After waiting for a weather window for more than a week, we decided to take advantage of a 24 hour window that would provide calm seas. Usually, we plan to cruise during the day, and anchor in a protected area at night, however, we needed to cover more than 160 miles (at 8 mph, that would be a perfect 2 day trip) but the heavy winds and rough seas were not willing to lay down for two days. So we scheduled our departure for 4:30 p.m. on Sunday, May 17 with the plan to take 3 hour shifts and travel straight through the night. Our estimated arrival time, to Biscayne Bay was noon the next day.
I believe I have mentioned in the past that I am not a huge fan of night travel. I know how beautiful it can be if you have calm conditions, and an amazing full moon glistening off the water (we would not have a full moon). I am also well aware of the fact that if conditions are not calm, my seasickness record is cause for great concern. I have only been seasick two times in the past 11 months, and both times were in rough seas in the dark.
Additionally, I have to re-adjust my whole mindset regarding piloting in the dark. I am a very visual helms person. I like to have an unobstructed view 360° around the boat at all times. I like to keep a close eye on the path ahead to make sure there is nothing in the water that might damage our hull or entangle our props/shafts should we collide. In the dark, all of those ‘normal’ activities are greatly diminished for more electronic vigilance. I still walk outside every 15 minutes, during my watch, to scan the horizon (and to listen) but I can’t see much in the pitch dark.
Our last day at Hoffman’s Cay
We enjoyed one last walk on our beach.
So sad to leave. Good bye to our Covid hide-out for the last 8 weeks.
I was at the helm when we passed Great Stirrup Cay at sunset. The sky was cloudy, foggy, and grey, and the anchored cruise ships were an eerie reminder of the uncertainty that faced us upon our return to the U.S. I passed more than 40 cruise ships, anchored on the Bahamas Bank, during that watch. It was an unbelievable sight!
We have developed specific safety protocols for overnight passages. One of the safety devices we employ aboard the boat is the Lifetag system. We originally purchased this system to ensure the safety of our grandchildren. However, it is also fundamental in our ‘peace of mind’ for overnight passages. There is no more terrifying thought than losing someone overboard in the dark while the other person was sound asleep. So...we both wore a tag the entire time we were underway. If this tag gets farther than 25 ft from the sensor, or gets wet, an alarm immediately sounds. Having these types of protocols in place allowed both of us to sleep soundly during our 3 hour breaks from the helm.
WOW! The average depth of the Chesapeake Bay is 10 ft. These depths are new to us.
This is how we announced our arrival to the authorities.
The passage was incredibly easy, with great weather, calm seas, and no seasickness! Yippeeee! Also, getting back into the US was incredibly easy. We registered for electronic check in, before leaving the country, using the ROAM App. A few miles out, Keith logged on and entered the above information, and answered two questions, that were essentially...1) Are you transporting more than $10,000 cash? Yes/No 2) Are you transporting any fruit, vegetable or meat not purchased in the US? Yes/No
We received a phone call from a Boarder Patrol agent who asked if our vessel was really 498 feet in length. No, that is a typo...it should read 49.8 feet in length. His response, “alright, I’ll make that correction in our database, welcome home.” That was it! Not one word about health, isolation, last shore visit...nothing. WOW! That was surprise #1. Surprise #2 (not really a surprise, but a reality check) occurred the next day when we went to Publix, in Key Largo, for our first grocery shopping trip in 10 weeks. We couldn’t enter the store without a mask (which of course we were prepared), they made continuous social distancing announcements, and had one way aisles. The pendulum swings! Surprise #3 came when it was time for the two of us to carry $475 worth of food a mile back to where the Whaler was tied to a mangrove tree. Is it possible that we are too old for this lifestyle?
If you noticed on our ‘Arrival Summary’ we checked into the country at 12:38 on Monday, May 18. We had originally planned to anchor, in Biscayne Bay upon arrival, but we both still felt good so we continued south to anchor in Key Largo. We anchored at 5:30, with a total time underway of 25 hours. After taking one rest day to reprovision, we traveled around the southern tip of Florida, and started up the west coast.
We are now on a mooring ball in Fort Myers beach, FL. We plan to take advantage of a great weather window coming on Thursday-Monday to travel to the Mobile River. This leg of the journey will include one more over night crossing. Fingers crossed that it is as uneventful as our last!
Poor Keith!!! This is the fourth time he has taken the lower unit off the outboard in an attempt to fix our continuing problem. As we are traveling along, the motor will suddenly go into ‘safe’ mode by reducing the throttle to an idle and displaying a warning light that says, “low oil/high temp”. First of all, these two items should not share a light, as they are different systems in an outboard. There is plenty of oil in the tank and it is pumping correctly. So his focus has been on the cooling system. He replaced the impeller, which seemed to solve the problem for a few weeks, but then it started doing the same thing again. When we arrived here, he took an Uber to an Evinrude dealer to purchase a new thermostat. Installed it yesterday...nope. Took it apart again to double check that all springs were aligned, and to pump salt cleanser through the system to make sure there were no blockages, and change the spring in the high speed bypass...nope. Took it apart again and changed the impeller AGAIN...nope, the problem continues...UGH...I feel so badly for him, because he is an excellent mechanic, and he has called people, downloaded every diagram and manual that exists and he can’t identify the problem. I know this is driving him crazy, but I am 100% confident he will figure it out. He is now planning to replace the head gasket...fingers crossed that this solves the problem!
On a happy note, Randall has posted a Message in the Bottle Story on his Figure 8 Voyage site that gives a comprehensive overview of the bottle’s journey. This is one of the pictures from his site. Randall explores local currents, and possible routes and obstacles the bottle might have faced along the way. To read ‘The Full Story’ follow this link to Randall’s page http://figure8voyage.com/message-in-a-bottle-the-full-story/
I miss my sharks already!
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