We Made It!!

We have been discussing in how much detail I should describe the crossing of the Gulf Stream. I think it is a better story if I give a true account, so let me start off by saying that once again, we were never in any danger…just uncomfortable and a little scared (actually, just me and only for a few moments). Based on a very good NOAA prediction of ocean conditions we departed from Fort Pierce Florida at about 2:30 PM headed for the Little Bahama Bank. We were not on the best heading for crossing the gulf stream as we were heading slightly south which meant we would have to fight the current a little more than if we had started from a more southerly point. Unfortunately, the weather man was somewhat off and the wind and seas were less hospitable than expected.

We spent the first hour debating whether we should press on. We were all certain that Bill and Mary would choose to turn around, but they hung in with the group. The waves were tolerable and we decided it was not bad enough to abort the plan. Many hours later, as we were only maintaining 2-3 knots against the current, we were kinda rethinking our decision! It’s very cool to pass through the Gulf Stream as the depth meter reading continuously increases until it gets so deep that it can no longer read accurately. Ours stopped working at 381 feet. It is an eerie feeling realizing that you have 4000 feet of water below the boat. Once in a while the depth would read something much more shallow, which Chuck said was probably a big fish passing under the boat!

We were again travelling in the dark; although this time we did have a much bigger moon to light our way. But the going was pretty rough and very slow. The wind, which was predicted to be 10-15 knots, was on the order of 20-30 knots, sometimes more. Consequently, the waves, which were predicted to be 2-4 feet, were more like 6-8 feet. It was a very long night. Like watching an empty gas tank while searching for a gas station, I found myself incessantly checking the GPS for progress. I think I counted every 0.1 nautical mile we travelled. Gini laughed that I must have declared “I think it’s getting calmer…don’t you think?” about a hundred times throughout the long night. We all stayed in the cockpit and had a sort of slumber party, but nobody could actually sleep!

Around midnight, Lynn and I said farewell to our good friend Jerry Queen who lost his battle with cancer on December 16th. We sent our thoughts of him to be carried by the Gulf Stream. We talked about the things we remembered...like his big hugs and contagious laugh. He was a great friend who lived life to the fullest; we will really miss him. Like Peg Gieseking said, we wish we could have had one more happy hour. Bye Jerry...you're gone but never forgotten.

Unfortunately our autopilot was not able to manage in the rough water so the helm had to be constantly manned. I have to thank both David and Lynn who took turns all night. We all just hung on waiting impatiently to reach the Mantanilla shoals where we expected the conditions to improve significantly in the shallow water. We were sadly mistaken. As we finally arrived at the longed-for waypoint, we ran into a squall and had to manage for another few hours until the water finally calmed down. All tolled we spent about 17 hours tossing and turning. Luckily it was not until we had found calm water that our trusty engine started to object to the treatment we had inflicted upon it and began making a strange noise. We hoisted the genoa (the big head sail) at which point the engine conked out completely. Upon inspection, Lynn discovered the fuel filters needed changing, which he masterfully accomplished while underway. The engine once again purred its way for another 8 hours to reach our destination of Great Sale Cay (pronounced Key). At long last we anchored in a lovely bay with beautiful blue-green water surrounding us. There were 10 boats in the anchorage, where we managed to have dinner, work on the engine for a few hours (David and Lynn that is) and hit the sack feeling thoroughly exhausted. I think Mary summed it up the best when she said, “that crossing was so rough it rearranged the padding in my bra!”

The next day we started out early again and headed for Green Turtle Cay. This was a lovely, relaxing day of travel. We hoisted both sails and motor sailed for about 8 hours, close-hauled most of the way and doing about 8 knots. We had fun taking pictures of each other’s boats. When we arrived at Green Turtle, the three captains went ashore to check into customs. Once done, we were all free to roam about the island. We promptly headed to the Green Turtle Club for a celebratory drink, a “Tipsy Turtle”. We spent the next day there and toured in rented golf carts, their main mode of transportation. We were all impressed by the beautifully manicured and well-maintained properties, whether rich or poor. The town of New Plymouth was very quaint; I love the pastel colors on the houses. That night we watched White Christmas. Gini and I couldn’t stay awake but Lynn and David persevered to the happy ending. We went to bed nervously awaiting the Whale Channel crossing…that’s for the next chapter…