At Sea

4am came really fast!  It was pitch black and we so much wanted to just stay in bed.  But, we knew if we didn’t force ourselves up and about, we’d be stuck on the Bight waiting for the next weather window and who knew how long that would be?  We pulled anchor and were underway by 4:15.

We really didn’t know where we were headed.  We had options and depending on the weather, seas, etc we’d see how far/long we went.  Our first trek was to sail off the Bight and into the deep ocean waters again.  From there we headed north for several miles and out around the north/west tip of Crooked Island.  It is a 4-5 hour sail along the north coast of Crooked.  If the weather/seas are favorable, we will continue.  If it’s at all uncomfortable, we will turn into Atwood Bay at the northeast tip of the island and seek shelter.  The seas have been excessive (over 8 feet) the last couple of days so we’re really unsure how much they have settled.

Shortly after passing the most picturesque lighthouse you can imagine (on Bird Rock at the north-west tip of the island), I let out a scream.  It wasn’t the “oh my god, we’re sinking” kind of scream but enough to make Larry’s heart skip a beat with anxiety.  Just off the port side of Soulmatie, almost close enough to touch, was a gigantic whale.  AMAZING!!!!  There were actually two cruising together and they both had surfaced right there within feet of the boat.  What an awesome experience!!!

As we approached the Atwood Bay point (our bail out option) at about 5pm, we both agreed the conditions were too good to stop.  The seas were big … probably 6-8 feet … but there was a gentle roll to them.  We’d ride up one side of the wave and could see for miles.  Then we’d drop down into the trough and everything seemed to disappear.  There was a nice swell that made for a comfortable ride.  We set our waypoint for Mayaguana (the last out-island in the Bahamas).

So, like all good things, this too came to and end.  That wonderful, large swell we were experiencing dissipated as the winds changed direction and the seas were now choppy and rolly.  We were taking the seas over the port-aft and being tossed about.  We spent the next 7 hours in mixed up seas heading for Mayaguana. 

When doing a long sail like this, it is imperative that someone is always on watch.  We’d been doing about 3 hour shifts since we headed out early this morning and we were both getting tired.    Larry slept a little during my watch.  I tried but with no success.  I have trouble sleeping when we’re underway.  This is something I am going to have to resolve before we have any LONG ocean crossing or I’ll be a very grumpy mate and may find myself tossed overboard by the captain for the constant whining!

We rounded the southwest corner of Mayaguana and the seas calmed.  We were in the lee of the island and it got very comfortable.  Too bad the whole journey couldn’t have been like this!  Originally, we had planned to go to Mayaguana and wait for the next weather window before heading to the Turks & Caicos.  But, we both felt up to the 50 miles further we needed to sail so we continued on. 

Larry let me sleep while we sailed the length of the island in the protection of the lee.  It felt good to get a couple of hours of sleep finally.  The seas were so calm and gently rocked me to sleep.  But it was apparent when we were out of the protection of the island.  The waves and chop returned.  It was a little more settled than earlier but still moderately rough and abruptly stopped my sleep.

We had approached Mayaguana about 9pm and made the turn towards Turks & Caicos by 1am.  We were back in the deep ocean waters.