Jenny and I have been generally planning to bring Magus back to Maine at some point, but we've put it off for the obvious benefit of having a boat in the Caribbean. We do worry about the hurricane issue, and we seem to have been fortunate again this year. Anyway, 2012 seems like a good time to bring Magus up to St. Mary's City Maryland, because we could be there for daughter Echo's graduation from St. Mary's College of Maryland on May 12. Then leave Magus somewhere in that area until we can bring her to Maine over the summer.
This is a long trip that is essentially a delivery, given the distance and time limitations. The trip could be through some very interesting places, but there wouldn't be a lot of time to stop and relax. The fastest, basic option would be to sail from Salinas around to Mayaguez on the west cost of Puerto Rico, about 90 nautical miles, then go straight to Beuafort, NC about 1,150 n.miles, then take the "waterway" for 190 miles to Norfolk and then 120 miles up the Chesapeake to St. Mary's City. That's 1,550 n.miles that could be done in about three weeks, with no weather delays, and the longest part of the trip would be about 10 days at sea.
The next option would be to go to the Turks and Caicos from Mayaguez, that's about 350 n.miles, then from there to Beaufort for 860 n.miles, then the rest. The total would be 1,620 n.miles, and it would take a few more days because of the stops, but the longest ocean leg would be reduced to 7 or 8 days, and the total time could be less than 4 weeks, or call it 5. Definitely a delivery, though.
Here's a plan that would allow for some vacation, but it would still be a delivery. One month to move the boat from her mooring in Salinas to Nassau Bahamas, then leave her there for a month while I come back and work, then back to the boat and take another month to bring the boat from Nassau to St.Mary's City. It's about 1,000 n.miles to Nassau, with the current plan to sail past the Dominican Republic but stop in the Turks & Caicos, cross the "bank," then go 210 miles to clear into the Bahamas at San Salvador, then follow the Exumas up to Nassau. From Nassau to St. Mary's City is about 920 n.miles that would allow a short stop in the northern Bahamas (the Abacos,) then a 500 mile ocean crossing to Beaufort, NC and then the waterway and Chesapeake to St. Mary's City. These maps show the overall territory, but Google satellite maps are a good way to look at some of the details, and they have a distance measuring tool, now.
It's early December, and Jenny has just decided she wants to do the trip, so now we can really make plans, like find someone to watch the dogs and ducks, and that should be possible. The overnight ocean crossings need to have at least two people, and it would be easier to have four. If anyone looking at this wants to volunteer, let me know. Here are the tentative dates (and it looks like I can get the time off):
First leg: February 24 to March 31, then the second leg from April 20 to May 19. The first of the travel blocks is 5 weeks long instead of 4, so that should make it more fun. We'll also need some time to get ready before we can leave, and then put the boat away, so the travel time is not as much as it sounds like. We should be able to fit in a little time to relax and chill, though.
Magus is a 1971 Banjer 37 motorsailer, purchased by Albert and Jenny in 2008. The boat stayed in Salinas, Puerto Rico, on a mooring for the next 4 years. We visited each spring to do projects and sail around, including adventures to the Virgin Islands. In 2012, we brought her home to Maine. In 2016-17, we moved aboard for an extended cruise to the Abacos, Bahamas and eventually back. The adventures continue.
