We Closed the Circle

We closed the circle.  We are back in Clubfoot Creek where we started the season.

With a forecast of fair weather and winds that would last four to five days and our check-out papers stamped we left the dock on Sunday afternoon at high tide and started our way back to the states.  We had a nice sail to Powell Cay where we started the motor and went out the cut into the ocean.  We were greeted by a pod of dolphins.  We had a number of waypoints to follow provided by our weather forecaster and we started off to our first waypoint just as the sun was setting.  With light winds almost on the nose we adjusted our course but soon found we would be traveling too slow and far off of our planned line.  We again started the motor and adjusted course to the waypoint.  We continued through the night and the next day.  The winds shifted to be off our stern and was not strong enough to keep the sails full so we continued motoring.  We continued on our course experiencing some eddies off the gulf stream slowing us down into the 4 knot range instead of the 5-6 we were traveling. Wednesday we got into the gulf stream and our speed jumped up to 6-7 knots and we were able to sail giving the motor a rest.  We also took advantage of the conditions to transfer the diesel we were carrying in jerry jugs to the main tank.  We were not sure if we would have enough fuel to motor all the way.  Around 11:00 pm the winds died off, we were out of the gulf stream and we had to motor again.  Thursday morning at 10:00 am we arrived in Beaufort NC and dropped anchor in the harbor.  We went for lunch with Donna and Jerry from Bluejacket who had arrived from the Bahamas the day before.  Friday we spent on the boat recovering from the trip and checking on some problems.  Saturday morning we pulled anchor and motored up the ICW catching a rising tide.  Once into the Neuse River we continued on to Clubfoot Creek and anchored off the marina.  The circle was closed.

We left November 8th and  traveled a total of 2244 nautical miles or 2582 statute or land miles which is about the distance from New York to London.  We visited several islands that we had not been to before and plan to go back.  We met up with many of our friends from previous years, made a lot of new friends and met many of the locals.  Once again the Bahamians demonstrated that they are the most friendly and welcoming people on earth and we are looking forward to returning next winter.

So what is the plan?  We are going to spend a little time in North Carolina sorting out what we need to keep on the boat and what goes to storage.  From here we will move up to the Chesapeake and get hauled out for the summer.  We plan on spending the summer in South Dakota working on the property and cabin we bought.  

I have never mentioned it but if you click on the pictures they will enlarge to full size.