THE OFFICIAL CAST OFF/ Friday to Saturday, January 22-23 (Day 1-2)

Admirals Log:     7:50 am, Fri. 1/22/16
                           Temp:  59
                           Winds:  8mph
                           Speed:  33 knots

It's here! We have started the journey of a lifetime! Our wonderful neighbors Dick and Tricia waved us goodbye and took a couple of photos of the official cast off.

The Corey Causeway Bridge behind our house.

Well...the day finally arrives and it does not go as I had envisioned. But that's part of the journey, you take it as it comes. We knew the winds were going to pick up but we had hoped if we left early enough we would beat them. No such luck. But we had decided today was the the regardless. Our boat is pretty heavy and can take pretty rough seas. If it got too rough we could either turn around or go to a local marina until we felt more comfortable to leave again.

The wind was so strong we lost our AGLCA Burgee they first day!
so we had to make due with our Auburn flag until we had a new burgee shipped to a marina.

Our plan was to cruise to the Crow's Nest Marina in Venice. But the closer we got to the Sunshine Skyway Bridge, our radar showed the seas were not going to get any better. So we made the decision to stop in Sarasota at Marina Jack's.  We had stayed there a couple of years ago and really liked it. Luckily they had room for us.

The captain of the sailboat next to us was from Tierra Verde and told us he had just come from Venice. The dock master there told him they were expecting 15 foot seas and their docks would most likely be under water and he should find another marina. Looks like we made the right decision!

On Saturday, we met a couple we had seen pass by our house a few days before. Mike saw their Looper Burgee (flag) and called them on the radio and they exchanged names and boat names. So when they saw our boat at Marina Jack's, we welcomed them aboard and shared weather stories. They are from Canada and started the Loop in August. That's the cool part of this adventure. Meeting people from all over the world with the same goal. Looks like we may even see them again in February when we will both be in the Bahama's.

Cindy Peterson Mecurio, old high school friend.

I also had a nice surprise today. A high school classmate who lives in Sarasota saw on Facebook that I was here, so she came to the boat and we had a great time catching up and reminiscing. She even took me to the grocery. Another cool thing about this trip, you never know you may meet.