The Big Wait

Winter is actually the "off season" in the Bahamas.  The popular time to cruise over is the spring and early summer, before the hurricane season.  That's when the winter North winds settle down and reams of  Florida boats zip across the gulf stream to enjoy the beautiful Bahamian seas.  To get to the Bahamas one has to cross the dreaded gulf stream, which is like a river inside the ocean, flowing Northerly up the coast of Florida.  It is about forty miles wide and can flow several knots.  The winter Northern winds kick up, which fight against the flow of the gulf stream, causing VERY big seas.  Those of us waiting to cross to the Bahamas during the winter months must watch the weather very carefully and choose a "window" of good weather with light winds from anywhere but the dreaded North.  Hopefully, from the South for a few days to let those waves lay down.

So the wait is on.  We're ready.  In place on the East coast of Florida.  Waiting.  And waiting.  Everyday, first thing, is a weather check.  We confer with other cruisers in the same position.  This year, just our luck, is a particularly bad weather year.  There's are a bunch of us here, not-so-patiently waiting.

But in the meantime, it's not too bad of a place to hang out!  We've been drifting from anchorage to anchorage up and down the East coast, dingy 'sploring, enjoying the weather and checking out several little towns.

Market in Stuart FL

Yup.  We went under there in the dinghy.

My knight on white "stallion", coming to fetch me.

Hmm... Lots of options.

Man O War

Fort Lauderdale.  Hmm.  Looks calm enough.... 
but according to the weather man, looks from shore can be deceiving.

We've been waiting at anchor for two weeks now. It's getting frustrating. We don't know how long we'll wait. Sitting eating breakfast in Fort Lauderdale, the ocean looks so calm.  We know, though, that that gentle breeze is from the North and would be wreaking havoc out in the Gulf Stream.  At some point we'll give up and head to the Keys instead.  It's all good. 

For the next few days we are at dock in Fort Lauderdale, emptying/filling our tanks, doing laundry, washing salt off the boat, gorging on wifi, etc.  We'll shove off again tomorrow to go back out on the hook.  There are rumours of a weather window on Thursday.  We'll see.....