Regular readers have probably noticed that the blog posts have been few and far between for awhile. Between spending the year in Beaufort and then heading south to Vero for the winter, there hasn’t been much to write about. It’s pretty much been the same old, same old.

Jeff plays the best long game of anyone I’ve ever known. He has been ready to stop cruising for a few years now, but I haven’t. After being married for over 25 years, he knew better than to push the issue because I would just dig in. So he waited. And a few months ago, his patience was rewarded. I’m ready. It’s time to swallow the anchor.

We’ve had a good run. We’ve been living and cruising on Pegu Club since 2018, and we’ve made four trips to the Bahamas. But we’re both ready for more balance in our lives. We’re ready for it not to be all boat all of the time. We’re ready not to have our days ruled by the weather. And we’d like to actually SAIL for fun. Wake up one morning, check the wind direction, sail to an anchorage, spend the night swinging on the hook, and then return.

And so we find ourselves happily looking forward to the next phase of our lives. Where is that going to be? Well, ever since we started this adventure we’ve wondered where we would settle down. Each town found us asking, “Could we live here?”

We thought Beaufort, SC was the spot. The people are friendly, the scenery is pretty, and the winters are right up my alley! But being there for a year gave us the chance to really think about what we want and where we want to be.

Ultimately, Beaufort was too small (for us). We missed having global choices for restaurant cuisines and a plethora of weekly activities and events to choose from. As Jeff put it, even if we don’t always participate in those activities, there is something psychologically comforting about knowing they are there. We missed the architectural details in the housing stock farther north. Basically, we’re city-folk, and Beaufort wasn’t city enough. Beaufort was also not optimal for sailing – not by a long shot. It’s a few hours down a winding river to the sound and there are only a few anchorages to swing on the hook. And we sure miss sailing.

So believe it or not, after all of my proclamations that I would never put up with winter again, and after weighing the pros and cons, we decided where we want to be is farther north – specifically, Baltimore, MD. So we bought a slip at Anchorage Marina. What?? Yes.

You’re probably thinking, “Isn’t Baltimore just like The Wire?!” And yes, there are definitely neighborhoods you don’t want to be – but that’s no different than any other large city.

We’ve been drawn to Baltimore for awhile now, and repeat visits have confirmed it. People are friendly (for a large city), there are tons of things to do, the health care is excellent, and by train it’s an hour to D.C. (less via Amtrak), a bit over an hour to Philly, and 2 1/2 hours to NYC.

Anchorage Marina is in a great neighborhood with plenty of walkable amenities. The marina itself is very large with good facilities and a pool. We have several cruiser friends who have stayed there both short and long-term, and everyone has raved about the location and the friendliness of the boaters.

We decided to buy a slip because the price was very reasonable, and the low monthly fees give us an economical place to keep Pegu Club as long as we own her. And we most definitely are not selling her any time soon. In 17 months we can apply to live aboard, which we will, and we bought a 45′ slip in case we decide to buy a larger trawler to live on vs. a brick and mortar land home. In the interim, we’ll do long-term stays in other spots on the Chesapeake. And, of course, the Chesapeake has a long sailing season and a plethora of rivers and anchorages to explore.

Bottom line, we’re REALLY excited.

So after posting for over a decade, I’m calling it a wrap on the blog – but I’m not planning to take it down. I’ve been contacted by many people who have said it helped them with their refits and their plans. And we like looking back at old posts to see how far we’ve come.

If anyone is reading this and is unsure whether they can go cruising, if you have a well-found boat, then believe me, you can. We’ve done it on an almost 50 year old, 30 foot boat, and when we left the farthest we had ever sailed was from Groton, CT to Newport, RI (40 nautical miles.) Just take it day by day. It’s been the adventure of a lifetime, and I wouldn’t trade the experience at all.

Thanks for following along on our journey over the years. It’s been a blast. And I have no doubt that Jeff and I have more adventures to come.