Big Seas
20 March 2015 | Ft Pierce, FL
Helen
Woke up around 8, a leisurely start to our day. Had breakfast and hauled anchor. Hailed by a Coast Guard runabout regarding the apparent recovery. We actually heard the broadcast on the radio. So, we knew the drill to move out of the channel, but what we didn't know was that there were huge swells coming into the channel in the area that we were supposed to motor thru. Hoisted the main and headed back into the Atlantic Ocean. Headed south to Jupiter. Full sails up but the winds changed. We lost our speed and then had to use full motor. Wind on the nose, so the jib came down. The waves were on the beam and very substantial at times, including a salt water shower for Chris. At least she protected the open salon hatch. The breeze seemed to be more cool and at times the sun was blocked. Changed our destination to Lake Worth because of the big waves and small entrance at Jupiter. That added 10 extra miles to our course. Mark noticed some tears in the mail sail, so they took it down and will need to be repaired. Of course his repair needle and patches are at home, so we will need to find a replacement in the Bahamas. It's a good thing the sail loft did repairs on the main sail last year! We landed at the gas dock in Lake Worth around 7 for diesel. Also filled our water tanks. Then motored back to the inlet and further into the anchorage. By then it was dark and difficult to find the mooring balls. We anchored but the anchor did not hold due to huge winds and huge current. We finally had success with a team effort. Dinner was late and we ate out on the cockpit table. Chris and I played some cards while Mark downloaded weather. Today we are up before 6 and planning to head to West End Bahamas. It's approximately 55 miles, but the Gulf Stream will push us north and that will add more miles to our trip.