Day of Departure 20091117

Day of Departure  20091117

With a new set of clothes for the “Angel”, courtesy of Walter Spalviero (Canvas Master 843-478-7310), Cathy and I are detailing and preparing for departure.  Both of us are excited and nervous about setting off, leaving friends and family for adventures over the horizon. 

Walter was gracious and generous with his time to create a cover for the stern, providing shade for the lazarette, where the refrigeration unit struggles with direct sun.  He then added a fold down combination cover & window for the companionway.  In addition, Walter created a navigation instrument canvas roll.  He then created a map pocket for the ceiling of the salon.   The rails for the companionway hatch leaked regularly.  I removed, re-bedded the rails and installed through bolts to snug them down securely.  Threaded connectors were then added with addition bolts and teak slats to create a ceiling shelf.  Walter’s map pocket is secured to the bolts and holds both maps and heavier map kits.  The matching mainsail cover, bimini and dodger will serve us well as we travel.

At present, weather permitting, our general schedule is proposed to be:

20091116    Leave Charleston,  SC offshore to St. Mary’s Georgia
20091119    Arrive St. Mary’s, GA  - Stay ~1 week through Thanksgiving
20091127    Depart St. Mary’s GA – Head south via Intercoastal Waterway toward Ft. Lauderdale
20091201    Arrive Ft. Lauderdale, FL – Wait for good weather to cross Gulf Stream
20091203    Cross Gulf Stream overnight, arrive West End, Grand Bahamas – Check in Customs
20091205    Sail North and East to Marsh Harbor, Green Turtle Cay, Abacos, Bahamas
Stay through Cathy’s Birthday on 12/8
20091215    Explore more Cays south, Arrive and explore Eleuthera Bahamas
20091225    Head South and spend Christmas in Cat Island Cay
20091231    Explore Exumas Bahamas and celebrate New Year’s in Georgetown, Exumas Bahamas
20100104    Celebrate Jim’s birthday on “private island” somewhere in Exumas, Begin looking for weather window to sail North
20100110    Start Sailing up the “Tongue of the Ocean”, bear right past Bimini and sail due north in Gulf Stream
20100115    Arrive Charleston, South Carolina

Follow our adventures at the following links.

http://angelvoyage.blogspot.com/

http://share.findmespot.com/shared/faces/viewspots.jsp?glId=0JdziiPdatjNmobKjCRtcgdMob3Cpxx7q

Please forward to anyone that I missed.
More Later…
Forward as you wish.
Jim