Straits of Florida, Dec. 22

We crossed the Straits of Florida and the Gulf Stream today. They say you should never cross with a north wind (it was NE wind with an 8ft swell) but we found it quite pleasant and not at all a difficult passage.  It is 48 nautical miles to Lauderdale from Bimini and rarely do you see another vessel until you get close to the harbour, but today we actually would have collided with a freighter had we not changed course – when you have a lot of time on your hands you start to wonder “what are the odds of that??”

Looking at the sea and its power makes me feel very alive and it also makes me wonder where all the water came from – there is a lot of land but there is twice as much sea? I also wonder where did all the salt come from to make the sea 4% saline – it takes a lot of salt to make that much water that salty. Now that’s something to think about when you can’t sleep or you’re feeling melancholy.

We went grocery shopping after we went to customs and immigration. We are planning to celebrate my birthday tomorrow with a steak dinner on the boat (my choice) and then go to a jazz club and hear some music. It’s great to be back…..now we are beginning to entertain ideas on how to continue the adventure.