It's (almost) Cruising Season in the Caribbean Again

There used to be three boats here just two days ago...

...and now, they are gone.  It's that time of year again folks:  Cruising season!  The Caribbean hurricane season (roughly June to November) is all but over and boats are headed out to sea again.  Some are headed North, some venturing South, with others trekking East or West.  It's an emotional time for many; not only because so many people must bid farewell to so many wonderful boating friends they have made but because many people are discovering their boats aren't quite as ready to leave as they are.  You see,  after months and months of sitting idle many people rev their engines to head out to that ever-beckoning horizon, only to turn around and limp back to the harbor or anchorage less than 12 hours later when they discover some system isn't working properly.

Scott and I have a saying when it comes to health and fitness, and that is "move it or lose it".  The idea being that if you don't move and use your body (thus staying fit), you'll end up with all sorts of health problems later.  This appears to be true for boats as well.  Many boat's are waking up from their summer hibernations with ceased water pumps, faulty windlasses, impellers that don't impel, depth sounders that don't sound and more.  Because we have been travelling so much since we got here (and not by our boat) and because Scott now is gone all week long with his new job, we too, have neglected to use our little Rasmus.  And boy does she need to get out to sea again!

So...how can you prevent your boat from falling into this trap?  While we are obviously not leading by example - I think the trick is to USE it.  Go for a day sail, run your engine, drop your anchor, service your winches, check your oils, run those halyards, and grease those moving parts!  While this doesn't guarantee you won't have any surprises, it will help to keep you on top of the problems as they arise so you aren't scrambling for parts at the very last minute, desperately trying to fix something so you can get to the BVI's for Christmas or something similar.

We're planning on doing a little cruising in November to the Grenadines when we have a slew of visitors - so we'll let you know how we fare...fingers crossed!

Love,
Brittany & Scott