The last time I wrote my travel blog was April 2023, we had just sold our boat Meshuggana, stuffed a storage locker full of miscellaneous stuff, tools and dishes and embarked on a two week road trip from Florida to Toronto, planning to enjoy all the sights from Savannah to Graceland and of course, Kentucky’s Bourbon Trail. Later that summer we flew to France and to explore the Loire Valley and its castles and most importantly, to visit the Jeanneau factory where our new boat was being built, followed by a couple weeks of blasting through the Balkans on a 3-wheeled Can Am motorcycle. We had a blast.
Then back in Toronto, our beloved boat cat, Cat Stevens, crossed the rainbow bridge. He was already a senior when we adopted him, with several health issues, and he will always remain in our hearts as the ultimate adventure cat.
And it feels like a lifetime ago.
We purchased our new boat in October 2022 and it was on-schedule to be delivered to us from France, arriving in Florida in November 2023. But everything changed in early October.
My father, my wonderful, kind, brilliant father, was diagnosed with kidney failure and entered hospice care. Yes, he had already celebrated his 99th birthday, but he was strong, he was bright, and we were all looking forward to one hell of a 100th celebration the following summer. However, fate had other plans as my world turned upside down. My focus shifted from the excitement of preparing for the new boat’s arrival to spending time and caring for my dad. Much of the next 7 months I traveled back & forth to my father’s home in Cleveland, Ohio. Dad passed away in May, just 2 months shy of his100th birthday. I treasure every minute I was able to be with him during those last months.
Along with Allen, my dad was my biggest supporter in writing this blog, always the first to read it and provide feedback. I promised him I will continue to write, and it is now finally time to keep that promise.
So here is an entire, eventful sailing season summed up in a few paragraphs:
Meshuggana 2 – that’s SQUARED, because we are 4 times as crazy buying this brand-new boat – was delivered in St Augustine, Florida, not quite ready to float. How did it get from France to Florida? No, we did not sail her across the Atlantic.
First, everything that is not permanently attached is wrapped in bubble wrap and stuffed inside or strapped onto the boat. Then the boat is put on to a truck and driven about an hour from the factory in Cholet, France, placed inside a shipping container that is then loaded onto an ocean freighter before spending a couple weeks at sea crossing the Atlantic.
The freighter makes a few stops in North America before its final destination, Brunswick, Georgia, where the boat is transferred to a tractor-trailer and driven about 2 hours down the highway to a marina in St Augustine, Florida. There the boat is lifted off the truck and put onto jackstands inside a gigantic warehouse where it will stay for several weeks while every system is assembled, installed, the bottom is painted with anti-fouling paint and finally, about 4 weeks later, she splashes. Then she sits another week at the dock making sure all systems are working and ensuring she is sea-worthy.
Picking up a new boat is a lot more complicated than picking up a new car and our advice to prospective new boat buyers….DON’T DO IT! It is so much work, so stressful, there are inevitable warranty claims….just buy a new-ish boat that’s ready to go. To make matters more complicated, Allen was on his own for most of this process as I was in Cleveland with my dad.
When we were finally ready to begin our sailing adventures, we turned south, wanting to stay in the continental USA until all the new-boat bugs were worked out:
Florida coast to Key West – revisited a few favorite spots and ventured further to Key West
- Not much has changed, but it was good to see some hurricane- destroyed boats have been removed
- The Keys are really difficult to sail – very shallow and local businesses are not interested in serving sailors – few dinghy docks making it difficult, even impossible to go ashore
Back to Bahamas – Bimini, Berry Islands, Eleuthera, Georgetown
- Again, not much has changed
- It still has the clearest, bluest water we’ve ever seen
Turks & Caicos
- Playground of the rich & famous – lovely homes and upscale resorts
- Lovely marina, good restaurants – we felt like we were on vacation for a few days
Dominican Republic
- A world away from T&C, more 3rd world, but truly lovely and an a nice change
- Incredible beauty – sea, jungle and mountains
- Time to stock-up on provisions – abundant fresh produce at reasonable prices
Puerto Rico! I have so much to say about Puerto Rico, it deserves its own chapter. Come back next time to read about fabulous San Juan, the Spanish Virgin Islands and learn how we ended, and then resumed our sailing seasons in Fajardo PR, home to the largest marina in the Caribbean.
And there’s also new Sheriff in Town….meet Ziggy Stardust!
