As the leaves begin to fall and the temps continue to drop, it is just…
The Art Of The Pivot
A few months ago as we were gearing up for our trip from the Florida Keys to New York aboard OLOH, a close friend asked if we would ever consider using a delivery crew for the trip. It’s about twenty-six days of travel. Combine that with weather or other delays and taking a few days to enjoy a port here and there, the trip can easily take five to six weeks. That’s a lot of time to carve out when you have stuff to attend to in other places. But our response was a resolute “no.” We just couldn’t imagine handing over OLOH’s keys to anyone for a variety of reasons.
Well, about a week into the journey some things came up and we suddenly found that we were not in a position to take the time needed to complete the trip. We were committed to bringing OLOH back to the northeast this season and didn’t want to leave it somewhere else. This meant opening our minds to the idea of a delivery captain after all.
Our first call was to our dear friends Jeff and Karen (if you’re a boater you know them as the founders of Active Captain and appreciators of a good Old Fashioned). They are on a very short list of people we unequivocally trust when it comes to advice or resources having anything to do with boating and clear ice. Without hesitation they recommended their friends, the husband and wife team of Captain Bob and Pam Shircliff. Bob and Pam are longtime, well-seasoned boaters with tens of thousands of miles under their collective keels. They have a spectacular 64’ Grand Alaskan of a similar vintage to OLOH with many of the same systems and did the Great Loop on one of their former boats, a Jefferson (OLOH is a Jefferson). In addition to deliveries they specialize in training. After our first phone conversation with them they felt like old friends and the decision to hire them was a no-brainer. We feel very fortunate that they were able to work us into their schedule.

It was very strange for us (and Jasper) to watch from the dock as OLOH departed Fernandina Beach. And while we were disappointed to have to walk away from our floating home and the adventure of bringing her north, we knew she was in extraordinarily capable hands. They have run OLOH as we run her and have taken care of her as if she was their own. There have been a few mechanical hiccups along the way and they managed everything that came up capably and professionally. And to everyone along the way who stopped by OLOH or hailed “us” on the radio during their journey, Bob and Pam have passed along all of your kind greetings. We’ll see you out there another time!
So it will be a bit longer before we continue to post about our adventures, but essential to the cruising lifestyle is having the ability to pivot, and doing your best to make smart decisions that work for you. We’ll be back on the move before too long and look forward to having you along for the adventure!
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