Frostbite Series
18 December 2024
Stuart Letton

Is it just us or is a good proportion of time spent sailing; not sailing but waiting?
It's our fault, when we should have called it a day and ended our South America trip, we didn't. As we'd arrived in Patagonia pretty much in their winter, we changed plans and headed north, looking for sunshine and warmth. Over three thousand kilometres, nearly two thousand miles later we found the heat. We also found ourselves quite a long way from where we started and an even longer way to get back. Hence, our three to four week trip turned into eight to nine weeks.
After a run down the length of Argentina, nipping across the border, in and out of Chile to follow the mountain routes, we made it back to Patagonia. Having enjoyed it so much the first time, and to save another thousand miles or so in the saddle, we reversed our Navimag trip and caught the ferry back to Puerto Montt.
Around that time we got the good news we couldn't get the boat back in the water as the yard's Travelift was kaput. Rather than dash back and sit around in the freezing cold, we thought, why just fly over Peru when we could stop for a look and oddly, save money on the flights back "home"?
And so, there went another week. A week when we should have been making headway south before the winter storms settled in along the US East Coast.
Which, they have. In Scotland, some folk say you can get four seasons in a day. It's not quite the same here but you can certainly get four seasons in a week. None of them favourable. A few days ago we woke, fought our way out from under three duvets and a fleece blanket to find frost on the deck.
The yard finally got Time Bandit in the water where again we waited on a weather window. After a couple of days, we considered the "least bad" option suggested by Chris Parker, waiting for the weekend and motoring into light headwinds. Never keen on motoring and, knowing we'd been in worse, we decided waiting was for wimps and chose to just go for it.
01:00 we peeled off the dock in Cape Charles, near the mouth of the Chesapeake and headed out into the freezing cold. Just like a winter frostbite race. Only dark.
Many, many years ago I read, "Overboard. A True Blue Water Odyssey of Disaster etc..." If you like a good sailing yarn and / or, tales of survival, this is an excellent read. Just keep in mind it might put you off the Gulf Stream, or indeed, The Mull, for life.
Reading that book left indelible scars in my addled brain and has severely coloured my thinking of the Gulf Stream. It's a piece of water that deserves respect and a lot of caution. It's not something to be trifled with although, as you may have read here or seen in one of our stunning, yet little watched YouTubes, we've pushed our luck with Gulf Stream crossings on a couple of occasions.
Nonetheless, we were routing south, alongside the Stream, not actually crossing it. However, we'd certainly feel its effects. We'd be squeezed tight between the shoals off Cape Hatteras and the Stream, all in twenty knots of wind against current. Not a great plan but, other than being patient, sensible and waiting, there were few alternatives.
The good part of the plan was that we'd get fifteen to twenty plus knots on a broad reach so we'd make good time, which we did, sitting at around ten knots for much of the way.
Sixteen hours and one hundred and thirty odd bouncy miles after leaving we skooshed around the Cape, doors firmly shut, Webasto heater blazing. All said, our passage plan worked well and, shortly after dawn, as we neared Beaufort, ten boats filed past making their next jump south. However, we'd had enough. These overnighters aren't as easy as they used to be. Sails down, engines on, we winkled our way through the sandbanks into a beautiful, newly vacated Taylor's Creek.
And so, having watched Christmas in the Caribbean fade from our plans we've changed our mindset to having "Happy Holidays" somewhere down the USA east coast. Meanwhile, we'll enjoy some winter sunshine in Beaufort, the crux of the trip behind us.
Next weather window we'll work our way south to South Carolina and Georgia and eventually, check the weather real close and cross the Gulf Stream and go for a closer look at the Bahamas.