Ahoy mateys! It's Thursday morning, May 3, 2012, sunrise in Stuart, FL. Two bridges to clear before we can head out to sea. We just waited 20 minutes for two trains to pass before the RR bridge could be raised; now waiting for the old Roosevelt bridge to open up for us. At 7 am, we are through the bridges with no more obstructions in our way. It will take us an hour and a half to motor downriver and through the pass to the ocean. Another half hour out to sea and we'll be on the Gulf Stream conveyer belt, which will likely add 2 knots to our speed.

There might be just enough wind to sail today, but more likely we'll run one engine to boost our speed. We'd like to average 8 knots (about 9.2 mph), which would get us to Cape Hatteras in 72 hours or so. The forecast for Sunday morning at Cape Hatteras is not good: 15 to 20 knots of wind right on the nose. Hatteras is one of the most dangerous capes in the U.S., a place where currents collide and storms tend to concentrate their power. It can make for treacherous conditions.

We will see what the actual conditions are as we get close. There are a couple of inlets where we can duck inshore before we get to Cape Hatteras. That would give us more protected conditions, away from the oceans swells. On the other hand, we would have to thread the needle in parts, going through some narrow channels. It can be kind of like driving a car down a liquid highway, with water sometimes flowing across your path and pushing you off the highway made invisible by the water. On the ocean, you can pick a spot and often head straight for it. The inland waterways are often circuitous, adding many extra miles to your trip. Taking the inside track to avoid Cape Hatteras will likely add 1-2 days to our journey.

I've got the satellite phone charged up with more minutes, after letting it lapse for the last year. They now have a plan where you can add minutes for a month at a time for a reasonable price, so I'll be talking to Brooke a couple of times a day to update her and get a weather update in return. That will be important as we approach Hatteras.

This will likely be my last blog for at least 72 hours, unless Brooke decides to do some updates in between. With us luck and don't forget to track our progress on-line. The easiest way is to click right under "Favorites" on the right-hand side of our Sail Blog page.

The photo is of Brooke at an RGA function in Orlando on Tuesday night, telling me not to take the picture. I thought she looked great!

David