It was a lovely send off... on the New River, side-tied to the wall, our friends, both old and new, came to celebrate with us as we renamed our Leopard 40 Catamaran.



Our first party! I spent the better part of the day cleaning, stowing, and preparing a yummy spread so that we could show off our lovely vessel, while Jann took our beloved Tacoma up to Deerfield to sell it to a dealer. I admit, it was tough to let it go. We've enjoyed that truck so much and it was the perfect workhorse for our life in the Redwoods. Here... not so much! It was time to further reduce our carbon footprint. Now we will sip diesel only when motor sailing (when weather or conditions are unfavorable), and only use gasoline for dinghy rides ashore or to find the best snorkeling spots! This is a top reason as to why we love the cruising lifestyle. It's more in tune with nature. We go where the wind pushes us and treat the oceans, seas and all waterways with the upmost care and honor.

"Water is the driving force of all nature." -- Leonardo da Vinci

We gathered our friends on the bows where I had laid a branch of greenery on each (as instructed by the "Boat Renaming Ceremony" that can be found online, should you ever need it!). Jann popped the cork on a bottle of bubbly, as I began to recite the ceremony, and filled each glass. My flute was filled and emptied as I tossed a bit in each direction of the compass to honor (and appease) all the Wind Gods. In the end, both Poseidon and Neptune were pleased. We will have nothing but following seas and fair winds, indeed!



Watch the entire remaining ceremony on our YouTube Channel! https://www.youtube.com/c/NancyBirnbaum. And be sure to Follow Us!

After the ceremony, we gathered in the cockpit to eat, drink, and chat. I have always loved bring my various circles of friends together to meet. It's wonderful to see new connections being made. Our long-time Florida friends - Terry & Ani, came up from Miami Beach. Terry has been the best resource as someone who has worked in the marine industry for a lifetime and knows everyone! And our friends Recy & Frank, newly-made Captains who we met back in the early 2000's when we first landed in South Florida. It was lovely to see them motoring by earlier this month, on the New River, with their charter boat, waving at us and taking photos. Deborah Haviland, a long-time "Friend" on Facebook, drove from Sarasota to join the festivities. I still can't believe how many friends we have in common, from California to Florida! Our new dock mates and cruising friends, Craig and Roxanne were there, as they have been since we arrived at the Fort Lauderdale Marina wall and pulled in behind their 50' catamaran "Seas The Moment." Plus, we had a guest who we met in the Downtowner parking lot, a friend of Terry's - Bruce. A great group which made for lively conversation. After sunset, we were invited to tour Seas the Moment. Wow! It's amazing how much room there is on a boat just 10 feet longer (and a bit wider) than Sweet Escape. I loved how Rox had organized the shit out of the entire boat. We have some catching up to do!


Our home is officially S/V Sweet Escape, and we are ready to lose the dock lines and set sail!

Favorable Weather Window to Head to Miami

The weather was perfect for a Monday motor-sail down to Miami, but first we had to visit the Marina Office to pick up a check and discovered it was a money order which necessitated a LYFT ride to the Capital One Cafe on Las Olas. So pleased to know that our new bank has Cafe Banks! Money was deposited, and we headed back to the boat. With the helpful dock line handling help from Craig and Rox, we headed out the New River to the Intracoastal. To say that we were excited, well that just doesn't cover it! We were ecstatic! It had been almost a month since we arrived in Fort Lauderdale to buy a boat and now we were setting off on our lovely Sweet Escape!
With the wind behind us, we raised the jib to give us a few more knots and rocked and rolled with the 3 ft waves along the coast to Miami. Once we entered Government Cut, it was flat calm lovely turquoise water beneath the hulls. Care not to run aground, we made our way across to Marine Stadium and had our first anchoring with our new windlass. It worked like a charm! (Thank you, Nat!), with Jann on the anchor controls and I, on the helm. This boat is so easy to run, and the best platform to cruise on. Just as I knew she would be. Yes!



Firmly holding to the bottom, we took a moment to hug and kiss and feel all the feels. We are blessed to be starting this new chapter. There were some who wondered how we could make such a dramatic change in our lives at our age. Jann is 74 and I just turned 65. We're certain that this lifestyle change will be just what the doctor ordered. We both relish being more active and letting go of all of the mental stress that we carried prior to my retirement.

Oh, I'm not fully retired. I am now a digital nomad. Or as my colleague, Chris Leonard calls me: A Seafaring Digital Nomad! Chris, along with his partner Jeff, and I will be launching a new service & consulting company that will bring 'DTC' (Direct To Consumer) sales to the California Cannabis Industry. A game changer, that I am thrilled to be involved in. Meanwhile, I am advising three of the start-ups that I mentored in 2021. Love, love this work!

Today, while at anchor in Marine Stadium, Jann finally got the Starlink out fo the box and we were up and running with great WiFi in minutes! (Nod to that somewhat insane creator Elon!). I just uploaded my first video to our YouTube channel, and this blog post! Life is good.


We may just leave tomorrow for the Keys.

Next Up: Provisioning: How much to get to last for 6 months, and where to stow all that stuff?
#SVSweetEscape