Off the dock at 8:10 am! The winds kicked up over night so getting out of the slip was a dock show. Thanks to all the folks that helped Kiwi II cruised right out and into the Sea of Abaco. Sails went up and we got some sailing in before the storms started. You could see them building in the distance but we were lucky up to a point. Then it was like the air started to cool and the winds picked up then the rain started. Light at first then heavy downpour until visibility plummeted to nothing. Did I mention the winds? At first gusts were around 35 knots that was initially and somewhat concerning but at 50knot then we were definitely not loving this squall. We did have the presence of mind to drop the sails before this storm but it was howling and the boat was heeling none the less. This ne lasted maybe 30 mins and other smaller ones popped up here and there until we reached Little Sale. Our plan was to anchor at Great Sale and take a nap, have a little dinner then leave around 8 pm. The wind direction was not favorable for anchoring at Great Sale. There were several anchored off Little Sale. While not an anchorage noted in any of the maps it appeared there was some cruisers knowledge based on the boats that settled in. We would not have stayed overnight but for a brief stay It seemed reasonable.

Anchor down at 2:15 pm and time for some rest. I went down like a rock. Unfortunately Ed had already started to anticipate the next 20 hours we had ahead of us so he did not get much rest. I popped awake at 4:15 pm and Ed was ready to shove off. He was monitoring the chatter and many were starting the trek. From the anchorage 3 sailboats left heading to what appeared Indian Cay Channel and 2 heading to White Sand Ridge or Matanilla Shoal. So anchor up and we are off. Well, not before I take an unfortunate misstep, recovered by sliding down the lifeline. Good thing it was there or I would have definitely taken a swim. We are off making the return trip and hoping for fair weather. There were about 7-8 boats returning. Most to Ft. Lauderdale. There were just two of us shooting for Ft. Pierce.

Coordinates in for our first waypoint, White Sand Ridge. That places us east of St. Lucie Inlet. Ed calculated the Gulf Stream would push us north so the boost would position us well to enter Ft. Pierce inlet. No more squalls on the Bahama Banks. Nice conditions as evening fell. It was cloudy so not much of a sunset but we did have a quarter moon that peeked out. Once night fell it was much darker that the trip over largely due to the cloud cover. Ed tried to rest and I stayed on watch. Kept an eye out for our fellow travelers. AIS is awesome. We could see the position of boats around us, know their speed and statistics which was a comfort. It was 1:30 am on 4/22 when we left the Bahama Banks and entered the ocean. Pitch dark except for lights of other boats, freighters and cruise ships. There was a significant amount of activity. Ed talked with a few of the freighter captains for positioning. Pretty cool. The ocean lit up with the luminat sea life. Flying fish were very active. We took shifts. I personally had no trouble sleeping cat naps on my down time but Ed did not sleep a wink. We had some squalls start to build and blow around 2-3am. Then neither of us slept. Gusts were around 35 knots. The storms were not as intense as yesterday but made more eerie since it was dark. The XM weather was a winner on this trip. You could see the weather building on the screen so at least you had an idea it was coming, the direction, and what was behind it...relief or another storm. Sunrise was around 6:30am. And we were full in the washing machine. It had been calm seas to that point but the squalls left the stream a bit choppy. Kiwi II did a great job and made way as planned. Ed announced land ho around 9:30 am. We entered the inlet around 11:30 am. The Bahamas flag came down and the yellow flag was raised. We docked at 12:30 pm, Kiwi II was back home. We drove to the airport to clear customs and discovered that protocol is to call home land security upon arrival then present to customs within 24 hours. Good news, I had the phone so made the call and cleared pretty quickly. Back to the boat to start cleaning, unpacking and slowly making our way back to reality....

Thanks to our third companion Kiwi II. Your maiden voyage behind you and many more ahead. Cheers!