37. Crossing back

Hi there,

We finally made it back to the States. We braved 8-10 ft seas and crossed from Great Sail Cay, Abacos in Northern Bahamas to Cape Canaveral Florida. We prepared by making sure that everything was well secured and that there was nothing that could go flying when the boat was tossing to and fro, both inside and on deck. Roman added a tether line running down both sides of our deck to which we could attach the safety harnesses of our life jackets if we had to go on deck. He checked that we had enough fuel and topped up the oil. He made sure that all the jerry cans were lashed down, that all our flashlights had good batteries, that our safety flares were easily accessible and that everything that could move was lashed down. I put everything that could be tossed around away and put bungee cords (they are invaluable) on the cupboard doors, latched all the drawers, and made sure that drinks and snacks were handy. I made a chicken salad but it turned out too rocky to eat.

The Gulf Stream is 45 miles wide and more powerful that you can imagine. It flows northward at an average speed of 2.5 knots, day and night, sometimes going as fast as 5 knots. The most difficult time to cross the gulf stream is when the wind is from the north and that includes the northeast and the northwest. The forecast was winds from the south and southeast. We planned to hop on that moving escalator and get a free ride north. Although most boats were heading for Fort Pierce Florida, we planned to get to Cape Canaveral.

Our first glimpse of Cape Canaveral

The crossing took us about 30 hours and as our auto helm has worked only intermittently during our entire trip, of course it did not work on the crossing and Roman and I had to man the helm. We took shifts and it was exhausting to steer through the heavy seas and winds. Fortunately we picked a good time to go in spite of the high seas. We just heard yesterday that the boats that were waiting at Great Sail Cay for calmer seas and started out the day after us, were caught in the storm and heavy rains that we experienced in the ICW the day after we arrived. Apparently there were 6 boats that sustained damages. Four were demasted. One lost the dinghy and the last either lost or damaged the boom. We don’t have any more details but we feel very fortunate that all three of our boats made it safely across.

During the day at least you can see. But at night the ocean is pitch black and there are no reference points. You rely on your compass and chart plotter. When all of a sudden you spot bright lights, it is eeirie. Three cruise ships and one tanker passed us in the night. The tanker and two of the cruise ships had us on their radar but one did not. Thank goodness for VHF radio. We contacted each vessel as soon as we saw them. They were all very considerate. The ships were all going to Cape Canaveral and, as they were travelling much faster, soon passed us. The tanker was headed straight for us and altered his course to allow us to get out of his way. He was BIG!We were too busy staying afloat to take pictures in the night but these are the ships and tanker that passed us during the crossing. Imagine them with all their lights on, just like Christmas.

At Cape Canaveral, we ecountered a welcoming committee which looked us over as we passed by.
We stayed at Harbour Town Marina which was only $1.00/ft. with Boat U.S. membership. Water was included; what a luxury after watching every drop in the Bahamas! What a treat to hose down your boat and get rid of the salt. We had called the Customs Office and were told to go to Harbour Town Marina where we would be met by a Customs officer. The U.S. has integrated Customs and Immigration and you deal only with one person. The Customs Officer was very pleasant and informative. It was the supervisor who came to our boats as all the other officers were on a big cruise ship, one of the ones that has passed us in the night.

He told us that, as Canadians, we could go to Cuba from the U.S. and more importantly, come directly back to the States from Cuba. We had heard stories of boats being confiscated etc. when you returned to the States. U.S. citizens and boats with a U.S. registry are not allowed to go to Cuba and their boats can be confiscated. He also clarified that we did not need the Customs decal which is bought for a calendar year but only a cruising permit that is issued for a certain time period. You must be out of the country for at least 15 days before you can get another cruising permit, so the timing is very important. We had purchased a decal on line for $26.50 each for the 2007 year and again for 2008. He did not have a cruising permit with him and we had no way to get to his office so he said that the decal would be fine for now and to get one the next time.

Oh the difference in water colour! Above is a picture of Little Sale Cay just before we made the crossing. Next is one of the first markers we encountered in the States. Even the birds sit on the post and don't want to go in the water.

Once a year Harbour Town Marina hosts a Marine Flea Market. This was quite a bonus to our stay and Roman feels that he got some good deals. He purchased two 12” brand new hatches (aluminum) for $85.00. He was particularly thrilled by this purchase. We plan to add a hatch to the galley and the head, both of which are without one. It will make life more pleasant. We also bought LED lights which take only .2 of an AMP to operate and give enough light to do a puzzle or read. Having enough power is always an issue. With our 2 solar panels and the wind generator we have had very little difficulty with power and have used our gas generator only twice the entire trip. Both times were to power up the computer when we were at anchor for several days and there was little wind and lots of clouds. It does happen! Roman promptly installed the new lights and everyone who has come aboard is very impressed by the amount of lighting we have.

We made plans to start out up the ICW instead of going back on the ocean because the forecast was for wind and rain.

Our last Bahamian sunset