The wife and I are doing the America Loop (7800 NM) on our 260. We started in Jacksonville FL and are now in Beach Haven NJ. We have traveled approx. 1200 NM on the water. We are expecting the trip to take around 16 months. We are waiting on a new (used) rudder from Idasailor that they graciously are sending us, till they build us a new Idasailor rudder and send the new rudder to my family in upstate NY which we will be later in the trip. I do want to thank Idasailor for their support under their warranty. They are sending the used rudder for the cost of shipping. The rudder was sheared off about 5 inches below the bolt hole, we were able to steer somewhat because I had cross connected the rudder with the outboard. The trip so far has been great, we started the trip March 24 but have lived on board since Feb 2 while we worked on our other boat (Corbin 39) for our circumnavigation after this trip. We have traveled up the east coast ICW stopping every 5-7 days in a marina to take on fuel and water. We anchor every night around 17:00 - 18:00. Our average velocity is about 5.5 kits, depending on tides. Our average distance is about 35 miles with a record of 63 NM. We have traveled on the New Jersey with the mast unsteped, because of the 26 bridges we have to go under, the fixed bridges are only have a 35 feet bridge clearance. The wife and I plan on stepping the mast before the Manasquan Inlet and make the 26 mile run on the Atlantic Ocean to NYC than go up the Hudson River to the Erie canal. During our stay in Beach Haven YC Marina I have done some maintenance on the the central air conditioner (replace a three year old raw water pump). We have enough batteries on board to run the AC for overnight anchorages. The microwave has worked out well and the Honda 2K generator has never failed us. I did have to replace the main VHF radio. The fwd anchor drain hose also had to be replace. I carry about 30 gal of gas with 16 gal as topside cargo, we burn about 1/2 to 1 gal/hr at cruise speed. We have a freezer/refrigerator on board and carry enough food for 2 weeks. I don't keep a web site but send out a sailing update e-mail. If anybody wants to receive the e-mail just send me an e-mail and request it. *****LKYusnret2@aol.com**** John and Anita S/V Baums Rush Living the Dream
