Boom Times Sailing!: Tongue in Cheek

From Bimini to Chubb Key we did our longest passage to date over the very shallow Bahamas bank (avg. depth only 15ft) and then into the very deep Tongue of the Ocean (over 3000ft)

As the wind direction was not conducive to sailing a direct route fast we detoured a bit to get a better angle on the wind. We were flying at 7kts sometimes. When night fell we dropped sail and motored directly into the wind and waves for hours. There are are almost no lighted navigational aids in the Bahamas so we were navigating blindly by GPS. Once arrived at Chubb Cay anchorage our friends on Oceane helped guide us in on the VHF radio and by flashing their spotlight. Even still we came within 10ft of hitting the red unlit channel marker! FULL STOP! At about 4:30am we fell exhausted into our berth.

The following day we woke up late (understandably) and spent the day recovering, going about our daily chores and working on projects. I installed a new autopilot flux gate compass and am really looking forward to trying it out! I went for a first swim in these crystal clear waters. A little shark hung out under our boat.

That evening an ocean swell from the south east rounded the corner of the cay into the anchorage. The wind had us pointing north so this swell was hitting us from the side making our boats very rolly. No one slept well, if at all. It was bad. The next day we moved over into a slightly more protected area. We also tried an anchor bridle, a new practice for me that worked quite effectively. Basically when already at anchor you secure a rope to you anchor chain (we used a carribeener) you then secure the other end of the rope to the stern of the boat. As you let our more anchor chain the stern rope pulls and rotates your boat. We adjusted it so that we were pointing into the swells instead of taking them on the side. Much more comfortable.