When you live life at a fast-pace – like we’re doing at the moment – time flies by, yet at the same time, upon reflection it stretches out behind you, making it seem like we are living some kind of dog years. Maybe we should call them “cruising years.” Four months ago we passed under the Golden Gate Bridget, bidding adieu to San Francisco and greeting the Whole Wide World. We have gone 5,621 statue miles (4,888 nautical miles), gone as far south as 7 degrees North latitude and as far east as 78 East longitude. One month to the day after leaving San Francisco we were in Magdalena Bay, Mexico. Two months to the day we were in Acapulco (for Thanksgiving), three months to the day we were transiting through the Panama Canal, and four months to the day we were arriving in Jamaica.
In our first 120 days we spent 48 days under sail (or motor) and 39 days were overnight passages. That’s 40% of our time spent getting from one place to the next and 33% of our time on night watches. In cruising terms, that’s hauling ass. To put in perspective the average cruiser spend 5% of their time cruising, compared to our 40%. Cruising too fast …. yep I would say so. Darold is trying to convince me to take a third year off – he says then he’ll slow things down. But I’m keen to him … if I give him a third year, he’ll work on a fourth. If I don’t keep him checked he’ll run away with it and the next thing I’ll know I’ll find myself sailing around the arctic circle photographing polar bears.
We’ve met people who spent 2 years getting from California to La Paz. Truthfully, cruisers like this are really doing it the right way. Not pushing themselves or their boat and taking the time to really live the cruiser’s lifestyle. The cruising lifestyle demands that you take time to rest and relax, get to know places and people and “ease the main.” That is one of the benefits of taking your own boat to a country. Having said that, it should also be pointed out that the majority (95% +) of those cruisers are retired and have cashed out. They sold their home and are living permanently aboard their floating home.
When you go too fast, you only have time to do the major things when getting to a new port: laundry, re-fueling, fixing whatever broke on the passage, homeschooling, cleaning the boat, provisioning and catching up on email. Then, after that is all done you do your tourist stuff.
Since we only have 2 years for this trip we need to make tracks. So we have decided to make a few compromises. Fewer places and stay longer. Looks like we won’t even be able to make it to the Lesser Antilles. Instead we’ll spend more time in Jamaica, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, possibly a “baguette island” or two as Darold calls them and then it’s time to head back to the United States via the Bahamas.
The world is so big and we just don’t have enough time to a fraction of it at 6 miles an hour!.
One Response to Our 1st 100 Days
I think you need a 3rd year, but that’s just me. We loved the BVIs in our short 9 day trip. Slow down. I can guarantee you Dante is learning more now than he will in a traditional classroom.
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