February 27, 2018
We left our peaceful dock at the Green Turtle Club at 9:15 a.m. confident of calm seas through the Whale Passage and on to Hope Town. Just 25 miles to go, and we planned to break it up with a lunch anchorage at Guana Cay. Unfortunately it didn't quite work out that way!
Our weather man, Chris P., had been rather vague and indecisive about a cold front that was approaching from the north later that evening. When we left our dock, a few stray clouds were gathering to the north, but the sky was mostly an intense and beautiful blue. Our crossing through the Whale passage was the smoothest we'd ever experienced. But by the time we'd travelled through the passage the sky behind us, which we'd been trying to ignore, was a dark mass of clouds. The front was obviously moving faster than forecast. When we reached our lunch time anchorage, the black blanket of cloud had caught us up! Boats at anchor were leaving to head for shelter! We carried on past.
Now we had three hours to kill before we could enter Hope Town harbour. High tide at 6 p.m. meant that 3:30 p.m. was the earliest time we could safely enter the shallow harbour without running aground. The clear and turquoise sea was now a murky brown, full of white-capped waves. The wind blew up to 18 knots with gusts over 20 knots. The weather forecast had predicted light and variable breezes! For two hours we circled off Marsh Harbour. We needed sweaters now instead of shorts and flimsy T-shirts! The temperature dropped like a bomb from 26C to what felt like 16C within an hour.
Time passed. We reminisced about sailing in England which, in our memory, was always a cold, windy and wet experience!
3:30 p.m. arrived at last. We made our way slowly, navigating through the many shallows, to the harbour entrance and made it safely through. Turning into the marina's entrance, we spotted Ben, who had kindly arranged our dock for us. Bill made a perfect landing at the dock, and we breathed a huge sigh of relief.
The first day at our dock has been hot and sunny, and filled with visiting friends. Did we dream yesterday?
Wednesday, February 28, 2018
Thursday, February 22, 2018
Island life - lazy days at Green Turtle.
Coconut bread, rum punches, curly-tail lizards, parrots flying across the setting sun - these are some of the sights, sounds and tastes of Green Turtle Cay.
The marina is full up now with sail and power boats sheltering from the strong easterlies that have been blowing for some days. We are very sheltered here at the Green Turtle Club, but across White Sound at the Bluff House Marina, boats are really feeling the draft! The mix of boats at our marina is interesting, two boats from us is a 150 foot two-masted sail boat, and next to that a giant motor cruiser.
The days pass gently here. We've walked lovely Coco Beach, and we've spent a day re-exploring the island with a golf cart. We had a lovely day out yesterday with Geoff and Katya of 'Blue Planet'. They are moored close by in Black Sound. We enjoyed a delicious lunch at the recently renovated
'Leeward Yacht Club', followed by drinks on board 'Zela', Bill & Carmen's boat docked at Bluff House. We've also had 'boat drinks' with Linda & Steve, whose 44 foot Island Packet has brought them all the way from Lake Michigan to these balmy shores.
Word is going around that Monday or Tuesday could be the day we cross through 'The Whale'. We are in no particular hurry.
The marina is full up now with sail and power boats sheltering from the strong easterlies that have been blowing for some days. We are very sheltered here at the Green Turtle Club, but across White Sound at the Bluff House Marina, boats are really feeling the draft! The mix of boats at our marina is interesting, two boats from us is a 150 foot two-masted sail boat, and next to that a giant motor cruiser.
The days pass gently here. We've walked lovely Coco Beach, and we've spent a day re-exploring the island with a golf cart. We had a lovely day out yesterday with Geoff and Katya of 'Blue Planet'. They are moored close by in Black Sound. We enjoyed a delicious lunch at the recently renovated
'Leeward Yacht Club', followed by drinks on board 'Zela', Bill & Carmen's boat docked at Bluff House. We've also had 'boat drinks' with Linda & Steve, whose 44 foot Island Packet has brought them all the way from Lake Michigan to these balmy shores.
Word is going around that Monday or Tuesday could be the day we cross through 'The Whale'. We are in no particular hurry.
Monday, February 19, 2018
Arrival in the Bahamas
We've arrived! We pulled in to the Green Turtle Club late Sunday afternoon. It was the moment we'd dreamed of as we watched and waited for the miles to flow past us, first on the Intra-Coastal Waterway from Fort Pierce to Lake Worth, then across the Gulf Stream to Old Bahama Bay Marina, and finally across the clear, turquoise waters of the Little Bahamas Bank, with a peaceful overnight anchorage at Great Sale Cay, to our arrival at this lovely spot. Four days on the water, fifty-plus nautical miles daily travelling at 6 knots added up to where we wanted to be! So far, so good!
Last night we had a deliciously fresh lobster risotto at the Green Turtle restaurant, followed by a very early night.
The next stage of our journey will be to cross 'The Whale', an inlet from the Atlantic Ocean to the Sea of Abaco. Tales of the the 'rages' that can turn this rock-strewn stretch of water into a boiling cauldron can turn your hair grey - if it's not already! So we'll listen to the weather gurus and wait - probably until the weekend. In the meantime we can tour the island on a golf cart, explore and buy provisions at 'New Plymouth', the island's main town, stroll the unspoiled beaches, and mix and mingle with other sailors. The marina is filling up today due to the forecast for a 'cold' front with strong winds over the next few days. Quite a few boats we've met at Harbortown Marina, and at other points along the way, are at our marina or on moorings nearby.
A Bahamian 'Aside'.
Things can go wrong here in Paradise, just as they can anywhere else. At the moment the electricity for most of the Abaco Islands is 'out', except for a couple of hours twice a day. The problem is with the main generator situated in Marsh Harbour. It has broken down, and technicians have been 'waiting for a part'. We've heard that Hope Town, our final destination, is all a-buzz - not with the usual 'chatting and chilling', but with the hum of everyone's generators!
We are fine with our restricted electicity and the boat's batteries.
Last night we had a deliciously fresh lobster risotto at the Green Turtle restaurant, followed by a very early night.
The next stage of our journey will be to cross 'The Whale', an inlet from the Atlantic Ocean to the Sea of Abaco. Tales of the the 'rages' that can turn this rock-strewn stretch of water into a boiling cauldron can turn your hair grey - if it's not already! So we'll listen to the weather gurus and wait - probably until the weekend. In the meantime we can tour the island on a golf cart, explore and buy provisions at 'New Plymouth', the island's main town, stroll the unspoiled beaches, and mix and mingle with other sailors. The marina is filling up today due to the forecast for a 'cold' front with strong winds over the next few days. Quite a few boats we've met at Harbortown Marina, and at other points along the way, are at our marina or on moorings nearby.
A Bahamian 'Aside'.
Things can go wrong here in Paradise, just as they can anywhere else. At the moment the electricity for most of the Abaco Islands is 'out', except for a couple of hours twice a day. The problem is with the main generator situated in Marsh Harbour. It has broken down, and technicians have been 'waiting for a part'. We've heard that Hope Town, our final destination, is all a-buzz - not with the usual 'chatting and chilling', but with the hum of everyone's generators!
We are fine with our restricted electicity and the boat's batteries.
Wednesday, February 14, 2018
Leaving our dock tomorrow
We'll be casting off our lines from our dock at Harbortown Marina tomorrow....as long as we can get our main-sail back and installed this afternoon. It has been re-cut by the sailmaker. We are hoping this will allow us to pull it in and out of the mast without a problem!
All being well, we will motor south on the Inter-coastal Waterway (ICW) to Lake Worth/Palm Beach.
The wave and wind forecast is showing three good days for making our passage across the Gulf Stream to West End, on Grand Bahama Island and then onward to Great Sale anchorage and Green Turtle Cay. We'll need to set off for the Gulf Stream crossing at 4 a.m. so that we arrive at 'Old Bahama Bay' in the daylight. Our speed will average about 6 - 7 knots if we are lucky!
We will be accompanied by Geoff & Katya on their Beneteau, 'Blue Planet', and, we hope, Marianne and Paul on their Island Packet, 'Knot-Ha-Gan'. There will probably be quite a flotilla already waiting to set off from Lake Worth.
We've enjoyed our time at Harbortown. The weather has been perfect over the last couple of weeks. We have walked the beaches and explored the area by car. We visited Melbourne, a pretty waterfront town about an hour north of Ft. Pierce. We've also enjoyed the company of our dockmates. Had a delicious dinner on board 'Knot Ha Gan'. The marina held a Pot Luck BBQ for everyone last Saturday - another opportunity to meet our fellow sailors and share tall tales of the sea!
Our next blog will be from 'Da Bahamas'!
All being well, we will motor south on the Inter-coastal Waterway (ICW) to Lake Worth/Palm Beach.
The wave and wind forecast is showing three good days for making our passage across the Gulf Stream to West End, on Grand Bahama Island and then onward to Great Sale anchorage and Green Turtle Cay. We'll need to set off for the Gulf Stream crossing at 4 a.m. so that we arrive at 'Old Bahama Bay' in the daylight. Our speed will average about 6 - 7 knots if we are lucky!
We will be accompanied by Geoff & Katya on their Beneteau, 'Blue Planet', and, we hope, Marianne and Paul on their Island Packet, 'Knot-Ha-Gan'. There will probably be quite a flotilla already waiting to set off from Lake Worth.
We've enjoyed our time at Harbortown. The weather has been perfect over the last couple of weeks. We have walked the beaches and explored the area by car. We visited Melbourne, a pretty waterfront town about an hour north of Ft. Pierce. We've also enjoyed the company of our dockmates. Had a delicious dinner on board 'Knot Ha Gan'. The marina held a Pot Luck BBQ for everyone last Saturday - another opportunity to meet our fellow sailors and share tall tales of the sea!
Our next blog will be from 'Da Bahamas'!
Saturday, February 10, 2018
Wednesday, February 7, 2018
Still waiting, still having fun and still finding 'boat stuff' that needs to be done!
There is a weather window coming up tomorrow! Just a short one. We probably could have made it, but we didn't because our self-furling main sail is stuck in the mast and we are waiting for a sail rigger to come tomorrow to fix it! Some readers may remember a similar problem which happened a few years ago. We thought we had solved it by having the sail re-cut, but obviously not!
Ron & Jane on their motor cruiser, 'Rachel', have headed off to Lake Worth ready for their crossing early tomorrow. They go a lot faster than our 6 - 7 knots and can cover the 57 miles in under four hours so they'll get to West End in the Bahamas before the weather window closes down in mid-afernoon with the arrival of stronger winds from the north. We hope to catch up with them at Green Turtle Cay some time next week. Rumours of another weather window for early next week are beginning to spread around the marina.
We drove into Stuart last Saturday to meet up with Fruji and John Bull - the other grandparents of our grandsons, Leo, Orson and Simon. Had a very nice evening. On Sunday we drove to Palm Beach to have lunch with 'old' school friends from the Isle of Wight - Sue and David. It was so good to get together and talk over new and old times.
Ron & Jane on their motor cruiser, 'Rachel', have headed off to Lake Worth ready for their crossing early tomorrow. They go a lot faster than our 6 - 7 knots and can cover the 57 miles in under four hours so they'll get to West End in the Bahamas before the weather window closes down in mid-afernoon with the arrival of stronger winds from the north. We hope to catch up with them at Green Turtle Cay some time next week. Rumours of another weather window for early next week are beginning to spread around the marina.
We drove into Stuart last Saturday to meet up with Fruji and John Bull - the other grandparents of our grandsons, Leo, Orson and Simon. Had a very nice evening. On Sunday we drove to Palm Beach to have lunch with 'old' school friends from the Isle of Wight - Sue and David. It was so good to get together and talk over new and old times.
Saturday, February 3, 2018
Weather report!
We are still waiting for that elusive weather-window that will calm the wind and waves for a safe and comfortable trip over to the Bahamas. We need a three day window - four days would be even better!
Our itinerary will take us south on day one to Lake Worth/Palm Beach where we will 'stage' the boat for a before-dawn departure across the 'Stream'. Once across we'll overnight in 'West End' on Grand Bahama Island and then spend two days sailing across the Bahamas banks, with an overnight anchorage at Great Sale Cay, to get to Green Turtle Cay. These will be two eight hour days. Once at Green Turtle we can relax before the next challenge, which will be crossing over the Whale Passage...more anon on this!
There are as many weather forecasters on the internet as there are frustrated boaters here at Harbortown Marina! What is coming through quite clearly is that the bad weather is all the fault of the 'Polar Vortex' sweeping down from Canada! Oh, well! At least it's not snowing! The main thing is that we are ready (almost) to set off at a moment's notice should the forecasters risk making a definite and favourable decision.
In the meantime we have been enjoying the company of our fellow boaters and boosting the economy of this area of 'The Treasure Coast'.
Yesterday, an unusually bright, calm and sunny day, we took Southern Vectis out for a 'sea trial' of all our new instruments - chart plotter, AIS, radar, radio etc. Our old ones had been badly damaged by heat or lightning, and were replaced, thanks to our insurance company, over the past summer. The new instruments are all 'touch screen' and seem easy to use! We'll see. It was good to get out on the water.
Our itinerary will take us south on day one to Lake Worth/Palm Beach where we will 'stage' the boat for a before-dawn departure across the 'Stream'. Once across we'll overnight in 'West End' on Grand Bahama Island and then spend two days sailing across the Bahamas banks, with an overnight anchorage at Great Sale Cay, to get to Green Turtle Cay. These will be two eight hour days. Once at Green Turtle we can relax before the next challenge, which will be crossing over the Whale Passage...more anon on this!
There are as many weather forecasters on the internet as there are frustrated boaters here at Harbortown Marina! What is coming through quite clearly is that the bad weather is all the fault of the 'Polar Vortex' sweeping down from Canada! Oh, well! At least it's not snowing! The main thing is that we are ready (almost) to set off at a moment's notice should the forecasters risk making a definite and favourable decision.
In the meantime we have been enjoying the company of our fellow boaters and boosting the economy of this area of 'The Treasure Coast'.
Yesterday, an unusually bright, calm and sunny day, we took Southern Vectis out for a 'sea trial' of all our new instruments - chart plotter, AIS, radar, radio etc. Our old ones had been badly damaged by heat or lightning, and were replaced, thanks to our insurance company, over the past summer. The new instruments are all 'touch screen' and seem easy to use! We'll see. It was good to get out on the water.
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