S/V Solitaire
2010 Cruise Log #2
Crossing the Gulfstream
Sunday, November 29, 2009 – Monday, November 30, 2009
Departed:
Lake Worth, FL at 15:56
Arrived:
Port Lucaya, Grand Bahama Island at 8:27
Enroute:
16 hours 23 minutes
Distance:
80.5 nautical miles
Lake Worth provides all sorts of entertainment for cruisers who are staging for
an ocean passage. As we waited for
our planned departure at 4:00 p.m., we saw a huge cargo ship transporting
sailboats and powerboats from Europe. The deck looked just like a boat yard.
Shortly after that, Jim yelled down from the cockpit, “Quick, come see
this dinghy flying by”. I wondered
what was so great about a dinghy going by us too fast until I realized that Jim
was being literal. There it was, up in the sky, a Caribe dinghy with an engine
and a delta wing buzzing around the anchorage. It’s getting so that nothing
surprises me anymore.
We got everything stowed and secured, had a bite to eat, took a little nap, and
then it was time to go. Right up until the last minute, we were hoping that our
friends on Far Niente would get their autopilot fixed and be able to join us on
our crossing to the Bahamas. It just didn’t happen, and so it was two us of –
Veranda and Solitaire – heading out the Lake Worth Inlet.
This was our easiest crossing to date – more due to the luck of the weather than
to experience or skill. The winds
were light, the seas were gentle swells of 1-2 feet, there was hardly any
current in the gulfstream, and the moon was almost full. We enjoyed left-over
turkey sandwiches for dinner with a small glass of wine. We alternated shifts at
the helm throughout the night. I napped from 7:30 until 10:30 before getting up
to make a batch of chocolate chip cookies. After enjoying our cookies and milk,
Jim went below to sleep from midnight until 4.am.
I love the mid-shift. It’s so
peaceful in the cockpit – lots of time for reflection. When I start feeling
tired, I turn on my IPod and dance around the wheel to hits from the fifties and
sixties. The autopilot does all our steering; my job is to watch for other
ships, look out for any floating debris, and make occasion adjustments to our
heading. Our new AIS makes the job
easier by showing any ships that are in the vicinity on our GPS screen. The AIS
display tells us the name and type of the vessel, where it’s going, how fast it
is traveling, etc. For example, I saw that a huge Disney cruise ship was going
to intersect my course; so I called the captain on the radio to make sure he
knew I was out there. He assured me that
he would pass in front of me over a mile away.
At one point, I had over a dozen large ships showing up on the screen.
Jim relieved me at the helm about 4 a.m. and I napped again until sunrise. We
readied the boat for arrival just after 8 a.m. and pulled into our slip at Port
Lucaya Marina, with another safe crossing behind us. In case you’re wondering,
both of the cats did great. They curled up (not together) on the cabin sole and
slept through the night. Snappy
came up at dawn to look around, saw the water rushing by, and ran back down the
companionway stairs to hide under the table.
Tuesday, December 1, 2009
Departed:
Port Lucaya, Grand Bahama Island at 06:32
Arrived:
Great Harbour Cay, Berry Islands at 16:22
Enroute:
9 hours 50 minutes
Distance:
65.2 nautical miles
For the past two years, we’ve had good experiences checking in at Port Lucaya
marina. This year was a disappointment.
The marina is struggling financially and the resort was closed.
We were quoted one price for our slip when I made the reservation and
then charged .50 per foot more when we arrived.
The normally friendly Immigration officer was having a bad day or
something and would not give any of us more than 90 days on our visas, which
means that we’ll have to find another immigration office to check into about the
time we’d like to be in an isolated and unpopulated area. When we explained our
situation and asked for more time, her response was that we’d just have to
change our plans. The more we tried
to reason with her, the more obstinate she became. When Jim asked for the phone
number of her office, she refused to give it to him and stomped out in a huff.
Our friends on Veranda were praying that we all wouldn’t end up getting
deported. To make matters even more
frustrating, no one called customs to let them know we were there – so we ended
up waiting nearly three hours to get our cruising permits and finish checking
into the country. Needless to say,
this will be our last trip to Lucaya.
The day was redeemed slightly by afternoon. We wandered through some little
shops, had cracked conch for lunch and then met up with Bill and Christy at a
local bar for Kaliks and coconut rum shots. Back at our boat, we washed the salt
off our deck, topped off our water tanks, ate the last of our Thanksgiving
leftovers and fell into a sound 10-hour sleep.
We were up and underway by dawn. Our weatherman had forecast mild weather on
Tuesday and deteriorating conditions the rest of the week – with possible
squalls from the South Southeast up to 40 knots. We needed to take advantage of
the one good day to get over to the Berry Islands and find an anchorage with
some protection from the South and East. Studying
our charts and guidebooks underway, we decided to try a small bay off the
Eastern Shore of Great Harbor Cay.
The anchorage was new to all of us, but looked like it would offer both safety
and some interesting beaches to explore.
We arrived well before sunset, secured our anchor, lowered the dinghy into the
water, and fixed an arrival drink.
Bill and Christy came over later for appetizers and dinner. We all agree that
it’s wonderful to be back in the Bahamas.
We are looking forward to Far Niente joining us by the weekend.
Thursday, December 3, 2009
Departed:
Great Harbour Cay, Berry Islands at 07:30
Arrived:
Nassau, New Providence Island at 16:04
Enroute:
8 hours 34 minutes
Distance:
51.3 nautical miles
By midnight on Tuesday, Solitaire and Veranda were rolling from side to side in
our anchorage off the east side of Great Harbour Cay. Personally, I sleep like a
baby in conditions like this; just like I’m being rocked in a cradle. My good
friend on Veranda couldn’t sleep a wink.
We both spent Wednesday exploring the area. The crew from Veranda went
snorkeling on nearby reefs while Jim and I dinghied to shore for some beach
combing. We’d planned to move to a more protected spot in the Berries on
Thursday; but when you are cruising; your plans are cast in jello.
Thursday morning’s weather briefing told us that we’d have light
Southeast to South Winds. We looked at two options – sailing east to Royal
Island Eleuthera or motoring southeast to Nassau. Veranda opted to sail east and
we headed out toward the southeast knowing that we’d join up again within the
next week.
We had a pretty easy motor to Nassau and got a slip at the Yacht haven. One
thing that we’re noticing just about every place we’ve been so far – less
service and more expense. Nassau Yacht Haven is rundown, has no fuel, charges
for internet, and costs one-third more than two years ago.
Last time we came through here, it was filled with cruisers; this year it
is less than half-full – mostly with locals.
Our #2 (house) batteries are not holding a charge the way they should. We are
going to try to equalize them and if that fails, we may have to buy new
batteries. That’s just the way it goes.
After that we’ll head into the Exumas.
Nancy, Jim and the Boat Cats
P.S. Arrived in Exumas yesterday – more to follow next week…