Voyage

Here's a little update from my side of the family. My Dad, Aunt Terri, Uncle John, and cousins Michael and Stephen, are sailing a boat like this one from a big lake in Guntersville, Alabama to North Carolina. I don't have an actual picture of the boat yet, but it's similar to the one above, a 1976 Gulfstar 43' Ketch. They are currently working on getting it ready for its voyage down 13 locks on the Tennessee River, across the Gulf of Mexico, around the tip of Florida, and up the East Coast to arrive in North Carolina where it will go to my parents' farm so my Dad can completely refurbish it over the next couple years. They plan to be gone for about a month and arrive back on August 11th, as my Aunt needs to return to her job as a professor at East Carolina University, my cousins return to school, and my Dad to attend Matthew and Kerry's wedding in New York with us!
Just so you know, this is something my Aunt and Uncle have always wanted to do - retire with a big sailboat. They used to live on one for a time. My Dad, as many know, also loves to sail and will be a big asset to have on the boat. Currently, my cousin Michael and his girlfriend are with them to help on the river piece of it. Then my other cousin, Stephen, and some of his friends are driving down to meet them at Mobile Bay before entering the Gulf. Michael will drive home and Stephen will stay the duration of the trip.
Obviously, Mom and I are a little nervous about this. But this is an adventure of a lifetime and we pray that God's hand would be protecting them the whole way. Please pray with us, that their trip would be swift, without any major castrophes, that the weather would be good, and that they would enjoy making memories together.