Hey Larry,

Actually, I did get a fairly early start this year - I departed Manasquan Inlet at 1815, on New Year's Eve, to be exact... (grin)

It's all relative, of course... Having done the trip so many times before, it generally just turns into a delivery for me, I just want to get south... Once I finally DO get going, however, each day usually starts far earlier for me, than for most... There's a big plus in not being totally adverse to running the ICW in the dark, of course (grin)...

Naturally, I was referring to someone like Roger, or anyone else making the trip for the first time - there's just a huge advantage to beginning the trip in a more timely fashion - as far as the seasons go - if you really want to savor and explore the Waterway...

best regards,

Jon