Fort Lauderdale towards Beaufort NC End of Day 1

These Blog entries are edited versions of the messages we sent back as we completed the passage.  They were sent by radio using a laptop that controls a modem and the HF/SSB radio, using the SailMail system.  We sent the messages daily to my daughter Charlotte and she then forwarded them on to a list of family members.

2359hrs (EDT, GMT -4) 20 May 2020

Dear All,

Departing Fort Lauderdale. Seventeenth Street Bridge in the rear-view mirror…..

…..and a whole line of departing boats ahead

The weather in the western Atlantic is all messed up at the moment.  Tropical Storm Arthur and a couple of other depressions are disrupting things to the point that the forecast doesn't show a good weather window to set off transatlantic from Fort Lauderdale for the next 2 weeks.  Chris Parker, the weatherman, has suggested that we move north to Beaufort in North Carolina because he believes that when things start to settle back to the normal patterns we'll be able to leave earlier from there.  So, we left Fort Lauderdale this morning and we are riding the Gulf Stream north towards Beaufort NC.

Florida coastline

11.4kts over the ground, when we were only doing
 6.5 to 7knots through the water.  Not a bad push at all
and, unlike the tidal flow in the English Channel,
 the Gulf Stream just keeps going in the same direction

There is hardly any wind so we motored for several hours but are making great progress because we are getting a helpful 4.5 knot push north from the Gulf Stream; our speed over the ground has been up as high as 11.4 knots!  It's lower than that now because from 1830hrs we were able to switch the engine off and just sail.

Very gentle motor sailing

We had a good stop in Fort Lauderdale, staying on the dock of friends who are the OCC Port Officers for the city.  The weather was pretty miserable with lots of thunderstorms and heavy rain during our stay but that's why we took shelter there.  Fort Lauderdale was our port of arrival into the USA so we cleared immigration, which was very easy, and customs with a little more difficulty.  But we came away from the latter with a US cruising permit valid for the next 2 months which means that we can cruise up the coast and not have to visit any more CBP offices until we plan to leave the US.  All we have to do is to remember to call in to CBP each time we stop somewhere.

Eventually all of the instruments will match the new one on the right

Perfectly positioned close to shops and with the loan of a car, we were able to buy in some fresh food to keep our stocks up, and also some new instruments for BV (we are gradually upgrading the system to the newer NMEA2000 network standard).  So, all in all life on board BV is good.

Love to all,

Reg and Nicky

Passage statistics:

Position at midday 20 May: N26 13 W80 00

Position at midnight 20 May: N28 11 W079 43

1030hrs to midday distance: 9.6 nautical miles (average 6.4 knots)

1030hrs to midnight distance: 87.5 nautical miles (average 6.5 knots)

Total miles covered:  87.5 nautical miles

Approximate distance to go (GPS route to Beaufort NC): 445 nautical miles

End of Day 1 Fort Lauderdale towards Beaufort North Carolina, USA