Saturday, February 12, 2011

Preparing to cast off . . ..

Today, it's been raining almost all day, and it's cold, at least for me (64 degrees outside!). I know that some up north are exeriencing temperatures in the 20's, sometimes less and mountains of snow, but I just sent 2 years in the tropics and anything below 72 feels like freezing.
Yesterday I did my second ride. Not as shameful as the first one (I did 10.3 miles at 13.2 mph) but still, nothing to brag about, with 13 miles and 14.8 mph. Lots of miles to do before I can regain some kind of shape and get rid of those unwanted pounds, courtesy of two years in the sun and no exercise except pulling on a few lines.
To morrow I am going to play it safe. I keep worrying about falling asleep at the wrong time, and the Gulf Stream is not the right place to fall asleep. So, I will go in two stages, first from Lucaya to Bimini, get there in the evening with the wind behind and no current to speak of. I don't expect the sea to be anything else than fair. I will spend the night anchored north of Bimini on the bank and leave next morning at crack of dawn to go to Fort Lauderdale, crossing the Gulf Stream with North or North NorthWest winds of less than 15 knotsl. It is wind against the current, but not strong enough to create a very uncomfortable chop.
I expect to get to Fort Lauderdale before sunset.

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