At the end of April 2013 I cleared out of Cuba, took on the last of my diesel and set off for Florida. Balvenie had left ahead of me; Eye Candy was also making the crossing. The forecast suggested an easy run with the wind abaft the beam, but the Gulf Stream had other ideas.

Across the Gulf Stream

As I entered the strong north-flowing current, the northerly wind built a short, steep chop. With one reef and a full genoa Malua powered through it. Squalls gathered to the south-west, while shipping demanded a close watch through the night. At one point Balvenie and Malua passed within about 200 metres of one another after 14 hours at sea. The other boats encountered lightning and heavy rain; I missed those squalls but ran into calm air closer to Florida.

My C-Map charts ended about three miles short of the coast, so I used a backup to make the entrance before dawn and anchored near the other boats. Reporting our arrival and obtaining a cruising permit took far longer than the short sea passage suggested. I had to return to Malua for original documents before the formalities were complete.

West Palm Beach and St Augustine

In West Palm Beach I made a long trip by bus and on foot to buy five chart chips covering the coast from Florida towards Maine. I also sorted out a phone, tablet and mobile data connection. Those practical jobs mattered: charts, weather and communications were all part of preparing for my sail north.

I left the anchorage at 1:30 in the morning for a passage of about 232 nautical miles. The wind opposed the Gulf Stream and the seas became confused. After I reduced the genoa, the autopilot repeatedly reported a rudder-response error. I hand-steered for about 15 hours in cold, wet conditions. When fatigue made that unsafe, I took down the sails, secured the wheel and lay a-hull for roughly two hours of sleep. Refreshed, I changed my destination from Jacksonville to St Augustine.

Eye Candy was already on a mooring south of the Bridge of Lions when I arrived. Balvenie came in the following day under tow with a seized turbo blower. St Augustine gave me time to rest and deal with another fault: the heat exchanger on Malua’s auxiliary diesel generating system was failing. I drove to Charleston to obtain a replacement, fitted it aboard and traced a disconnected wire when the engine initially refused to start. Once corrected, the unit ran cool and again charged the batteries and made water.

North by the Intracoastal Waterway

From Charleston I sailed towards Cape Lookout with a light south-easterly wind and help from the Gulf Stream. A US warship called on VHF and asked me to alter course farther offshore; shortly afterwards a submarine surfaced near Malua’s wake. I reached Cape Lookout in the evening and anchored near Jack Tar, grateful for some sleep.

The next morning Eye Candy, Jack Tar and Malua entered at Beaufort. Sandbanks, a large freighter in the channel and bridge openings made the start of the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway demanding. We used marked channels and notes on shallow spots, filled with diesel and continued through the waterways. Rain, distant low banks and the need to time each bridge opening kept us attentive. We anchored near Alligator Island, then reached Great Bridge and continued to Portsmouth.

At Portsmouth, across from Norfolk, the three boats paused after the close navigation of the ICW. The naval shipyard and its constant activity made a striking backdrop. Malua’s hull had meanwhile gathered enough growth to cost nearly a knot, so a short haul and a fresh coat of antifouling became the next job before sailing up Chesapeake Bay.