date! This week, we became a crew of three for the first time since Trent was born as we sent Katreina off to France for the next 10 months!

We made the decision to say goodbye to the boys at the curb since they couldn’t come through security anyway. I would get a few hours in the airport with her before my own flight to Greece. The two-hour drive to the airport was a long, silent build-up, and the goodbyes were hard, as expected! Ok, maybe not-so-expected were the tears shed by her little brother. He’s usually so unemotional! Katreina said Frank teared up, too, but I missed that through my own tears! 

Check in and security were a breeze, and then we headed to the Air France/KLM lounge (the perk of being a Priority Pass member!) to relax, eat baguettes (of course), sip wine, and say our long goodbye. And damn, it was hard! I’m tearing up just writing about it! It felt just as heart-wrenching as my departure on deployment in 2010 did. I mean, we have tons of technology to keep us connected and I’m not at all worried about her safety, but this mom loves hugs and silly, spontaneous moments. I will miss that with her for the next 10 months. And there’s a fair chance that her brother will get sick of me!

Katreina’s flight was a little delayed, but she made it and survived a long screening line to join her orientation group in Paris! Over three days they had presentations about what to expect in France, went to the Eiffel Tower and the Louvre, and took a river cruise on the Seine. 

She departed the U.S. on Monday and by Thursday evening she was settled in to her new room and having dinner with her French family in Tours. It’s been a busy week for her, but she seems to be holding up quite well! She’s off on an end-of-summer trip with the family before school starts next week. Her adventure is underway! 🇫🇷

On Course to Financial Freedom--Boatschool and Beyond

Last year we did an interview with Stephanie at Poppin' Smoke and it was recently featured again as part of a "retirement alternatives" piece, "Reimagining Military Retirement: Think Outside the Box". While Poppin' Smoke is geared towards military retirees, the options presented are, in my opinion, options for anyone (with a few tweaks to step away from military lodging/travel options). As we have cruised we have met so many people from diverse professional backgrounds with widely varying budgets that have made a "seabbatical" or full-time cruising part of their plan through a variety of financial moves--selling it all to move aboard, working full-time remote, saving for a 1-2 year cruise, cruising between jobs in various ports, and more. Some friends are exploring the country in “land yachts” and others are traveling the world full-time. And we all have been called "lucky" by friends and family! It got me thinking...was it all really luck?

"Lucky" is a term that has always made me feel a little funny. I know that we are extremely fortunate to be living as we do and making memories together, but luck? I think if we had won the lottery to get here it would have been luck. How most of us got here though was through deliberate planning (and maybe a little bit of crazy). In our case, we started living with less, making asset decisions that matched our goals, and investing early on, and for a solid 10 years of pay raises in two successful careers we lived well below our means and didn't increase our standard of living with each promotion--we lived in the same little boat and Frank drove an ancient truck (which is all now apparently known as FIRE--Financial Independence Retire Early). Yes, we have my military retirement and that was certainly part of the math that got us here, but we could have gotten "here" without it, even if that meant "here" looked a little different, like cruising different areas, or with a different boat, or with a different timeline, or without so much other travel and goofing off, or...way too may branches to these options to dig into them all! But we had a "here," a goal that we deliberately moved towards.

So what's my point? I think we all have more options than we fully consider. I grew up in the era where success seemed to be tightly tied to some degree/title/family/car/paycheck metric and that's not a totally horrible thing, but I don't think it's the only thing either, or at least it's not for me. And THAT is what I want my kids to know. We want them to know that there are options, and that if they plan properly, they will have more options to choose from. Or maybe that they can do one thing and then reinvent themselves and do another without major stress. Or that they can plan a vacation or a sabbatical using passive income. Annndddd...that's why we teach them about finances as part of our homeschool journey!

Time to brag on my hubs a bit! As we began homeschooling he embarked on "Investments 101" with the kids, setting the goals of the class and designing his own curriculum. They were in 6th and 8th grades at the time and began with basic terminology, routine checks of the market, lots of Warren Buffet videos, and discussion about financial news articles around the dinner table. The trick was making it fun and therefore interesting so Frank dropped the "let's try to make some money" bit early on, perhaps earlier than a traditional curriculum would have. So part of the class involved the kids researching publicly-traded companies they were interested in and tracking them for a bit. Then we gave them the seed money for a well-timed purchase. The deal was that they needed to stick with the stock for a year, but then could keep/sell as they saw fit. Any profits were theirs to keep and we would absorb any losses. And they were off! Some mornings Trent would call out to Katreina from his bed to report that his stock (EA) was up and hers (BYND) was down...loved that they were a little competitive, but really loved that they were checking daily without our prompting! The first sale went at the 15-month point and Katreina walked away with ~70% return on investment (bought at $110.79/share, sold at $189.12/share). A few months later, Trent sold for ~35% return on investment (bought at $109.79/share, sold at $147.95). They had fun, learned a lot, and are reinvesting! Outside of the class, the kids have had their own savings and spending accounts for a few years (including their own debit cards) and have managed those with just a little oversight from the parental units. And we talk about our family's budget openly in front of them (marina expenses, travel expenses, their cell phone bills, groceries...all of it). All of this is with one goal in mind--arming the kids to have financial options and to make good choices.

Nothing grabs their attention more than seeing $$$ growth over time.

They got LOTS of finance class during a week-long blow in the Bahamas.

As Investments 102 ramps up, they will hit more of the basic terminology, tax implications, risk, fund types, and portfolio diversification. They will also dig more into personal budgets, banking (savings vs checking, FDIC, CDs, loans, how to pick a bank, etc.), and taxes. The topics are seemingly endless!

And it's never too late to start investing, whether with a financial advisor or getting out there and learning all you can. Why not let your money work for you? You can learn a bunch by reading CNBC, Seeking Alpha, Market Watch, and others. I mean, if you're willing to spend hours scrolling on Facebook or on YouTube watching other people do stuff, why not spend a little of that time learning something that will help you do the stuff you're dreaming about?

So get out there, set your goal, and reach for it! 

~Jo, 1st Mate

A truly unique (and beautiful!) head on a production boat

A non-essential boat project is complete and I LOVE IT!

Katreina has always been artistic and began painting last year. Her creations are so lovely and as she prepared to leave for a school year abroad, we decided that we really wanted her to leave her mark on our home. We decided that the door to the aft head would be her canvas and she was allowed to paint whatever she wanted. She went through a few solid ideas and sketches before settling on her final design and spent so many hours (~50!!!) working on it. Was she inspired by the pillows we made? Or the sea life that has surrounded our boat the past few months? Whatever the inspiration, the result is amazing!

The Artist and her finished piece!

So much detail in the tentacles.

Her signature, complete with "ily" and a fingerprint heart. 💙

From design to finish, she spent over 50 hours on this piece. 

We will finish this with a few coats of Minwax Polycrylic so that the painting isn’t damaged when folks shower. I am so happy to have this piece of art as part of our home!

The Plan*

If you've seen our "The Plan" page, you know that full-time cruising isn't ALL that we're about. When we retired/quit/cast off the lines we had in mind something that was a combination of cruising and international or non-boat travel. We did a fair bit of travel with the kids over the years (they have a seriously sweet set of passport stamps!), but every trip was limited to 7-10 days due to work and school commitments. We always found ourselves craving more time in the places we were exploring. Over the years, we decided that we want to spend at least 2-4 weeks in the places we travel to so that we can really experience daily life rather than just seeing sites. We did bits of this where we could...we went to Ireland for 10 days but spent almost the entire trip in just the southwest corner of the country rather than trying to "do it all." Same in Iceland...we focused our energy on the southern coast for most of that trip. In Scotland, we stretched out a bit, but didn't hit the Highlands. I'm not too surprised that all of those are places that even the kids have at the top of their "let's return" lists! We did those countries right, taking it slow and focusing on a limited, good experience rather than a once-in-a-lifetime, cram-it-all-in slog. And then there are so many places to explore in our own country!

So I guess what I'm saying is, don't be surprised if we leave the boat for a bit! We love cruising and we certainly love our little home of a decade, but being full-time cruisers that don't have a home marina means that we are constantly stressed about the weather and have to work just a little harder to handle all of our daily tasks (food, water, waste, power)--it can get exhausting! And the boat will need maintenance as the years tick by that will just be easier if we aren't living on it. So with one crew member heading abroad and the rest of us getting vaccinated as soon as we can, it might be time to let a Boeing or a land yacht take us to windward for a change!

The kids' first trip to the Bahamas, 2008

Costa Rica, 2012

Ireland, 2014

Iceland, 2018

Scotland, 2019

As of this writing, the kids have traveled internationally to Bahamas, Canada, Costa Rica, Iceland, Ireland, Jamaica, Mexico, and Scotland, and have enjoyed lots of trips within their own country and in their own backyards as we have moved around (Maine, New York City, Florida parks and beaches, camping and waterfall hikes in Alabama, Yosemite National Park, Washington, D.C., Mardi Gras in New Orleans, Baltimore, Williamsburg, Philadelphia...the list goes on!) and sailed the coast. Live the voyage!

We ran aground!

There's a saying among Chesapeake Bay sailors that you've either run aground in the Bay or you're a liar. As we've made our way up and down the east coast of the U.S. via the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway (the "ICW") a few times we heard it again, but with a twist--"You've either run aground in the ICW or you're a liar!" Well, we aren't liars!

We earned our stripes and this post's title years ago on the Chesapeake Bay, having furrowed a 6'3" trough at our marina's entrance a few times and touching bottom near the notoriously shifty, partly-marked entrance to Rock Hall, MD...and probably several other times that I've chosen to forget. Our first ICW "touch" was on a spring break trip with our kids probably eight years ago as we made contact with the bottom in an area of known shoaling during a 20kt blow just north of Coinjock. That experience led us to the Coinjock Marina for a night to recover (of course, with their famous prime rib!).

So why is this topic coming back up? We ran aground twice over the past four days! As we departed Vero Beach tracking just adjacent to our inbound track we ran aground! We were thankfully going slow as a manatee had surfaced up ahead and we able to back off, scoot back to the other side of our inbound track, and make for the ICW. Then after a night in Titusville and another in Daytona we headed for our mooring reservation in St. Augustine. It was a busy Saturday on the ICW, but we had a good current pushing us along and Katreina took the helm for a bit. While she was cruising along just right of the channel centerline (still in the channel!) our depth reading went from 18' to 6.5' in a matter of seconds and we felt a "bump" or two! We draw between 6'3" and 6'6" depending on our fuel/water/stores load. Frank immediately jumped to the helm, but the excitement was pretty much over as soon as it began and we were back to having 10 feet beneath our keel. We gave her a little grief, but honestly just laughed about it. She even got some "welcome to the cruisers club" notes from our boating friends. It happens, folks!

Katreina expertly handling the boat traffic on the ICW.

Her "I don't want to talk about it" face after touching bottom.

So are we crappy sailors? I don't think so! Shoaling happens and in places like the Bay and ICW where the water is mud-brown you can't exactly read the depths like you can in the Bahamas, though we have touched bottom there, too, when trying to nose into anchorages. This type of stuff generally happens where the bottom is muddy or sandy, so it's a soft grounding. We use charts, local Notice to Mariners, and the local boating community to learn about places that are known for shoaling and lower speed to minimize the impact should we touch. And we have a tow boat plan in case none of that works!

Could we avoid all of this drama by just staying safely at the dock? Sure, but then we couldn't have great sea stories to share with our friends!

We are back...hello, Florida!

I'm never super excited to leave the Bahamas, but I had a little incentive this time...I'm out of good olive oil and I am super excited to get a COVID vaccine! So yes, I am moderately happy to be back in the U.S.A.

Our crossing was a decent mix of sailing, motoring, and motor-sailing. We did one overnight from Spanish Wells, Eleuthera to West Palm Beach, Florida. The worst seas were probably on my reveille watch (0400-0800) as the wind went right on the nose and I struggled to try to keep sailing. We opted to motor into the westerlies for a bit, then point more northerly as we got into the Gulf Stream for our push to the Lake Worth Inlet. We managed to drop the hook just before sunset and checked in smoothly via the Customs and Border Patrol ROAM app. 

Officially checked back in...time to take down the Bahamas flag and put down some Bahamas drinks!

The big news of this transit is that the kids fully entered the watch rotation! We decided to forego school this week and focus on navigation. While Katreina mostly ran the show, Trent was up there to help out, fetch stuff, and keep her entertained. She did great and even negotiated some tight CPA's with merchant vessels. We were always nearby in case they needed anything and usually one of us was awake anyway, but it was nice to be able to tune out a little and recharge. We kept the kids on daylight watches and worked to our strengths (Frank is not a morning person!)--it worked so well that I can't wait to try it again! So our watch rotation looked like:

0000-0400 Frank
0400-0800 Jo
0800-1200 Katreina & Trent
1200-1600 Frank
1600-2000 Katreina & Trent (until sunset, ~1935)

2000-2400 Jo

Watchstanding MVP!

This year I tried to keep our track up-to-date on NoForeignLand.com. I didn't adjust the track to stay out over water, but here is a nice snapshot of our three-month stay in the Bahamas.

Today is a "down" day. It's not a great day to make a run offshore and we avoid transiting the ICW on weekends if at all possible due to the insane amount of boat traffic. We are happy to watch the excitement from the comfort of our cockpit while anchored!

~Jo, 1st Mate

Spanish Wells...a quaint end to the season

We have reached the end of our permit and the last point we can get to in the Bahamas without taking another PCR COVID test and it's really been a great little stop! Frank had been here before for a few hours as part of a boat delivery, but it was the first visit for the rest of us. We had a nice sail over from Royal Island, navigated the skinny western channel into Spanish Wells, and picked up one of Bandit's mooring balls. At first, they look really close together and you can see shallow water all around the tiny field, but it was actually quite roomy given that we were surrounded by other 40-ish foot monohulls (and we all had connections to the PACNORWEST!). 

Love the moorings in SW!

While I took stock of what we needed in town, the guys ran in with our trash and cash to pay Bandit. Their very first contact ashore set the tone for the whole visit! As they scaled the concrete wall with our trash, a woman invited them drop it in her bin. I mean, we had LOTS of trash at that point...hadn't dropped it off in weeks so we had two big bags and two small bags of bottles and cans (always hoping for recycling), but she didn't seem to mind. Come to find out she and her husband were former cruisers who had settled in Spanish Wells. They shared their trash bins, porch, book collection, and access to the local museum with cruisers passing through. So sweet!

We spent the first afternoon on an epic field trip to the northern tip of Eleuthera. I didn't want to leave without a visit to the Sapphire Blue Hole and Preacher's Cave. It was fairly calm so we opted to take the dinghy and tried to head around the north side of the island to the cave first--no go! It was pretty rough so we enjoyed the sites and blue water and headed back to the protected ferry dock beach on Eleuthera. And like many of our Bahamas land adventures, the 35-minute walk to get to the blue hole was a bit of a death march, exposed to the midday sun on hot pavement and dirt roads. But the reward was AMAZING! This blue hole is truly sapphire blue! The local rotary club has built a nice railing around it and picnic tables nearby so you can really enjoy it. A few local guys were there when we arrived and gave us some encouragement to jump before they left and we had this entire place to ourselves. It was just stunning. The drop in was a little higher than at Hoffman's Blue Hole, maybe 30' here, and it took a few minutes for us to get jumping. The cool water was a welcome relief after the walk there and we soaked in the peaceful beauty for a bit before heading back. Oh, and the only way out of the hole is to scale the wall! Thankfully there is a rope to help, but it's definitely not a trip for non adventurous, out-of-shape folks.

This water is so blue!

Sapphire Blue Hole...so much fun!

3/4 of the crew didn't want to continue on to Preacher's Cave so we headed back to Spanish Wells and got ready for an evening ashore! That nice lady the guys met invited us over for happy hour and we enjoyed talking with Jean and her husband, Tom, and Tom's brother, Bob, at their home, "Done Reach." We shared cruising tales, reminisced about New England (their old home), and they gave the kids hamburger beans to polish and make into necklaces. It was such a nice time. From there we headed to Budda's for a less-refined happy hour--drinks and tons of food!

"I got dizzy at Budda's!"

The next day we rented a golf cart and just roamed all over. We hit the beach, stocked up on food for the transit, hit a beach bar for really good cocktails, and had a little fun on some deserted roads. And then we got to close the day with another night at Budda’s and ice cream with our kid boat friends (and met another awesome kid boat!). This was absolutely the most amazing way to end our time in the Bahamas.

One last beach day in the Bahamas

Golf cart fun!

Love all of these boat kids! Really hope to share more anchorages with them in the future. And why do the adults never remember to take photos when we are together???

So after two nights in Spanish Wells, we are off! Our departure was a little exciting as a freighter was coming in and we needed to sneak past or get stuck for a while—we opted for the “hug the edge of the channel and deal with being mere feet from a 200+ foot vessel” option! All good! And since I was having so much fun yesterday, time to finally work on prepping our transit food—Jollof rice, hummus, potato salad, and cut-up meats and cheeses. Farewell, Bahamas!

Underway!

Spring Break—our boatschool reality

This is what homeschooling parents who are behind on grading look like. 

Our “school” has been on spring break for the past week. Why? The teachers were behind and we were about to visit an island we had never been to! And we had boat projects piling up. After spending a few weeks in the company of great boat friends and lots of socializing, we were just behind. FOMO exists even in paradise and the days can get crammed between navigation, general upkeep, and fun. Math grading has stayed on track and we are engaged routinely throughout the school day, but actual grading in most subjects was lagging. We decided to take a week to catch up, tend to the boat, and just enjoy the islands! Katreina was allowed to continue with geometry (her book will go to another cruiser when we next see them) and French, and Trent had to keep up on reading, but that was it.

We are fortunate. Our students are actually fairly self-motivated and thorough in their work. And since we aren’t stuck commuting for hours these days we have plenty of time to do continuous learning around our table or as we explore. But the reality is that schooling takes time and effort, and just like in normal schools, homeschoolers need a break every now and then!

George Town—a birthday, a blow, and a blast!

We kicked off our time in George Town with a 15th birthday celebration for our 2nd Mate! Breakfast at the Driftwood Cafe, shopping for a new swimsuit at the Sandpiper Boutique, fun at Chat-n-Chill (including getting serenaded with “Happy Birthday” by dozens of cruisers!), and a chocolate cake made for a fantastic celebration!

Happy #15!

A large chunk of our week-plus stay was spent weathering a 5-day long, 20-30kt blow. We tucked in off of Monument Beach for what we thought would be days of school, projects, some hiking on Stocking Island, and baking. The reality? It was just as busy and social as ever in GT! Hearty souls attended water aerobics, a book exchange, teen meet-ups, and beach parties. As expected, I was exhausted at the one-week point (introvert...love the social stuff but in small bites!). 

So much wind...so much FUN!

The wind abated, we topped up on provisions (the kids even made a solo grocery run!), and had a great bonfire on the beach with friends. 

Cruising=work+fun

We shifted south to Sand Dollar Beach for a night, basking in the “country”’feel after a week at Monument and joining friends for our first visit to the Peace & Plenty Beach Resort. Loved the powdery sand, food, and vibe there! We had one last trip to Chat-n-Chill for the kids to say bye to their friends as we’ve decided to move on in the morning. 

Such a great way to end our visit!

This trip to George Town was really awesome. We were able to reconnect with folks we met down here last winter and with crews we met in New England over the summer, as well as spend more time with boats we’ve met this year. We also met boats that we had only seen on AIS up and down the east coast! And the best part? Our kids met tons of great boat teens! We really look forward to continuing to meet up with these guys as our journey continues.

#boatfriendsarethebestfriends

~Jo, 1st Mate

Black Point 2.0

It's no secret--Black Point is one of our family's favorite settlements to visit in the Exumas. When we visited last year we found the people and island to be absolutely welcoming and beautiful, and we had a fantastic time with friends. This year was the same, yet different! What hasn't changed? Trash and water are cheap and easy, Lorraine's Cafe still has the best dang conch fritters, Lorraine's mom is still making some of the most amazing bread in all of the Bahamas, Scorpio's 2-for-1 rum punch will still make you forget half the people you met there, groceries are available if you aren't too picky, the laundromat has the best view of any I've ever visited, everyone is really friendly, and the holding is good!

Clockwise: Picking up bread at Peermon’s kitchen; a round at Scorpio’s with friends; 2-for-1 at Scorpio’s can be dangerous; local fisherman; the grocer; view from the laundromat 

But this year...this year was the year of KIDS! We were thrilled to have Kolohe and Arethusa continue on to Black Point shortly after us, and while we were there we met Pleiades. The result? Eight kids ranging in age from 11 to 16 hopping between boats and all over Black Point, only occasionally with a mix of parents sprinkled in. There were also other cruising boats we'd met along the way, making this stop a real treat. The kids hiked and swam together, our families visited the Blow Hole together, there were video game and swim dates, and a bunch of cruisers got together at Lorraine's for her famous BBQ buffet. So this year's trip to Black Point was just as memorable as last year's, but with the added joy of tons of kids. 

The crews of Lehe Paine, Kolohe, Pleiades, and Arethusa made fast friends in Black Point.

Visiting the Blow Hole and the White Horses

While we were here, my friend Ava on S/V Kolohe published a perfectly-timed blog about cruising with kids that I absolutely LOVE called "Cockpit Chaos Contentment." The decision to embark on this lifestyle can be full of different emotions and Ava's writing takes you along for the ride. You can follow their journey at https://www.sailingkolohe.com or on Instagram @sailingkolohe. 

✌🏼❤️⛵️

Finally reconnecting with friends!

We had a "normal" cruising night! With the blow behind us lots of folks converged on Cruisers Beach on Big Major Cay for a dessert pot-luck with kid boats. While it was way more people that I'm used to being around these days, we were all still able to spread out on the beach and safely enjoy each other's company. We reconnected with friends form last season, met friends we'd previously only "met" via the internet, and the kids met quite a few other teens. It felt good!

The teen hangout

The adult hangout

A great end to the day

Finally...Florida!

Ok, Florida wasn’t too great of a jump Cumberland Island, but we made it! Now we are officially in reach of warm winter fun.

We started off with a few days in Fernandina Beach split between anchoring and moorings. We like this little town—tons of great dining, sidewalk-lined streets, and even a little putt-putt course that serves great beer! We got to see some old neighbors from Herrington Harbour while there and we also welcomed another teenager to the crew with the celebration of Trent’s birthday! His big present is waiting for him at our mail facility, but he still had a great day!

And now we are on our way to a “business” stop in Jacksonville. We ALL have medical appointments scheduled this week—time to rent a car and adult! It’s a slog to get up the St. John’s River so tonight we are staying at the awesome free docks at Sisters Creek near Jacksonville. We are here with a total of four sailboats and three power boats, including old marina mates on Ka’Why Knot! So great to see them, even if briefly, as they race toward warmer weather, too!

So all is well! Lots to do in Jax, but I’m feeling good!

Thankful...even in 2020

With hopes of heading offshore for the next big leg of the trip south, we decided to book a mooring in Carolina Beach, NC for a few days. While it was somewhere new to explore, it would also allow me to cook up a Thanksgiving feast without the added challenge of getting bounced around by seas or heeling while cooking.

The town moorings are cheap, but in great shape. For $20 a night you don’t get anything really other than the mooring, but there is a dinghy dock with public restrooms (and outdoor beach showers!) and trash bins nearby that is one block from the beach, and another dinghy dock “in town” that gets you in reach of restaurants, a laundromat, and groceries. My first impression of the town was great—a guy and his kid waved and shouted a welcome to us from their dock as we grabbed our mooring. My second impression came while I was walking to do laundry and it wasn’t as good. It was a beach town, with fast food, surf shops, knick knack shacks, and a lack of sidewalks outside of a few block area. Thankfully I shook that trip off and headed to the beach with the family for some exercise and...I liked it. The wide beach was pristine and relaxing to walk along as the cool water lapped at our feet. Ah...

Our kids did school on Thanksgiving while the adults hit the beach for a nice long walk. Lots of families were out enjoying the day, but we could all still have our own space. After school, I took the kids to the beach again for a chilly dip in the water and some body surfing attempts before we got cleaned up in the outdoor showers. We’re a little crazy, but it was fun! And we took a family photo!

After a quick Zoom call with my family it was time for our feast! Cornish game hens in the oven, brussel sprouts on the grill, potatoes and stuffing on the stove...it was a dance! Once the birds were out, the stuffing went into the oven and I got to work on gravy. Throw in deviled eggs, cranberry sauce, and apple pie that had been made ahead and we had dinner! I think this was actually my best boat Thanksgiving yet, and both meat eaters and vegetarians were happy! I loved the challenge of timing the whole meal with the limited cooking space. And geeking out with a Star Wars movie after dinner capped the night perfectly. This isn’t our first “small” Thanksgiving so the curse of 2020 wasn’t a huge shock, but even I will be happy when we can have more folks around a table.

We left on “Blue Friday” and headed offshore out of Cape Fear Inlet bound for Charleston. It sucked for about a half hour while wind and tide were against each other. Poor Trent got sick twice! But it’s calmed down and we are making great time so for a second year in a row, we are blowing right by Charleston and heading for Beaufort! Katreina is on deck with me and sunrise was cloudy, but still pretty!