We are tucked in nice & cozy at the marina in New Bedford. We will move to our summer home in May. We will continue to post about life on board Valkyrie and publish videos because our adventures are not ending. Pop on over to the Life on Board page for the latest and greatest, but…before you do, scroll down because the journals and videos for our winter cruise are still coming!
It is March! I hope everyone took full advantage of their extra day yesterday, Leap Day. Mark and I have enjoyed our winter cruising even though we would have liked some warmer weather. We are back in New England but have so many daily blogs to publish so scroll down and keep on reading because there’s more to come! (3/1/24)
It is February already! We have had our good days, and not so good days on board. The weather has not been our best friend this winter. We are making the most of every day we have and on those good days we are outside enjoying them! Unfortunately February means we have to start our journey back north. Do not fret. There is still lots of cruising to be done! Keep checking in and scrolling down to find the most recent daily journal. Thank you for all of your support. (2.12.2024)
We are on the move! Finally! We are leaving the Atlantic Yacht Basin, Chesapeake, VA after spending way too much time (and money) here. We were delayed getting hauled out for scheduled repairs and maintenance due to weather. Now that Valkyrie is back in the water we can cruise. Direction – South. I have tried to get you up to date as fast as I can with the daily journals and videos so please scroll down and find the most current links. Mark and I are so happy to be getting back on the AICW and making new memories onboard Valkyrie. (1/21/24)
NEW!!!! Many of our followers have asked how they can support us. In addition to your continued texts, calls and emails, you can now support Valkyrie and its crew (that’s Mark and I 😉 by purchasing items off our Amazon Wishlist. Some of the see items we can use now but some of them are in preparation for our trip on the Great Loop. Your support, on all levels is appreciated. Thank you. (1/10/24)
Ship to: Mark Corbett. 40 River Road. Unit 819. Marstons Mills, MA 02648
Thank you
If you are here, we want to first say thank you for following our journey!
We began documenting our travels here on this website, and on YouTube as a way to share our experiences with our family and friends.
We feel (and hope you do too!) that our stories provide value. Whether that’s through entertainment or the information we share. If you like what you see, there are lots of ways you can show your support.
Happy New Year! It is 2024! We wish you a happy, healthy and prosperous year! We are currently in Chesapeake, VA awaiting a pull out. Valkyrie needs work and we are patiently waiting our turn to get on the schedule. Until then we are working on catching up on our daily journaling and editing video. Thank you for following along and keep checking in! Day 10 is posted below so scroll down for the latest and greatest. (1/8/2024)
The last couple of days have looked a little different. Why? Because we are at our goal destination. We made it! Woohoo! Valkyrie needs to have some work done and we need to go home for Christmas. Once we return and once Valkyrie’s work is complete we have an open agenda. We can continue south. We could cruise the Great Dismal Swamp. Or, we could explore Chesapeake Bay. We don’t know what our short-term future holds, but we know we will make it exciting and we will share it with you, here, on YouTube and on FaceBook. (12/20/23) Stay tuned. Scroll down to find the lasted published daily journal!
I cannot believe we have been gone 11 days already! We are so blessed that everything has bee going so well. We are tied up in Chincoteague Island, VA. We have met some great people and are taking advantage of what this town has to offer during its quiet off-season as well as hunker down out of some bad weather. The winds have been kicking up the seas so we need to stay put for a little while longer. (12/11/23) Scroll down to find the link to our most recent daily journals and enjoy!
We are five days into our cruise. I have been busy working, taking and editing video & photos and typing the daily blog. We have had some rainy days with some incredible waves that have given us an exciting beginning to our Winter Cruise. Thanks for joining us and as always, we appreciate your support. (12/5/23)
Today is the day….We are doing our last minute prep and counting down until 12:30 pm. Car is getting stored at our daughter’s house. Summer clothes packed and stored, trash is taken out, doors and cabinets are been locked into position and all loose items are being secured. We are anticipating a smooth ride through the canal but once we get into Buzzards Bay we need to be prepared for anything. I took a few minutes this morning to get out what little Christmas decorations we have and for the first time in the thirty years Mark and I have been together we will not have a Christmas tree. The kids came to visit and say goodbye and take a few forgotten items out of their rooms and my head is spinning with so many things I hope that I don’t forget anything. Mark has checked, and double checked the mechanical systems, started the engines yesterday and updated the navigation apps. Ready or not, here we go! (12/1/23)
Days 22-35-Dec. 22-Jan. 4, 2024 - Christmas Vacation - NO Content
OUr Departure is imminent
It is Thursday, November 30, 2023, and it is the eve of our departure. After a successful appointment this morning, we can confidently set out on our cruise. What is the itinerary you ask? First; we leave Sandwich Marina and ride the current of the Cape Cod Canal from east to west into Buzzards Bay. We will set anchor in Buzzards Bay for the night and at dawn we set our sights for New London, CT and the Thames River. Sunday, we are hoping to make it to Norwalk, CT. Stay tuned for what’s to come! We are thrilled you are following along!
You just never know what sort of excitement is going to happen out our window… Today, November 30, we saw the Mayflower II go through the Cape Cod Canal on its way to its winter home.
delayed
It is all my fault! Why? Well I don’t want to get too much into it; and many of you already know. I have an appointment that has been moved up from January to next week. I am looking forward to this appointment and it is better for me if we delay our cruise for it. Mark will take advantage of this extra time to put work to bed for the winter. Stay tuned because we will be cruising soon and can’t wait to share the adventures with you!
The preparation continues...
It is the day before Thanksgiving and we are still prepping for our departure. Today I am meeting some friends for lunch, then tonight we are headed to Plymouth “America’s Hometown” for two nights to celebrate with family. Before that – I am finalizing the menu, portioning meat for freezing, and cleaning out the now empty closets in the kid’s room so we can fill them with supplies.
Valkyrie has one fresh water tank. It holds 150 gallons of water. The expectation of the marinas in the North East having their fresh water hoses still available is slim to none. We need to conserve water as much as possible. Even though we have a water maker it is not to be relied upon. Why? Because not all of the waterways that Valkyrie will be cruising will be suitable. Garbage in Garbage out. We want clean water to make good fresh potable water. We will be showering, drinking and cooking with this water so it has to be clean. One thing I won’t be using this water for is laundry. I will have all of our laundry done before departing. The next time laundry gets washed is when we arrive at a marina that has laundry facilities. It is all about conservation.
Anticipating limited access to grocery stores along the way, I am also sure there will not be any convenient post offices so I will be sending out our Christmas cards early. No need to send us one, we won’t be home to receive it. If you did not get a card from us this year I apologize. Know that all of our friends and family, near and far are always in our thoughts, especially at Christmas time!
Getting ready
Getting ready for a long cruise takes a lot of work. We will be cruising in the “off-season” which means that many marinas in the northeast are already closed or are preparing to. Leaving with as many provisions onboard is essential. In addition, the Captain will have a checklist of items to run through to make sure all of Valkyrie’s machanical systems are running and that we have essential parts on-hand for those “just in case” moments.
Unlike our last winter cruise, Valkyrie has a working water maker system. Using osmasis to turn sea water into fresh water we will never be without the ability to fill our water tank while travelling.
What do I mean when I say provisions?
I mean food, toiletries, cleaning supplies, etc. The same supplies that you have in your house except I won’t have a grocery store to go to if I forget something. To ensure I don’t forget anything I spent weeks preparing menus listing all the ingredients; plus extras like snacks, drinks, condiments; etc. Once we are underway I will cook meals using the fresh produce first because those won’t stay fresh for long. So not only is the menu used to help organize my shopping, it keeps me organized to limit food waste. I provisioned enough for 4-weeks. The goal – arrive in Chesapeake, VA before Christmas. Rent a car and drive to Vermont for the Holiday, take a detour to Cape Cod, and then back to VA.
Once we arrive in Chesapeake, VA, Valkyrie will get pulled out of the water for work. While we are gone for the holidays it is possible that Valkyrie will be unplugged so the refrigerator and freezer will not be powered. By this time they will be empty and I won’t have to worry about wasted food. Upon returning to Valkyrie we will arrive with all new provisions for the next portion of the winter cruise.