So many questions were running through our heads while trying to decide if we should leave Grenada for the US or not. For insurance purposes we either needed to stay in Grenada or get closer to Florida before the start of hurricane season. A big part of the decision making process was making sure we knew all of our options as far as different paths we could take. Turns out there are a lot of options which is a good thing-- in case the weather decides to change on us.
Before I get into our different paths, I did want to mention a cool part of heading back to the US. While traveling to different places, we quickly realized that everywhere has a different procedure for customs, and some can be pretty confusing. Since we are headed back to the US, we won’t have to worry as much about that thanks to a nifty app. Basically there is an app called ROAM which makes the customs process so much easier. We will log in, show our faces, show our IDs, answer any questions they have and be on our way without getting off of Calypso! At least that’s one less stress for us.
The first part of our voyage is supposed to take 2.5-3 days. We will sail from Grenada to the west end of St. Croix. If weather changes during that pass, we have the option of going right to Puerto Rico, although that is not the plan. From St. Croix we will recoup for a night or two and then head off to Puerto Del Rey Marina in Puerto Rico. We need to be there by the 20th because there is a flotilla we are trying to travel with for the rest of the journey.
This flotilla was created after they had to cancel a bunch of their rallies due to COVID. They shifted plans and insead have rallies to get people to the US and out of the hurricane zone. This particular rally is called “salty dog, homeward bound”. They leave the 20th and have 3 route options depending on where you are looking to go. We are planning on doing one of the options that is a little slower, more motoring. We are picking this for now because although you can’t get off of your vessel, you can apply to go through and anchor overnight if needed. This could give us a much needed night of rest. There are 2 different places we could anchor if we needed to-- the Raggeds or Great Inagua Island.
As of right now the plan is to go to Florida as our first point of contact on the mainland of the US. That could change if the weather changes. There is another path that we could take which would lead us first to the Carolinas. It is a fluid plan so we will have to see where mother nature directs us. Once on the mainland, we plan to sail up the coast of the US to Maine and then come back to Grenada in November/December if the lockdown is over. Obviously, all of these things can change, but for now we are happy to be sailing and exploring once again!