First leg of the Voyage home

Preparations are complete, Provisioning has been done and all food and supplied stowed.  Burning music while I type this blog so we can head into the ocean listening to Jimmy Buffets Boats, Beaches, Bars and Ballad box set.

I am about to head to sleep for what I assume will be a somewhat restless night while I second guess every repair, preperation, provistion and skill that I have as we prepare for tomorrows departure.   We planned on leaving today but there were still a few things to get done to the boat and the threat of severe thunderstorms all day had us decide to sit another day and leave tomorrow late morning in what looks like a good weather window for the crossing to Mobile Alabama. 

Tomorrow after we get up, we will both enjoy restrooms and showers on terra firma and then pack the dock lines, fenders, shore power and head off to the Gas Dock to top off Diesel in the boat, Gas for the Generator, Gas/oil Mix for the dinghy and fill all 115 gallons of water storage for the trip.  Once off the gas dock it will be heading for the Gulf of Mexico and will be about 30 hours before heading into the somewhat protected waters of Mobile Bay.
Our route takes us across St. Andrews Bay in Panama City to the Gulf of Mexico where we will take a 270 degree bearing (West) for about 140 nautical miles.  We will do this until we are just south of Mobile Bay where we will head just east of North at a 12 degree bearing to the Ship channel leading into Mobile Bay.  Once into the bay we will go west into the Gulf Inter-Coastal Waterway (ICW), go under a bridge and find a place to anchor for some rest.     I suspect our course will look something like the image below.  The good news is that with this route at any point along it, all we have to do is go do north for the shortest trip to land. 
(Mom and In-laws are nervous about this trip so I want you to know that we have plan B in all cases)

This is our planned route