Woke up at 5:30 with the alarm, we were underway at 6AM. Deborah put "On the Road Again" by Willie Nelson on the iPod to speakers throughout the Bella Donna. We turn the volume way up to make sure everyone in the harbor knows we are leaving. By the time Blue Eyes Crying in the Rain plays we are far enough out to turn the volume down and digest the moment, The Passage has Begun. This is a tradition that we are loyal to every time we leave a place we have visited. The day was partly cloudy, the sea was flat with small ripples and the wind was blowing just 4 to 7 knots. Two pots of coffee, sun screen and sun bonnets, we were underway.
Don Simmons, my cousin, and I took the first watch. We do that every morning from 6 to 9 AM. We just finished and we made 23 nautical miles in 3 hours and we are in 4000 to 6000 feet of depth; we have passed Saint Thomas off starboard and Saint Croix is far off, but in sight off port. It is 9 AM I usually eat breakfast and go to my cabin to write my daily "blog"/story of the trip. Today, it is time to fish; we will try the new gear we bought in Kailua Kona, Hawaii.
The air conditioner is turned off as well as the ice maker; the passage has begun. It is warming up, but still not too hot. You have to give up some creature comforts and any thoughts of alcohol when crossing blue water 24 hours a day after day. The party always waits till we are at anchor or in port. Cruising is not like a cruise ship.
Well it is afternoon and the Kona fishing gear has not caught anything yet. We are going
too fast for the fish. Even the new hand lines rigged with surgical tubing to take the strain on the line when the fish strikes. At least if we do catch a fish, it will have to be healthy. The wind is light, so sailing has been put on hold for now. We have the Genoa head sail out, but it is adding only half a knot I estimate. Be sure and follow us on Yotreps.
God Bless Bella Donna.