THE YEAR IN REVIEW

We Said:

Some of the most frequently asked questions we’ve been asked over the past year are:

 

What was your favorite place?

 

That’s really hard.  We traveled to 72 cities (not counting remote anchorages) and there was something to like about all of them.  We sat down with the list of 72 cities and each of us picked out our top 15.  Below are the 13 cities that made both of our lists - in chronological order.  (There were no criteria for a “favorite.”)  

• Scituate, MA – Our first destination after leaving Boston.  We were on our own and on the ball.  Everything was within an easy walk.
• Martha’s Vineyard, MA – The island had so much to offer – sightseeing, shopping, dining, scenery, beaches. 
• Block Island, RI - A big, fun campground!  The anchorage was a fair distance from the town and provisioning, but a great relaxing destination.
• Annapolis, MD – We stayed here for a month and could have stayed longer.  Lots of stuff within walking distance and good bus service.
• St. Michaels, MD – Our first destination after sitting still for a month.  The quintessential Chesapeake town.  
• Charleston, SC – It’s Charleston – do I need to say more?  We came for one week and stayed for one month.  Great marina location.
• Beaufort, SC - We actually anchored here.  The town was so cute and the people so friendly. 
• St. Augustine, FL – There’s so much history here!  The town is really cute and convenient.
• Vero Beach, FL – Our first “tropical” destination.  Everything is convenient, easy to get around, nice beach – it’s got it all.
• Marathon, FL – It’s all about relaxation and laid-back living.  An easy dinghy ride to the beach, pool and bars.  Stayed here 7 weeks!
• Key West, FL – A great vacation destination – food, fun, party!
• Naples, FL – I’m sure family and friends factored into this choice.  Easy walk to restaurants, shopping, bars and beach.
• St. Petersburg, FL – This place has it all – concerts, festivals, theatre, baseball, shopping, restaurants, and on and on and on . . .  

What was your favorite part of the trip? 

• For Pat it was the trip itself - everything we learned, all the people we met, working as a team, stepping outside our comfort zone and experiencing new places.  The single event would be after a year on the water, finally having a dolphin swim and jump in our wake.
• For Jack it was the marina life – meeting and talking to boat people, dingying to waterfront tiki bars, the beaches and dolphins.  

What was your worst experience?

• For Jack keeping the boat running was a challenge – maintenance issues, docking the boat (especially in the wind), and weather.
• For Pat the biggest issues were weather related – studying weather, planning trips around the weather, getting stuck in a Provincetown storm, and the horrific night in a Charleston storm.   There’s also a whole “lack-of-contribution” thing that’s hard to explain. 

Did you stay on budget? 

Overall, yes.  It’s amazing how well we did based on our lack of experience.  We did a lot of reading and talked with a lot of people and it really paid off.

• Fuel:  We planned on 3000 miles, 1.5 MPH, and $4.50 per gallon.  We traveled 2895 miles, averaged just under 2 MPH, and spent around $4.00 per gallon.  Overall, we were 25-30% under budget.
• Marinas: We were less than 5% over budget.  We stayed on-the-ball/anchored approximately 100 nights, in transient marina slips approximately 100 nights and in monthly slips approximately 150 nights.  Monthly rates and ball/anchoring is the key to managing the budget.  Transient marina stays, although a necessity, are a definite budget buster.
• Repairs/Maintenance:  We were about 10% over budget – not bad, considering we weren’t able to do much of our own work.      

Would you do it again? 

Without a doubt.  We’ve signed up for another year!

 

We’re enjoying life on land.  We visited MTB yesterday and she’s surviving just fine without us (cooler and dryer inside than we expected). 

 

Hope to see you all soon!

 

Pat & Jack