Sometime during the middle of the night is started pouring rain, wake up, shut all the hatches, it rained hard for a long time and at least ITW got a good washing, back to sleep.

Alarm goes off at 1:00 AM, check the weather and it looks to go and the front has passed through. Call my bride to let her know I am sailing off, make sure everything is put away and pull up the anchor at 1:30 and motor out of Virgin Gorda Sound. Clear the buoys and turn to starboard to pass between Necker Island and VG. Once I clear the eastern tip of VG by about a mile and I get a feel for what is going on I turn into the wind and raise the main, back on course and unfurl the genoa and motor sailing 7 to 8 knots. The seas are calmer than forecast and there is about a 7/8th moon out. I can see the front in front of me - YEAH as I start across the Anegada Passage. The winds for the first 40 NM are 8 to 12 from the North, right where I want them as I am heading generally East to St. Martin with the tunes cranked and a fresh pot of coffee.

Sunrise is perfect at 6 ish and I shut off the navigation and steaming lights, seas are much calmer than the forecast as I was anticipating 6' to 8' seas about 30 NM from St. Martin (which is where I am right now as I write this) it is totally flat and the winds have died down to 4 to 6 knots. About 33 NM out I can start to make out the island and a couple cargo ships passing 5 to 10 NM out. I put a preventer on the boom to keep it from banging around in the light winds.

A big breakfast of Canadian bacon and eggs, belly is full and I am 4 hours out to Marigot Bay still cruising at 7 knots ;)

A Perfect Ride, well certainly the winds could have been stronger then I wouldn't have had to run the engines, but, normally on this passage your are bashing into the seas with a headwind, so I will take the winds from the North, light seas and the engines running. I arrived right at 1:00 PM, so 11 1/2 hours to cross almost 80 NM from anchor to anchor, not bad and I am happy to be settled in St. Martin and now just have to wait for my bride to show up Sunday night.

Cheers from ITW.