We left Spanish Cay in the Abacos after our last snorkel one and a half miles out on the barrier reef—lots of trigger fish—to sail off the banks during the day and turn north in the Gulf Stream. Motored at first, then got the chute up on a grey day with building SW. At about 1800, we were an hour from the edge of the Stream. After talking to the wx guru "Herb," we decided to bail, made a U turn and powered four hours to windward up into the shallow water near Mangrove Cay, about 25 miles inside West End. It seems that the nasty low forming over central FL and drifting off the coast would produce strong clocking winds. We stayed through the next night, powered to West End for fuel, and struck out into the Stream at noon. Son Langley in Maine reported that Don McKinley, the Camden weather man commented that what we were in was an early tropical depression that caught a lot of folks by surprise. Had a windy, rainy day on the hook.

The trip north was predicted to be very light air, even broke out the sextant hoping to take some star sights the next morning after some ok sun lines. Powered all afternoon, motor sailed in the evening, stars were all out and little southerly set in allowing us to sail by 2200. What a bonus we thought as the wind clocked, increased to SW 15-17 and with the stream we are doing 10 to 12 knots with the main and 85% jib. Then by 0200 on May 3rd the wind was WSW 20-23. At 0400 we double reefed, winds clocked to NNW 30+ and at 0430 I took the main down. As we got headed we were going into square 10' waves in the Gulf Stream, and I was having trouble keeping to windward a slow tanker less than two miles on my leeward quarter. Tacked over to get west of the Stream, and should have done so three hours earlier. By 0700 wind was NNE 20, and by 0900 we were under power with no wind..

Another example of what happens, in retrospect, when an upper air disturbance mixes with the hot air in the 80 degree Gulf Stream. Even 2 degrees of temperature increase created a lot of convection. A night like that is very tiring, and while we could have kept going we went into Ponce de Leon inlet near Daytona Beach that evening for a long sleep, and a day of drying out and putting everything back together. We'd only had the storm jib hanked on, but not the halyard or sheets, and playing on the foredeck in the Gulf Stream with foreguys, check stays, furling mainsail, etc. was enough. So before we left Ponce, even though the forecast was for great wx, we had made EIGHT BELLS somewhat more ready for the ocean.

On May 5th we followed a Casino Cruise ship that drew 7 feet out of the inlet at 1100 ( we managed to run aground 4 times coming in!), set sail, and by 2100 were back in the Gulf Stream with 3 knots of current off Jax. Sailed out of the Stream by 0230 as it meandered easterly, and we headed more inshore wing and wing. SW 20. Had a glorious run all day, decided to pass Charleston (sorry Bob and Mary) and head for Beaufort the next day, knowing the weather would not hold for Hatteras. At 1915 we were at 32-49N/78-53W and 15 min later a huge black cloud dropped over us with bulbous cups like those that spawn tornedos. Dropped the sails, and powered into a mess that filled the radar even at 24 mile range. More lightning than either of us have ever experienced, ever. Very scarey, to say the least. Hail, but winds never over 35. Wasted a couple of hours trying to get out of it, gave up and headed to Frying Pan Shoals. A third example of very unstable air mixing with warmer water, and a long tense night.

By 0200 on the 7th we had the main and jib back up SW 15-20, but unfortunately while raising the mainsail the mainsheet caught in the engine control lever ( both throttle and gear shift combined) and tore it off.. Soooo, had to disconnect both control cables from the engine, fashioned a gear shift lever from a batten, a throttle from a small tackle used to hold the check stays when not in use, and we were somewhat ready for a night entrance through the Beaufort Inlet into Taylors Creek, the latter with no lights. Carol did a great job setting up the waypoints in detail, and with a big flashlight on some markers and the banks, we slithered in. Not being able to stop quickly or back down in a hurry lead to a few "circles" when in doubt!

Beaufort is beautiful in the spring, very historically preserved, and many cruisers arrived as the wx deteriorated and more unstable air over Hatteras kept us all inside. Edson mailed a new control unit which I installed with another friend who is more mechanically inclined and has smaller hands! It took two days, and we had to empty the aft cabin, aft locker and port deck locker to get at everthing, especially releasing the cables to get the unit high enough in the binnacle to get at it. Edson could have included directions, and will receive the old unit to see that stainless steel and aluminum don't mix. Better than new now, and will install a guard around the handle.

Carol and I took this route from the Caribbean through the Virgins, up to the Bahamas in order to skip the usually bad weather this time of the year from Bermuda to New England, and to do the "delivery" with just the two of us. We'd done it before. The offshore routines, standing watches, hot meals, hours listening to the weather, sail trim and changes, MARPAing the passing ships on the night radar (when they are not in squalls), navigating, cleaning up, keeping all lines in order, dealing with chafe, making bread, searching for the "north of the gulf stream " clothes and gear, trying to get some regular sleep, wondering which waves will break aboard, solving problems as they occur and not letting them become bigger ones, porpoises, shearwaters, flying fish - and even a yellowthroat warbler on board for several hours with his black mask; the weather - all will not soon be forgotten as we head into the inland waterway to Norfolk behind a dry cold front, and on into the Chesapeake to visit a few friends before heading through the C&D Canal, down the Delaware Bay to Cape May and out into the Atlantic again, bound for either NY or Block Island and then Newport.

And next fall, we turn around and do it all again!