37:01.00N  76:20.50W

 

IF anyone is reading this, sincere apologies for not keeping up with the blog; I will go back and catch up at some point.

 

Anyhow, we are now leaving the USA after a most enjoyable, interesting and educational 5 months and one week. It is getting a chilly here and the heating is playing up a bit so we need to head south. We have identified a weather window to get across the infamous Gulf Stream at the equally infamous Cape Hatteras before sunset tomorrow, at which point the wind turns from the south to the north which would make crossing the north flowing stream ‘lively’. Cape Hatteras presents us with a narrow point in the stream which is important as the strongly north setting stream will try to carry us to the north and the sun and rum is south. A strong northerly wind (from the north) over a north setting Gulf Stream (flowing to the north) makes for very unpleasant conditions into which no sailor would choose to sail.

 

We have some motoring to do at first to get down to Hatteras in time to be across before sunset tomorrow, but if we don’t do that we could be sat in the cold for close to a week waiting for the next opportunity. We would rather spend those days sat in the BVIs in the sun than in a damp and cold Virginia. The passage down to the sun will be approx 1,400 nautical miles and we anticipate it taking us 7 days. We have two new American friends on board for the trip, Bill and Lydia Strickland, who are both very experienced sailors. I will post simple position updates to record our route as we go via our satellite comms.

 

Departure was 4pm on 1 Dec.