Mamaroneck, New York 40°56'N 073°43'W

Although hurricane season is officially over (Nov 1) the weather window to Bermuda and the Caribbean is firmly closed. North of us is a deep low pressure system causing strong winds, and heading towards us there's a tropical cyclone (which until very recently was hurricane Noel). In any case, we're still doing last minute jobs getting the boat ready to leave. Greg is shopping for food, and we've a million small tasks going on. But we hope to be ready to depart in the next week.

This is a technical passage. The gulfstream is flowing north between us and Bermuda at up to 4 knots. It's also much warmer than the surrounding water (indeed, it's the most severe temperature gradient anywhere in the world). For these two reasons the gulfstream is famous for 'making its own weather'. From our perspective, what we're most concerned about is a northerly wind shift. This causes a wind against current situation, which in the gulfstream can mean almost survival conditions - with large, triangular steep waves - in only about 25 knts of wind.

While we've all been doing our best to study the weather and hone up our forecasting skills, I can only say that my skills are marginal so far. So for this trip we've hired Commanders Weather - a professional weather forecasting outfit - to give us some guidance on a good weather window, and the best way to approach the eddies and counter-currents of the stream.

The photos show an infrared satellite image of the gulfstream, and below that, visual satellite imagery of the storm currently affecting the New England coast.

So we're very close now. I'm excited, but a little apprehensive too.

I turn 36 tomorrow. I've finally grown into my gray hair after years of trying. At these moments I'm always reminded of a comment my Dad once made:

The funny thing about growing older is that we all do it at the same rate!