It looks like I may be buying a boat in the Tampa Bay area and bringing it back to Mobile and up to the Tennessee River home port. Does anyone have any suggestions for the best "jumping off" point and destination port for this Gulf passage? The boat is a 43 foot trawler and makes 8-10 kts. I don't want to be too descriptive because the "deal" is not yet finalized. But suffice to say that it's a reasonably decent blue water boat. Is there VHF coverage for this passage? Should I get marine SSB installed before the trip? I will likely make the trip around June 1. Is there likely to be any "buddy boats" to make the crossing around that time period? Any other advice? I will have two or three additional crew members for the trip. Any and all comments greatly appreciated. :o) Ed Savela, Tennessee River