We came back to Florida on Tuesday, March 5. We had to wait in West End for several days for the wind to die down so we could safely cross the Gulf Stream back to Florida. Our weather guru, Chris Parker, said Tuesday would be the only day to make the crossing & he was right. If we didn't go on March 5, we would have to wait at least another weak, or more, for a good weather window. It's amazing how the wind "clocks" in the Bahamas. It had been blowing 20-30 mph from the northwest for days & the ocean had huge waves. Then the wind starts to shift NW>N>NE>E>SE. Once it's out of the southeast, the wind & ocean almost immediately calms down to nothing. That's exactly what happened Monday into Tuesday. We left at first light on Tuesday with almost no wind from the southeast & the ocean was dead calm. For the first couple of hours we were the only boat out there. We felt a little more secure once we saw a few other boats also making the crossing. Once we got into the Gulf Stream the waves got pretty big, probably 10 ft., but they were widely spaced & rolling. We rolled side to side pretty good, but we weren't pounding. It was a good feeling when we started to see some buildings on the Florida coast. We went into the Lake Worth Inlet & pulled into the Sailfish Marina. Later that day the wind & waves picked up again. We were so glad to be safely tied up by then.
We had a great time in the Bahamas. We met some great people, stayed in some really nice marinas & anchorages & saw some amazing scenery & wildlife. At times we were thrilled, at times we were overwhelmed & sometimes just scared, but it was an amazing experience. Next time we'll go back in the spring, when we hear you don't have to worry about the weather so much, because the wind is always calm. Next time we want to go to Bimini, Nassau & the Exumas.
We plan to stay put for awhile, but who knows how long?
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