Off We Go!

And....we're off!  Our predicted route is more direct that we originally planned.  We'll see how the weather pans out... but for now, instead of heading dead east out to the open ocean and then south we are planning on heading/motoring southeast along the Turks and Caicos at which point we'll take advantage of the predicted light and variable winds Monday and Tuesday to make our easting.  Typically, the trade winds are consistently out of the southeast this time of year but due to a cold front that is expected to head our way on Tuesday, the winds are predicted to clock around to the northeast, which is ideal for us.  We will head south if/when those northeast winds fill in and hopefully enjoy a nice sail right down to the islands.  Of course this plan has been made based on the imperfect art of weather prediction so we'll see what the wind actually does and I'm sure we'll make several game-day decisions on the water.  We're hoping to make landfall at Jost Van Dyke in five to six days, but again, we'll see how it all plays out with the weather.  We will be getting daily detailed weather routing via Chris Parker as well as downloading GRIB files so we should be well informed.

For those of you who would like follow our track over the coming week, you can see our progress via our SPOT tracker on our SPOTWALLA site.

Also, for those of you who have emailed, I apologize for the delay.  It has been very difficult for me to keep up with correspondence these days and this passage will certainly put me more behind than ever.  I really love hearing from you all and appreciate your emails more than you know and I promise I will get back to you when I can.  It might take a while though, so thank you for your patience!

Anywho...the preventer has been set, the dinghy has been stowed on deck, the outboard and grill have been tucked away under bunks, meals have been made, safety systems have been checked, gear has been prepped, waypoints have been added, iPads have been filled with apps and games, seasick meds have been applied, oil has been checked, water and fuel have been topped off, gear has been stowed, safety briefing has been done, float plan has been sent and we are as ready as ever.  We're excited, nervous, giddy, and grateful.  We have an excellent vessel, a fantastic crew, and a heck of a ride ahead.

Catch you on the flip side!