Back to the Bahamas Mon

Ahoy Mates!

We have been planning our return to the “Islands in the Stream” since we visited last summer. Getting our modest Hunter 38 sailboat ready for this return trip was becoming part of a familiar routine: checking and repairing systems, bottom painting, rig tuning, engine maintenance, sail repair, hull and deck waxing, food and drink provisioning followed by finding a home for all of the clothes and stuff we are bringing. This trip we’ll have a brand new life raft aboard that we hope we’ll never need and I am bringing a full set of dive gear along with the snorkeling equipment and sartorials.

Needless to say there was quite a bit of preparation involved in planning a 36 day trip that will take us over 1300 nautical miles (that’s 1500 statute miles to landlubbers). Our Float Plan that we filed will take us to 19 destinations which is probably a bit ambitious, but will the final plan will be determined by wind, weather and our mood. Yacht Broker and writer Dom Degnon quips,   ” The lovely thing about cruising is that planning usually turns out to be of little use”.

With a keen eye to the weather, which has been miserable in SW Florida for the past two weeks, the forecast from St. Petersburg to Marathon called for light to moderate wind at 6 to 12 knots out of the Southeast and 2 foot seas with occasional showers and thunderstorms. I’ll take it!! The longer range forecast for a Gulfstream crossing wasn’t quite as favorable, but it’s off to Marathon and we’ll check for a weather window then.

We cast off the lines at 0800 on Friday morning in flat calm and long awaited sunshine and motored out of the Vinoy Basin and bid St. Petersburg a fond adieu. Since I downloaded updates to my electronic charts and chartplotter we had to do a slow dance in Tampa Bay with our autopilot control in order to recalibrate it and avoid coming to grips with disaster.

Just two hours later we were under the Sunshine Skway Bridge soon to be heading South after we rounded Anna Maria Island. The weather was as predicted, but with the wind out of the Southeast and our heading of 150 the wind was on our nose for most of the trip. We unfurled a reefed main to steady the boat, but were very comfortable in 1-2 foot seas.

As the day passed, we dried out our wet docklines and went about our daily routines of monitoring weather, checking all systems periodically and meal preparation.

I discovered a leaky stuffing box due to a loose packing nut. Yes, I know it sounds like a nasty sexual reference, but I’ll address that later. We motorsailed on through the day, observed the expected sundown and began to settle in for some night sailing.

The 220 mile trip to Marathon travelling at about 6 knots will put us into Marathon at 8:00 pm just before sundown on Saturday. Most people seem to think that we tie up at a marina at night or perhaps anchor out and sleep. Well if we did that we wouldn’t travel very far in a day. We sail through the night by alternating watches every 3 hours so that we can cover about 140 miles per day. Night sailing on Friday was particularly wonderful and with the lack of total cloud cover the stars were out in force. Fabulous! Equally wonderful was that by using radar we were able to dodge the occasional storm clouds so were able to keep dry the entire way.

You know you’re in Marathon when you spot the Seven Mile Bridge. As you may know this bridge has been used in many films including “True Lies”. They shot the scene where there was a terrorist confrontation and vehicle conflagration, but I digress.  This older span was replaced by a new 65 foot fixed bridge, but looking up when you transit below it with a 62 foot mast is always a bit nervewracking. It always looks at though you’ll slam the stick into the bridge.

Robin brought us under the bridge without a problem and we turned for Boot Key Harbor in Marathon where I called ahead for a mooring. We choose this spot because of the 360 degree protection. There are over 200 moorings available and is geared for cruisers who may need supplies or marine services. In addition, there are full service marinas nearby. We picked up the mooring at 2000 (8:00 pm) and I got the grill ready for some Chicken Teriaki Kabobs. We relaxed with a libation and dinner and prepared for a lovely, peaceful and breezy sleep on a stable memory foam matress. AAAAHHHHH!!

The crucial parts of a successful trip are a worthy vessel, a competent  crew and settled weather. We have been following the weather daily for weeks and the current prognostication for the Marathon to Bahamas crossing has not changed significantly. It’s miserable! 20 knots of wind from the ESE and 5-6 foot seas. No Thank You!

Sunday morining, we decided to move the boat from the mooring, and on our way to the nearby Marathon Marina, fuel up at Burdine’s. We filled our tank and topped up what we transferred from the jerry cans on the trip and then tied up at slip 92 at the Marina. We expect the weather to improve on Wednesday when the winds will drop from 17 knots to 8 knots and seas from 5 feet to 3.

The day was overcast with heavy rain in the afternoon and more coming on Monday. Tuesday should be sunny, but windy with high seas. What a great time to address that leaky stuffing box! I promised an explanation. The prop shaft travels from the engine to the prop and passes through the hull. The stuffing box is what seals the gap between the shaft and hull and keeps the water out. If the stuffing box is loose, water rushes in and it could sink the boat. I know, it almost happened to me!

On a trip from Puerto Rico to Lauderdale traveling 20 miles north of Cuba on a Caliber 47, I went below to get a sandwich and found I was ankle deep in water!! That’ll get your attention. There were only two of us on board for this delivery, I called for my buddy Mats and he quickly diagnosed a problem with a blown suffing box and tended to it. As a very frightened man with a bucket, I became a very effective bilge pump. After 1/2 hour of frantic bailing we got the situation under control and then replaced the faulty bilge pump. Needless to say, I always monitor the stuffing box. Here you see Captain Bobby, the mechanic, tightening the aforemented equipment.

We have some other items to tend to while we wait for weather. Some are boat projects, some are not. Robin is voraciously reading and I am trading some of my open Stock Option positions. An options addict cannot stop cold turkey. As long as there is an internet connection, I’m in business!

Hopefully, our next post will be from Cat Cay in the Bahamas as we make our way to Nassau and beyond to the Exumas in the Central Bahamas.

Wish us fair winds and following seas,

Captain Bobby and the Commish