Thanksgiving Plus 1

A year ago and the day after Thanksgiving our car was packed like a sausage when we left CA heading east for parts unknown.  Were we going to find a boat??  Head to Europe on the cruise and then stay there??  Get an apartment in FL and hangout??

As we traveled across the country trying to stay ahead of the bad weather these questions went round and round during our conversations.  In the end finding our boat won out and we haven’t regretted the decision.  We finalized the purchase of Masterplan on January 22nd and since then the time and miles traveled had flown by.  I honestly never thought we would make it past St. Mary GA but we did and got as far north as Cape Cod.  Looking back there are so many memories to chuckle over and so many fun times spent with family and friends. Even the episodes that at the time created so much anxiety are now things we look at each other shake our head and smile, knowing we survived and learned from.

How is it that we didn’t total the boat that first day in the Canaveral Lock?  How surprise and pissed was I on day #2 when we got stuck on that sandbar and had to be towed off?  Remember the sound of the antenna’s scrapping the underside of that bridge that should have been opened? We never did figure out what it’s called when you collect thousands of moths during a transit off the coast of Jersey.  What is it with Jersey as there was also an unlucky bird that got inside the boat that didn’t quite make it back out alive.  Our 2 picture perfect trips by Manhattan as we headed to and from CT are just more highlights of the things we saw as we motored along the East Coast.  We had great stops along the way at various islands and cities both large and quite small, always with some kind of adventure while seeing new things and meeting lots of people.  I still think back on how cool it was to see Masterplan docked by the US Eagle or when the aircraft carrier went by 50 feet off our beam during the Navy’s prep for Hurricane Sandy.

We have a better idea of what our tolerance limits are and what is involved in getting from point A to B.  Even during “Sandy” lessons for next time were being stored away.  Can’t quite promise Stan that I won’t drive him crazy again during the next hurricane but I really do try not to.  Where we go once we get to Key West is still up in the air but we know more experiences are out there awaiting us.