... here we are on the ninth and we passed Bimini at around midnight and set course across the Gulf Stream for Port Everglade and Florida. Barb relieved me at 24h00 and I was really glad to see her as I had been up for quite a while and I was thoroughly bagged.

The sailing vessel Ariel that I spoke to over the Bank had told me that the Gulf Stream was in a good mood and once out into it we discovered that he was quite right. Although not absolutely flat, in fact it had moments of being slightly rolly, it was darn near as close to calm as it could be. Again too little wind for the sails to do much, but as the wind had spent most of the evening lightly blowing from the north that is probably just as well that it wasn't any stronger.

I have noticed something with the engine that I hadn't thought of before. We have two readouts for the engine temperature and one reads slightly lower than the other by about five to seven degrees. They came with the sender as a package so the only difference that I can see is that the one that reads higher is in the place where the original unit is located and uses the same wires and those wires are longer. Since I believe that the meter actually measures a voltage drop across the terminals of the sender the longer wires especially if they are older and have a couple of splices in them, would result in a higher reading. I think that when we get somewhere where we will be staying for a day or two, I will replace the longer, older wire, but for tonight it is becoming a long, long night with me worrying if the engine will overheat.

Finally at 09h30 we arrived in Fort Lauderdale. This is NOT the place to clear into the US. First the clearing process is mind bogglingly silly. You have to find a place to dock. THEN you call a customs number in Miami to get an entry number. THEN you take a cab to the local customs office to clear in. If I was a real smuggler I would have unloaded everything by then. Then when we tried to find a place to dock it was either full or cost $60 to tie up for the length of time necessary to contact the customs office and do the business.. THEN when we tried to call the local number all we did was get put on hold. Sheesh!

Hang on! I take that back, or at least part of it. Barb went over to the hotel part of the complex and the concierge let her use his phone and on that she got right through. Then, the fellow who answered, asked a few questions, copied down the cruising permit number and said, "OK. You're good to go!" We didn't have to go in to their offices at all. Hurrah! We still had to pay the $60 for the marina just to make that call and I don't understand why they couldn't do it all over the phone, but heck. We're here!

We also have made contact with Screech who are in Stuart at present and hopefully we will meet them along the way.