Day 41, Year 1: We’re Out Here
Date and Time: Sunday, November 27, 2005
Weather: Headwinds, Cloudy, Bumpy Ride
Water Temperature in Chesapeake Bay, 0800, 11/27/05:
Water Temperature in Gulf Stream, 0800, 11/28/05: 85.2 degrees F
Latitude: N 35 degrees 53.8 minutes
Longitude: W 74 degrees 28.6 minutes
Sunrise: 0649
Location: Passage from Norfolk to St. Martin, Day 1

I am writing this log on Monday morning, November 28, but the log is for yesterday, Sunday, November 27, and extends into this morning. We left Hampton around 0800 yesterday. The skies were cloudy and the winds were coming from the east, but the seas were calm as we exited the Chesapeake Bay. On the west side of the Chesapeake Bay Bridge/Tunnel, the water was littered with fishing boats and there was more large ship traffic than we have seen previously. Someone from the Antwerpen Express, a large cargo ship, called us called us on Channel 16 to check our course and gave us the courses for the other ships. By late afternoon, we saw the last of Virginia Beach and headed southeast. Unfortunately, the winds were coming from the southeast, but they were light, so we motored into the wind. I was on first watch, and by the time Mark came on around midnight, the winds were building into the teens. This was causing sleeping to be an arduous task. By the time I came back on around 0400, the winds had picked up into the low twenties, still right on our nose, and we had entered the Gulf Stream. The water temperature had been rising all day and evening yesterday, but at around 0400 this morning the temperature soared to 81 degrees F and keeps climbing. We continue beating into the headwinds, bumping along under reefed main and motor. We should exit the Gulf Stream sometime this evening, and our hope is that the seas will settle down a little. We are doing fine, but it is tiring.

During the night, we had to shed the wool sweaters and wool socks and today we are in full sunshine. I think we will have to make a complete change in wardrobe and take down some of the plastic cockpit enclosure. For those of you in cooler climates, don’t be too jealous of the warm weather. I’m not sure this lumpy ride is a good trade! But there will be smoother sailing somewhere along the way, and then you can long for the warm waters in the tropics.

051127 Day 41 Passage to Caribbean–Finally…On Our Way