Day zero

Its Wednesday, August 31st.  Its my younger brother's birthday - happy birthday Dan!  Its also my last day at Shilshole Marina as I'm leaving tomorrow for my trip south.

I've been asked what my agenda is, when I expect to be where, what's my timeline, and so on.  I'm keeping this trip pretty loose.  I intend to head out to Neah Bay and then turn south toward San Francisco.  Sailors have headings, not destinations.  My current loose plan is to head to San Francisco, spend a little while there and then slowly make my way down the coast to San Diego.  I have a course back in Port Townsend October 30th/31st so I will probably come back for that.  Then I'll head back to the boat and take her into Mexico.  I'd like to stay around Mexico for a while, eventually leaving to return back to Seattle mid summer 2012.  I'll either come back via Hawaii or up the coast.

That's just one of the many possible outcomes.  Its a heading, a general idea of what might happen.  There are lots and lots of entirely satisfactory outcomes which don't follow that loose outline.

So this trip is just casual, a loosely organized plan.  On the other hand, I have retired, sold my house, given away most of my belongs and put some others in storage.  Those aren't really the actions of someone just dabbling in the sailing thing, wondering what it would be like.  Cruising greatly appeals to me.  But its time to see if the actuality of Cruising meets my expectations.  One of the books I read (and there were lots and lots of books) suggested that it takes a year of cruising to really know if you're suited to it.  There will be ups and downs along the way, but the thinking is that a year is long enough to know if its something you want to do for another chunk of time.  If I finish this first year and like it, there are so many places to see!  The South Pacific would be awesome, I would love to go there!  But one step at a time.  My next step is to get up tomorrow morning, drop my car off at a friends house, come back to the boat and cast off my lines and head out to Port Townsend on my way to Neah Bay.

This trip is probably just an out and back.  When asked recently where I was sailing to, I thought for a bit and replied "Seattle."  The answer could just as easily been Port Townsend.  Or Neah Bay.  Or San Francisco.  Cabo San Lucas?  Maybe where I'm sailing to tomorrow is the Marquesis?  Australia?  Who knows where these little steps will lead?

Anyway.  Time for bed.  I  have things to do tomorrow.