Retrospective

It is now Wednesday evening and we spent last evening OFF of the boat. Vic and I brought our RV south in September to use as a base of operation until we could get into the house. As we walked in to it yesterday for the first time in 6 weeks, we both were surprised at how much room we have in the RV as compared to the boat. I guess everything is relative, but it was nice to sleep on a better mattress as my back and neck were both starting to show the effects of too many nights on the mattress in the boat.

Although we have been involved in all of the "stuff" associated with the move into a new home, I have had a fair amount of time to reflect on the journey of the last 3+ weeks. Here are some of my thoughts.

1.) Biggest Regret - I wish that we could have taken more time for the journey. Instead of filling the days with 90-100 miles at a time, we should have done more 50 mile days and spent much more time dawdling along the way and enjoying the sights. This trip really should have taken 2 months for us to really savor the adventure. It would also have seemed less like a trek, and more like a vacation!

2.) I am sorry that the weather was so bad as we sailed through Charleston Harbor. This is just a beautiful city that is surrounded by water. We could have used a couple of days here.

3.) We could have also done the same at Beaufort NC and Savannah GA.

4.) A detour to Key West with an anchorage off of Sunset Beach would have been a real treat. Once we have had a few months to get things together in the house, I would like to sail back down to Key West for a few days. It is an easy 3 day trip south from Longboat Key.

5.) Sailing a boat down the Atlantic ICW drafting almost 6' and with almost 65' to the top of our mast instruments was just hectic. The amount of wasted energy churning over running aground, or wiping the top off of the masthead was significant. If I had spent more time reflecting on this, I would have opted for a boat with a 5' draft and 62' mast height. Hindsight is always 20/20...or maybe I should just have stopped worrying about it much earlier and decided that I was just going to lose the windex and my self-imposed suffering would have ended!

6.) Never play chicken with an ocean going vessel. They move much more quickly then it appears!

7.) There are a lot of bridges on this trip. Here is my quick summary:

    Fixed Bridges - 52 (I think that we scraped the VHF antenna on all but about 5 of them)

    Moveable Bridges (Draw, Bascule, Lift, Pontoon) - 69 (including restricted bridges)

    Restricted Bridges - 42

    Broken Moveable Bridges - 2....why??

    Locks - 1 (and it was restricted)

8.) Sailboats seem to be much better equipped to handle the rough seas than equivalent length power boats. I guess having that 18,000 pound keel on my boat really days make a huge difference! BUT, sailing in 10' seas is just tedious!

9.) If you and your spouse can survive in the close quarters on a sailboat together for 3 weeks without major conflict, then you are moving in the right direction!

10.) You can only eat soooo much Kraft Macroni and Cheese in 3 weeks......

11.) Docking in strong current and high winds is dangerous to the grill hanging off of the rail at the stern of the boat...(and anything else hanging outside of the rub rail on the boat! Ours is now lying at the bottom of the harbor in Coconut Grove!

I would like to thank everyone who took the time to follow our journey, and all those who wrote to us along the way. It has been a real treat for Vic and me to chat about this with many of you, either via email or on the cell during the last few weeks. 

Now that we are down here, don't be strangers. The house is always open to guests. Our address in Florida is 771 Old Compass Road, Longboat Key, FL 34228..."Come On Down"!

Comments

[Rob]

Not sure if you'll check this again however this was an awesome account of your adventure. Thanks for taking the time to record this trek and all that was happening. This sure sounded like a once in a lifetime event...you two rock!
Mainly Vic for putting up with you! :)

Rob and Bren

[Paul White]

Re: [Annapolis to Longboat Key, FL via the ICW] Rob submitted a comment to Retrospective.

Rob,

Rob,

There is no doubt that Vic was the saint on this journey..but you make me sound a bit like Captain Bligh (just kidding)..although there were a few bad moments (not kidding)...but it all worked out well and we are still together!

Paul

[Dave B]

Thanks again Paul for sharing your adventure this way. Great writing style and superb photos helped us both to appreciate the challenges and rewards. Glad to read nothing really broke and the only loss was the grill. We have to say you both were not only lucky but also a very skilled Captain and First Mate! We look forward to helping you reminisce and learning more.
Dave and Nancy

[geo]

....fun read!
I just bought a old dinghy.......so this helped me dream a bit!

[joe carden]

thank you very much for this interesting story,i am planning to do this trip soon by my self,and head off to the dominian republic