Island Spirit Winter 2013-14 Plan

Team Island Spirit, IP35-165 owned by Hayden and Radeen will be launching on November 4, 2013 at Salt Creek Marina, St. Pete, Florida when we truck out of the Island Packet Yachts Refit program. Our plan is to take the first two weeks of November to work on TEAK, and then to rebuild our boat. We will either work out of Salt Creek Marina, St. Pete, or we will move directly to Snead Island Boat Works in Palmetto, Fl where our mast is located. We will stay at Snead Island Boat Works for the month of November rebuilding and shaking down our newly refit yacht.

Once all systems are back installed, and the boat is shaken down, we will move from the west coast of Florida to Biscayne Bay. We plan to spend Dec 2013 and Jan 2014 exploring between South Beach, Miami, Coconut Grove, Dinner Key, No Name Harbor, Elliot Key, Boca Chita, and some fine ocean sailing, all while based on anchor around Biscayne Bay. We have always passed through this beautiful bay on our way north and south and we have never taken the time to fully explore and enjoy Biscayne Bay. This year, that is our plan.

Then when a weather window opens up late Jan or early Feb, we will make a run for the Exumas with the goal of George Town and beyond! We would like to explore Conception Island just past George Town. Then we will work our way north re-exploring the Exumas.

April, we like to spend in Abaco as there is so much to enjoy, and it is a logical way back home.

May, we will return to the states with a destination of Chesapeake Bay, Rock Hall, MD by Memorial Day.

Summer 2014 will find us returning to BLOCK ISLAND sound where we will spend a summer in our favorite sailing area, New England! We will focus from Cape Cod to Watch Hill, RI to Block Island and all points in between.

Sept 2014, we will return to Rock Hall, MD.

Oct 2014, Annapolis MD BOAT SHOW time.....and the loop begins all over again. WOW!

This is our cruising outline for this 3rd year of cruising. We really do enjoy this lifestyle. We hope to connect with other IP owners along the way. Please contact us via our blog at IslandSpirit.us or simply reply to this post which will email us as well.

We will see you along the way....





Hayden

William:
We have many Google Maps of planned routes and routes we have run. You can see these maps here:

islandspirit35.blogspot.com/p/google-maps-where-we-are.html

Here is where we ran, last winter. Miami Fl to George Town back to Abacos, then across Florida to St. Pete.

spotwalla.com/tripViewer.php?id=5f3351129d4727c30

Here is our ICW MD to Fl to Bahamas, last year
tinyurl.com/icw2012

What we have learned is that it is far easier to go off cruising than what we expected. The hardest part of cruising is setting a date and leaving the dock.

Hayden

Update and EXCITED....

After looking over the three marina areas related to the Island Packet Yachts Refit program, we have actually decide to truck Island Spirit BACK TO SNEAD ISLAND BOAT WORKS in Palmetto Florida. This decision was based on the fact that SNEAD Island Boatworks is a very nice facility and they can perform any work needed. They also have sheds to dock under a roof, and with or mast off, we are booked for a shed until we finish our teak varnish.

So, we will be trucking out of the Island Packet Yachts Factory Monday, NOV 4 around 11 am. Island Spirit will travel Rt 275 out and around Tampa Bay once again, doing about 70 MPH. She will arrive at Snead around noon and be launched from the truck back into the water. At that point, we will drive her to a covered dock and begin our rebuild process and our exterior teak finish.

We expect to take most of November at SNEAD ISLAND Boatworks, and by Dec 4, we will sail out and begin or 3rd year of cruising.

Again: Here is a Google Map of the places related to the Refit Program:

tinyurl.com/ipyrefit

Hayden

We will see you in Biscayne Bay, Greg and Ellen. Looking forward to that Rock Hall Boy!
Hayden