Continuing preparation of “Every Day” Part 14

Many people have asked us about our route. Lin and Larry Pardy told us not to tell anyone that we are going to circumnavigate just to say we are going cruising. That way we don't disappoint ourselves or anyone else, if we don't go all the way around. We just want to see the world.

As most of you already know, we are not putting the boat in the water this summer. We are going to spend the summer and fall finishing the preparations of the boat and our lives.

May 2006, we intend to sail to Chicago and have a big going away party for ourselves in early June. From there we will sail though the Saint Lawrence Seaway, we have been told that the Labrador Islands are absolutely beautiful. We need to be at the end of the St. Lawrence by the end of September (end of hurricane season). From there we will probably sail directly to Bermuda and from there to the Caribbean.

Winter 2006/2007 wonder around the Caribbean. There is enough to see to spend several years down there but both of us really want to see the Americas Cup in Spain. So in the spring, we will prepare the boat for an Atlantic crossing. Most likely go from Virgin Gorda to Bermuda to Azores to Gibraltar. On the long crossings we will bring crew as many as 4.

Summer 2007 is the Americas Cup in Spain. If anyone has contacts in the Americas Cup organizing committee, let us know because they control all the mooring assignments.

After that we will most likely put the boat up for the winter somewhere. That would be two years in the water. This will give us some time back in the states. Actually, we actually will probably fly back at least 2 times per year.

The next couple of years we'll spend the summers visiting Europe. Summer sail around winter fly or take trains to see different parts of Europe. We really want to see both the Mediterranean countries but also the fiords of Scandinavia.

Then maybe 2010, we will take the ARC race back to the Caribbean. Then through the Panama Canal, Galapagos Islands and on to South Pacific, and to New Zealand and Australia. From here we do not know. It all depends on world politics. If we feel up to it and politics are good enough we will continue through the islands of the Indian Ocean to Madagascar, South Africa and then follow the current up to South America and back to Caribbean. If politics are not favorable we will probably go back though the south pacific and back through the Panama Canal again.

We have been told though that when we get to the South Pacific we will find many islands that we never want to leave. Finding the place that we want to end up is definitely part of the overall trip. Sure we'll always come back and visit but it is our objective to find were we ultimately want to live. It is possible that we just want to continue to sail until we can't do it any longer but that's when we will "settle down".

We would like to hear from you about what we have in mind. If you have any suggestions of places that we must see along the way, we would appreciate your input.