Hello Bahamas!

We made it!!

We left early(4am) Tuesday morning to cross the Gulf Stream to Bimini. We had a great day, seas were a little rough(3-4') but we skittered across and made good time. We drug a few lures and caught a nice sail fish. Had a little trouble getting it in, when I raised the rod up and caught the line in the wind generator blades. I had to break the line and reel it in by hand. we got it into the boat, de-hooked it and released it withouit harm. A beautiful fish.

Then the most dreaded thing happened. As we were recovering from the mayhem, Carryn took the helm to get us heading East again. We got going, but something told me to take a look astern. What do I see? There's Bella, taking a swim in the middle of the ocean. WE had taken our eye off her for a few seconds and she had ventured down the transom(swim platform at the back of the boat) and had fallen in. It was horrifying to see her out there. She was about 100 yards away and looking/swimming towards us to catch up. Holy Crap! We sprang into action, Carryspun the boat around and made a call on the radio to our buddy boats that Bella had fallen in. Carryn did a great job of maneuvering around, while I took the LifeSling(a flotation ring on a long line that stays attached to the boat). I jumped in and Bella swam to me. We got her back in the boat and once we were done crying and loving on her, we got back underway. It was an amazing incident and we thank God for the outcome. We continue to think about the possible outcomes/consequences of losing track of her for just the few seconds. We have taken a much harder stance on safety and keeping Bella in a life jacket and in the cockpit while on the ocean.

Once we got back underway(with all on board), we made good time to the Bahama bank(the large area of seabead palteau that rises from over a mile deep to less than 20 feet in less than a mile). We decided to bypass Bimini(the Westernmost island) where we intended to stop and check in, and carried on around North Rocks and headed across the bank toward Nassau. We got about half way to Chub Cay and anchored right out in the middle of the banks, in about 15 feet of water. It was surreal to be anchored in 15' of crystal clear water, with no land in sight. We took a swim and found starfish and conch on the seabed. Our 3 other buddy boats, Las Sirenas, Southern Bella and Sabbaticus wer all anchored within a few hundred feet, so we swam between boats and enjoyed sundowners. The wind kicked up a bit through the night and the swell ended up making it a bit of a rolly night. Neither of us got very good sleep.

It was up and at 'em early Wed morning so we could get to Chub Cay, about 60 miles further east. We had quite a rough day, with strong ENE winds and choppy seas with a 2-3 foot short period swell. It wasn't much fun, but we made it to Chub just before dark and dropped the hook in the lee of the island. The wind was blowing about 15 knots, so I dove the anchor in 8 feet of water to make sure we had a good set. I was satisfied, and we tucked in for dinner and a good night's sleep. Our buddy boats were fairly close, but everyone was tired and forsaked cocktails.

So with one more day and only 35 miles between us and Nassau, we were ready to get crackin' and get to Nassau. The wather was calling for the NW winds fill and continue to clock around to the N and then the E, so it was going to be a close reach and a potentially rough crossing the Northwest Passage. We weighed anchor at 7 and sheeted in tight to stay close to the wind and north of the rhumb line(the straight line from start to end point), knowing that later in the day we would have to fall off to the SE to keep the wind off the nose. We were taking a bit of a beating, but making 6-7 knots. Then about 15 miles out, our buddy boat Las Sirenas called and informed us that their engine had just bogged down and died. They would continue to sail(under their oversized genoa), but without the help of the engine they would be falling off the rhumb line while he worked on the problem. We continued contact with them, helping troubleshoot the issue and talking through the process of elimination to find the problem. It was 99% probability it was a fuel blockage somewhere between the fuel tank and the engine. Long story short, it turned out to be a failure in the primer bulb that had been installed in line between the fuel tank and the Racor filter. While he worked on all of this, the seas had really begin to build. We decided to turn around and head back the 3 miles or so to connect with them and reassure that they would be able to get operational and make way to Nassau. Just as we got there, Scott had finished splicing in some makeshift fuel line, priming the pump and getting the engine running. We turned and now had to bash into 3-5 foot seas and 20 knots of wind to get arond the NW end of New Providence island and into Nassau harbor. It was a tough slog, about 3 hours, and we finally turned into breakwater of Nassau harbor. We passed the many cruiseships in port and headed to the marina that our friend on Sabbaticus had called ahead(on their Satellite phone) and reserved for us. A heck of a day, but we all pulled through it and are wiser for the experience.

So we took a berth in Nassau Harbor Club Marina Thursday night and enjoyed a much deserved coldie and a shower. We checked in with Customs and Immigration and then went back to the boat to lower the yellow "Q" flag(required when entering port in a foreign country until you have cleared in) and raised the Bahamian flag up the starboard spreader. It feels good to check in to our first foreign port!!!

The weather forecasters are calling for some tough weather Saturday, so it looks like we are staying put for a few days. Next reasonable weather looks to be on Monday, so we may be picking up and heading on to start island hopping down the Exuma chain.