We have just passed the three year mark for cruising. What we have seen and experienced has been fantastic and never to be forgotten, but we are now ready for a bit of change - like trying land-based living for a while.
For me (Mike) cruising at the not yet ripe age of 65 seems to have turned into endless body aches and problems that just were not an issue in my 40's. The 5-year cruise in my 40's included scampers up hills with full provisioning backpack, and sitting on the sea bottom for 2 minutes at a time waiting for lunch to swim past. Now I have maybe 20 seconds underwater time before having to broach and blow like a whale. And hills? We are currently anchored in Brewer's Bay St. Thomas, USVI. Between the beach where we land the dinghy and the parking lot where we get picked up by a bus to town is a hill that cruisers have named Mount Everest. It is a mere 85 feet tall but leaves me huffing and puffing. And that is before we add cat litter, gin, and diet Coke. Actually, now that I think about it, that would be the same as lugging all our groceries up stairs to an eighth floor apartment...
Cate misses her peeps (friends and family) and especially the feeling of fulfillment she gets from teaching. She has been going back one week a month since the first of the year to get her consulting business on track and coordinate a place for us to migrate. She just rented us a cute cottage in Gulfport, Fl. It is not big (ad says 2 bedroom NO king beds!) but after a boat, it should work great for us.
Two trips back Cate bought a sweet 2013 Prius Plug-In with less than 20,000 miles. I know gas prices are lower than they have been in decades, but fossil fuels are still a limited resource and you know prices will only go back up from here. Anyway, low gas prices means that economical hybrids like the Prius are selling very cheaply. And oddly enough, used Plug-In models generally sell for less than the non-Plug-In variety. Go figure! It has exactly the same 50 mpg gas engine fuel economy, many options for the non-Plug-In are standard (backup camera, nav system, etc.) and the Plug-In has a 4kw battery that gives it 12 miles on an electric charge. What's not to like? And the cottage we are moving to has off street parking where we can plug it in!
We intend to leave Horizon with a caretaker in Puerto Rico for this coming hurricane season. She will be close to the biggest hurricane hole in the Caribbean and so should be safe from just about anything.
Our decision to leave her in the water and in Puerto Rico is that we wanted the option to flee back to her quickly if we need the respite from civilian life. And when we come back, the fantastic cruising grounds of the Virgin Islands are only 60 miles away.
For me (Mike) cruising at the not yet ripe age of 65 seems to have turned into endless body aches and problems that just were not an issue in my 40's. The 5-year cruise in my 40's included scampers up hills with full provisioning backpack, and sitting on the sea bottom for 2 minutes at a time waiting for lunch to swim past. Now I have maybe 20 seconds underwater time before having to broach and blow like a whale. And hills? We are currently anchored in Brewer's Bay St. Thomas, USVI. Between the beach where we land the dinghy and the parking lot where we get picked up by a bus to town is a hill that cruisers have named Mount Everest. It is a mere 85 feet tall but leaves me huffing and puffing. And that is before we add cat litter, gin, and diet Coke. Actually, now that I think about it, that would be the same as lugging all our groceries up stairs to an eighth floor apartment...
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| The 85 foot Mount Everest |
Cate misses her peeps (friends and family) and especially the feeling of fulfillment she gets from teaching. She has been going back one week a month since the first of the year to get her consulting business on track and coordinate a place for us to migrate. She just rented us a cute cottage in Gulfport, Fl. It is not big (ad says 2 bedroom NO king beds!) but after a boat, it should work great for us.
Two trips back Cate bought a sweet 2013 Prius Plug-In with less than 20,000 miles. I know gas prices are lower than they have been in decades, but fossil fuels are still a limited resource and you know prices will only go back up from here. Anyway, low gas prices means that economical hybrids like the Prius are selling very cheaply. And oddly enough, used Plug-In models generally sell for less than the non-Plug-In variety. Go figure! It has exactly the same 50 mpg gas engine fuel economy, many options for the non-Plug-In are standard (backup camera, nav system, etc.) and the Plug-In has a 4kw battery that gives it 12 miles on an electric charge. What's not to like? And the cottage we are moving to has off street parking where we can plug it in!
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| Cate's new ride - 2013 Prius Plug-In |
We intend to leave Horizon with a caretaker in Puerto Rico for this coming hurricane season. She will be close to the biggest hurricane hole in the Caribbean and so should be safe from just about anything.
Our decision to leave her in the water and in Puerto Rico is that we wanted the option to flee back to her quickly if we need the respite from civilian life. And when we come back, the fantastic cruising grounds of the Virgin Islands are only 60 miles away.
Hi Mike. I see you'll be back in the area again. I look forward to have a beer with you guys eventually. At the moment I'm in Montreal for the company, probably returning July 1, roughly. - Larry M.
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