T minus 8 weeks….

T Minus 8 weeks and counting…..
Yesterday marked 8 weeks until departure. Yes, that was a sentence that should stand alone because I can barely get my head around the idea that has been 7 years in the dreaming and planning stage and is now a mere 8 weeks away from its beginning. Of course, this isn’t just beginning in 8 weeks but rather is the culmination of years of dreaming and several years of planning – but that first tentative step – pointing the needle on the 090 for a month to go to Bermuda, the Azores and finally making landfall in Europe in Kinsale, Ireland is a biggie for us.

We haven’t begun this alone though and while I always believed that cruising was a fairly solitary “hobby” I realized recently that it is far much more a team sport than a solo enterprise. Take for example the hundreds of hours Alec and I have spent pouring over the blogs written by people just like us who, fed, and watered their dreams and ambitious passage goals with knowledge and advice and then shared that knowledge and advice with other “would be” dreamers and so the sharing continues… here… with this. And the incredibly kind and generous sharing of personal email and dinner conversations with the true “giants” in the passage making world who answered questions and made suggestions about everything from legal entry requirements to places to visit. The support of friends and family and loved ones and even Jacks teachers who support the idea of an alternate education and agree to be a resource – each friend is a gift making our dream a reality.

Several huge components of the team are the organizations whose dedicated employees spend their life building, perfecting and teaching about the products that reside in the hull of our beloved Gratitude. First and foremost is the Nordhavn boat itself. There are other yacht builders out there who advertise and promote their boats as being solid enough to travel across oceans but the truth and reality is that the Nordhavn is the boat you are most likely to see in the most remote corners of the world after crossing every body of water on the planet. The intrepid owners of this brand may be the reason for this but their recommendation is enough for us to make Nordhavn our choice for the trip. Second, the folks at Yacht Tech have done so much work for us and have made our safety and security aboard their highest priority. It isn’t just one employee, it is the entire group working long hours to make sure that the work is done and done well. And the other “stand out” company is ABT Trac. This is the company that manufacturers the hydraulic system aboard that makes “light” work of the stabilization in big waters, the bow and stern thrusters (primarily used for docking), the windlass which hoists the anchor (330 lbs itself not including the hundreds of feet of chain attached to it) off the bottom, the hydraulic wash down to spray the mud from the anchor so it doesn’t skink up our chain locker, and the emergency dewatering pump. Alec and I just completed their training at the California office and for the 2nd time, availed ourselves of the excellent training that they offer free of charge to their customers. There is no question that for us, this is the company we want to rely on to provide a smooth (ish) ride across the Atlantic.

Another huge milestone on the off season checklist was to do a “shake-down” cruise to check out all of the work that was done in the yard. Well, we had some mixed results on the trip and truth be told, we would have been better served to do a “sea trial” before the shake down but we survived it and we have a few more things on the “to do list” after the return. We went to Key West with our friends Michael and Sally Hastings who will be accompanying us across to Kinsale, Ireland. We were on a 26 hour passage and with lots of bells and whistles sounding and a few bugs to work out, they did a fantastic job and left us more happy than ever that they are coming along for the journey. Meeting us in Key West to stay aboard for the week were friends of ours from Jack’s school. Jack finally got to invite a friend for the week and these friends were the absolutely most enjoyable guests to have aboard. We had a fantastic week of good food, sightseeing and relaxation. The best part of the trip was the reminder to me of all of the elements that make our time aboard so special. With so many projects, to do lists and checks being written, it was good to have a reminder of why we do it. There is just nothing in the world like our time aboard the Gratitude. We are closer to one another, we are more peaceful in our own skins and we are more relaxed and present in the world when we are on board. Life slows down in a way that makes everything a little brighter and our interaction with the world more pleasant.

But back to reality we are! for now… Ill show some pictures of Key West and of the ABT Trac school in California. And together, we will count down the next 8 weeks.