Although we have enjoyed our two weeks cruising in the Bahamas, especially the beauty of the turquoise waters, it is great to be back in U.S. waters. Most of our decisions to move from island to island were based on the predictions of the wind and wave height of the seas. We reduced our planned stop at Chub Cay from two days to one so we could make our way south to Nassau before strong tradewinds settled in. The plan of cruising further north to Grand Bahama was cancelled due to a combination of deteriorating weather and some annoying mechanical issues with our boat that needed to be addressed as soon as we could get back to the mainland.
We therefore, circled back to Chub Cay from Nassau with a new plan to cruise west to arrive in Ft. Lauderdale. We crossed the Gulf Stream Thursday March 10th in some uncomfortable seas to arrive in Ft. Lauderdale where we ultimately lost our steering capability due to a combination of hydraulic issues. Thanks to Tow Boat U.S. for towing us to the Lauderdale Yacht Club where we were able to arrange for necessary repairs which occurred on Thursday afternoon and most of Friday. We took advantage of our unscheduled stay in Ft. Lauderdale to have dinner with friends who live nearby. They were even kind enough to loan us their car to run some errands and re-provision the boat for our first true installment on the Great Circle Loop. We are now taking advantage of the slow pace and calm waters of the Atlantic ICW (Intracoastal Waterway). Today we cruised from Ft. Lauderdale to Boca Raton, passing through five drawbridges en route.
So happy for you that the start has been going so well and lucky to be able to be so close for the required repairs. We enjoy hearing about your daily exploits and only wish we were tagging along. Look forward to joing you at some point. If there is anything we can do here for you please feel free to let us know. We leave tomorrow for Breckenridge with the kids and grandkids which will be a hoot.