We reached the Gulf Stream at around 7:30 am. It was such a pleasure to finally be warm. We normally expect the Gulf Stream crossing to be the roughest part of our trip. Not so in this case. Because the wind was still very light, the seas were not very big. We continued to motor and exited the Gulf Stream in the afternoon. That is when the sailing became much more challenging. A frontal trough caused the wind, and the seas, to increase dramatically. We were expecting that but thought the wind and seas would be coming from behind. Instead, they were on the beam (side of the boat). We used to like to sail nice beam reach. Not so much when there are 6-8 foot seas hitting us on the beam and rolling us back and forth. Waves were actually hitting us from all sides but one- over the bow, on the stern and many times full on the starboard side. We had water gushing into the small hole cut out for the roller furler line. Fortunately, the wind has finally eased and moved behind us so the sailing is easier.
Photos: the photo included with part one is sunrise near the Gulf Stream. The photo with this post is George on deck investigating the batten problem. You can't really tell but he IS wearing his lifevest and harness and is tethered to the boat.
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