12 Hours from Take Off

It’s real.

It’s very real.

Today was finalizing some packing, tying up some loose ends for my design projects at home, and mentally preparing myself for a double red-eye to start out the trip.

Apparently, everything you need for a month-long sailing trip can be laid out on a king sized bed.

Also, in talking to friends and family, I realized that a visual aid of the trip might come in handy. The image below is from a sailing textbook Connor and I have called “World Cruising Routes.” In the coming trip, we’ll likely be following route AN51 with some slight modifications:

1. We may stop in at the Cape Verde Islands.

2. We will be aiming for St Maarten as the end point (the yellow star).

This route, also called the “Southern Atlantic Route” by sailors, gives us the benefit of following the Easterly Trade Winds that run this time of year, avoiding dead air, head winds, and bad weather.

I’ll cap off my goodbyes in Portland by going out for Italian tonight with Connor before heading off to the airport.

Feeling excited for what lies ahead.

E

P.S. Here's another, redundant way to track our location.