"Legacy"

Monday, June 4, 2012

Preparation and Planning

Planning and preparation is so much fun. We sold our business in 2008 with one of the items on our bucket list being an extended cruise to the Bahamas on our sailboat "Legacy". In 2008 we took a three month, 3000 mile cruise from Lake Erie to the west end of Lake Superior with a side trip over into northern Lake Michigan. That trip was enjoyable, with friends and family joining us for parts of the trip and Carol and I managed well being together 24/7 on a 41' boat.

Isle Royale 2008

Now we're getting ready for the BIG trip. Last October at the Annapolis Sailboat Show we spent two days going to seminars and shopping the booths for equipment we wanted/needed for our adventure.
We came away with new holding plate refrigeration, dinghy davits aand motor lift davit, and a solar panel setup. This winter and spring we installed this equipment and replaced some of our interior lighting with LED lights for reduced electricity use and to prevent heat in the boat.

Poring over charts, cruising guides, blogs of those who have gone before us and visiting with experienced cruisers has us anxiously awaiting departure. The departure date is not finalized yet but should be by the end of August. We intend to go across all of the Erie Canal and then down the Intracoastal Waterway to Fort Lauderdale, where we'll head out for Great Abacos.

Having enjoyed the blogs of other cruisers, we hope to chronicle our adventures for those who like to follow the adventures/misadventures of others or just need a good laugh every once in a while.