I'm down to less than 10 days before my departure to Carrabelle, Florida.
Annie, my Westsail 32, is ready to go... for the most part. She still needs a few last minute projects finished, but all in all, she is ready for the 480 mile passage. She rocks gently in her slip tugging at her lines as if she is eagerly anticipating her departure.
Most of my passage will be through canals and the ICW, (Intracoastal Waterway). I should cover about 50 miles per day traveling during daylight hours only and anchoring or docking during hours of darkness. The last 180 miles will be Gulf of Mexico passage. There will be no stops during that leg of the journey. The Monitor wind-vane on Annie will steer the boat and I will then enjoy not being tied to the helm as is necessary in the ICW. There are places in the Gulf of Mexico that are as deep as 12,000 feet. I will not be in water that deep. Actually, the leg of the Gulf I'll be traversing only reaches a depth of 86 feet.
Many of those who are already supporting the mission have donated funds earmarked for safety equipment for this leg of the journey. I am thankful for such support and I have numerous safety mechanisms in place now. Barring any unexpected bad weather, the entire trip should take 8 to 10 days... estimated.
My last Sunday at First Christian Church of Stuart will be May 29th. That will be a bittersweet day. Once again as a minister, I will have to say goodbye to brothers and sisters I have come to love, and yet I begin a new course in life where I can share the Gospel of Christ with souls who might never hear that wonderful truth otherwise. Again, bittersweet.
I covet your prayers for safety and success in my passage to Carrabelle and for the mission as a whole. There is a mountain of things to do over the course of the next few months, but the God I serve can easily move mountains.
God bless you.
Click below to see my charted course to Carrabelle, Florida.
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