[ben parrish]

We are on the same path except I am a mono hull guy. We spent a few years in the Bahamas living both on the boat and a house when our first daughter was very young…she actually learned to walk on the boat. We’re about 4 years from buying another blow boat and spending the winters down south. Nowhere is perfectly safe from hurricanes but generally, below Trinidad is pretty safe and will be covered by ins. Our plans are to most likely leave on the hard down there and pick it back the following winter for more fun. We did ride out a Hurricane in Green Turtle; stripped the sailboat of EVERYTHING on the decks and put her on a mooring with four lines and snubbers on all lines with a chain back up. The 45’ sloop did just fine but every boat at the docks took some damage.
You can also look around the NC/ Va coast for “safe” storage and is really only about a five day sail from the Bahamas…. but be warned, any boat over 45, especially a Cat is going to be expensive to pull and launch. Add in expenses for maintaining two of everything for the cat and maintenance can get eye watering…but the room is fantastic and the stability at anchor and underway is wonderful.
We love being on the water and may some day go full time but the plan is to keep the mountain property and split time between the best of both worlds. BTW, the Abacos, Elethura and Exuma have some of the best protected cruising grounds in the world and a very active cruising community although supplies and services are pricey due to the VAT on everything and NOTHING other than Some citrus, fish and spiney lobsters are produced down there…all comes in on a plane or a boat. We’ve were ther 16 years ago and a six pack of beer was around 18 bucks;..it’s amazing how much beer you can cram ont a sailboat in all the nooks and crannies��