Off we go...

August 1991.

There were evenings during the spring and summer of 1991 that I would begin to feel overwhelmed by the amount of things that were going on.

At O'Keefe, my career was gradually becoming more substantial, and more stressful. Directors of Design & Marketing always tend to grow with the company.

Often, in the evenings, I would drive for an hour and a quarter to take Blue Grace out for a sail. These were surely the nicest evenings of all. With the autopilot installed, Blue Grace could be trimmed and let loose to sail across the deep waters of Lake Champlain.

One particular evening I set the sails and went below to get a drink, turned on the spreader lights and went up to sit on the foredeck with a book. This was as good as it gets, and my mind drifted towards the book and away from the office.

Blue Grace sailed on at 4.5 knots, with very little heel. The sun was now completely set and I could feel the tension of the week flowing out. Comfortably, I leaned back and began to enjoy the ride. Port Kent was in the distance, and to quote the Caribbean, No Problem, Mon.

Suddenly Blue Grace seemed to start slowing down, until she came to a complete, slow halt. No noise, no sudden jerk, just a slow, complete halt.

Curiously, I went and peered over the side but it was now too dark to see the bottom and I went below to check out the charts. Voila! From what I could tell, the sandbar surrounding The Ausable Chasm had shifted and I was stuck in the sand.

Reverse throttle pulled Blue Grace from her sandtrap within seconds, and I was again on my way.

This was early in the summer, and my thoughts were still unclear as to what I was going to be doing come next September.

I had made the decision to leave my 'job' and sail to Florida and then over to the Bahamas and take charter guests along the way to see how I like the concept of being a charter boat captain and dive instructor. In Florida, I would complete my Navigation License and my 6 Pack Captains License.

Although I was preparing the boat to the best of my abilities, it was only that. To the best of my known abilities, but Blue Grace was beginning to be very comfortable and very safe.

I had ordered specially fitted sheets for those impossible bed shapes they insist on designing in boats, as well as installed an Alpine stereo, refrigeration and a freezer.

The weeks passed quickly and the work was steady. Blue Grace began to resemble a home more and more and gradually, I felt close to completeness in my preparation.

I planned a dinner with several friends and had garage sales. I sold a lot of furniture and began to prepare myself for a less materially oriented lifestyle.

It was a safer decision than it sounds. I had a firm job offer which would begin the following March in Bermuda, so now seemed a good time to test the idea of whether or not I would enjoy sailing as an occupation.