Having flown from Vermont mid-winter, into Daytona Fla. where our 28' Cape Dory was docked(thanks to friends that delivered it from up north), we quickly prepped the boat to head to the Bahamas.

Pressed for time,...I fixed some seaberths for our then 'nearly' 2 and 3 year olds, and we steamed down the ICW far enough for a good shot across.

Talk about stupid mistakes! I forget the details but suffice to say, I had to make a change in the settings on the loran to function beyond just off the coast(This was my 3rd crossing-no excuses for not knowing). I ran out of Loran coordinates, very quickly.

Current Vectors!!! I remembered that chapter and lesson from my Power Squadron course years before. What could be easier? A refresher from Chapmans on the bookshelf, and we were good to go!

From that moment on, I never had a clue where I was, until I chased a fishing boat down off the northern edge of the Bahama Banks!! On VHF, "Oh no mon,... you gotta turned around,...." and so on. It looks easy on paper, current vectors, but it sure isn't. It takes practice, use, and more practice, then it's no substitute for even Loran(working), much less today's tools that puts you a few yards from where you actually are.

Longest crossing ever. We were fine(I was prepared to sail back to the US, un-miss-able), but the added stress of two toddlers wore us out more quickly. One cares for kids, one cares for getting you safely there. You've gotta be spot on to do that well.

I took solace in meeting friends in Lucaya who had rescued two kayakers that attempted to cross with compasses,...They were near exhaustion and headed for Nova Scotia when they happened upon them.