The yacht club we belong to planned a cruise to St Augustine, Florida in October for a Halloween weekend. The plan was to cruise up on Friday and socialize Friday evening. Saturday was for exploring the city and Saturday evening was for the kids to dress up for Halloween and go trick or treating on the dock.

We were excited about the prospect because we had never sailed any distance, usually we did day sailing in the immediate area. This would be the first time we had a planned destination to sail to. It was our first test to see how we would do. It is about 41 miles to the St. Augustine Municipal Marina so I was estimating around 10 hours for the trip. Most of the folks traveling there would do it in 2 1/2 to 3 1/2 hours with their power boats.

We did not spend much time and effort worrying about provisioning being that we would be sailing on the Florida Intracoastal Waterway. I had recently done an oil change and the boat was in good shape for an excursion. I brought enough food for a couple of days, although as it turns out it is much better for my wife to take care of this part of the planning. I never bring enough or what everyone would like to eat.
The plan was to leave by 8:00 am to give us an early start. We ended up leaving at 10:00 and the trip began.

Dogs and sailing. Have you ever met a dog on the docks that was unfriendly? I haven’t. I’ve walked many docks in several countries and the dogs have always been friendly. It amazes me how dogs will adapt to the boat and new surroundings so quickly.

One concern you always have is losing a pet, especially while traveling. A company called Top Tag Pet ID, has the first waterproof USB Pet ID tag. It contains 7 major categories and 14 subcategories of pet-specific care information. Information about your pet can be accessed by most any Windows computer with a USB drive. It can be easily customized with contact information for each trip you take. You can find their product here: Top Tag Pet ID . I think this is a great idea and well worth the money if it brings a missing pet home.

Here’s to you Joe Valley. It’s been many years since our paths have crossed. In our youth we did the crazy things that youth do. We went our separate ways but from what I know we have lead parallel lives. I was saddened to hear about your passing last week. My thoughts are with you and your family. A drunk driver hit you from behind while you were on your motorcycle. I’m happy that you were doing something that you loved.

I have lived my life for the moment and this just reaffirms this. Go out spend time with your loved ones, buy that boat and learn to sail, take that trip, do that one thing you’ve always wanted to do. Here’s to you Joe Valley, happy sailing.