WE’ve come to a big decision: we’re not going to try to make it down to the Caribbean this winter. Primarily because there’s so little winter left.

Spring on the Chesapeake is glorious. At any time of year it’s a treat to sail on the forgiving waters of the Bay, exploring the many rivers with their small, colonial towns, dropping a hook in a secluded anchorage and watching the herons and eagles. But in the glory of spring, what adventures to be had with 75 degree weather and fair winds and blossoming trees and baby ospreys on every marker: there’s not much better!

Oh, and there’s the simple fact that we’d travel for the better part of a month only to have to turn around and come back again six weeks later…

In any case, it’s a good decision, and we feel good about it. We can finally let go of this feeling of pushing, racing so hard, that we’ve had for the past six months and actually try to enjoy this new life. The Caribbean will be there next winter. In the meantime, we have a couple months of crummy weather to take the old girl out on sea trials and continue rehabbing her tired systems, albeit without feeling like slackers if we don’t work all day, every day. And that’s a good thing.  When the weather’s better, we’ll explore the Chesapeake then probably head north for the summer, maybe all the way up to Maine and Newfoundland.  But who knows?  That’s part of the adventure!