End of One Adventure, Start of Another

Our cruise from DC to St. Petersburg, FL was thankfully uneventful in a lot of ways - we had no major mechanical issues, lost no time waiting on repairs, and aside from a few days we spent in marinas due to high winds, we largely enjoyed great weather on the trip. It was eventful in all the right ways - we met some colorful characters, encountered amazing wildlife, and got to explore parts of the country we've either never seen before or never been to by boat - a much different experience than driving or flying to a place. For those curious, here are the stats for the trip:

Trip length: 55 days

Statute miles traveled: 1,716

Nights spent in marinas: 7

Nights spent at anchor: 44

Nights spent on a mooring: 3

Longest daylong passage: Marathon to Marco Island (105 statute miles)

Sea turtles spotted: 9

Mechanical issues: Microwave wouldn't work off of inverter for duration of trip, traveler line for main parted

Pirates encountered: 1, in Marathon, with only vague threats received

Hats lost: 1, but it was a good one

Days traveled 'inside' on rivers, bays/sounds, or ICW: 22

Days traveled 'outside' on Atlantic or Gulf of Mexico: 13

Diesel fuel burned: 388 gallons (~$1,700)

Engine hours: 308

Average speed: 6 statute miles per hour

For the rest of the summer we're docked at my dad's house in Madeira Beach, FL. We're already hard at work varnishing, making canvas covers for the teak, and planning the big electrical and refrigeration upgrades that will make Altair even more suitable for long-term cruising. We will be adding more solar panels and a large lithium battery bank, reconfiguring our ground tackle setup, replacing the refrigerator compressor so that it will run more efficiently, and removing our chainplates. A rigging specialist gave our standing rigging a thumbs up but the chainplates are somewhat of an unknown so we will be pulling them out and either cleaning or replacing them. We may also replace the bimini with a larger one to fit more solar. This is on top of the never-ending varnishing that we will be doing in the hot Florida sun! Happily we have more travel plans as well - next week we will be visiting Seattle, WA and sailing on the classic tall ship Zodiac, and September will find us touring Japan with plans to visit Tokyo, Kyoto, and Hiroshima, so stay tuned for updates and more photography!