Have you ever wondered what 1 1/2 tons of food looks like? Well, it's been sitting in my front entrance-way for the past four weeks as I step around and over it, adding to it and going over my various lists to make certain that at the very least, no one is going to go hungry!

Preparing for the voyage and trying to anticipate all the possible contingencies have taken a lot longer than anticipated. Servicing the various systems including the diesel engine, electronics, water maker (our lifeline), running and standing rigging for defects and possible stress faults, installing new sails, getting the single side band and satellite phone accounts setup to be able to ensure communication with the outside world and all the other endless tasks -- have been addressed with my best efforts.

We have an excellent crew who have all had extensive experience at sea and bring to the voyage their various expertises from electronics, communication equipment troubleshooting, and engine maintenance including 2 crew members who have qualifications in celestial navigation.

There will be two sets of crew of 4.

Going down will be Steve and Heather, Wayne and myself. Heather has to get back to work as first mate on the Columbia (the ferry that runs between Seattle and Alaska) and Wayne has to get home to prepare his own boat for his offshore voyage in September 2011.

Coming back, John and Kevin will take their place. Kevin sailed his own boat in the Caribbean for a year and although this is John's first offshore voyage, he has extensive coastal sailing experience and has been involved for more than a decade in our district Power Squadron and having been one of the organization's stalwart instructors, he has served as Commodore for more than one term.

I couldn't have done better surrounding myself with "Salts"!

The rest is up to nature. Although one is always reassured that countless others have done this trip before us, I admit to a tiny bit of trepidation.

I suppose those feelings have all been summed up in the old Mariner's Prayer.

"Oh God, have mercy on us -- Your sea is so vast and my boat is so small!"

More shall be revealed!