Ready To Go

02/28/2006
Marathon Harbor, N 24 42 W 81 05

I just got scolded by Pete Lemme for not writing enough blogs. Inspiration has been lacking the past couple of weeks because harbor life is so repetitious. The solution is to raise anchor, sail away and find new adventures to write about.

Things are almost ready and now we're getting excited to go again. Our nearest goal is to set sail next Saturday for the Dry Tortugas, and from there to Belize. The passage to Belize should take about four days. I hope that all the modern electronics and communications gear onboard will allow us to post blogs while at sea and when in Central America. If they don't work, it may be a very long time before I get on the Internet or the cell phone again.

Today I cleaned the bottom. We had picked up quite a few barnacles on the propeller, but not so many on the hull. The new $10 wet suit I bought really helped. I didn't feel cold at all even after a half hour in the water. Libby went to the bank and bought traveler's checks.

Libby and I had some hard core planning sessions. Reluctantly, we decided that we didn't leave enough time to get to Alaska by June. To do that, we'd have to be at sea more than 50 of the next 90 days. That's pushing too hard. We also decided we're not ready for a 4000+ mile crossing without a third person on board. Therefore, our new plan is to head for Belize and spend some weeks there, then go to Rio Dulce in Guatemala, then Panama, Costa Rica, Mexico and the Sea of Cortez and to hit San Diego by June. David and his family may be able to meet us in San Diego in June before he leaves for Iraq. We'll spend the summer on the US, Canadian and Mexican west coasts.

Belize sounds very nice. It has the largest barrier reef in the northern hemisphere. It has access to the Mayan city ruins in Guatemala. Our daughter Jenny is investigating whether she could fly down there and take her vacation with us. As a bonus, they speak English in Belize.

Rio Dulce also sounds great. The cruisers rave about it. You can sail 60 miles up the river with spectacular mountains, cascades, and jungles on either side. No doubt some insects too, but what the heck. The only downside is a bit of danger. The cruisers recommend taking weapon, but we have none.

Surprise, our Pentax digital camera that stopped working a couple of months ago started working again. Now we have two working cameras. It's good to have a backup.

So, even if it's not an ocean crossing, the next phase of our journey feels like an adventure. We'll be visiting strange and exotic countries and we'll be out of the USA for 3-4 months.

p.s. This is the first blog I posted by SSB radio.

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