Family 4 Afloat: Back in the United States

Blue skies & calm, blue waters - leaving Bimini

Weather. As boat cruisers moving from place to place, this a always a very important aspect of our days. When cruising on the river, or even on parts of the ICW, it is not a big deal. When crossing large bodies of water (like the Atlantic Ocean), it is a very big deal. When a really good weather day comes along (temps, sun, waves, wind), you grab it. As we have been watching the weather carefully since we've been moving around the Bahamas, we decided to grab this gorgeous Saturday to cruise back to the States. We had really planned to stay in Bimini longer, but couldn't pass up the perfect crossing today. And it was! Sunny skies with minimal wind. The sea for the first 35 miles were practically flat! In the Gulf Stream, we picked up about 1 foot waves, then they dropped again as we got near Port Everglades inlet. Of course, when we got close to the inlet, every crazy boat driver was there to greet us again. Some of these people are very rude, but that is another story. The 50 mile stretch between Ft Lauderdale/Miami & Bimini is very busy. We saw boats of all sizes all day.

So, our 2.5 months in the Bahamas has come to an end. We had a great time, met some really nice people, saw some beautiful (& poor) places, and learned to live a little more conscience of our water & electric usage. After a full day's travel, we are safely docked down the New River in Ft Lauderdale.

Total miles today: 65nm

Total miles traveled: 1,800 nm

Total cruising days: 28