Do We Know Where We’re Going?

As we continue to formulate our plans for sailing south, we have begun to compile a list of places we hope to visit.  Our plan is, basically, to leave the Narragansett and head south/west.  While our route will change as we progress, we have some preliminary ideas:

Late August: move onboard full time in Bristol Harbor, RI.  We will want a few weeks to settle in and adjust to having Atalanta as our only home and to test out new equipment. All remaining possessions will be tucked away on the boat or safely in storage.

September (Mid): head into Long Island Sound and spend time near New Rochelle visiting family for a week or so.

September (late): leave Long Island Sound entering the East River.  Passing Manhattan’s east side, we will round the Battery, passing the Statue of Liberty.  Once clear of the Verrazano Bridge, we will sail south to Cape May, NJ.  Leaving Cape May via the canal, we enter Delaware Bay, the C & D Canal, and Chesapeake Bay.

October: explore the Chesapeake, both on the Annapolis side and the Delmarva Peninsula.  We hope good winds warm temperatures for this part of the voyage.

October (late): enter the Intercoastal Waterway (ICW) at Hampton Roads, VA.  We will spend a number of days heading south, making time only during the daylight hours until we reach Morehead City, NC. By leaving the ICW and going into the Atlantic, we will avoid rounding Cape Hatteras.  Once on the outside, we will sail south to Charleston, SC.

November:  is our time for Charleston. This will provide us with a chance to visit family in Mount Pleasant. City Marina is a great location for accessing all that is Charleston so it will be our home for the better part of a month.  We do not want to be south of Charleston before the end of the November since hurricane season continues until November 15^th. We may even find ourselves lingering into the early part of December.  Time will tell.

December:  will find us launching off for the blue waters and sunny skies of the Caribbean. Palm trees and no snow! Our point of departure will most likely be Charleston but our next destination is undetermined. We want to visit Puerto Rico and a friend of Richard’s who lives there.  Then it’s on to the BVI’s. 

Be sure to comment and suggest places that we should visit (or that you would like to come to visit us).