Bonthorn: Living My Version of Life: Gulf Stream Crossing Part 1

We weighed anchor right at first light and motored out through Lake Worth inlet.

As forecasted, the first little bit of the passage was 'sporty' but nothing horrendous.

However I probably shouldn't have had apple pie and condensed milk for breakfast. Too greedy!

About an hour later, Tai and I generously donated the contents of our breakfast to the Gulf Stream gods. After that little episode, a short nap, and we were good as gold!

We were mostly quiet and contemplative for the day. Tai spent hours watching the waves off portside.

Aila and I stretched out on the cockpit benches, staring off into the distance.

Matt trimmed the sails and chatted to nearby boats on the VHF.

We had another buddy boat crossing with us, also an Endeavor 42! Caren Smith has been a huge support and source of valuable information. We connected on the Endeavours FB group early on in our voyage and have been in close contact for many months now. We met for the first time in Lake Worth several days ago.

As timing and luck would have it, we were both headed to the Abacos so we decided to buddy boat together and create a mini Endeavor fleet!

The biggest excitement was when we crossed from the Gulf Stream into the Grand Bahamas Bank. We literally went from a couple of thousand feet of depth to 15 feet!

The colour change was remarkable. As we approached the shallow shelf we could see a line in the water as if it were deliberately drawn with a Sharpie.

One side was a dark deep blue. And just over this 'line' was the most incredible aqua marine blue you could ever imagine, like sparkling emeralds. Exquisite!

Cue squeals of excitement! We were in the Bahamas!! We had officially crossed the Gulf Stream.

Was it just me, or did the air suddenly smell warmer and sweeter? What a rush! We rode this buzzing feeling for a while as we feasted on leftover pizza and pasta, croissants, chocolate muffins and fruit.

As a treat, I bought mangoes, strawberries and raspberries for us yesterday. We call this 'first class fruit' and the kids were completely delighted. It will be a while before we can buy such first class fruit again, at least for an affordable price.

As we sailed through the Grand Bahamas Bank, the kids sat on the aft deck rails counting flying fish. They got up to 105! However I think they counted every single jump into the air as a separate fish. Oh well, it kept them busy for a while.

As the sun set, the seas smoothed out and the wind stabilized at a consistent 14-16 knots.

With very few waves, we were slicing through the water. I LOVE that feeling so much.

We listened to podcasts in the cockpit until it was dark.

Sunset was a tiny sliver of hot pink and orange peeking through the thick clouds.

Right now I'm on watch while Matt reads a bedtime story to the kids down below.

I got my beloved Dixie Chicks playing on the bluetooth speaker, paired with the beautiful whoooshing of the water.

The air is humid and enticing.

The night sky is almost pitch dark, cloud covered and moonless.

We will continue to sail on through the night. There is the option to drop anchor pretty much anywhere since the depth is around 11-20 feet deep, perfect for anchoring!

But we want to press on and arrive at our check-in point at Chinese Harbor near Cooperstown by early morning.

It will be December 31st and the last day before the Bahamian cruising permit fee doubles. We would be saving $300 USD so well worth continuing through the night.

Technically, we are already in the Bahamas.

Tomorrow we make landfall.

Dinghy stowed on deck. Sun about to rise over Palm Beach.
It can only mean one thing. We're going to try and cross the Gulf Stream.
Looking forward to seeing the Bahamas off our bows later today.

Fridge packed to the brim with milk, fresh meat, veggies,
fruit, yoghurt, cheese and eggs.

Breakfast of champions. Coffee, strawberries, squeezy condensed milk and apple pie. All necessary to wash down the Stugeron.
UPDATE: this is not the breakfast to have before a rough passage!