TripSailor.com® Sailing Blogs

Obviously, we have been slow to get our blog going. The weather,

travel and boat fixing has kept us very busy. So here is the first

report that covers the last two months.

After two days of driving we arrived in Fernadina Beach to find the

boat in excellent condition. We escaped the internal damage from

mildew or critters that have affected others in previous years.

After three weeks we headed south. The next few days we motored down

the ICW through the fields of waving brown grasses, bushy areas draped

with Spanish moss, and pastel coloured mansions with manicured lawns,

two boat docks and sometimes a plastic snowman or some Christmas

decorations – but no snow. Dolphins, often in pairs, would rise up as

two arches that circle over a spot in the water then glide down

effortlessly, then repeat the cycle repeatedly. Once a ten foot one

jumped out of the water about 15 feet from the boat.

We motored from sun up to sun down to move as quickly as possible

south to a warmer climate. Florida weather changed greatly. One day we

sweated in shorts and tee shirts then the next day were wrapped in

wool hats, mittens and layers of clothing – dreaming of our furnace in

Toronto.

Equipment problems left us tied to a mooring ball in Vero Beach (

about half way down Florida on the right side) Our steering became

stiff and after a couple of dives on the rudder, expecting weeds, and

disassembling the steering cables, the culprit was the bearing at the

top of the pedestal. Of course such bearings are no longer available,

so Edson is happy to send us a new pedestal in a few weeks. Of course

we are so happy that we can stimulate the US economy. A leak in the

dripless (sic) shaft seal was also a major concern since I am most

annoyed with water molecules that don’t know their place and want

invade the inside of the hull.

We were in no name harbour for a couple of weeks. Most of the fixes

were done (new pedestal, leak gone, installed the radio – after a

repair trip to California. The weather was incredibly cold. Miami folk

were shocked. Record low temperatures were being set. This morning the

temperature was six degrees inside the boat and 1 degree outside, but

with the 20 knots of wind we are clearly reminded of skiing. This has

taken us by surprise and regret having left our heater in Fernadina

Beach because we were certain (sic) we would never use it. Fortunately

we have sleeping bag and some fleece blankets and a sleeping rug from

Oz so we can stay warm.

Getting the right weather was a challenge – no wind with the word

north is the conventional wisdom.

And finally …

We arrived in the Bahamas at Morgan’s Bluff, a small town at the north

end of Andros Island.

The crossing was OK, but with a few challenges. The wind was forecast

for north west but less than ten knots. We started out as five boats

determined to arrive in Nassau about 150 miles and 35 hours later.

After a few hours in the gulf two boats returned to Miami because of

the rolling. The NW wind was averaging 16-18 and sometimes went to 20.

We were able to use the mainsail although we continued to run the

motor for maximum speed. As the wind decreased we used more sail.

Being a stiff boat we maintained about 7.2 knots and did not wallow as

much as the more conventional cruising designs. About half way across

one boat had decided to stop Bimini – about 45 miles from Miami and in

the Bahamas. Another was considering Bimini, then after the emergence

of motor problems decided to stop there. So we were on our own. We

arrived on the bank about 2:00 p.m just north of Bimini then motored

until 1:30 am on Wed before anchoring near the North West Passage

which we want to cross in daylight. Light is gone from 6:30 p.m. until

6:30 a.m. Many stars and a small sliver of moon poked through the

black. Of course we can see nothing around us. Only the lights of

boats are visible. There are no navigation lights over the 60 miles we

traveled. Distance perception is very inaccurate. Life is controlled -

quite well this time – by the chart plotter and electrical autopilot.

We ran the motor all the time. With only a few knots of wind, the

water was more or less flat except for a continual roll. It was quite

mystical in a way as well as daunting because of the absolute

darkness. We had a moment of great concern as I saw a very large

fishing boat bearing down on us at great speed around midnight. It was

not changing course as I expected and coming closer and closer. I

turned quickly to one side and Maj-lis flashed a spotlight on out boat

as well as a quick flash at the boat. It made a quick turn and was

gone. I think the lack of depth perception was a contributing factor

as well as fatigue and perhaps the need for brighter navigational

lights. After emerging onto the “Tongue of the Ocean” we headed

towards Nassau on flat water, which was up to 5000 feet deep, but

decided that Morgan’s Bluff was a shorter and interesting alternative.

So around 2:00 p.m. we arrived – the end of a 32 hour trip.

We rented a car with two other couples and toured Ambros Island. Here

there4 are trees and some produce is grown – quite a contrast to the

Exumas.

After traveling 12 hours across the “white bank” we arrived in Normans

Cay. Norman’s was infamous during the 80’s as the work site for a

ambitious entrepreneur who was the sole transporter (up to ten

DC3’s/night) for all the cocaine produced in Columbia. Having read a

book about the rise and fall of Carlos Lehger’s business the walkabout

was quite interesting. The once pristine and lavish resort is in ruins

with the walls of the buildings hiding amongst the trees and brush …

the bullet holes still clear to remind one that this was not a church

camp.

The anchorage was another memory maker A squall came through at night

with 30 knot winds that clocked 180 degrees in 30 minutes and with the

help of the current pushed us and another dozen boats around in. I

stayed in the cockpit for a few hours enveloped in darn and armed with

a spotlight and adrenaline watching one boat come within a few feet of

another and wondering if we were on another boats dance card that

night. When the light broke through it revealed we were all OK. And we

prepared for another leg of traveling.

After seven hours of sailing – yes sailing, No Motor – at about seven

knots, we anchored in Little Bay , just south of Black point. The

water here is so aquamarine blue and the beach so white. We walked for

a while on the land and were given a tour of a house built by a couple

on the edge of what may be a marina some day. What a view they have

from inside the colours are astounding – dark blue ocean water one

side light blue on the other, dark gray stone dark green leaves and

low snarly shrubs on the land. At night, the blue sky is replaced by

the black sky, with a bright full moon painting the shore and water

with a pale bluish light. Shining a flashlight down from the deck

reveals the white sandy bottom 12 feet below as if the water is almost

not there.

We traveled about 300 miles in ten days and are now in Georgetown. We

planned to stay only a few days then move on. But the char plotter

died just as we were entering a cut that gave us a hard time last

year. With the help of another boat we went through the cut then used

the aper chart for the next 46 miles. I am now in e-mail conversation

with West Marine trying to sort out what to do. Probably the usual

wait about four weeks and help the Bahamanian economy in the usual

way.