As Cindy said in her blog she's back home and has left me to my own devices here in Florida. And, so I'm "baching" it again. At least swinging in the anchorage at Stuart is a little more scenic than the work yard in Indiantown.

I'm waiting for our friends Derek & Sue to join me for a few weeks. They are currently on their way south and should be here tomorrow or the next day. They'll help me with crossing the Gulf Stream and then spend a couple of weeks in the Abacos.

So I've been busy get ready for our initiation with the Gulf Stream. For those of you that are non-sailiors the Gulf Stream is a fast-moving current that moves north from the Carribean through the narrow Florida Straits between the Bahamas and Florida coast. The Gulf Stream moves at an average of 3+ knots and when it meets any winds coming from a northerly direction sets up steep, sharp waves that quickly can turn into a dangerous rip current. So the right weather conditions are paramount for any safe crossing over to the Bahamas. Most cruisers wait until a cold front comes through the area which, most often, brings cooler temperatures and high winds. After the cold front passes the winds clock around from the North towards the East and then South, the temperature rises, and winds often drop substantially. This is the ideal kind of weather for a crossing provided the window is long enough.

That's currently what we're watching for and a cold front is forecasted to pass through on late Wednesday or early Thursday. Current forecasts seem to indicate that we might be able to cross early next week.

So I'm busy getting the last minute things done (the lead picture is of the Admiral with just some of the provisions we put aboard for the season) and when Derek and Sue arrive they'll have a busy day or two getting everything accomplished so that we can go down to Lake Worth and wait for our weather window.

And, then with any luck, next week I can cross another thing off my "bucket list" - taking my own boat to the Bahamas. Stay tuned I'll update the trip when I have Wifi available.