In early May of 2022, Madrone carried her crew out of the harbor in Charleston, SC, bound for Bermuda, the Azores, mainland Europe, and the UK. After three years out of the US (albeit with a few visits home to see family), Oso carried her crew back into the USA, making landfall in Fernandina Beach, FL.
A delightful breeze of 15-20kts had Oso zipping across the Little Bahama Bank. While the depth sounder rarely showed more than single digits (in feet) under the keel, the water is generally much deeper than in the Exumas or elsewhere in the Abacos, and after a couple of months in the Bahamas the crew doesn’t give a second thought to ripping along at 8-9kts with the bottom of the ocean so close.
Exiting the bank into the deeper water of the Atlantic drops Oso squarely into the Gulf Stream, and the additional 2-3kts of current assist compensates for the slowly dying breeze. Oso can smell the barn.
Two quick nights on passage has Oso pulling into the St Mary’s River, the border between Florida to the south and Georgia to the north. A mostly painless check-in process with a very friendly CBP officer, and Oso’s crew is officially back in the USA.
What’s it like being back in the US after a few years away? First impressions include many people driving giant pickup trucks that would have difficulty even fitting on roads elsewhere in the world, huge glasses of ice water whisked to your table without even asking in restaurants (and the bill whisked to your table nearly before you’re finished eating), and enormous walk-in beer coolers even in gas stations.
