The Crossing

Our last ICW bridge

After months of planning for just the right winds for crossing over to the Bahamas, we were presented with a weather window opportunity we had never anticipated, calm. We bought a sail boat so we could sail, but hey, Grampa was here for the crossing and a short motor over to the Bahamas was way better than sitting and waiting in Fort Lauderdale or Miami for the right wind. A crossing opportunity had occurred earlier in the week, it had been a cold front that would provide south and west winds but it was strong and fast and we weren’t quite in the right position so we let it go, we definitely were not letting this opportunity slip by.

The weekend in Fort Lauderdale was just right with friends, shopping opportunities and nice weather. The sailor weather-expert, Chris Parker, had said that the Gulf Stream would lay down in the afternoon on Monday and it would be good weather until Wednesday or Thursday. We discussed our plan for the entire weekend, whether to cross the Gulf Stream in the day and anchor on the banks or cross the Gulf Stream at night and continue on the banks in the morning. We finally decided that with Grampa here to help, and it was a huge help to have a third adult on board, we would make as many miles as possible in hard-to-travel directions, and leave as soon as possible.

Anna eating her ice cream on the way out of port

Waking on Monday morning, we began preparation for departure with a planned departure of 4 P.M. As we have done from the beginning, we kept our plans pretty loose, but figured we could figure out where to make landfall in the Bahamas once we crossed the Gulf Stream and knew what landfall we could make. We were ready around lunch time and departed with a planned stop at the Lauderdale Marina for gas and water. The Lauderdale Marina is adjacent the last ICW bridge before our departure point, the 55-foot span, and after loading up with gas, water, Gatorade and ice creams, we passed under the 55-foot span, turned to port, and headed out to sea. Departure time was 2 P.M.

Sunset over South Florida

We had a light wind out of the northeast and tried sailing south for a while to try and counter some of the push we would get north in the Gulf. The Gulf current was so close to the shore that we were soon sailing south but making no ground, so we turned to port and motored east. The sunset over south Florida was pretty amazing and we were all in a festive mood.

Bob at the Navigation Station, crossing into the Bahamas

It was hard to sleep with all the excitement. Grampa and I were up on deck keeping watch. There were lots of boats and ships out so we were really using all our resources, radar, AIS and visual sweeps of the horizon. About 9 P.M. we noticed a boat approaching us, but it veered off to the south. Soon we were noticing more and more starboard-side green lights. We were discussing all the fishing boats that must be returning to Miami, but as we got closer, all did not seem right. Bob came up on deck and was concerned so I grabbed the binoculars and realized  they were bouys, “It’s a long-line!” Bob reacted with lightning speed, put the auto-pilot on stand-by and grabbed the wheel, turning us north with not too much space between us and a huge mess. We followed the line north and then resumed course slightly south of east. The only other excitement during the night was a close encounter with one of the many cruise ships heading east too. Grampa woke the captain and after a little maneuvering, we were past that danger.

Waking up in the Bahamas

After all our worries about seasickness, I was very careful about getting my medicine which left me sleepy. I headed to bed with the kids and left the piloting to the boys. I awoke around 12:30 and found Bob up, Grampa asleep and the Gulf Stream behind us. Bob and I chatted quietly as we crossed onto the Great Bahama Bank between a place called Great Issac to the north and Hen and Chickens to the south. The Bahamas Explorer Chart Books have charted routes and we headed east on the Hen and Chickens-Mackie Shoal route. After an hour Grampa got up and took over and Bob and I headed back to bed.

Bahamas, Hooray!

We had decided at some point during the trip to enter the Bahamas through Great Harbour Cay Marina in the Berry Islands. We called and let them know we were coming an hour out and they were ready for us with customs paperwork when we arrived. Customs went fairly smoothly with a few extra charges that we were not prepared for. Change to the rules or a little extra? We didn’t push our luck, and paid.