Departure day is drawing near

For a little over a year we have been planning to depart on August 20th for the Gulf of Mexico.  We are doing just a portion of the Great Loop as part of our permanent relocation to a warmer climate.  Our planned destination is Corpus Christi, Texas.  In all honesty, any place on the Gulf will be just fine if the right employment opportunities present themselves for both of us.  The time to depart is drawing near and the final stages of preparation have begun.  Notice of resignation has been given to the workplace, the car has been sold, health insurance is being finalized, etc.

The plans over the past year have been too numerous to mention in totality but some of the highlights of preparations have included:

a scouting road trip November 2011 to Texas
Power Squadron advanced boating training classes for both of us
complete medical/dental/optical checks for both of us
completion of CPA licensing in the State of Texas for Hilary
scuba diving certification for Bert
completion of education for both of us
financial planning and preparation for trip and planned career break
blocking the boat on land in May 2012 for hull work/inspection including prop reconditioning
complete replacement of the original electronics package including a new radar mast Bert designed and built himself (picture to follow)
general maintenance on engine and replacement of all batteries

Once folks hear we are going the first question they ask is:  "How long will it take you?".  We are planning on  four months.  We want to arrive at our final destination around December 20th so we are settled in before the Holidays.  The point of the trip isn't to see how quickly we can arrive.  We plan to have a very leisurely trip down to the Gulf and make several extended stops along the way in places like Chicago, Joe Wheeler State Park, New Orleans, etc.  If a dream job came through and we needed to get there in a hurry, Bert estimates it would take about three weeks.

In addition to the picture of the new mast, we also wanted to post up a picture of the beautiful shirts that Bert's cousin Jane embroidered for us.  Earlier this month Jane and her husband Bill came down to spend an evening with us and Jane presented us with these shirts.  The shirts are embroidered with Captain and First Mate and also include the boat name:  Took the Plunge.  We are so happy with them we wanted to show them off to everyone and say thank you very much for the thoughtfulness and consideration.

New Mast

New Embroidered Shirts by Jane