Back on the water again...after too long off..

Sumner

Sumner

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Jan 31, 2009
5,254
Macgregor & Endeavour 26S and 37 Utah's Canyon Country
After reviewing weather...

http://forecast.weather.gov/shmrn.php?m ... syn=amz001

.... and talking to my trip advisers (thanks Mike and Scott) I'm leaving in the morning and will try to make it from here to Whale in the Berry's about 6 miles past Chub. About 105 miles by the time I clear here, head north a ways and then east. Considering the distance and the tide here I'll be out of here probably around 7:30 and it will be all day and the night getting in Wed.. If I'm making too good of time I'll slow down so that I'm going into Whale when there is good light.

I don't plan on Nassau since I'm well provisioned so will probably go from Whale to Rose just NE of Nassau and from there to the upper Exumas. Once in Whale thought I'll be slowing way down. I just want to get out of here before this next system than could keep me here another 4-5 days. It is nice but not that nice and if you have food out about 100 house flys will find you in under 2 minutes
.

After here I think it will be some time before I'll have Internet again so be patient,

Sumner

P.S. Joe gas was $5.00 here. Not complaining as I only needed 5 gallons and glad they had it. Only this Marina sells gas and you go out to the street as they are also the only one selling to the vehicles on the island. Water was 40 cents a gallon but didn't need any (have a little over 50 gallons on board).
 
N

naturguy

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Mar 22, 2015
4
piver nimble Tampa, Fl.
Hey Sumner. I've found that nearly all the water available in the Bahamas is not of very good quality as theres a lot of salt water intrusion into the wells or it comes from old cisterns. And it is expensive. Rigging up a water catchment is well worth the effort, even if its just an extra sail that gets put in place during rains. Just mentioning this as I havent heard you mention anything about a water catchment system on your boat.
 
MrBill_FLL

MrBill_FLL

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May 4, 2005
4,062
Macgregor 26d Ft Lauderdale, Fl
naturguy said:
Hey Sumner. I've found that nearly all the water available in the Bahamas is not of very good quality as theres a lot of salt water intrusion into the wells or it comes from old cisterns. And it is expensive. Rigging up a water catchment is well worth the effort, even if its just an extra sail that gets put in place during rains. Just mentioning this as I havent heard you mention anything about a water catchment system on your boat.
Click to expand

fwiw, in hopetown(elbow) , boat harbor (marsh), and green turtle we got (or were told), R/O water. it didn't taste salty at all.

not sure about bimini, but would bet chub has r/o also.

YMMV.
 
MrBill_FLL

MrBill_FLL

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May 4, 2005
4,062
Macgregor 26d Ft Lauderdale, Fl
naturguy said:
But ya gotta try the Becks and St.Paulie Girl beers while you're in the Bahamas Sumner. When I was there they were genuine German beers, not the watered down US stuff. DELICIOUS. I actually enjoyed the Becks warm. And the cheeses came from Holland. Fresh veggies came mostly from the US but staples came from europe.
Congrats on your first crossing. Gulf Stream crossings are probly the most dangerous you'll have on this voyage. May they all go so smoothly.
Chuck,(Lees brother).
Click to expand

clear bottle becks! are actually worth the price. (square bottle mt gay rum too) or my favorite rum, Vat 19 (fernandes) -hard to find, because they don't export that much.

+ try some fresh chicken, its sooo good, you may never want to eat what we call chicken.


Looks like we'll get a strong northern front on sat/sun. predicting 50's on Sunday. (miami)
 

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Bob 04 H260

Bob 04 H260

.
May 16, 2007
1,509
Boatless ! 26 Ottawa, Ontario
Hey Sum, I'm impressed ! Glad you are cruising the Bahamas ! We are still in the Abaco's. Our raw water pump should arrive Sunday in a friends suitcase.

Enjoying following your cruise !

Bob and Sherry
 

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Sumner

Sumner

.
Jan 31, 2009
5,254
Macgregor & Endeavour 26S and 37 Utah's Canyon Country
MrBill_FLL

MrBill_FLL

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May 4, 2005
4,062
Macgregor 26d Ft Lauderdale, Fl
Glad to hear you are safe!

Experience happens out there! you'll get plenty of it, no doubt... Mon
 
Bob J.

Bob J.

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Apr 14, 2009
773
Sabre 28 NH
This is awesome. I for one am getting so much enjoyment reading about other peoples adventures while waiting for the snow to melt & the drive way to stop being mushy.
I see a move to FL in my future. NH should change their motto to Live, Freeze & Die
 
Sumner

Sumner

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Jan 31, 2009
5,254
Macgregor & Endeavour 26S and 37 Utah's Canyon Country
Chinook wrote:Hey Mon,

Good to hear from you. You've really been moving. Looking forward to hearing about where you stopped, and how your passages went.
​
=====================================

Right now I'm at

N 24--06.078
W76--23.973

and the wind is howling out there and suppose to run at times over 20 kts the next 3 days or so. About that when I came in here right at the edge of a squall. Was in a squall for 45-50 minutes on the Banks and it seemed more like 4 hours. That 105 mile crossing--25 hours from Bimini to Whale in the Berry's was a long day and night that I hope to not repeat.

Had to stay at Whale for about 5 days due to high winds and then left a day before I should of and the 45 miles down to Rose Island by Nassau took all day slogging along into the waves and wind. Not a fun day but I have a lot better idea what the Mac can take. More than you are comfortable with but it never felt unsafe.

From Rose to Pimlico (northern Exumas) was all sail except the last miles when the wind got to be too much on the nose. Started a tack back to gain ground but was running out of daylight so motored on in. Really liked it there all alone. Spent two days, one fixing and servicing things on the boat. Then onto Allan Cay and anchored where you did for 2 days but wouldn't anchor in that south bay again where the Iguanas are as there is too much traffic in to see them. I was sure someone was going to end up with my rode wrapped around their prop. One boat came in right off my bow with five 350 HP Yamahas on it (only two running at the time.)

Left there and went to Highborne where I had hoped to get some wifi. Their wifi for poor transits like myself was down and they wouldn't let you on the wifi for 'guests'. Spent $200 there on 16 gallons of gas and 4 small, very small, bags of groceries and they wouldn't even let me send out one stinking email. Started to worry that family would be worried as I hadn't had any contact since Bimin so decided to run down to Staniels Cay where there was suppose to be wifi. Made a little over 50 miles that day sailing over 40 of that with the outboard up. Great day but then saw the big clouds and went in at Sampson just short of Staniels. Hit the edge of a squall there but nothing like the Banks as I was on the edge. Nice anchoage just off a private beach but no wifi. Then this morning there on the radio I asked about wifi and found out you pay at Staniels, which would of been ok but one guy told me about here, Black Point, where it was free so I sailed here except the last 2 miles when another squall was going by and the winds really piped up so thought I'd better quit screwing around and get in here. Nice place and it is suppose to be very friendly. I'm using my long distance wifi from the boat and it is working great. Tried calling out on Skype and they couldn't hear me but I could hear them so not quite fast enough for that.

So I'm moving south faster than planned but felt I needed to make contact with family so now I think as soon as this next system is done I'll move on down to Georgetown in 3 jumps from here. I don't think I'll want to stay there long but want to know I made it. Then I'll work back up in a slower fashion stopping at a number of the places I've sailed by.

I'd like to jump from the upper Exumas over to Current off of Eleuthera and from there to Sandy Point on Great Abaco and then cross the Bight of Abaco and the Little Bahama Bank to West End and over to Florida the end of May. So I have a lot of time to think about things. Need to get to bed so I can get up at 6:30 and listen to Chris' weather report,

Sumner

P.S. 638 Miles since I left the boatyard on March 9th.

[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]============================

Our Endeavour 37

Our MacGregor 26-S Pages

Our Trips to Utah, Idaho, Canada, Florida

Mac-Venture Links[/FONT]
 
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Sumner

Sumner

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Jan 31, 2009
5,254
Macgregor & Endeavour 26S and 37 Utah's Canyon Country
med2463 said:
Glad u r havg good time. We r getting hauled out today at your boatyd.
Click to expand
If you have the time please see if you can find Scott there, ask Shirley and he has a dog, and ask him if he got the emails I sent yesterday? We were having problems with our servers liking each other.

Thanks and you will really like that yard, tell Shirley and the rest hi for me,

Sumner

[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]============================[/FONT]

2015 to The Bahamas and back, I hope

[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Our Endeavour 37

Our MacGregor 26-S Pages

Our Trips to Utah, Idaho, Canada, Florida

Mac-Venture Links[/FONT]
 
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BudGates

BudGates

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Apr 19, 2012
1,043
O'Day Daysailor 17 Nevis MN
Really appreciate the updates Sumner. It sounds like you're having a great time. All the issues encounter may seem like the pits now but when you look back on it you'll find that it really ads to the experience. I've been dreaming of taking just such a trip in my 26d after my retirement (eligible July 2017).
 
Sumner

Sumner

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Jan 31, 2009
5,254
Macgregor & Endeavour 26S and 37 Utah's Canyon Country
Chinook wrote:...... As you view your charts heading down to Georgetown, you can go further south on the inside than the bigger keel boats can. I went through the last cut to the outside (don't recall the name). It's worth paying attention to the tide and current when trying to exit any of those southern cuts. The current can run very strong through them, and some large standing waves can take shape. With your smaller outboard, you will have difficulty pushing through against a flood current. You'll only have 12 to 15 miles of outside sailing on the final approach to Stocking Island. You'll want to be on top of your charts when entering the cut to get into the Georgetown harbour. Big reefs with nasty breaking waves on either side, but plenty of room down the middle. It's a good idea to set a waypoint where you'll want to turn when entering the cut. Good luck on your run to Georgetown. ....
​
Hi, you went out on the north side of Soldier Cay I believe. There is also a cut on the south side and one is better in north winds (south one) and the one you took in east winds according to Explorer Charts. There is also a cut about 2 miles north of there at Glass and Black Cays with the same two options but it looks like laying over there on anchor has more surge. I'll use one of these but for sure it will be at slack time with my boat/motor combination and I'd like to if possible go in Stocking Island on the next tide change also or close to it.

On the waypoints I always have them in the handheld and the computer running OpenCPN just in case one or the other went down. They are also connect so I can quickly send new waypoints to the handheld in seconds. For instance I had the waypoints in the other day for Hightborne to Staniel loaded into both but when it looked like that might take to long I added a route with OpenCPN into Sampson and then when I needed to go in there a few clicks on the handheld deleted the waypoints to Staniel and two mouse clicks on OpenCPN sent the new ones to the handheld. I'd strongly suggest that anyone thinking of making this journey have two chart plotters up and running just in case one goes down at an in opportune time. I have two sets of paper charts but it would be hard to navigate into some place here using them unless I knew exactly where I was when I lost the chartplotter. I also have a netbook and a laptop on board with OpenCPN and the charts loaded on them just in case the computer I made and use went down.

As you know you are really on your own here, sometimes not seeing other boats for hours and the Coast Guard is not going to come get you and if you push the DSC button on the radio maybe no one will hear it. One should have good navigational skills and a lot of trust in the boat and themselves to get out of trouble if it happens because you are alone a lot. It isn't like being in the states. You might have to hole up for a week if conditions really get bad and you need to have the mind set that you are there by yourself and are prepared mentally to deal with that.

Thanks for the info on fuel there. As you know I carry enough between the inboard tank (20 gallons) and 3 containers and one in the dinghy (14 gallons) that I have a range of over 300 miles but like to stay topped up when I can get it so if I have to go a long ways I'm ready. So far I had filled up at Key Largo (thanks to Ixneigh) and then got 5 gallons at Bimini and 16 gallons at Highborne.

Talking about Highborne and a few other places the charts have the names spelled one way and the locals or guide books a different way. My charts (NV and Explorer) spell it Highborne but when you are there their internet is Highbourne?? Same at Allan, found it spelled Allan and Allen??

Sumner

[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]============================

[/FONT]2015 to The Bahamas and back -- I hope

Our Endeavour 37

Our MacGregor 26-S Pages

Our Trips to Utah, Idaho, Canada, Florida
 
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Sumner

Sumner

.
Jan 31, 2009
5,254
Macgregor & Endeavour 26S and 37 Utah's Canyon Country
You make some very good points ....
BOAT wrote:.....and others who often mention the strange pull the ocean has on humans and the attraction people have to the coast; but, there are things that happen in a mans mind 24 hours after after he loses sight of land, that's where the dream turns to survival, but still it's always great when people are encouraged to get out there, even if like most of us, it only entails being within 5 miles of land at all times.
​
Yep when you leave sight of land and don't see another boat for hours on end you can start wondering is this such a good idea. The seeing land deal is pretty much physiological though as there have been a number of times when I could see land but knew I'd never get there if I was in the water so the results would be the same. The same about deep water, once it is over my head it doesn't make too much difference how deep it is.

There have been times when out of sight of land and just seeing only water and sky on a small boat has had a peaceful quality to it and I can envision how making a major ocean crossing (not in a Mac) would be quite the experience just seeing nothing but the water the sky and the stars at night.
BOAT wrote:.....As I'm sure Mr. Sumner (just Sumner, my first name
) will also tell you, it's not always as glamorous and liberating as the land lubbers imagine, but it is full of great rewards....
​
Yep this is about 90% work and worry and about 10% glamor and having that romantic feeling you think you will have on some deserted beach.
BOAT wrote:......- that 26S is a dry boat - he is in a good spot, but still it does not remove all a man's worry when he knows his boat is also depending on it's Skipper to make it through - it is truly a symbiotic relationship - at least it was for me back in those younger days - the thought of Mr. Sumner taking on that relationship without all the advantages of youth gives a lot of hope and inspiration to us.....
​
Yep as I mentioned above a lot of work and 10-12 hours on the water fighting to get to the next destination before dark so you can see the bottom going in can be pretty exhausting. I just turned 71 a couple months back and feel I'm in good shape but not sure I could undertake this trip again in a year or two from now. On a bigger boat like the Endeavour, yes, but on this small boat probably not. If one is thinking about doing something like this try and do it now even if you have to pinch penny's to do it and have to figure out a way to take leave from work. Don't necessarily count on doing it in your late 60's or early 70's unless you have a larger boat by then and stay in excellent health. This is like taking that big backpacking trip into the mountains that is 90% work except here you feel like you are carrying the boat on your back.

Also just because I'm out here (haven't made it back yet) and Mike and Sandy and Ix have done the trip in a smaller boat doesn't mean that it is the trip for you. I just added a page ...

http://1fatgmc.com/boat/mac-1/2015 Bahamas/Things to Consider-1.html

... this morning to my trip report on my site and one might read it before plunging into a trip like this,

Sumner

[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]============================

[/FONT]2015 to The Bahamas and back -- I hope

Our Endeavour 37

Our MacGregor 26-S Pages

Our Trips to Utah, Idaho, Canada, Florida

 
Doc_holiday

Doc_holiday

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Nov 19, 2011
1,489
MacGregor 26S Hampton, VA
You're taking all the wind out of my sails Sum! I was going to just pack a few sammiches and a 2 liter of Mountain Dew and worry about the rest when I get there.

What's all this harness and redundancy stuff? My motor starts at least 50-60% of the time. As they say on the hunger games, "may the odds be ever in your favor".

Heck, I was only planning on 2 pairs of underwear. You are making me rethink my plan here!
 
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