M/V MAERIN

Our escape from Coral Harbor and New Providence went as planned. We left the dock at Nick’s at 1730 on schedule, and arrived at our waypoint to meet up with Ken & Dottie about 15 minutes behind our planned arrival, which was fine as it gave Dreamweaver a bit of a head start since they typically cruise slower than we do. Winds were still brisk at 15-20 kts, but with no significant drop in speed for the next few days, the time was as good as it was going to get.We left the lights of Nassau in our wake and headed for Lynyard Cay in the Abacos. We were treated to a fireworks show on the way, as Disney Wonder, a Disney Cruise ship put to sea just ahead of our passing Nassau, and turned to pass us then shortly afterward put on a fireworks show for their passengers. Pretty on the moonlit waters!
Our cruise began with some whitecaps visible in the fading light, and the seas grew from there! Less than a third of the almost 100 mile run was in fair seas, but against the prevailing wind which always brings the promise of a bumpy ride. We picked up Ken & Dottie on the radio, and determined each others’ positions. They had a decent head start and were about 8 miles out ahead of us, on a slightly different heading since we began at different locations. Our plan to each add a bit of a dog leg to our course worked out well to put us both on nearly the same heading after the first hour or two. But as the night progressed, the seas grew sloppier, and cloud cover obscured the moon, providing a nice black sky from which no horizon could easily be referenced, a sure path to an uncomfortable ride. Barb decided to try to get some sleep first, but with limited success, her watch then began as the swells grew. We had 4-6 ft swells, not uncomfortable in themselves, but on top of that, there was some sea confusion added by current and wind. That, coupled with the inability to focus on any horizon, was more than her equilibrium would tolerate, so the Admiral who “never gets seasick” spent some time “coughing in the potty” and thence retired to the berth. An hour or two before daybreak she was able to return to the helm, and the skipper got a bit of rest. Her symptoms improved with dawn, and disappeared when the hook went down! 98 miles in the dark on a sloppy sea. 13 hours plus of some uncomfortable travel! Ken & Dottie arrived in the anchorage some 45 minutes after us. Seasoned cruisers from the west coast with some 12,000 miles under their keel, they pronounced the evening’s cruise conditions “below average”, but not untenable. I found it to be less than delightful, but then I didn’t spend any time driving from the porcelain helm station.

But we made it, and we’re glad to finally be in the Abacos. Despite the discomfort, an overnight cruise is an efficient way to cover distance, especially when the course is over water that is free from hazards and relatively deep. Some sections we crossed are in the 3,000’s in depth….. oh, that’s not feet, that’s meters!

Our latest forecast looks great for the next couple of days, very wide pressure gradients, light winds predicted. Finally. Here’s what we look at for our weather: PassageWeather.com

It’s the controller of our activities, vital in our cruise planning and looking for that elusive weather window we’re always talking about!