2003 Abacos Trip Log,

Crossing The Gulf Stream

East Bound,

May 23 and 24.

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Previous Section of Log: Cocoa Beach to Fort Lauderdale.	Next Section of Log: Grand Bahama to Abacos.
May 23, 2003,	Left Port Everglades.
May 24, 2003,	Arrived Settlement Point, Grand Bahama.
May 25 to 2_, 2003,	Grand Bahama to Abacos.

Crossing the Gulf Stream

(east bound)

Friday, May 23, 2003:
Noon: The weather was looking up. On the VHF radio I received a report of 3' chop at the edge of the Gulf Stream from a boat 2 miles east of Port Everglades.

2:00pm, the forcast was for 3' chop inshore, 3' to 5' seas in the Gulf Stream.

5:00pm(or there abouts): Motored over to Lauderdale Marina for gas, ice, and water. Just as I got to the marina, a Catalina 47, "SIGNIFICANT OTHER", came in for a pit stop after having just come up in the ocean from the Florida Keys. The crew was wearing foulies, and looking a bit beat. I helped them with their dock lines, and asked them about conditions out in the Gulf Stream. The first crew member I spoke to seemed to assume I was just making conversation. A few minutes later, the other guy aboard "SIGNIFICANT OTHER" came over and verified his impression that I was a single hander on a small boat getting ready to head out the inlet into the Gulf Stream and that I was asking for specific info on sea conditions. He said they'd been surfing large waves down wind in the Gulf Stream since leaving the keys, but that conditions were becoming less demanding just as they reached Port Everglades.

I also had a nice chat about single handing with a marina employee who had just recently gotten a 27' or so sailboat, his first.

7:00pm (or there abouts): I left Port Everglades east bound. I motored out past port outer whistle buoy, and then raised full mainsail and 90% jib.

Skip this boring stuff, let's get to the Bahamas!

What follows, for a few pages in this grey table cell, is the boring details from my log written as I crossed the Gulf Stream.

May 23, 8:00pm (N26*,6.4',W080*,1.2'):
After fooling around with heading and sail trim, seemed to be proceeding at 5.0kts SOG, tracking 70*m. Seas 1' chop, 2' SE swell. Seaview 800 depth finder lost bottom return echo at about 500' indicated depth.
May 23, 9:00pm (N26*,9.0',W079*,56.6'):
SOG=5.0kts, steering 80*m, tracking 60*m.
seas: 1' chop, 2' SE swell.
Gulf Stream clearly pushing me north.

May 23, 9:20pm:
Made minor adjustments to autopilot, sail trim. Now steering 85*m, tracking 64*m. SOG = 5.1kts.
Seeing some large ship traffic.

May 23, 10:00pm (N26*,12.6',W079*,51.8'):
SOG=3.3kts, steering 120*m, tracking 42*m.
seas: 6" chop, 2' SE swell.
Wind is dying and clocking from SE to SSE. Gulf Stream current influence is increasing. About to lose sight of Ft. Lauderdale lights.

May 23, 11:00pm (N26*,15.1',W079*,48.1'):
Steering 120*m, tracking 72*m, SOG=4.6kts.
seas: 6" chop, 2' SE swell. Winds light.
Motorsailing to maintain speed and heading required to reach West End, Grand Bahama on Saturday morning.

Friday, May 24, 2003:

May 24, 12:01am (N26*,16.8',W079*,44.1'):
Steering 120*m, tracking 75*m, SOG=5.0kts.
seas: 1' chop, 2' SE swell. Winds still light.

May 24, 1:00am (N26*,19.2',W079*,38.3'):
Steering 120*m, tracking 73*m, SOG=5.9kts.
seas: building... Winds: building. East sky black (not just night).
(a few minutes later...)
Lowered jib, proceeding under main and motor at 5.3kts. Was no longer able to point West End without back winding jib.
May 24, 2:00am (N26*,21.5',W079*,32.6'):
Steering 130*m, tracking 078*m, SOG=4.5kts.
seas: 1'-2' swell, winds: S 10kts.

May 24, 3:00am (N26*,22.3',W079*,28.4'):
Steering 130*m, tracking 93*m, SOG=4.2kts.
seas: 2' SE swell. Winds: S 10kts.

May 24, 4:00am: Shut down motor, raised jib.

May 24, _:00am (N26*,23.4',W079*,24.3'):
Steering 105*m, tracking 072*m, SOG=4.9kts.
seas: 2' rollers. Winds: SE <10kts.
Shut down motor, raised jib.

May 24, 5:00am (N26*,25.6',W079*,19.0'):
Steering 085*m, tracking 065*m, SOG=5.1kts.
seas: 2' S swell. Winds: S 5-10kts.

May 24, 6:00am: Winds light. Motoring, lowered mainsail because of slatting.

May 24, 7:00am (N26*,30.2',W079*,11.7'):
Steering 070*m, tracking 062*m, SOG=4.5kts.
seas: 2' rollers. Winds: S 5kts.

May 24, 8:00am (N26*,33.7',W079*,07.5'):
Steering 050*m, tracking 050*m, SOG=4.5kts.
seas: 1'. Winds: light.

May 24, 8:15am: Land sighted dead ahead. Good GPS! Here, have some fresh batteries!

May 24, 9:00am (N26*,36.6',W079*,4.5'):
Steering 040*m, tracking 045*m, SOG=4.3kts.
seas: 1' chop, 2' S swell. Winds: S light.

Friday, May 24, 2003, around 10:00am to 11:00am:
Entered Old Bahama Bay, West End, Grand Bahama.
Anchored near burned out wreck of M/V "MOON STRUCK", an aluminum luxury yacht which had appearantly burned about to the waterline. There was a shore powered 120v dewatering pump left running continuously to keep it from sinking.

(Maybe include photo of West End from the ocean? Aerial view of Old Bahama Bay?)

(images of "Moon Struck")	(images of "Moon Struck")
[ x , KB ]	[ x , KB ]

I launched my dinghy from the foredeck into the water right side up and dry on my first first try. I then rowed it over to the fuel dock, and tied up in old lift slip. After a quaint, time consuming, and expensive ($100) encounter with the Bahamian Customs folks and their paperwork, I finally cleared in around about 2:00pm. I then did laundry (about $4.50 plus $2 soap), and took a shower ($10). The shower facilities were just stalls with curtains in a public restroom (payment on the honor system?), but none of my stuff disappeared while I was washing up, so that's OK.