September 1998 found Panacea and her crew of two setting off on a new type of cruise...a cruise of the inland waterway along the US east coast and eventually, over to the Bahamas with return via Bermuda to Newport. The first three months could hardly be referred to as a sailing venture as only 275 miles of 2730 were made without the use of the diesel.
Transit of Long Island Sound, with a rapid passage through Hell's Gates and the East River, sped us by six lanes of jammed traffic, spewing us out at the base of the Statue of Liberty. With a backward glance at the impressive Manhattan skyline, we continued on to anchor off Sandy Hook CG station. Stopovers in Atlantic City and Cape May were enjoyed before crossing the Delaware Bay and a transit of the C&D Canal, leading into the uppermost regions of the Chesapeake.
Following a rich sampling of Chesapeake Bay, we followed the waterway meanders through small towns and cities of the southern coastal states. A rich diversity of scenery was encountered...everything from swamp life to warp speeds of bustling cities. Norfolk, VA, displayed troop carriers en route to the war in Iraq while the Florida Keys presented Cuban refugees, fleeing across the Gulf Stream in small outboard craft unfit for use on an inland lake. Witnessing events such as this continue to cause us to ponder the larger picture, a view rarely considered when dealing with routine lives at home.
At the turn of the year, we left Marathon in the Florida Keys for an overnight passage across the Gulf Stream and the Great Bahama Bank, making landfall at Chub Cay in the Berry Islands of the Bahamas. A leisurely cruise along the Exhuma Chain and back up the outer family islands of Long, Cat, and Eleuthera to the Abacos gave us a fair sampling of the balmy Bahamas.
May 18th found Panacea and crew rounding the sea buoy leading into Bermuda at the precise moment our first grandson was born. We sailed back to Newport a few weeks later in the company of the Bermuda One-Two fleet.