Reflections on the first Thousand Miles

March 29, 2025
Phippsburg, Me

Promise of Adventure:  Leaving Gulfport Alabama on Day 1

Unpacking our first fifty-six days on Navigator involves an incredible number of experiences!   When we left Maine on January 4th we were excited and looking forward to our cruising adventure.  We had ideas about what to expect, but no way of really knowing how it was all going to unfold.   We were excited about cruising on larger boat - but what did we really know about this new life style?  While we had been for as long as 20 days on Taku, would we still be as enthusiastic after 30, 40 or 50 days on Navigator?   Could we could really get eight hundred miles from Alabama to Key West in 30 days?  What were we thinking?

Well we did get to Key West in 30 days, and obviously we survived the journey.   More important, we have had an incredibly rich experience   Rich both in delivering experiences of the kind that we had hoped for, as well as much that we did not expect.   Relaxing yet challenging.   Smooth, yet surprizing.   And we thoroughly enjoyed it.  

Colder on the beach in Maine!

As I write this Liz and I are back in Maine for a couple of weeks, taking a break and catching up on a things we left behind and planning our next chapter on Navigator.  We return April 1st.   Since we have been home much of our time has been dedicated to thinking about the next chapter.   Thinking about what worked well, what could we do better and what might we change?  

Enjoying life aboard!

What has worked?   The simple answer is that we have adapted to cruising life swimingly!   We were able to find places either to anchor or be at a marina each night.   We found grocery stores when we needed them   We enjoyed meals like being at home (thanks Liz).  Navigator kept us safe and sound (and warm) and allowed us to move at a pace that got us where we wanted to go in time frames we planned on.  The itinerary we put into place to get from Alabama to Key West worked.   Really well.   We were able to meet up with BIll and Molly even before arriving in Key West.   We arrived in Key West a week before my daughter Jess and her husband Mike showed up to join us.   Sure we had a few set backs - bow thruster, water pump, steering cable, etc - but we were able to solve those problems and get moving again.

What could we do better?   Inevitably the first item falls that comes to mind is in the category of boat handling.  Navigator is a much bigger, and more complex boat than Taku.  You might think docking - manuvering a 40 ft long and 14 ft wide boat backward between wood pilings in a crowded marina - would have been our bigger headache.  However, we found docking reasonably manageable, especially when the bow and stern thrusters were working!  Surprisingly it was anchoring that gave us more headaches.  First, we found ourselves dragging anchor several times - once in the middle of the night!   A fellow boater suggested we be a little more deliberate and controlled in 'setting' the anchor - and immediately we got better results.    Second, we had issues retrieving the anchor.  Through trial and error we found Navigator required a more gentle touch on the throttle while winching in the anchor.  With practice we got much better at both!  

Having fun with the anchor

What was unexpected?  The relaxed, largely unpretentious atmosphere of the people we encountered.   Whether on the VHF radio, at the fuel dock, neighbors in the marina or looking for help getting something fixed, people were down to earth, generous, and eager to help.   In Venice it was friends of friends: Mark and Patty.   They invited us into their home, let us use their laundry and took us grocery shopping.   

Friends making us feel at home

In Marco Island it was Ken, our financal advisor who took us out to lunch.  In Key West, it was the guy behind the counter at "Key West Marine" who was able to help us replace the light bulb for the mast head with one from their seeming endless (and random) collection in their stock room.   In Islamorada it was Travis who we bumped into at Caribee marine repair shop.   Even though it was the end of his work day he agreed to walk over to our slip to help us.   In Miami, it was Mike and Melissa, friends of Bill and Molly, who drove us all over Miami running errands.   At Crandon Park it was Orestes, the gentleman running the fuel dock who brought us in with expert touch.   He is a retired seaman who had shipped out on bulkers and tankers sailing around the world.   Docking our little Navigator was something he could do in his sleep!   In Ft Pierce, it was Pete at the Grill Refill who helped me find a replacement burner - even recommending I should buy it, not from him, but at Home Depot!   

Travis showing me how it's done

Alot of you are wondering what exactly to we expect to acheive in the "Next Chapter".   This, it turns out, is a big can of worms.   We had envisioned bringing Navigator to Maine for the summer.   In theory we still could - but it involves a journey of about 1800 miles - something like 50 or 60 days moving the boat.  But looking at our calendar of upcoming events & obligations (weddings, a grand child on the way, a 50th reunion, and other family events) we realize while possible, it is just not very realistic.   So what to do?

Being home gave us a chance to really think about what we want to do: this year; next year; the year after even.   We look forward to traversing the Intercoastal Waterway from Georgia to  the Cheasapeak and on to New York.    We think Navigator.will be ideal for exploring the New England coast - especially Down East Maine.   We want to take her to the Bahamas.   And we think seriously about doing the Great Loop.  But we know we can't drop everything else and spend 365 days a year as vagabonds.   We need a long term plan that alows all of this to unfold.

The Possibilities

Since we are not bringing Navigator all the way to Maine this summer that means we have to find a place to leave her from mid May to mid November.  So we have been hunting for a place somewhere between Florida and Norfolk, Virginia - Norfolk, being as far north as we might possibly be able to move this spring. 

We can't wait to get back aboard Navigator this week and spend the next 40 days or so cruising north along the ICW.   Follow along and see where we end up!   

Navigator waiting for us at her slip