December 2024

It started off quietly enough. Just before midday on Friday, we sailed gently through Beaufort Inlet past the USA flag flying from Fort Macon and the fisherman on the white sandy beach, away from the protection of the inland waterway and out into the North Atlantic.

The wind steadily increased to 17 knots from the north as forecast. By around 6pm we confirmed that we were crossing the Gulf Stream. The boat was certainly behaving like it was crossing current and a check of the water temperature showed an increase from 17C to 23C.

Over the course of the night, the wind shifted to the NW and was gusting up to 28 knots. There was a tremendous amount of water noise although the swell was not huge. We waited for a lull in the gusts and put a reef in the main. With some peace of mind, we went below for more rest.

By Saturday morning we were free of the main Gulf Stream and had entered a side eddy of current in our favour. We were very pleased at that point that we had taken the advice from a fellow yachtie to leave from Beaufort. The Gulf Stream crossing, which I had been absolutely dreading, went very well and as a bonus we had enjoyed the inland waterway and the friendly folks we had met in the small towns along the way.

Saturday was still a fairly brisk day with wind 18-20 knots behind us and lumpy seas with 1.5-2M swell. However by evening the wind started dropping off as we knew it would and we had a messy night dealing with light wind. Eventually we decided it was insufficient to sail down wind and turned off the rhum line into the wind more. Paseafique picked up some speed and settled down. The clouds cleared and the stars twinkled above us.

The clear night brought us sunny skies on Sunday morning, the first day of December. The thick fluffy socks, beanies and scarves were consigned to the washing basket and for the first time in ages it was actually nice being in the cockpit. We had a pleasant day sailing on a beam reach at a comfortable pace.

Unfortunately the pleasant sailing did not continue on into the evening. The wind picked up and the seas became confused making conditions down below quite uncomfortable. We had shortened sail which took some of the strain off the boat but neither of us could sleep much. It also rained for most of the night.

Monday morning finally came and although the wind died down, the motion was still unpleasant as we were pushing current and we spent a fairly miserable day trying to get some sleep. It was a noteworthy day in one respect though -I had to put a short sleeve shirt on and the butter melted -not quite but it became very soft.

Despite having an updated forecast that suggested lighter winds for the night, we were pessimistic about our chances. But in what felt somewhat like a miracle, the seas flattened and the wind steadied in the late afternoon and we started to look forward to the possibility of decent sleeeeeep. We were feeling very tired by this point after three disturbed nights.

And sleep we did. What a difference it makes! The wind continued at a steady pace and consistent NE direction all day Tuesday. The sun shone and the temperature rose to 27 degrees. We had escaped the impending northern winter.

We were paying for that escape though. Tuesday night was a shocker. The wind increased to 25-30 knots. We put a second reef in the main and furled in most of the headsail. The disorganized swell picked up to 2-2.5 M causing the boat to lurch and roll making sleeping almost impossible.

Conditions were not much better on Wednesday but it was somewhat more tolerable because an end was in sight. We had decided to stop at Great Inagua, in the Bahamas, for a couple of days rest. We arrived into the anchorage a little after dark and were somewhat euphoric to get the anchor set and see the end of a most unpleasant passage. In the five and a half days, half of the days were pretty awful, and we had only had one relatively settled night which allowed for some sleep.

After three restful days at Great Inagua, we set off to finish the passage to Jamaica. The next day and a half were a mixed bag from very rough with big waves, through bumpy and rolly, to a more comfortable ride. We were certainly glad to be finally settled in Port Antonio, Jamaica.