about the trip to seattle

We set out on Imagine today, without mentors or visitors, just the two of us. Kurt flew home to his family yesterday and we finished up some business errands and did a bit of provisioning (sheets and blankets and some kitchen items). This morning we provisioned at the local Publix while we stil had the car: food, beverage and TP, the essentials. We determined to leave the dock about 11:30 am (on a rising tide), our neighbors on their 1990 Catana had left at 6:30 am). But when we turned on the instruments they did not work: no beep or bleep or any sound. So Jim talked with the yard manager and Rich sent Dale, the electrician, over to consult. It pays to have a contact with the owner, but these guys are incredibly nice and helpful. Dal and Jim tracked down a hasty wire job that neglected to properly connect some grounds making the instrument connection intermittent. It was fixed within the half hour and we were ready to go! Once out of the narrow channel and heading south from Gandy bridge. We got the screecher up and had a nice sail down the bay with the wind on the aft quarter. We headed toward the bridge but didn't know where to after that so we called a few marinas within a few hours sail, but none had room (it was Friday evening after all and there were several "events" on the west side of Tampa Bay. The wind was north edging NE and was predicted at 10-15 for the evening. Both Bob and Kurt and the Western Florida guide recommended Egmont Key as an anchorage, but it was a north-south island, not well protected except from westerly winds which we certainly did not have. But we had no plan B, so off we went as the sun sank lower. While crossing the channel the seas picked up and the wind began gusting to 18 knots from the NE, with whitecaps around us we were apprehensive about this anchorage. We headed toward the unprotected nearly deserted island toward the pilot lookout pier, pulled it further to shore than the only other boat anchored (a monohull whose owner came out to eyeball us before retreating below content we intended his boat no harm). We circled and anchored, but one of us was not convinced we were far enough offshore to to weather a wind shifting from NNE to NE (which would put us anchored on a lee shore). So Jim did the prudent thing and agreed to re-anchor; we've decided if we're not both happy with whatever we're doing we rectify it. The second anchor try set well and the wind actually started subsiding - a good omen - though steady enough to keep us at a steady angle and well dug in.. Two more monohulls anchored behind us (perhaps this wan't such a crazy idea) and we had a beautiful sunset. Most of this island is a bird sanctuary, so it was a peaceful quiet place with all the city lights visible but far away. We even got used to the rocking and rolling (and the screecher squeaking). Our first night off on our own with Imagine at anchor!

The morning found us having coffee with the sunrise and a pod of 5 dolphins lazily swimming around and around the boat. Jim washed all the salt off from yesterday's romp in the waves.

this is where you canput stuff about the trip down the east coast