GTFOplan #76: Best Dinghy Dock in New York City!

IN THIS VIDEO:
We anchor right next to the Statue of Liberty - what a surreal location! To be extra cautious, we use the engine kill switch so that someone cannot easily start GoTFO⛵️ - what an easy trick! We have to jump through hoops to walk Schatzi because there aren't dinghy docks anywhere and there isn't a convenient water taxi service. We were quite impressed with the 9/11 Memorial and Museum. That's a must if you visit New York City! We even had cocktails in the Trump Tower - best Manhattan ever - so wish we had chatted up the bartender to learn his recipe. We also enjoyed the 4th of July fireworks from Staten Island with a 360 rooftop view. Sadly lost the footage from our amazing visit with Craig, a former Dennis coworker, but what an honor to hang out in his amazing apartment with a huge balcony with a view. We will definitely be back NYC!

CURRENT LOCATION:
https://forecast.predictwind.com/trac...

ABOUT OUR CATAMARAN:
We love our new Balance 482 - it's a perfect size for a cruising couple to handle and is a great "balance" of performance and comfort. One of our favorite features is the excellent ventilation since we mostly live as "hookers" (aka at anchor) where the boat automatically turns into the wind so we stay cool and we don't need to battle mold. We also have starlink for easy off-grid life. Our 2400 watt solar panel array also means we rarely need to run an engine to charge our batteries.

ABOUT US:
We saved for a our future boat, sold everything that we owned, and shipped the rest in a container to Cape Town, South Africa. We then flew there and explored South Africa by way of a safari and touring Cape Town before moving aboard our boat. We then sailed to Saint Helena, Ascension Island, Fernando de Naronha (Brazil), Martinique, Sint Maarten (Dutch and French side), the US Virgin Islands (Saint Croix, Saint John, and Saint Thomas), the British Virgin Islands (Anegada, Norman Island, Jost van Dyke, and Anegada), The Bahamas (Inagua, Crooked Island, Long Island, George Town, Staniel Cay, the Exumas, and Eleuthera). We then sailed back to the United States, making landfall in Cape Canaveral, Florida. From there our destinations are endless!

Both Dennis and Ann grew up military brats with Army fathers. Dennis (the Colonel) served 30 years in the US Army and his retirement pension helped us retire in our 50s. Ann (the ship's Captain) wrote Test Automation in Python and Java. Dennis and Ann met on Match.com where Ann had in her profile "Do you want to sail the world with me?"

Ann easily brought Dennis into sailing, and he loved the GTFOplan of retiring early and sailing the world. After many years of saving, living on one income but earning two, and cutting back on everything possible, they saved enough to buy a Balance 482.

Follow them as they get real about boat life and all the hassles of buying a new boat because we all know N.E.W. means Not Everything Works.

Kisses,
Ann & Dennis

Twitter: @GTFOplan
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