I was 41, the Captain 39, and Czar just over a year when we stepped on board our 1971 single-engine trawler. Cap and I were still getting to know one another, but we shared the desire for a REAL adventure. We had more guts than sense, everyone readily shared; but we were determined. Our assets were as limited as our boating experience; yet without any real plan, our intention was to cruise the Caribbean for a year and see if we liked it. Czar, Cap's sweet-tempered collie, detested the water.
Following one month’s preparation and a few practice runs around the Sarasota area, our crossing from Florida to the Bahamas was a portent of things to come. With each mishap south my trauma increased, and by Puerto Rico my nerves were totally spent. We remained floating offshore from an idyllic fishing village for the next 12 years.
In the age before cellphones, GPS and Google Search, how was it possible? Fortunately, I kept journals and took lots of photos. Individual stories listed on the right can be read in any order; easy enough to find backstories. Stories of subsequent years are on the far right. Originally posted on my Travels with Buttercup, it's easy enough to return. Please enjoy one Boomer's mid-life adventure and thank you for sharing!
