Tuesday February 07th, 2017

I know it is 06:00 because the planes start to take off. They must have a curfew on flights here from 10pm til 06:00. That’s nice.

We are considering crossing starting tonight, but one variable is still needed. We need to figure out when the shift in the wind will occur and what time we would like to get to Great Sale Cay. I would like to arrive at anchor in the light on Wednesday if possible. We need the wind to shift so that we are not taking the wind on the nose with our track into the Gulf Stream.

With the Gulf stream taking the boat for a ride we need to point the boat’s track south to allow for the crabbing in the current. That messes up with the point of sail. We could be pointed 25° south off our course or more depending on the speed of the current. So, we need the wind to be southish. It will clock around to the South and South West during our trip just need it to start on time.

If not, we will be looking at another window next Monday. There is a cold front that will arrive in the Northern Bahamas on Thursday evening and I don’t want my arrival to be threatened with that baby even though it is not to strong or too long in duration. Thanks for letting me start working this out on paper.

It is 06:10 and three jets have taken off so far.

Yesterday I picked up a rental car that was supposed to be a compact. They gave me a mini van instead and that was fine as it turned out. ML stocked up the boat with all manner of stuff and we are unlikely to go hungry or get scurvy in the near future. The van was loaded with not much room left for anything.

The Jeezuz bolt arrived from Scotland. There is a guy in Scotland who worked for Simpson Lawrence who bought up all the spare parts when they went under. He has been a great resource helping us keep the old windlass working. This bolt has a price tag of 19 pounds and the shipping was 16 pounds. So almost a small boat buck to get it here. Left hand thread, countersunk etc…. It is installed and works great.

I will keep everyone updated with our plans as they develop. I will listen to Chris Parker at 06:30 and perhaps email him for his best recommendation. He offers a great service to cruising boaters.

I just listened to Chris Parker and other than the potential for a few scattered showers and some small isolated squalls we are a go for the Bahamas. We will likely leave just before sunset so we can see our way out of this busy cut. We will pass through memory rock before dawn and make Great Sale Cay in the light of Wednesday.

more later

 

Leave a Reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.