Going From Land to Sea: Our New Digs

So many of you have been asking about our new sailboat and how you can follow our journey. Well here you go! This is the blogsite for S/V Trillium. It is called Skipperette's Log: The Travels & Tales of S/Trillium. You can access it by signing in. You can also recieve notice of the latest posts.

Since we will not always have access to email and email over satellite communication is very expensive, we will ask you not to send us jokes, photos, and files that take a lot of space. We will reply when we reach a "hot spot" and can access the Internet. Our children and siblings will know how to reach us in an emergency.

We are participating in the Caribbean 1500 Rally in November. This event is a fleet of boats going from Hampton, VA to Tortola, BVI. The trip is 8-12 days in length depending on wind and weather. Those are the two real controlling factors for a sailboat. For those of you worrying about us, we have two very experienced crew members going along.

We have been harried trying to get life on land in order before the Rally. Dennis is swamped with work and Sherry is getting their act together! If you know Sherry, you can imagine the lists, charts and details ...

• Provisioning (food for 4 for 10-12 days to be prepared at a 15 degree angle)
• Safety preparation: registering with US Coast Guard, abandon ship bag, first aid kit for offshore, electronics (SSB Radio, VHF radio, EPIRB emergency locator, man over board equipment, etc.)
• Home and financial arrangements while offshore (house sitter, automatic bill pay, etc.)

Lots to do. We are busy, busy, busy preparing. Every once in a while, the fear factor hits - especially when well-meaning friends question our sanity. It is both scary and exciting. Hundreds of people make the same trek and to places far beyond. We look at it as a life experience from which we will grow and extend our skills and travels in the future.

But the bottom line is: it is stress-free and relaxing (at anchor!) The quiet times in the mornings and evenings with beautiful sunrises and sunsets can't be beat. Of course, there are times of high tension when things are challenging us: weather, darkness, equipment, etc. But it is all part of our learning curve.

We are not leaving forever! Just for a few weeks, then back for the holidays and work. Our goal is to be in the islands several times over the winter, returning for work as needed. Then we will bring the boat back to the East Coast in May for life as usual. Maybe you will join us for a leg sometime?