Bon Voyage

Jonathan & Danielle set sail on their grand journey this morning at 6am.

       May the sun shine on their faces and the wind be at their backs!

Fuctional Email and Weather via Radio

This message was sent by email over radio wave. Trippy! If you can read this, then we were finally able to work out the last few kinks. We've also been messing around with weather (in the form of grib files) overlaid on our laptop chart plotter. It's pretty intimidating at first, but I think we will get the hang of it...we will have quite a bit of time to kill with practice.
Ten more days, then blue water, here we come! So far, the weather for our departure looks pretty accommodating. Fingers crossed!

Santa Cruz and Goleta Test Run

Last weekend we sailed to Pelican's Bay on the front side of Santa Cruz island. We tested all of our equipment, and it seems all is well except for the SSB radio. The radio is able to receive, yet not able to transmit messages, which is why this post was not uploaded while we were anchored out there. Just a few more bugs to work out!

We were especially happy with the efficiency of the solar panels. Not only could they keep up with the autopilot and our water pump, but it could even keep the batteries relatively full while the compressor for the icebox was running. Definitely a worthy investment for peace of mind when it comes to self-sufficiency on the water.

Sunday morning we sailed from the island over to Goleta for Jon's grandmother's memorial. We spread Erma's ashes in front of Goleta pier while sailing by, as we did with her husband a year earlier. A perfect day of sunny skies and turquoise water. This moment was especially touching for me, as Jon's grandparents introduced Jon to boats and sailing in the first place, when he was quite young. They were always so supportive of dreams of adventuring off to paradise. They will be missed dearly. 

As for us, we are getting our last minute projects finished. With only 19 days left until we push off, it's time to get really picky about the details. If you guys have any suggestions on what we should pack/stock up on, feel free to throw an idea out there! No more canned goods though...I think our boat is about 7 inches lower in the water from the sheer weight of four month's worth.