Among all the things I keep on our boat ENCORE, the one thing I try NOT to bring aboard is an "agenda". With Mother Nature an ever present and powerful influence, keeping a "flexible schedule" is always a smarter choice.
The planned start to our trip to the Bahamas is a good example.
Despite weeks (perhaps months) of planning on my part to leave West Palm Beach on Friday the 29th, tropical storm Debby had other ideas. As she slowly dragged herself along and across Florida for almost a week, she managed to churn up the Atlantic Ocean and Gulf Stream into a very dangerous and confused state. My normal tolerance for dealing with waves is to not venture out in anything more than 2-3 foot seas. While the boat is capable of handling it, trying to navigate 4+ foot seas makes for a VERY unpleasant ride.... and a rather grumpy Admiral.
Forecasts for Friday now call for NE winds around 15-20 knots and seas 3-5 feet with occasional 6 footers in the Gulf Stream. Not pretty.
So..... our new plan is to have a really nice dinner in West Palm on Friday night and simply wait until the winds and waves subside. Right now we hope to get underway Saturday afternoon or even Sunday morning crossing from West Palm to West End, Grand Bahama.
That of course is subject to change ...
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