The delivery crew and land support

[A picture of the crew - in crew T-shirts - will be added before we get underway.]

In addition to Chuck, the delivery captain, and myself, Greg, the proud and poorer owner, Captain Scott and my son Todd will be joining us for the journey.

Chuck has known Scott since childhood.  They were friends, each in separate families that did things together as they grew up in Virginia in the 60's.  Though they each took different paths from there, they maintained contact and their friendship.  Scott has been as active on the water as Chuck, possibly more active in some ways.   I met Scott briefly several years ago as he was passing through Solomons on his sailboat and he has acquired his USCG Captain's license.

When the sale of my boat became final and we knew there'd be a delivery sometime in the future, Chuck suggested we invite Scott, and of course I agreed.  I'm glad Scott agreed and is able to join us, and I look forward to getting to know him better and to learn from him along the way.  He's already been a big part of preparing for the trip, suggesting many things for safety and comfort that wouldn't have occurred to me.

Todd, my oldest son, and I have been boating together since he was 4, roughly 24 years total.  We began boating with another family on their boat in California in the early 90s and then got a boat of our own in 2000, shortly after moving to Maryland.  Todd's work situation is not as flexible as the rest of the crew's, but his supervisors have been very supportive of him making this trip, changing his leave dates and even agreeing to go short-handed as the delivery dates have changed.  I'm very thankful for their support.  Todd wouldn't be able to make the trip without it.  While we've had good luck with our small boat being reliable and USUALLY getting us back to the ramp each time we launch her, there have been on-water failures from which we've had to either limp or be towed back to the ramp.  Throughout our on-water adventures, Todd has shown that he's equally able when there's fun to be had and when the going gets tough.  He's quick to offer solutions to problems, keeps a cool head, and will jump into help before being asked, and he's quick to see and point out the humor in any situation.  Having him on the crew is not only a significant father/son event, he'll be a great asset.

In addition to those of us on the boat, there has been and will continue to be a supporting crew back home behind every one of us.  My wife Mary will be anxiously waiting at home to hear every step of the adventure, standing by to help, if needed.  She'll be getting regular updates via cell, text, email, and this blog when we have connectivity, but I know that she and others will be concerned when we lose connectivity and the period between reports lengthens.  We'll do our best to keep everyone informed, but accept that there may be 3 to 4 days without communication from us.  We'll warn you when connectivity is getting weak or about to be lost.

I've read the blogs of others planning offshore passages, and they've asked their families to NOT call the Coast Guard when the messages from the voyagers suddenly stop.  It's scary, I'm sure, but we'll do our best to warn you before it happens and give our best estimate when communications should improve.

It's been over 5 years, but I did a transit down the east coast in a US Navy ship in sight of land - usually well populated - most of the time.  I was surprised at how little cell coverage there was under those conditions, and we're planning to be out further than that for 3 to 4 days at a time.  Have faith in us individually and together as a crew to be as safe as possible and to get ourselves out of any jams we might get into.

I'll put together a float plan and leave a copy with Mary, probably posting it here in some form, so that everyone will know what to expect and to have some basis for knowing when to be concerned and when not to.

On the boat and ashore, we've assembled a great crew, and I look forward to starting the adventure and sharing with all of you the highs and lows - mostly highs - along the way and then the celebration as we arrive safely at our destination.

Next, I'll talk about the boat and the work that has been done to get her ready for the trip.

Greg.