On Fri, 18 Apr 2008 07:33:46 -0700 (PDT), Skip Gundlach
wrote:

Early this summer (late June/early July, or so) we'll be going from
the FL-GA border (St. Mary's river) to (somewhere in - we've not yet
put our destination in stone, but likely - the Portland/Cumberland-
Foreside area) ME, in one jump.

I've made the trip several times in the last few years and have a few
comments, hopefully constructive.

Why in one jump? Although certainly doable with a decent weather
window and sufficient crew, I question why you would not only set that
goal, but announce it to the world. You create unrealistic
expectations for yourself, and may take needless risks as a result.

It's very easy to break the trip up into logical jumps, each one
offering a chance to get rested up again, take stock of things that
aren't working quite right (and every boat has a few), reprovision as
necessary, reassess the weather, etc. Although the weather is
generally good that time of year, the odds of hitting a nasty little
cold front, squall or gale are quite high on a 10 to 14 day offshore
passage. If you are already tired out from a week of non-stop sailing
when bad weather hits, you leave yourself open to all sorts of
unfortunate events. If you can't picture some of the bad outcomes
that are possible, all the more reason not to take the risks.

In short, I wouldn't do it, and it's not at all conservative.

Here's how I would plan the trip if I were in a hurry to get north:

1. St Mary's to Beaufort/Morehead City with bail out points at
Savannah, Charleston or Southport if needed.

2. Beaufort to Norfolk, VA after carefully assessing the weather off
Cape Hatteras for the next several days. (this is the most exposed
leg offering no bail out other than turning back).

3. Norfolk to Cape May, NJ. (possible bail out at Ocean City, MD
although I regard it as a dangerous inlet).

4. Cape May to Atlantic Highlands, NJ. (possible bail outs at
Atlantic City and Barnegat although Barnegat is risky).

5. NJ to Block Island via Long Island Sound. (many options).

6. Block Island to Maine via Cape Cod Canal. (many options).