We left Tawas Bay on August 17th and completed the Erie Canal on September 16th when we arrived in Waterford, NY.
We put the seemingly endless locks behind us, pulled out into the Hudson and prepared to become a sailboat again by restepping the mast at Catskill, NY.
Passing Lady Liberty and heading into the Atlantic on September 24 was a big milestone as it was our first venture into the ocean. We got beat up a bit by wind and waves and made an unscheduled stop in Atlantic City. We completed this leg on September 27th when we pulled in to Cape May, New Jersey.
On November 10th we pulled into Charleston, SC. This represented making it to "the south." This is a great city, where if we didn't want to go any further, we could stay and be warm, or at least pretty warm.
Miami was big because it represents the "jumping off place" to head to the Bahamas. We got to Miami on December 21st and then started listening to the weather, looking for a good forecast to enable us to get to Bimini.
The weather window opened before daylight on December 26th and we set out across the Gulf Stream and landed in Bimini in the late afternoon. Dan lowered the Quarantine Flag and hoisted the Bahama curtesy flag, marking our arrival after months of travel and years of planning.
On March 25th, after three months of travel through the islands, we arrived in Georgetown. After spending a lot of time in relatively isolated anchorages we joined the other 150 or so boats that are congregated in the Georgetown area. At the peak of the season, there were over 300 boats here. Georgetown is sometimes referred to as "summer camp for middle-aged cruisers." Many people hurry down here and spend the entire season. There is a myriad of activities including volleyball, poker, yoga, bridge, organized hikes, walks, runs and book swaps. The list goes on. The schedule is announced on radio every morning at eight o'clock.
Before moving to our current spot at Red Shanks Cay, we spent two nights anchored near Monument Beach. We hiked up to the monument and enjoyed the view.
There are sure to be more milestones, but for now we are enjoying our time here, anxiously awaiting the arrival of our daughter, Hayley, and her husband Dan2.
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