Day 31: Happy Thanksgiving from The Bayou

Day 31: Happy Thanksgiving from The Bayou!

Happy Turkey Day from Bosun, Hurley, and myself. Our second longest day underway today, from Mile Marker 80 to Mile Marker 11!

It was a gray Thanksgiving day here in Alabama. We talked to lots of family and friends and caught up with everyone. Seems like all is well back in the real world today.

We are now in the land of the Bayou and the Alligator, which means no more shore trips for the four legged crew members. Using the grass pad dubbed “The Poop Deck” till we hit Mobile Yacht Club tomorrow.

At one point we came around a corner, around Mile Marker 15 and you could just SMELL the ocean. That great salt air smell. I always enjoy that feeling when you step off a plane somewhere coastal and you get that first whiff of ocean air. Somehow this was better. 30 days of windy inland waterways, and on Day 31, Thanksgiving no less, we finally can smell the ocean. For that, I’m thankful.

I’m thankful for a lot this year. For family and friends that have (mostly) supported the idea to go on this crazy island adventure. Thankful to be in a position with my career and health to be able to just go and do this trip. Thankful for this boat which came into my life at just the right moment. Thankful for the wonderful engineers in Japan that designed the Yanmar 3GM engine…

Thankful for all the wonderful people I’ve met along the way. Cruising, much like sailboat racing, is just as much about the people you meet, as it is the journey or even the destination. I’ve met so many great folks along the way. Some you spend one evening with, some you travel with for a few days. Some you see, then lose track of, only to have them pop up days later unexpectedly. That is part of the magic of cruising, you never know who you might meet, or where.

I was treated to a nice Bayou sunset as we made our way into the anchorage, I found the trawler pack from Bashi Creek already nestled in and rafted together by the time I arrived. Our new Australian Friends Michelle & Duane who are doing the loop on their DeFever trawler “Perikana” invited me to join them, Greg & Kathy on “Passages”, and Kathy & Don on “Mo Whiskey” for a lovely Thanksgiving dinner. They all made a beautiful spread, I brought the wine…

We had a fabulous traditional Thanksgiving dinner with new friends from around the country and the world, swapped cruising stories, and shared plenty of laughs. It was a fantastic way to end this leg of the journey.

Tomorrow we make a short 20nm hop to Mobile Yacht Club, and finally get to STEP THE MAST!

From there we will head along the Gulf ICW to Pensacola, where Monday it looks like we will have a great weather window to cross over to Tampa/Sarasota.

I hope all of you had a great Thanksgiving with your family and/or friends wherever your anchor may be dropped today. We certainly did here.

Cheers!