As our travels continue we get into the swing and rhythm of being cruisers. It’s not all sunsets and Mai tais. It’s lots and lots and lots of planning. It’s day by day and we live, eat and sleep the weather. We shoot for 40 miles a day and note 30, 40, 50 mile anchor options. And those options are not just, “Is it pretty?” or “Does it have a good sunset?” No, it’s several components that must all come together. First, holding for the anchor. What type of bottom is it and how good is the holding. Then it’s wind protection. Is is at least 180 degrees? Then it’s current. If it’s too swift we may have to set 2 anchors. Then we check the weather that impacts the anchorage and the travel for the day. Bad weather means we must have a protected anchorage OR we pay for a slip. Then we think about whether it’s good to travel. Open bays with lots of fetch? Small canals that are protected but lots of shoaling? Then when we have all of that worked out we look for bridges and shoaling and military bases and and and...the list goes on. So much goes into our daily travel. But each day brings new and exciting adventures. One morning I couldn’t help but laugh hysterically as Kevin tried to eat his Cheerios. The winds were at such an angle every time he tried to eat they went flying off his spoon. He was so mad, but all I could do was laugh. There must have been an entire cup strewn across the cockpit floor when he was done. Then comes the falling chicken... Our grill has been repositioned, attached horizontally instead of perpendicular to the back rails. Well, as Kevin was grilling 4 big chicken breasts the grill just toppled over. We applied the 5 second rule to the 2 breasts that didn’t end up as crab bait. The next morning we found #3 smashed under the swim ladder. As I said before, “The only difference between an adventure and an ordeal is your attitude.” Every day brings something new to challenge the body, mind and spirit. I can’t wait to see what tomorrow brings.