Cruising

This is the ninth installment in a series of dispatches from the Rath family (Colin & Pam, daughters Breana, Meriel and Nerina), who departed Stamford, CT in October 2014 for a worldwide cruise aboard their Hanse 545 Persevere.

The NARC’s primary purpose is to encourage boats heading south from the U.S. East Coast to join together for socials, discounts, and shared weather routing.

The Brew family – my husband Rich and I and our daughters Shannon and Colleen – arrived in Fort Pierce, Florida at 8 pm to step the mast and launch our Hobie 33, Kaos, for our journey to Marsh Harbour, Abacos in the Bahamas.

However, in the last five years, the waterfront on both the east and west branches of the harbor has been transformed into a bustling public space with a dozen new restaurants, miles of public boardwalks, and a packed calendar of events. Numerous transient slips, a free water taxi, on-site parking and free trolley service to and from the Stamford Transportation Center and Downtown Stamford combine to make the area easy to access, whether by boat, car or foot.

This race really started four years ago for me, when I purchased Persevere in May 2011. I had it all scheduled, crewed in preparation for the Transatlantic Race 2011, but due to a mast delivery delay I decided to cancel.

Today, New Bedford’s fishing port is the richest in America and its pristine coast, recreational marinas, short access transits to Buzzards Bay, clean water and protected harbor attracts competitive sailors and recreational boaters from around the world.

Persevere was back on a U.S. time schedule and had to be in New York City for the release of my book on May, 26 and then in Newport, RI on June 1 to prepare for the NYYC/RORC Transatlantic Race 2015, which we started on July 1.

The Belize Sailing School’s fleet includes Hobies, Lasers and Optimists.

This is the sixth installment in a series of dispatches from the Rath family (Colin & Pam, daughters Breana, Meriel and Nerina, dog Aspen and cat Wasabi), who departed Stamford, CT last fall for a worldwide cruise aboard their Hanse 545 Persevere.

That is the exact same feeling I had last July, when I pushed off the dock in Norwalk, CT, setting sail on my newly acquired Catalina 27 to travel America’s Great Loop.