Publish Date: Tuesday, May 3, 2011
Location: Fajardo, Puerto Rico
Coordinates: 18° 20.325′ N 65° 37.900′ W
It’s time for Three@Sea to migrate north. We can literally feel it in the air: there is more humidity, more rain, and more bugs. There was even the beginnings of a tropical depression just northeast of here last week, although fortunately it fell apart before it was able to fully form. Tropical depressions often turn into tropical storms, which sometimes turn into hurricanes. Yikes! Time to get out of here.
Our plan is to depart this Thursday evening (May 5), and the weather is currently looking good for that target. Our summer destination is Narragansett Bay, Rhode Island, where we spent last August-September. It’s about 2000 nautical miles from here to there, through the Bahamas, up the Gulf Stream, around Cape Hatteras, and along the New Jersey and Long Island coasts (approximate route is included below). If we run non-stop it will take us about twelve days to get there. It is unlikely we will get good enough weather to allow us to go all the way in one shot, but we’re preparing for that in case we get lucky. If we need to stop for awhile, our possible targets are The Turks and Caicos Islands; Palm Beach, FL; Charleston, SC; Beaufort, NC; and Cape May, NJ. We would rather not stop, so let’s hope it’s one for the record books!
We’ve done various preparations during the last couple of weeks, including:
- Clean the bottom (diving using our hookah rig)
- Provision with food and supplies
- Prepare and freeze snacks and meals (in case the seas are rough)
- Change the oil in the main engine and generator
- Order and receive spare hoses for the main engine
- Check the wing engine fluids and operation
- Top-up and test the satellite phone (e-mail and voice)
- Check the navigation lights
- Rain-X the windows in the pilothouse
- Activate various weather subscriptions for e-mail delivery
- Fill the tanks with fuel
Just before we depart we will top-up our water tank, file a float plan, and make an offering of rum to Neptune and Poseidon.
The first three days we will be in the open Atlantic, cruising from Puerto Rico past The Turks and Caicos Islands. After that we will be within a day of land the whole rest of the way as we make our way through the Bahamas and up the east coast. You’ll be able to watch our progress on our location page, which we plan to update twice daily via satellite phone.
See you in New England!
Ambitious trip! I hope for fair weather your entire trip. Have a safe trip and have fun.
I was under the impression that you folks would be switching oceans, did I miss the blog post where that sardine was canned?
Hi Emerson,
Yes, we still have the desire and ambition to cross the Atlantic and Pacific oceans, and potentially do a circumnavigation. However, I am currently working full time (from the boat), and that economic reality limits our cruising range to the east coast of the U.S. (more or less). We hope to continue with a more global voyage within a year or two.
Thanks,
David
I wish you a safe and uneventful trip (except for “fun eventful”). I can see you’ve all been VERY busy preparing to leave!
Hugs,
Jackie
How’s your wine supply doing? I hope you still consider Montemaggiore your official wine sponsor, and as such, I should make sure that you are balancing that rum with a bit of resveratrol, anthocyanins, polyphenols, and tannins (packaged up as the beverage we all know and love as “wine”). If you are running low, and are in a spot long enough to pick up a package, let me know!