Isla Mujeres towards Fort Lauderdale End of Day 4

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 (CDT, GMT -5) 16 May 2020

Dear All,

Motoring along at dawn

At midnight last night we switched to engine power.  The wind had gradually dropped to less than we really needed to sail and the Gulf Stream was pushing us towards a rather unpleasant dark cloud complete with frequent flashes of lightning.  With the engine running we could steer directly to our waypoint off the Florida Keys and avoid the storm clouds.

Glassy seas

Sadly, except for a brief 35 minute period just now, the engine has been running ever since.  It was to be expected from the forecast but perhaps not that there is absolutely no wind at all.  The sea became glassy as we made our way around the southern tip of Florida and there has barely been a breath of wind as we have motored north towards Fort Lauderdale.  We still have 50 miles to run and so, assuming all continues as it is, we should be arriving at around 0530hrs later today.  That's before dawn so we'll probably slow up bit or wait outside until daylight to enter harbour.

Squalls at sunset; fortunately, a long way off

The other great excitement came first thing this morning when we switched time zones. So, we are now running on Florida time, Eastern Daylight Time (EDT), which is the same as Atlantic Standard Time.  We split the loss of the hour over a quick breakfast between our watches so we only lost half an hour's sleep each.  We'll need to get used to that procedure as we head east across the Atlantic but at least we can safely say that we won't end up jet-lagged!

Love to all,

Reg and Nicky 

Passage statistics:
Position at midday 16 May: N24 15 W81 20
Position at midnight 16 May: N25 18 W80 03
Midday to midday distance (23 hours because of the time change): 139 nautical miles (average 6 knots)
Midnight to midnight distance (23 hours because of the time change): 148 nautical miles (average 6.4 knots)
Total miles covered:  510 nautical miles
Approximate distance to go (GPS route to Fort Lauderdale): 50 nautical miles

End of Day 4  Isla Mujeres, Mexico, towards Fort Lauderdale, USA