We Make the Break

You know, when you plan for anything long enough, there is always that thought in the back of your head that maybe it will never actually come to pass . . . SO . . . we were excited when David, Gretchen, Hal, Cindy and Patty showed up on the dock on Tuesday to see us actually leave the dock!  Of course, when they arrived, we were trying to resolve all of the issues that had cropped up from the first minute (you know, little things, like the engine not starting!). After a not too long delay, we did make the break and headed out to begin the adventure.

We're off!

We did some last minute detail work on our way out of the harbor and made the turn into dynamite hole from the shipping channel.  We were met with a great surprise right off the bat.  With abnormally strong winds from the south and an outgoing tide, dynamite hole was all confused water.  Rob and I agree that we've never been in water that BIG ever before.  Our best estimate was over 12 foot waves and it was almost impossible to tell exactly what position we were in from one second to the next.  Of course, I was thinking "and WHY did I want to do this?!:"  Moonshadow's bow was crashing over huge waves and it was all we could do to keep her on course.  Of course that means that we were just that much more relieved when we made it through in one piece!  I must say that it was a true testament to my stowage skills!  Not an item broken in the lot!

Best seat in the house!

The plan was to sail as far as we felt comfortable with and seek shelter as needed.  It looked like the weather was going to hold through the night and we decided to continue the journey knowing we'd need to get in in the morning with a major storm approaching mid afternoon.  The weather was mild, the sun shone and the breeze was light but entirely from the wrong direction and we spent the whole day on a major roller coaster ride.  Thanks to Bonine, my new best friend, neither of us got seasick!  (Great stuff for anyone prone to seasickness)  The moon on the water was amazing and I was surprised at how well I could just sit and take it all in . . . being the busy body that I am. 

After a long night of very little sleep, lots of thinking, charting, staring at the gorgeous moon - we headed to the first good inlet after sunrise to be sure not to be caught in the storm that appeared to be arriving earlier than expected.  We made it to the Jeckyll Island anchorage just as the clouds came ripping in.  After 3 attempts to set the anchor in silt, and with this massive storm starting to blow, we pulled to the marina dock and have been happily tied up here as the winds howl and the rain pelts the boat.  So after a hot shower, a little food, a beer/wine toast to a good first step, I'm thinking this could be okay . . .

Sunset at Sea.

Other notes . . .  I saw my first ever "in the wild" shark - and it was a big one - with it's fin cutting the water just like in the darn movies!  Then today we saw a bald eagle, just as you please!  We ate sparingly for the most part with the waves and all but I did manage to make Rob an abbreviated version of Thanksgiving with fresh baked sweet potatoes (thanks, Lois Randall!), the last of the turkey and freshly made waldorf salad.  Seemed like it was right having Thanksgiving on our first night out!

Well, the sun has just set in all its glory, the wind blows and I sit all cozy wondering what tomorrow will bring.  One thing I know is that no matter how good this all gets - without having those I love out there thinking of me, this wouldn't mean a thing.  Here's one to you!