East bound and down, loaded up and trukin

We’re gonna do what they say can’t be done

We’ve got a long way to go and a short time to get there

I’m east bound, watch ole Bandit (S.T) run….

I know you are just dying to hear our off key rendition of this Smokey and the Bandit classic!  That’s how our day started last Friday. Wow has it only been less than a week ago that we said our thank yous and goodbyes to Palm Beach,

Good bye Palm Beach

You might remember seeing this beautiful vessel at Kiawah during the PGA “Privacy”
Tiger Woods Yacht,

and especially Old Port Cove Marina. We cannot say enough about the excellent location, and professional kindness and services that we enjoyed during our stay at this first rate marina. Thank you especially to Mike, in yacht maintenance, his dad in shuttle service and the wonderful ladies in the front office.  We sincerely appreciate the respect and attention that was afforded to us as much as it was to any of our mega yacht neighbors !

As  Southern Trawl, nor I, had ever made an ocean crossing, we really wanted to have a boat crossing buddy. Unfortunately Ulita was delayed with a keel bolt leak, Jim in his Albin 27, decided to leave from Fort Pierce and wait an extra day, so Thursday afternoon we relocated to our anchorage near Lake Worth Inlet. We lowered our dinghy, and set out to inquire, with a few of the 50 or so boats anchored near by, if they were planning to leave next morning. We were pleased to meet the captain of another trawler, Two Scots, who said they were planning to leave at first light.

We agreed to radio each other in the morning.  First light, 0600 we pulled anchor and slowly threaded our way around the still slumbering boats toward the mouth of the inlet. Knowing Two Scots was a faster boat than Southern Trawl, we figured she’d overtake us shortly. About 2 miles out, we received a call on the VHF from Two Scots saying they were not leaving that day, as they had suffered a blown transmission seal. We wished them luck and headed out alone. We had a long way to go and a short time to get there…

The forecast had predicted northerly winds 10-15 mph with 2-3′ seas, with occasional 5′. This was not great, but the best weather window we would have for a while. I’ll try to describe what those conditions felt like.It’s sort of like riding a high strung pony with a very bouncy trot. Quite frequently, the pony spooks, hops sideways, gives a kick and a buck , then resumes his very bouncy trot. Uncomfortable, but doable.  If you’re not braced for it, it can certainly throw you out of your saddle.

When trying to move around, or even when sitting in your seat, we certainly followed the old sailors adage,  ” One hand for yourself, and one hand for the ship! ”

To relieve my anxiety, keep my mind off the rolling seas, and to pass the time, I worked on making a macrame hanger for some store bought fruit baskets. I hadn’t enjoyed the art of macrame since 1978 when I used to earn weekend beer money at Winthrop making and selling wall hangings. You just never know when those latent skills will come in handy!

It was thrilling when West End finally came into view. Tom asked me to go up to the anchor pulpit and let him know when I could first see the bottom through the incredibly gorgeous clear water. Our depth sounder quickly went from unreadable depth, to 1500′, 900′, 300′, 100’… I was delighted to announce that I could actually see the bottom and make out shapes and forms at 65′ deep!!! Tom raised the quarantine flag.

We pulled into Old Bahama Bay marina. After checking in with customs, we hoisted the Bahamas flag and went for a very welcomed icy cold Kalik !

Flying the colors !

We also had a welcome rum drink at Eddies place ! It has been an incredible week since we checked in at West End and much has happened since last Friday’s crossing.  We have lots more exciting details and photos to share. It’s also been a full day and our internet connect is trying to cut out on us, so I’ll stop here and finish getting caught up tomorrow.  Welcome aboard all who have decided to follow along. We are very excited to share this journey with you.

 Someone asked, “On which island I  should join you? ”  Our answer is the same as it has always been, You can tell us where OR when. If you tell us where you’d like to come on board, we’ll let you know when we get there. If you tell us when you like to join us, we’ll let you know where we are at the time! Cheers!