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

Isla Mujeres towards Fort Lauderdale End of Day 5

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.

0745hrs (EDT, GMT -4) 17 May 2020

Dear All,

Since midnight we have only run the engine for an hour and half.  The rest of the time we sailed and it was good sailing too with the wind on our beam.  For part of that time we had a bit of a boost from the Gulf Stream, even seeing a maximum of 9.5 knots at one stage.  So much so that I had to slow BV down so that we didn't arrive off the entrance to Fort Lauderdale too soon.

Miami

The sail up the Florida coast was interesting with the bright city lights of Miami off to our port side and a dramatic lightning display way off in the distance to our starboard side over the Bahamas

Dawn looking out towards the Bahamas…

… and towards the Florida coastline

A rather grey sky for our early morning approach through Bar Cut, the entrance to Port Everglades, Fort Lauderdale

We just made it in time for the 0730hrs opening of the Stranahan River bridge

In hindsight slowing BV down was a mistake and we only just made it through the entrance and up to the SE 17^th Street bascule bridge across the Stranahan River a minute before the 0730hrs lift!  A few minutes beyond the bridge is Richie and Susan Goldstein's house.  They have very kindly allowed us to moor BV on one of their 2 docks whilst we make our final preparations and wait for a good weather window to set off towards Guernsey.

So now that we have arrived, our priority is to complete the arrivals paperwork with the Customs and Border Protection (CBP) office.  That's partly done using a smartphone app (the CBP ROAM app) followed up by a trip to the CBP office to get our passports stamped and the boat documentation completed.  If we can get all of that admin done today, Sunday, that will be a bonus, leaving us free on Monday and Tuesday to refuel, top up our in-use propane tank and to buy in some fresh food.  Right now there is a possibility that we might be on our way again starting our transatlantic crossing as early as Wednesday.

Love to all,

Reg and Nicky 

Passage statistics:
Position at 0745hrs 17 May: N26 06 W80 07
Position at midnight 17 May: n/a
Midday to 0745hrs distance: 130 nautical miles (average 6.6 knots)
Midnight to 0745hrs distance: 49.2 nautical miles (average 6.3 knots)
Total miles covered:  559 nautical miles
Approximate distance to go (GPS route to Fort Lauderdale): 0 nautical miles

End of Day 5  Isla Mujeres, Mexico, towards Fort Lauderdale, USA