We're leaving!

Tomorrow is the big day. We have a window and ran around like crazy the last two days to take advantage of it.  Sadly we will not be stopping at Minerva reef. We have to make as much east as possible otherwise we will have wind on the nose for the last  250 miles or so. Definitely not my idea of a good time.  Its disappointing for sure, but one of those choices that come up from time to time.  Minerva isn't  going anywhere, so maybe next year.

It's about 1000nm to Tonga from here so figure 6 to 9 days.  Feel free to email us at wdj9035@sailmail.com and or follow us at www.oceantracking.com  using wdj9035 as our call sign. Getting email on a crossing is like getting cookies from mom when you went to camp.   The blog is not posting to FB or updating our track and I have run out of time to deal with it.

So why such a crazy day?  We've been steadily working on the boat for 10 days right?  Well I have been pondering just that as i sit in the marina  laundry doing the final loads.. and i guess it comes down to the fact that there is a pretty long list of things that cannot be done way in advance.  Laundry is a prime example  you do it and then you have to wear clothes or use a towel.  Same with fresh food - it doesn't last hence "fresh", filling water, getting duty free fuel, putting the dinghy on  deck, setting up the jacklines, setting up the wind vane steering and thats not all of the list.  So no matter how "ready" we are, the last days are always a scramble, and if  we wait for perfect.......  we would still be here in June. And frankly it is too darn cold now.

Yesterday we finished cleaning the hull using our hooka (no not the kind you smoke, it's an air compressor run off a battery so we can breathe thru regulators  sorta like scuba but attached to a hose).  It was my first time doing it  one of those things Josh and Dennis just did..wasn't  as bad as I had anticipated, went well.  My only complaint was about all the little sea criiters that decided that if the couldnt attach to the boat they would attach to me (my wetsuit).  Yikes i had whole colonies ewwww!

So thats us for today.  Our  appointment to clear out with customs is 9am, and we plan to head out directly  after that. Happy Mother's Day in advance.