Those who follow our location know that we made it to Fort Pierce Florida. It was an uneventful trip 3 day trip from Hilton Head SC, covering 315 nautical miles.
On the morning of the second day, the seas started building and it was getting uncomfortable. We were too far off shore to get updates over the phones, so I used our satellite phone and PredictWind to get updates on conditions.
PredictWind was showing less wind and smaller waves the closer we got to shore, so we changed course and started heading that way. If conditions didn’t improve, we were going to go into Jacksonville and continue down the ICW.
For once, PredictWind was correct and conditions improved as we got closer to shore, so we changed course and headed south again. By afternoon, the winds shifted behind us for the rest of our trip and it was a great sail. Downwind sailing is the easiest and most comfortable sailing.
For those wondering why we didn’t go further there are a couple of reasons. The first is we had our replacement radio from Garmin waiting at Fort Pierce City Marina. The second is the Gulf Stream.
The Gulf Stream is a current that runs from the Gult of Mexico to the North Atlantic. At times and locations it can run up to 2 knots and flows from south to north. Typically, it’s far enough off shore that you don’t have to worry about it. Once you reach the southern half of Florida, the Gulf Stream is funneled between the Bahamas and the Florida coast and runs along shore.
Another issue is when wind opposes current large waves form. We’ve had 3 days of north winds opposing the south current of the Gulf Stream. Small Craft advisories were issued for areas south of us.
We’re planning on taking the ICW the rest of the way to Lake Worth Florida. From there, we’re thinking about crossing the Gulf Stream to the Grand Bahama Island.
Kurt & Sue Sail 