Shortly after we purchased our first boat I was looking through the magazine rack at a local grocery store. On the cover of "Cruising World" was a photo of a sailboat anchored in a beautiful, secluded anchorage. The water was a deep blue and the entire anchorage was surrounded by granite cliffs. "What a perfect place", I thought to myself, "I wonder where this is?" I was surprised to find out that this anchorage was in the North Channel. This was a place we could actually go!
I purchased the magazine and took it home. Much to my dismay the article stressed that the navigation in this area was tricky. A rookie like me could probably run my boat onto the many boulders which lurk beneath the surface. Surprisingly, my better judgment and Robins common sense took over. We decided not to make the North Channel one of our first cruising destinations, but we would go there SOON!
That was nine years ago and now we are actually going to see the North Channel. Chances are we may still nudge one of those boulders, but, Oh Well!
Besides completing a "nine-year goal", this cruise will test our long-term-cruising plan. We have taken our plan and applied it on a smaller scale for this trip. Our "modified short term plan" is shown below.
| Step | Activity | Status |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Purchase a boat capable of cruising | Completed |
| 2 | Upgrade boat for cruising | In Progress |
| 3 | Research the following topics: | |
| Preparing to Live Aboard | In Progress | |
| Cruising Skills | In Progress | |
| Cruising Destinations | Completed |