Grey in Grey

Rain and grey skies have been lingering over New York for the last several days while we are stocking FLO. Presently it's blowing a gale. We are provisioning the boat with food, bedding, clothes, charter items, emergency equipment, spare parts, charts...the list is endless. 

Departure to Annapolis is Sunday 4.30am which should place us on a fair current at New York City infamous Hells Gate. 

It's exciting to think that for the next 6 weeks FLO will be our home. Come to think of it - it is the longest I have been on a boat non stop. 

Newport Boat Show Zoo

If we add the children, grandparents and official boat show personnel we calculated that more than 1000 people visited FLO during the Newport Boat Show. We are veterans of boat shows having done about 2 dozen over 3 decades. But this was the very first time we had to share our "own" boat. Not easy...

Boat Toys

This morning Flo went on an exploration to find the ultimate boat gadget. She came back with two brilliant ideas for potential candidates: one was a SUP with an extra challenge for daily cardio www.hobiecat.com (unfortunately) not folding to fit on FLO. 

The other toy was more interesting: a high quality aluminum e-bike by Fifield (www.fifieldebikes.com) 

We measured and fiddled with the folding bike for half an hour to make sure they would fit through the 19x19" forepeak hatches - until I realized that only one of the giant foredeck storage compartments was large enough to swallow both !

We promptly bought both bikes...

Sailing to Block Island

My friend guy and myself took Flo to block island from Port Jefferson. The sail was beautiful down wind with occasioanl upwind tacks to reach the western entrance of Great Salt Pond. Once there we anchored and enjoyed a spectacular sunset.

FLO's Transatlantic Voyage

4 weeks ago to this day FLO arrived in Port Jefferson NY from her transatlantic voyage from her French birthplace in La Rochelle. 

In above picture you can see her track. FLO stopped in the Atlantic islands of the Azores to fuel up and service her twin diesel engines and then continued on directly to the US East Coast. 

The trip was long and winds ranged from zero to 38 knots and the boat even hit 16 knots under working sail. FLO did great and the builders of this hull Nr 71 Bavaria Nautitech 40 Open catamaran used all their 30 year experience to assure that no system broke. 

When we finally pulled up to our Yacht Club dock people could not believe that FLO had just made a 3500 mile maiden voyage. In these 4 weeks FLO travelled maybe more miles than some boats sail in their lifetime. 

Going SOUTH

Welcome to our very first entry of the..."go with the FLO" blog.

You will be able to follow us all the way from our home port in Port Jefferson NY to Marigot in St. Martin, the beautiful Caribbean island.

After FLO's 3500 mile transatlantic voyage (La Rochelle France to Port Jefferson, NY) she was readied for the boat show circus ...err circuit. Newport, Norwalk, Annapolis. Here we come...