We're here!!!! As of last night around 9pm, the boat is on the dock behind our new temporary home in Florida. Another milestone reached, a beautiful and overwhelming experience! It is still hard to comprehend that we are going to be living here for some time and also that it is still so unknown what all this will bring. We will find out step by step in the coming period.
First back to last week. We have a great trip from Bermuda with some venom in the tail. We sail 940 miles in 133 hours (5.5 days) with a total of 54 sailing hours and 79 engine hours. The first two days we sail a little more west than south to the waypoint 30N / -70W to be able to stay ahead of the bad weather that comes to Bermuda. The wind also forces us in that direction. And that is great sailing. The following days there is little wind and we sail a lot on the engine right south-west to the southern point of the Abacos (the northernmost island of the Bahamas). Then with a calm sea through the Bahamas to the west for the last spicy part of crossing the Gulf Stream to Florida.
It's hot. During the day we look outside in the shade under the bimini and in the breeze. Inside the fannets are continuously on and it is often above 30 degrees during the day. As soon as the weather and the sea allows it, some windows and shutters open. At night we can sit outside in shorts and t-shirt. What a luxury! Regularly in the morning we find a flying fish on deck. We recognize this from our trip 8 years ago and regularly during conversations in the cockpit we bring up good memories from back then.
The nights are dark despite the many stars. Only at the end of the night there is a small moon and in the end not at all 🌘. As far as the Bahamas we only encounter two ships from a great distance. Yes, we are all alone on that vast ocean. Just busy with the boat, the sailing and with each other. No access to the world news and that's great. A simple and simple life that all four of us can really enjoy.
There are also times when we have to get over it to do it and move on. Like the departure from the open sea in St George against strong winds with big waves and rain showers. And also the first evening with some more wind and threatening thunderstorms. And the last afternoon with a huge swell and a NO 6-7 across the Gulf Stream. It's nice to know that our sailing buddies give the Indian Summer a lot of sympathy and moral support with text messages that we can receive and send with Iridium Go.
Iridium Go is really ideal. Toine has a data subscription for not even that much money. We use Iridium Go every morning for picking up weather tickets and gribfiles and for sending the daily message via email to the site. And during the day for short text messages. Just from the iPhone and iPad. Super handy! We can also do this with the laptop and the shortwave radio, that's the same technique, but less easy to use.
The first two days we feel a bit catty. Luckily not ill, but also not very keen on food. The third day that feeling is gone and the body is used to a moving boat again. The girls often watch a movie. We sometimes watch too. And we sit outside a lot to look around us, to muse or to chat with each other. The whole trip we sail on the Autopilot 2, repaired by Toine, and it's holding up fine, even during the last hours in heavy seas.
Day 1
Against strong winds and with big waves we sail out of the sea with the first daylight at half past 8 in the bay of St George. Full of excitement in the belly for the coming trip. It is just an hour through the waves in rain showers and then we can turn right with ample to half wind (force 5) reefed sails south of Bermuda along. Moments later all tension is gone. Good that we left. It remains a restless sea for another 2 hours until we pass the island in water with a depth of 4 km. At the end of the afternoon the wind gets a little less and the reefs go out. We eat pasta with ham and zucchini. In the evening the wind picks up again and there is a thunderstorm in the air. With the radar on you can see the showers coming. This way Toine and Eline manage to avoid the worst thunderstorms. The rest of the night it stays dry and we have to sail higher and higher to 60 degrees. Large remains on reef 1 and we can easily roll the genoa out and in during the watch depending on the wind strength. The autopilot is on wind angle and that sails fine. Distance: 180 nm.
Day 2
The whole day we sail fairly high on the wind (60 degrees). Higher than 60 is not comfortable. Often with a reef in it, especially in the squale-like showers that pass by with 5-6 Bft. We hardly see the sun and therefore it is less warm inside (28 degrees). The girls eat the same as yesterday and Toine and I stew meat from meat farm Boot out of canned meat. Lovely!
We can sail until 7 pm and then the wind drops completely with the last shower. Just before that shower, a small bird comes and sits on the back of the boat. He probably wants to take shelter from the rain. He is not at all shy and even has the tendency to fly inside. We don't like that at all and encourage him to leave. With the engine on we go into the night and we all sleep well. We spend our watches inside lying on a mattress in the corridor next to the engine room with the alarm clock every 15 minutes and looking around outside. The girls sleep in the living room; Marinthe on a mattress on the floor and Eline on the couch. Those are the places in the boat where you feel the least movement. Daily distance: 159 miles.
Day 3
In the early morning we see the first ship. A tanker 10 miles away on her way to Rotterdam. At half past 10 the engine can be switched off and we sail 60 degrees to port this time. Until 14 o'clock it is wonderful sailing with bft 3-4. For lunch a delicious pasta salad with ham and peas. All four of us have a really good appetite for the first time. It is sunny, the bimini is up and the cap down. We even hang out the fishing line and catch a fish. Too small to eat all four of them so we throw it back 🐟. In the afternoon we watch an old Bond movie. Always fun. We eat spaghetti. Then follows another quiet night on the motorbike. With useful activities during the guards. Mira looks at the crew log and Toine is working on his paper for a new job. Apparently we've had enough sleep. Distance: 170 nm.
Day 4
Another day on the engine for lack of good sailing wind and this time with an impressive high ocean swell coming from two directions. Probably caused by worse weather further on. On two sides of us there are areas with strong winds and we sail nicely in between. It's better to use the engine now than to sail in strong winds. We sympathize from a distance with Luc's operation. Get well, old man! Another very warm day, it's 33 degrees inside. The fishing line is hanging out but we catch nothing. Meanwhile we know from Jack and Jackie how we can clear customs. They have checked with Customs. We can go straight to Deerfield Beach, but we have to call when we get to Hillsboro Inlet and then make sure that all four of us report face to face at Fort Lauderdale Airport within 24 hours. This procedure is the same as we know from 8.5 years ago. During the night we sail between 0:00 and 3:00 at a slow pace (regularly below 4 knots) to give the engine a rest and to be able to check the oil level. In the early morning we sail through steady showers with little wind. This is the heat front passing over which I recognize from the weekly charts. Daily distance: 162 nm.
Day 5
The high swell is gone. Another day of motorbikes. Very relaxed. We read, watch movies, sit in the cockpit and enjoy the view and chat with each other. A great day with good food, baked potatoes with meatballs, green beans and even Dutch apple sauce! In the afternoon it is a bit of a scare when the engine suddenly breaks down. How is that possible? Probably a bit of air instead of diesel while diesel siphons from the spare tank into the lunar tank and Toine is also tapping the diesel pre-filter. Luckily Toine can solve it quickly by pumping and the engine will do it again! At the beginning of the evening we approach the southern point of the Abacos and at 11 pm we turn around the corner into the Bahamas. Suddenly with a lot of boats and as many as 4 enormously illuminated cruise boats around us. It takes some getting used to in the dark, but still we can see them all on sight, with alcove and radar. And what a beautiful clear starry sky with many shooting stars 💫. We spend the guards outside. The sails are set with support of the engine to keep enough speed. Time distance: 165 nm.
Day 6
The sea between the islands of the Bahamas is calm. The wind picks up a little and we can sail again without an engine! We eat a good lunch in time feeling that the afternoon might be less comfortable. Nothing could be further from the truth ... once the Bahamas are out, the waves get a little higher and the wind picks up and stays in the north corner from NO. Cruising guides do not warn against crossing the gulf stream with wind with a north component, because that gives high waves against more than 2.5 knots of current. Well, we notice that ... especially with the stronger wind of 6-7 Bft. Fantastic to see that the SeaQuest can handle such a seaway in clover mode with reefed sails with a super speed of 8-10 knots. No time at all when an annoying situation arises. The girls are also doing very well and spend the whole afternoon with Toine outside (with life jacket and on a leash) in the wilderness. Mira likes it the least, sits a lot inside (in the heat because the hatches are closed as well) and occasionally comes to take a look outside. All this takes about 6 hours.
Then we approach the coast of Florida and it gets a little dark. Mira is also sitting outside and with double navigation (the Raymarine E120 and iNavix on the iPad) she tells Toine how to sail to take the entrance at Hillsboro. The girls are watching as well. Exciting, but it goes very well and then suddenly we are out of the waves and in the 'inlet' on our way to the bridge. Quiet, but not for long when Toine notices that the engine can't reverse, so we can't slow down. Luckily there is enough space in front of the bridge to make a lap forward, and the bridge opens immediately. What to do now? At anchor? We try that for a while, but the anchor doesn't hold and the spot isn't nice. Then let's go on to Jack's house. Via the ICW (Intra Costal Waterway) we sail 20 minutes north to the left into Kingfisher Canal. Is that part deep enough? We worry about that beforehand. Now we just hope that we get stuck to slow down. But no, it is deep enough and there are just three more gusts of wind in the back. How are we going to slow down in time to get between the poles at the dock of the house? We have lines on both sides ready to throw around the poles. And Jack's on the side to stop the boat. Things are going just fine and fortunately without any damage. It'll take us a while to secure the boat. Then we can finally get off the boat and greet Jackie and Jack. Jackie has made a delicious taco salad and that tastes very good, because we hadn't had dinner yet. Our bodies are shacking up especially from the last day on the boat. And then suddenly we are in Florida in our new temporary house with the boat in the backyard. In combination with an intense last day it is an overwhelming experience.
