08 May 2012 | 29 53.147'N:81 18.353'W, St. Augustine, FL
You seldom see the Gulfstream that calm!
We were sitting at Devil's Hoffman Cay in the Berry islands when we checked the weather and guess what? It was a good time to make a crossing to the US. While we weren't planning on leaving quite this early, it was a good window to make a crossing. That counts for something. In addition to all this, I was having a bit of a tooth problem. I did see a dentist in Nassau, but it wasn't going away.
This was a nice day's results from a hunt in the Berry Islands.
So Sapphire and Fine Lion took to the high seas. We thought it would be a fairly gentle crossing, but it was amazingly calm. So calm, that we had to motor for the first 30 hrs. We plotted a course for St. Augustine, FL. We figured 48 hours to get there. While it's about 330 NM, we would be in the gulfstream for over half that time. That means it's as if 50 NM are taken off the trip. The gulfstream was flowing at 3-4 knots! We really made time. We even sailed for the last 10-12 hrs. at a slow speed to avoid getting into St. Augustine before daybreak. Overall, it was an uneventful trip.
This is what we look down at in the islands. This is over 15 ft. deep.
We got into the US in 48 hrs. on a Saturday. I was able to see a dentist on Monday and had a root canal on Wed. Welcome to the US! If we gave all visitors to the US a root canal it would solve our illegal alien problem. So that done, we are now waiting on weather to go up the coast. We won't travel in the ICW in Georgia or much of SC so the weather is important.
This is a submarine that passed by in the distance.
So here we are in the land of Sangrias and Happy Hours (that means half-priced drinks!). It's not so bad being on a mooring ball in the harbor. This is a busy town with lots going on.
Kim's fist lunch in the US. A big Burrito!
On another note, AYC (Annapolis Yacht Club) held a photo contest a couple of months ago. It was to show the AYC Burgee (flag) in exotic, funny, or interesting locations. We took one in the Ragged Islands at Hog Cay in the new "pavilion". Scott told me we won third place. Now that's pretty cool. I have to see if there's a prize for third place. I'll let you know.
Our photo entry.
Talk to y'all later.