Trip Canceled

After investing a lot of time, money and effort on my sailing trip, I've decided I have to cancel it. The straw that broke the camel's back is the storm damage in the Carolinas.

Reports coming in from the Atlantic Intra Coastal Waterway are mixed. Some marinas were destroyed. Others survived the storm surge in good shape. I'm told the waterway is passable. Even so, many larger boats plan to sail outside in the open Atlantic to avoid problems.

While I could probably get my boat through the waterway, it would not be the trip I planned. A lot of the attraction of doing such a trip would have been all the interesting stops along the way. I have doubts about many of the places being ready for tourists. My experience in the Keys last winter revealed that a lot of businesses were out of order. In fact, there are places that still have not recovered.

When I let slip that I might be sticking around there was a lot of encouragement to do so. People have been good about supporting me, but really like the idea of my being around this fall. Since my travels are all self funded, it's totally my own decision. There will be other adventures. I'm thinking of maybe doing the same trip in the spring, but reversed, from the south to the north.

One final consideration: the hurricane season is far from over.

-Sixbears