We've been flown between Compadre and Elysian twice in two years. Having ( and getting) the bulk of your possessions into storage was the most time-consuming aspect of leaving a land-based life. Leaving one home to be in another is the most stressful part. Lesson learned is that less possessions makes for less worry. We just sold a car, a speedboat, and a camper and turned it all into $$$ to fund our future adventures. We lived in the boat yard for 4 dusty, buggy months before heading to Tortola's West End while waiting out the pandemic and slowly making progress on Elysian.

So it's mid-July, and the Caribbean hurricane season is here. In fact it's mid-season already, but luckily continuous waves of Saharan dust have been blanketing the islands and tamping down any potential hurricanes that usually form from the Cape Verde pattern. So we're going to Spanish Waters in Curacao before the dust settles and the hurricane season hits full-swing!

Our long time friend and fellow sailor Marlene has come to join us for the trip. Marlene is one of the most active people we know, but was diagnosed with Parkinson's Disease a few years ago. She is living her life with Parkinson's the way she wants to, and wants to show others that just because you have Parkinson's doesn't mean your life is over! The real message is that people with the disease can still lead active full lives.

Marlene has started a fundraiser for the Brian Grant Foundation. Brian is an ex- Portland Trailblazer that was also diagnosed with Parkinson's, and built a foundation to help others with the disease. Please think about donating to it if you can. It's an excellent cause!