There has been much to write about this summer and no time to do so – and those posts will wait for another day. Right now, as we sit at anchor in Esquimalt Harbour, readying ourselves to head offshore, it seems more timely to jump ahead to now, the last few days, the next couple of weeks.

The last couple of weeks the question of our departure date hung heavy over us – whenever we were asked when we were going our only reply was a hopeful soon – and as people stood there looking at the deck strewn with tools, boat parts, hardware, paint and the dreaded sicaflex, they would just raise an eyebrow and remind us we were beginning to get late in the season to leave.

We knew, we know – our big plans to get all of our projects done in the first 6 weeks after leaving our jobs and then head out around the island seemed comical at that point. Our initial planned departure date of around August 15?! Ha! As August came to an end and September marched along, the pressure to get things done and get off the dock became almost too much to bear up under. We sold my car (but what if we don’t actually make it off the dock?!), the tenants were scheduled to move in September 15 (so now we really are homeless!) and the jobs on the boat and the house continued.

Our amazing C Dock neighbors gave us a gift to remember during an impromptu pizza party (well now we really have to make it off the dock!) and reminded us yet again what a wonderful environment we were leaving (why do we want to do this again – I am so tired!). We have been lucky to have such wonderful neighbors in our little corner of the marina and boy are we going to miss everyone!

We finally mopped our way out of the house on about the 11th of September – with outside jobs still to be done and finally felt like maybe we could move along to the boat!!!

In a matter of days, the toerails were finally installed (goodbye to the old worn out rails that threatened to give out at the slightest pressure), the solar arch was finished up, polished and, under cover of darkness and with the help of some of those amazing neighbors put on the boat (not actually installed mind you!). The big dodger project shrunk from a fully fiberglassed and painted finish to “put it together and slap some primer on it – the fiberglassing will get done somewhere” – and so it too was put on the boat (again not so much installed).

Is today the day we asked ourselves for several days in a row and quickly the answer was nope – let’s try for tomorrow. And then, finally, it was time – the jobs weren’t done, we weren’t necessarily ready, but we were going. I sent out a message to a few people, Owen started sending texts and just like that, we were leaving. We got the solar arch installed – all of the other jobs that were “must do’s” before we left would have to wait! At about 4pm on the 14th, we threw the remainder of the stuff that had been accumulating on the dock onto the boat and moved her over to the visitor’s dock. Owen gathered up as much as he could find and fired it down below. As friends and family started to arrive, Owen, with the help of yet another amazing dock neighbor, got the name on the boat finally (Solstice Tide had looked so naked since her name was removed for painting in May), I filled water jugs and water tanks and tried to clean up the deck as much as possible.

At 6:30, having given hugs to friends, family and our favorite puppies, we tossed off the dock lines and headed out of the marina, sent off to a cacophony of horns – even a conch horn – grinning from ear to ear (and maybe crying a little as well).

We went as far as Preedy Harbour on Thetis Island, dropping the hook just as the sun went down and nearly collapsed. It was really happening – there was so much still to do but we have finally taken that big step. We were off our dock.

The next couple of days found us doing a few jobs in the morning and then moving along in the afternoon – first to Musgrave Landing and then to the Royal Victoria Yacht Club (what a mecca of sailing!) and now, tonight, Esquimalt Harbour.

Tomorrow we will head out the Juan de Fuca and if everything goes well, we will enter open ocean and make the big left turn tomorrow. It looks like we will have good winds on our stern for at least the first few days, perhaps a couple of light days in there – we don’t know when we will make it to San Francisco but our best guess is between 6 and 10 days.

For now we will try to put away the last of the chaos below deck, try to get a good sleep and look forward to this next adventure.