We are done! The boat is ready, and we are ready to sail off. Our time in Florida is drawing to a close in the next few days. Our immediate plans are to head back to the Bahamas and visit places both new to us and places with which we have a good deal of experience.

Our longer term plans have finally firmed up. Yesterday we received confirmations from our insurance carrier and from the marina which we will be using as a basis of operations that will allow us to spend the summer in Grenada based out of Port Louis Marina. Grenada is a popular spot with cruising boats for the summer months since it has a reputation of being friendly, beautiful, and at low risk for hurricanes.

To get there we will have to pass pretty much every island in the Caribbean, so we will have a lot of opportunities to linger, explore, catch fish, find seashells, take pictures, and write stories. If you have been to Grenada and have recommendations or suggestions, let us know!

We need to be down to Grenada by the middle of June so we have five months to explore. We have gotten many favorable reviews from people who have spent time in Grenada, and we are very much looking forward both to our journey, and to the time at our summer destination. It feels a bit odd… it has been a while since we have had such a long range plan for our travels!

It is now Saturday evening. We’ll be packing the last things into place on the boat tomorrow, and then casting off lines on Monday morning and heading south on a short day sail to Key Biscane. We will anchor there, and wait for our weather window to cross to the islands. It is about 1400 miles as the seagull flies from Fort Lauderdale to Grenada, although we will likely do well over 2000 before we get there.