9/8/15
Southport NC
Posted by Bill

Now that the labor day and Tricia’s birthday celebrations have ended, we begin to get ready for moving south. As in everything with this life style, it depends on the weather, but we have been planning to leave anywhere between the middle of October to the first of November. Our general plan is to spend December in Marathon in the Florida Keys, and then wait for a weather window to cross to the Bahamas. Once in the Bahamas we want to explore the Exuma chain of keys and islands (in southern Bahamas), and then work our way back through the Abacos (northern Bahamas) on our way home. This year, weather windows were very hard to come by to make the crossing, so we may have to wait it out for awhile again in January.

We would like to stop at Isle of Palms/Charleston, Beaufort SC, St Augustine, Vero Beach, and Key Biscayne/Miami along the way. At least a couple of days each. Given that, we need to leave no later than November 1. That gives us 4 – 6 weeks to get the boat ready to go…yikes! In that time period we need to:

– Replace the auto pilot
– Replace the voltage regulator
– Have the bottom cleaned and check zincs
– Stain teak
– Get a Kettlewell cruising guide for the ICW (we found out this is a must have)
– Clean out the secondary anchor locker
– Do another round of waxing and stainless polishing
– Replace rusted hose clamps
– Change engine oil and transmission oil
– Clean out fuel filter canister and replace filter
– Check out all major systems to prepare for ocean travel

Many of these things were put off so that we didn’t have to work in the high heat indexes here in the summer months, so now we need to get serious! The next week looks pretty bad in that regard, and I am hoping that the weeks after provide some better relief.

On top of the maintenance, we also want to spend a few days taking the boat to downtown Wilmington, and to Bald Head Island. Guess I better get busy!!