2 Steps Forward, 5 Steps Back...

Well here we are - the end of March and officially preparing for our year aboard our 39' Bavaria Caribic 390! But before we can first go forward, we need to take a few steps back to reflect on our past year as boatowners...

We purchased our home last March of 2020 with impeccable timing... just before lockdowns swept across the globe in an effort to mitigate the spread of COVID-19. We sat so close, but so far, from our new investment, completely unable to access it for over three months. Our joy of purchasing a boat - the dream accomplished! - was dampened by the inability to return to Antigua, the $40.00 per night charge of the marina (ooooof), and the pure unknown ahead.

Fortunately, restrictions starting lifting, and the stars aligned. With the help of what we were coming to know as a tight-nit and extremely helpful cruisers community, we virtually 'met' a would-be friend from Germany who also needed to reach Antigua and his own vessel. We ended up sharing a private jet (first time for everything, am I right?!) and took the short 45-minute flight from St. Maarten to Antigua. Good fortune continued, as our new-found German companion, Wolfgang, had his vessel (the infamous SV Hubbert) in the exact same marina as our baby. Both vessels seemingly patiently waiting for us to arrive, walking down the deck toward our boat seemed surreal, and we both sighed a huge breath of relief!

Here we were, two novice (understatement of the year) sailors, fully ready to set sail for St. Maarten the very next day and make the 92 nautical mile journey back home. Enter: the logistics of owning a boat. When we purchased the boat back on March 11, 2020, it was as 'turn-key' ready as we could have afforded for our price budget. That is to say, it was completely ready to sail. Enter June 14, 2020. Not ready to sail. Thankfully for Wolfgang, and I'm not sure how we could have done it without him, we were able to repair and replace necessities that had deteriorated in the three months of sitting in a marina. We'll always accredit him to our boat staying afloat for those first 3 weeks! This was our first reality-check in owning a boat. There are sayings and jokings about owning a boat.. having it be 95% maintenance and 5% sailing... the best days of a sailor's life being the day you purchase your boat, and the day you sell it... moving 2 steps forward and then 5 steps back... and all (or most, at least) of these rang especially true for us. With hesitation, we started ripping apart the pieces of our boat to fix what needed fixing.

Spending 5 nights in the marina, then 3 nights on a mooring ball, and finally being prepared to leave and drop anchor, our physical cord being 'cut' to the marina so to speak, was exhilarating! We spent 3 weeks total in Antigua before sailing the 92 nautical miles - an overnight sail - back to St. Maarten. The overnight sail was stunning; at times (note this could be attested to the exhaustion, true) I was absolutely POSITIVE that a small plane or helicopter was shining a spotlight beacon down onto our boat. Nope, just the moon. The 3:00 AM bioluminescence was amazing, and the 6:30 sunrise into St. Maarten, while accompanied by dolphins at the bow, was too picturesque for words.

Fast forward 8 months, and here we are in St. Maarten, now preparing for a year long voyage. After considering our options carefully, we have decided not to return for a third year. The amount of money we invested in preparing for hurricane season was a small fortune in itself, and the constant checking of NOAA's forecasts from July - November may have taken a few years off our lives.

Owning a boat is truly a constant battle of progressing forward, then taking multiple steps back. You can feel as if you've repaired and replaced, cleaned and maintained, and then - BOOM - something breaks (or becomes lost - RIP dinghy Carib) that skyrockets to the top of your to-do list, bumping everything else down. You must become a mechanic, electrician, carpenter, navigator, fixer-upper, on top of becoming a 'sailor'. As infuriating (and draining) as it sometimes is, it all becomes worth it once the sails are set. The feeling of slicing through the waves and being pushed forward by the force of the wind is absolute heaven. The feelings of such contentment and joy can only be compared to that overwhelming sense of happiness that brings you to tears.

So, here we go! We are heading out for a year to see - literally - where the wind takes us. And, knowing what we know now, expecting that experience will be the best teacher, we are ready to put our two feet forward, even if it means taking a few humbling steps back along the way.

Follow us here for updates, chronicles of our adventures (and mis-adventures), pictures, and posts. We can't wait to share all of it - the salty and the sweaty, the joyous and the terrifying - with you, right here!

Signing off for now, friends. Keep it breezy!

- Toni Beaton