We rose at first light on Monday, February 27th. The dew was heavy that morning, and the morning coffee ritual had left the dodger window fogged. But the rising sun was warm, and our spirits were high as La Peregrina motored away from Sarasota’s Otter Key and into the intracoastal waterway. A 12 knot breeze blew from the southeast, so we let the genoa out to gain an extra knot of speed. A handful of bridge openings went easily, and we were in the open water of Tampa Bay by noon. Egmont Key slid by on our port side, and we settled into our passage to the Florida panhandle. It was the last overnight passage of our Year of Living Dangerously.
We arrived in St. Andrews Bay two days later, on the cold, gray morning of March 1st, just as a cold front arrived. We got the anchor down in Smack Bayou, a beautiful and wonderfully protected little harbor not far from downtown Panama City, and hunkered down in the cold.
From there, it was several daysails west to New Orleans. We had a fast run in 25 knot northerly winds to Destin Harbor, and then to Big Lagoon near Pensacola Bay. We were thrilled to have Molly and Lola join us for a couple nights.
Then we took the ICW to Orange Beach, where we managed to meet Rene and some golfing friends for dinner. Then a short motor to the Bon Secour River where we spent the afternoon and evening with Jack and Margie. Then across Mobile Bay, into Mississippi Sound to Horn Island. Then through the Rigolets railroad bridge to the familiar, serene anchorage in the West Mouth of the Pearl River.
And then, suddenly, it was over. On March 10, 2017, at about 2:00 in the afternoon, we secured La Peregrina’s dock lines at South Shore Harbor Marina in New Orleans. In the 426 days since we left this same marina, we had sailed to nine foreign countries, covering roughly 5500 nautical miles in the process. It had been everything we had hoped for, and more. We’re so glad we did it!
Jade drove in from Houston to deliver our car to us. How great to see both our daughters in the space of a week! My first drive in quite a while was to Rouse’s to buy a bag of Zap’s potato chips. They didn’t last long. It was so nice to be back in our beloved New Orleans! We caught up with old marina friends, listened to WWOZ on the radio, and ate some fabulous meals.
La Peregrina has been incredibly good to us over the past 14 months. She learned to trust us, and we learned to trust her. She’s a wonderful little boat, capable of much more than we originally expected. In the early months of our voyage, we were terrified by 20 knot winds, often choosing to hunker down at anchor. By the end of our trip, we knew our Cabo Rico 34 loved a fresh breeze. We learned to be comfortable at 25 or even 30 knots, and we never doubted her even during squalls when the winds hit 45 knots. She is solid as a rock.
La Peregrina will continue to be our home for a little while, as we re-situate ourselves in “the real world.” But she has a restless soul. She’ll be out there again. I’m sure of it.
We arrived in St. Andrews Bay two days later, on the cold, gray morning of March 1st, just as a cold front arrived. We got the anchor down in Smack Bayou, a beautiful and wonderfully protected little harbor not far from downtown Panama City, and hunkered down in the cold.
Then we took the ICW to Orange Beach, where we managed to meet Rene and some golfing friends for dinner. Then a short motor to the Bon Secour River where we spent the afternoon and evening with Jack and Margie. Then across Mobile Bay, into Mississippi Sound to Horn Island. Then through the Rigolets railroad bridge to the familiar, serene anchorage in the West Mouth of the Pearl River.
And then, suddenly, it was over. On March 10, 2017, at about 2:00 in the afternoon, we secured La Peregrina’s dock lines at South Shore Harbor Marina in New Orleans. In the 426 days since we left this same marina, we had sailed to nine foreign countries, covering roughly 5500 nautical miles in the process. It had been everything we had hoped for, and more. We’re so glad we did it!
Jade drove in from Houston to deliver our car to us. How great to see both our daughters in the space of a week! My first drive in quite a while was to Rouse’s to buy a bag of Zap’s potato chips. They didn’t last long. It was so nice to be back in our beloved New Orleans! We caught up with old marina friends, listened to WWOZ on the radio, and ate some fabulous meals.
La Peregrina has been incredibly good to us over the past 14 months. She learned to trust us, and we learned to trust her. She’s a wonderful little boat, capable of much more than we originally expected. In the early months of our voyage, we were terrified by 20 knot winds, often choosing to hunker down at anchor. By the end of our trip, we knew our Cabo Rico 34 loved a fresh breeze. We learned to be comfortable at 25 or even 30 knots, and we never doubted her even during squalls when the winds hit 45 knots. She is solid as a rock.
La Peregrina will continue to be our home for a little while, as we re-situate ourselves in “the real world.” But she has a restless soul. She’ll be out there again. I’m sure of it.
