The Transit North

Puerto Rico - Mystic, CT

April 2023

Log written by Maddie Carlone, Program Coordinator

Whoop whoop transit!! We left St. Croix on April 3rd where our home was for nearly four months and set sail for the small island of Culebra; a small island owned by Puerto Rico. We had two crew days off in Culebra where people went to the beach, explored the town, or hung out on the boat to catch some Zs. Culebra is only 7 miles long and 2 miles wide so we were able to get quite familiar with the island within our two days. On April 6th, we left for Charleston, SC during an action packed squall while a lovely family waved us goodbye from their front porch. The 10 days it took to get to Charleston were rather uneventful. The weather forecasts were regularly wrong leaving us with less wind than anticipated causing us to motor-sail most of the way. The Raffee went up and down nearly everyday allowing us to become further familiar with our most iconic sail. We arrived in Charleston on Sunday, April 16th and left on the 19th. I enjoyed the luxury of a shore shower during my Charleston days and loved walking around the city! The crew went on a much needed shopping spree (after sweating through most of our clothes in STX) that included a brand new pair of Tecovas cowgirl boots, a Stetson hat, and a very unique poncho. After those few relaxing Charleston days, it was time to hit the road again but this time, to Mystic, Connecticut. As a nutmeg state gal myself, the idea of sailing home was both nostalgic and exciting. Our arrival to Mystic was met with a warm New England welcome of a gale, seasickness, and a cold that even four layers of clothing couldn’t stave off- yep, it’s good to be home!