BY SKIP ALLEN, SR.

The holidays are a time for family and for enjoying a little downtime at the end of another busy year. But as January rolls around I like to hit the ground running and get the New Year off to a good start.

This year, due to several recent events, I have committed to making three New Year’s resolutions, which I intend on keeping. I now pledge to never cross the Gulf Stream at night, to never cross if the breeze is north of east and to always keep a case of Famous Grouse Scotch on board–for dockside use only.

These resolutions were made after my last crossing a couple months ago upon my return from the Bahamas. Ray and I left Chub Cay in the early morning attempting to beat a cold front that was approaching. We passed through Cat Cay around 4 p.m. and didn’t arrive in Ft. Lauderdale until 10:30 at night. In all my years traversing back and forth, that was the first time I arrived in Fort Lauderdale at night. The city lights made the approach tricky as they camouflaged the buoy lights marking the channel.

Thank God I had my trusty GPS on board. I am still amazed by how precisely it directed me right to the sea buoy. In fact, if I had not disengaged the autopilot, Press On Regardless would have sliced it in two.

My third resolution brings up the topic of provisioning for long-range cruising, which is a focus of this issue. Lucky for me, I have Helen to take care of all the shopping, figuring out precisely what and how much we will need for our extended voyages. It’s a partnership that has served us well and hopefully some of you will benefit as Helen shares her advice in this issue. Our agreement is simple, but successful: I handle the docking and she takes care of the stocking. There are lots of other topics here for that large segment of our readership that goes offshore.

In other news, I just had P.O.R. hauled for her annual inspection. She received new bottom paint, had her zincs changed and all her through hulls checked. I also decided to have the props coated with a new clear antifouling product from Pettit called Prop-Koat Clear. I’ll let you know how that goes.

I was quite impressed with the yard’s work as my boat was returned with not only a shiny new bottom but also clean topsides. So often the boat comes back covered in dust and debris after spending time on the hard, but the boys went out of their way and took a couple of extra hours to wash down the boat.

One piece of advice I’ll share regarding hauling your boat–consider it a hint of things to come in the March issue with the annual Haul Out Guide–take pictures of the boat while it is being hauled. This way you can give those photos to the hoist operator the next time you haul so they know exactly where to place the straps.

This month we also have a gem of a boat show to recommend. Always a crowd pleaser, the Stuart Boat Show returns to South Florida. Placed neatly between the big Fort Lauderdale and Miami shows, Stuart offers attendees a more intimate environment to see the latest new boats and gear. No need for a formal invitation to get you aboard, a smile and a hello are all that’s required.
Get out on the water and enjoy your boats. Remember every minute not boating is one minute less in heaven.