We left the tranquility and routine of Marathon this morning, stopped by Burdines to top off fuel and water, and had a leisurely cruise up to Tavernier Key where we dropped the hook behind the key to spend a short night. We’ll be up at O’dark-thirty for a departure to Bimini where we’ll stay a night or two at Alice Town in a marina, and check in with Bahama Customs, get our $300 cruising permit, and raise our Bahamas cruising pennant!
Our weather window promises to be about as good as they get, with winds predicted out of the SSE at 15kt or less, and seas 2-4 ft., higher in the Gulf Stream. As long as there’s no northern component to the wind, the seas should stay relativley calm.
Our trip is about 89 miles, will take about 9 or 10 hours, depending on winds and how much boost we get from the Gulf Stream. The gulf stream flows northward with an average speed of about 2.5 kts. It can be more. Our compass target will be about 23 miles south of where we are actually heading in order to compensate for the northward travel imparted by the gulf stream. Our autopilot and computer will compensate for the current, but can’t anticipate it as well as old fashioned course plotting. At least that’s what all the cruising sources seem to indicate. We’ll post our progress once we arrive in the Bahamas, but since our cell phone and it’s internet tether don’t function there, updates may be less frequent!
So it’s off to the rack, ready for an early rise!
