We started

[Mario G]

Wellwe are starting on a long distance cruise to where ever we find ourselves is the best way to explain it.
We found a great Endevour 32 in Charlston SC and will head a little north to previson it ,and then we will head south.

Its not one of those best layed out plans but were kinda of jump in now (yea some say nuts) and know if we planned to long it might notever happen so I guess we will see were the wind takes us.

I have to credit Charlie and Laura for alot of the insperation and Captain Smollett for all his help on our last boats adventure. (Hey Joun the endevour is following rule#1 in sailing...keep the 1st mate happy )

We are at Capt.K's marina at this time and hade a nice dinner last night and will check on his boat later before heading out in hope of meeting many others.

[CapnK]

*Sweet* deal of a boat! Actually, though, it is 2 boats...

One boat is all put together, and being used.

The other boat they got is all in parts, scattered around inside of the first one, bagged, tagged, and ready to be used if/when needed.

Either that, or someone stole most of a West Marine store and then hid it onboard...

[CharlieJ]

Good for you both. Glad to have met you two. And Laura is grinning BROADLY at your move aboard

[Captain Smollett]

Congrats, Mario and Sherry.

Best of luck on your travels.  And remember...we like to see PICTURES of adventures. 

[s/v Faith]

Wow! Congrats!

 That seems like a quick transition, did you sell the C-26? 

What are your plans now?

[Godot]

It's too easy to over-plan.  I like your decision to just do it.  Sail far and grog.

[Auspicious]

Its not one of those best layed out plans but were kinda of jump in now

Great - good on you!

I'm heading South as we speak. The original plan was to go to the BVI but Tomas is making that uncertain. Janet has to get on a plan 15 Nov and since you can pick schedule or destination but not both we aren't sure where we will be going - could be BVI, could be Abaco, or Charleston, or the Keys. Not sure 'til the weather sorts itself out.

Anyway, have a really great time.

[Mario G]

we left Georgetown around the noonish hour  do to Wx  and made it Bucksport on the ICW were we were called to the docks to join an on going dock party. OH and the dock is free for the night. pictures to follow. Theres 6 sailbouts and the one we were hanging out on was an Endevour 43 so we got to drool over our 32's bigger sister.

[Captain Smollett]

Bucksport is a neat little town...good anchorage for those enroute on the ICW.

How far North are you planning to go from there?

[Sid T]

Congrats Mario, we moved from a Coronado 25 this Feb. onto our Endeavor 32. What a difference, we have spent 82 days aboard so far and love it. Only a few small trips but we are ready for more now. The boat is in Oriental, we live 150 miles away.

[Mario G]

Hey Sid we might have lived near you. We were in Burlington (to far from the water)  this Endeavour was a compromise between me and the first mate, sometimes looks and quality went hand in hand.  we have sailed it and put 140miles of water under it and have not found anything about the E-32 we don't like.  

[Sid T]

We live right outside of Fayetteville in Eastover. Our dislikes were the old dangerous alcohol stove, we removed it; and the head, we removed it and installed a Natureshead composting toilet. We have the centerboard model 3 1/2 ft. draft and a mast height of 43 ft. Our checkout sail was in Feb. 48 deg. with a chilly North wind we went from Broad Creek to Oriental and loved how it felt on the water. Fair winds on your trip, we will probally be in Oriental some time around the end of the week or first of next week.

[Mario G]

Well we have made it back to Charleston harbour to pick up a replacement drain pump for the Endeavour while the Chrysler C-26 is just doing great. I have had to jump aboard (literly) a few times to play crew/ set sails and just take over.  We find ourselves being the only ones sailing the ICW not sure how Ga will be for that thou, We hope to make the Keys by T-day, we have been invited to a criusiers dinner.  I think with all the sailing we have been doing good to average 30= miles aday.

[Mario G]

LOL sorry for the long silence but the computer died and its not been easy to get the replacement. 

While we are sailing around the Keys now, it the Miami Boat show (the sail only section) can't say I'm real impressed with the new boats. weather and winds been great for the most part and was able to sail most of the way.

Going on 5 months and still having a good time, there always seems to be a ton of boat stuff to do and now I'm working on brackets for the solar panel.

I some times hink i'm working harder now then when I had a real job.

[CharlieJ]

Hey Mario- Laura says to tell you Hi. Me too

Where in the keys are you? We should be sailing to Key West in the next 4 weeks.

[Mario G]

Hey Charlie right now we are at Boot key harbor with about 300 0ther boats, what a great set-up, but will be heading north shortly to attend a family wedding and then head for the Chesapeake to hang out for the summer. Hope we can meet up somewhere along the way. Our plans are to do more of the outside on the way back.

Please tell Laura Hi Sherry's asked many times when you two would be back around.

We have had great weather thou it rained buckets yesterday, first rain in weeks and ofcoarse we were on shore so the days been spent getting things dried out .

We found we don't like to set still long.

[Mario G]

Last week was interesting to say the least, Started when the main sail tore near the clew while sailing near St Lucie forceing us to come into the ICW and motor to Fort Pierce were we knew were a few marinas were hopeing to find what we needed to fix the main. The 1st mate ended up useing sail tape and stiching it which looked like it would hold well untill we could get to St. Augustine and Sailers Exchange where we might find a replacement. As we were sailing along at 5 to 6 knots at times I saw that the tape was comming undone but the stiching was holding well untill a #@*& motor cruiser speed past wakeing us causing the boom to slam to the other side ripping the foot completely across, so we dropped anchor near Indian town beach just before the start of 2 days of heavy storms ripped across central Florida. We were on the southern end were we had 70mph winds and up to 95 north of us.  On Friday I reefed the sail and we are continuing on the wind was with us untill haulover canal and then we had to motor to our next stop in New Smyrna Beach. the winds were with us today and we made it to Datona.

[Mario G]

  Well were headed north again...wait we 1st made it to St. Augustine's but had no luck finding a replacement sail and headed back to Miami because it felt alittle to cold  that  far north , While back at Ft. Pierce our dingy was taken while in the anchorage(next one is always locked)  The first  mate got a great deal (1/2 price) on a new sail in Miami and then we had to train up to NC for a family wedding and ended up in Oriental were we got a great deal on a hard dingy, so life is good and except for stopping in Palm Beach to help a friend who's main wooden mast split on his  31 Person ketch we are sailing up the out side and having a great time.   

[Mario G]

We stopped at a marina near the anchorage that our dingy disappeared .  We needed to prevision and it was just inside an inlet. We wanted to call the police station to see if our dingy turned up but found them to be closed on weekends
I guess timing is everything it works out the weather people were half right and not only did we get a little rain but thunder and lightning and high winds to go with it.  We hit as much as 9.5 knots just five miles off shore,(the new sail is great) the first mate wants me to ..try ..to keep it in the 7knot range and I'm not sure I'm that skilled in 20knot winds yet.

Coming I we hit a swarm of what I think are called May flies. They had the whole boat covered, the jib had more freckles then me.

I was hoping to make Coco beach to see the launch but that might be scrubbed.

Started installing new ports but the hardwear is wrong and now have to wait until we can pick up new, but with out the dingy we have limited our shore leaves until we get to Oriental.

[Mario G]

Sailed 65 miles on Sunday with 10 to 20 mile winds and had a great veiw from the deck of our Endeavour to see the shuttle Endeavour go into space.