West End

5/4/2021

This morning we departed the Lake Worth anchorage at first light for the Gulf Stream crossing. The winds are forecast to be moderate from the southeast, but waves are expected to build to 3-5 feet later in the day. That’s more than we like, but it isn’t unsafe. The next several days have similar forecasts, so we decided we would go out into the ocean and decide if it was workable. We did that, and pressed on.

The anchorage was very quiet as we started out, as shown below. There was almost no boat traffic, just a couple of fishermen heading out early.

After transiting through the inlet we were in the Atlantic. We were treated to a great sunrise view, which helped us decide to continue on.

We encountered the Gulf Stream almost immediately after entering the ocean. That surprised me, and the current velocity was stronger than predicted. I did not expect to get into the strongest current until midway through the crossing. The waves were about as predicted, and the wind was lighter than expected. As the morning wore on the wind became a little stronger, but the waves were about the same. Surprisingly, the Gulf Stream current seemed less after the midpoint of the crossing. I guess it doesn’t always flow in the same spots.

The last hour of the crossing had us on a heading with the waves directly on the side of the boat. These are called beam seas, and they cause the most uncomfortable ride. We have stabilizers that take out much of this motion, but these were unable to fully keep up with the sea conditions.

Finally we had West End in sight. It was a welcome sight. I was surprised again that the water was still over 1000 feet deep just a mile from the harbor entrance.