The day finally came – all that was to be stowed away was stowed away, the systems tried and checked, all ready to go. Our hired captain (John) and the crew (Bones) flew in on Saturday 5/23 and together we wrapped up the last few things. The most important was the installation of the AIS system, to help us avoid other ships and be seen while underway, especially in busy shipping lanes around LA and San Francisco. A quick run to a local Kroger store to get food supplies (2 full carts) and we were ready. Departure was set for around noon on Sunday, May 24th. Right in the middle of a busy Memorial Day Weekend. The start was a bit rough. We were departing at the tail end of a strong high-pressure system, that has been pushing wind and waves from the north. It was supposed to be calming down, giving us a window to hop around Point Conception…