So, now we are home, after being away for 9 months. As we
reconnect with friends and relatives, we are asked about our experience. Here
are some of the questions and answers.
Q. Would we do it again?
A. Yes. Maybe not right away and
maybe not the same itinerary, but we would both love to do another long sailing
trip.
Q. What are some of the highlights?
A. Sailing though NYC is so
amazing! One of our friends described it as “The coolest-ever Disney ride.”
Yeah, sort of, but even better.
We loved the ICW, with its locks
and bridges, beautiful scenery, and the small towns. Many of the towns have a
strong sense of their history and have interesting museums and exhibits.
We also really enjoyed trying new
foods that we hadn’t had before, such as “Shrimp and Grits”, “Brunswick Stew”
and later, in the Bahamas, conch dishes.
We met really nice and wonderful
people, both locals and other cruisers. People were genuinely kind and helpful.
Some of the locals were really fascinated with the idea of cruising the ICW,
and were very kind and helpful to us. Most of the other cruisers made us feel
like we were reconnecting with our lost tribe, as they welcomed us to this
group. With many we made instant connections and had a lot of fun.
It was also wonderful to see some
of our family and old friends on our way south, in Maryland and in North
Carolina.
Q. Did we sail or motor or both?
A. Mostly we motor sail, meaning we
have the sails up, but the motor is on also. Occasionally we just sail (for
example, in the Chesapeake), but more often than not, the wind is not optimal
for sailing in the direction that we want to go. And we want and need to make
progress, so we keep the motor on. In the ICW we often just motor, with no sails
up. We put 696.8 hours on the engine and 701.8 hours on the generator. We run
the generator to charge our batteries or to power the energy intense things
such as heat and AC.
Q. Did we ever ground the boat?
A. Yes, so many times that we lost
count. But only in mud and we never needed to call Sea Tow or Boat US to pull
us off. Our draft is a very forgiving 5 feet, so we had a lot less trouble than
some other sailboats. There are places where the ICW really needs more
dredging, but we were always able to continue on. Some boats had to stop and
wait for the tide to change.
Q. How did expenses meet our expectations?
A. Food budget was about the same.
We cooked a lot but we also went out a lot, especially for lunches. Without a
car, we tended to want to be “home by the time the streetlights came on” so we
usually were not out for dinner, although there were exceptions. Groceries are
more expensive in FL than in CT, and groceries in the Bahamas cost about double
the FL price. We were pretty well stocked and didn’t need to buy a lot in the
Bahamas. But we did take the opportunity to eat out and try some new things.
Boat expenses were higher than expected.
We left with a perfectly good boat that didn’t need any work, we thought. We
spent boat money on 4 new chart chips (essential), new anchor (very nice to
have), new LED light bulbs (nice to have), a back-up chart plotter (nice to
have that became essential), electrical repair and installation work
(essential), new companionway screen for no-seeums (nice to have), spare dinghy
and dinghy engine (nice to have), sail repair (essential), new bosun’s chair
(essential), and a new starter battery
(essential). And it’s not over. We just ordered a new MFD (“Multi-Function
Display”, aka chart plotter) (essential, the old one final died on the way
home), new Hi Def radar (essential, the new MFD won’t work with analogue), a
new depth transducer (highly recommended, the old one is on borrowed time), and
new dripless maintenance kit. We’ll be hauling out later this month to install
some of these things, and to check and probably repaint the bottom.
House expenses, upon return, were also
higher than expected. We had very little damage from the cold, but we had to
replace one tank related to our water softening system, repair one radiator,
and remove the tree that fell on the roof (which, fortunately, did no damage to
the house itself). Higher than expected, but still less than the cost of
heating the house if we’d spent the winter here.
We spent very little, overall, on
slips and moorings, since we usually anchor if it’s possible. However, we did
spend a lot more time than expected on the very reasonably priced Vero Beach Moorings,
just because we enjoyed it there so much.
Q. Did we ever get bored? What did we do all day?
A. While we were travelling the
ICW, we needed to both sail the boat and pay attention to the route and any
upcoming obstacles like bridges. We had to choose a place to anchor for the
night and then find that place. We had to prepare three meals plus snacks each day
and clean up afterward. We needed to keep the boat running and keep all tanks
appropriately full (diesel, gas, water) or empty (holding tanks, trash
receptacles). We needed to try not to miss anything significant that we might
be passing by.
While we were in FL or Bahamas we
had adventures every day. We explored the area, and/or we spent time with
people that we had met.
We were never, ever bored. However,
we had some days that were frustrating. Usually it was due to weather that
restricted our freedom in some way. There were some very chilly days,
especially mornings, on the trip down. There were some cold and rainy days in
FL. (That’s when we were relieved to discover that the same crabbiness was
going on in other boats, too!) There were some unbearably hot and sticky days
in both FL and in the Bahamas.
Q. Did we ever get sick?
A. No. No seasickness, and no other
illnesses. Sandy had a flu shot, Chuck didn’t.
Q. Did we gain or lose weight?
A. Neither, we both stayed the
same. We were more active than we were as office workers, and I think we are
both stronger from the physical activity of sailing, walking, bike riding,
swimming and carrying heavy things. But there were also a lot of days in which we
were confined to the boat and didn’t move enough. And we love our own cooking.
Other people lost weight or stayed the same, no one reported gaining weight
while cruising.
Q. Did we like the Bahamas?
A. Yes and no. Economically, the
country leaves a lot to be desired. It costs a boat like ours $300 to clear
customs (= to enter the country). For this we also each get a fishing license.
Everything we buy costs about double the US price, plus 7.5% VAT (Value Added
Tax). And there is very little to buy. I was disappointed in the lack of
artwork, crafts, or any uniquely identifying artistic or architectural style.
Which maybe means that it’s all
about the experience. We were treated well. People who cooked for us or brought
us food or drinks were very pleasant, friendly and kind. Children were
amazingly friendly, and polite, (“Good night, Ma’am!”). We enjoyed the Green
Turtle Island Heritage Roots Festival, with the Gully Roosters (band), the
Royal Bahamian Police Force Marching Band, and the Junkanoo Rush (parade). We
enjoyed the “Junkanoo Wedding” that we saw in Hope Town. We enjoyed the
beaches, and riding our bikes on uncrowded streets. We enjoyed stopping at a
restaurant or bar for a cold ice tea or lemonade.
Q. Did we miss work?
A. Nope. Oh, ok, maybe just a
little. But we definitely did miss our friends from both work and outside of
work (our yacht clubs, scuba diving club, Toastmasters clubs, other friends and
former coworkers), and our families.
Q. Did we learn a lot?
A. You betcha! We learned more about
our boat, more about how to really use the equipment, and more about how to
maintain it. We learned about the eastern US coastal states, not just the order
of them but we really got a feel for what they are like, in different areas and
over three different seasons. We learned about living in a very small space,
and how to keep it provisioned and in order. We learned that there are many
other cruisers living a very similar life in their own very small space, and
they are really wonderful people to know.
Q. Did we find our purpose in life?
A. Not yet. Still looking.
