Gulf Crossing to Morgans Bluff to Nassau

We left Fort Lauderdale at 3PM, January 22 under mostly sunny skies temperatures in the mid 60s. Most people get fairly uptight about gulf stream crossings but we have been very fortunate. They congregate in places like Marathon and wait for perfect weather windows of three days so they can only travel during daylight hours. We, on the other hand, look for a 32 hour window of decent weather that allows us to get across the stream, across the shallow waters of the Bahama Bank and into a harbor traveling non-stop for 24 or more hours. This year was no exception and we arrived at Morgans Bluff, Andros Island mid-afternoon on the 23rd of January. Our leaving had been planned based on a good forecast; you do not want to cross the gulf stream when the wind opposes the current which flows northerly nor do you want to go against strong easterlies. We had light westerly winds which meant a motor sail but the trip was uneventful until we crossed the banks and the wind picked up for the last 20 miles. It was then a brisk sail and Ed noticed a black plastic cap drop next to the boat from the sky which meant we lost something from the mast. After anchoring we found that the topping lift which holds the boom up when the sail is down had come undone and wrapped itself around the radar. He had to ascent the mast, unwind the line and replace a pin. Due to the 20 knot winds he only went far enough for this task; the mystery of the black plastic cap would be solved later under calmer conditions.

Ed chose Morgans Bluff so that we could more easily sail to Nassau later in the week. We expected more southerly winds so we went as far south as possible rather than going up to the northern Berry Islands where our friends, Ken and Belinda, on Duet were anchored.

We arrived on a Saturday with only one customs official at the airport so we ended up taking a ride with a gentleman who volunteered his services only to find out later that it cost $40 for the 26 mile round trip. Oh well. We checked in and our stay was approved until our expected departure time. Time to hoist the Bahamas flag.

Andros is the largest island of the Bahamas but one of the least visited because the reefs on the east side offer little protection and the west side is mostly mangrove and shallow water. They export fresh water to Nassau via a freighter that comes and goes from Morgans Bluff on the northern end every 26 hours.

Our stay was interesting but cut short. We hitch-hiked to Pineville on Sunday and visited a small motel/convention center/dormitory/bar. The owner showed us a video about the efforts to preserve the west coast from development. We also learned about the agriculture grown on the island which includes pineapples and a variety of other products.

There was one other cruising boat there: Boto (fresh water dolphin) with Ed and Vicky plus two spaniels who we went to the "marina" bar with for dancing, refreshments and pool. In the weeks to come we would see quite often and become good friends. The marina was simply a small lagoon with boats tied up in various ways including a collection of boat bums who leave very infrequently judging by the condition of their boats.

Tuesday morning we learned of a fairly strong norther approaching which would make the harbor very uncomfortable because the protection from the north was non-existent. We decided to cut our visit short and head for Nassau. It was a fairly tight sail with winds around 40 degrees apparent, 5-7 foot seas and 25-35 knot winds. We double reefed the main and had a nice day of sailing arriving about 5PM. We anchored at dusk, fed ourselves and went to bed. The next morning we had dragged anchor past several boats with no damage done. The current races and reverses through the Harbor which is really the channel between two islands soouring the bottom of sand. We relocated to a marina for the rest of our stay so that we would not have to worry.

Next: the week in Nassau

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