GTFOplan #91: Protect Your Sugar Scoops from Dinghy Dings, plus Bermuda passage prep

IN THIS VIDEO: Ann has a bit of fun with a play on words, saying she likes caulk-get it? As we prepare GoTFO?? for our passage to Bermuda, Ann gets a little emotional. It's hard to believe we'll be out of the United States for 1 1/2 years! Dennis walks us through how to check in to Bermuda using SailClear, while he also demonstrates how to transfer diesel and water from one side of the boat to the other. Meanwhile, our crew-Chris and Brian-are busy preparing meals and sharpening knives. Brian's girlfriend, Rosella, joins us, while Chris has to leave in Hampton, VA, due to weather delays. Paul steps in as the new crew member. As always, we make sure to have some fun, spinning the Poi Balls-mesmerizing! We also cross paths with SV Confetti as we head into Zimmerman's in Matthews, Virginia. At Zimmerman's, they fix our Selden Electric Furler, replace our fridge, and fix the grill wiring that M Yacht messed up-all in one day! However, it turns out they swapped our fridge for a freezer, so we have to go back the next day to get our old fridge. The fridge works, but the display is a bit finicky. Meanwhile, Rosella wows us with an amazing dish called Chicharrones de Pollo, which is divine! Poor Schatzi is recovering from eye surgery to remove moles that were irritating her eyes-one even caused an ulcer. We also struggle to find a workaround to hook up the Selden Furler, but eventually test the new furler with our asymmetrical sail, and it works like a charm. That night, we dine on the most amazing chicken wraps, stuffed with sautéed apples, onions, and bell peppers, topped with buffalo-flavored mayonnaise. We enjoy a nice dinner out in Hampton, Virginia, as our excitement builds for our upcoming passage to Bermuda. In a small-world moment, Ann meets a fellow high school classmate from Robert E. Lee High School in Springfield, Virginia-what are the odds? Paul assists with repositioning the life sling to the starboard side near the helm, tackles a squeak in the secondary autopilot system, and reminds Dennis-following Ann's earlier comment-that spaces are not allowed in GPX file names. Thanks to that reminder, we finally manage to load our PredictWind tracks onto our Garmin! Ann and Dennis make a much-needed improvement by adding protection to their sugar scoops to prevent any potential dinghy dings. It's a small upgrade, but a big win. As we leave Hampton, we spot a submarine with a helicopter flying overhead-how fitting. And with that, we're off to Bermuda! Be sure to stay tuned for the drama that unfolds in our next video! 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