Riding the Gulf Stream

April 10th - 

We had a beautiful day of sailing from Green Turtle Cay northwest then west through the Abacos. Since our crossing to the States would be at least four days we planned the details of our offshore crossing watches. What has worked for us in the past is for me to get in a nap after dinner around 2100 and Tim, the night owl, stays up until around 0300.  Tim then wakes me to take over during the  early morning hours until sometime after sunrise. We both then nap throughout the day in the main cabin where we have ourselves set up to sleep during the crossing.

Our last Bahamas sunset.

As sun was setting, we heard the bilge pump turning on more frequently than usual. Tim checked the bilge: it wasn't fresh water so not from the water tanks and it wasn't warm water so it wasn't from the engine cooling system or exhaust, but it was salt water. A search of all below the water line thru-hull fittings didn't find any water entering, but a smalll stream of  salt water was found to be flowing forward from an area near the stern under the quarterberth from an area in the aft section of the boat. After removing some wood panels it appeared the water might be entering through the hull from an area under a bulkhead. Since we were about to sail off the relative security of the 15 deep Abacos bank into open water, we anchored and Tim decided to investigate further. Tim donned his wetsuit to check the hull exterior and he located a small area of the hull at about the right location of the suspected leak where the bottom paint was missing and the gelcoat appeared irregular.  I prepared a glob of underwater epoxy  and Tim applied it to the irregular area hoping it might solve the problem. It seemed that the patch may have worked as the water was no longer streaming from behind the bulkhead.. While we waited for the epoxy to cure a bit before continuing our journey, we ate dinner at anchor. In the meantime the wind and waves were rapidly picking up and for the first time of the trip the anchor started to drag. At the same time a check down below found water once again slowly streaming in. Either the building waves had peeled the epoxy off before it had cured or the area was not the source of the leak. As we were still taking on a small amount of water, we decided it would be prudent to turn around and seek safe harbor 12 miles back east in the lee of Great Sal Cay. Unfortunately, the east wind picked up and we were heading directly into it at only 2 knots. At that rate we would have arrived in the early morning. We looked at each other, assessed our situation and fact that only a small amount of water that was coming in and we decided to turn around and continue on our way north keeping a close eye on the situation. 

It was about 2300, my bedtime, and despite all the excitement, I put my head on the pillow and was immediately in dreamland as usual. We reached the west end of the Abacos Bank by sunrise and continued northwest headed for the Gulf Stream in 2000+ foot deep water. Several hours later  we realized we had entered the Gulf Stream when the water got a bit choppy and the temperature went up to  76 degree. We were also traveling at 9+ knots according the the GPS, several knots more than the average 7 knot boat speed through the water. We had a glorious days and nights of sailing, with a nearly full moon and very little motoring. We were quite fortunate that the weather window Chris Parker and Tim had predicted were perfect. We had no adverse conditions and we settled into our offshore rhythm with ease.

A little friend who joined me on my morning watch.

Tim decided there was not enough excitement during his day watch and decided to do some trolling He caught a mahi mahi but unfortunately he didn't get the assistance of his trusty mate as I was sound asleep, and the lucky fish got away. There is a lot that has to happen on board a sailboat to land a fish while sailing. Later on the third day of the crossing Tim caught something big. We worked for an hour to get it along side and it was a six foot Black Tip Shark known to be excellent eating. However, landing a six foot shark on a sailboat is not feasible.  Thankfully the thrashing shark broke the line and solved the dilemma of how we were going to release the fish. Tim got quite a workout and settled into a well deserved rest.

Working for an hour trying to reel in something big.

A six foot Black Tip Shark 

During the last day of the crossing we suddenly realized we had slowed down. We checked the water temperature ans it had also plummeted to 72 F. How did we lose the Gulf Stream and were we now north or south of it.  Tim thought we had sailed north of it and I thought we sailed south of it. We did a couple of zig zag legs to try to find it and eventually decided to just change our course to sail for Beaufort inlet. Since we never did find the Gulf Stream again, we must have sailed out of it to the north. Since our landfall was likely to be in the middle of the night and Beaufort Inlet can be tricky with strong currents, we decided to sail for Cape Lookout, anchor and get some sleep. 

Gulf Stream map current velocities and direction of flow.

We arrived at Cape Lookout on April 14th at 3 AM, dropped the hook, and were soon fast asleep. In total, we traveled approximately 615 miles from Green Turtle Cay, Bahamas to Morehead City/Beaufort, North Carolina, averaging 7.5 kts. quite an accomplishment!  

Sunrise at Cape Lookout, North Carolina.

We awoke to a gorgeous morning and had a hearty breakfast using up all the food items that are prohibited  to bring into the States. We sailed an hour to Beaufort Inlet and proceeded to Morehead City to meet up with US Customs and Border Patrol officials. A custom official arrived at the dock within an hour, checked our passports and boat documentation, welcomed us back the the States, and sent us on our way.  We then continued north for a couple of hours and west up the Neuse River toward New Bern, NC where we would be  leaving Kuivato to rest for a month. We anchored one last night along the south shore of the River, delaying the end of the journey on last night. The next day we sailed the final miles to New Bern and  docked at the Bridgepointe Marina where Kuivato would rest until Tim and his Dad returned a month later in warmer weather to sail her home to Kittery, Maine.

Kuivato at the Bridgepointe Marina in New Bern, NC

Our route to Beaufort, NC

Two days after driving back to Kittery Maine, we enjoyed our first and last day of skiing for the season, atop Bretton Woods with Mt. Washington in the background.

Eleuthera and the Abacos

We woke up to find a massive cruise ship anchored at our stern ferrying passengers to shore. In short order there were jets skis buzzing us signaling it was time to set sail  for Eleuthera. We sailed a fast and squirrelly downwind run from Little San Salvador to Eleuthera; well it was downwind until we turned the corner for Rock Sound  and we were now beating into the wind. We started the engine but soon determined that we could make faster forward progress under sail tacking into the wind. As soon as we joined the dozen or so cruisers at anchor in Rock Sound Harbor, all to familiar DJ music started blaring across the water from the nearby community local homecoming regatta shack. We soon saw many of the cruisers heading to shore and figured we would join them. The event turned out to be a fundraiser for a local with a medical condition so we purchased the usual dinner of BBQ chicken, peas n rice, mac n cheese, and cole slaw. Exploring  the island was interesting as they too have a blue hole right in town and they have developed the surrounding land into a lovely park, Ocean Hole Park, with walkways and gardens circling the hole. While walking through the park we met the manager of the Princess Cruise Lines "tropical village" (similar to the village we anchored by on Little San Salvador) which we had sailed past along the south shore of Eleuthera. He indicated the the operation employs about 50 locals which was good to hear. He also boasted that they take tourists on trips into the communities which was also good to hear, but of the 3000 or so passengers, only about 100 choose to go on the field trips and escape the fabricated cruise line playgrounds. 

Just relaxing in the hammock.

The next day we needed to find a location with internet access to get some business done and we started out heading to a restaurant/bar that everyone said would fit the bill. Upon arrival we were told they had some problem with their internet connection and didn't know when it would be repaired. So off we went in search of  a "coffee shop" that supposedly had free wifi and had some positive reviews on Active Captain.  The coffee shop turned out to be a clothing store with a coffee urn behind the counter.  The woman working the shop was not internet savy and didn't know the password to access the wifi. We continued our search and had heard of a nearby beach bar that was reported to have wifi, so off we went. Upon arrival at the beach bar we found it had recently closed! While the bar was closed, we wondered if the wifi might still be on and bingo, it was. So we sat down at a table on the deck and started getting some internet tasks done and making Skype calls. At one point, someone associated with the restaurant arrived, confirmed the restaurant was closed, unlocked a door, went inside briefly, exited, locked the door and left. A moment later the wifi connection died. Obviously, the fellow had turned off the wifi and oddly not said a word to us as he left.... unusually unfriendly behavior for the Bahamas. 

On a more fortunate note, once back at the town dock where the dinghy was tied up, several local fishermen had arrived with their daily catch. They certainly seem to know where to search for lobsters and snapper. We bought some of all of the above along with the friendly locals and were delighted to score such fresh fish, yum.

The next morning, yoga on the foredeck for me, a run for Tim, a refreshing swim and French toast for breakfast, what could be nicer? Then northward we sail in a brisk breeze.  We do everything possible to sail instead of motoring including delaying departures if necessary. We arrived a Governors Harbor by mid afternoon and there was quite a swell rolling into the harbor from the northwest, so we tucked ourselves as close to the northeast shore as possible to get out of the worst of the swell until the wind clocked around to the north and east. We eventually found internet access at the local library, did some provisioning, and were able to get our scuba tank filled. It turned out the woman at the dive shop also sold all sorts of items (hand bags, bracelets, picture frames, baskets) she made by weaving discarded colorful telephone wire. We bought one of her pieces that became a lampshade for the LED light bulb we hang in the cockpit. The day was topped off with a lovely 2 mile walk to the ocean side of the island which brought us to a pink sand beach....beautiful. The pink in the sand orignates from the pink coral on the off shore reefs.

The next day our journey northward continued with another  magnificent sail and we arrived at a beautiful anchorage just south of a location known as the Glass Window with time to do some exploring before sunset. 

At anchor near the Glass Window.

The Glass Window is the narrowest part of Eleuthera where the land had been eroded by the fierce Atlantic Ocean to form what was a natural rock arch with the shallow Bahamas bank to the west and the ocean to the east. The  natural land bridge collapsed decades ago and replaced with bridges that repeatedly have been has been torn apart in various storms and rebuilt. We heard the most recent damage from a storm shifted the last bridge a couple feet west.  The views of the crashing waves from the bridge are spectacular and we could only wonder when the bridge would next come tumbling down. Apparently Winslow Homer was also admired the Glass Window, see his painting below from 1885  when the natural bridge was present

The Glass Window on Eleuthera.

Winslow Homer painting of the Glass Window in 1885.

The next day we were off early to pass through a narrow cut, Current Cut with its strong currents, but once again we  timed it perfectly and arrived at slack low tide. Also, having to deal weekly with strong currents in the Piscataqua River at home, any currents we have encountered during our trip have been a cake walk. We decided to anchor off of Little Egg Island to dive on the wreck of the Arimoria, a freighter that caught fire and was run aground in the 1970s. The current over the wreck was quite swift so we anchored Kuivato nearby and launched "Little K" to get over the wreck. We then positioned ourselves up current of the wreck, jumped in, and drifted with the dinghy over the wreck. We both held onto  lines tied to the dinghy and had a very cool drift dive. The wreck was a huge ship that the Captain had purposefully run aground when it became evident the fire could not be controlled and they needed to abandon ship. Apparently the cargo of guano fertilizer burned for weeks. 

Freighter wreck pretty well torn apart by storms.

One of the freighter engines.

 After the dive we went around to the west and lee shore of Little Egg Island and we made our way cautiously toward the shore.  The charts showed lots of coral heads and shallows but it looked as though we could work our way in close to a lovely little beach. Tim hopped in the dinghy with the handheld depth sounder to sound the entry while I practiced keeping Kuivato in place  in the deeper water. After we got settled we went swimming and enjoyed our last dinner before making the crossing to the Abacos with plans to depart before sunrise.

We left before sunrise, enjoyed another smooth crossing with about a dozen other sailboats and caught two 40+ inch Mahi Mahi. There would be no shortage of fish for a while! 

Tim filleting  Mahi Mahi on our rail mounted fish cleaning table.

The few cuts through the reefs and islands on the eastern edge of the Abacos are known for having rage seas when there are high winds and seas. Fortunately, when we arrived the seas were relatively calm when we arrived and entering through Little Harbor Cut was smooth, especially with the electronic charts on OZ. Instead of anchoring with the dozens of other boats by Lynyrad Cay to the north, we decided to anchor in a bight just east of the Little Harbor entrance that we had to ourselves. There was a bit of swell making its way from the cut into the cove, so Tim rigged a bridle on the anchor line to point the bow into the swell which made it quite comfortable.  We took the dinghy into the famous Pete's Pub beach bar and enjoyed their signature Blaster rum punch. Pete and his Father are well known for brass sculptures produced in an on site foundry. We toured the foundry and bought Tim a birthday belt with a brass sea turtle belt buckle made at the foundry; a nice bit of the Abacos to bring home.

Enjoying a drink at Pete's Pub

The next day we had a relaxing sail north and anchored in a sandy patch off of Pelican Cay. We were pleased to still find deserted glorious beaches in the Abacos. We awoke early anxious to meet up again with Graham and Janaki on Leela who were sailing overnight from Nassau to the Abacos. We turned the VHF radio on and instantly heard them hailing a motor boat that had just passed through North Bar Channel Cut to get a report on the cut conditions. The motor boat never responded, but we did and were able to guide them to our anchorage just north of the cut.

Leela entering the Abacos after an overnight sail from Nassau 

While Graham and Janaki were relaxing after their overnight sail, Tim and I went snorkeling at the Pelican Cay reef which is one of the Bahamas Land and Sea Park preserve areas.  It was truly the best dive of the trip. While the water was a bit stirred up, the size of the reef and the fish was impressive. I have never seen so many varieties of fish including a school of spotted sting rays each over 6 feet in diameter, going back and forth patrolling the edge of the reef! Watching the prehistoric looking creatures slowly sail by was totally breathtaking. We practiced our free diving and were able to comfortably hang out 30 feet for a good minute taking in the magnificent underwater scene.

What fun to have Leela back with us and sharing Tim's birthday dinner, fresh mahi mahi.

This time I prepared it with onions peppers and feta cheese and poached it on the grill, perfecto!

Since we had a "schedule" to depart the Abacos in a week, we needed to move along, so we sailed north to an anchorage  just outside Hopetown. We were anchored on 6 feet of water and enjoyed serene swim, snorkle and yoga on the bow with Leela. In the morning we went into the harbor and picked up a mooring owned by the Hope Town Inn and Marina. With the $15 mooring fee you got access to their  very very nice facility with a waterfront pool and bar.  We went ashore and climbed the candy striped red and white lighthouse built in 1864. Apparently it was built with much controversy as many of the locals known as "wreckers", wanted the nearby reef to remain unmarked so they could reap the spoils  of vessels that would wreck  on the reef. The lighthouse still has the original kerosene wick lamp and is hand wound every few hours. After climbing the lightHouse we retired to the pool at the marina. It  was the first time we have ever swam in a pool and had a drink at a bar in the pool; what a hoot.

View of Hope Town from the lighthouse.

Very cool door handles on the lighthouse tower door.

The next day we enjoyed exploring town which had a quite an English influence and doing provisioning, before sailing on to Green Turtle Cay. Chris Parker predicted there was a good blow was coming so we wanted to be in a secure harbor for a couple of nights. We stayed at Donnie's Dock and Marina for $15/ day with $1/ day internet and water at $.10/ gallon on the honor system. What a fabulous find plus there were wonderful cruisers at the dock who became fast friends. One of our goals during this stop was to gather some conch shells to turn into conch horns and we were successful.

Tim opening coconuts and cleaning our conch shell collection.

I organized a potluck gathering the next night for the five boats on the dock and we had a ball touring each other's floating homes while eating delicious smoked Alaskan salmon and conch salad among other delicious dishes.

The next morning April 10th, we prepared to depart for our crossing back to the US. Our plan was to sail nonstop  westward through the Abacos and northward with the Gulf Stream. Chris Parker and the weather maps indicated we had a nice five day window to likely sail all the way to Beaufort, NC in relatively favorable winds and weather. Our new friends arrived to wish us smooth sailing and off we sailed with hopes of returning to the Bahamas in the not to distant future. What a pleasure we have had meeting so many wonderful  cruising friends in these past few months, many I am certain will be lifelong.