Finally out on the North Atlantic Ocean

Ok, the last couple days were not as planned nor as expected! We had to deal with a lot of smaller and larger issues. Finally we made it resolve ally the problems to go safely on a sail trip. Sure there is ore to do, but most of it is minor stuff and none of it is safety relevant.

The experiences from the past couple days were scratching on my self-confidence. Knowing the two of us we would be a bit short handed, when heading towards the Atlantic Ocean with a 41 ft sailboat, which we both don't really know. We had to pass the St. Lucie Inlet, of which you can read a lot of scary stories, to deal with navigational difficulties on the ICW with the passage of Cross Roads, current and tidal effects in sometimes very shallow waters along our way to the inlet.

So I decided to hire a local captain to help us out getting away from the dock, finding our way through the tricky waterway and stand aside with a hand and knowledge, whenever needed. It was a perfect decision. We found a fantastic local captain, who worked 25 years as a Marine Surveyor and captain of large yachts in the Caribbean waters. After a 2hrs inspection of the boat and many good recommendations, we were ready to go. We were heading to the North Atlantic Ocean for the first time!

It was a fantastic experience and we learned a lot about the area, the ICW and the St. Lucie Inlet. The weather was calm and the conditions just perfect. The passage of the Inlet was smooth and easy. We passed through at almost slack tide with only 8 kts of wind from the South. On the ocean we set sails, did some maneuvering and just enjoyed our time on the boat.

Back on the ICW Mark showed us some nice places where we could sail without going out on the ocean, nice places to have a rest or anchor at night. We also tired out the new Mantus Anchor. The ground was sandy. The Anchor was set immediately and did not move one inch, once it had reached the ground. Ok, the conditions were not right to provide an ultimate result. But I was more than happy with the first attempt.

Thank you very much Mark!