Sunday, February 18, 2018 - Green Turtle Cay in the Abacos
We left Vero Beach Florida on Wednesday the 14th of FEB., after completing a few boat chores on SEEKER and Autumn Borne. It was probably 1300 hours when we finally dropped the mooring lines.
We motored south through Fort Pierce (It was just too early in the day to quit moving; we'd waited a long time for this coming weather window... so we all wanted to be staged at the right place to leave the USA coast line). We motored on south to the Jensen Beach High rise Bridge, where we anchored for the night (N 27 14.5 W 080 12.931).
Thursday we motored on to Lake Worth, where probable 50 to 75 cruises were all in various stages of preparation for crossing the Gulf Stream.
Our window (weather) started early Friday morning, so we set our alarms for 0300 and prepared for a 0400 anchor pull. All of that worked out fairly well.... Exept for the couple that came late in the day to our part of the anchorage... and I didn't really say anything, but I knew that come the tide change, and the inevitable swing of the boats, that they would be very close to be "over our anchor in the morning".
WELL... when I pulled in all the chain, sure enough we were no more than 15 feet from their stern... chain rattling aboard AB; BUT hey... it's 0400 in the morning... time to GO!!!!
The exit of the Lake Worth Inlet in the dark went well... except for one power boat anchored nearly IN the channel leading to the inlet... and one fisherperson in the channel, near the green buoy side. You have to admire their passion to be out there anchored in the channel to the ocean at 0400.
The Gulf Stream off of the Lake Worth Inlet is only about 4 miles from shore... So we hit it right away... in the dark... (it was funny listening to the boaters out there, crossing at the same time as we were [yes there were a bunch] say things like " so and so boat that's following me; you should lead now because my instruments are going crazy!!!".... I radioed one guy, and said... "relax, your instruments are fine, you're in the Gulf Stream... flowing north at 3.5 knots.... It's natural that you're stearing 120 degrees magnetic, and going due east - 90 degrees!
The crossing went great!! And the Bahama Banks were as usual... It's always a thrill when the depth sounder starts to read.... Going from thousands of feet deep to 13 to 15 feet in less than a nautical mile (i.e. a cliff below you).
We anchored the first night on the banks at Great Sale Cay (Pronounced KEY); anchoring in the dark at about 7:45 PM.... Anchor Down at N 26 58.077 W 078 13.849
The next day we motor sailed, in gorgeous weather to a small cay call Man-Jack Cay.... (good holding, etc.)... knowing that the new moon tide would not permit passage into Green Turtle cay's Black sound, even IF we arrived there, that night.
Anchor down at Man-Jack (nunjack cay) N26 49.071 W 077 22.132
Another 0700 anchor pull; and we motored down to Green Turtle Cay, our present location, and called "Donnie" for a Black sound mooring ball assignment.... (weatherman says there's quite a "blow" coming tonight, and through the rest of this week.
Dalmatian is here (Tom and Marylou); Jilly-Q (Dave and Jill) are also here, because of the wind they can't get though the "Whale" passage until late next week; Five Flip Flops are here (Emma, and Dave);
And a whole lot of other cruisers that we know.....
We met a lot of them at Customs and Immigration today.... WE were surprised they were OPEN on a Sunday, but all the Islands have been having POWER Problems.... (their power is ON 2 hours, and OFF for 4 hours).
So...we're all checked in to the Bahamas; out "Q" (Quarantine) flag is down, and the Bahama ensign is flying in the rigging; We set for a year.... But we'll only stay 90 days.
But I'm sure we'll miss the USA, and return on time.... BTW there's NO TV here, (at ALL) unless you're in a bar with cable. OUR phones are now converted to BTC phones (I put the BTC SIMM cards in both phones... So OUR Verizon Numbers will NOT work.
IF you want to get hold of us, and I haven't already SENT you our BTC phone numbers, email me (DEAN), and I'll forward the BTC numbers.
(BTC= Bahamas Telephone Company) Present location Black Sound at Green Turtle Cay.
OK... Time for BED... This has been a long few days.... 0400 rise on Friday AM... very little sleep on Friday on the Banks, and now somehow it's Sunday...