50 miles due east of Charleston, South Carolina

While we expect big winds tomorrow as a strong cold front moves on past, today is not tomorrow. Winds right now continue very light (2 to 4 knots) and our trusty Volvo is keeping us moving. We want to get as far south as possible so the frontal winds are milder.

We are taking a different route this trip, staying on the west side of the Gulf Stream. This has left us in a zone of lighter winds than we might have 100 miles east, but it avoids us having to come back across the Gulf Stream near the end of our trip during a period of strong northern winds. The strong current flowing to the north, running into strong winds coming from the north, leave large, steep and very uncomfortable waves we’d just assume not deal with!

We have been visited by several schools of spotted dolphin, but otherwise our wildlife count is low. As we skirt the continental shelf we’ll likely pause and drop a fishing line to see what we can find.

Now that we are in warmer water (and air!) we have stripped off the thermal underwear and wool socks. We expect to arrive at Port Everglades, Fort Lauderdale about noon, Thursday.