Final Preperations

I got the AIS and new radio working, and entered my MMSI number so that DSC will work. The best part of my radio is that it displays the AIS targets and can also be used for navigation. You can put in 100 way points and use the GPS that's part of my AIS unit.

I had to borrow a USB to RS232 adapter from Coneys to setup the AIS unit, but after that, it all worked great. It's a low power emission, so I can only be seen from 5-10 miles away. The closest base station to here is probably a little further away, so it's not picking me up or displaying me on marinetraffic.com.

I don't have time to order one, and none of the stores in Huntington have them in stock. I did find one in Westbury, but would have to take the train over to pick it up. And since I wouldn't be able to take Zoe, and it's too cold to leave her on the boat alone -- I don't run anything when I'm not on board for fear of fire -- I was prepared to sail without it. However, I mentioned it to Kieran, and he offered to pick it up for me on his way home, so I'm going to call them as soon as I finish this post.

Departure watch:

I'm planning to leave tomorrow at about noon so I can reach Throgs Neck, or there abouts, before dark. I spoke to the folks at both the SUNY Maritime Acadamy and the US Merchant Marine Academy and both offered to let me tie up for the evening so I could make slack tide at Hell Gate by 0600 or 0700.

It looks like Sunday is going to be windy again, so I don't want to miss this window. All I need to do today/tomorrow is finish mounting my radios (duct tape works if nothing else), mount a bulls-eye fairlead on the mast, and fill my tanks, both water and diesel. I'm planning to fill the tanks tomorrow morning right before I go.

And finally, I'll check the weather again in the morning and make my final decision by around 1000. Based on what it looks like right now, I'll be either stopping at Cape May or heading up the Delaware on Saturday. I don't want to be out there on Sunday if there's a Small Craft Advisory (SCA) or gale warning.