6 years ago today....
18 September 2015 | Now: Papeete Then: Whitehall, NY
Bill, Photo credit Lara
Well, It was six years ago today that we left Lake Champlain.
When we first came up with the idea to buy a boat and go out cruising, lots of people asked "when?" At that time we thought and said... oh 2009... not knowing really at all. Then someone, and I would like to give them credit, but I can't remember who it was, said, "You have to pick a date. And you have to leave on that date. Believe me. If you don't pick a date, you will never leave."
Wow... so we picked September 18th, 2009. that was a special date for us and it was after the beautiful VT summer and it gave us time enough to have a baby... sounded good.
Well, like any mark on the calendar, a year a way it seemed good and doable... it was a couple years away... All we had to do was have a baby, sell everything and buy a boat... no problem. Now, let me tell you how time flies.
Yikes... There was a big going away party for us on the 16th and my friend Jim blessed our boat, our baby and our trip. We were ready... kind of! Much of the gear was still in boxes stacked on the settees, the V-berth was packed with stuff. The deck was littered with plastic boxes...
And we left... the lake... We went through the first lock on the Champlain Canal an tied up to the wall on the other side! And we were off... the break had been made. It had been good to have a date. And I suggest the same to anyone who is planning a trip. Pick a date and leave. You will never be ready.
Six years later, we are just getting the boat organized. We are just beginning to understand all the systems. We keep thinking we get weather figured out... And, well Isobel is 6 and proudly calls herself a boat girl.