Long Haul

      Monday was a good day as we cruised from Lake Worth to Stuart, FL.  Around 6 pm we dropped anchor at the Sandpiper Marina.  Dropping anchor at a marina is not the norm, but then we do things a little different on Big Run.  We came to this marina because this is where our very good friends Rick, Deb & Izzy are staying.  As we approached the marina, Rick hailed us on the radio to guide us through the skinny water, and Izzy helped as morale officer.  It was a bitter sweet moment.  Sweet because we could see Rick and Izzy.  Bitter in that our reunion would have to wait until the next day when we went into the marina and got a slip.  Deb was flying back from Arizona on Monday, so our reunion on Tuesday morning would be complete.  It had been just over a year since we last saw them down in the Florida Keys.  Before we entered the slip on Tuesday morning we went to the fuel dock for some fuel and were greeted by Rick, Deb & Izzy for an abbreviated reunion.  The official reunion came later after we docked our boat in the slip.

     The last three days have been spent reprovisioning the boat and boat maintenance/repairs.  Our first order of business on Tuesday was a trip to the grocery store.  Rick and Deb lent us their SUV to run errands, so the car was in constant use by everyone.   While in the Bahamas we purchased produce and a few other items but we lived on the stores we had on board.  Our planning last year allowed us to carry enough food for 5 months and, after 17 weeks in the Bahamas, our selections for meals were becoming limited.  For our first trip to the grocery store we filled 2 grocery carts.  After loading those groceries into the car, we returned and filled another cart. We spent over three hours transporting the groceries from the car to the boat and stowing away all the groceries.  Then on Wednesday, we went to a different grocery store and filled another grocery cart. I am proud to say that Big Run is finally reprovisoned to the max and with our additional storage containers we purchased on Tuesday, we're good to go for another long haul. 

Bahamas Crazy

     Twenty six hours and thirty minutes.  Non-stop.  That's how long it took us to exit the Bahamas and back to Florida. Forget about the previous 10 days while the transmission was being repaired.  Our departure was Saturday at 7a.m.  This time we left Nassau with a buddy boat, M/V Esperanza.  Just in case.  The buddy boat scenario was beneficial for both boats, Big Run had the transmissions issues, the other boat also had mechanical issues while in the Bahamas.  They had their repairs done in Highbourne Cay and traveled to Nassau before getting held up waiting for a weather window.  By Saturday mid-afternoon, both boats had crossed the Tongue of the Ocean to the waypoint, NW Channel.  Here, we parted company as the other boat went onto Bimini.  We on the other hand made our way to Mackie Shoal, also on the Great Bahama Bank.  By 11:30p.m. we were at our last waypoint in the Bahamas, Hens and Chickens.  From there, we made the final push across the Straits of Florida to Palm Beach on Lake Worth.  Twenty six hours and thirty minutes.  At times the seas were calm, and there were times the sea reminded us she was in charge.  There were two occasions the sea was a "little" bumpy, first, they were a beamy sea for awhile when we left Nassau, and the second time was around 3 a.m. as we crossed the straits and it continued to be bumpy until we entered Lake Worth Inlet on Sunday at 9 a.m..  The slow moving cold front that was to make its slow trek across Florida on Sunday afternoon arrived Sunday morning bring stout winds over the seas from the SW.  So much for weather predictions.  Twenty six hours and thirty minutes.  All the time we were making the crossing, one million different things ran through my mind.  The transmission.  The engine.  The transmission.  The navigation computer.  The transmission.  Prior to our departure, I had gone over most of the systems.  I replaced the raw water impeller for the engine because it was missing 2 vanes.  I load tested the transmission one more time for fifteen minutes while we were in the slip.  I replaced a fuel filter for the fuel polishing system because it seemed like a good idea.  Many things were checked and double checked.  Twenty six hours and thirty minutes.  And now we're counting the hours and minutes until we return.  Yes, we're Bahamas crazy!

The Event at Mackie Shoal

S/V Tenacious

     This is sailing vessel Tenacious in Nassau Harbour.  When the wooden hull construction began  in1996, the hull was laid upside down.  At completion of the hull, large circular turning clamps were affixed to the hull to right the hull.  In February 2000, Tenacious left the shipyard to be fitted with her masts, then on the 1st of September she made her maiden voyage.  Tenacious is approximately 178 feet LOA, has a 35 foot beam, a draft of 15 feet and an air draft of 130 feet.   Tenacious was built to offer those with physical limitations/disabilities the opportunity to take an equal part in the sailing of a ship.

Stink Boat

     The rebuilt transmission arrived at 11:15 this morning. Strike up the band!  When the transmission was removed from the boat last week, the two mechanics had one heck of a time getting it off of the boat.  The marina we are staying at is new and has a strange "new" dock design.  In addition to the normal pilings for the dock, there are also extra pilings that stand off from the dock an extra 18 inches.  Hence the boat is an additional 18 inches further away from the dock than with a conventional design.  Just getting on or off the boat is a challenge.  The dock master claims it's to keep the bigger boats off of the dock pilings.  These pilings are not attached to the dock and are independent of anything (see photo below).  As our luck would have it, the extra piling falls amid ship on Big Run.  So, after the near drowning of the transmission last week while removing the transmission from the boat, I suggested that when they return with the rebuilt transmission, they should come by water so that we can unload the transmission from their skiff onto Big Run's swim step.  Guess what?  Somebody actually listened to yours truly, and we were able to safely and easily transfer the 200lb+ transmission from the skiff to Big Run.

The "don't crash my dock" piling

     While the mechanics were installing the transmission, I requested them to tag along for the sea trials.  You know misery loves company.  After all the clamps were double checked, linkage tested, oil lines snugged up one more time and the all important seacock opened, we left the dock for sea trials.   We actually stayed in the harbor to conduct sea trials.  We headed east only to find a very strong current from the ebbing tide.  Perfect.  The very strong current applied extra loading of the transmission without over revving the engine.  Our normal cruising engine revs of 1500rpm yielded 4.3 knots instead of 6.5 knots.  After traveling east for about 4 miles I turned the boat around and headed back to the marina at a mind numbing speed of 8.5 knots with the current.  Now we be sailing! Oh, pardon me, I almost forgot we're not a stick boat, we're a stink boat!

Ships and Boats In Nassau Harbour

     As the title says it all, here are some photos of ships and boats of interest from Nassau Harbour.

Two of the largest cruise ships in the world.  Disney Dreams (left) at 1,115 feet and Royal Caribbean's Allure Of The Seas (right) at 1,181 feet, the largest cruise ship of record.

Disney Dreams at night.

Container ship Caribe Sun with opening bow and ramp for loading & unloading wheeled vehicles.

Former America's Cup sailboat from New Zealand, now retired to daytripping for hire.

I Don't Dare Think Of It

     As early as Wednesday morning, I had my suspicions as to the cause of our misfortune at sea on Tuesday.  Preliminary inspections revealed that the oil cooler for the transmission had ruptured internally and forced large quantities of sea water into the transmission thereby displacing the oil out of the transmission.  

     Today, a local boat services company sent over two mechanics to remove the transmission so that it could be inspected back at their shop.  Albert, the shop owner claims he has repair parts on the shelf for the Borg-Warner Velvet Drive transmission used in Big Run.  I spoke with Albert this afternoon, and he will inspect the transmission tomorrow, which was already disassembled and cleaned by his crew for him.

     I have already starting do research on suppliers of transmissions and parts in Florida just in case we need to have one or the other shipped into Nassau for us.  Rick on M/V Broulee has stepped up to the plate and furnished us with another reliable and dependable contact he has used in the past.  Add another feather to Rick's cap! Where would we be without Rick, I don't dare think of it.

The Game Winning Edition

     Leaving Plain Bay and Black Point was difficult, but not as difficult as leaving Nassau.  We had arrived in Nassau by way of Highborne Cay on Friday and crossed the Yellow Bank to Nassau on Saturday.  While in Nassau we did some provisioning for the boat, bought some more snorkeling gear and visited downtown Nassau and the infamous Strawmarket.  On Monday we treated ourselves to an excursion to Atlantis and the casino.  All of our winnings were graciously refunded back to the casino at the one-arm-bandits.  Monday evening included docktails with about 15 others boaters from the marina.

     Tuesday, we had a small weather window to cross the Tongue Of The Ocean.  Our plan was to leave late in the morning, cross the Tongue and continue through the night across the Great Bahama Bank to arrive at sunrise in Bimini.  Our departure was around 11am and the seas were 5 foot swells at 8 second intervals out of the NE as we traveled to the NW.  Yes, the ride was a little "bumpy", but very manageable, so we made like a sailboat and were tacking across the sea to minimize the seas' effect.  Around 1:30 pm, the engine started to surge from 1500 RPM to 1800 RPM.  Quite an unusual surge, so I raced back to the cockpit to see if there was any prop wash.  The prop wash looked okay indicating that we were still underway.  I quickly returned to the pilothouse where the engine continued to surge.  My next inclination was to shift the transmission into neutral, which stopped the engine from surging.  Okay, the surge was transmission related, off to the engine room.  No smoke, no odors, everything seemed fine.  Back to the pilothouse where I engaged the transmission and nothing happened.  Our SOG (speed over ground) continued to fall off indicating we had lost propulsion.  This time I went to the saloon and opened the floor hatches to access the engine room.  Once I had the hatch(s) open, I asked Sharon to engage the transmission - nothing, nada, zilch, caput. No propeller shaft turning, the transmission died.  At this point in time, we are 12 miles out to sea in 2500 meters of water, and the seas were buffeting the boat on the beam, from the side.  After a few minutes, I grabbed the radio and issued a distress call for assistance.  And like the engine's transmission -NOTHING.  All attempts to hail for assistance by VHF radio fell on deaf ears.  I then decided to call  the marina we had just left by cell phone, before we lost phone coverage.  I was able to contact the dockmaster but he was of no help.  Can you imagine a dockmaster with many years of experience, and he can't help you with a tow service to call.  Finally, I hailed BASRA (Bahama Air Sea Rescue Association) who said they would contact a tow vessel for us, but in the meantime, he was going to address another emergency that was more important than us who were adrift on the open sea.  Finally at 3:45pm, BASRA hailed that they had secured a tow vessel to rescue us.  The captain of the tow vessel then contacted us by VHF and instructed us he was on his way to pick up his crew and his tow vessel.  He would need to fuel up the boat before he could come for us.  When I asked what his ETA was for our location he estimated he would be there around 5:00 pm.

         As late afternoon dragged on, the winds were increasing and so were the waves.  The 5' swells at 8 second intervals were now turning into 6-8' seas hitting Big Run on the beam, the side of the boat, causing the boat to violently roll from side to side.  At times I would look at our clinometer, which indicated how much the boat is heeling over or leaning to one side or the other.  45 DEGREES of roll to one side and 45 DEGREES roll back over to the other side then again back to the other and so on, continuously.  If we did this once, we did it a hundred times through the whole ordeal.  As we rolled to port and back to starboard, anything and everything in the boat that wasn't secured was tossed about.

     At 5;30 pm I hailed the tow vessel, the captain said he was on his way and would be there in 15 minutes.  While I had the captain on the radio I confirmed with him our GPS location.  Shortly thereafter, the tow captain called to tell us he could see us off of his starboard bow.  Again, I confirmed our current "adrift" GPS location.  10 minutes later I hailed the captain to ask for his location, he replied with his GPS location.  When I checked his location against our location on the chart he was 2 miles due south of us and traveling west!  I once again hailed the tow captain and asked him to repeat back to me my GPS location, which he did correctly.  How did the captain end up in the wrong location and traveling in the wrong direction is still a mystery to me as I write this.  About 6 pm, I finally spotted a very small boat heading our way.  I quickly hailed the captain to confirm it was the tow boat heading in our direction.  Once he confirmed it was his boat coming to rescue us, I asked the captain about his equipment and tow line.  The tow captain confirmed he had a 26 foot Mako with two 225 Yamahas and about 80 feet of line.  When he arrived on scene I was in total shock.  The boat was a 1980 vintage something sport fishing boat, you know the kind your grandfather took fishing when you went to the ol' farm pond.  The tow line was three lines tied together, each of a different length and diameter.  Not the warm fuzzy felling your hoping for.  Within a short time we were being towed back to Nassau at 4.5 knots - not bad. Around 7pm the tow line broke lose from the tow vessel but the first mate quickly made repairs and we were underway again.  Around 7:30pm I noticed one of the twin outboards had stopped running!  The only thing left for tow vessel to do was sink.

      For the next 3 1/2 hours, as we were being towed on the open sea with a one engine tow vessel, we were hit from every possible angle by the sea.  At times we could see the tow boat, on top of a wave, well over the top of our bow pulpit.  In the daytime you can see the waves coming and prepare yourself, but at night it's like being blindsided with a sucker punch.  

      By 10 pm we were entering the Nassau harbor, and the sea was still getting in its last punches.  As we entered the turning basin. the area used by the XXXL cruise ships to turn around, the captain hailed us and informed us he was taking us over to the south side of the basin where he instructed us to drop our anchor because his tow vessel was running out of fuel!  What!  After dropping anchor at 10:30 pm, Sharon and I were able to able to grab something to eat.  It was only 15 hours since we ate breakfast.  For the next 2 hours, and although we were in relatively calm waters,  we were still on edge for that next wave to come out of no where.  Finally at 12:30 am, the tow captain returned, and we continued with the tow.  At 1 am, as planned, we changed over from a line tow to a hip tow.  It's called a hip tow because the tow vessel comes along side the disabled vessel and is attached with line to the disabled vessel.  With the hip tow, the captain informed us we have only one chance to make it into the slip he had reserved for us.  I didn't bother to ask the tow captain what would happen if we missed it on the first try.  I guess I didn't want to know.    At 1:30 am Wednesday morning, 12 hours after it all began, Big Run, only slightly battered and bruised, was safely secured to the dock.  The crew, well let's just say it was another adventure right out Hell's Playbook, the game winning edition.

Nobody Knows

     The first three days of the "blow" was very close to the last Saturday's predictions, although the winds did let up a little on Wednesday.   Yes, the weather forecasters were right and a blind pig will sooner or later find an acorn!  The forecast from three days ago for the next three days (T-F-S) from today have changed to the point that we are considering a major move with the boat.  Now, the question is will the prediction for the next three days hold as forecasted today, Wednesday?  Our plan,  is to leave on Friday for Highborne Cay in the northern Exumas.  In preparation for Fridays departure, we have once again moved the boat back over to Black Point Settlement.  Will we ever leave here - stayed tuned.  Here, we will join up with Dave and Joan onboard M/V Joda,  a beautiful 1994 Kadey-Krogen Whaleback, for our migration north.  Joda will part company from us at Highborne on Saturday as they continue onto Spanish Wells and their adventure to the  Abacos. and we will travel to Nassau, Bahamas  This is where have made a major change to our cruising itinerary.  After a long discussion with Rick and Deb on our buddy boat, M/V Broulee, and this was a mutual agreement, we have decided to return to the United States and forgo our previously planned trip through the Abacos.  Remember, plans in Jello?  So after a brief visit, or not, to Nassau and the casinos we will be heading west for Florida.  The run through the Abacos has been postponed until a more favorable time frame.  Looking forward and being able to concentrate on the big picture, and this was probably a wise decision, we should be able to reunite with family and friends, for a brief time, in Pennsylvania and firm up our trip to New England with our buddy boat.  Or, that  is what I think we're doing.  It appears our travel plans are as predictable as the weather, nobody knows!  

I Hope They're Wrong

     The latest cold front to swing down from the United States is predicted to be a very strong and lasting "blow" here in the Bahamas.  On Sunday, the winds are predicted to be from the south at 17 mph at 7am.  By 7 pm the winds are to taper off to 8 mph from the west.  But then the fun starts.  At 10 pm Sunday evening, the winds are to have clocked around to the NE and jumped up to 24 mph sustained and build on through Monday evening to 29 mph sustained.  Tuesday predictions are for the lower 30's (mph) sustained and to continue at 30+ mph as the winds clock to the east.  Then on Thursday the winds are to drop back into the upper 20's.  The current predictions go out to next Saturday where the winds will be in the lower 20's and still from the east.  It appears, by the predictions, that the cold front will stall and become a trough.  The only good thing about the current weather predictions is that those predictions for beyond 3 days from now can be thrown out the window because they really don't know what is going to happen.  Well, at least I hope they're wrong.