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July 03, 2005
N26.1 W80.1 Fort Lauderdale, Florida
We awoke to unexpectedly strong winds, and decided to depart quickly to take advantage. The ridge of high pressure that was still stalled over us was making a mess of winds and weather. We cheered when we saw 5 metres under the keel! Finally off the Great Bahama Bank, we entered the Florida Straits and the powerful Gulf Stream. The charts showed 2-4 knots of northbound current. The wind was blowing from the south, assisting the current. To correct for the current, we steered 240 degrees instead of the straight line 295 degrees. 55 degrees to correct for the current.
There is a little icon of a boat that moves on our electronic charts. It uses GPS to show us where we are. It even points in the direction that the boat is facing. It looked like we were sailing sideways!
We had a wonderful sail, and tied up at the Bahia Mar Marina in Fort Lauderdale. High speed DSL! Cable TV!
We are here for at least 2 weeks, with much to do. The shopping list is endless. This is our first "civilization" since France!
Dave needs new running shoes (they smell REALLY bad)
Chis wants to get the laptop fixed
Chis wants to read newspapers
Dave wants to work out in a gym
Dave craves a Starbucks grande soy latte
We want to get a cell phone
And on it goes...
We may never leave!
Posted by dave at July 3, 2005 07:48 AM