S/V WAHOO: Weather, the USA and the Auto Pilot (with a little gin)

Whether the weather! Once it matters, seems the winds blow wrong or the waves threaten.

Silvery Sunset off Highborne Cay

Sailing back up the Exuma chain we started to notice more and more rain and higher wind than we'd seen for our entire trip. Seems those tropical waves down south are affecting Bahamas' weather too. Where are those "351+ days of sunshine?" On top of off and on drizzle, the RayMarine Auto Pilot was acting odd. It wouldn't correct when a wave pushed the boat too far to port. We tried cutting down the motor, then we tried just sailing. "Does it seem to be working a little better?" Not sure... But we finally made Highborne Cay (anchorage this time). That tropical wave was going in to the Yucatan and we needed to wait a couple of days before sailing over Yellow and Middle Bank on our way to Nassau.

Feeding the Seagulls can be entertaining

Perfect time to polish the stainless steel on deck and clean up the lifelines.

Friday, July 1, looked about right so we headed over to Nassau. Nassau is the capital of the Bahamas and about 2/3 (250,000) of the population live there.

Atlantis

Nassau is the principal city on New Providence Island and occupies most of the eastern half. Right across the harbor is Paradise Island now totally developed for tourism and world renown for the Atlantis Hotel complex. Nearby Rose Island is the gleam in the developers eye.

Sailing to Nassau was a southwest downwind sail of 38.9 nm. Our thoughts centered on whether we could get the AutoPilot fixed there. Somehow the fact of a holiday weekend completely slipped our minds. Nassau was great. Next time we'll arrange to stay longer. We spent the day walking down to Bay St. where the cruise boats come in.

We walked past lots of old colonial architecture and saw loads of upscale shops but ended up, true to form, in the dives on Potters Cay.

Fresh Conch Anyone?

Potters Cay Stalls

Potters Cay is a small island that's now connected to Nassau by a causeway. the causeway is filled with stalls that hang over the water and sell fresh conch and snapper, fruits and vegetables - whatever's in season.

Having that last Kalik

Wanted to leave early on the morning of July 3rd but a persistent drizzle kept us snug in our berth until 6:30am. Whoa! Time to get moving - while untying and getting the boat out of the marina a long splinter lodged itself under Roy's finger, ouch!

Conch Boat's A' Comin

Motored through busy Nassau harbor then set the sails to cross (I love to say this) "tongue of the ocean". This is where the Atlantic curves south between New Providence to the East and Andros, the largest Bahama Island, to the West and the tiny strip of islands called The Berrys to the north. We were headed to Frazers Hog Cay in the Berry's. For years boats traveling the Great Bahama Bank between Bimini and either Nassau or the Exumas stopped at the southernmost cay in the Berry's, Chub Cay. It was small, handy and had all the right ingredients like fuel, water, a bar and most of all a safe harbor to wait out fronts before moving on. Now Chub is a private development and you can't even get fuel there. The cruising guide recommended the adjoining cay called Frazers' Hog where everything except an all weather harbor awaited. Ha!

It should have been fine for just hanging out but we were told by another boat that everything was shut down. So we looked at the charts, looked at the weather forecast, looked at each other and shrugged. Lets go to Bimini - 80 miles across the Great Bahama Bank where unlit freighters ply the waters and coral heads abound. We needed a challenge; the last week has been too calm. We grabbed an hour of sleep and headed out wanting to past Northwest Light, the entrance to the banks, before full dark.

Small freighter moving lumber

The Great Bahama Bank is a very significant sea scape. Its sheer size is a concern for every mariner. It is 50 nm at its widest part and 180 nm north to south. It is a large shallow shelf averaging about 15 feet deep. it's shifting sandbars are always changing making it impossible to accurately chart. Most of the routes take cruisers across 75 miles of bank so that slower boats like sail boats and trawlers have to figure their best options as they can't completely cross in available daylight hours. We solved that problem by crossing at night.

We kept a sharp lookout all night for those unlit freighters and nary saw a one. Saw other boats off in the distance making other night time crossings to other destinations. Even had a few on the same route as us but generally it was a fine nighttime crossing. Granted our least favorite kind but we were in Hemingway land by 7am.

Bimini- the blue water Grand Isle

Hemingway and Bimini are as intertwined as Hemingway and Key West. On the first trip he attempted, Hemingway tells of catching a large bull shark before even reaching the islands. After finally wrestling it into the boat he tried to quiet its thrashing with his Colt revolver "by shooting himself through both legs with one hand while gaffing a shark with the other. This is as far as this reporter will go to please his readers." (Hemingway, Esquire Magazine, 1935). He returned over and over; set "Islands in the Stream" in Bimini and worked on the manuscript "To Have and Have Not" while there. He also wrote numerous magazine articles including "On the Blue Water", an account of fishing big game fish from small boats far out to sea. The article starkly shows his passion for what was to became the sport of deep-sea fishing.

Bimini Blue Water Marina

Hemingway is a pioneer of the more aggressive way this sport is practiced today. Prior to that time no one went out looking for big game fish or attempted to land them using rod and reel. In fact he was the first angler to land a giant tuna in one piece by rod and reel. He, John Dos Passos and other friends started the Bahamas Marlin and Fishing Club which was the fore-runner of todays IGFA, International Game Fishing Association.

At the Clinic

We didn't have much time but we did stay at the Bimini Blue Water Marina, which is where Hemingway kept Pilar, his boat. Sadly instead of hanging out at the "Compleat Angler" or the "End of the World Bar" we spent our time walking the only street in town down to the clinic to get Roy's finger seen to. What an experience! Almost worth the splinter. We walked about 1 1/2 miles down the single street and turned into the clinic. Roy was given one piece of paper to fill out with his name and the name of the boat. Then he was escorted over to have his vitals taken by a nice nurse from the Philippines. Next came the doctor who deadened his finger to cut out the 3/4 inch long splinter, bandaged it, gave him a tetanus shot, antibiotics and motrin for pain. How much time? About an hour. And the cost, you ask? $105.00 please!

One of the most amusing things was to hear Roy called Mr Wal-ter, in that lovely singsong West Indian accent. Made us think of the original Mr. Wal-ter and Belize.

The next morning it was crossing the Gulf Stream and on to Miami.

Of course, you probably guessed, the Auto Pilot went completely bonkers and Roy had to hand steer all the way. This was not a good day for the 6 ft waves that built up by the time we were fully in the stream. Boy were we glad to get in to "No Name Harbor" on Key Biscayne. Slept like we were dead.

Today we checked in with Customs and Immigration and Roy spent the afternoon wrestling the Auto Pilot out of the hole. Tomorrow we package it and send it off. They say a week or so.