Cast off date for Independence is July 1, 2003! Our plan is to head south down the island chain and out of the hurricane belt. Our itinerary is not etched in anything, but we are talking about Tobago, Grenada, Marie Gallant, St. Maarten and every place in between! We lived on St. Vincent for six years in the early seventies and we have good friends who still live there. We'll definitely linger for a while once we reach our old home. We rebuilt our old schooner, Evoe, down there and have plans to do some interior remodeling of Independence while docked at the marina in Blue Lagoon. Ahh, the romance of the cruising life!
Before we can leave we must complete the FEW little things on our To Do list. Just little details like hooking up the generator we are installing to provide power for all the new toys that have become essential since the last time we went cruising. We just don't want to live without our auto pilot, radar, single side band radio, computer for e-mail access, TV, VCR and sound system (we're holding off on the DVD until next year). What a tough life we have chosen for ourselves! Of course, we also have to make certain that the boat hull, rig and hatches are up to the rigors of passage-making. In addition to adding 'toys', this year we installed a new engine, replaced the chain plates on the mizzen, dropped the rudder and inspected the steering system.
Cruising in the Caribbean is a sailors' dream. The islands are so close together that a four or five day passage is the exception, rather than the rule. Usually, we day sail from place to place - perhaps spending only one night at sea to reach a far shore. On this trip we will be visiting Dutch, French, English and Spanish islands. Almost all of these islands are now independent countries but the old languages and customs persist. Each island is unique, having its own ambiance, smells and flavors - the croissants and French bread in Martinique taste as good as those in Paris! Provisioning for this trip will be pretty easy. We will stock up on our familiar things in the USA: paper goods, favorite cereal, coffee, peanut butter, etc. I am already making my list and figuring out where I am going to store everything. However, we will leave lots of room for local purchases of fresh food at each island - especially bread in Martinique!
This winter I will be day sailing, as usual, out of Red Hook and Pieter will be in the boatyard. We will have a few days off in November to have the new autopilot tuned. We will then test it out in and around the British Virgin Islands. I'm looking forward to a great season. I enjoy day sailing with visitors to the U.S. Virgin Islands so, although we are looking forward to our cruise, we will be back in St. Thomas in November of 2003. We hope to see you this season or next! Fair winds - Pat and Pieter
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