April 18, 2016 - Future Plans

We have made a big decision and it locks-in our boating plans for the rest of the year.  We are shipping the boat from La Paz to Victoria BC.  We are NOT going to bash our way all the way up the west coast for 2,500 miles battling weather and seas and burning up a lot of fuel.  We have spoken with so many people down here that have done this long trip, and nobody has had a good time doing it.  It is quite an easy trip going south where you are traveling with the wind and waves.  It's a totally different story heading north heading into the waves and wind.  The trip northbound is called the "Baja Bash", and for good reason!  It's basically a torture test.

Click here for a good article on the Baja Bash

Adagio will be traveling with good company on a specialized yacht-transport freighter, with at least 7 other boats we have met down here this spring.  The freighter is coming from Ft. Lauderdale FL, via the Panama Canal, loaded with boats.  We will be loading our boat onto the freighter in La Paz sometime in mid-May.  It will take about a week to ten days for the ship to travel from La Paz to Victoria.  Victoria is a short ferry ride for us from home, so meeting our vessel upon arrival will be quite easy to do.

We will then cruise Adagio back home for a week or two to clean up the boat, remove items we don't need, pack items we do need, and to reprovision with food.  Then we are back out again for a summer of fun going north.  With luck we will be able to cruise Alaska this summer.  We will return home in time for the start of the school year.

Shipping it home will let us avoid the wear & tear and abuse the boat will suffer during that long trip.  We will save a lot of money on fuel.  We will avoid a lot of maintenance and repairs too.  Plus, we won't be exposed to the weather on the coast, and the sometimes treacherous bar crossings.  We won't be stuck in ports waiting for weather breaks.  Instead, we will be home quickly, rested and relaxed, ready for a summer of fun cruising up north.  To us it makes good sense to ship the boat home.

So, that's what we are up to for the next 4-5 months.

Some photos of yachts being shipped:

Here's two short videos showing the loading and unloading process:

Seven-Star loading

Unloading - watch this!