I do this a lot. Type whatever I'm thinking about and send it out to whomever. You're simply my latest victim.

I cruised single-handed for many years. It was a great way to go. I never had to explain anything to anyone. Never had to apologize to anyone for anything. Whatever stupid decisions I made stayed with me. Whatever discomfort I created for myself was suffered solely by me.

A few years ago I gave up that life and settled down in the muy copasetic town of Belfast Maine. It was there I fell in love with my new bride. She wasn't a sailor. But she thought it sounded like fun. We bought a small boat, Cape Dory 27, for day sails around Penobscot Bay. She loved every moment on the water. Last winter we chartered a boat in the Exumas for two weeks. It was an old, poorly maintained boat offered by a fly by night company in Georgetown. It was an adventure she loved. And we did get to spend a few days in the Raggeds, in Salt Pond, and in my favorite village of Black Point. The inconsequential equipment failures fazed her not at all.

So we bought a cruising boat, a Pacific Seacraft 40. Wednesday morning we'll head out for a month in Nova Scotia. probably getting as far as Baddeck before heading back. This will be her first over night passage. This will be her first time spending an entire month on board. If it goes well. we'll head south in September for a winter in the Bahamas. If it doesn't go well, we'll spend another cozy winter in Maine. Either way, I can't lose. But I do hope she has a wonderful time in Nova Scotia and the Bras d'Or Lakes.

I'm trying hard to anticipate what might go wrong and avoid it if possible. I know these things come out of the blue and can't be planned for. You know what I'm talking about. That's why I wrote this to you.