[dongreerps]

Congratulations on your new boat. You appear to have found the right boat for the right place at the right time. I strongly urge you to sail your new boat home rather than having it trucked home. It may well cost more than the estimate you have gotten from the trucking firm. It clearly will take much longer. You bought the boat to enjoy being on the water. This may well be the best time you will ever spend on your boat. Perhaps the prior owner would go the first part of the way with you, if you paid his expenses returning home. The opportunity to learn more about the boat from the PO would be invaluable. There have been a couple of posts here who indicated they might make part of the trip with you. That amounts to having a guide for that part of the trip. Even if you spend most of the trip motoring down the ICW, you will gather a treasure chest of memories. This is an opportunity you really should take advantage of.