Lynn the question sister asks,
"Glad to see you poised and ready for take-off.
Why a night crossing?"
Well Lynn, here's why.
DRUM ROLL. sorry, i've got to run cook Sunday dinner now.
OK, i'm back, it's Monday morning. Happy Fathers Month Dad! We had a delicious Russian style 'Muskgo Stew' last night. (you take everything in the Fridge that MUST GO and throw it together) 2 pork ribs, 1 pork chop, beef stew meat, carrots, potatoes, onion, jalapeno, cabbage, corn, green beans and noodles. Put it all into your pressure cooker and wait 4 minutes....
Now about that night crossing question? Let's start with the back story. We have slowly hopscotched to the west for 9 days to arrive at West End. Cousin Rick arrived Friday week ago at Marsh Harbor and we immediately pulled the anchor and went daily to these different locations: Hope Town, Treasure Cay, No Name Cay, Green Turtle Cay, Manjack Cay, Fox Town, Strangers Cay, Mangrove Cay, West End.
But there are a few factors to consider... Wind, Waves, and Gulf Stream conditions. The Gulf Stream is a River that runs South to North along the coast of Florida. If the wind is from the North, the Gulf Stream piles up into massive waves making a passage uncomfortable to dangerous depending on these conditions. (see diagrams)
These are all things to consider about crossing conditions. Your direct question was about why to cross at night. I'm estimating it to take about eleven hours to make this transit - on this boat - and have to arrive in the daylight to see how to get into the inlet and the marina. I can always slow down to arrive in the daytime but i cant speed up to arrive before dark. Plus it's a lot cooler at night than in the hot sunshine. So a night crossing it is. We are planning to throw off the dock lines at 8pm EST tonight. That should put us arriving to Ft. Pierce about 7am tomorrow. (hint: you can hit THE SPOT to see where we are at any time) Great Question Lynn.
YESTERDAY during our transit to West End both Rick and I caught barracuda. Now we are enjoying the cold AC as we cook breakfast and create our to-do list for today at the dock...
OK, i'm back, it's Monday morning. Happy Fathers Month Dad! We had a delicious Russian style 'Muskgo Stew' last night. (you take everything in the Fridge that MUST GO and throw it together) 2 pork ribs, 1 pork chop, beef stew meat, carrots, potatoes, onion, jalapeno, cabbage, corn, green beans and noodles. Put it all into your pressure cooker and wait 4 minutes....
From here at West End, we will clear Customs and depart for Ft. Pierce, FL.
But there are a few factors to consider... Wind, Waves, and Gulf Stream conditions. The Gulf Stream is a River that runs South to North along the coast of Florida. If the wind is from the North, the Gulf Stream piles up into massive waves making a passage uncomfortable to dangerous depending on these conditions. (see diagrams)
Gulf Stream Current
Wave Height
Wind Direction / Speed
YESTERDAY during our transit to West End both Rick and I caught barracuda. Now we are enjoying the cold AC as we cook breakfast and create our to-do list for today at the dock...
I hope your anchorage is beautiful wherever you are today.
-Captain Skip
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