Hi Dave,

Sorry, I did get your email - but for some reason, I'm finding it virtually impossible to send out a reply via AOL here in the Bahamas... I've had this problem before, but this winter it seems worse than usual, I've only managed to get a handful of emails sent since I've gotten here...

I would expect the weather pattern to have moderated somewhat by the time you do your trip, but this winter, who knows? Yet again, I'm pinned in harbor, it's been blowing 25-30 here in Clarence Town for almost 36 hours now, no one can ever remember a winter like this one, these fronts have just been relentless... good thing I have plenty of good reading material aboard for this cruise... (grin)

Only thing I would suggest, would it be possible to sail from Miami to Key West instead of the reverse? That might increase your odds of having a bit more favorable sailing conditions - but again, this winter, who the hell knows... I presume that boat has shallow enough draft that you'd have the option of going up the Florida Bay route as opposed to the Hawk Channel from, say, Islamorada on up to Miami, if the breeze should go NE... that inside route is a bit more interesting anyway IMHO for that last stretch up to Miami, with many more options for anchoring, the upper reaches of the Hawk Channel don't offer much in the way of that...

Any other specific questions, feel free... however, my internet access here is very spotty right now, I couldn't get online for most of yesterday, and I might try to get out of here later today if the breeze moderates a bit...

best regards,

Jon