And so it begins...

1.17.13 We are finally underway!! It took us two weeks longer than we expected to finally leave the marina, due to unforeseen engine problems and dinghy troubles. We left Harbortown Marina in Fort Pierce on Tuesday, 1/15 and anchored just outside of the marina for two nights. We were waiting on a few parts for our engine but didn't want to continue to pay marina fees. With our new dinghy outboard ready to roll, we figured we could just dinghy in to land to pick up the parts as they came in. The first night started out a bit bumpier than we had expected, but we were happy to see that our new anchor dug right in and held tight through the blow. Halfway through the evening, the wind died down, but at least our wind generator had had time to run and keep the batteries fully charged through the night. Our newest crew member, Sean has made it his personal mission to make sure we are stocked in fresh seafood for this trip. We have been fully outfitted with poles, gaffs, lures and various other equipment that I have no idea how to use in the hopes of landing enough fish on this trip to not have to buy much at the grocery store. So far he has caught five small catfish and an eel. None of these were large enough to keep so we threw them all back and hope for bigger and better in the future. After a last minute run into town for groceries and a stop at West Marine and with the engine parts in hand, Brad and Sean left town and headed back to the boat in the dinghy...only it wouldn't start. After making a few calls and imploring the advice of some other boaters, Brad finally got the outboard started and made it back to the boat. We think it was just some bad fuel and after we filter it hopefully the problem will clear up, but we weren't happy that our new used outboard was already having trouble. Once safely back on the boat, we hoisted the outboard and readied the boat for the start of our voyage. Which brings us to today. We pulled anchor this morning before sunrise and were well on our way down the ICW when the sun finally peeked through the clouds. We were hoping to sail offshore but with the wind coming in from the SW, it would have been right on our nose. We hope to make it to West Palm Beach tonight and recheck the winds from there. Hopefully we will be able to make it outside from West Palm down to Miami sailing on the outside by the end of the weekend. Now that we are underway, spirits are high and we are looking forward to being in the Bahamas! PS - Sean just caught a Spanish Mackerel! We have our first fish meal ahead of us!