Jennifer (The Pearl)
Sandy has passed West Palm and now is headed N to create some interesting weather for the North East Coast. She's a serious storm- be prepared!
Nearly 48 hours of howling wind, rocking motion on the boat, on and off pouring (sometimes pounding) rain and distracted sleep make for a tired Captain and First Mate. The winds have mellowed from the 50+ gusts to 25-30 knots. We are both looking forward to a good nights rest and a more "normal" day.
Sandy has taught me a bunch of things, but most importantly how important it is to be prepared. We took the time to find a protected spot, to set out our anchors, listen to the weather, prepare the boat and be rested for the days ahead. Thanks to all that sent kind, safe thoughts our way- much appreciated!
Over the next few days we will watch the weather and get a better idea of how hard the Bahamas were hit.
Speaking of the Bahamas, Betsy had a great question! For some boats, say Tiger's yacht or a big sport fish, who travel at 20-30 knots the passage to the Bahamas from Florida is a "hop". For us, and many sailboats, we travel the 55 miles at 5-6 knots. This comes to 10-11 hours to arrive in West End, Bahamas! The passage to the Bahamas involves a crossing of the gulf stream- one of the worlds fastest currents (think 1000x the Nile). Due to the travel time for a sail boat of our size, we need the right winds to sail and the right weather window to have a safe journey. Keep the questions coming!
Off to dream land- clear water and beaches are on my mind!
The Pearl
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