MEET THE DAWGS: Karen and Dennis Careri, Toes in the Water Boat Length and Type: 2015 Lagoon 450 Home Port: Boston, MA. It was our home for 35 years but it's way too cold for us to go back there now! Where are you now?: Cruising the Bahamas. We've passed through a couple of times heading to the Caribbean but never spent any real time there. We discovered, as many have, that the water in the Exumas is gorgeous, and it's not hard to find wonderful secluded anchorages. Any current boat projects? We were hit by lightning in June 2023 (on our 3rd day back in the US after 5 years in the Caribbean) and still have a few lingering issues to resolve. We also need to add more solar to complement our Lithium battery bank, and we're sure more jobs will show up as always! When did you join SDSA? In April 2020 during the Dominica Rendezvous. Which rallies or rendezvous have you participated in? As well as the Dominica Rendezvous in 2020, we happened upon the Bequia Rendezvous in 2023, and most recently the Exumas Rendezvous. We prefer to travel on our own or with a buddy boat, so we have not joined in on any of the rallies. However we almost joined the Homeward Bound Rally from the USVI during the Pandemic, but really didn't want to head back to the east coast. Aruba finally granted us permission to enter so we ended up spending most of the pandemic there without any other tourists, which was fantastic. What's the most important thing you've learned as a Salty Dawg? That there is almost always a friendly and helpful Salty Dawg when you pull into a new anchorage. We also learned to drink more rum! What's your most memorable Salty Dawg experience? We enjoyed helping out at the Feed My Sheep Shelter and Children's Learning Center in Dominica. We cleaned and painted walls and ceilings, repaired floors and learned a lot about the shelter's mission as well as their needs. We especially enjoyed our last Happy Hour on a beautiful sand bar with a bunch of great Salty Dog friends at the recent Exumas Rendezvous just soaking up the positive energy. What's next for you and your boat? We're heading back to Hilton Head at the end of June where we'll decide if it's time to sell the boat or head back out to the Caribbean in November. |