Too Much Wind?!

I know, you would think that wind is exactly what we want when sailing south…but not too much wind. We have been sailing alright, but have unfortunately not left the slip yet! Our departure has been delayed a few days due to the high winds from the Nor’easter blowing through. We were measuring sustained 45 knot winds with gusts in the 50s…a little too high to make the trip comfortable. So we opted to wait it out. We are now planning to leave tomorrow morning, which will be early Wednesday, 5 December. It will be cold, but the wind will have died down somewhat.

It feels like ages since we started getting ready and now that we have the boat fully equipped (medical kit that will even pull teeth, life raft, EPIRB etc), provisioned (20 lbs ground beef, 30 chicken breasts, 30 fillet mignon…), and safety approved (coast guard inspected!), we are anxiously awaiting actually going. The biggest challenge will be just getting away from the slip with the wind a little higher than Lynn likes.

It has been a fun few weeks as the excitement builds and we enjoyed several great Bon Voyage parties. It started at work with a surprise party that caught us both off guard. Before Lynn realized the party was for him, he quipped “Nobody ever gave me a party like this!” Thanks to all who pulled that together (Amy, Erica, Susannah, Stephanie, and Nancy, the extraordinary cake maker). We then had a fun happy hour with a bunch from work. My family had an early Christmas gathering. Thank you Mom and Dad for the great dinner and my bro’s and their families for travelling in inclement weather to get together before I left. Lynn’s kids and grandkids had a lovely breakfast brunch and showered us with Christmas presents. Again, very unexpected and much appreciated. We managed to cram the whole gang of 16 on the boat…a new record.

We do feel very lucky to have such wonderful friends and family. Anyway, we will finally be off in a few hours and will keep you posted.