Island Bound, Mon

Sailing to the Bahamas

We finally made it! We are in the Bahamas!  On Monday, November 21st after checking the weather we saw there was a good window for a night crossing from Lake Worth, Florida to Great Sale Cay. So we decided to go for it.  We moved “Little Lara” to the city docks at West Palm Beach where we had been anchored and filled the water tanks, deflated and stored the dinghy on the foredeck, rigged the safety jacklines, put on our life jackets and tethers, and pushed off making the 2:15 PM Flagler Bridge opening.  Our plan was to leave early enough that even if the waves in the Gulf Stream slowed our crossing, we would still make it to Great Sale Cay (pronounced “Key”) before sundown.

Our Route: Lake Worth to the Bahamas

By 3:00 PM we were motoring out the Lake Worth inlet in fairly calm seas and light winds from the northeast.  As predicted when we got into the Gulf Stream the waves were 3-4 feet with an occasional 5 feet, but they were not steep because the wind was only 5-10 knots.  It was fun sailing for about 6 hours when the wind died and we started the motor.  Just at dusk, Jay caught a 20 inch “Little Tunny” and filleted it by flashlight in a rolling cockpit.

Sunset Offshore -- West Palm Beach, Florida

During the night we enjoyed a beautiful clear sky with stars so bright you felt like you could reach up and touch them, plus a spectacular light show as several large meteors darted across the horizon. We each took three hour watches and were actually able to catch a bit of sleep in between since the waves weren't too uncomfortable.  Once we were well into the Gulf Stream, we dodged two cruise ships and two tankers.  The cruise ships look like moving cities with their brights lights lighting up the night skies.

We crossed the Bahama Banks just south of Memory Rock. It was no problem in the dark, but a little disconcerting when the waters shallowed up from 2,500 to 32 then 16 feet all within a distance of a half mile.  We had calms seas on the banks and made great time averaging 4.7 knots (5.4 mph) arriving at Great Sale Cay by noon. We joined one other boat in the anchorage, dropping the anchor in gorgeous turquoise waters. We celebrated our crossing by taking a much needed nap!

Anchored at Great Sale Cay
(note the clear turquoise colored waters)

We stayed several days at Great Sale Cay waiting for the winds to shift. Initially, we left for Spanish Cay on Thanksgiving Day, but after three hours of motoring into steep, confused seas we turned around and sailed back to our anchorage electing to postpone Thanksgiving until we could arrive at Spanish Cay and clear customs. The day after Thanksgiving we left much earlier to allow time to get to the marina before dark.  Along the way we found ourselves surrounded by a huge school of flying fish. They were splashing, jumping and flying as we raced one another eastward. It was thrilling even though we lost!  The most exciting moment was being welcomed to the Bahamas by our very efficient and helpful Customs lady at Spanish Cay.  We had officially arrived!

Its Official!

After getting Little Lara settled in her slip at the marina (we were the only boat there), we were admiring the myriads of fish swimming in the ultra clear waters around the pilings when we were amazed to see a huge manta ray lying on the sea floor and a small Black-tip shark swimming nearby.  At this point we decided against snorkeling at the nearby reef and sunken plane!  It was wonderful to get off the boat after four days, and walk along the powdery-white sandy beaches.  We stretched out under a tree to enjoy the warm sun and beautiful scenery… did we mention the temperature was in the lower-80's?  As we explored the rest of Spanish Cay we found that this private island also boasts condos for rent, an airstrip, a store, a restaurant, a swimming pool, a laundry, and best of all - hot showers!  The staff were all very friendly and exceptionally helpful. What a great place to celebrate Thanksgiving!

Little Lara in Spanish Cay Marina

Until next time, Fair Winds