MARY HENRIQUES

Hatteras weather behind us, the skies were sunny and the winds fair and fresh. As we entered the Florida Straits, the wind was dead aft and the guys agitated for the spinnaker. It was set smartly and pulled well. Experienced sailors say 57-foot Swans don't plane, but even the captain conceded she was! It was an exhilarating ride and so anticlimactic to douse the chute as we approached Ft. Lauderdale and Pier 66, our destination. We started the engine and secured sails to sedately enter the marina - who could have guessed this now quietly proceeding Swan had just given a thrilling ride to her crew? The captain's wife greeted us and we guest crew-members headed to the airport. We covered in hours what we had sailed for 7 days. The experience, though often a steep learning curve (for me), whetted my appetite for a life aboard. Maybe not a 57-footer, but a saucy 28-footer might be just the ticket!... With the point of Perth Amboy, NJ ahead we prepared to raise sail to round the point...