We took our education seriously. USPS Courses included America’s Boating Course, Seamanship, and Electronic Navigation. We had our morning coffee with the AGLCA Forum (a membership blog) and our evening reads included articles from boating magazines, newsletters, books and more blogs. West coast boat shows are not at all like east coast shows, but we went anyway. The seminars were well worth it.
Pete did most of the boat research. (After all, I was still working, a lot.) We knew our future included a trawler, but make, model and amenities required narrowing down. We kept returning to the lines and layout of the Mainship.
With two New England family weddings in the summer of 2017, we booked our trips through Baltimore and allowed extra time for serious boat shopping. (We live on the west coast so maximizing our harbor time was a priority.)
Speaking of serious, Pete now held my feet to the fire. (Appropriate for a retired fireman.) He wanted a date.. a retirement date. I declared an official date and made some early notifications to my employer and colleagues.
This Great Loop Adventure is really going to happen!