Float Plan to cross Gulf of Mexico 12/15/12

We are crossing the Gulf today!! We have been working towards this for weeks. Trying to get close enough. Hoping that the winds, weather, and tides cooperate to make this 20+ hour trip (without stopping) safe and comfortable.

To be sure we are safe we are traveling with five other boats: One September (our long time traveling companions), Queen Anne's Revenge (our new friends since Port St. Joe), and two new boats. We are filing a "float plan" with our departing marina, The Moorings in Carrabelle FL, and with our family. We must check in upon arrival with everyone who has our float plan so they know we are safe. If we don't check in within a reasonable period of time, someone call the Coast Guard because we are lost.

We will be traveling on marine Channel 71 so we can communicate with our fellow travelers. We will switch off who is running first to give the captains a break. We are the only boat with spurs so we will definitely be running in the lead when we get close to Tarpon Springs because there are a gazillion crab pots. Spurs can cut through the crab pots so our boats and the boats following us don't get the crab pot lines caught in our propellers.

We entered way points in the GPS yesterday so we can put on auto pilot to make traveling easier. We will be outside of sight of land so we won't have anything to site on so auto pilot is important. We hold Otto doesn't let us down.

We moved all our crap up to the fly bridge so we have everything we need. Pillows and blankets so the driver can take a nap - we are traveling overnight so this is important. Charts so we can make additional reference and plan the trip once we arrive. Food and drinks - we are making sandwiches and have fruit and vegs already cut so we can keep ourselves entertained during the trip. A cooler with different stuff to drink.

Here is the plan:

Crab pots - these are hard to see when you are running

• depart Carrabelle at 11:30am on Saturday 12/15/12
• travel east to Dog Island then into the Gulf to Red Marker 26 - this cuts the angle east to bring us closer to the eastern shore of the gulf. This is important because any wind at all against a 5 foot tide like we have will cause heavy waves very quickly. We are taking an angle rather than a straight line so we are going across the current instead of into it so we have a better ride.
• Angle ESE to Anclote Key to pick up the channel to Tarpon Springs
• turn more south east to Tarpon Springs
• plan to arrive at Tarpon Springs before 7am and after 10am on Sunday 12/16/12 to avoid sun glare so we can see the crab pots

We will check in with you tomorrow after we arrive at Tarpon Springs and catch a little nap.