Greetings and best holiday wishes to all who may still be reading our blog! We stepped out of the boat and back to Charleston for a bit to regroup and take care of business and family issues.
Folly beach winter grey
The kids fell immediately back into their neighborhood grooves and were very glad to see grandparents, friends and neighbors. We took the time back to road trip it to see Kelly’s sisters, Mary Jo, and her kids in New Jersey and Pam, and her brood recently relocated to Atlanta from Bangkok. One of the few things the cruising life doesn’t afford is close contact with family (except the ones on the boat which couldn’t possibly be closer!) so it was great to see everyone.
Uncle Patrick really missed Kelly
Gramma and her girl on Thsnksgiving
Wendy feels much better when Quinn is around
Grandpa and Che
Kelly and I took an adult trip to manhattan to see world class jazz at Arthur’s and the Village Vanguard (another thing missing thus far from our Caribbean experience). Home school and home improvements have taken up my days while Kelly has worked furiously so she can get back into sailing with a somewhat lighter load.
After a quick trip to Rome “for business” to eat and drink Kelly and I are ready to get back to exploring the world with our core crew.
Again, our schedule for sailing has not entirely gybed with the coriolius effect, seasonal wind and weather patterns or the typical cruising agenda of the vast majority of our sailing compatriots, we have had destination decisions to mull.
Our favorite places so far? Kelly is crazy for Culebra, I loved it too, St. John was great, Miami (reallly) was fantastic. Green Turtle Cay, Abacos was lovely as was Hopetown, Virgin Gorda and Jost Van Dyke. I wouldn’t have predicted it prior to the trip but we all are in love with Puerto Rico. After more than 6 weeks there exploring and sailing we’ve decided to stay for 2 months and get fully immersed in San Juan. We’re lucky to have scored a slip at Club Nautico in the center of downtown. We’re going to tighten up our Spanish, work and live on the boat and enjoy the culture we crave that has thus far eluded us at the beach bars and marinas choked with sport fishing boats from Florida throughout our northern Caribbean experience to date.
PR also is a great base to invite and host the family and friends who’ve threatened to visit us this year since flights and hotels are cheap and plentiful. We’re really ready to get back to it now. And, as you’ve probably noticed, we are doing it on the fly. No plan, per se, just doing what feels right for now until something else seems like a better plan.
Cuba next? Hoping so.
So glad to be writing this again for what it’s worth. So grateful for the chance to be so close to my favorite people in the world. So lucky to be able to turn down the noise and focus on what really matters. So looking forward to another year well lived.
So glad, grateful, lucky, looking forward to January, 17….
Stay tuned, much love-