12/5/12 Ocean Voyage and the Bahamas

Hi everyone,
Two days after the boat parade, we left Wrightsville Beach bound for the Virgin Islands. We had been watching the weather and it seemed to be a good time to leave. The sea was calm and we crossed the Gulf Stream without incident. Serena has always been a nervous traveler, and she threw up on the trip across. We lost sight of land at around 11 o'clock in the morning on the first day, and we continued out into the ocean with the goal of reaching the Virgin Islands. Three hundred miles offshore, there is absolutely no light pollution and the stars are incredible. Unfortunately it is impossible to take pictures at night on a rocking boat, so you will have to picture this scene. Our trip also coincided with the full moon, and there are few things more incredible than watching the moon rise over the water on a night watch. Our watch schedule divided us into groups of two, with Mom and I taking one watch and Dad and Julia taking the next. Our watch schedule went from 12 to 3 in the morning, from 3 to 6, from 6 to 10, 10 to 2, 2 to 6, 6 to 9, and 9 back to midnight. This way, we had three-hour-long watches at night and four-hour-long watches during the day, when it is easier to stay alert for squalls and other ships. During an off-watch, we tried to get sleep, which was sometimes difficult on a rocking boat, or we cooked or cared for the cat, who by this time was regularly drooling and not holding down food. During our trip, we saw a variety of marine life, from playful dolphins to pods of curious whales. We also saw flying fish and the occasional lost bird. After a few days, a low-pressure zone formed to our south and began to produce lots of wind and waves. We had to change our course to more east, to the point that at one point we were only a couple hundred miles from Bermuda. Once the low-pressure had passed us by, we turned south again, but a tropical depression began to form again to our south, with the possibility to form a tropical storm. This time, we had to turn east. Because of the wind direction, we were now unable to reach the Virgin Islands. We decided to go to the Bahamas, because we have been here before and know them well. We arrived in Spanish Wells three days ago, and since then we have moved to Nassau, the capital of the Bahamas. Serena is recovering from her time at sea, and soon we will move on again to new islands. I am writing this from a Starbucks with WiFi, and my hour of internet is almost up so I cannot upload pictures at this time. We took plenty of pictures, however, and the next time I get internet I will upload them. Until then, know that we are safe and having lots of amazing experiences.
-Paul