For almost a year we have been messing about with boats—living aboard, fixing/cleaning/remodeling and getting to know our boats (now just one boat). All of this with the intention to be together as a family and to actually do life with our kids. Even being stationed at a marina for nearly a year, the Lord has brought us an incredible adventure. It is unbelievable how He crafts situations and relationships in such unexpected ways—we never could have imagined the friendships and love we would encounter upon our arrival to Saint Augustine. We absolutely adore our marina family, community and church there, which made it difficult to leave out, but we are so excited and know this is what God has for us! If you’ve read prior posts, then you know our current vessel is a 30’ S2 9.2 sailboat and that we are a family of five—six, if you count Orli’s buddy LaShonda (a large, ethnic doll who was handmade for me by my grandmother 35 years ago) and seven with Robot (Zion’s pet Betta fish). So with the amount of space and people aboard, we have been tapping into our creative powers for overall arrangement, provisioning and packing. Robot scored this sweet gimbal and corner office. After returning to Saint Augustine from three months in Missouri/Arkansas, we were finally ready to gear up for our 75-day sailing journey to the Bahamas. Our goal was to square everything away within one month Kyle focused on preparing the boat and finishing crucial projects such as: • Electronics install • Solar install • Watermaker install • Masthead, anchor and running lights • Dinghy davit install • Dinghy inflated/assembled/hung • Hull sanded/painted and new vinyl • Refrigerator/Freezer • Running rigging • New interior LEDs • New house batteries • Rewired engine harness/new engine gauges • Acid-cleaned heat exchanger • Changed engine oil • Replaced fuel sender My responsibility was to tend to children, daily tasks, errands, organization, laundry, shopping and to plan the trip provisions. Provisions = food. If you know me, you know I am a foodie to the max— so an expedition of this caliber was extremely exciting to meal-plan! Here’s a peek into my shopping/food prep/stowing: As the end of the month approached, we adjusted our departure date by a couple days and scheduled to leave March 1.
On Sunday 2/25 we decided to take a much needed day of rest and took a friend up on an invite to go sailing on his boat. The outing was so informational and fun and we were back in time for church at Colonial. We all slept like babies that night! On Monday 2/26 we picked back up with projects, organizing, locating last minute parts, an unexpected run to Jacksonville, lots of shopping, and laundry. We made time for celebrating Kyle and Orli’s birthdays on 2/27 & 2/28, respectively. On our last day, the final component arrived in the mail. After some goodbyes and running around non-stop we were in bed at about 2:30am. The alarm clock rang at 5:30am. A good friend came over at 6am to help with dock lines. Our pastor also came to see us off and blessed our trip with a prayer. And then—we set out!
15 Comments
Dollie
3/3/2018 02:03:56 am
So exciting, so proud of you guys!
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begerecke
3/3/2018 02:10:58 pm
Thanks, love you! ?
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Marie Paule Wood
3/3/2018 06:33:58 am
Congratulations on your adventure. Please keep writing.
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begerecke
3/3/2018 02:12:29 pm
Will do! ❤️
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Mom
3/3/2018 09:30:28 am
We're so proud of your family! Keep going after your dreams and sharing them with us! We love you!
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begerecke
3/3/2018 02:13:32 pm
Thank you! ⛵️?? Love you, mom!
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Erin
3/3/2018 01:11:16 pm
This is incredible!!! I'm so excited to follow you on your journey!
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begerecke
3/3/2018 02:14:28 pm
You should be here! You would absolutely LOVE sailing!!✨✨✨
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begerecke
3/4/2018 10:27:13 am
It looks doable—are you sure it’s okay if we crash your birthday?!
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Kim & Brownie
3/5/2018 06:43:40 am
Awesome Venture! Miss you all!
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begerecke
3/5/2018 07:13:51 am
We miss you TOO—and Glen and Brownie!
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KP
3/5/2018 09:40:48 pm
Awesome news! Totally jealous and can’t wait to hear more. Kind of not a surprise though lol.
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Paul and Claudia
3/9/2018 06:12:05 pm
We've been thinking of your sweet family ever since you left St Augustine! Hope everyone is well and happy! 🤗 God bless you all as you continue your fantastic family adventure!!! We will continue to happily follow you! 🤗😘
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begerecke
3/10/2018 07:01:48 pm
Thank you! Miss you!! ❤️
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