The catamaran we wanted to display at the Miami boat show was 1100 nm away in Antigua – no problem. We flew down to English Harbor where Antares s/v Ona was docked for the delivery trip to Miami. First stop, St. John, USVI where we spent 3 days exploring Francis and Megan’s Bay, sailing, snorkeling and enjoying a small taste of the cruising life. We picked up new Antares owner Mark and friend Dennis in San Juan, PR, and with our sights on getting to Miami, we entered deep water (in fact, the Puerto Rico trench with a depth of 28,373 ft. is the deepest point in the Atlantic Ocean!) and sailed non-stop for the next 7 days.
The trip saw us sailing through choppy seas, with rain and wind gusting up to 30-knots – what better way to demonstrate the usefulness of the standard full-enclosure surrounding the cockpit and the glass windshield with wipers? The last 3 days we were averaging 9.5 knots sailing with a double reefed main and headsail furled to Jib-size.
On arriving to Miami – we put /v Ona though an intensive boat spa treatment – scrubbing, polishing and primping, until we were ready for the show. It was great to meet new people and spend time with Antares owners during a casual rendezvous aboard Ona. After the show, we were joined by owners Marta and Roger and we sailed across the Gulf Stream to the Exumas where they will spend the rest of winter exploring the Bahamas with their family.
