The bluewater ocean cruising itch started during a family bareboat charter in the BVIs back in December 2012! The wind, water and snorkeling were amazing!
Mary Beth then had the opportunity to crew on a colleague's sailboat on a trip to Bermuda in June 2013 and she was hooked on bluewater ocean sailing! Bluewater sailing is a term used for sailing in the open ocean away from the coast. We began to dream about buying a bigger sailboat (we had a Catalina 25 at the time) and taking off sailing long-term to explore the world. We bought Regina Maris, a Caliber 38, in October 2013 and the work to get her ocean cruising ready began.
It's been a long three years of work, but we've also had some fun enjoying cruising around the Neuse and Pamlico Rivers. A couple of our favorite places are Cape Lookout and Ocracoke. Last summer we did a 2 week cruise and swam with giant sea turtles at Cape Lookout and anchored in the South River surrounded by dolphins sleeping (you could hear the puffs as they surfaced and breathed). So cool!
We have learned a ton of new skills along the way. Our goal is to be as self sufficient as possible which includes having a reverse osmosis water maker and solar panels to charge the batteries. We will do some fishing for our food (although neither of us has a clue about how to clean them, much less catch them!). We don't really know what to expect other than it will be an adventure! We are looking forward to having concentrated time together and just "being". We tell people we are going for somewhere between 6 months and 6 years. Let the adventure begin!