20091220 Sailing from Nassau, New Providence Island, Bahamas to Staniel Cay, Exumas via Allens Cay

20091220 Sailing from Nassau, New Providence Island, Bahamas to Staniel Cay, Exumas via Allens Cay We listened to the weather and discussed possible routes to the Exumas from Nassau with the cruisers in Nassau. Overall, they were equally divided…stay another day and go Sunday. Our decision was made when we went to the dock master to settle our bill. A local was there drinking coffee, and with great conviction and experience convinced us that the sail out of Nassau harbor, over the Yellow Bank to Allens Cay would be easy, even with larger waves and winds predicted over the open ocean. He stated matter of factually, that the wind direction from the northwest, with our travel to the south east, with the following seas would simply push us along. We quickly got back to Angel, secured our gear and with help on the dock from others, cast off in a 15 knot wind. We needed fuel, so we stopped at the Texaco, two marinas down for gas. With the wind and current, we managed to get tied up, when the dock hand arrived and told us the gas pump was not working, but the other pump closer to the shore could fill us, “no problem.” The only issue was the other pump was located on a dock 100 yards up a narrow channel between two rows of docked power boats. We inched up and tied off. The high speed gas nozzle was difficult to control on our low speed fill tank, but we managed to get topped off. Amazingly, this gas was the same price as the gas in Bahia Mar Marina in Ft. Lauderdale, $4.02 per gallon. Our next challenge was to back out of the alley of boats without crashing. All sailboats have lousy reverse performance. Angel is no exception. Fighting the cross wind, “prop walk” from the motor and a current, we slowly,..Oh, so slowly backed into an area to swing and realign for forward progress again. We swung into the channel, careful to stay close to the docks, since there is a clear submerged sandbar running from just past the bridges almost to the end of the channel. Angel threaded the narrow passage, swung north to our first waypoint at the eastern end of Paradise Island. We observed large homes behind security gates on this end. Reportedly, Michael Jordan, Tom Cruise, Tiger Woods, etc. have homes in this area. Past the end of the island is Porgee Rock, our waypoint, where we adjusted course form east to southeast, headed across the Yellow Bank to Allens Cay. The Yellow Bank, southeast of Nassau, is a large area with plenty of depth for Angel, in fact most of it is 4-7 meters (14-23 feet). With a draft of 5.5 feet, Angel could easily pass. HOWEVER, there are numerous coral heads, rising from the sea floor to within 3 feet of the surface. These present a real hazard to navigation. The common practice is to place a crewmember on the bow, who points at coral heads as you approach. The helmsman simply steers away. The coral heads appear as dark areas, contrasting from the lighter surroundings. These are difficult to see when going into the sun or when clouds create shadows on the ocean surface, so care must be taken. The first coral heads on our charts appeared ~ 2 hours into our trip. Cathy moved from the cockpit and perched herself, sitting on the overturned dinghy on the bow. There with binoculars and radio, she called out the hazards and I steered away. We were able to see many coral heads, but only had to adjust course a few times to avoid them. Along we puttered and sailed. This was a short day, with a transit of 30 nautical miles from Nassau, to the Allens Cay group of cays. This group, consists of Allens Cay, the largest, Leaf Cay to the east and SW Allens Cay to the south, which combine to form a natural harbor with protection on all sides. We approached Allens Cay at 3pm, entered through the narrow cut between Allens Cay and SW Allens Cay, the kept close to Leaf Cay, avoiding the sandbar that runs up the middle of the channel. When the water color changed to a lighter color, we dropped anchor in 8 feet of water, laying out 75 feet of chain, then backing down to set our reliable Delta anchor. Little did we know at that moment, how important that anchor would be? About an hour later, Dave and Janet sailed Auspicious into Allens Cay. Auspicious is an immaculate vessel. Forty feet of Scandinavian design, simple and gorgeous. Dave and Janet invited us over to discuss charts, routes and anchorages the day before. They went past us, then tried to circle behind our stern and ran aground perhaps 10 feet behind us. He tried to power out, but on a falling tide, was stuck. He dropped his dinghy over the side, attached the motor and came over to discuss tactics. He decided that we should drop the anchor and all his 200 feet of chain rode into the dinghy, then motor away into deep water laying out the chain as we traveled. There we would drop the anchor, he could pull it taught and wait the 6 hours for high tide. In addition, we attached a line from Angel’s stern to Auspicious’ bow to prevent the wind from driving her more into shoal water. While we waited, Cat and I fixed breakfast for dinner. We purchased some eggs in Nassau and scrambled some with cheddar cheese, toast and jam. This was a great end to a good day for us. Around 9pm, Auspicious floated free and her entire weight, plus Angel was loaded onto our anchor and rode. We did not budge an inch. Boy, I love my Delta anchor. In a few minutes, Dave powered into deeper water and adjusted his anchor chain scope to settle 40 yards to our stern, a safe distance away. We went to bed secure that all was ok. Next morning, Dave motored over with a bottle of wine as a thank you. We plan to drink it in Georgetown on Christmas. Around 9am on Monday, December 21, 2009, I used my manual windlass, (hand over hand, strong back, weak mind) to slowly pull in the anchor rode. This had become remarkably easy. I set my feet securely on the rails, sitting on the dinghy, grasp firmly and pull as if rowing a boat. The chain comes up over the anchor roller and goes down the hawse pipe into the chain locker and the boat moves forward. If pulling against a strong current or wind, I signal Cat to engage the transmission to forward to give some slack and we slowly pull toward the set anchor. When the anchor rode is vertical, the anchor pulls out and 5 quick rowing motions seats the anchor back into its roller for travel. The exit from the Allens Cay group to Exuma sound is a little tricky. Shoal waters abound. We slowly motored, reading the chars, water color and depth sounder to get to deep water. The 20 minute trip to the Allens Cay Cut Waypoint in the Exuma sound seemed to take 2 hours, but we emerged pleased at our skill and luck. Setting sail, we tracked south to Big Rock Cut, just off Staniel Cay. This is a long day for us, 40 miles of sailing. We needed all speed possible to make our anchorage by dark. Under full sail, we headed south with an easterly 15 knot wind. This made for a beam reach and comfortable sailing. Seas however, we from our stern quarter, with pushed us off course as they passed. I found that the pattern of the waves was predictable and soon was able to anticipate their overtaking us. By turning the boat slightly, I was able to “catch” the waves as they passed and surf down their 3-4 foot faces, increasing our speed dramatically for a few seconds. Three waves would pass, then a pause, then another three waves. We were making 6 knots under sail, then accelerate to over 7 knots surfing. Several times, I was able to achieve 8.6 knots briefly. A thrilling sail. We watched the GPS with the arrival time at Big Rock Cut off of Staniel Cay drop from 7pm to 6pm to 5pm to 4pm. You may know Staniel Cay, as this is the site for filming the underwater scenes of the James Bond movie Thunderball . We contacted the Staniel Cay Yacht Club and were delighted that they had a slip available for us. Entering the harbor, the deep blue waters of the Exuma Sound changed to aquamarine blue of the shoals. As we tied up, Cat saw movement in the water below us at the dock. Sand sharks and rays passed in review to welcome us to Staniel Cay. Tired , I secured the boat while Cat registered us. The Staniel Cay Yacht Club has a bar, which provided rum drinks to celebrate our passage. They also serve dinner, with a single seating at 7pm. We signed up and gorged ourselves on Bahamian fare. Mahi-Mahi, grilled chicken, peas and rice, grilled vegetables, fresh bread and butter, with carrot cake and apple pie for desert. It was all so delicious, we waddled back to Angel and lay on our backs in bed for an hour of digestion before dropping off to sleep. Tomorrow, exploration of Staniel Cay and Thunderball grotto. Jim and Cathy