Doing the Loop in GH 3

"I don't want to go to the Bahamas on Holiday. I hate islands. I want to go to Brittany where it's cold and raining and there's nothing fancy about it." Julie Delpy


An anemometer attached to Tom's smart phone shows sustained wind speeds of 23 knots.

A good weather window is essential for any vessel travelling from Florida to The Bahamas. We monitored a variety of weather sources looking for wind with no north component, wind 10-15 knots or less, and waves 2-3 feet or less. The Gulf Stream flows from south to north. Wind blowing from the north, northeast or northwest causes excessively rough waters which has been compared to petting a cat in the wrong direction.

Our Catalina 320 sailboat is a Class A vessel rated for blue water, however we avoid waves larger than 5-6 feet. Waves in the Gulf Stream can double waves heights in the forecast.

There is yet another important factor: time. After high wind or north wind causes large waves between Florida an The Bahamas, it takes at least 24 hours of mild winds for the waters to calm down. before we could safely leave.

Travelling with a buddy boat is another safety factor. We posted on the AGLCA website that we were looking for a buddy boat to cross from Ft. Lauderdale to The Bamamas. Several boats responded. One boat, Insandity, was compatible in terms of time to leave and speed of travel and desired weather parameters.

After spending a week in Ft. Lauderdale provisioning and waiting for a weather window. we finally got the opportunity to cross the Gulf Stream to The Bahamas on Thursday, March 2, 2016. The weather met our specifications, and our buddy boat, Insandity, was ready to go.

Gulf Stream Crossing


Both boats agreed that it was important to arrive in The Bahamas in daylight. The 71 nautical mile crossing would take 10 hours, so we easily agreed to meet near the 17th Street Bridge at 1:30 am. This allowed plenty of time to get to our destinanion in daylight.

Bucket List left our anchorage near the Sunrise Boulevard Bridge at 12:30 am in complete darkness. We slowly and carefully travelled about 3 miles going under three bridges before meeting Insandity at the 17th Street Bridge at 1:30 am. The two boats headed out of the Port Everglades Inlet toward the Atlantic Ocean and The Bahamas without incident.

The two boats travelled through the darkness in waves about 1 to 2 feet in height at a speed of about 6.5 knots. We made contact every thirty minutes by VHF radio and stayed within about 1/4 mile of each other. We only deviated from the preplanned route once to pass safely behind the stern of a very large commercial boat. About 4 am our speed increased to about 8 knots as we entered the western edge of the Gulf Stream.

Video - Night Crossing



As the sun rose, the two buddy boats continued on their journey to The Bahamas with no land insight. Bucket List put out the jib to stabilize the boat. She was moving at more than 6 knots with only the jib - no motor. About 9 am, the waves began to build to about 4 and sometimes 5 feet. The two boats continued radio contact twice hourly, but increased distance between them as each boat sought to travel in a direction most comfortable in relation to the direction of the wind and waves. As land in The Bahamas first came into view, the color of the water changed to an incredible shade of blue and the depth of water dropped quickly from over 2000 feet to 30 feet.

About 11 am both boats arrived safely at Old Bahama Bay Marina in West End, The Bahamas. When they arrived, the marina was mostly empty. By the end of the day it was nearly full with boat seeking refuge from high north winds predicted for the following days.

Video - Crossing in the daylight



The crew of our buddy boat, Insandity, included Chuck, Joyce and Joyce's mother, Lillian.

Photo of our Buddy Boat - Insandity


Old Bahama Bay Marina is a resort strategically located at the western end of The Bahamas closest to Florida. It was damaged in October of 2016 by Hurricane Matthew. The marina had recently reopen with limited services and reduced prices. They offer safety from high winds, fuel, restaurant and shower house. They do not currently offer power, pump out or laundry. We were uncertain about the water quality, so we did not drink it.

The yellow building in the photo below is a condo at Old Bahama Bay previously owned by John Travolta.



As predicted, high wind started the day following our arrival at Old Bahama Bay Marina. The winds of 20-25 knots from the north and northeast blew and blew. It seemed like they would never end. We felr fortunate to be in a safe marina, and be well-provisioned and with many friendly boaters.


Wind at Old Bahama Bay



Tracy at Old Bahama Bay Marina



Tom enjoying a Sands beer at Old Bahama Bay Marina


On Sunday, the wind was still howling. We rented a car with the crew of our buddy boat so we could see Grand Bahama Island by land. Damage from Hurricane Matthew was evident everywhere. Many homes and buildings had damage, especially roof damage. Many businesses were still closed, Most road signs had been blown away making land navigation difficult. We enjoyed shopping at Port Lucaya Marketplace and seeing large commercial ships at Freeport.

Tom and Tracy at Port Lucaya Marketplace



We enjoyed a Greek lunch at the market place with Joyce, her Mother, and Chuck ... Chuck was taking this photo ...


Tracy sitting under a striking sculpture in Freeport.



Finally, after 5 days of high winds, the forecast predicted more favorable weather. On Tuesday the winds were more calm. One sailboat eager to get to Florida left the marina and unfortunately before long, their boat was on some rocks just outside the marina and had some damage to the hull. Fortunately the crew was fine.

On Tuesday night, we were 'entertained' by a fisherman cleaning fish on the stern of his boat in the marina. As he threw undesirable fish parts in the beautiful turquoise water, several Lemon Sharks gathered to eat the fish inside the Marina! The practice of feeding sharks inside a marina is dubious, at best. It seems unwise to train sharks that there are easy food sources in marinas.



The winds have continued to calm and the waves also followed by calming some. On Wednesday, many boats left the marina hearing east to The Abacos. We plan to head back to Florida with a buddy boat named Gale Rider. We will wait until Friday to cross 86 miles to Ft. Pierce, FL. We are hoping that the forecast for Friday is correct: winds 10 knots from the east with waves less than 2 feet. Leaving at 4 am will allow time to arrive at Ft. Pierce at or just after slack tide.

We have enjoyed our windy introduction to The Bahamas.



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