Blue Blue Blue

At Sea
25 19.30 N 080 03.25

The plan is working. After a good night's sleep at Rodriguez Key, we left this morning. We motored East 10 miles right into the wind. That took us out past Mosquito Reef and in to the Gulf Stream. At that point we turned left, raised the sails, and stopped the motor. Winds are light, less than 10 knots, but thanks to the Gulf Stream we're doing 6-7 knots. The sky is mostly blue, the temperature 86F (30C) everything is very very nice. We're dragging a squid lure and we hope to hook a fish.

We also got far enough east, but just barely. We are close hauled. That means we are sailing as close into the wind as possible. Our course is 040. That will takes us to West End Bahamas. We had wanted to go to Bimini and from there to the Exumas. We abandoned that plan. Instead, we'll go to West End and to the Abacos; the same place we were last year. (Look on your map. The Bahamas are divided into two major areas; North is Freeport and the Abacos, South is Nassau and the Exumas.

Its like our friend Greg said this weekend. He said, "When I sail, I put up the sail then go where the wind takes me." Now that's the strategy of a true sailor and that's what we're doing today.

We should arrive at West End midday tomorrow. We'll check in at customs, then continue on to the banks. Tomorrow is full moon. We have heard that it is beautiful, almost mystical to be out on the Grand Banks at night in a full moon. The water is extremely transparent. The sand bottom is white and only 10 feet down. The moonlight reflected off the bottom comes back up and makes the whole sea glow. We're looking forward to it. Thursday night we may have the additional entertainment treat of
seeing the space shuttle Discovery lift off and fly overhead.

The nice weather will continue all through this week.

What did we do to deserve all this good fortune?