Christmas came early this year. We finally did a day of real sailing, at least what what I had in my mind's eye as sailing last Christmas when I committed to cruising as a lifestyle.

It was sunny and warm today as we sailed back to Miami to spend Christmas Eve with our new friends. The ocean was clear and we could see the bottom frequently through the turquoise waters. Today we had a steady 12 knot wind on our beam outside and then on our stern inside the reefs that dot the South Florida coast. So after motor sailing swiftly up the coast with the Genoa and 2 engines we did something magical! We raised our Spinaker and sailed the whole afternoon without a care in the world up Biscane Bay at 6 knots with no engines. That's right the big deal is that we actually sailed in sunny weather on calm water.... What a fantastic way to kick off the Christmas season.

Now this may not sound so special to anyone who has been cruising for a while, but for us it marked a highpoint in our short cruising career. After waiting the whole summer and into fall for the boat to be ready (without any sailing at all), and then being hounded by cold weather while mostly motoring down the ICW we are ready for some payback, and it was sweet. Made even sweeter by a mid afternoon batch of Komaria's world famous brownies. What a glorious day, it's good to be alive and cruising.