SV OUR DIAMOND departed Tuesday October 31, Halloween, for Bahamas at 6:30A on a chilly morning after hoisting the dinghy on the front deck. It was a hectic night getting ready for the trip. Thanks to Dave and Marilyn for helping us get the cars to the storage lot after we had misplaced the lot key.

Lana drove and Robert worked remotely for the day. Besides driving, Lana installed the cockpit enclosure she just finished the day before. It appears to work pretty good. Mostly sunny and clear with little wind so it was a long motor. First of many but it is worth it along the way as we get to see old friends and make new ones. Talked with WHITE BIRD on the radio, they were stopping short at Solomons to meet up with friends.

Tech Note Aside: The first incident was the autopilot did not work with a "drive not found" error. Tracked it to the autopilot sleep wires and resolved for the day by putting it in the on all time mode. Later was able to determined the connector on the control unit was slightly corroded and after removing and replacing the connector a couple of times it worked again.

Great to be in Reedville for the evening a good dinner before crashing.

Happy Halloween