A new beginning.

It was July 2010, and we knew we wanted a new platform for a new adventure. Our old boat, a Pearson 323 had served us well for the purpose of which she was intended. For 26 years she sailed us around the Gulf Coast and logged thousands of hours keeping us sane. In some respects, it worked. In all respects, "Briar Patch" took good care of us and taught us many things about life at sea, and about life (see http://www.sailingonbriarpatch.blogspot.com/).

It's a new day....It's a new life.....we now needed a boat that could take us on that next journey. We wanted to make a life change from the days of "work" demanding our thoughts. Now we wanted our thoughts to direct our work. People choose many different platforms and ideas to accomplish this, but ours is to set out on a physical journey, learning and experiencing new things, while we can. Not too different from making a spiritual journey that points you in a new direction. We found our new boat in Sandusky Ohio, and bought her then and there. After sailing her the summer of 2010 in the Great

Lakes, we put her up for the winter there while we planned and prepped the boat for the long trip back down south. The new boat will be christined "OneEighty" when she is wetted in the spring. Though OneEighty looks a lot like BriarPatch, she is somewhat different. They favor because they are both Bill Shaw designed Pearsons of the same family and vintage. They are different in size and mass and creature comforts. OneEighty is a 42 foot, 23,000 pound ketch with a 7,500 pound lead keel that is more capable of sailing oceans in comfort and safety. People are sailing Pearson 424's all over the world at this very moment.

It is now early spring of 2011. OneEighty is still wintering in Sandusky, and when it is warm enough, work is being done to prepare her for here new journey. The plan is to sail her home, to Gulf Shores, Alabama on her own bottom, a trip of 2,500 miles of lakes, canals, oceans, bays, sounds and rivers. And so we begin our journey.