I’ve been writing this blog for 12 months. Preparing and living aboard is a continuous learning experience because there is always a new challenge, a new opportunity, or a new crisis around the corner. There’s nothing to do, but to accept it and move forward.
The first year, 2016, involved little sailing but the preparation lessons learned we invaluable. Year two is the year of the journey. Dolce Vento finally left the dock in October 2017 and returned in June 2018.
More than anything, the journey was the journey of a life time. I fulfilled my biggest wish – to captain a boat down the ICW, across the the Bahamas and back. I have not a single regret. Luckily I had a spouse who although not a sailor, encouraged me and volunteered to take the journey with me. I would never sail alone.
I learned that while I still love sailing I do not enjoy cruising – living on a boat is a job I am too old for. Cruising is hard work filled with only sporadic small moments of sheer joy. I leave it to others. If I had the knowledge and experience I have today at the start of the journey, would I have taken the journey? Yes, but maybe it might be a bit different.
I reflect on what happened to us during that year on the water, not from reading books, but from experiencing the journey itself. I share a few lessons learned.
Lesson Year 2: Intracoastal Waterway (ICW)
Lesson Year 2: Coastal Sailing