Heading off cruising - sooner

[killarney_sailor]

Our original plan was for the admiral to keep working until Aug 2010 and then we would take off south and likely to Europe the following summer. That was the plan until the middle of last week. June was working in an IT job for a large international financial company in the NYC and ... well you can guess the rest. Three of the nine people in her department were laid off without warning - I just got a call asking me to pick her up outside the office. She was called to HR and then asked to immediately leave the property. Someone at the marina said he was not sure whether it was appropriate to say they were sorry or to congratulate us. I think that I will pick the latter although money will be tighter in the longer term.

I thought I had 18 months to finish the refit of the boat but now it looks like a month. We are at Liberty Landing Marina and the summer contract starts on April 15th. They have been very decent and said that they will let us out of the contract ($9500/yr) if they can fill our dock and it appears they can. They also said we can stay until May 1st. Lots to do, ranging from installing the new chart plotter to replacing the nav lights with LED to taking a wilderness first aid course.

We are thinking of heading to the Chesapeake for May and then heading to Bermuda to continue our shakedown process (the Bristol is a lot more boat than the others I have taken to Bermuda). After we get back from Bermuda in the third week in June we will head up to New England for the summer before heading south in the fall. We will likely do the Caribbean 1500 to the BVIs.

[sailingdog]

Congrats... When you're up in Massachusetts waters, let me know, I'd love to show you a few sights... Ask Gui... I'm a pretty good tour guide.

[sww914]

One door closes and another opens. Congratulations on the strange, stressful turn of events.

[JohnRPollard]

Sounds like you're turning this unexpected twist into an opportunity. Good for you!

[xort]

CONGTATULATIONS!!!!

Best thing that ever happened to me was getting fired back in 1978.

[Freesail99]

The adventure begins, Fair winds.

[camaraderie]

Killarney... nothing is better than retirement on a boat! Now SLOW DOWN and enjoy it!!

[easygoing]

Wish I would get fired or laid-off. I would do the same thing.I just don't have the nerve to say "Take this job and shove it". Good Luck

[SV Pearl]

Good luck Killarney with your new life. Have fun cruising in Maine and stop by our marina on the way to the 1500.

BTW I put Lopo lights on Pearl (deck level), beautiful pieces of gear, and rock solid - used on Volvo boats. I'd like to get the mast head unit (when I can afford it) as it will shave off about 6" from my mast height.

[PBzeer]

Best wishes. Now that's "change" you can believe in!