On April 3rd we pushed away from the Atlantic Yacht Basin dock and started our trip to Fort Lauderdale. We have done this run before but it’s always a thrill. Our goal was to do as much offshore cruising as possible. We have found that Morehead City, NC, has a perfect inlet to access the … Continue reading →
What a winter it has been. When we hopped off Big Smile in October we knew that snow was in our future at least for the next few months. What we did not know was that we were in for the wildest winter we have experienced since owning in VT. Temps varied incredibly. Snow came … Continue reading →
On the last day in July we left Nantucket and the Vineyard behind and headed back to this year’s home base in Greenport. With the weather being perfect, we opted to stop for two nights back on Block Island. The Block is a low key and unpretentious place compared to the two islands we just … Continue reading →
It’s early August. Summer always goes too fast, especially when you are having fun. No exception this year. We acclimated to our new surroundings in Greenport, NY. That was easy to do as there is much to like about the town and the north fork of Long Island. When I was in business and needed … Continue reading →
A couple of months have slipped by and Big Smile has made it to Greenport, NY, on the north fork of Long Island. Brewer Stirling Harbor Marina will be our home base for the summer. We haven’t had a dedicated home summer slip in two years. We stopped here for two nights last fall while … Continue reading →
The overnite trip from Venice to the Dry Tortugas was bumpy but uneventful. With the wind and seas on our nose we hobby horsed for 24 hours but towards sunset it subsided a bit. We actually made better progress than expected so at around 4AM I backtracked for an hour allowing us to arrive at … Continue reading →
It’s been quite awhile since the last post. It is April 1st, and we have one more full day at Longboat Key Marina. From here we head to Venice for two nights then on to the Tortugas for several days followed by Key West. While Big Smile did not move since our arrival in December, … Continue reading →
We returned to Vermont having left Big Smile at Atlantic Yacht Basin for a major topsides paint job. AYB estimated 6-8 weeks of work and it was almost exactly two months before we were reunited with Big Smile. In the interim we had a wonderful time back home in Vermont. It is hard not to … Continue reading →
In a rented car we left Vermont in the rear view mirror and drove back to Brewer Cove Marina in Barrington, RI. We would be departing on August 26th but prior to that, fun was to be had with both of Cath’s brothers, spouses and some of the family. It was time to leave Barrington … Continue reading →
Our spate of incredible weather rolls on. Big Smile is safely docked in Barrington RI and we have just completed our two week rental on Lake George. We are back in VT for five days and I am way behind with this posting. So this chapter is a six week catch-up and it’s all been … Continue reading →
