Near shore in Florida

We left powell cay before sunrise on Thursday and sailed at 7.5 knots
for several hours before we needed to start the engines to mantain 6
knots. I, on Serenity and Jerry - plus his crew Mike who had just
flown in from New England had planned to sail 60 miles and anchor in
the lee at Mangrove Cay. Along the way, we changed plans because the
weather was so cooperative. So, instead of stopping for the night and
then heading to Ft Pierce, we changed our course across the bank and
headed northwesterly. Our decision was to sail non-stop to Cape
Canaveral and arrive there in late morning on Friday.

The plan was for Jerry to test up and get some sleep in the afternoon
and then we'd transfer Mike to my boat just before dark. That way, I
could get some rest during the night while Mike was on watch.

This is exactly what we did and it worked out perfectly.

Before sunrise, Jerry and I were talking on the radio and he decided
to continue on to Jacksonville and take advantage of the good weather
window. His destination is New Hampshire, so getting some miles under
his hull while the weather is so good makes alot of sense. So before
dawn, we transfered Mike back to "Free Spirit" with me headed up onto
the wind at approx 3 knots and Jerry coming alongside. Having the
exact same boats made this easier because the have the same deck
heights and they ride the 4 foot swells the same way.

So as the sun rose, I headed in toward Port Canaveral from 25 miles
offshore and jerry and mike continued northerly.

I'm 10 miles out as I write this on my iPhone. I've already had
breakfast and taken a shower. Its amazing what you can do when theres
nothing to hit.

Sailing overnight was pretty magical. The boat kicked up
phospherescence in its wake and looked like a zillion fireflies going
past. The moon rose a little after 1 am and lit up the sea.

I'll write a summary of my trip later with photos. I'll be into the
canaveral inlet before noon. I have to clear customs and then I'll
make my way to the Titusville anchorage for the night. Back in my own
slip in Daytona tomorrow (Saturday) night. If I'd gone to ft pierce
instead, I would be at least a day and a half behind this schedule.

G.W. Meadows

Sent from my iPhone