Planet Hope provides scholarships to several groups each season. Among the groups that will be…
The Passage South
The North Atlantic can be a rough place in the colder months and passages south need to be timed according to weather. I remember last year as I was about to depart, the news reported that a sailboat, the same make and model of boat that I was about to take south, was dismasted off Cape Hatteras and the crew had to be rescued by the Coast Guard. The report was a bit of a reality check and has me constantly checking and rechecking my weather windows.
We saw our weather window shaping up, but it came a bit early and we just could not depart two days ahead of schedule. That meant that we would have some headwinds leaving the bay, but for only a day or so.
Our crew of five set out for an adventure on a cold November day. Our diesel heater kept out cabin nice and toasty. Trolling lines around Hatteras rewarded us with a King Mackerel and a nice fish dinner. We sailed through a weak cold front but another started forming just to the west, so we decided to take a break in Charleston for a day to let it pass before we proceeded south.
After some needed rest and some great South Carolina BBQ (thanks Sticky Fingers!) we headed back out. The seas were still rough from the passing front but we had great sailing wind for the next few days. Trolling through the gulf stream, the line started peeling off again with an exciting “wizzzzzzzz!” Tracy reeled in her first offshore fish, a beautiful Dorado (Mahi-Mahi) which fed the crew for several meals. Our fish cleaning station (custom made by Caleb Bowen) really came in handy during our trip.
The east winds kept clocking to the south which pushed us further west of our destination. This turned out to be a blessing. We were a little tired of getting tossed around in the large ocean swells, so our last day, we jumped into the protected waters of the Sea of Abaco and motored in calm clear water to make up for our lost easterly progress.
We arrived late evening on Nov. 11th with a wonderful reception by old and new friends.
