Ahoy Mates!
It is believed that Friday is the worst day to start a journey and just maybe there’s something to that old sailor’s superstition. Our preparation was total, including a rig tuning, a new furling mainsail, as our original one was a bit stretched out.
On Saba, our 38 foot Hunter sailboat, we more than doubled our solar capacity to ensure comfort and plenty of power at anchorages. In addition, we accomplished the more mundane tasks of boat ownership such as waxing, waterproofing canvas and making sure all gear was ready, including a life raft and an “abandon ship bag” that we hope to never need.
After spending considerable time and resources to prepare for our Bahamas voyage, we were ready, the boat was ready and provisioned… so off we went. We slipped our lines from our dock at the Vinoy Marina in downtown St. Petersburg, Florida at 0700 and slinked out of the harbor in a very light breeze. The light and unfavorable wind forced us to motor or motor sail through the entire 213 nautical mile trip to Marathon, Florida!
We arrived in Marathon very late on Saturday evening fighting headwinds on the way down… took 39 hrs. We were froced to slow down due to the wind, waves and fuel concerns.
Generally, it was a good run, but the increase in wind and sea state off of Boca Grande, Captiva and Sanibel was not predicted. When we finally arrived at the 7 Mile Bridge at O-dark thirty, it was cloudy with no moon and black as pitch. We gingerly attempted to pass between the piers of the old bridge and then under the 65 foot vertical clearance bridge and neither were lit! Approaching very slowly and even using a bright spotlight, we just couldn’t see the bridge piers on either the old or new bridge. Knowing that it is bad form to crash into a solid concrete structure, we considered the alternatives.
So after travelling 39 hours, we anchored out at a never used but peaceful spot about 1 mile from the bridge and had a good nights rest in a surprisingly good makeshift anchorage.
We made our way under the bridge and over to the Marathon Marina in the morning on Sunday.
Fabulous Key Lime Pie at Lighthouse Grille
At the Marathon Marina we took on fuel which revealed that we only had 3 gallons left…that’s cutting it close! We are having a pleasant stay and had a mechanic come out to address the aft A/C which wasn’t cooling properly. Chris from Salt Marine arrived only one hour after we called on Monday and did a much more thorough job than I am accustomed to, the aft A/C is now working well after a 2 hour flush process and refrigerant adjustment. He gave it a good prognosis…may last a few more years.
We accomplished all we intended from our short 2 day stay and took a taxi to the Lighthouse Grille near the Hyatt in Marathon. This is where we started our “Key Lime Pie Tour” through the Keys in April and I wanted to savor the pie again. The pastry crust is unusual and marvelous!
We are planning on leaving tomorrow at 8 am and arriving at the West End of Grand Bahama on Wednesday morning. The weather looks very favorable for the Gulf Stream crossing, 5 – 10 kts wind from E to SE and less than 2 ft seas. Wow!!
We use several weather sources and countless charts and guides to aid our travels along with the usual electronic aids, such as GPS, Chartplotter and radar. Especially helpful is AIS or Automatic Identification System that aids in the identification on ships over 300 tons, a must have when crossing busy traffic lanes at night.
We left the Marina at 0800 and again had to motor sail against the East wind. When we left the protection of the Hawk Channel north of Key Largo we found that Marv lied. It was blowing 13 to 15 knots out of the Northeast! Thanks Marv. The seas were confused and buffeted us around for a few hours. As the evening progressed and the seas flattened to a more rythmic 2 to 3 feet, we picked up the Gulf Stream which added over 2 knots to our speed over ground.
Alternating watches through the night, as we always do, we made great progress. Robin had the first evening watch and performed admirably at keeping us on course although the Gulf Stream was pushing us 30 degrees off course. On my watches I encountered no less than 10 large tankers and/or cargo ships. I usually give the captain a call on the VHF radio to make sure he sees us and allow at least one mile for the closest point of approach.
As dawn arrived, I saw the western shore of Grand Bahama. Through the night the wind had moderated to 7 to 10 knots and the seas were a very kind 1 -2 feet. We prepared for landfall by taking down the jacklines that we use on deck to prevent an overboard mishap, hoisting the “Q” flag in preparation for customs and immigration and preparing lines and fenders for our tie up to the Customs Dock.
The West End is a very busy port with many visitors from Florida here for pleasure boating and fishing…me, I fish at Publix! Navigating though Customs and Immigration took a relatively painless 20 minutes and a very painful parting of $300 in cash for a Cruising Permit, but you know me…I don’t complain!
We took our time to enjoy the Old Bahama Bay Resort and Yacht Harbor and relaxed on the grounds and by the pool… “Another Bahama Mama!”
Well, it’s time to prepare for a more relaxing kind of trip. From here on out we plan on sailing for the most part. We expect westerly winds tomorrow which should give us the opportunity for a great spinnaker run.
We’ll be anchoring out over the next three nights until we reach Green Turtle Cay, where we’ll catch up with you again.
Until then, wish us fair winds and following seas.
Captain Bobby and the Admiral
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