Chuck and Barb Shipley, who are retired and live aboard their Krogen 48 North Sea, are living the cruising dream They determined when they retired to move aboard and explore the world. They sold their Georgia home, and the rest is history.
Barb was able to retire a year before Chuck, so she took that time to become a certified captain with a 50-ton license. This competency has proven valuable in every aspect of their cruising life aboard North Sea.
The Shipley’s made the leap to cruise from the U.S. to the Bahamas and then on to the Caribbean by what is known as the “thornless path” which avoids long offshore passages.
Instead, the route they took leads south through the Bahamas and then to the Turks & Caicos. From there, the path leads to the Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands.
The Eastern Caribbean from St. Martin to Trinidad became their stomping grounds and they came to know the islands, the safe and less safe ones, the best islands for food (French) and the best places to SCUBA dive.
But, living the dream and cruising to the Caribbean is not easy, or, as they say, everyone would be doing it. The Shipleys sat down with their friends at Kadey Krogen to share their insights on what to do and what not to do as you shape your Caribbean cruising plans.
