This is a collection of emails sent to our friends during our trip. Throughout this article, you can click on the thumbnail pictures to enlarge them.
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Trapped in the Florida Keys again
White Water Rafting In A 33' Sailboat – Farmer’s Cay
George Town, Great Exuma Island
Sunday morning, 22 April, we departed Bahia Beach Marina for our first leg down the West coast of Florida to Venice, Florida. It was a pleasant 55 nm (nautical mile), 10.5 hour trip down the coast.
April 23, we planned a 60 nm trip to Ft Myers Beach, but we had developed a contingency plan to go straight to Key West if the weather looked good. From Venice to Key West would be 160 nm, about 32 hrs. The trip down the West Coast was uneventful except the wind was on the nose, so we couldn't sail and we were fighting a 1 knot current. We were going to be late in arriving at Ft Myers Beach. We checked the weather and decided to head on to Key West.
Captain Ron had warned us about many things – the pirates of the Caribbean, the Gorillas, the Cubans, etc. (Captain Ron from the favorite cruiser movie “Captain Ron”)
As the sun was getting low over the eastern Gulf of Mexico, we were 50 miles from the nearest land, heading South towards the Keys and Cuba. Then it happened, without warning. First one, then two, then three Cubans caught us from astern and boarded Windancer, uninvited. Who knew that Cubans would be roaming this far north.
Three
Cuban canaries took up temporary residence on Windancer. They were very small
and were dark green with bright yellow markings. They flitted around the deck
and walked right up to us. One flew into the cabin where it presented itself as
a flying snack to our attack cat BD. BD sprang and got close enough to taste
feathers. The Cubans beat a hasty retreat. BD saves the day.
We sailed on into the sunset and the Keys. Will BD be as effective against the pirates and the gorillas? Only time will tell.
“If it’s going to happen, it’s going to happen out there”
Captain Ron
Overnight sails are not Sue's favorite thing. Our second overnight sail last year was a 30 hour shot from Apalachicola, in the Florida panhandle, to Tarpon Springs under a perfect weather forecast. On that trip, the weather followed the forecaFound (Chicken Cay)
This is a collection of emails (with some additions) sent to our friends during our trip.
Throughout this article, you can click on the thumbnail pictures to enlarge them.
On 13 April, after months of planning and preparation, we departed our land home in Texas for our sea home, Windancer. We arrived at Bahia Beach Marina, on the East side of Tampa Bay, on the 14th. Windancer has been tied to the dock here for over 8 months, since our return from "Bahamas Adventure 2000". We spent a week on the boat, cleaning, inspecting, repairing, buying and loading provisions for the next 3 months. Then we did a shake down sail out into Tampa Bay and back. We won't go into detail, but repairs and other needed items required multiple trips to West Marine (read that as $, $, and more $).
In
addition to Sue and I, this year we added a third crewmember, BD, our
10-month-old female Siamese cat. She had already
logged a lot of miles in our land yacht, but had never been on a boat. The
first day in the marina, while negotiating a right turn on the dock, she cut the
corner and became acquainted with salt water. After that first misstep, she did
pretty well. She slept most of the day, and at night she patrolled the deck and
cockpit.
Key West 34 hours later, on 24 April.
We planned to spend a lay day, the 25th, in Key West and then move up the keys to Marathon to wait for favorable weather to cross the Gulf Stream to the Bahamas. Weather on the 25th was great, but the forecast for the 26th was bad. So after one night in Key West we moved on to Marathon.
The trip up the keys was beautiful. Light winds, calm seas, beautiful water and puffy clouds. Sue typed emails as we were sailing.
The
weather still had us, and hundreds of other sailors, waiting on both sides of
the Gulf Stream. Steve VanRoekel, and his friend Jay were going to join us in
Nassau, Bahamas, but changed their plans and met us in the Florida Keys at
Marathon. They went SCUBA diving on a few of the many reefs off Marathon and
kayaked through the mangrove swamps of Boot Key. We sailed down to Key West and
spent four days trying to show them the town. Key West is a great town, a
little like New Orleans and a little like no where else. You can’t see it in a
week, so much great history, unique homes, plants, trees, beaches, sunsets, and
on and on. Steve and Jay left us on May 12, and we sailed back to Marathon on
Sunday, May 13,
The weather pattern was beginning to change and we and the other sailors were moving up the Keys to anchor and wait for the wind to come out of the south.
The weather looked right. The crossing was planned to take 12 hours and we needed good light, at the other end, to navigate the reefs and coral heads that guard the entrance between Gun Cay and North Cat Cay (pronounced 'key'). We planned a 3:30 AM departure from our anchorage off of Key Largo in order to arrive between Cat and Gun Cays about 3:00 in the afternoon.
3:00 AM came early and dark, with the moon hidden by clouds. Warm up the diesel, close and latch all hatches, fire up the electronics, set the batteries, pull up the anchor; and we were off on another adventure. We navigated out of the anchorage, in the dark, using GPS and radar. One by one we found our reference points and worked our way across the reef and into the open Gulf Stream.
Clouds masked the crescent moon to the east, but it finally broke through and provided a glisteny path across the water. What a difference the moon makes to your spirits, from dark and foreboding to having an illuminated sparkling path.
The sun brought the first faint light to the eastern sky, the clouds and ocean blended in gray and the horizon disappeared into an endless sea.
As the lights of the Florida Keys disappeared one by one, we were finally alone at sea. No lights, no ships, no one but us. We had done it before, but there are always questions in the back of the mind. A hundred things could go wrong out here with no road to pull over to the side of and flag down help. It is up to you. You plan and prepare, and then you take the challenge.
6:37
a.m. and the sun came up out of the ocean as an orange sphere through the
clouds. Spirits rose another notch as the sun made a red sparkling path across
the deep blue water.
Ten miles into the Gulf Stream we were nearing its core. At the core, the stream travels to the north at 3.5 knots, which is significant when compared to our average speed of 5 to 5.5 knots. With the boost from the Gulf Stream, we were doing between 7 and 8 knots toward our destination.
Forty
miles into the Gulf Stream, the sky cleared, the sea flattened and we had a
steady 6-knot breeze with which to sail. Sue caught and boated three Dolphin
(the fish - they are great to eat). I caught one Dolphin, but he did a
spectacular aerial back flip about 20 yards behind the boat and won his freedom.
Other than the flying fish that were skittering across waves, we were alone sitting on a flat table of blue, with nothing but water, sky and us.
Land
was sighted. As we approached the pass between Cat and Gun Cays, we dropped the
sails and prepared for the twisted path around and through the reef. With Sue
on the bow reading the water color to keep us in the channel and avoiding the
coral heads, we safely passed through. We were now on the Great Bahama Banks
and behind North Cat Cay.
We pulled into Cat Cay Yacht Club to refuel, clear customs,
and spend the night. You could see through the crystal blue water to the
starfish and other creatures below. It was incredibly quiet. We almost wanted
to whisper. Palm trees surrounded the area and beyond was pale blue water.
We cleared customs and were now ready to go on across the banks, followed by a short stop in Nassau and then on to quiet anchorages, fishing and snorkeling in the Exumas.
We had some of the Dolphin for dinner that night.
Turquoise water as far as the eye can see. One other boat traveling in the same direction about 400 yards away. Water only about 12 feet deep and you can see starfish, soft coral, sea grass, sea cucumbers and other life. Water was unbelievably clear.
We
left Cat Cay about 9 AM on May 17 on our way to Nassau. It would take two days
of sailing to get there. We spent the first day crossing the Great Bahama
Banks. The Banks are a vast plateau of sand and grass under about 12 feet of
water. The whole day we only saw about 10 boats. No land in sight the whole
day. Spent the time admiring the beautiful water, reading, relaxing, talking,
navigating.
We
sailed until about 7 pm and covered about 60 nautical miles. Then we anchored
for the night. Still no land in sight - we just anchored on the banks. Watched
the sun set and had a rum and coke. Cooked one of the Dolphin that we had
caught on the crossing. Sautéed it in olive oil with garlic put in lime juice
and some salsa and served it over pasta with black beans and corn - actually
quite tasty. The night came on us slowly, getting blacker and blacker. We
could see the anchor lights of 3 other boats way off on the horizon. Stars were
incredible. We slept in the cockpit as the night was so beautiful. The Banks
were flat and reflected the stars with small ripples in between. About 11 pm
the wind generator started up - the wind was picking up.
Sun came up about 6:45 a.m. and we were off again headed to Nassau. We were in the Northwest Channel, deep water. Bob was fishing. Sue was ahead 3 to 0.
I
caught up with Sue this day. I caught a 4 foot Dolphin (also called Mahi-Mahi or
Dorado). We got 7 meals out of that one. It was an exciting feat getting this
fish into the boat. Actually getting him in the boat was not that bad. It was
when he came back to life, after we thought he was dead - then the excitement
began. Very exciting!!!
Outside of Nassau Harbor, we noticed 2 America's Cup boats racing. The boats are manned by tourists who pay for the privilege of crewing and sailing these magnificent boats. Definitely something we want to do on the next trip!
We
made it to Nassau Harbor where the action was fast, see the picture, and got a
slip at Hurricane Hole Marina on Paradise Island which was across the harbor
from Nassau. Walked around Nassau and went to see the aquarium at
Atlantis
(Casino and Water Resort). The aquarium has 33,000 fish and is quite
spectacular. We walked around Nassau and saw some interesting sites. Hiked our
way up to Fort Fincastle which gave us a great view of Nassau.
We made it to the Exumas - pretty islands, crystal clear water and not a lot of people.
The trip from
Nassau was 8 hours of slogging into 15 to 20
knots of wind and picking our way through the coral heads on the Yellow Banks.
No chance to sail until the last hour. Slogging is, of course, a technical term
for going very slowly straight into the wind, and bucking into the waves, with
the boat rocking up and down. The forecast was different than the actual
weather, otherwise we would have waited another day. Spent the first night
after
Nassau at Ship Channel Cay. Nothing special here except protection from the
wind and a secure anchorage for the night.
Wednesday, May
23, we made a short trip to Allan’s Cay.
Anchorage was in the middle of three surrounding
islands, Allan’s Cay, Southwest Allan’s Cay, and Leaf Cay. Really pretty here
and on the islands were iguanas. As soon we landed our dinghy, the iguanas
started coming out of the trees. Probably the largest one we saw was about 3
feet. Not as big as the iguana we saw in
Marathon last
year, neat though. Went for a walk to some ruins of an old home on the island
and you could hear the iguanas moving about in the vegetation.
Water was
clear here and we did some snorkeling and just swimming around. Didn't see
anything really special, lots of fire coral.
Had to put out two anchors as the change in the tide/current would turn us around 180 degrees. Watched several boats trying unsuccessfully to get anchored. One boat spent well over an hour trying to get anchored.
Stayed at a
very small
Marina at Highborne Cay. Mostly multimillion
dollar power yachts here. A chance for us to get fuel and water. In the Exumas
it was not as easy to get fuel and water as it was in the Abacos. We were very
conservative with water consumption. We had been out for four days and only
used 15 gallons of water. We had 105 gallons on board so we should be ok.
We bicycled
around the island, and then ate dinner at a barbecue on the beach. Met several
cruisers. It was a good chance to meet and talk to others.
We had eaten most of our dolphin. Made seviche out of some of it - really good. Also tried it breaded and fried, grilled, in a stew with rice and tomatoes, with salsa, and cooked in coconut cream with a little coconut rum added. All very good. Didn't have any recipes, just made each one up as we wanted.
Got fresh home baked bread at Highborne.
We left on May 26 and headed to another island and some new adventures.
Norman’s Cay was very interesting. It had been the center of a drug smuggling
operation in the late 1970s and early 1980s. The runway and buildings are still
there and were fun to explore. The buildings were overgrown and abandoned cars
had trees growing through them. However, you still got a feel for the size of
the operation that went on here - the radio tower next to the comm center and
main office, the executive area on top of the hill (with fortifications and
lookout tower), the quarters for the troops down by the beach, the home of the
drug lord located at the top of another hill. They all had gaudy wallpaper and
ceiling treatments.
In
addition there was a DC-3 sitting in 5 feet of water in the lagoon of the
anchorage. Interesting to snorkel around.
We went to dinner at McDuff’s on Norman’s Cay. It is a small resort and restaurant located next to the runway with great hamburgers and French fries.
We left Norman’s Cay on May 29 headed toward Staniel Cay.
Staniel Cay is where parts of James Bond’s “Thunderball” was filmed in the mid 1960s.
Thunderball Grotto is an underwater cave/chamber in an island. The top is open
and lets in the sunlight to light up the waters that are full of the colorful
tropical fish. There are several entrances/exits into the cave. Really great to
snorkel – we went there twice. Across from the island and grotto is Club
Thunderball, a neat restaurant. The settlement at Staniel Cay is colorful,
friendly, and sports 3 grocery stores (small garages) and 2 marinas. The Staniel
Cay Yacht Club is an interesting Mecca for cruisers in this part of the Bahamas.
Great food.
We
anchored here for one day on the way down to George Town, and also stopped here
on the way back from George Town. Sue thought this was one of the most
beautiful anchorages, but she says that about almost every anchorage. The
anchorage was a mile across with white sand bottom, crystal water and a half a
dozen beaches. The largest beach was covered with coconut palms. The day we
were there the sky was clear blue with a few puffy white clouds. The water color
was so pretty that it looks painted on the bottom.
We ate dinner at Lorene’s Café - a really neat spot. Lorene runs the restaurant by herself and she will teach you how to cook the Bahamian dishes. Her mother bakes coconut bread that you could buy to take back to the boat. It was fantastic for French toast.
The Exumas is a chain of islands that lay between Exuma Sound and the Banks. Exuma Sound is part of the Atlantic Ocean and responds to the Atlantic tide changes. As the tide in the Sound raises, it flows through the cuts between the islands to raise the level of the thousands of square miles of the Banks. The flow of water through the breaks in the island chain (cuts) is a significant force to be reckoned with. When the tide goes from high to low, the Banks are holding excess water that must flow back through the cuts to the Sound and the ocean. The flow rate was so high in some cuts that we could not enter or exit against the flow with our 5 to 6 knots of speed. Timing entrances and exits to work with the tide was essential. Even with the timing right, it was not a piece of cake.
The winds on Exuma Sound had been out of the Southeast at 10 to 15 knots. This built a heavy surge of waves crashing against the Eastern side of the islands and reefs, and when the departing flow from the cuts met the waves from the Southeast, turmoil ensued. The cut looked relatively calm when the tide was flowing into the cut with the waves, but when they were opposed, you had to hang on for a ride. Waves crashing into waves, current fighting current. It looked like a rapids ride at Whitewater. Waves crashed over the bow, and over the cabin as we tried to plow through the turmoil of waves. BD (our cat) came up to the cockpit to see what was going on just as a wave came over the bow and cabin and into the cockpit. She had seen enough and ran to her bed. We made it through, Sue said, "Boy was that scary". One more adventure to store away in our minds.
That wasn't all the excitement for the day, as Sue caught a couple more fish, and then caught a really Big One. Fight as she would, she was out gunned. The fish was far bigger than her tackle could support. The monster of the deep departed with her favorite lure.
We reached our south most destination, George Town in the
Exumas. George Town is a Mecca for Bahama cruisers and hosts as many as 450
cruising boats anchored in Elizabeth Harbor during the winter months. The
harbor is well suited for this winter migration as it is protected by barrier
islands and has about 100 square miles of white sand bottom covered by 6 to 10
feet of crystal water. George Town is unique in that it is circular, built
around a salt water lake with a single 10' wide channel leading from the harbor,
under a bridge, and into the lake. Well stocked grocery stores, marine
supplies, home baked bread and pastries could be found easily. It was a
thriving metropolis of 900 people, the biggest town in the Exumas.
The spring/summer migration was complete. The 450 winter
cruising boats had left, only to be replaced by 50 to75 summer cruising boats.
What a great collection of water gypsies from all over the world. It was a mix
of people who all love the water, tropical islands, and a soft warm breeze. The
boats ranged from mega yachts to older boats that seemed to say "look at me, I
can still float". Every kind, description, and age.
We stayed in George Town for 3 days and were ready to depart to other places. From this point, we headed back north to explore some of the hundreds of islands that we had bypassed on the way down.
We definitely
found paradise island, better known as Chicken Cay, or Foul Cay on some charts.
It was a private island with 2 homes overlooking the Bahama Banks. Views were
incredible. The homes were not fancy luxurious homes, but metal buildings with
a large kitchen/eating area, living area and beds. They had their own cisterns
to collect rainwater for drinking. They even had a grass, of sorts, back yard.
The island was surrounded by, of course, turquoise water in different hues. The
island had a small runway, 3 fabulous sand beaches, coral gardens to snorkel and
was definitely out of the main stream. I'm sure you would get bored after a
time here, but from a visitors perspective, it looked perfect. No one had been
staying in the cabins while we were anchored here. They looked like perfect
cabins for a several month stay.
The anchorage
formed a 3 sided box around us, only accessible from the northeast. 300 yards
to the Southwest of us was a white sand beach, 200 yards long. Protecting us to
the Northwest and Southeast were two ragged coral walls. To the Northwest the
wall was 400 yards of barren jagged coral rising 6 feet out of the water and
terminating in numerous coral heads just beneath the surface. To the Southwest
the wall was 700 yards long, taller and partially covered with low vegetation.
We were
anchored here for three days and we could have stayed for many more. We were the
only boat here and could see no others anchored around. The stars at night were
incredible and Sue was learning the constellations. Also at night, the
fluorescent algae were active around our boat making it look like miniature
bombs were going off under the water. We had seen approximately 3 boats per day
pass by. One of the best things about the anchorage was that Sue could snorkel
from the boat. She saw lots of different coral formations including stag
horn
coral, and of course lots of reef fish. She also dove for sandollars. The
Bahama sandollars are configured different than the United States ones. The
Bahamian ones have 6 holes while the US ones have only 5.
Getting to this anchorage was not easy. We had by-passed 2 anchorages that we had thought would be good, but were not. Came through some shallow water and sort of picked our way to Chicken Cay . Thank goodness for a navigator's skills.
600 yards to the north of the anchorage, across a channel was Rocky Dundas, the southernmost island in the Exuma Land and Sea Park. Exploring it, we found 2 caves that you could enter from the water. Once inside, the caves opened to reveal large domed rooms of stalactites and stalagmites with holes in the ceiling allowing the sun to spill through. Just us and the fish to share the beauty. Outside the caves, the coral gardens and marine life surrounded the island with huge purple fans, stag horn coral 6 feet across and sponges and fish beyond measure. The numbers and size of fish and coral here were beyond anything we had seen before and we had it to ourselves.
This was by far the best anchorage – so far!
Next we were on our way to the Exuma Land and Sea Park. This is a protected area that was supposed to be spectacular. Nothing could beat the peace and tranquility of Chicken Cay.
We arrived at
the north anchorage at Warderick Wells on June 14. Warderick Wells is the
headquarters for the Exuma Land and Sea Park. The Park is 176 square miles of
protected area in the Exumas. This means no fishing, thus fantastic
snorkeling. Also, there are no commercial businesses within the park area.
This helps to preserve the beauty and pristine quality of the area. The Park
Warden along with his family lives at Warderick Wells and runs a small
headquarters office.
There
are moorings set up at Warderick Wells which makes it easy to come in and get
settled. No worries about whether the anchor is set, especially in a
channel with strong tidal currents which shift your boat around 180 degrees.
The site was spectacular. Fabulous color changes in the water.
Moorings were in dark blue deep water surrounded by light blue and almost
white very shallow water. We went to shore and visited with the Warden and his
wife and son, and then hiked up to Boo Boo Hill. At an elevation of 70
feet it gave a spectacular view of the
area. Boaters have been leaving the names of their boats up there for
years, carved or painted on anything from driftwood to fishing floats, to old
outboard motors.
We snorkeled a
reef located at a cut just a short dinghy ride from out boat. This was the best
snorkeling ever! As we were getting into the water when a 6 foot lemon shark
swam by. No worries, they do not harm humans. The soft coral formations were
colorful and intoxicating. Their waving movements entice you to continue. The
hard corals were in huge formations with many colorful fish swimming in and out
of small caverns. We watched in fascination as a lobster walked across the
bottom from one coral formation to another. What a dinner he would have made.
And then to cap it all off, 3 huge rays, one a spotted eagle ray, swam by in
formation. This was by far the best!
We stayed here 2 nights and left early in the morning on June 16 headed to Shroud Cay.
After Warderick Wells we weren’t sure if there could be anything more spectacular. But there was Shroud Cay. We anchored about 400 yards from the shore as it was very shallow. Sue swam to the shoreline to see what the snorkeling would be like. Nothing special. She stopped at a small beach and I joined her there. We hiked up to the top of the hill where there was a fresh water well. It was nothing that we wanted to drink, although we noticed another cruiser had brought back containers full of the water.
In
the afternoon, we went for a dinghy ride. The center of Shroud Cay was made
up of mangrove swamps with many creeks to be explored. Sue was told that
there was a creek that went from the north end of the island on the Banks side
and ended up at the Sound side of the island. The view was purported to
gorgeous. We had to see it. We left about 2 hours before high tide.
The creeks can be very shallow so
would
best to go on a rising tide. We traveled along the creek bordered by
mangroves. As was the case with most of our ventures in the Exumas,
we were by
ourselves. The creeks were quite wide, very shallow, and
meandering.
First we were on the right side, then we needed to move over to the left side,
then maybe back to the right – always searching for the deepest part. Sue
was constantly taking pictures, as the vistas just got better and better.
Finally we rounded a curve in the creek and up ahead
we
could see the
creek meeting up with the Sound. The colors of the water were incredible.
White white sand, deep blue to nearly white water.
Fantastic! It was as beautiful as we were told. The current was
running pretty
good, but we found a deep spot of water protected by a large rock outcropping -
a perfect place for a dip. We
hiked around a bit and then headed back to the boat.
The Exumas were more than we expected - the fantastic vistas, the beautiful water, the more than spectacular snorkeling, the ability to get off and be alone or anchor in amongst other cruisers, the great Bahamian food, the total adventure of it all. The navigation was more difficult than the Abacos, but the beautiful anchorages were worth it.
We headed back to the US none too soon as the weather deteriorated in the Bahamas as tropical wave after tropical wave swept through.
We left the
Exumas and spent 2 days in the Nassau area at the Atlantis Marina and the
Atlantis Resort. What a great water resort. It was very classy with lots of
great restaurants, different swimming areas from lagoons to water slides to many
different shapes of swimming pools plus ocean front beach. In addition, there
was a casino and nightly entertainment. We went to see Don't Stop the Carnival,
the Jimmy Buffett musical. Very good!
www.atlantis.com
After Nassau, we spent 2 days crossing the Great Bahama Banks to Cat Cay. The plan was to stop at Cat Cay Marina and fill up on diesel for the crossing of the Gulf Stream and the 2 day run down the Keys to Marathon. Approaching Cat Cay, Sue called the marina and was informed that they were out of diesel. They would get some possibly the next week. They were the only marina in the Cat and Gun Cay area and we could not make it to Marathon without diesel, especially since the wind would be on our nose.
A quick re-plan and we jumped into the Gulf Stream and headed north to Bimini. Entering a harbor like Bimini with major sand bars and a narrow unmarked channel was always a challenge, but we got in without incident. We got into the marina, loaded on fuel, moved the boat and tied up to the marina wall just before a thunderstorm moved in. Our timing was perfect and we watched boats struggling to get into Bimini with the mounting wind and waves.
That night I re-planned our Gulf Stream crossing from Bimini to Key Biscayne. My calculations said the crossing would take about 12 hours, and we wanted good light to work our way out of the marina and Bimini channels. We departed Bimini at 6:45 in calm winds. We motor sailed for hour after uneventful hour. Sue did catch a nice sized Dolphin, so we would have a good dinner.
After about 10 hours of motor sailing, we were about 10 miles from Key Biscayne, the weather started to look bad. The radar showed a 4 mile by 8 mile thunderstorm over Miami heading our way. We dropped and secured the main sail in preparation for the high wind that would accompany the storm. As the wind and waves built we rolled in the Genoa (the large sail at the front of the boat) .
The storm hit and had winds just over 30 knots. We motored through the storm, but our progress toward Key Biscayne was extremely poor as we were fighting the wind and the waves. In a half hour, the worst of the storm was over and we started making good progress again. The wind remained about 15 to 20 knots, so we could not use much sail. We unrolled about half of the Genoa, which is only about 25% of its area. Our speed increased by better than a knot. Things were looking good.
The radar picked up another storm over Miami and this one was much larger and it was heading right for us. With our speed of 6 knots, we do not have the ability to outrun or even get out of the way of any storm. The wind built back into the 20s and we continued to motorsail with half of the Genoa still out. We were able to maintain our course for Key Biscayne while fighting about 2.5 knot flow of the Gulf Stream.
About 6 miles off of Key Biscayne, we could see the heart of a storm approaching with higher winds and waves. We decided to roll in the rest of the Genoa and just motor through the heart of the storm. The Genoa started to roll up and then abruptly stopped. It was too late and too rough to make a trip to the bow to find the problem. We would have to continue with about a third of the sail out.
The wind built into the high 30s and the waves grew. The boat was making some progress, but the Genoa would luff and flap wildly as the wind direction oscillated back and forth. The sail was beating furiously as the wind continued to build.
Then it happened - the furling line that winds up the Genoa snapped and now the entire Genoa was unrolled with no way to roll it back up. The wind pressure that was flapping and tearing at this huge sail on the bow of the boat caused the bow to be pushed downwind and turn the boat across the waves. I was fighting this turning motion with the rudder, but was not able to get the bow back into the wind. Sue attempted to sheet the genoa in a little to stop some of the wild flapping and to provide some driving force from the sail. The force of the wind ripped the Genoa sheet from her hand and the winch. The Genoa sheet was stopped at the block by the knot we had tied at the end. The whipping sail was slashing the Genoa sheets and tying them in huge knots.
The flapping Genoa kept trying to turn the bow downwind, while I kept full right rudder trying to bring the bow back into the wind. The wind speed read 37 knots and our speed through the water was zero. The GPS showed that we were moving across the surface, but this was the Gulf Stream carrying us North. With zero water speed, the rudder has little or no effect. I eased the rudder, the boat turned slightly more downwind but I picked up about a knot of water speed. I worked with this speed and finally by timing my turn on the top of a wave, was able to turn the boat into the wind. Within seconds, the boat blew off onto the opposite tack. We fought it back and got it pointed into the wind again. Pointed into the wind, the sail was beating itself to pieces against the mast and rigging. The sound of the wind, waves and sail beating the rigging was deafening. The sound frightened BD, the cat and she was down below howling. The wind speed still read 37 knots.
We fought to keep the bow about 30 degrees off the wind which seemed to give us some drive and allow us to cross the now very large waves without coming to a stop. The wind continued building and blowing us off, crossways to the wind and waves, but we fought our way back.
Pieces of the sail material were flying off. The wire rigging was full of threads and chunks of material. The sail kept beating and flogging the Genoa sheets. The wind instrument still read 37 knots. How could that be? The wind is not that constant. That was when I realized that the wind sensor at the top of the mast had failed and as we suspected, the wind was well over 37 knots. Miami weather reported winds to 55 knots in this storm.
The storm lasted an hour, the longest and scariest hour that Sue and I had ever spent. With the back side of the storm came the blinding rain. The storm finally eased. When the sea conditions settled enough, I took a trip to the bow to see what could be done. In these conditions, I was connected to the boat by a tether, in case I got washed overboard. I was able to untangle the Genoa sheets and roll up the sail. After securing the sail, I returned to the cockpit.
The Gulf Stream had carried us 2 miles North while we fought the storm. We headed south, got back on course and made it into Key Biscayne. By the time we dropped anchor in Key Biscayne’s No Name Harbor, it was dead calm.
The sail was repaired in Marathon. I made a trip to the top of the mast and found that the wind had unscrewed and disconnected the wind sensor, an easy fix. The radar reflector was destroyed in the beating and we replaced it. I rebuilt and serviced the roller furler and replaced the broken furling line. All in all the damage was less than it first appeared.
As Sue said, "we can check that block off on our list of sailing experiences. We don't need to repeat that again."
After
a week in Marathon, Vaca Key, Florida, Windancer’s damage was repaired and she
was ready to go. We left Marathon on the 1st of July and sailed
across Florida Bay in rain and thunderstorms. Our plan was to take five or six
days and make short hops up Florida’s west coast. As we rounded Cape Sable, the
weather forecast was for light winds through the night, so we decided to take
advantage of the weather window and we sailed through the night. We ended up
sailing over 30 hours and made it to Venice, Florida, just a day’s sail south of
our destination in Tampa Bay. We got into the Crow’s Nest Marina at Venice
before the thunderstorms hit Florida’s west coast. The next day was a perfect
sail, a beam reach over flat water, sunny day and beautiful water. We arrived
back at our slip in Bahai Beach Marina at about 4:00 pm. Another adventure
logged in our memories as we start discussions as to next years adventure.
We spent three days unloading, cleaning, and putting the boat to bed, and then headed back to Texas. Little did we know that the most expensive part of the trip was still in front of us. About 20 miles east of Pensacola, in 100 degree temperatures and crawling speeds due to road construction, the RV transmission overheated and died. Welcome to an unscheduled vacation in Milton, Florida.
We are back home organizing our photos and memories, while we talk of next year and more Bahama adventures.
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