We are underway!!! We had planned to leave around the middle of November. We had been in Florida provisioning the boat when the baby my daughter-in-law, Tracy, was carrying went into serious distress. The baby wasn't due until the third week in January, so Tracy stayed in the hospital over a week until the baby was no longer in distress, then total bedrest at home until the baby was born. Of course, I (Gail) went home to take care of the other children and help out. After four weeks, I really missed Frank, so he rented a car and drove to Memphis about a week before Christmas. Baby Luke Robert Price was born healthy on December 26. We stayed until after January 1st and headed back to the boat.

We were ready to sail before Frank left so we didn't have much to do to get ready. The weather was a bit tricky, high wind or 20 degree temperatures, neither one we wanted to sail in. So, finally on Monday January 18 at 8:20 we left the dock to begin our glorious trip. It was overcast initially, the wind was calm. Because the wind was calm, when the sun came out it was a lovely day.

If you have followed us in the past, you probably know we must sail the Intracoastal Waterway from our bay (Choctowahatchee) to Panama City (our mast is too tall to go under the Destin bridge into the Gulf of Mexico). Sailing across our bay, we encountered four dolphins that swam with us. They stayed within three feet of the boat near the cockpit in the back for over 15 minutes. Occasionally, one would jump totally out of the water. We don't usually see that in the bay, we do in the gulf, but not the bay.

Then while we were sailing the 20 mile long man-made ditch, we had two pelicans that seemed to "play with us." They would fly along side of us, then land on the sand and watch us pass, then fly along side of us again. They did this repeatedly. Pelicans are one of my favorite birds. They seem to have an attitude on their faces when they are at rest. I also love to watch them fly and glide mere inches above the water without getting their bellies wet.

We anchored out at one of our favorite places, Shell Island. It is situated right before the entrance to the gulf at Panama City. We enjoyed a beautiful sunset before starting dinner. Keesi sat on top of the boat knowing she was in a familiar place. Tomorrow morning we will set out for Clearwater. The weather is forecast light, so we will likely have a combination of sailing and motoring. We should arrive in Clearwater Wednesday afternoon. Until then, we hope everyone is as happy as we are.