Westward across the Stream

Our weather window for crossing the Gulf Stream was not ideal… north to northeast winds 8 to 12 knots diminishing to 5 knots by evening.  I’ve always read to avoid any north winds when crossing the stream, but with another arctic air mass forecast to deliver gale force winds by early next week we elected go, go, go. 

We encountered lighter than expected winds for the majority of our crossing.  The image of Trish lowering our Bahamian customs flag illustrates the sea state we encountered for the first half of our crossing. Yes, that image was taken while in the Gulf Stream.  We motored under bare poles with Otto at the helm.

As we crossed the axis of the Gulf Stream approximately 25NM off Cape Florida, the seas perked up.  With no wind to fill the sails the final hours of our crossing brought on a new round of sea sickness among some of the crew.

We finally found some northerly breeze as we exited the stream and were able to transit the Biscayne Channel under a main and genny. 

With 45 minutes of daylight to spare we found a mooring ball off Dinner Key (more on the new mooring field in a later post).   Anne and Trish converted C’est la Vie’s systems from offshore passage to anchor mode and assembled Origamy, the dinghy, while I contacted customs and immigration to clear back into the states.  My interaction with customs was uneventful.  I continue to be impressed with the Local Boater Option (LBO) and the ease with which it allows Anne and I to clear customs.  I encourage anyone unfamiliar with the program to check it out.  By the time Orgami was assembled we were cleared.  Next stop the Dinner Key Fresh Market.