"We did it, we finally did it!" We're off on the beginning of our voyage and have sailed a full 20 miles down the coast to Half Moon Bay, my old stomping grounds. We had a full crew helping us begin our voyage. Ruth's brother Zach, his wife Stephanie and their kids Eli (5) and Ari (3) on board, along with my friend Dave Metcalf and his son Cole (6).

Cole not only drove across the Golden Gate Bridge for the first time in his life, but he also got to sail under it and scream and hear his echo for the first time.

With 24 knot winds and a flood tide, we had to beat our way out to the ocean. Typically, that's the windiest part and as soon as we were about half a mile out the Gate, the wind dropped down and we had comfortable 12-15 knot southwesterlies the rest of the way.

Along the way, dolphins, seals and jellyfish joined us. The kids loved clipping into their safety harness and maneuvering their way up to the bow. Fortunately, no one got very seasick and Aunt Sassy and Eli had a marathon sleep in our aft cabin.
When we waved good-bye to our crew last night, we realized it was just the four of us now on our journey south. Kai and Maya drove the dinghy back to the boat, our new home.