Monday December 28
I know it has been awhile since the last post but a lot has happened and this is the first time we have been near an internet connection so I will try to catch up.
It was about a weeks wait for weather after Todd Harris arrived on the 16th. The weather was cold and blustery with 20 to 25 knots of wind out of the north which is not good for a gulf stream crossing. We finally got a window where it blew from the north at 5-10 knots with the wind clocking to the east the next day.
We staged ourselves outside of No Name harbor and at 4:30 set out. The seas were settled as we left and as predicted the wind clocked and blew at 15 to 20 knots out of the east. The seas in the gulf stream weren't too bad at 5 to 6 feet and we made it to Bimini at about 3:30.
We anchored off the beach of South Bimini and I motored in to check in. The check in went smoothly and I made it back to Legacy at about 4:30AM. We decided to push on as we wanted to be at Warderick Wells by the 25th.
As we went onto the banks we passed the wreck of the Sapona and continued on towards the Northwest channel light.
At 12:00 AM we could push no more and decided to wait for morning to make our way onto the Tongue of the Ocean. The wind and seas freshened and when we got up at 5:00 AM we found that the snubber had chaffed through and all the chain ( 150') was out and the windless just spun. After much work in the dark we finally got the anchor up and at 6:30AM we were on our way. There was about a 1.5 knot current heading us and way was made slowly.
At about 11:00 AM we finally made it through the Northwest Channel and were in over 2000 feet of water. The wind was out of the East at 20-25 knots and we were able to unfurl the sails and move out at about 7 plus knots just a little to the south of our desired rhumb line. Later that day the seas started buliding and we were in 10 to 15 foot sea. Legacy handled the seas well although the same can't be said for the crew. As we pounded through the seas we disovered that the forward hatch cover wasn't completely closed and both my computers are now toast as salt water got to them. Fortunately Kathleen's Apple is still alive as it was protected in the salon and I am writing this on her computer.
We finally made it to West Bay on New Providence ( Nassau ) at about 10:00 PM totally exhausted and anchored in about 10 feet of water over sand. In the morning we also discovered that the front nav light lens was missing ( probably due to the high seas ), and the mainsail was torn between the sunbrella and the sail fabric. After so much the crew was exhausted and we chose to rest for the day.
The crew woke early and we set out for Allan's Cay. The winds had moderated out of the east and on the shallow water of the banks the seas were somewhat calm and we were able to move at a good pace. Legacy arrived at Allan's Cay at about 4:00PM and we on our anchorage in 12 feet over sand. In the morning we dingied over to Highbourne Cay and were able to get a few supplies and some sail thread and a needle to repair our Mainsail. As we were relaxing on the beach a Seaplane landed with some fishing guests for the marina.
As we returned from Highbourne Cay we dingied close to shore on Leaf Cay and four or five Iguanas came on to the beach. From a distance they looked like small dogs and some of them were at least 3 feet long! Apparently a lot of people land on the beach and feed the lizards and they must associate the sound of an outboard motor with food.
Later that day Todd went snorking and returned with enough conch for dinner. Kathleen made a wonderful meal that was enjoyed by all.
After much research through the Lewmar users guide I found a small sentence that gave me a clue as to the windless problem. When we were on the banks and the anchor snubber let loose the strain on the chain caused the upper nut on the windless to back off and allow the gypsy to slip. After retightening the nut the windless started to perform without slipping.
Kathleen was able to stitch up the mainsail and we able to unkink the sail and the furler and another problem is survived. They say the cruising is performing boat maintenance in exotic locations, and that has certainly been true for this voyage.
In the morning we set off for Warderick Wells ( Exuma Cays Land and Sea Park) with almost flat seas and light winds. Legacy was in rare form and we were able to motor into light south winds at 6.5 knots. As we approached Warderick Wells I was able to raise them and we got a mooring assignment for the same day.
So here we are at Warderick Wells, safely on a mooring ball and taking a day or two rest.
Right now Todd is busy on his computer so I will try to update this post later with pictures. Please forgive the lack of pictures but I need to edit the ones we took to be able to post and Kathleens Apple has no image editing software so please be patient.