In 1997, Joan and Ben retired from careers in business and
engineering and decided to try full time cruising. We bought a 1979 44' Marine Trader classic trawler, which was renamed Francesca. It was clear to us that it would take time and miles before the realities of our boat’s capabilities as well as our personal interests and abilities were understood. We had read many articles about trawler cruising, but most of them only dealt with cruising inland and intra-coastal waterways. So, it isn’t too surprising that our cruising expectations were limited to the waters of the United States and perhaps the Bahamas. The idea that with appropriate preparation, we could cruise thousands of miles to foreign shores never even occurred to us. And, at that time, it would have seemed absurd to suggest such a thing. After all, trawlers and other modest powerboats aren’t meant for such activities.