I know it has been a LOOOOOOOONG time since our last update. From December 29th until April 7th, we enjoyed the company of so many wonderful friends and family on board. We choose not to publish the stories of their vacations and hence our blog silence.
Today Ambition is well on her way back to Lake Champlain. We left Marsh Harbour Abaco Bahamas on April 24th after waiting many days for a good weather window to get to Beaufort NC. Well the weather window we needed didn't arrive and so we opted to at least get across the Gulf Stream and headed for Fort Pierce Florida, a 200 mile 2 day and one night sail.
The next day was done in the Intra-coastal Waterway to just south of Port Canaveral. From here we had a good wind to sail and so jumped back into the ocean and sailed the 330 miles (3 days and 2 overnights) to Charleston SC before the next wave of snotty weather arrived. Since Charleston we have been unable to get back into the ocean and so have plodded along in the ICW. Yesterday May 3rd we arrived in Oriental NC where we got stuck yesterday due to very heavy northeast winds - northeast being the exact compass direction we need to get through the Neuse River. Yesterday we just crossed the river, a short 3 miles in a steady 25 knot wind with gusts to 40 knots and waves to 5 or 6 feet. The Neuse is a shallow bit of water and therefore the waves are very close together and very steep. It will be better by Sunday when we will continue to motor along.
Norfolk VA is our next opportunity to get back in the ocean and our plans are to sail nonstop from Norfolk to NYC a run of about 300 miles.
After NYC it will be back up the Hudson River to Catskills NY where we will remove the mast and into the Lake Champlain Canal - 2 days will put us back in the lake and a day to get to Treadwell.
Maryse and I are so looking forward to seeing you all again soon.
