One year out. Holy Shit!

It's been a whole year already! No shit. Really?

Yep. Deb says to me, "Hey, we left St. Augustine a year ago today. We've been out here a whole year!" Wow. I was stunned. It went by so damn fast! What have we done I thought.

We went south to Vero Beach and stuck ourselves to a ball for a while and then went back north for the summer while being pursued by hurricane Arthur. We Chesapeaked and then went south to Miami and stuck ourselves to a ball in Dinner Key for too long. After the holidaze we crossed the Gulf Stream to arrive in Bimini. At this point we were just wide eyed newbie cruisers feeling our way around the sandbars and reefs and cuts. When we left Bird Cay to Rose island in 17-22 knots and 6-8 foot swells we earned out first stripes. Going through the cut to Rose with waves breaking on the rocks around us we earned a few more. Jumping from island to island on our way to Georgetown maybe got us a jump in rank. Not sure. Doesn't feel like it, but we are all newbs compared to some of the folks out here.

Having a beer with circumnavigators really puts you in your place, yet the earth voyagers treat you like equals. We have met so many people that are so very cool. If we could do it over again our kids would be raised on a sailboat. We have seen many families out here having a blast. They have their classes onboard every day and then afterward they have fun in the sun. What a life. Not a cell phone or device of any kind to be seen.

I have to say since we got to the Bahamas we have yet to run into an asshole. Yes, there were a few people we found strange, like the Frenchman and his "Kitty", but for the most part this trip has been free of the jerk squad. Maybe because the place is loaded with Canadians. They are just too nice. I even try to get them going at the bar by talking of the Quebec resistance. I get a laugh and a head shake, but never a really bad word about their Frenchies. I totally respect the Canadian fleet. Brits. They make me laugh. I have never met such jolly people. Love their humor. I get it.

So we've met all these nice people and we've sailed through blue water you can only believe until you see it. We have had some fantastic sails, some boring motoring, some tricky maneuvering through cuts, and some lazy reaching on the banks in the sun. After all that we've accomplished and experienced what do we think so far?

Should a done it earlier man. Should a done it earlier.

We're celebrating our anniversary by trying to unplug the waste plumbing. The macerator sounded like Tom petty being strangled by Stevie Nicks and wasn't moving anything. I was not a happy germaphobe. I dreamt all night of being covered in feces with two waste hoses in my hand, both of them puking their contents into the bilge, followed by my own puking. We would never again have a visitor to the boat without vicks vapo rub under their nose. Fortunately I put my manly instinct into use and just shook the hose repeatedly until something started moving through. I consider myself fortunate that I did not have to celebrate my anniversary afloat with my thick rubber gloves, hoodie, dive mask, respirator and a Purell shower.

Shits still flowing. It's all good.

Cheers!!
PJJB


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