Written by James Baldwin

Kirk’s initial itinerary was to spend September and October equipping the boat in Deale, MD, near Annapolis, leaving the Chesapeake Bay in mid November. By late December he hoped to depart Key West for Panama via Mexico and Central America. He talked so glowingly about this route, I jokingly nicknamed it The Glorious Route. After we examined his job list I realized this rushed schedule was impossible. His proposed route to Panama was also in question. I suggested that he take time to fit out and properly shake down his boat and take a more direct route to Panama and avoid the headwinds when trying to fetch Panama from the west. Kirk was reluctant to give up the Glorious Route, but events decided it for him as he fell way behind schedule. It is nearly impossible for someone doing their first refit to accurately assess the time, expense and details of preparing a boat for a voyage.

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