FIRST LIGHT

Vessel Name: FIRST LIGHT
Vessel Make/Model: Hallberg-Rassy 352
Hailing Port: Port Ludlow, Washington
Crew: Harv, Jen & various friends
16 February 2015 | Riviera Beach Municipal Marina
10 February 2015 | Chub Cay Marina
07 February 2015 | 23 52.7N: 76 14.5W
03 February 2015 | Emerald Bay Marina
30 January 2015 | Back at Emerald Bay Marina
27 January 2015 | Emerald Bay Marina
22 January 2015 | San Salvador, Bahamas
21 January 2015 | San Salvador, Bahamas
16 January 2015 | Marsh Harbor Marina
14 January 2015 | Marsh Harbor Marina
10 January 2015 | Marsh Harbor Marina
06 January 2015 | Treasure Cay
02 January 2015 | Marsh Harbor Marina
30 December 2014 | Marsh Harbor Marina
27 December 2014 | Manjack Cay
24 December 2014 | Green Turtle Cay
22 December 2014 | Marsh Harbor Marina
19 December 2014 | Treasure Cay
17 December 2014 | 26 58.2N77 59.1W
14 December 2014 | Hinckley Boat Yard, Stuart Florida
Recent Blog Posts
16 February 2015 | Riviera Beach Municipal Marina

Close

We departed Chub Cay as the winds began to moderate and headed to the cut between Cat and Gun Cays in the Biminis. This necessitated transiting the Great Bahama Bank, which is a misnomer as it is mostly barely 2 meters deep, but the aqua color is truly amazing and the seas there so slight it gives one [...]

10 February 2015 | Chub Cay Marina

Finally

Though our little hurricane hole was lovely, and the winds still in the 20's we opted to slip out and cross the bank at high water to make for parts north. After zig-zagging across some shallows we popped the jib and were finally able to SAIL ... and with Hydie steering!! It was a gorgeous beam reach [...]

07 February 2015 | 23 52.7N: 76 14.5W

Companionship

(sent via ssb) With 275 miles to go we are slowly making our way north along the ruggedly disjointed Exuma chain of cays. First stop, Lee Stocking whose anchorage held an odd assortment of boats. We picked a spot and dropped our hook thinking everyone would swing together, but the currents are as wacky [...]

03 February 2015 | Emerald Bay Marina

Northward

Lee Stocking Cay, the once-upon-a-time research island, has slipped further into oblivion – it doesn’t take nature long to reclaim her own. The houses are empty or boarded up… save the one Rob and Lauren set up with couches, empty beer bottle and book “Lone Survivor”. The lab is bare of cabinetry; [...]

30 January 2015 | Back at Emerald Bay Marina

Rough Bits

The Trade Winds, those consistent northeasterly winds that have over the centuries shaped the mariner's existence in The Bahamas have failed. Settlements, harbors and marinas here are all geared for those consistent winds. This, when the winds get weird, makes finding a 'safe harbor' problematic. What [...]

27 January 2015 | Emerald Bay Marina

One in Every Bar

The past few days have seen bouncy seas, fluky winds and a lot of re-thinking of routes. The trip from San Salvador to Conception, one of the Bahamian National Parks, started with calm seas and light winds, but we put up the main anyway - for good measure - and motored along westerly. By mid-day the [...]

Almost Ready

14 December 2014 | Hinckley Boat Yard, Stuart Florida
jen - sunny with light airs
Things are looking up now that the airplanes are behind us. Air travel with a cat isn't quite the joyful experience you might think. Oh at first it's all sweetness and light as fellow travelers coo and faun "OH! You've got a KITTY! She's so CUTE!!", but after the cat anoints her carrier - and you - a time or two admirers get that 'je ne sais quoi' look in their eye then silently pause to give you a wide berth. We obviously haven't perfected air-travel with a cat, but at least Ms. B didn't spend the entire 15 hours howling like the first time, and when we brought her to the boat, she flopped down in her favorite spot and sighed.
We found First Light at the very back of the boatyard, moved from where we'd left her, and set down seriously down-by-the-stern which means the scuppers weren't draining as efficiently as one might hope. This has caused a bit of a problem with the cockpit seat-boards but otherwise she was fine - grimy topside, but fabulous below. Now, after 4 days of scrubbing, shopping and general running around and amok we've stowed tons of crap, tested almost all systems (save the watermaker) and met two of the nicest people ever: Longtime friends of our Wyoming neighbors, Ken and Marty, are here in Florida. Mizzy and Brian are on a new adventure aboard a new boat, a Hylas 46 (Kokopelli), after enjoying several years in the North and South Pacific they'll be heading to The Bahamas in a few weeks when their galley remodel is finished. We hope to meet up and buddy-boat sometime, somewhere.
For us, we're almost ready to head out. Mid-day Monday (tomorrow!) after a stop at the fuel dock we'll slip out St. Lucie Inlet at the very tail end of the flood. Around dusk we'll cross onto Little Bahama Bank, from the north this time at wide White Sand Ridge with its lovely controlling depth of 9' - a HUGE improvement over the ugly zig-zag route onto the bank at Indian Cay just north of West End. Once we're on the bank it'll be an overnight-sail down to Great Sale Cay arriving at first light. We'll lay a day there to recuperate, then continue onto Spanish Cay to officially enter and clear customs.
Comments

About & Links

SailBlogs Friends
Blea Tarn