We departed from our slip in Jersey City at 1830 on Friday evening with the intention of spending the night sailing off-shore, checking Jabulani's readiness for our Caribbean departure. The forecast called for glorious weather, south winds 5-10kts, seas 1-2 ft, with above average temperatures for late September. The weather was so nice, we decided to enlarge the crew at the last minute with Sharon and the kids. Originally the trip was planned without women and children aboard, so that we could rough it a bit. All told, we had Eric, Bill, Sharon, Luke, Ruth, and Philip aboard.

The south wind required us to motor south towards to open ocean, under the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge, before bearing off towards the East, parallel with the Southern shore of Long Island Sound under full sail. The sunset was awesome as we weaved between the boats in the busy harbor, and Sharon had prepared a great chicken dinner that was well received. About this time Eric showed some signs of sea sickness, so he was encouraged to get some sleep, while Bill and Philip talked about the awesome night, the great weather, and how well Jabulani sailed.

Around 2200 Philip turned in for 2 hours sleep, and at midnight found Bill all excited about Jabulani steering herself. Apparently, Bill had found that he could lash the tiller in place, and for the last hour had Jabulani steering a straight course of 110T on her own. Philip relieved Bill on watch as he went below to get some sleep, and was joined by Eric. The night sky was magnificent, and the occasional phosphorescence and the good company made for a truly wonderful experience.

Around 0200, we tacked over on a reciprocal course and headed back after having made our easting as far as 73 34' W, about 3 or 4 nautical miles south of Long Island. Bill joined us and we enjoyed great conversation as the three of us got to know each other better. This was Eric's first time off-shore on a boat, so it was interesting to get his perspective on his observations.

Just before dawn, some low cloud filled in and the wind died, reducing our speed from an average of 4.5 kts to 3-3.5 kts. In the grayness of the dawn we could see several fishing boats coming out for the day, and the kids started to rouse from their beds. Soon Sharon had breakfast for all of us, and we had to start the engine as the wind died down to a whisper.

We motor sailed up the Hudson, and tied up to our slip a few minutes before the rain came through. The voyage was a success, everything performed well, and we covered around 60-70 nm in total.