Marathon and on the the Bahamas

I’m writing this note from the Sea of Abaco in the northern Bahamas. The weather today is near perfect and we’re on the move again, headed to Powell Cay. We’re having to motor, because what little wind there is, is on our nose. I’m starting to get used to being a motor boat…

After a tough slog down the west coast and through the Bay of Florida, we turned the corner at 10 Mile Bridge and headed north past Marathon,with a plan to make for Key Largo. My plan was to sail up the coast and take advantage of the nice SE breeze, but in Marathon we picked up a boat buddy (Rick Super and his girlfriend Cindy Lou from the Manta 42, Tortuga) who suggested that we should cross back in to the Intercoastal Waterway at Channel 5 Bridge and sail in comfort. SOLD! We had a fantastic daysail through open bays and winding, mangrove lined channels. Great bird watching and we even managed to catch a couple of small fish.We ended our day at Jewfish Creek where we berthed for the night.

The next day (Monday), we continued up the ICW without Rick as he was having Auto Pilot problems. We sailed 15 miles up to Caesar’s Creek, which is located on the south end of Elliot Key. Our plan was to spend the night there and then go across the Gulf Stream first thing the next morning. Plans change and as we looked at the weather and thought about burning another day traveling, we decided to leave directly after dinner and sail through the night up to West End. This turned out to be a good decision because we had light seas and almost no wind (but of course, it was right on the nose, so we had to motor).

After a great night with a beautiful moon to light our way, we arrived at West End at 10:45 AM yesterday. We checked in with Bahamas Customs, filled up with fuel, had a quick lunch, and headed to the beach! Finally beautiful water, worthy of a snorkel excursion! Too many Gumbay Smashes and a dinner later, we declared the crossing a huge success!

We left Old Bahama Bay Marina just after sun up today and we’ve been motoring at 7.5-8 knots all day into a very light breeze. Tomorrow is another day and we’ll be in the Bight of Abaco where the beer is cold, the water is beautiful, and we wish you were here with us.

Side Note: Our new Volvo engines are running spectacularly. I was able to measure fuel consumption yesterday and we found that we were burning 1.7 Gallons of diesel per hour with both engines running at 2800 RPM and making about 7.5-8.0 Knots. Much better than the old engines. I wish I could say the fuel savings would pay for the new engines, but on the other hand, they are pretty, they don’t leak oil, and they run the boat a good knot faster than the old engines. All together, I’d call it a win!!

Pictures coming — just as soon as I get to an anchorage with wifi…I promise!