And We're Off

The weather for the Gulf looks pretty good for the next week. The high winds we've been having should die down a bit tomorrow and shift to the west, so unless something else comes up, we plan to leave by tomorrow afternoon. This means we should reach Galveston by early next week, a few days before the full moon, and since there's no way of telling how long the window will last, I decided not to wait any longer -- also learned my potential crew couldn't make it.

We'll go over tomorrow and top off with water and fuel. Hopefully, they'll let me sit at the dock long enough to do some last minute shopping too. I'll get everything stowed tonight, but the first few days should be relatively calm, so I hope I'll be able to get to anything I missed once we clear the coast.

I spoke to Herb, Southbound II, who does weather routing, and he seemed to like window and the route. I'll check in with him daily to get weather updates and routing advice. I'm really excited about getting going again -- hope I can get some sleep tonight.

I guess I need to take a walk around and make another list. There's always something to do, but other than a couple of small things, I can't think of too much else that needs to be done before we leave. But if there is, I'm sure it will keep me awake tonight.

Zoe watch:

We've had a lot of wind for several days, but she's doing pretty well in spite of it. That includes wanting to sleep on the foredeck in 25 knot winds with 35 knot gusts -- I have make an effort to keep her in the cabin. The new non-skid makes a huge difference.