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
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 [...]
Anchoring on the Bank
It was a lovely afternoon under the main and genoa with the Yanmar humming us along at 6+ kts. We watched the sun slowly set behind us and Orion rise ahead. No sooner had the dark descended than a herd of ships were upon us. The radar confirmed only one ?burdened?* vessel was an issue, coming down from the north closing nicely upon our small but ?privileged?* vessel. In the end he begrudgingly altered course ? a bit, then so did we. As I recall, the Captain's Standing Night Orders were to keep traffic at 2' or more - no sense poking the bear.
Around 2030 we watched the fathometer rise from ?DEEP? to 10 meters in a matter of perhaps 20 seconds. It's always astounding, entering the bank, but here at the north end it is particularly so. There is no friendly local tree trunk placed to mark the spot, this White Sand Ridge is miles wide with no obstructions to consider - my kinda place. We slid along watching Orion's pup Sirius rise and reflect eerily in the glassy black water flecked with phosphorescence.
One forgets, when land-bound, how pleasant it is to fly a boat by the feel of the wind on one's cheek or the timelessness of keeping on course with a star just to the right of the mast. By 2200 though we'd made up our minds we were exhausted. Weather reports forecast a calm night so we pulled off of the ?track line? and anchored in the middle of this vast swimming pool on The Bank. I've had actual-factual anchorages that were far less pleasant (Shelter Cove, I'm lookin' at you) but this wide open space was heavenly. We didn't even tip back a scotch, just went horizontal, closed our eyes and called it a day.
By 0430 we were up and running again, watching Orion set and the sun rise. A dolphin family came to call; mom and baby just in our bow wake for half a minute, then they slipped off and we were alone in this marine desert. It was an uneventful day, some local fishermen and a few yachties but nothing else. We arrived Great Sale around 3pm, rigged the new cockpit shade and sipped into some well-deserved gin and tonics.
Harv is now rigging Quebec and our new Bahamian flag. We'll head to Spanish Cay to clear customs ? but not until after coffee.
(* I cannot accept the changing times; new rules use ?stand on? and ?give way? which somehow lack a sense of civility)
