One Thousand miles from the start of the Intracoastal Water Way.
This raises a number of questions in a captains mind.
How did we get here? The time has sure flown. Barring the groundings, burnings of alternators, refrigeration issues, power issues, and the occasional howling wind we have managed to make the 1000 mile mark without too much difficulty.
What's next? That answer is obvious. We will sail out of Government Cut at Miami in the next few weeks and sail across the Gulf Stream to Bimini, Bahamas. We will wait for a weather window and we will make sure the sea will be safe to cross. the crossing is only 47 miles, about 2/3 the longest distances that we normally cover in a day. We will carry enough fuel aboard to run approximately 5 times the required engine time for this crossing...and yet...the captain is anxious, nervous, alright, down right scared of this crossing. You see I've come to realize I'm a pond sailor. The Great Lakes, while fantastic bodies of water do not contain waves that found their genesis 4000 miles away in a tropical storm off the African Coast. While Lake Ontario can be a punishing beast I am not sure she has prepared me for the Ocean. This is certainly another level that the bar is being pushed to.
And finally...how will we get home?
At some point in the future, I have to figure out how to do this all in reverse.
But that's for another day.
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