Despite all the mishaps and mess-ups, we have successfully completed our first cruising season and made it where we are supposed to be: Grenada!
Grenada or the ABCs were our options to end this season because insurance requires us to be below a certain latitude for hurricane season. This meant we needed to be below 12.4 latitude by July 1st.
After meeting so many other cruisers who raved about Grenada, we decided to go there a few months ago.
Considering we left Florida on February 2nd, that’s why we’ve been racing down the islands! 5 months is not enough time to explore the entire Caribbean!
Insurance
It took us a long time – and a few hoops – to get our insurance. So if that long pursued insurance insists we be somewhere by a certain time, we will get there. Grenada is a nice place to spend our summer vacation.
First Cruising Season Stats
5 months goes quickly when you’re as busy as us! Below is a recap of our first – short – season as cruisers. We look forward to starting in November next year and getting a lot more in, at a more relaxed pace.
These stats are since we left Florida, on February 2nd:
- # of Miles Travelled: Over 2000
- Countries Visited: 14 (counting Puerto Rico and USVI separately)
- # of Fish Caught and Cooked: 2, both small barracudas (needs work)
- Times we Hit Bottom: 3
- # of Sea-Tows: 0 (that was in Florida!)
- Longest Trip, Miles: Leverick Bay, BVIs to St Kitts 141 nm
- Longest Trip, Duration: Samaná, DR to Puerto Plata, Puerto Rico, 27 hours (140 nm)
- # of Days on Board: 171 as of today
- Nights Off the Boat: 1, in San Juan
- # of Nights in Marinas (long showers FTW): 27
- Longest Stay in Marina: 11 days, in Samana
- Last time in a Marina with a long shower: May 25th in Tortola, BVI
- # of Ripped Sails: 2
- Lost Dinghys: 0 (Thank you Dennis and Karen!)
- # of Overnight Guests: 6 (2 came back)
- Island we Most Want to Revisit: Martinique
- Island we Are Sad we Missed: Barbuda
- # of New Friends: We can’t count but we are grateful for every one
- Turtles: Can’t count and will never get bored of them!
- # of Seasickness Pills: I don’t know but they work
Domino
Our furry feline is really taking to life on the boat. She has been happiest, like us, since we left the beating into the wind behind. Downwind sails are Domino’s style, and she enjoys them from the comfort of the salon couch, surrounded by her stuffed animals and pillows.
She prefers the deck at dusk and after dark, and continues to sniff the air and watch the seabirds every chance she gets. And Domino has not left the boat ONCE. Her sea legs are the best!
Looking Forward to Next Season
Before we began cruising, we had no idea how we would do, how long we would last, or where we would finish the season. Now that our first cruising season is done, we are reviewing all we’ve learned, and thinking about next year. A distinct possibility is that we will stay in the Caribbean and revisit the islands we loved and visit others for the first time. There’s still so much to see and do and we are excited for year 2!
In the meantime, we are going to enjoy our summer break in “Camp Grenada” and get Sava ready for Season 2. We’ll be posting updates from here all summer.
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So happy for you both ~ now you can relax and enjoy life after the hectic pace to get there. Despite all the negatives that you endure with “living the dream,” it’s a wonderful way to live, (what doesn’t kill you will make you stronger ~ right!) Enjoy! Love reading about your adventure! Thank you so much for sharing ~ both of you! 🙂