We have been asked so many times when we are leaving that we finally decided to just pick a date - September 10th. The closer that we get to it - the more realistic it looks. The to-do list still lives, but it has things like "clean the head." OK - maybe we should buy some new fire extinguishers as ours are 14 years old - but the list is certainly shrinking.

Our first stop will be Edgartown and then on to Nantucket. We have always wanted to visit these islands in September when they are a little less crowded. Since we haven't really had a "shake-down" cruise, this will also give us an opportunity to break some equipment and still be able to get some help in friendly waters. We also need to re-introduce Casey to the sailing world as it has been a "few" years since his last sailing adventures.

After the Edgartown, Nantucket stops we will most likely stop in at Block Island. Chrisy actually said the other day - "why don't we just do an overnight from Block Island to Cape May?" What - did I hear that correctly? Yes I did because she then made a very well reasoned defense of the statement. Since we already had a planned overnight from Sandy Hook (just south of NYC) to Cape May - why not do the overnight from Block Island and save a few days going through Long Island Sound and New York. Sounds like a good argument to me - but really one week into the trip. Sure why not.

We hope to spend a major chunk of October in the Chesapeake before heading south in the Inter-Coastal Waterway (ICW). Our insurance company won't let us into Florida before December 1. Once December rolls around, we will either haul Sanderling or put her in a slip while we head to Philadelphia or Rhode Island so we can take in Courtney's senior year on the Penn Squash team. The season ends in early March and we will pick up Sanderling and head over to the Bahamas. We head back to Rhode Island in May.

At least that's the plan. Stay tuned....