We made the crossing!

Well we made the crossing to Nassau as planned and the trip will be one to remember for at least as long as we can.

We left our slip on Tuesday morning the 23^rd of February about 730 as expected. Our original plan was to leave Monday afternoon and anchor out behind Boot Key and get an early start but the forecast was for strong south winds that would have made the anchorage uncomfortable. The winds were supposed to weaken during the day so we thought if we left a little later we could enjoy another night in a slip and spend less time in sloppy conditions. There was also another movie night planned at the Clubhouse which we would get to see. Someone bought the “Martian” and was going to show it. Staying over would give us one more night of comraderie with the Club and watch the recent movie.

So we headed out under questionable skies but just before we left there was a bright rainbow toward Key West. The evening before had also brought a rainbow and walking back from the Clubhouse Linda and I both saw a shooting star. Clearly the signs portended a great trip. It had stopped raining long before we left but the forecast was for possible showers so they weren’t unexpected.

We had our waypoints from our weather routers Dane and Jennifer Clarke so we made it down Moser channel and headed toward our first waypoint some 48 miles almost due east. The trip from Marathon to Nassau was about 220 nautical miles. Maybe slightly more. We expected it would take us about 30 hours if all went well. Considering it takes the average cruiser 28 hours from Miami 30 hours from 100+ miles further would be a good time. But using our trip last year from Key West as a guide it seemed probable.

As we made our way toward the edge of the Florida Reef the winds were enough off our bow that I could use the sails for lift but not enough to actually sail. The winds were blowing 15-25 kts at about a 30-40 degree wind angle. We need 45-50 to be able to sail so we motor-sailed with our staysail and a reefed mainsail into the wind. Forecast was for the wind to be more southerly so we thought that eventually we would be able to sail. Our principal heading was northeast so a southeast wind would be good.

As we made our way out through the reef the waves increased in size and intensity. Forecast was for 4-6’ waves and we saw every bit of that as we got toward the edge of the reef. The waves also were running faster than we expected with a very short period between them. After we left the reef the waves continued to grow in size and speed.

We were expecting the northern side of the Gulf Stream to be more intense but we weren’t prepared for the onslaught of waves we experienced. During the morning the apparent wind was consistently 25 kts or above with our true wind ranging 15-25 kts. During the afternoon it dropped a bit but the real story was the waves. Forecast was for 4-6’ waves which would normally have been no real issue but the seas were running on average 4-6’ but with frequent waves in excess of that and usually only a few seconds in between them. Numerous times we would fall off the crest of one wave only to fall into the trough before the next wave as it washed over the deck. This routine went on for hours.

There was a period when we turned toward our second waypoint were the extreme waves settled down. The wind had declined more to the 10-15 kt range and as we continued the extremes became more rare.

As we motored through we carried good speed and for much of the time ran 10-11 kts speed over ground (SOG) getting us through the gauntlet faster. When we finally made it to the Bahama Bank the water was relatively benign and we then got about some normal tasks and finally got something to eat.

During the hurling about much of the cabin contents were thrown about as they have never been before. The baskets behind the starboard (windward) setee crashed on the floor as the cushion flew off the couch. We have decided that we will install eyescrews behind the cushions and attach bungee cords to them to hold the cushions in place and prevent a recurrence. I was happy to see the items secured on deck remained in place in spite of the pressure of the waves and water moving across the deck.

Our enclosures kept us secure and relatively dry throughout the trip. Had we not had them the cockpit would have been flooded constantly and we would have been doused repeatedly. The bottom line is that our Island Packet performed admirably as expected. We did discuss the option of returning but the issues that presented greatly exceeded the relative discomfort of pressing on. When I trained troops many years ago we often cancelled or adjusted training exercises because we believed we didn’t need to teach anyone to be miserable. But the lesson is how to continue to perform under adverse and miserable conditions like we endured. At sea conditions could be far worse so experience is still the best teacher.

Of the 30 hour trip the first 6 were by the far the worst. The trip across the banks was relatively calm and we even got to sail for a while. The full moon was absolutely gorgeous and lit the sea as if it were daylight. The final leg across the tongue of the ocean into Nassau was sloppy with bad surf but again we motored through and finally got to Nassau about the time we expected.

When we arrived at our marina we saw our friends from Annapolis there who were waiting for us. The marina staff called me Captain Ron for the way I approached the fuel dock. There is a long shoal in front of the marinas that ends just before Nassau Harbor Club where we were coming to. I made a sharp right turn toward the marina at the end of the shoal but was motoring fast because of the strong cross current and wind. When I turned left at the end of the fuel dock I was still going fast because of the current and headwind but then I put the boat in hard reverse and stopped exactly where the marina staff wanted me. This boat handles well. 

After fueling we got into our slip with little fanfare and so our adventure in Nassau begins.