On Saturday 11/28, I was settled in with a mug of tea and my jigsaw puzzle with nothing special to worry about until Al came back from a visiting walk around several boats to announce we were leaving by 11am to head to Dog Island, the jump off point for crossing the Gulf. The weather window had opened and the plan was for us to anchor over night and rest to then be ready to leave through the East Pass to begin the journey over night to Florida's West Coast. I zipped to the grocery while Al filled the boat with water and off we went. The picture above is the view as we arrived at Dog Island just at sunset.
The view from the stern with the tiny dot that is Liquid Assests. Sandrobber had been lead boat of our threesome.
Dog Island is a beautiful place accessible only by boat. We enjoyed a really long walk in the morning
Pictures from our walk.
In the distance are the red and green markers for the East Pass. Captain Al thought it would be funny to take this picture of him standing like a white buoy in line with the others. Get it? Green, Red and White buoys! What a sense of humor that guy has!!
Carol and Tim with cutie pie Benji heading back from the beach to their boat wihich is rafted up with ours. We met for a lunch meeting to set the plan for the crossing. Because the reports were so favorable for light winds and waves, we opted to get a reservation at a marina in Clearwater Beach which meant traveling on the diagonal a bit further south, about 170 miles total. So promptly at 3pm, we upanchored and headed to East Pass just next to Dog Island on a beautiful sunny day. And now for the rest of the story! (Next posting)
My tummy started to churn reading about your crossing Jane. So glad that crossing is over for you and you can relax. Loving the photos. Thinking of you both. Love Glenda.
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