Thursday, December 28, 2006
Map: First Leg of the Journey, 2006
After an outstanding, frantic, fun Christmas with family, Bob and I are getting antsy to get back on the boat again. However, a January 11th dental appointment has us grounded in Huntsville, AL, with Second Wind waiting patiently for our return to Carrabelle, FL. We've heard from several folks that the boat is resting safely at the Moorings Marina.This map shows how far we've traveled since we first motored out of Alred's Marina in Guntersville, AL, on October 13th, 2006. So far we've covered 766 miles of the approximately 6,000 miles involved in the Great Loop journey. After taking several breaks -- mainly the Fall Rendevous and the holidays -- we plan to pick up the pace from this point forward.
Out next challenge will be crossing the Gulf to get further south into Florida. We are still debating the merits of (1) taking the Big Bend route, which is shallower and takes longer or (2) cutting across the Gulf, which takes about 12 hours and entails cruising in the dark. Each way has merits and challenges. We are favoring the Big Bend route, but much will depend on the weather at the time we actually head out.
