After a disturbed night where the workmen on the bridge above. Started shot blasting the paint work at 1 am and carried on until 4 am. My flight to Washington was at 7 am so I was up and off at 4 30am.

 

The flight to Baltimore was smooth on US’s version of Ryan Air but without the aggression. I couldn’t print my boarding so pass rather than charge me $40 they smiled and printed me one off. Once in Baltimore it was the train to Union Station in Central Washington. Alastair my son and Leo (2 months) were there to meet me. I never imagined that my grandson would be born an American but that is how it has worked out. So we were in town and the day was young so it was off to see the sights. Capital Building, the Washington Monument and the White House was enough for me though. Then, it was the metro to Arlington were Ali, Rebecca and Leo have an Apartment, that is until they head off in August to work in Kingston, Jamaica for a couple of years.

 

Don’t want to bore you with a blow by blow account of my visit but only to say that I went to Alexandria on the Potomac, Grand Falls on the Potomac very impressive, sorry camera ran out of power,  went on Washington equivalent of a Boris Bike to George Town, Arlington Cemetery and walked into Washington entering the city centre at the Lincoln Memorial. The place was bussing. It was the Memorial weekend, equivalent of our Remembrance Day. There was helicopters flying everywhere and the Rolling Thunder was evident with hundreds and hundreds of biker dudes riding through the town on Harleys. It was impossible to cross the road for bikes. Ali suggested that I could take up a similar pursuit after sailing. I think I conform on the facial hair score but will have to work on the girth.

 

I’m back in FLD now. The forecast is good and we have plans to leave for Bermuda tomorrow, Tuesday 27 May. I need to sort the Sat Phone and that could delay us but hope that we will have it up and running early tomorrow.

 

The wind seems to lend itself to a route 1 direct approach to Bermuda rather than a north looping track taking advantage of the Gulf Stream. Whatever route we take it will be no less than 900nm. If things contrive against us and we opt out from Bermuda and head straight to the Azores that is a total mileage of about 2500nm. We have provisioned up for this eventuality so no worries on that score.

 

If the sat phone behaves we should be able to keep the blog going but without the picies.