November 11th, 2016

Captain Carrie Kintz

Friday we were finally casting off the dock at Salt River. Not quite on our way yet, but the next step in the plan. Our morning consisted of, but certainly was not limited to, taking Gabe to the airport, finishing laundry, another run to Home Depot, packing our bags, packing up the rest of the food, emptying the fridge, and loading up the truck. We made two trips in a truck stuffed like a Thanksgiving turkey and were grateful to have access to a hand truck to move the freezer aboard. 

Time to organize. This felt a lot like moving into a new apartment, for five people. Figuring out where things should be, if they would fit where we wanted them to, and making sure it made sense to have them there was a fun challenge, for the first hour. It was hot and humid and bins were strewn about both inside and out of the cabin like the aftermath of a hurricane. And like play written by Murphy's Law, it starts to rain. I guess the rain was a little challenge to keep us on our toes. While finally getting the provisions in place, other items were being checked off the list. The fuel bladders and barrels for fuel and water needed to be placed strategically and lashed down properly and securely. Captain Gary did a few more runs up and down the mast and Captain Jim made sure all the customs paperwork for transiting the Panama Canal was in order.

We casted off around 5:00pm, made the very tricky exit from Salt River, traveled about eight miles east to Christiansted, and anchored just before sunset. We took photos and enjoyed the view!

Captain Kama was in charge of dinner and prepared tossed salad and spaghetti. We ate our first meal on the boat together under the stars on the back illuminated deck which we affectionately call "South Beach."