New Friends & the Crossing

Wednesday, April 1st: Lake Worth, South Anchorage

Having drinks at Green Turtle Cay Club

Below: The Whale Crossing Group on board Wind Dancer

Karen (Sandcastle), Lee (Wind Dancer), and Peter (Osprey)

Sally, Conrad, and David (It's About Time)

We're very relieved to have completed our second "crossing" and to be safely at anchor in the U. S. of A. After traveling since 8:00 a.m.on Monday morning, we came in through the Lake Worth inlet at about 2:00 this afternoon - 156 miles in 30 hours. I'm not sure that we would have done the long haul had it not been for a strong "let's go" feeling prompting us to take advantage of the short weather window and also Barb and Ken's calm assertion that they were going to start from Green Turtle on Monday and just keep going. If they could, then, we thought, why not us? So 3 sailboats: Sea Change, Plumpuppet and Flawless D, set out Monday morning and sailed through a beautiful day with moderate winds and almost flat water.

After sunset our collective mood changed. Briefly, a crescent moon shone a narrow ribbon of light on the water and then disappeared leaving us surrounded by the black night. We could see nothing but each other's navigation lights - and I know we were all thankful that other boats were close by. At 1 a.m., just before leaving the Bahama Bank to go into the much deeper Atlantic water, we stopped to anchor for 2 hours near Memory Rock. We women admit saying to ourselves - are we crazy? We are dropping anchor in the middle of nowhere and hanging on the hook with no protection in a pitch black night - with some 50 miles of ocean ahead to cross! In truth, we were sitting close together with anchor lights on and we were not in danger. In spite of creepy thoughts we went on with our plan and spent a bouncy couple of hours stretched out and resting (or sleeping for the lucky) and then called each other just before 3 a.m. so as to pull anchor and head out together. Once in the Florida Straights, there was a little wind from the SE with moderate rolling waves of 2 to 4 feet - excellent conditions for crossing the Gulf Stream. When I realized that we would likely have an easy "crossing", I for one, relaxed. For the remainder of the night, Bob and I took turns - one at the wheel, one stretched out in the cockpit. I must say though, I was very glad to see first light and the visibility it brought.

The fun was not over though - not long after we anchored in the Lake Worth harbour, the sky darkened ominously, the wind picked up and spikes of lightening appeared in the sky. What followed was the worst storm we have ever experienced - the wind went to 40 knots, a bolt of lightening hit the mast of a boat anchored just behind us (and fried the electronics at the top) and then rain came down in sheets so thick that we couldn't see beyond our cockpit. Thank God, we said, that we had arrived early in the afternoon and did not have to pass through the storm while under way.

We're breathing easy now - Bob phoned customs and has our clearance number and tomorrow morning, along with Barb and Ken, we'll dinghy over to collect Kathy and Jim (Flawless D) at their marina - and then we'll all make our way to Immigration. After that we have friends to see and a trip home to plan. The coming days will be busy ones.