Adagio News Updates

Adagio’s voyage finally began in May of 2003 from the Sarasota Sailing Squadron in Florida. Having arrived there, originally, to build a James Wharram catamaran we soon realized buying a boat was a much cheaper option.

We both worked our arses off for 5 years, built a house, sold everything, bought Adagio and fled. Well! After several false starts – upgrading, adding, and repairing equipment was a task that took quite a bit longer than expected – and a few cool farewell parties we headed off to the keys.

Nervousness was the order of the day for both of us as we passed under the Newpass bridge. Although sailing wasn’t a new experience, living fulltime at sea in our own boat was! Everything we owned in Florida, and could fit, was packed into this 38 footer that we hoped to avoid running into a reef or worse. We were heading to one of the largest reef areas around, the Bahamas. Navigation and attentiveness had to be at an all time high.

Also left behind were the people who made our stay in Florida possible and memorable. We new keeping in touch with email was possible but, it’s not same as looking into a friends eyes and sharing a laugh over a beer. Many of which had become family and will never be forgotten. Sadness was also in the air on this day. It’s odd how a great adventure can have such a sorrowful beginning.

A couple of hours out we encountered one of the fiercest summer squalls I can remember. Right at sunset the heavens opened up with a vengeance. The wind that followed screamed through the rigging and drove the rain horizontally into the cockpit resulting in zero visibility. To compound the situation we were close to shore looking for the deep water cut into Boca Grande, FL, between the mainland and the shoals running east west. I had been through this cut many times and under normal conditions it’s quite easy. However, not this night. We turned Adagio westward and ran for deeper water until things calmed down. Sometime later we headed back in through the shipping channel and anchored off Pelican Bay.

This was our first few hours of the dream cruise. Meri and I looked at each other and figured the initiation was over. Now down to the real cruise.

The next few days saw us heading south towards the Florida Keys via, Marco Island, Snake River in Ponce De Leon Bay and famous for it’s swarms of ferocious mosquitoes, then on to Jewfish Hole – should that now be “Mammoth Fish Key”!!! for political correctness - on the gulf side of Long Key. Our friend, Kenny “Too Many” McKinney, on "Quidam" was just as concerned with the lack of water under the keel along this route. Definitely not for deep draft boats.

The next day had us sailing south along the east coast of Florida to Boot Key Harbour. We would change out the rigging here and pick up last minute provisions for three months in the Bahamas.

Having arrived safely with no unfortunate incidents we did the most natural thing for cruisers, went to the pub, got drunk, and celebrated!!