We have gone and done it, planned to sail across the Atlantic Ocean! Yep…  that is what we are going to do. Pack your bag (a tiny bag like just a backpack) and jump aboard. The trip will be from Miami, FL, to Sines, Portugal, with stops in Bermuda and Azores. Total time away from reality will be about two months. Are you ready?

So much pre-planning goes into a trip where you only have each other and the boat to rely on. The U.S.C.G. is your only lifeline. We have the equipment to send a mayday if needed, a life raft, and a ditch bag (a bag you have pre-packed with all the things you would need in the life raft). 

Then we need to be sure Jeanne (the boat’s name) is ready for anything that could happen. It’s a boat, so something is sure to happen, so it’s best to just understand that and plan for the unknown. Spare parts – check, all equipment in proper working order – check, rigging (holds up the sails) inspected – check, sails inspected – check, engines (two of them) serviced – check, and the entire bottom of Jeanne needs to be sanded and a fresh coat of paint. Now Jeanne is ready.

Time to start looking at a weather window to at least be sure we start out with wind to sail with. Did I tell you that we only carry enough fuel to motor for about three days? It is a good thing the first leg to Bermuda will only be about nine days. Are you scared of just floating around the Atlantic aimlessly? Don’t be….spoiler alert – we have made it. Then we need to be sure no tropical waves are coming off Africa that could be an issue later in the trip. Looks like we have some wind, and it’s time to go. 

Now we will need to provision Jeanne. This is going to be some back-breaking lifting. Our car is a small floating vessel, a dingy. This is going to require multiple trips on multiple days. Thank goodness in Miami, where we are provisioning, there is easy access to the grocery store. There is a small dock just across the street from the grocery store. We need a couple days to shop and then a couple days of food prep. The meals are made and frozen, so we just heat them up on the trip. Then we fill all the nooks and crannies with gallons of water. The water is in case we lose or run out of our tank water.

Untie the lines, and let’s throw up the sails. Time to get this journey going! The first few days are exhilarating, and you can’t believe you are actually sailing to Europe. Then fatigue sets in, and a few days go by where you have just tried to survive. Then you get into your routine and read and eat a lot. This is, of course, to say that the weather has been cooperating. 

Time is slow when the weather is good and fast as hell when the weather isn’t good or if the sail plan has to change constantly to match the wind.  You will spend time inside your own head and inside the head of all those you love. You will type up a quick will one day and celebrate the next. 

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