We had planned to take our boat on a couple of extended trips this winter in the warm southern waters of Florida and the Bahamas but due to some unexpected family events, those plans had to be scuttled. Now, as Spring approaches, we have decided to cast our eyes toward more northerly climes, seeking out cooler summer weather and hopefully out of harms way for what is expected to be a robust "hurricane season" here in the tropics.
We plan to depart Longboat Key on April 20th and begin our sojourn to the Chesapeake Bay where m/v ENCORE will spend the summer on Kent Island Maryland. Having made this trip a number of times before, we are looking forward to visiting a few of our favorite places on the Intracoastal Waterway (ICW) as well as discovering some new ports of call along the way. The trip will span some 1300+ miles and should take us about two weeks -- provided we don't get waylaid due to weather or mechanical issues!
For the next two weeks, ENCORE will be going through the necessary service intervals for the engines, drivetrains, generator, air conditioning, water and electric systems. All of the electronic charts have already been updated, the radar calibrated, radios checked, emergency life raft re-certified, ditch bag repacked, and all the necessary Coast Guard requirements met (yes, you really have to do all that stuff before venturing out on the water too far!)
We will soon do our provisioning and final checklist before casting off on the 20th. I will keep you updated as we get underway! You can "follow us" by clicking the LIVE TRACKING icon ion the right side of this page. It will be active whenever we are underway.
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