Diesel Engine

       Last Thursday, as Sharon and I studied the latest weather forecast we noticed a weather window of opportunity for Monday and Tuesday to cross over to the Bahamas.  All of our sources confirmed the same prediction, low winds.  Low winds translate into a good sea state for Big Run.  Usually, we don't give any credence to weather predictions over 2 days out, but we still had to prepare.  Thursday afternoon I started  doing maintenance work when I noticed our water maker was throwing a hissy fit.  After a few phone calls to the local watermaker dealer and Rick (M/V Broulee), we decided to head north back to West Palm Beach area where a very reputable watermaker dealer is located.  Well, there goes the crossing opportunity out the window.  As we traveled north I worked the phones and was able to get a different dealer in Ft. Lauderdale to look at the watermaker on Saturday.  What was thought to be catastrophic failure may have been operator error.  Chalk that one up to the learning curve.  We did manage to salvage the trip to Ft. Lauderdale by buying diesel fuel from Peterson's Fuel Barge for $.50 a gallon cheaper than the marinas' advertised price in Miami

      Back in Miami on Sunday and all was a go for a crossing Monday morning for the weather window got even better.  Monday morning the anchor was hauled by 6:10 a.m. Last year we hauled the anchor by 4 a.m.  But this year was going to be different.  Last year we traveled to Bimini and checked in.  This year our plans was to do an overnight crossing to Nassau.  Travel time was estimated to be 26 hours.

Inbound freighter as we exit government cut in Miami.

      Just after exiting government cut in Miami, the Coast Guard announced they were closing government cut due to inbound cruise ships, a common practice by the USCG and without warning.  We cleared that obstacle by 5 minutes.  One hour into our journey we found ourselves in the grip of the Gulf Stream.  The Gulf Stream is a northbound flow of water in the Florida Straits.  When you have any winds with a northerly component, the Gulf Stream can get a little bumpy but today it was very manageable.  So, between a strong drift north by the current and the northwest breeze, our first 20 miles were a little bit of a challenge.  Six hours into the crossing both the current and sea state started to relax its grip on Big Run.  By 2 p.m., we had crossed the Florida Straits and were just south of Bimini on the The Great Bahama Bank.  For the next 9 hours we experienced almost dead flat calm conditions, barely a ripple on the water as we crossed the bank.  In the photo below you'll notice a near "lost horizon" condition, where the horizon between the water and sky merge to the point of being invisible.

Traveling the The Great Bahama Bank, twenty miles from anywhere, a weary traveler takes a rest on our pulpit.

     By 11 p.m. we arrived at the Northwest Channel, the upper reach of the Tongue Of The Ocean. This was our next crucial point in time. The Tongue Of The Ocean has been our second arch nemesis, next to the Albermarle Sound in North Carolina.  As we entered the deep water of the Northwest Channel, we found that the water had been tamed by the lack of winds.  Again, dead flat calm conditions.   We felt like we were in a dream, perfect conditions for Big Run. No hobby horsing by the bow of the boat, no pitching side to side as the boat was rolled by beam seas.  What a ride!  Conditions were so good we had to throttle back so as not to arrive at the Nassau marina before they opened.  This was the ultimate crossing.  As a matter of fact, from the time we entered the Great Bahama Bank to the entrance to Nassau Harbour, the only way you could tell the boat was moving was by the low rumbling sound of Big Run's diesel engine.

Sunrise on The Tongue Of The Ocean.  Note the inbound cruise ship on the left heading for Nassau Harbour on the right.

The old and the new.  Lighthouse at Nassau Harbor entrance overshadowed by Atlantis looming in the background.