Sadly this morning I awoke, peered out the hatch to see an empty patch off my port bow. Tom & Amy aboard Sandpiper departed yesterday just afternoon noontime bound for St Croix and eventually Charleston SC.

These are the tough times, not just for singlehanders, but for anyone who have to say adios to dear friends. Tom and Amy made the bid for me to come with them back to Charleston with them. We could have buddy boated back through the Virgins and Bahamas. Very very temping, that herding instinct kicking right in. I wrote a bit about the herding instinct in my article in "Windblown" magazine. You can get to that article by click here.

It is tough to say goodbye always. I have known Tom and Amy for a longtime and as many of you know Tom and I were stationed together on the Morgenthau where we shared a stateroom. This was after we had lived in the same marina, The Presidio Yacht Club for a number of years. Pure happenstance that we ended up on the same ship together. Now fast forward another set of years and we end up spending a delightful two weeks here in El Carib together. If the USCG would have let me retire early, I surely would have buddy boated around the planet with Sandpiper. Wasn't in the cards.

So that is that. Back on my own. I really like it here in Rodney Bay St Lucia. As is my habit, I could sink into this place for quite sometime. But I plan on moving further south sometime this week. I have been asked to post what my future plans and intentions are. As soon as I figure it out myself I'll write about it. Or maybe I'll just write about my options and in that cathardic way, the correct path will emerge. How Zen is that?


Capt Chris

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