4.38 AM
We have left key Biscayne behind us and also most of the red and green lights to mark the entrance. The engines have been started, I rolled out of my bed at 3.30 and the coffee was ready, I have a prima captain on board. I have to go outside. The anchor will be raised. Helmi (the automatic pilot) is doing his job and Pim (the chart plotter) is making its money’s worth. It is half clouded with a half moon, so we have some light from above. The water temperature is 71 degrees, that is important, because the gulf-stream is much warmer, so we think that the water temp will be the first indicator of having arrived at the gulf-stream.
We have left key Biscayne behind us and also most of the red and green lights to mark the entrance. The engines have been started, I rolled out of my bed at 3.30 and the coffee was ready, I have a prima captain on board. I have to go outside. The anchor will be raised. Helmi (the automatic pilot) is doing his job and Pim (the chart plotter) is making its money’s worth. It is half clouded with a half moon, so we have some light from above. The water temperature is 71 degrees, that is important, because the gulf-stream is much warmer, so we think that the water temp will be the first indicator of having arrived at the gulf-stream.
5.25 AM
We have been singing “on the boat again” to the music of “on the road again” from Willy Nelson and have done some high fives, we are happy we are on the way. Yesterday we left Dinner Key Marina around eleven to go fill up the gas and water, at the gas dock they did not sell water, what gave the captain a serious fit, so we had to go back to the marina to fill up the water tanks. Then we went to “No Name Harbor”, it is really the name, a very nice inlet at the south end of Key Biscayne, so that we could get out quickly in the morning. After us at least seven more boats arrived, of which at least four left the harbor this night ahead of us. And on one of the boats were Doris and Dennis, with whom we had Thanksgivings dinner in Boot Key Harbor, was really nice and special to see them, they wait for the next weather window (that is what all insider crossers call the time when there is no north wind and it is good to cross the gulf stream) and we hope to see them again somewhere in the Bahamas.
We have been singing “on the boat again” to the music of “on the road again” from Willy Nelson and have done some high fives, we are happy we are on the way. Yesterday we left Dinner Key Marina around eleven to go fill up the gas and water, at the gas dock they did not sell water, what gave the captain a serious fit, so we had to go back to the marina to fill up the water tanks. Then we went to “No Name Harbor”, it is really the name, a very nice inlet at the south end of Key Biscayne, so that we could get out quickly in the morning. After us at least seven more boats arrived, of which at least four left the harbor this night ahead of us. And on one of the boats were Doris and Dennis, with whom we had Thanksgivings dinner in Boot Key Harbor, was really nice and special to see them, they wait for the next weather window (that is what all insider crossers call the time when there is no north wind and it is good to cross the gulf stream) and we hope to see them again somewhere in the Bahamas.
5.54 AMIt is a little choppy, leftover wave from yesterday, but the foresail is up and when daylight comes the main sail will also have to do some work. I am going to make the second pot of coffee, what will for sure not be the last one. We just saw the first big freighter (we thought it was a shrimp boat till we got closer!) I got the message from outside that the water is 78.1 degrees, so I think we are getting there. Now first the coffee.
6.15 AM
The last measuring of the depth meter was 567 feet and now we can not see how deep it is anymore because the depth sounder doesn’t show depths below a certain depth, the water temp now is 79.1.
The last measuring of the depth meter was 567 feet and now we can not see how deep it is anymore because the depth sounder doesn’t show depths below a certain depth, the water temp now is 79.1.
6.27 AM
Ahead of us the sky is getting lighter and there is a wonderful red horizon, this is one of the moments that make this way of life so special, it seems the sun is coming up just for you, GREAT!!!!!
Ahead of us the sky is getting lighter and there is a wonderful red horizon, this is one of the moments that make this way of life so special, it seems the sun is coming up just for you, GREAT!!!!!
8.20 AM
The swells are getting somewhat higher and the water is a wonderful deep blue, perhaps like midnight blue, really fantastic. I have tried to lie down on the couch, because I am still not feeling very good, but I am so afraid I will miss something, so we are sitting peacefully outside in the cockpit.
Pim tells us that we have done about a third of the way and we are already turning a little bit to the North. The wind should have changed directions by now, but as is always (so it seems) the weather channel is more often wrong than right. But we went because there would be only light winds, and there they were right, so it does not matter a lot.
The swells are getting somewhat higher and the water is a wonderful deep blue, perhaps like midnight blue, really fantastic. I have tried to lie down on the couch, because I am still not feeling very good, but I am so afraid I will miss something, so we are sitting peacefully outside in the cockpit.
Pim tells us that we have done about a third of the way and we are already turning a little bit to the North. The wind should have changed directions by now, but as is always (so it seems) the weather channel is more often wrong than right. But we went because there would be only light winds, and there they were right, so it does not matter a lot.
11.25 AM
I had to do a short nap and feel a lot better, it is warm outside and the water temp is 83.6, the wind has changed and there are practically no waves, just a little bit. Jacques has already put up the yellow flag, because we are officially in the territorial waters of the Bahamas!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! The yellow flag tells the authorities, that we have not checked in and they can come to us to do so (I think that is about the meaning) We probably can soon loose our thick sweaters, GREAT!!!
I had to do a short nap and feel a lot better, it is warm outside and the water temp is 83.6, the wind has changed and there are practically no waves, just a little bit. Jacques has already put up the yellow flag, because we are officially in the territorial waters of the Bahamas!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! The yellow flag tells the authorities, that we have not checked in and they can come to us to do so (I think that is about the meaning) We probably can soon loose our thick sweaters, GREAT!!!
12.30 PM
We see since about half an hour land and because we have not seen other boats we still can feel a little bit like Robinson Crusoe. The sweaters are off and it is wonderful weather, I see a lot of small flying fishes, but nothing big so far on this trip, I for sure will not give up hope.
We see since about half an hour land and because we have not seen other boats we still can feel a little bit like Robinson Crusoe. The sweaters are off and it is wonderful weather, I see a lot of small flying fishes, but nothing big so far on this trip, I for sure will not give up hope.
14.00 PMWE HAVE ARRIVED IN THE BAHAMAS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! We are in the Cat Cay yacht club and are filling out about ten pages of paperwork, the harbor is practically empty, is very nice and the people till now very friendly. The colors of the water are spectacular, from dark greenish to swimming pool blue.
Saturday, Jan 9
It is 6.00 in the evening and the day today did not go as we wanted. But first the rest of the day yesterday. After filling-out the paperwork we proudly raised the Bahamian guest flag, took a long shower and noticed that there was exactly nothing to do there, you could not even go for a walk on the island because the people really want their privacy. So I made a spectacular dinner with two steaks (left from Karyn and Paul’s visit, a tomato salad with white and green onions sprinkled with a bourguignon sauce (I think I can start writing for a food magazine), it was a perfect ending for a perfect day.
It is 6.00 in the evening and the day today did not go as we wanted. But first the rest of the day yesterday. After filling-out the paperwork we proudly raised the Bahamian guest flag, took a long shower and noticed that there was exactly nothing to do there, you could not even go for a walk on the island because the people really want their privacy. So I made a spectacular dinner with two steaks (left from Karyn and Paul’s visit, a tomato salad with white and green onions sprinkled with a bourguignon sauce (I think I can start writing for a food magazine), it was a perfect ending for a perfect day.
We also noticed that we are in the islands now because when we complained to the dock master that the internet did not work, he looked at us with "do you expect me to do something about that" eyes? In the end he murmured perhaps the tower or the signal!! We gave up.
We knew this morning that there would be some wind but because it would come from behind, we expected a sensational sailing day, even thinking of the spinnaker. The beginning was good; 7-8 knots, the first Bahamian dolphins came to welcome us, and swam a little while with us. But the sky soon became dark and the wind meter showed 20 to 25, even 30 knots, to be sure we took the mainsail down, it started to rain at around 11.00 and it is still raining.
At three o’clock the "master" found it was enough and we put out the anchor. We are now in the middle of the Bahamas banks at 25˚28’N/78˚36’W, really, really in the middle of nowhere, are securely anchored in 20 ft. of water. We haven’t seen a single boat since leaving but found it wise to move two nm south of the shipping lane to the NW channel buoy at the east point of the "tongue of the ocean" and are going to sleep and hope that tomorrow the rain will have stopped. We hope to get to Chub Cay tomorrow and will be trying an internet connection there.
Well, it didn’t turn out as we hoped. This morning, Sunday Jan 10, the wind is piping 30 knots plus from the NNW so we have decided to stay at anchor until tomorrow when the last forecast said that the wind would reduce. When looking at the chart plotter we see that the anchor is not dragging but we are in for a bumpy day and night. The boat is bucking like a bronco but takes the short waves well. The advantage is that we immediately see what is not stored correctly and will correct this today. The rain has stopped, the barometer is rising and we see some blue sky. Ria tries not to look outside at the waves but fortunately none of us is susceptible to seasickness.
Monday Jan 11We had two miserable nights and the day was not much better. We were seriously thinking about going back, No Name harbor felt sooooooo very comfortable to us. Last night at 1.00 I saw for the first time (even if it was for a very short time) winds under twenty knots and after that came immediately 30 again, not good. We saw nothing, not a fish or a little bird, anything would have been welcomed. This morning winds were between 20 and 25, first we wanted to wait out another day, but decided we could at least try to get a little further on the banks toward Cub Cay. This was a wise decision, although we had to take the mainsail down (too much wind and waves), with the foresail and the motors and a declining wind it became soon rather comfortable.
It is now 1 o’clock in the afternoon and we have seen the first boat and Land ahead! We hope to anchor off Chub Cay around three o’clock and will have a immediately a nice drink, we have deserved it. We will see how far it is to dinghy into the harbor, where we could get maybe, internet or make a phone call, but we are not sure. For now we think we had our portion of bad weather for the whole trip!!
Jacques & Ria
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