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Today is the day. Today our first charter begins. How did we end up here? Here is a very brief timeline:

  • December 2011: Michael Eckert, One Love’s owner, first makes contact with us via email.
  • August 2012: After more than 6 months of discussion, we invite Michael to visit us on ZTC. Together we charter a Leopard 4600 in Grenada and go sailing on it for a few days.
  • March 2013: Rebecca and I sail to Tortola to oversee the survey and sea trial of the boat that would ultimately be re-christened One Love.
  • June 2013: We haul out ZTC and store her on the hard at Grenada Marine, after which we fly to Colorado to visit with Michael and travel to California to visit our daughter and granddaughter.
  • July 2013: We fly to Tortola with Michael to take possession of One Love and sail her to Grenada via St. Maarten.
  • August-October 2013: We oversee the refit of One Love.
  • November 2013: After delivering the boat back to the USVI, we participate in the charter boat show.
  • November 2013: Following the show and a brief island tour with Michael and his girlfriend Julie, we provision, clean, provision some more and clean some more to make sure that One Love is more than ready for our guests’ arrival.
  • Today: The fun begins! Andy, Tracey, Alicia and Ryan… we’re waiting for you.

This image is a snapshot I took of a postcard that our friends Terry and Anneke gave to us as we departed Kingston in 2010. Note that they were the only two people who came to see us off. Of course we saved their cards!

36 Comments

  1. Here’s wishing sun, fun & smooth sailing!

  2. Good luck Guys! Nice summary of this part of your journey

  3. GOOD LUCK!

    Mike

  4. Congratulations!

    They are going to have a great time.

    Eric

  5. Those are some really lucky people! They’ll have the time of their lives!!!

    BTW, are they ZTC followers?

  6. Can’t wait to hear how it goes, congrats on everything you guys have accomplished to get you to this point.

  7. Best of luck to you two. Although luck really has nothing to do with it, it’s all about good planning.

  8. And so a new chapter begins…and I can’t wait to see the adventures you find when new characters are added to your story. Best wishes for a fabulous first charter!

  9. Glad to have gotten the chance to meet you during that timeline. Good luck with the charter, I’m sure it will go well.

    Hope to see you again down island…now that we finally have a boat…and it’s a Leopard too.

    -Mike B.
    ThisRatSailed.blogspot.com

  10. Thanks for sharing. Ahoy, and have a great sail!

  11. Congratulations and good luck.
    I’m sure all will be smiling when the first charter is concluded.
    May it be the first of many successful and fun-filled charters.

  12. Enjoy the week and learn from it! You and Rebecca have a wonderful life!

  13. Good luck. I know it will be a very special trip for all of you. Enjoy – you’ve worked hard to make today happen.

  14. Congratulations Mike and Rebecca. My wife and I have been long time readers of your ZTC blog and we wish you the best of luck with your One Love adventure.

    We purchased an L40 from the Moorings in May of this year. We are cruising newbies and just moved on board full time a couple of weeks ago in the BVI. We will be sailing in the area for awhile and hope to meet you guys and say hello.

    Wylie&Maggie
    SV/HARMONY

  15. Well we would have seen you off, but you saw us off the year before. Our boating experience was a bast, but sadly it’s over and the boat is sold. I’m making the steps to have Al put in permanent care because he needs to be where five people can care for him and not just me. I continue to live the dream vicariously through you. Keep it alive, for you and for me.

  16. So happy for you guys… you’ve worked hard to get here. Who’d have ever guessed back when you were learning how to hoist yourself up a tree?!?

    Have a fabulous week!

  17. Good luck guys. There will be butterflies until the engines starts but then your professionalism will take over like an autopilot for you.
    I have done many charters in airplanes so I know the feeling! Enjoy every moment of the heightened awareness.

  18. Congratulations with your ” first “. We wanted to be the first:) Now that Anneke is officially over the hill and living on her government pension we should be able to afford it. Lol
    Your still living the dream. We’re happy for you guys. Still missing you after all these years.

    We hope to be in Miami for the month of February to visit our daughter and escape the clutches of winter. Wishing you the all the best!!

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