Sunday, January 1, 2012

A New Year - Reflections and Planning

The New Year… a time for reflection and planning. As I reflect on the past year - the first year of my retirement - I am struck by what a wonderful year it was. I traveled - many miles on the road moving from California to Michigan (visiting family and friends along the way); a couple road trips to Virginia and, of course, the Epic West Coast Road Trip. I re-launched my Goat Island Skiff, Karen Ann, and enjoyed sailing in Michigan, Oregon and Oklahoma. 2011 also marked the beginning of a new boat-building project (the whole point of this blog). So, 2011 was a full and wonderful year for me.

As for the New Year, I plan to complete and launch Gardens of Fenwick and begin my boat-camping adventures in selected settings. "Adventures" may be too strong but it suits me and my attitude about small boat sailing. My plan is to enjoy some extended (what? maybe, eventually, 2 -3 weeks at a time) boat camping in selected settings:

Maine Island Trail
Les Cheneaux Islands
Tip of the Mitt
Apostle Islands
Lake Superior's North Shore
San Juan Islands

And perhaps some of the group outings:

Texas 200
Florida 120
OBX 130

I don't expect to launch Gardens and immediately set off on a string of 3-week trips across the country.  What I hope to do is have the boat ready to take to Les Cheneaux Islands in July (the family sailing trip) and begin the adventures with a 1- or 2-night outing. One has to start somewhere.  

There is a lot to do to have Gardens ready for that first outing. There is no time like the beginning of a New Year to make such plans.

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