Tuesday afternoon update...

05132008 1600EDT N30 43' W80 22' C346M S4.5 knots 72.7nm to go

We crossed the Gulf Stream earlier today. It pushed us along a little bit
which we really appretiate at this point of our journey. The conditions
continue to moderate, but the seas are still somewhat confused after the
recent stom activity. The boat is still a mess inside, but crew is
recovering from the excitement. We expect that things will be back in
order by the time we see land. If things go as expected, we anticipate
reaching port sometime tomorrow (Wednesday) afternoon. (Of course, if
you've been following our trip so far, you know tht things don't always
go as we expect them to.)

Question for the kids: What is the Gulf Stream? What direction does it
flow? Also the water color changed when we crossed the Gulf Stream. It was
a deep blue, what color is it now?

A welcomed turning point

05132008 0800EDT N30 09' W79 58' C343 S6.0 knots 112nm to Savannah

We're happy to report that the wind and seas have moderated and we're once
again making progress toward Savannah. As you can see from the attached
photo, we haven't exactly been on on the direct course. Our little detour
was difficult on the crew both physically and psychologically but we're in
better spirits now and mostly recovered from the long hours of sleep
deprivation.

Although things were secure down below before our latest ordeal began, the
cabin is in total disarray. Everything down below is either damp, very
damp or down right soaked. The few things that are "dry" have a rough
gritty feel for the salt.

The past 36 hours have by far been the most difficult of our journey. We
knew we've been fortunate so far in that we were able to sail the direct
route for so long. The sailing conditions were tough, but we were prepared
for that. More than anything, the psychological blow of seeing the
mileage to Savannah increasing by the hour was what caught us by
surprise. Our spirits improved dramatically in the overnight hours as
with each passing hour, we were able to point the boat a little closer to
our destination as the wind slowly shifted to a more favorable direction.

Correction: While we did miss the thunderstorm, Lora wants everyone to
know that we did get more than an hour of very heavy rain on her watch the
other night.