TheTrip - Day 1 (Sept 5)

[This is being written by Jackson's Dad]

Jackson and Mike Gallagher, the owner of Good News, weighed anchor during the evening of Sept. 5, 2012, and set sail from Hilo, which is on the northwest shore of the big island of Hawaii, for San Francisco. It had taken a long time to get the 44-foot cutter-rigged Cascade sloop ready.

For the previous seven days Jackson had been staying aboard the boat, helping load it up with food and supplies. Here's is the last IM I received from him: "We're off. I love you all. Talk to you all in three weeks."
A few days before that Jackson had sent me the following IM: "We are filling our water tank and about to set off in an hour or so. I miss you all terribly but I know that what I am doing is right. I'm so excited because this is just the beginning of the exciting life God has set forth for me. I love you all and hope that you guys and  girls don't miss me too much because my captain really knows what he is doing. Talk to you all in 30 days, hopefully less."

Several times it seemed they were about to begin the voyage only to have to delay it for an assortment of reasons. A few days ago they actually did set sail but had to turn back because the engine was making troublesome sounds. My understanding is that it involved a problem with the oil pressure. But finally, on Thursday, Sept. 5, they set off for good.

At the moment the weather, as nearly as I can tell from the various weather websites I'm looking at (and without any training in meteorology) appears to be perfect. The waves are about eight feet, the winds are about 15 knots to 20 knots and the skies are mostly clear. With a steady easterly, I'm assuming they are heading north on a starboard tack. Within a few days -- Lord willing -- they will reach the prevailing westerlies that will take them to the U.S. West Coast.