Shake Down means "practice" for the real long cruise next November 2013 to May 2014.

We have chosen to head for the Chesapeake Bay. We are starting from our home in Vandemere Creek, North Carolina and go up the Big Ditch (Intercoastal Coastal Waterway) through the Great Dismal Swamp to Norfolk, Virginia and towards the Potomac River near but not up to Washington, DC.

We have a planned chart trip with stops in Jamestown, Virginia, St. Mary's, Maryland and Tangier Island. It will take us 3 weeks to get back.

We have to learn how to live on a boat for long term as we are planning to live on board next November for 6 months. That will be a great challenge and we have been preparing for months.

We have this blog to keep you abreast of our adventure on Rejoice. We will need you all to keep us company while we leave all that we know behind.

We are so excited and apprehensive. John has taken some serious courses in safety, one at Annapolis at the Naval Academy was very impressive. They actually had helicopter rescues similar to what the Prince of Wales does.

We have so much safety equipment that we are very confident.

The fun part will be the anchorages and meeting new friends! Oh! I can't forget the seafood!