Replacement head sail raised and we are off.

Hit by a squall causing some damage on approach to the Xquisite Catamaran Center. The Grand Opening Party was fun and great food at their new restaurant. So much fun it made it difficult to traverse the dock back to the boat that night.

We pass the Space X recovery vessel off of florida on our way to grand opening of the Grand Bahama Xquisite Catamaran Service Center.

Hanging out in the Bahamas (Berrys & Exumas). Then heading north for the summer.

Chub Cay Bahamas check-in before heading to New Providence to change crew. Then on to the turquoise waters of the Exumas. Finish back in Ft Lauderdale to service the sail drives.

Sail to No Name to group up for the third Xquisite meetup. Heading to Bahamas.

Heading north passing Miami at sunset. Not updating weather timely cause 10 hours of crew discomfort. Thank Elon this will not happen again.

We all gather around No Name Harbor for the Second Xquisite Meetup. A sail to Marathon for an owners party on the island. Cruiser Notes: Crab 🦀 Pot hell… of criss crossing drop lines 🤬🤬🤬 I managed to back off two but wrapped a third.

Quick trip down to florida for some gel coat repair.

Starting to get too cold… moving south.

Replaced brushes on auto pilot motor. Returning to Wilmington with good sailing and fishing before the Covid Lockdown.

2020 First Xquisite Flotilla from No Name Harbor, (FL) to Chub Cay in the Berry’s to check in. Then West End stop before the Exumas. On the return to Wilmington there was a failure in the auto pilot causing a divert to Jacksonville, FL

Moving into boat show slip.

Staging the yacht for the Miami International Boat Show and warrantee work.

Moving south to stay warm. Bull Run Marina strong tidal current

Return from Annapolis Boat Show. Rough weather after show everyone anchored up along the way to wait out the weather. Once the weather changed there was a convoy south…

Heading to the Annapolis Sailboat Show…

Last leg of Atlantic crossing. Large squalls as we approach the Cape Fear River. We tie up downtown Wilmington.

We enjoy the day swimming in the grotto and with the pigs. Found it challenging finding the boat after six bahama mamas each… off to North Carolina while crew hungover in the morning.

Down to three for the remainder of the trip. A two day turn around and off to the Bahamas. Sargasso islands covered the Caribbean sea. We check in and head to Staniel Cay after reprovisioning.

New crew on board we head toward the Caribbean. Three polywogs advanced to Shellbacks and caught the first mahi.. yum. Sailed past the mouth of the Amazon River before we hit the doldrums. A little over two days til the wind filled in. This is another crew change location. Loose two gain one. From her on out it is just the three of us. Cruiser Notes: (2019) Prickly Bay check in was easy with one office short walk from fuel dock. There is also a bar next door. There is a french butcher here… don’t let him know you are leaving soon. Or you may get a lower quality cut as we did.

Sweet sail all down wind and following seas… Six day Parrasail run. Ecotourism Dream Island. Also an active night life of young Brazilians. Loved nature, food, & drink (loved the local lemonade 😎) Due to the delayed start one crew member had to leave and a replacement is added before continuing. Cruiser Notes: (2019) Portuguese is the native language so use a translator app to assist clearing in. There are fees for each crew member and the boat per day.

First ocean crossing on going… Rough start 25-35 with 3 meter rollers coming from the south and a 1.5-2 meter from the ESE. We were down one crew for those three days. He missed the whale discharge. The days got warmer and calmer thru the nine day passage. Wow arrival was stunning. The island contacted us on approach and directed us to a red mooring. Note don’t arrive on a long holiday weekend.😩 We recommend a taxi tour of the island. Our taxi driver had lived on the island since the late 1930’s. The stories and history he shared was amazing. Only one of us climbed Jacobs Ladder in the end Check in: Some walking involved but friendly and helpful. Cruiser Notes: (2019) You will need to exchange currency as all they use is their own. Also outside credit cards are not accepted. So weekend arrival may not be ideal. The mooring field is serviced by a shuttle with limited hours of operation. You will need to “befriend” the shuttle captain to get off hour trips back to the boat. Our experience on local beef at the market… do you have good jaw muscles?

First open water… time to break in all systems…. No wind to start so time to break in the new yanmar engines. Serviced in Namibia. Before we entered the fog we had sporty conditions one night with almost 40 kts. Once entering the days of fog the conditions were mild. We managed to fly the parasail while Tomas from Xquisite Yachts made a video walk thru of the entire boat. Coming out of the fog in Walvis Bay Namibia, we were boarded by many pelicans and a sea lion. This was the easiest country to check into for the entire passage to the US. I visited the Walvis Bay Yacht Club and recommend a visit if you stop here. We did not get to go to the German town nearby. 🤨 While the Xquisite Service Team preformed maintenance the crew went four wheeling thru the dunes. We did have an issue with the spectra water maker but thought it repaired when we left…

First crew test sail. We have been delayed in receiving the USCG documentation number. This will hold us in Cape Town and additional 10 days. While we waited we did some sight seeing…

Seacock sealed… Repairs completed… continuing commissioning process back at the V&A

Firefly was launched a day before my arrival. Mast and Sails installed. Pre purchase haul out close by, one thru hull weeping (port engine bay)