GTFOplan #115: Fuel Dock Fail: Boat Damage Again!

IN THIS VIDEO: After a memorable stay in Les Saintes, we set sail back to Pointe-à-Pitre for what turns out to be a surprisingly decent sail. Our final evening at anchor, right in front of the striking ACTe Museum, offers a scenic and meaningful close to our time with family aboard. As the sun rises, Ann takes them ashore for their shuttle to the airport, while Dennis dives into the never-ending list of small boat projects that always seem to pile up. With the boat suddenly quieter, we shift gears into reset mode-laundry, provisioning, and a deep clean to prepare for our next passage. The calm after the goodbye brings a different kind of momentum: one of preparation and anticipation. Once we weigh anchor, our last task is to swing by the fuel dock before pointing the bow toward Sint Maarten. That's where our friends and crew, Robin and Karl, will join us for the longer bluewater legs-Bermuda, the Azores, and eventually Europe. But of course, nothing ever goes entirely to plan. A miscommunication between us while leaving the fuel dock, combined with a brisk wind, ends in a tense moment-and yet more cosmetic damage to the side of our floating home. It's a gut punch when the damage is self-inflicted, and a reminder that this life afloat comes with its fair share of humbling lessons. 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 High Tension by Audionautix is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/