You may remember that we arrived in Sarasota, FL at the end of November 2007 after a wonderful 2,000 mile trip from Newport, RI down the East Coast, around the bottom of Florida, and up to Sarasota on our 40 foot trawler, Pathfinder (you can read about that trip in our blog archives). We've enjoyed cruising the Sarasota area around our winter home but we're excited to get out on the water again for an extended cruise.
Our plan is to leave Sarasota the end of March and head south to Ft. Myers then across Florida via the Okeechobee waterway to Palm Beach.
We'll wait in Palm Beach for a "weather window" -- 2-3 days of light south winds. Then we'll cross the Gulf Stream (Pathfinder's first real open ocean crossing!) to the Bahamas where we'll clear customs and spend the month of April cruising the Abacos including Marsh Harbour and Hopetown.
We're looking forward to a month with no schedule... just anchoring off a tropical island enjoying "island life" -- swimming, exploring the beaches in our dinghy, fishing, reading, working out (we put a treadmill aboard!), and enjoying time together. We plan to anchor out during the week then head to one of the many marinas on the weekend for Mass and some restaurant dining. When we're in a marina for a few nights we'll have limited access to cell phones and internet for email and Skype to update this blog and catch up with family and friends. When we're anchored out we should still be able to keep in touch via Ham radio email.
In early May we'll head back to Florida and turn north for Newport on the Intracoastal Waterway. This will be the reverse of the route we cruised in 2007 so we've already got some must-see sights picked out. We're going to take our time and hope to arrive in Newport sometime in early July.
This is a trip we've talked about for years and finally have been able to free up the time. Over the next several months we'll share our thoughts, photos, and adventures via this blog-- we hope you enjoy it!
