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| On the New River, Fort Lauderdale |
Our jumping off point for
crossing the Gulf Stream to the Bahamas was Fort Lauderdale. We were there for
a little over a week, having some more work done on the boat, including new
batteries, some electrical upgrades and work on the saildrives. Prior to
Lauderdale we met up with Steve and Sheila Zukor in Melbourne where they were
visiting family on their way back from a trip to Patagonia. We had lunch and
their minivan was a great help for some much needed provisioning.
The day before departure for
the Bahamas we anchored in Lake Sylvia, so as to be near Port Everglades to get
out in the ocean. Our destination was West End on Grand Bahama Island, a
distance of just under 70 nautical miles.
We thought at first about
leaving in the late afternoon and crossing at night for a morning arrival, but in
the end, decided instead on a four AM start with arrival at West End in the
afternoon.
Getting from Lake Sylvia to
Port Everglades in the dark turned out to be straightforward with well marked
channels and one bascule bridge to negotiate. By five AM we were outside the
Port Everglades entrance. There was a bit of traffic at the port, particularly
some five or six large in-bound cruise ships that were lighted up like
Christmas trees, so fortunately they were quite visible from a long distance.
Radar and AIS were helpful for negotiating the traffic in the dark.
The wind was light when we
left so we had to motor, but there was a nice boost from the Gulf Stream
current. A breeze picked up after noon and we were then able to sail in light
winds the rest of the way, arriving at West End at 4:15 on Saturday, February
24th. We tied up at the Old Bahama Bay Marina and cleared customs
and immigration.
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| West End Settlement, Grand Bahama Island |
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| West End, Grand Bahama |
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| West End, Grand Bahama |
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| West End derelict, Grand Bahama |
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| Old Bahama Bay on West End, Grand Bahama |
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| Sailing on the Little Bahama Bank |
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| On the Little Bahama Bank |
We stayed in West End for
two nights and then sailed across the Little Bahama Bank in beautiful turquoise
water as far as the eye could see. We spent a night anchored at Mangrove Cay
and another in Great Sale Cay, en route to our destination, the Abacos.
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| Sunrise through the porthole at Great Sale Cay |
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| View from the top at Allans-Pensacola Cay |
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| Allans-Pensacola anchorage from the mast top |
Arriving in the Abacos, we
sailed into the anchorage at Allans-Pensacola Cay, where I managed to get the
topping lift tangled while taking down the mainsail, and then lost the topping
lift up the mast. There was nothing to do but to climb up to the top.
Fortunately, I have an ATN Mastclimber, a clever device that makes it possible
to hoist oneself unassisted up a halyard, by alternately bending/raising legs
and then standing; the climbing effort comes primarily from the legs. The
topping lift fed nicely down inside the mast and we were back in business.
There is a beach on the
ocean side of Allans-Pensacola where cruisers have left signs of their arrival,
so we left our memento as well, carved from a scavenged board.
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| Memento on the beach at Allans-Pensacola |
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| View of the Atlantic at Allans-Pensacola |
From Allans-Pensacola we
sailed to Spanish Cay, where we tied up at the marina. This location is a big
sport fishing attraction during the summer, but strangely quiet during the
winter off-season months. There is an airstrip on the north end of the island
so boat owners can fly in for fishing after their captains have brought their
boats over. The island is only three miles long and very narrow, very easy to
walk everywhere.
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| Spanish Cay Marina |
From Spanish Cay we plan a
leisurely cruise southward in the Sea of Abaco, looking forward to a rendezvous
with Charles and Sue Springett on Ariel,
in Marsh Harbour, sometime in mid-March.
