What a difference a day makes

Jazz Fest in Ft. Lauderdale on the Sunday before we left.

We set sail for the Bahamas on Tuesday. We had made one final call to our no-show boat side fuel pump out guy, who eventually called us back just as we started the engines to move to the marina to top off our diesel tank. Against all odds, he had someone meet us at the dock and we got our tank cleaned out.

The clouds in the distance were
forming little water spouts. Our friends on Waterbug  warned
us that these are common in this area this time of year.

We left Ft. Lauderdale around noon. The winds we were promised did not materialize. Instead they were very light and right on our nose. So we motor sailed for about 8 hours through choppy seas in the gulf stream. Mark and I (Jen) both lost our lunches. We continued overnight (our first on this boat as a family). The winds finally picked up and we turned off the engines and started sailing.

The following day, the waves were hitting us on the side and were spaced just right for optimum discomfort. Conrad got sick and even Matt was feeling it. At one point there were some big slamming waves that hit the bottom of our boat and one of them broke the catches for the hatch handles and allowed the escape hatch to open. We had to quickly turn the boat downwind to keep the waves out and Matt had to rig a temporary fix until we could get to anchor.  Luckily we had our doubts about these catches and had already ordered some new metal ones to replace the plastic ones.  Guess we'll be installing these sooner rather than later...

While we were motoring, the engine stopped at one point. It restarted fine but it seemed like a lot of exhaust was leaking out because of a missing bolt. Running it with the engine hatch open seemed to solve the issue. Later, Matt determined that there was a crack in the exhaust elbow that would require that the whole piece be replaced. In the meantime, he has fashioned a temporary fix using some high temperature sealant. He's doubtful about how it will hold.

We arrived at Sandy Point on Great Abaco Island in the Bahamas on Wednesday feeling drained and tired. After an early dinner, we turned in for a much needed night of rest. Unfortunately we were swarmed by mosquitos and noseeums that fit easily through the mesh screens over the hatches.

On Thursday, we headed to the beach for some time off the boat. We have the anchorage all to ourselves (not counting the bugs) and are enjoying being back in the Bahamas. When the wind shifts again, we'll head around the south point of the island and north towards Marsh Harbor.