Stowaway 100 Miles Offshore

A bird came to take a ride with us 100 miles from land. It is always a surprise to see birds landing on our boat so far from shore. This one has been with us over an hour. 

We left Harbortown Marina at 7:15 yesterday morning. Although the slip and fairway are quite narrow the light winds made it relatively easy to leave the slip. An hour later we were outside the inlet and heading toward the Gulf Stream and Cape Lookout. The seas were 4 feet with a short period and wind chop on top. That made for an uncomfortable ride until we entered the Gulf Stream in the early afternoon. Surprisingly, the waves seems to calm down just a bit in the Stream. It was quite easy to see exactly where we entered the Gulf Stream; the water changed color dramatically. Between the Gulf Stream and shore the water is a bit murky with a greenish tinge. In the Gulf Stream the water is a beautiful, clear sapphire blue. George pointed out that he could see a line of the two colors of water about 200 yards from us. We also monitor water temperatures as another clue to being in the Gulf Stream. Right now the water temperature is 90 degrees. 

We were able to sail much longer than expected yesterday. On my overnight watch there were thunderstorms with lots of lightning off to the east. I didn't hear a lot of thunder so I had my fingers crossed that they weren't close. The wind did shift from the southwest to the northwest so I spent quite a bit of time adjusting sails. I really don't like to do that when I can't see what I am doing. I shine a spotlight on the sails, go back to the winch, make the adjustment, then use the spotlight again to check the sails. The wind now is light, as forecasted, and we are now motoring without sails. If we are lucky we will be able to sail once we get closer to Cape Lookout. We have had two sightings of dolphins but none have come to play with us yet. George has put in a request for a whale sightings. Stay tuned to see if he gets his wish. 

Bird taking a ride on Breeze On

Just before sunrise this morning.