Shannon and I had our last sail of 2017 on Friday. The weather has been essentially terrible over the last few weeks. So finally, when the rain cleared up, we untied Nymeria from the dock and set off for a cold, winter day sail in the Galveston Bay.
After getting out of the channel and into the bay, we hoisted the sails and shut off the engine. This is one of the most beautiful moments in sailing. All the noise of the engine is gone and all you can hear is the water and wind around you. You can feel all the power flowing through the boat moving you forward.
It really struck us then just how far we had come in 2017. We had hatched this plan many years ago, but this year it all came together. It all happened so much faster than I had imagined. It was only July that we left our house in Durango and really began this journey.
What a journey it has been too. Thousands of miles pulling our RV with the little Tacoma. Random nights at random RV parks in random locations. Cross country trips for weddings. Emergency evacuations for hurricanes. 24 hour road trips to marinas all up and down the huge state of Texas. Mad dashes from one bank to another to get money together to purchase the boat by the closing date. Day after day of boat projects (and for the foreseeable future). All to get to here, quietly cruising at 5 knots in Galveston Bay.
We would not have made it so far without all the love and support from our friends and family. From the day, we started talking about this crazy idea, everyone has been incredibly supportive. Shout outs to our friends who suffered through many boat conversations over an alcoholic beverage or three. A special thank you to the folks whose couches we crashed during hurricane evacuations. Also many thanks to all that are following along with us on this adventure.
Now that we have the boat, and are getting fairly settled in, whats next? We don’t really know. Our first goal would be to get at least 500 miles sailed under our keel. That should really help us get to know Nymeria and her capabilities, as well as grow ours to match. This time will also allow us to make any changes and upgrades that we feel we need in order help us take her anywhere.
With destinations only limited by our imagination and confidence, we’re excited to see what our next adventures bring!
