
I left City Island, NY, at 2 p.m. on November 4, 1997 aboard "Mistral," my 1981 Beneteau First 35, on my way to the Caribbean via Bermuda. Prior to my departure, I spent over $10,000 outfitting my boat with new instruments, radar, autopilot, GPS, wind generator, water maker, windlass, new bimini and dodger, as well as a rigid boom vang.