Free at last … free at last … oh my God, we’re free at last! Well … ALMOST!!! It's so close!
Tomorrow morning we will release the docklines that have secured Soulmatie to our old life and set her free! Together, me, Larry and our floating home will journey out into the winds and open seas … destination PARADISE! It has been a long time coming but this old boat and its old crew are ready for what life may bring our way. We’ve tweaked and tuned and outfitted until our cruising kitty was almost gone. Then we saved again and now need to leave before the funds dwindle away. Besides, we are more than ready to start living the life of our dreams!
We will head south to Key Biscayne and patiently await a weather window for a good crossing of the Gulf Stream. From there, we hope to spend a month or so in the Bahamas, working our way south to the Turks and Cacios. We really don’t have a hard and fast itinerary. Our primary goal is to avoid hurricanes and bad weather! We’ll work our way to Puerto Rico, through the Virgin Islands and then the Windward and Leeward island chains down to Venezuela. Will this take us a month or a year? Only time will tell.
From there, we will head for Panama and outlay the huge $$$$’s to sail from the Atlantic to the Pacific Ocean via the Panama Canal. I imagine it will be very different from when we did the Canal on the largest ship that would fit! We’re very much looking forward to this more intimate experience.
Once we emerge into the Pacific Ocean, Soulmatie will have a whole new view. She’s never seen anything except Atlantic waters. Our current “tentative” plan is to head to San Diego (or somewhere on the west coast of the US) and get temporary jobs to assist in replenishing our savings. We will commit to one season only and will not make this the end of the journey. We ARE South Pacific bound!!!
I will document as much of our adventure as possible, while still being able to enjoy the remarkable life we have ahead of us. When internet is available, we will send updates. This time, we will make every effort to include pictures! After all, a picture is worth a thousand words and that will save me a LOT of writing J Actually, we will attempt to use Facebook so “friend request” SV Soulmatie if you’re interested in updates of our journey.
We want to thank all our family and friends for your support and encouragement in the pursuit of our dreams. We will miss you all … when we have time!
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