Still planning

Yesterday we got an inch of ice on the roads around here. The lake shows no signs that the ice will leave it any time soon. My poor wife has the flu, so I'm taking care of her and the housework. It's only natural that my thoughts would turn to sailing adventures in warm climates.

We came back from Florida early this year to help out family. They've been warned that we plan on heading south in the fall and not coming back until spring. That's still the general plan. However, we've been thinking about changing the way we do it.

Originally, we'd planned on leaving New Hampshire in October. We want to do the ICW (Intra Coastal Waterway) We'd tow the boat down to Virgina and sail down to Florida. Someplace safe would have to be found to store the van and boat trailer. We'd either sail back to Virgina in March or rent a car to fetch van if we didn't make it all the way back.

Crummy April weather has me thinking that the end of March is too early to come home. The end of April would be a much better time. My lovely wife says 6 months is as long as she cares to be away from the kids and grandkids. Fair enough. That's why we planned on an October through March trip.

November through April would be better in many ways. October is drop dead gorgeous in New Hampshire. The weather is often mild. The foliage is brilliant, and it's the start of hunting season. The problem is that November is a bit late for sailing from mile marker one in Virgina. Odds are pretty good that there'll be some cold miserable days on the water.

Then it struck me. We could leave in November and tow the boat all the way to Florida. We could launch from Florida's Nature Coast. (Gulf side north of Tampa) and leave the vehicle at my dad's. From there we could sail down the coast. There are a lot of cool things to see in a small sailboat with a shallow draft: Florida Bay, the Okeechobee Waterway, the Keys, maybe even the Dry Tortugas. Eventually we could make our way up the East Coast using the ICW. Spring is a good time to take the ICW north. We could sail north until we either get to the end or have had enough.

All we'd have to do is find a good place to keep the boat for a few days. Then I could rent a car and go get my van and trailer from my dad's place in Florida. Looks like a good idea from where I'm sitting now. (looking out the window at the snow and ice)

-Sixbears