One of the many things I have noticed about Americans is that they love to have a chat. Always enthusiastic, lots of stories, and where there are stories, opinions! Among the Floridian boating community,stories about crossing to the Bahamas abound, and opinions are both plentiful and varied. 'Go as far South as possible, that way you benefit from the gulfstream' 'going from the North is ok. As long as you go across the stream at 90 degrees, and then head South' go to the Abacos, go to the Exumas, leave early, leave late, and so on and on. It left us all in rather a spin and thinking that if we gathered up all of the collective wisdom, we would probably find a short window sometime in July. I think that we reached inside for that more taciturn British spirit, said 'xxxx it' and went anyway. This meant wind and Gulf Stream against us, darkness, quite a lot of wind, choppy seas, mal de mer, not sure where we're headed etc. The crew stood up admirably, (when I say stand up, personally I now slide around on my bottom, Phil falls over, and Vince still looks quite sprightly!)The outcome was again typically british when we entered the West End Marina at 2.35a.m. All settled happily and woke up in Paradise! Communication with loved ones and a restful day in prospect.
Terry
This was my first nighttime sailing adventure and it was daunting and, well, a bit underwhelming. The thought of darkness setting in when you still have 10 hours to go, through unknown waters, 15-20 knot winds and 2000 feet depth seas is a bit scary but the reality is that it is a bit tedious. There is little to nothing to look at but the bouncing of the boat, the sea spray and all the various noises make sleep difficult. A simple sighting of a cruise ship becomes a momentous event, enough to focus the mind and conversation for a good hour. Perhaps, you are right, Jordan, in saying that we should ditch the electronic equipment overboard. It would certainly make things more interesting but not necessarily in a good way.
P
A few photos of the crossing and our current location.
One of the few large ships we encountered. Looks like an oil exploration vessel, probably sailing back from the Gulf of Mexico.
Well done - you made it:)
ReplyDelete