Flying through the Gulf Stream

Charleston, SC USA

We’ve done it before – sailed up the East Coast from Florida to South Carolina — but riding the Gulf Stream north is always a thrill. The Gulf Stream is a warm, rapid current that originates in the Gulf of Mexico and flows northeastward along North America toward Newfoundland. While in the stream, Berkeley East averaged more than 12 knots (topping over 13) and traveled 240 miles in 24 hours. While it may not seem like excessive speed compared to driving in a car, a friend of ours who used to race motorcycles says that sailing over 8 knots is a comparable feeling to going 140 mph on a motorcycle.

As you might imagine, fishing at this speed can be quite challenging. But because we were going so fast we were at risk of arriving in Charleston in the dark, so in an effort to extend our trip time, we put out the fishing line.

After catching and filleting three very strong, very large (one well over 5 feet long) Mahi Mahi, we were worn out. And while we had slowed down by a few hours, we still made the entrance to Charleston Harbor at 3 am, meaning we had to navigate into the harbor in the dark. Luckily, the sky was light when we arrive at the dock. After a long rest, we spent the next few days securing Berkeley East in her slip and getting ready to go home. We also met up with Caribbean 1500 buddies from Aphrodite and Cambio (who were sailing north to the Chesapeake) and celebrated many miles of successful cruising.

Berkeley East is now getting a well-deserved rest during hurricane season (June – November). At this point, we do not know what are plans are once hurricane season is over. We expect to sort that out while spending the summer on the lake in North Carolina. We just put the ski boat in the water and began a different kind of cruising.