People ask us all the time — how do you fly a spinnaker on a Balance catamaran? In this video, Phil from Zoom Sails (who designed every sail for SV GoTFO) walks us through step-by-step: ⚓ Rigging with color-coded sheets & guys (Port sheet = red, Starboard sheet = green, Guys = black) ⚓ Hoist sequence — halyard + sock deployment ⚓ Trimming — sheets side-to-side, guys control foot height ⚓ Flying angles — best between the 120s°, can fly as high as 90° relative ⚓ The douse — comms, shackle release, sock down, halyard down We’ve flown “Big Purple” before, but this lesson was about balance and confidence. Even though Dennis wasn’t aboard, Phil was in Greece as we passed south — and I had to step in. My Love Bug 💜🐞 reflection? Sailing teaches us to own our triggers, protect each other when we’re flooded, and always return to the calm at the helm. 📧 Want our wind-angle PDF? Email us at gtfoplan@gmail.com. #GTFOplan #SVGTFO #ZoomSails #SpinnakerLesson Phil of ZoomSails.com CURRENT LOCATION: https://forecast.predictwind.com/tracking/display/SV-GTFO/ ABOUT OUR CATAMARAN: We love our new Balance 482 - it's a perfect size for a cruising couple to handle and is a great "balance" of performance and comfort. One of our favorite features is the excellent ventilation since we mostly live as "hookers" (aka at anchor) where the boat automatically turns into the wind so we stay cool and we don't need to battle mold. We also have starlink for easy off-grid life. Our 2400 watt solar panel array also means we rarely need to run an engine to charge our batteries. ABOUT US: We saved for a our future boat, sold everything that we owned, and shipped the rest in a container to Cape Town, South Africa. We then flew there and explored South Africa by way of a safari and touring Cape Town before moving aboard our boat. We then sailed to Saint Helena, Ascension Island, Fernando de Naronha (Brazil), Martinique, Sint Maarten (Dutch and French side), the US Virgin Islands (Saint Croix, Saint John, and Saint Thomas), the British Virgin Islands (Anegada, Norman Island, Jost van Dyke, and Anegada), The Bahamas (Inagua, Crooked Island, Long Island, George Town, Staniel Cay, the Exumas, and Eleuthera). We then sailed back to the United States, making landfall in Cape Canaveral, Florida. From there our destinations are endless! Both Dennis and Ann grew up military brats with Army fathers. Dennis (the Colonel) served 30 years in the US Army and his retirement pension helped us retire in our 50s. Ann (the ship's Captain) wrote Test Automation in Python and Java. Dennis and Ann met on Match.com where Ann had in her profile "Do you want to sail the world with me?" Ann easily brought Dennis into sailing, and he loved the GTFOplan of retiring early and sailing the world. After many years of saving, living on one income but earning two, and cutting back on everything possible, they saved enough to buy a Balance 482. Follow them as they get real about boat life and all the hassles of buying a new boat because we all know N.E.W. means Not Everything Works. Kisses, Ann & Dennis Twitter: @GTFOplan Facebook: https://facebook.com/anndennis.snellikin.3 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/gtfoplan/ YouTube: www.youtube.com/c/gtfoplan Email: gtfoplan@gmail.com

Join us on our passage to the Mediterranean! Follow our PredictWind tracker which will feature daily updates on life at sea: www.forecast.PredictWind.com/tracking.display/SV-GTFO/ Follow our crewmember Karl on his Instagram as he documents his first ocean passage ever! Karl's insta: Instagram.com/karino2511/ And of course, tune in to our weekly YouTube videos: www.youtube.com/c/gtfoplan

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Kisses, Dennis & Ann Twitter: @GTFOplan Facebook: https://facebook.com/anndennis.snellikin.3 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/gtfoplan/ YouTube: www.youtube.com/c/gtfoplan

We want to share our GTFO plan of retiring early to explore the world on a Balance 482 catamaran. We plan to retire June 1, 2023, Dennis’s mandatory retirement date when he will have served 30 years in the Army. We currently own a 1984 Catalina 30’ monohull sailboat on the Chesapeake Bay. This is our practice boat and is not designed for the open ocean and too small for full-time, liveaboard life. We put non-refundable money to reserve our Balance 482 catamaran. We plan to name her GTFO...Get the F&*# Out! :) Learn with us as we prepare to GTFO and sail the world! Kisses, Ann & Dennis

GTFO plan - Our 1984 Catalina 30' under sail There is no better feeling than flying with the wind on a sailboat! This is a short clip from our current "practice" boat. We currently own a 1984 Catalina 30’ monohull sailboat on the Chesapeake Bay. This is our practice boat and is not designed for the open ocean and too small for full-time, liveaboard life. Our future boat will be a Neel 51' trimaran! We want to share our GTFO plan of retiring early to explore the world. We plan to retire June 1, 2023, Dennis’s mandatory retirement date when he will have served 30 years in the Army. We plan to buy a Neel 51’ trimaran (http://www.neel-trimarans.com/modele_bateau/neel-51/). A trimaran is much safer than a catamaran, more comfortable than a monohull, faster to escape bad weather, and spacious to accommodate our Brady Bunch, and possibly you! We plan to name her Just a Kiss which describes our wonderful 2nd date back in 2015. Learn with us as we prepare to GTFO and sail the world! Kisses, Ann & Dennis