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.
Wednesday, February 7, 2018
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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