Farewell Bahamas, We are Homeward Bound-April 24-25

As you know, we decided once and for all that we needed to take advantage of the very small weather window to sail north around Stirrup Cay then onto the inlet at Lake Worth (the Palm Beaches).  I think we were all eager to make the trip once it was decided but that didn't make it easy saying goodbye to Great Harbour and the beautiful amazing gracious humble proud Bahamas.

We took a last trip ashore, I did some souvenir shopping then caught up with the guys for a final lunch and refreshment at the Beach Bar.  Back on the boat we put together a couple of bags of provisions for a couple from Texas who were in the anchorage on their sail boat as well.  I'm sure they didn't really need anything but since we had a ton of extra and were about to rejoin the land of excess and plenty, I wanted to lighten our load by helping another sail boat.  I also wanted to have some positive vibe credits in Stray Cat's account for the crossing.

Our estimates were that the trip would take upwards of 30 hours possibly so we'd leave a 2pm.  There were some key points that needed to be reached so that we'd make it to Lake Worth well before sunset.  The winds had to allow us to sail but it was going to be a close close sail north to Stirrup Cay and the waves had to come around so we didn't get knocked around badly.  Then we needed to have started our turn west northwest before sunset that night when the winds would help us and the waves were supposed to come around and stop slapping us in the face.  And we needed to hit the Gulf Stream at sunrise to make the timing work for that part of the trip.  Want to guess how many of those "need to happen" things happened when and where we expected and needed?  At first none.  Dammit.

Motoring out of our anchorage

It was a rough time going north out of the anchorage and there was a point where Mark seriously considered turning us west into Great Harbour to get out of the rough water.  If we did that, we would lose our window and would have to figure out what to do after all of us getting ready and psyched to go on an overnight.  We simply did not want to motor the entire way and would never get there in time in that case.  That would leave us along the Florida coast after sunset and having to go north to find another acceptable port or slow down to a crawl to arrive at Lake Worth by sunrise another days later.  Neither of those was good and really not good considering the slim weather window.  Ultimately Mark decided to take the chance and keep going.  It paid off eventually yet a little later than we would have preferred.  We continued our turn west northwest and as the sun was starting to set, the waves changed finally and our wind angle was good.  The sails were up and Stray Cat literally sailed off into the sunset as we watched the Berrys fade in the distance.  We shut down all the electronics so Mark could make a call to Island Khaya which left me at the helm sailing the old fashioned way using the compass and aiming for cloud formations that kept morphing on me haha.  It was a short time but I was pretty proud of me for going acoustic that evening for a few minutes.  Grand Bahama a few miles to our starboard kept us company through the night as did the freighters and multiple cruise ships also traveling along and around the route to and from Nassau plus between the US and the Bahamas.   I had a few around me on my watch and one that came 'very close' at about a half mile away (that's very close when you are talking a cruise ship versus a sailing catamaran).  Jon had a lot more on his watch and sounded like he had even closer calls...a quarter of a mile.  That would be way too close for my comfort.  Stray Cat and her crew held their own.

Waves calmed and turned, wind to our benefit, sails up and trimmed

And we sailed into the sunset...I saw a green flash that night

One of the many floating hotels that night

The next morning we did reach the Gulf Stream and felt it as it gave us a solid but gentle lift and pull towards home.  During the trip I lowered the Bahama courtesy flag and raised our old faithful Maryland flag.  Knowing that Grand Bahama faded in the distance while I slept didn't hit me as hard and lowering the Bahama flag...that made it real, that part of the trip had come to an end.

Beautiful last open water dawn I will see for a while

My last ocean sunrise was beautiful and filled my heart

Motoring with the head sail up and getting the Gulf Stream boost

He hardly ever goes inside on overnights

Getting the main sail back up

Somewhere over there is Florida

At some point later in the day but with great timing and things going very well, I saw Florida and maybe even said "Land Ho" out loud.  Hours later that view had magnified and we made our way to the inlet.  Talk about a culture shock!  Forget about the wind and waves picking up and the clouds...what really hit me was the rushing and busyness and people and noise and people and people and...you get the idea.  I was also looking for a dock for us...started searching and making calls as soon as I had service.  Meanwhile, a crazy fun thing happened though that reminded me yet again how small of a world it is.  We saw a beautiful huge blue sailboat heading out and the guys said "is that Sonny?" which they always said anytime we saw a boat like that...Sonny was the boat we met in Compass whose owner was the 90 year old veteran and the crew included a great gal named Nikki who Mark and Jon had chilled with along with her boyfriend and some other yachts' crews.  Anyway, WTH?!!  OMG, that is Sonny...Jon yells "Nikki" and she heard him and hailed us.  We promised to try to meet up when they got back from their day sail.  Small world indeed!

As we neared the inlet, the winds picked up and the waves got pushy, oh and rain clouds started to build.

Annnnd, there's your South Florida

We made our way past Peanut Island and all the boats anchored and rafted out having a grand time on a Florida Saturday afternoon and north along the channel.  I was starting to get nervous about finding a dock.  Not sure why since we had a perfect back up plan of anchoring in Lake Worth where we had spent a number of days six months earlier.  I suppose partly I wanted the relative solid ground of being on a dock after 25 hours on the ocean and the luxury of a land based toilet and shower?  Mostly though I wanted a marina where we could park the rental car I reserved for the Sun 'n Fun outing that we'd be leaving for early the next day.  Then there was the matter of getting a car to get to the car...Well, Old Cove Port said they had space for us and it was just next to where we would have anchored anyway...sweet!

People partying it up...nice that the clouds went away for them

Sheesh, so many people

Long story short, we docked, got cleaned up, took care of all our random business and had an awesome Welcome Home dinner at the marina's restaurant.  It was good to be home most assuredly but I personally felt a sadness for leaving the Islands behind...and a longing to still be there.  And by the way, it took me ZERO time to acclimate back to all things US--my unlimited cell data service, ridiculous food options, multiple beers on tap--which I found fascinating since I felt pretty accustomed to the Bahamas after even our short time there.  Mark described it very well saying that the US is a machine--a well functioning machine.  I felt lucky to have been away from that for a while and to spend time in a place that is not a machine but is precious in its own way.  The most telling part for me (Jon and Mark will have to share their own impressions) was how much I did not want to come home and how much I want to do another trip soon; soon being within a couple of years.  I never thought that would have been the case--I was sure that I would enjoy it and check it off the list of life experiences.  Instead, I want to go back or at the very least stay on the boat longer...

My princess sitting with the big yachts, just where she deserved to be after getting us home safely

We look a bit different than those three Island hoppers in the picture above, don't we?

While that was the end of our Bahamas time, the three caballeros had a few more adventures left in us, albeit US adventures.  Stay tuned for my final post following us to Sun 'n Fun, a big battery swap, out on the ocean again, a few microbreweries, visits to new towns, revisits to others and the day we went from a party of three to a party of two.

I hope Jon's friends will stick with me a little longer as I get mushy updating you on our travels from North Palm to Savannah during the last three weeks...