(Sydney, Owen, Karen, and Kira)........
Jerry continued the journey south from Jacksonville to North Palm Beach.
He spent some time in Stuart with his sailing buddy, Dale and Dale's "new" boat (in the background).
And later with Bob in North Palm Beach swapping sailor stories and enjoying meals together.
When I arrived we took off for a day sail to Fort Lauderdale and another sail to Key Biscayne just south of Miami. Beautiful days of sailing along the Florida coast with a gentle breeze and fair seas.
And, the weather was perfect for our sail from Florida, east across the gulf stream to the Bahamas. The forecast called for southwest winds the next day - just what we wanted for heading east. Jerry had the anchor up at 3 am and we picked our way out the shallow waters of the Key Biscayne area to the ocean. I forgot to mention another bonus - an almost full moon. So picture us leaving, the temperature is about 68 degrees, the breeze is just enough to push us along without knocking us over too far and the moon is full. It just don't get no better than this! (Remember that last picture I sent of me reading in bed in Jacksonville?) Life is all about balance - we were now being rewarded for those many days of sailing down the coast from NY to FL in the freezing cold temperatures, sleeping fully-clothed with wool hats on, and being careful not to slip on the ice on deck in the mornings. The conditions held as we crossed the gulf stream and the 10-12 foot Bahama banks to Nassau and on south. Here we are ghosting along on the banks with the sun beaming down........
After 55 hours of non-stop sailing in idyllic conditions (although we did have to run the motor toward the end - no wind) we arrived in Georgetown in the Exuma region of the Bahamas. How many of you know where this is? The Bahamas span a 700 mile line of islands from east of Florida and to the southeast. Take out that atlas or go online and find a map showing the Bahamas. It's really fascinating. Our goal this year is to continue our trek south and east to the smallest of the Bahamian Islands. The Ragged Islands or the Jumentos. Only one of the islands in this chain, the southern most island, is inhabited. Only 60 mies to the eastern tip of Cuba. The sea life is abundant. We'll be spending most of our days in the water or walking the beach.
And, our stories wouldn't be complete unless it included a picture of master fisherman Jer with the catch of the day.
I imagine it will be a while until I have the opportunity to write again. We'd love to hear from you and what's going on in your life - please send a note when you have a chance!
Karen and Jerry
