Pinecone Arrives!

The cargo ship BBC Newcastle that carried Pinecone from arrived at Port Everglades in Fort Lauderdale, Florida on October 18, 2021. We’d been tracking her build progress for over nine months and then vigilantly following her path across the Pacific and through the Panama Canal. Much to our delight, we were able to board the BBC Newcastle, descend into its bowels, and peel off Pinecone’s protective wrap to meet her for the first time in person. Then, we took our first trip in Pinecone - first as the crane lowered her into the water and then driving her, mastless, to our temporary dock to complete the final assembly phase. A very exciting time.

Within a few months, spars, rigging, sails, canvas, solar panels, watermaker, the full battery system, and numerous other systems were installed.

On January 1, 2022, we moved aboard Pinecone full time. We day sailed her when possible during the final build out phase and took our first multi-day trip. We began learning how to handle and sail her.

By March 2022, Pinecone was fully commissioned, and we were more than ready to leave the confines of Florida, marina life, and start the sail cruising life. We sold Wendy’s car and did a major provisioning. Then, with the appropriate weather window, we crossed the Gulf Stream and set sail for the Bahamas - our first foreign port. A process that began 27 months earlier had finally entered the voyaging phase.