Dave and Linda Sail Away: Bahamas Bound

Jeff fixing the jib sheave up the mast

Jeff arrived on Thursday morning and got down to work by going up the mast, in fact three times in three days. It turns out that the sheave (roller) for the jib (foresail) must have been damaged and dropped down the mast, so the jib halyard (line) was rubbing against the metal opening of the mast and chafed until it broke. It's a special sheave so Jeff will order it to install at a later date. In the meantime, we'll use the flasher (other foresail) halyard. He fixed and adjusted a few other things over the course of the following days. We docked at the Charleston City Marina on Friday night so we could fully charge the batteries, and fill the water tank and diesel spare jugs. The hot showers were great, too!

Farewell, Charleston

The wind was brisk as we left Charleston at 4:00 pm on Saturday afternoon. We pushed ourselves to leave so that we could catch the wind blowing east. As we left the harbor, we raised both sails and sailed for a bit but soon turned on the engine to get going at seven knots. A weather system was predicted to blow into Marsh Harbor on Wednesday, so we wanted to keep up a good pace so as to arrive before the front.

Let's go to the Bahamas!

Jeff with The Battery of Charleston behind him

The first night was pretty rough with 5- to 6-foot seas and the occasional 9-footer. It was cold, too, and somewhat wet in the cockpit as waves were splashing over the bow although we were protected behind the dodger. I felt fine while in the cockpit doing a night watch with Dave but got a bit seasick when I went below; fortunately it wasn't too bad. We all wore our foulies. The material is slippery and, as we were fairly heeled over, every time a big wave would hit us from the side, I would slide off of the seat.

Several things went awry that night. The dinghy hanging from the davits (metal arch) was not lashed down well and was swinging around and possibly being chafed. Jeff managed to secure it. We'd taken down the jib which also became untied and, as it's located on the foredeck, bow waves would splash into its folds thereby making it heavy and causing it to sag over the edge. Jeff went up on the bucking bow and tied down the jib, twice. Also we noticed that water was coming up through the floor in the stern cabin. The rear rudder seal had a slight leak, which we'd known about, but since we were heeled quite a bit, the water was seeping into the cabin rather than into the bilge. Jeff managed to tighten the seal somewhat though it still leaked a bit. The worst thing was that the autopilot went out, so we had to hand steer the rest of the night. The compass is right in front of the wheel. The trick is to hold the compass course even though the waves push you back and forth. And since the waves were strong, the wheel was stiff and took some muscle to turn. The good thing is that it was not boring and therefore easy to stay awake. Also the moon was nearly full and shone brightly.

The next day, the seas calmed. I felt much better after getting some sleep. As we entered the Gulf Stream, the air warmed -- such a contrast from the night before. I put on shorts and a tank top and enjoyed the sun. I went up to the bow and sat for a time breathing it all in. finally we are doing what we've been striving to do for a year or more. The Gulf Stream waters are an amazingly beautiful dark indigo blue, almost purple. Jeff had fixed the autopilot, so we didn't have to constantly stay at the helm. I went below and Dave called me to come up to see dolphins surfing on our bow wake. We were just feet away from them as we watched from the deck. There were six altogether playing, jumping, frolicking. Dave whistled to them, but I doubt they could hear him.

That night during my watch, the lights of a ship appeared on the horizon directly in front of us. Jeff showed me how to tune the radar and how to tell where the ship was going. It was about eight miles off, then less than a half mile off as we passed it. It looked to be either a research vessel. The next night I got more practice with other ships. Now I know what to do when bright lights appear on the horizon.
The following day and night were calm and without problems except that on my watch, the motor suddenly petered out and shut down. We'd run out of diesel in the forward tank. We switched to the aft tank, Jeff bled the lines and we were on our way again. I plotted our locations on the chart and used dead reckoning to estimate our location a few hours forward based on our speed. Jeff said that on one of his trips to the Bahamas, all of the electronics went out, so he had to estimate where he was and avoid hitting a reef. His dead reckoning skills were put to the test and he made it safely to harbor. He is a big fan of knowing where you are at all times and using a paper chart to record your progress as you go as well as not depending on the electronic GPS and chartplotter.

Pre-dawn approach to Marsh Harbor

On Tuesday before dawn, our excitement trumped our exhaustion as the lights of the Abacos appeared. It was still dark as we passed Chubb Cay to approach Marsh Harbor. It was good practice for us. Later the sun rose as the moon set.

Sunrise and....

Moonset as we approach Marsh Harbor

We docked at Harbor View Marina for fuel, water and to wash the salt off the boat. We also checked in with Immigration and Customs which went smoothly. At the restaurant/bar next door hangs a sign on the wall that says, "Paradise is expensive." A cruising permit costs $300 in the Bahamas which is the most expensive country to visit in the Caribbean area, so we've heard. The fuel cost $470. Three loads of laundry that we did ourselves cost us $24. A six-pack of Corona beer costs $14. Ah, well, we don't have house payments right now, so it all comes out in the wash.

Wayward Wind (dark blue hull) anchored in Marsh Harbor

We're anchored in the harbor with a couple of dozen other cruisers; many are Canadians. We took Jeff out to dinner last night at Snappa's and all enjoyed conch stewed with vegetables in coconut rum. It was absolutely delicious. Also enjoyed the local Kalik beer. I even bought a Cuban cigar but did not smoke it yet. I smoke a cigar about once every five years, so don't worry, Mom, I'm not taking up a new vice.