Back in the USA -update 5/5/08

We are back in the USA after a very good crossing on Sunday. Our stay in the Bahamas was a lot of fun and we really hated to leave but it was time to move on if we were going to meet our insurance requirement of being north of 32 degrees by June 1.

Our last week or so in the Bahamas was as good as the rest. After a short walk on Man-O-War we went to Guana Cay with Lamb Chop. There we walked the beach, went for a swim, had drinks and appetizers with Bob & Gerry, did more walking, had lunch at Nipper’s and went to another “Pot Luck” night at Grabbers.

We then went to Treasure Cay where we spent 4 days walking the beach, enjoying the pool and taking in the entertainment at the resort. We also had drinks and desert with Wanda and Phil of Amazing Grace at the condo they had occupied there.

The following day we set out for Green Turtle Cay via Don’t Rock channel accompanied by Lamb Chop. However, there were waves breaking in the channel so we decided to go around Whale Cay instead. There were 4-6 foot waves but we made it through ok with nothing breaking in the channel but waves breaking on both sides. There was plenty of anchoring room in the harbor. Our stay at Green Turtle was a lot of fun. We took the dinghies over to the settlement, enjoyed the pool at the Bluff House and walked the ocean beach. The highlight was Wednesday night when we attended another performance by the Gully Roosters. It turned out to be a lot of fun dancing and crowd watching.

Manjack Cay

The following day we traveled a whole 10 miles to Manjack Cay where we anchored and took the dinghies ashore. The island has several hiking trails and we walked to both the ocean beach and “Coco Beach” which was on the inside. Both were beautiful and the walk was good for us as well.

Alas, it was time to leave the Abaco’s so the next day Sun Cat and Lamb Chop traveled to Mangrove Cay where we anchored in the lee of the island for the night. We were the only boats there. We left fairly early the next morning and went though Indian Cay channel on the rising tide. We went into Old Bahama Bay Marina at West End where we were able to confirm that the weather for a Gulf Stream crossing would be good the next day. We also enjoyed the pool and the fine Bahamian weather for one more day and had a nice dinner in the restaurant that evening.

The next day the wind was forecast to diminish as the day wore on so we delayed our start until 6AM and were thus able to leave in daylight. The crossing was very good. We had 1-2 foot waves to start out, diminishing to less than a foot by 9AM. The roughest part of the trip turned out to be the inlet at Fort Pierce where the outgoing tide was running hard against the incoming waves, creating a nasty short chop. The only real excitement was a US Navy ship which appeared to be doing training exercises in the Gulf Stream-right in our path. In all, we did the 82 mile crossing in less than 9 hours, getting a 2 plus knot push from the Gulf Stream current.

However, when we got to Ft Pierce it got interesting. First, the current was running hard against us. Second there were boats everywhere, some fishing in the channel, some beached on the adjacent shore and some running in all directions. Finally, when we got to the dock, there was a big dock party going on at the slip they guided us to. Its enough fun to back the boat into a slip with winds and current but we didn’t really want to provide entertainment for 20 or so people as well! Fortunately, the docking maneuver went well and we were able to clear Homeland security with just a phone call and no hassles. We were able to join the dock party and then had another nice dinner at the marina.

Everything went well as you can see except that there was apparently a wiring problem on the dock which wound up burning out my 50 to 30 amp splitter. Luckily after some anxious moments and some testing, we were able to determine that the inverter had correctly assessed the situation and shut down the 110 volt system on the boat, preventing a problem from developing with the systems inside the boat.

The next morning, we went for a short walk while Tim and Jan went to the airport to finish clearing in. We then went up to Vero Beach to spend a few days getting organized and relaxing after which we will begin our trip north up the ICW.

The pictures which start this include the group at the pool at the Bluff house , the Gully Roosters band and a waterspout we saw from the beach, all at Green Turtle Cay. In addition, there is a picture of the pool at Treasure Cay and the beach end of the trail at Manjack Cay.

Still having a wonderful time enjoying the warm weather and sunshine!

Steve and Jean
M/V Sun Cat