This marks the beginning of another sailing sojourn to the islands of the Bahamas for Koala and her crew. The sail plan is not so much a plan as it is a vision of white sand beaches, blue-green waters, and a slower lifestyle. Of course I am hoping to visit some of the islands of the Abacos and the Exumas that were part of our travels the last time. But I want to add some destinations missed on previous visits. Originally I wanted to push further south to the southernmost Far Bahamas. Unfortunately this past summer's hurricane decimated several of the southern islands, making the waters around them somewhat different from the charts (shoaling). We will have to check local knowledge while we are there before deciding to venture further.

The technical plan was to find a weather window for crossing the gulf stream around this date. But for various reasons, I'm not quite ready. To make that even more disappointing, the current weather window will close by the time I'm set to go this weekend. We're expecting a strong cold front starting Friday, with strong winds and waves lasting well into the Christmas week...not great for crossing the stream. So I'm going to have to wait it out until after Christmas before the next window opens. I will have to keep watch on the weather to see if the long term forecast matches with reality.

However, the waiting is not so bad here- the skies were brilliant blue today, plenty of sunshine, moderating winds and a low 80's temperature. Not bad! So the preparations continue and the cast off date is fast approaching. I hope you all have a great Christmas!!! Stay tuned for more.