Beaufort, NC tonight, we hope

Off the hook at 0640 this morning and encountered our first bridge, Wrightsville, at a few minutes past eight. She was going to make us wait for 58 minutes for the next on the hour opening. I ask her if she had opened on the hour and if she would consider letting us slip thru. We heard nothing and were getting our lines ready to hit a fuel dock as we waited. All of a sudden the horn sounded and she opened. Someone in this crew is living right. We then had to wait about 15 minutes for the Figure Eight Bridge, and we have now passed thru and are running for the next one which is two hours away and opens only on the hour. It will be close. Rained last night and washed the salt away from yesterday. Steak tonight. Watched Slum dog last night and Doubt is up for tonight. S

"Here is your butt", Mother Nature

We departed Fernandina Beach with a forecast of winds 20 to 25 on the stern and seas of 4 feet. About 2200 on the 8th, we had 25 gusting to 35 with 6 to 8 feet.We were hitting over 12 knots of boat speed surfing down the waves, and then... we encountered something in the water that attached to the keel or rudder. Our boat speed dropped to one knot, and I had to turn the boat into the wind and back down to release it. Pretty amazing. I then came on watch at 2400 and decided to divert for three hours into Charleston instead of continuing on to Cape Fear, which was 23 hours ahead. Bill and Ben tell me it is pretty hard to sleep with your foot on the ceiling to pin yourself to the bed. Got on the hook at 0500 and slept really well. When we went to the dock to refuel it took more time to wash all the salt off the boat than to put fuel in. Now passing North Myrtle after spending the night in Georgetown, SC. Lasagna tonight. S

Good day to be on the dock

Front has passed thru, and it is a good day to tied to a dock. Looks like Wed may be the day we head back out to Cape Fear. S

Back in the "Good ole US of A"

We threw off the dock lines at Freeport (see pic) on Sat morning at 0915 and motored past West End (see pic), Grand Bahamas around 1300, and entered the Gulf Stream about 1530. Had a head current until then of a knot or so. Once in the Stream we hit 11.6 knots and rode that to abeam the Cape and set a rhumb line for Fernandina Beach, arriving here at 2000 hours. I used the Sirrus Weather to stay in the main part of the stream. That is 318 nm divided by 34.5 hours for an average speed of 9.16 knots. We took turns on watches of 3 hours with an over lap by Bill and me on Tom and Ben, ie: Tom started his watch at 1630, and Bill came on at 1800. Ben came on at 1930, and I started my watch at 2100 to 2400. There was always 2 on at a time after 1800. We saw many large ships at night, and I had rigged the radar reflector with my own radar going. Several times I saw a ship on radar before I acquired him visually. We had to add fuel at sea and took 46.8 gals here at the dock this morning. I called customs last night and got a clearence back into the US over the phone. We then walked to the Crab Shack and had fresh local shrimp for dinner. We walked to a local restaurant for the best grits ever this morning. We then walked to Immigrations and presented ourselves to ICE for our final clearence into the States. The weather looks like we will stay here until Wed or Thur before we try to go outside and bypass Georgia's shallow water and low tides. We are back at the dock that Nanc and I stayed at coming down, and I was able to call her on my cell phone yesterday while 20 miles off the coast. Marcnicliz had several Atlantic Spotted Dolphin playing under her bow yesterday. Hope the luck holds until Deltaville. S

Freeport/Lucaya

We departed at 0730 from Great Harbor Cay by the airport to here by 1700. Lot of wind and seas/ 25 to 30 with 8 to 10 feet. Not bad actually. We hope to depart here in the morning and join the Gulf Stream about 1100 and ride it to Fernandina Beach. Should be there by 1100 on Sunday morning; however everything depends on weather and Chris Parker's forecast. He has been right on so far. The two guys who have little sailing experience learned a lot today. We had cheese burgers at the bar tonight, and I will be in bed early. Thought I heard something in the steering today, but I inspected it this evening and could not see any abnormalities. Weather is nice here at the dock. Washed all the salt water off when I got here, and I am ready for bed after a cheeseburger at the pool bar. I am tucked in between a Jenneau 54 and a Beneteau 46. Took 3 approaches to get into the slip due to the high winds. Everyone is fine and having a super time. Ben is growing in knowledge and experience by the hour. Tom/Joe is having a good time. We were doing between 8 and 10 knots all the way here. See the photo at the lower right. That is 9.8 knots boat speed. We hit over 10 knots many times sliding down a wave. S

First anachorage on the way home

We departed Atlantis/Nassau at 1005 and sailed to Petit Cay at 1700 after motor sailing with and average speed of 7.57 knots. There are three other boats here, and we are North of Devil Cay by about 15 miles. We plan on departing here in the morning for Lacaya, which will take about 7 hours and spend the night to wait for a weather window to ride the Gulf Stream to Fernandina Beach on Sat/Sun. Ben was my sail trimmer and helmsmen, along with Bill and Tom. Life is good, but I miss the Pussycat already. I have Ben preparing Spaghetti for our dinner, and we have already consumed the Summer Sausage and pepper cheese. The wind is blowing at about 15 knots, and the wind generator is howling. I forgot to get the ground beef out to thaw and fired up the Honda generator to run the mico wave. We watched Cadillac Records last night and everyone fell asleep before the end. S

Nanc is one the way home

Nanc pulled out this morning at 0900 for Richmond and should be home in D'ville tonight with Noiemiester. We walked and toured last evening with Tom (Joe) and Ben who got in about 1530. The weather is changing, and I believe I will put into Devil Key tomorrow night and wait for Sat/Sun to go to the Cape or further North. S