Half Way There

This morning we passed the halfway point between Beaufort, NC and our destination, Abaco, Bahamas. At about the same time the wind picked up enough that we could finally sail without the engine. Yay! We have actually put a reef in the mainsail to slow our speed. We would like to get to Abaco mid-morning on Tuesday to arrive in daylight, have the most favorable waves when entering the cut, be closer to high tide (for entering the shallow harbor at Green Turtle Cay), as well as to avoid potential squalls in the area.

We entered the Gulf Stream yesterday afternoon and exited it last evening. The waves in the Gulf Stream were ten feet high at times, making the ride a rather gnarly one. I am glad to have that part of the trip behind us. There is very little traffic in this part of the Atlantic, we only occasionally spot a ship crossing our path.

The full moon has been a blessing. Not only is it beautiful but it provides visibility at night. Speaking of the moon, we have been known to mistake it for something else; a cruise ship on the horizon (more than once), and the night before last I thought it was a spotlight from another boat as it shown through a port light (side window.)

The internet connection provided by the StarLink has been wonderful. George was able to do the online registration for entering the Bahamas while we were underway. Also, we have been able to check the weather, tides and currents, and listen to weather broadcasts. The service is slightly more expensive when we are offshore and we had no idea how much data we would be using. We are pleasantly surprised that it isn’t bad at all.