4 to 30 October 2024

Back in August, with Hurricane Debby bearing down on us, we had sat at anchor in Washington DC already very weary of the Chesapeake summer weather with its almost constant lightning storms. I found myself saying out loud ‘I just want to feel safe’. It turned out Stefan was feeling exactly the same way and we knew in that moment that our liveaboard days were numbered.

The truth was that we had already put some thought into what we were going to do next. We knew we didn’t fancy another season in the Caribbean and although we weren’t exactly filled with enthusiasm at the idea of a West to East Atlantic crossing, we sounded out a few friends about crewing with us and spoke to Portimao marina about getting our berth back there. We had quickly ruled out putting Pintail on a ship back to the Med when we received the quote! Then a chance encounter with a local Deltaville yacht broker started us thinking about whether it might be time to think about passing her on to new adventures with new crew. So whilst we still had another seven months before Atlantic crossing season, we thought there would be no harm in putting her on the market whilst we hung out in the States over winter.

Whatever the future had in store for us we figured we had a good few months to carrying on exploring the States as planned. But first Pintail was scheduled for some more yard time and we had to get down to those jobs we had put off in the extreme heat of summer.

While Stefan got on with repairs to the coppercoat, I sanded and repainted the bootstripe. Ann and Kim had by this time returned from their own Chesapeake cruise and came over to supervise and distract us with another night out at the Deltaville Tap & Raw Bar. I was excited to find fried green tomatoes on the menu but not so happy when they turned up with bacon on them! Being vegetarian in the US was proving much harder than I had thought.

It felt good to be back in Deltaville. When we arrived back in June the corn had been green and growing. Returning in October it was time for the harvest and with the high crop cut down we got a new perspective on what lay beyond the fields.

In the Autumn sunshine we got to know Deltaville a bit better, taking walks along its long strip of homes and businesses, ball park and churches and learning a little more about its history – including another story of escape from slavery. Invariably our walks took us by the yacht broker’s office to get an update on any progress.

And it wasn’t long at all before we had news. A potential buyer was flying down to see the boat. Suddenly it all felt very real indeed. But no boat sells at the first viewing, right? We tried not to think too much about it as we took ourselves out for the day to let Matt, the broker, show Pintail. For a couple of days we heard nothing more but it was the weekend after all and no boat sells at the first viewing, right?!

On the Monday I was quietly enjoying a shower in the shower block at the marina when I heard load and urgent banging on the door to the block. I quickly finished getting dressed and went to the door to find a shocked faced Stefan bursting to tell me something. “He’s offered the asking price!”

In that moment, on the picnic benches at Fishing Bay Marina, our lives took a swerve and a swerve that we had not even contemplated in ten years of owning her, one that meant the prospect of saying goodbye to Pintail. There was, of course, the small matter of a survey and plenty of other things that could mean that the sale wouldn’t proceed but suddenly the reality of an end to our liveaboard lives hit us.

While we contemplated a future without Pintail and waited for the sale to progress, we finally caught up with Carol and Steve of SV Innamorata II last seen briefly in the Bahamas and who were now on the hard at Stingray Point up the road. It is friendships like these – made by random encounters in distant anchorages and bonded over shared experiences of all that cruising life throws at us – that we knew we would miss so much.

One weekend we joined Carol and Steve to visit the local food fair and car show. We realised we had already sampled the delights of all the local eateries with stalls at the food fair so instead spent time wandering around the classic cars.

We watched our reflections in their every polished surface and heard stories from their owners of the love and care poured into them.

As we contemplated a life away from the water, we took advantage of some lovely autumn days around Deltaville, taking walks around Fishing Bay and dinghy rides into the river and its creeks. If our cruising days were to be coming to an end, then what better place to do it than in the Boating Capital of the Chesapeake.

Survey day came and went and a life without Pintail became ever closer to real. If our time in Virginia and the States was going to be cut short by our decision, we were determined to cram in whatever we could before we left Pintail for good and returned to a life on dry land again.

So whilst we waited for the sale to progress, we also planned a roadtrip through the Southern States to make the most of our time in the US…