Two Steps Forward, One Step Back

Heading over the bank

Just after dawn on Monday, we set out from our slip at Nassau's Harbour Central Marina, headed east and out over the Great Bahama Bank toward Norman's Cay. We got out the Yankee (small foresail) first and then the mainsail. We had some difficulty getting the main up and did not realize that a batten was caught on a lazyjack line. It wasn't until a few hours later that we discovered what had happened and that the main had a nice two-foot rip along a batten pocket. More repairs. Ugh.

Vowing not to let it ruin our day, we left the main up. Off the wind it didn't appear like it would tear anymore (and thankfully, it didn't). The tear didn't hurt the boat's performance much and we enjoyed our first real sail since leaving the U.S., gliding along the crystal-clear, azure-colored water. The average depth here is about 12 feet, save for an intimidating stretch called the Yellow Bank where charts warn of possibly less than 5 feet and "numerous shallow coral heads." Seeing the bottom as we scooted over dark patches of rock and sand was thrilling and a little bit scary. You will never see water like this on the Chesapeake! Noi stood on the foredeck with binoculars guiding us around the most ominous-looking sections.

We decided to drop a line and were rewarded with our first catch since Charleston -- an Amberjack (we think). Throughout the day, we would catch a Barracuda (not safe to eat, and besides who's volunteering to remove the hook?) and a Snapper (or I still think a Rudderfish).

By afternoon, we made it to Norman's Cay, entered the channel and anchored a few hundred yards from a sunken airplane that crashed circa 1980 when drug-lord Carlos Lehder, a co-founder of the Colombian Medellin Cartel, briefly controlled the island. There were several other boats in the anchorage, including S/V Fairwind, hailing from Annapolis, Md., swinging to two anchors near us. Aboard we met Voi, a self-described "boat bum," who has been back and forth to this area several times over the years.

Noi and Voi

Early Tuesday, we called Waderick Wells Land & Sea Park to get on the wait list for a mooring the next day. We had to have another boat relay our request on VHF Channel 9, as we were just little too far away to reach the park directly.

We spent the rest of the day hiking around the island -- up one hill to find some abandoned bungalows and a still working cistern and then around a new airstrip to find MacDuff's, a famous tiki bar (famous for its location as well as its prices -- $10 a drink!). We were the only customers. 

McDuff's

The forecast showed deteriorating weather and a strong westerly -- fairly unusual for these parts and unfortunately, a direction that the Exuma cays are not well placed geographically to offer protection from. We were hoping to be south and on a secure mooring at Waderick by the time the blow came in. But, we did not get a spot, as everyone else was apparently thinking the same thing. Plan B was to make a reservation at Highbourne Marina just north of us -- a luxury spot with prices to match.

Later, Voi, an avid diver, took Noi on a snorkeling expedition while I tended the dinghy. Among other things, we explored Norman's Pond, a large waterway enclosed 360 degrees -- a wonderful, natural hurricane hole. But alas, the tricky and extremely shallow entrance was a non-starter for us. But if your boat draws less than 5 feet, you could get in at high tide, as several shallow-draft boats do on a regular basis.

Thursday morning, we set out early for Highbourne and made it in the marina by about noon. As we were motoring to our slip, someone was waving from the dock a little too enthusiastically to be the hired help. It turned out to be fellow traveler Laura Bertrand, also ex-NPR, who is sailing the Exumas with her partner, Gail, aboard S/V Footloose, an Ericson 35. A week or so ago, Gail broke her wrist while climbing a hill on Cave Cay (farther south). So, the two have decided to return to Florida and spend the rest of the winter in the keys there. They are stopping at Highbourne (or Highbrow as I call it) to wait out the same weather system as they head back north.

Fellow traveler and ex-nipper (NPR hand) Laura Bertran

So, here we are in another expensive marina seeing dollar signs and a steady rain. I feel a bit like I'm playing one of those children's games where I am forced to move back a space. Oh well, I have a few freelance projects I can do that might pay the bills. Better get to work.

Lucaya To Nassau

Another tough passage from Lucaya to Nassau, the main cruise ship hub in the Bahamas. A big swell on top of a short wind chop. All motoring, all the time. Will we ever get to sail?!

We had planned to go to West Bay and hangout for a few days at the beach where Jaws (the original?) was filmed, but our chart plotter was acting up again, and Nassau seemed more straight-forward and therefore safer, especially now that our chart plotter and depth sounder are the same unit (see previous post "A Rant About Electronics").

Since we arrived last Saturday, we've been waiting on weather. We had planned to leave this morning for the Exumas (Normans Cay), but bagged that when the dawn broke with a heavy overcast sky. There's a patch of coral heads that passes through the middle of our intended track and we want the sunlight to make sure we miss 'em all. The locals don't seem to be too concerned about them, but I don't want to take any chances, especially since this is a first-of-its-kind passage over a shallow bank for us.

Meantime, a few boat projects and finally getting to some freelance writing. Something to kill the time. While offshore and motoring hard, whenever the boat would pitch, I'd hear a scraping sound in the engine and then a bad vibration. I concluded that the shaft was misaligned and that it was something I needed to address as soon as we were in port.

Indeed, that was the case. A whopping .022 off -- with the engine too high in front (or too low in back, depending on how you might look at it). This was almost certainly at least in part the source of my alternator vibration issue. The problem was, that the front engine mounts had no play to lower them and the rear ones were all but inaccessible. However, the front two had a couple of thin shims underneath and I found that by removing one of the two shims, the engine came into almost perfect alignment. What luck! A messy job, but I hope it's the end of the issue. If not, I have bigger (and more expensive) problems on my hands.

We have done a bit of exploring of Nassau. It's not very many people's favorite city and has a reputation for being awash in guns and violent crime. The second night we were in the marina, we heard the report of a pistol three times, the screech of car tires and then sirens. I heard something on the local news that sounded like it might be connected, but we still aren't sure.

Who Are These People?!

You definitely meet an eclectic group of folks who have decided that voyaging in sailboats is their thing.

At least here in the Bahamas, if I had to generalize or market to this group I'd say the demographic reads something like this: Married couple mid-60s. There's at least an even chance there was an early retirement involved. He worked in a technical field, perhaps engineering, where he made a pretty good living. She also worked. Probably it was his dream, at least initially, but she's come around to the idea, although it may have taken a bit of time to get there. Many couples -- and it's a married male-female couple 85 percent of the time -- have been doing the Bahamas circuit for several years. They are retracing old routes and have plans to go to x cay and z harbor they've never gotten down to before now. Everyone professes to be on a tight budget, but it's clear that these folks have a different definition of "tight" than we do. They aren't worried. 

Their boat? A fairly modern fin-keeler with lots of space and good working systems -- say, a post 2000 Beneteau of about 40 to 42'. There are a few with older boats, such as ours, in this demographic and some budgets that are fairly tight, but these folks seem to be less common.

We are wedged into an odd place on the cruising spectrum. People tend to be either retired or fairly young. The younger crowd are, as you might imagine, less conservative, more willing to take chances and go with boats that are less well kitted out. Often it's two guy friends. Their boats are smaller and older. They stay up late and miss Chris Parker's shortwave broadcast (if indeed, they even know it exists). By contrast, the typical demographic noted above tends to listen to that forecast religiously. These folks are looking for the perfect (no drama) passage and won't leave the dock or the anchorage until they get it. It's a science for them.

The irony is that despite the influence of the now-octogenarian Lin and Larry Pardy to "go simple, go small, go now" it is the younger cruisers, if anyone, who have taken that advice to heart. The "typical" (older) demographic have gone mostly complicated, big, and later (i.e., after retirement).

The younger cruisers' boat might be a Morgan 30 or something of unusual vintage. A dog's breakfast of older systems that may or may not be operating. The engine "works fine" but is troublesome.

There are also a few single-handers, but very few in my estimation. Interesting, a fairly even split between men and women. They tend to be a bit younger than the typical demographic -- maybe mid-50s, although we are talking about such a small group that it's hard to get an accurate read. Sailing is hard work, and it's a lot for one person to handle.

We fall awkwardly in the middle of all this. We are certainly not in the "young cruiser" crowd, and not in the retired group, either. Of course, Noi is younger than I am, which throws the calculus off a bit. But, like the young guns, our boat is older, our budget is tighter and our systems are not quite as complex, and not all in the best of shape. But, we tend to identify with the other end when it comes to sailing conservatively.

I'd say there's roughly a 50-50 mix of dog and cat people.

Since Noi and I are waiting for weather at Grand Bahamas Yacht Club along with several other cruisers, we decided to have an impromptu pot luck last night. Perhaps it wasn't representative of the folks "who go down to the sea in small boats," but it's a glimpse:

At the table were Noel and Suki, who own a Hans Christian 38 -- similar in appearance and displacement to our boat (people often confuse the two). As an aside, we met Noel and Suki on the dock a few days ago and I remember remarking to Noi that they reminded me of a couple we had met several years ago on a sailing trip to Newport, R.I. Even the boat was similar, but not exactly the same. Talking to Noel later, something he said sparked an epiphany that it was indeed the very same couple. Apparently, the two of them were head-scratching toward the same realization. Their boat had been repainted green and renamed.

Noel and Suki are about our age and live in Malaysia now. Noel works in the petroleum industry.

Then there's Thomas and Patty, formerly Canadaians who are now U.S. citizens. They live in Titusville, Fla. Retired. I gather that he was an engineer. It is their seventh cruise in the Bahamas. They own a newer Bristol of about 40'. 

Jeb and Greg, Australian friends are aboard a German-made boat called a Neptune, 31' if I recall. It's the same vintage as ours (1978). Jeb bought it in Florida and the two of them are on an open-ended itinerary and seem to be deciding how to do as they go along. Good on 'em.

A Rant About Electronics

Cruising is a whole lot easier with modern electronics. No doubt about that.

In fact, I think it's fair to say that the whole cruising phenomenon is a result of the electronics revolution -- GPS in particular. There were a whole lot fewer fearless sailors out there when a chart and sextant were the navigational standbys.

But, electronics can go bad. Salt water and carefully corralled electrons are not a good mix. I have met several sailors who simply don't believe that's true, but I for one have witnessed it first hand on more than one occasion.

That hasn't put me off the gizmos, it's simply made me more circumspect. When I can have at hand a low-tech alternative to high-tech wizardry, I do. We always keep paper charts and a good visual so that we know where we are in case the chartplotter decides to quit. Symbiosis has a sextant aboard (and I have at least a modicum of skill at it). We have a mechanical speed log (also good for comparing to the GPS "speed over ground" to get an idea for current). There's a lead line stowed below in case the depth sounder goes dead. You get the idea.

Even so, it's easy to become reliant on complex systems. And it can be difficult to make a seemless transition from one method to another.

One thing I also tried to avoid on Symbiosis is integrated electronics systems. This is all the rage on the "modern" yacht. The wind speed indicator talks to the chartplotter, which talks to the autopilot, etc. In theory, it's a great idea; in practice, it can also be a great idea -- as long as everything is working. But if one system goes down, they can all go down. Not good.

The following is a cautionary tale:

Several weeks ago, my depth sounder started acting strangely. It began offshore in several thousand feet of water. The sounder would read 000. I wasn't too alarmed. In such deep water, it made sense to me that it wouldn't be getting a return signal from the bottom quickly enough to be recorded by the in-hull transducer. Besides, generally after you are out of shallow water, it's not all that important to keep tabs on this sort of thing. Running aground is the main concern, and although it can be useful to know the depth in deeper water for navigational purposes, it isn't all that critical. Even so, when we got nearer to shore (shallower water), the sounder began to display more odd readings. It would lock on an erroneous reading and stay there, only occasionally to switch to another erroneous reading. I did a bit of research and concluded it was probably a bad transducer. That was disappointing considering the unit was only a few years old. I looked up the manufacturer (Moor Electronics) only to discover that they'd gone out of business that very month!

I didn't want to pay for a whole new sounder, but I wasn't likely to find a new transducer for this one, either. I decided that the easiest solution was to hook a transducer to the Garmin chartplotter -- something I'd never done before because of my suspicion of integrated systems.

Although my chartplotter was purchased new in 2012, it was, of course, already considered something out of the pre-Cambrian. Finding a transducer took a bit of doing, but I was able to get one through West Marine. It proved a simple install and everything was working fine. I do admit that I got used to the convenience of being able to see the depth right there on the chartplotter without having to look away to another instrument.

When we left West End last week, as far as I knew our chartplotter was working just fine. The dead depth sounder sat there blankly, but it was no problem because I could see the depth on the Garmin now.

As we motored to Lucaya, the Garmin lost power. At first, I didn't think anything of it. I turned it back on, and after about a minute, it warmed up and returned to displaying our position. Then it turned off again. Restarted. This happened perhaps two dozen times over a 6-hour period. Sometimes it would stay on for 10 or 15 minutes, sometimes only for a minute or so. Probably a loose connection, but nothing I could really check on until I got in somewhere. In open water, this sort of failure is not so critical. Luckily, we had charts for the area and I pulled out a spare handheld GPS and kept close watch on our position while Noi steered. But I was concerned about the entrance to Bell Channel. It looked rather tricky on the chart, with a tight squeeze between some shallows right at the red and green markers. Getting into tight spots is where a chartplotter comes into its own. But I didn't know whether mine would be working.

Of course, just as I was entering the most critical part of the channel -- that very shallow part I mentioned -- the chartplotter quit, along with the depth reading that now was part of the same system. Worse, there was a strong following sea that made the entrance probably the most challenging I have had to make. I came in blind. No chartplotter and no depth sounder. I went in blind. We were lucky.

Had my old depth sounder been working, at least I'd have had that. Yet another system went down with the chartplotter, too. At the same time I bought the Garmin, I also bought a new VHF radio with AIS (Automatic Identification System), which uses a radio signal to show you other boats in your vicinity. So, that too was unusable, at least from the helm, because of the malfunctioning chartplotter.

So, I'm the one that has assiduously avoided integrated systems and I have inadvertently been sucked into the very problem I hoped to avoid!

New Year

Apologies for the overly morose post yesterday. Being 50 isn't so bad. In fact, it's a lot like 49.

We spent a pleasant New Year's with cruising friends Bob and Kathy, who own a 42' Beneteau, Yankee Girl III. It got mentioned in passing a day or two ago that New Year's Eve was my birthday, so they had the staff at a restaurant we were at do the ceremony, complete with (agave?) pie and a candle. Nice.

Bob and Kathy left this morning along with a gaggle of cruisers who had been waiting for several weeks for a good weather window. I am having second thoughts about not shoving off along with the rest of the pack heading toward the Berry Islands and/or on to Nassau en route to the Exumas.

Sure, today would have been a long one of motoring, but the conditions are benign and we could have banked our southing and then moved on toward Nassau tomorrow.

Instead, we decided to relax a bit and enjoy Junkanoo, the Bahamian New Year's festival. But that means we will wait another several days before the next possible weather window -- which is currently on the edge of the forecast radius and therefore no guarantees.