It was one year ago today that a 35-foot Southern Cross sailboat became ours. This calendar occasion has caused us to spend time reflecting upon our progress over the last twelve months. As we sailed the boat down from Annapolis at the end of October last year, we jokingly mused about the notion that we bought a boat that was so 'cruising ready' that we could have simply bypassed Whortonsville and kept on going to the Caribbean.

Although we were not wrong about the quality and state of our boat, we knew that we needed additional time to be 'cruising ready.' Our knowledge has grown considerably over the last year, and, oddly enough, it serves to instruct us about how much we still have yet to learn. We feel somewhat 'textbook ready' but still have much to learn on an experiential level. Time on the water, moving the boat southward, is sure to cure that state, eventually.

For now, though, an appreciation of just how green we are is sure to keep us appropriately humble and keep our travel itinerary within limits appropriate to both us and the manner in which we have equipped the boat. But more on our itinerary later, for now let's consider how we have prepared Prudence for this journey...

CLICK HERE to see what we have done to equip the boat.