Getting Closer

We are in constant communication with Sailcraft Service in Oriental and work is progressing well, we are getting closer to the day we can sail 'Partners' south. As I have written before we are using the time that we are waiting for hurricane season to pass, when our insurance company will let us head south, by having the yard do some essential survey reported items and other elective work. As with any new boat owner whether a new boat, or like us, a pre-owned boat it is nice to start off with the boat in as good shape as can be. Our first trip and ‘shake down’ cruise will be one of 1,014 NM and most of it in the open Atlantic ocean or so we hope, I say this as, weather permitting, we plan to sail non-stop to the Dry Tortugas where we will take a rest day to recuperate and adjust our arrival time before continuing on to Sarasota, our home port. My friend John Buzilow and I will be the crew; John has much sailing experience in the Caribbean and is a practical sailor to boot. John and I hope we will not have to fix anything but if the need arises I have total confidence in him to help me ‘right the ship’. John also professes to be able to cook and fish! Depending on weather will determine the level of gourmet cuisine we will be consuming. It could be Coq au Vin, or Mahi Mahi washed down with a bottle of Pinot Noir or Sauvignon Blanc or - if it gets ‘lumpy’ peanut butter and jelly sandwiches! Aside from the difficulty of being many hundreds of miles from our boat which has been tough we are excited planning our trip. For me it will be the longest non-stop run I have made since leaving the British Merchant Navy some 30 + years ago. We bought ‘Partners’ on July 6th 2011 so we have owned her nearly three months now, our target for launching her at Sailcraft is November 2nd. John and I plus our ‘better halves’ Lavinia and Carol will arrive the evening of the 4th so only another month to go, tempus fugit! In fact I am getting a little worried that we will not have disposed of all our furniture and the lifetime of ‘stuff’ we have accumulated that won’t be coming with us on the boat. When we get ‘Partners’ back to Sarasota we will move aboard and have no land based home with nothing in storage. It is our intention to have no land ties at all which we feel will give us the freedom to wander wherever we choose and to settle, once the boating days are over, wherever we want. We are hoping we will fall in love with a beautiful spot in our travels but we have no preconceived idea of where that may be! The girls will not be cruising with us and will drive back to Sarasota after spending just a day or two with us at Oriental; Lavinia must be back in Sarasota, where she is an RN at Sarasota Memorial Hospital, for work on Tuesday. 

Let’s talk about Oriental and Sailcraft Service for a moment...Ellen, our liaison at Sailcraft, has been marvelous she has patiently communicated the work list progress and no question or request has been too much trouble for her, a real gem. Talking of gems if any cruisers out there are considering a stop in the Neuse River area and Oriental please try Sailcraft Service, they are a great bunch and have all the equipment for hauling and the experienced artisans to do excellent work. The town too is a super small friendly place with a selection of B & B’s, restaurants, a West Marine and grocery store. Local to the marina are a selection of services including canvas workers, sail makers and many other specialties’, after all Oriental is known as ‘The Sailboat Capital of NC’. Almost everything is within walking distance and Sailcraft Service has a courtesy vehicle for making short shopping trips when you need a 'mule', all in all a place to remember.