Free Bird heads South: ACROSS THE GREAT BAHAMA BANK

Sorry it has taken so long to post again. It has been a busy few days...

LAST FRIDAY - Got out of bed at 4:40 AM to pill Molly for an anticipated departure time of 6AM. Well, that didn’t really go as planned. The wind was howling and the seas at the mouth of the channel were rough to say the least.

We were travelling with a fleet of sailboats:
White Wings – Catalina 42
Merlin – Catalina 42
Outbound – Catalina 42
Tekla Bramble – Tayana 37
Rag Doll – Pacific Seacraft 26
Mirahala – Lagoon 45

The catamaran (Lagoon 45) took off about noon and the rest of us poured out of the marina and into the harbor one by one. It was really a cool sight. Pretty bumpy on the way out but a lot better than it would have been hours before.

We threw out the genoa immediately and within an hour we were able to turn east, put up the main and sail on to the Bahama Bank. It was the best sailing we have had yet averaging 6 to 7 knots of speed in about 10 to 15 knots of wind for hours. The Bahama Bank is only about 7 to 15 feet deep for almost 60 miles which is just amazing. The 2 smaller boats fell way behind and they followed a slightly different course heading for Chub Cay. (By the way, you pronounce cay like “key”.) When we are in rough seas, we put Molly in her kennel and keep her up in the cockpit with us. I think she feels safer with us and in her little habitat.

The catamaran took off on another heading and decided to continue sailing all night. The 4 Catalinas match sailed side by side through an unbelievable sunset and into the night.

We ended up motor sailing until 9:30 when we reached Russell Beacon (which was not lit) and dropped anchor right there in the middle of nowhere. Literally there was no land in sight and we were in about 12 feet of water. The seas were a little rolly but the next best place to stop was quite a ways away and we were all tired. Even though I did not get a good night’s sleep, the captain did and that was what really mattered. When we woke, Outbound was nowhere in sight and White Wings was on the move already. We were underway soon after and onto NW Beacon and before we knew it we were off the Bank and into the area known as the “tongue of the ocean”. The depths in this part of the sea drop off to over 3,400 feet which is so bizarre considering we were just in all that shallow water for such a long time. We traversed across the tongue for almost 40 miles and the shores of the island of New Providence started to appear. We had planned to go into Nassau and take a slip but then wisely remembered it was Saturday. Since it is cruise ship city there we determined it was not a good day to enter the busy harbor. We really just needed to get fuel, take on water and make a trip to the grocery store so decided to anchor instead in West End. West End is a very exclusive neighborhood with homes owned by the likes of Paul McCartney and Oprah. We anchored with 2 of the Catalinas, Merlin and White Wings.

Tom and Wanda had us all over to Merlin for cocktails and then back to the boat for a bowl of soup and some shut eye. Had another rolly night as the winds did not clock to the east as they were forecasted to. Our captain John had an issue about 2AM when he went outside to readjust the anchor that was making some grinding noise. When he went to lift the lid on the anchor locker, the little cable we have on it to secure it when it is lifted wrapped around the windlass and slammed down on his right big toe! He was in a lot of pain and bleeding all over the deck. I ran out and went into nurse mode. Got him cleaned up, bandaged and medicated and by then we were both so awake that we had to read for awhile to get back to sleep. The next morning we took the bandage off to see what the damage was and it was pretty ugly. The lid cut him right across the cuticle and his entire nail was already starting to lift. He seemed to be able to stand on it ok but swimming and hiking were not going to be an option for a while. Needless to say I had a pretty unhappy guy on my hands. Pretty windy day so we decided to stay another day and go into the National Heritage Park. On the way to the beach there were security guards posted to make sure no one entered the private channel that went back into the exclusive homes. John parked himself on a bench with a book and a cooler of beer and I went out to explore. The others had come in too and I took a different direction initially and never did catch up to them. The park was very interesting with coral outcroppings lining the shore. Next thing I know I came upon a tiki bar, yes, a fully stocked tiki bar in the park. And they also had old jitneys (little buses) that there were using for park benches.

There were only a few people there. It was truly a respite from the hubbub of Nassau which is what every person there told me. Spoke with people from Boston and Seattle all of whom were so happy to discover this little gem. They wanted to hear our story about coming down on the boat so I spent a bit of time chatting with them. By the time I got back to John, he was lounging on the beach. Our friends came back and shared a cold beer with us and then we all went to White Wings for happy hour. The wind started to tame a bit and we ended up finally getting a good night’s sleep.

Leap Day saw all 3 boats head for Palm Cay Marina. Had to dodge some reefs and drive around the super yacht Polaris sitting just off the east end of the park.

Upon entering the harbor for the marina, we immediately knew we made the right choice. It looked like nirvana to me! Since we all came in at once, we had to maneuver around some tight docks in there to wait our turn for fuel. After taking on about $87 worth of fuel we tied up on Pier 1 right next to Merlin. White Wings took a slip with power as their entire battery bank was dying and part of their agenda here was to replace all 4 of their batteries. With our solar panels we didn't even feel the need to have power, what a luxury! Now we could spend the money we would have spent on power at the tiki bar! Out to the prettiest beach we have seen yet where I took a dip and John found some comfortable shade.

Zoey, S/V Merlin

Hung out at the Tiki bar with the others and continued to meet new folks as well. Met a female delivery captain, Cathy and her crew of 2 men. They were transporting an O’day 41 from St. Martin to Virginia. She had some very interesting stories to tell. Had a bite at the Tiki grill and back to Free Bird.

The 1^st day of March brought both stress and sadness in paradise. I had to do 4 loads of laundry but with 2 washers and only 1 dryer and the staff shoving their tablecloths in the dryer, it took me several hours to complete my task. Then I came out of the laundry around 11 and smelled the fire before I saw it. My heart jumped into my throat and I thought I was going to be sick. John had left hours before with Frank to help him buy his new batteries and I did not think they were back yet. When I saw the smoke, my first thought went to Free Bird and Molly. Luckily the sailboat that was engulfed in flames was 3 piers up from us and Free Bird was safe. The fire trucks took almost 15 minutes to reach the marina and they seemed dumbfounded as to how to extinguish the fire. The marina staff and the delivery captain and her crew were actively trying to put the fire out and salvage what they could, including the obviously brand new sails. It was quite the scene. Cathy the captain hopped on the adjacent boat and moved it to a safe place. At that point it was our turn to use the courtesy car so John took Laurie and me to the grocery store. That in itself was another experience. It always takes a while to get used to driving on the left but John did a good job. We were a little frazzled from the fire and didn’t have good directions to get to where we wanted to go but we got the job done and returned with the car and the 3 of us in one piece. When we got back, the boat was still on fire. The fumes from the smoke were nasty and we could see burned debris floating in the water. They finally got it out about 3:00 and shortly thereafter the owners came back. S/V North Wind from Fairhope, Alabama was still smoldering when they got there. They had rented a car and gone into Nassau for the day and were not even there as their boat burned. It was a total loss and their little dog Cocoa was killed. By the time they came back, the scene was horrific.

The entire marina was in shock. The owners, Alan and Cindy returned to the worst possible scenario and our hearts went out to them. Laurie started a basket with some things to give to them including a bottle of wine and food items. Cathy, the delivery captain started a fundraising can and put it on the tiki bar. When we got to the bar, I saw the lady I thought was the woman involved and gave her a big hug. I was crying, she was just in shock I think. We were all so moved by it all knowing that it could have been any one of our boats. We were truly lucky that the fuel never ignited and that no other boats were damaged. I ended up sitting and talking to Cindy and it turns out they did not have Bahamas insurance coverage for the boat. It was all paid for and she just retired last July and now it was all gone. It was hard to imagine how they must be feeling. Her husband Alan just looked at the ground and did not speak. Tom and Wanda had their dog Zoey with them and Cindy asked if she could hold their dog. It was quite something to see her hugging that dog. Another boater came up with their dog and she held that one too. We got together with the crews we'd been travelling with as we knew wew would parting ways the next morning. We felt guilty for having a bit of fun but as we know, life is too short not to.