At the time of our last post, we had planned, weather provided, to cross the gulf last Thursday 04/16.  On Tuesday (04/14) we  crossed from Highbourne Cay, did a bank shot off of Nassau, (which was eerily quiet as we skirted by)  to arrive at Frazers Hog Cay, in the Berries.  As all marinas were closed under lockdown orders, we made several phone calls to the Defense Force, and also the Prime Ministers office, trying to secure permission to take safe harbor at Bimini Sands Marina, should we be late or delayed leaving. Bimini forecasts weren’t promising for the next several days. There are no good anchorages in the area that provide protection from the expected strong Northerlies and Easterlies . We planned to leave early the next morning to cross the banks. The weather forecasts were still calling for a decent gulf crossing for Thursday, but it was a small window predicting very strong winds and seas to come in late afternoon. We knew we’d have to leave very early, and cross only to Ft Lauderdale. This also was not optimal, since we really do not enjoy the crazy fast, sometimes discourteous boats and the dozens of bridges headed north from there.

The promised return call from the Defense force did not come, so we decided to head out on Wednesday anyway for our crossing to Cat Cay. We had a very long, very bumpy, ride across the banks from the Berries to Cat Cay. We dropped anchor at 7:30 PM , knowing we’d need to pull anchor by 4:00 AM to safely cross Thursday.  We finally reached Commander Whit with the Bahamas Defense force, who graciously granted us permission to delay our crossing and relocate to Bimini Sands Marina for 3 nights and the next crossing good weather window.   Entrance to the marina is beautiful, but a little tight. We were greeted by a Defense force boat as we approached, but allowed to enter when we told them we had secured permission.

We were well rewarded with that decision. We were able to relax, and get some much needed rest,  while attending to basic boat maintenance and laundry!   There were only 3 other occupied boats in the marina and only 3-4 condo owners in residence . This allowed us the freedom to “walk the dog” even during  stay-aboard lockdown orders.
During one of my walks, I had the excellent fortune of meeting “Bimini Brown”, a local fishing charter captain who happens to live there. Brown and I engaged in spontaneous acts of reciprocal generosity, in a mutually beneficial barter exchange. All wine and beer stores are currently closed in the Bahamas. I put together an assortment of beers, 2 bottles of wine, and a few dollars. In return Bimini Brown shared with us some fresh Hog fish filets, a bag of 5 tails (lobster) and some gorgeous conch shells.  Tom cooked the filets to perfection in the cast iron skillet. The heads and  bones will be used for soup.  Lobsters are frozen awaiting the appropriate timing for a recipe calling for 5 fat tails.

Sunday (04/19) we untied the dock lines in pitch dark and had left the marina by 5:20 AM.  It was a tiny bit scary headed out under the cover of night, with only the stars, a sliver of a moon, our radar, electronic navigation, and Captain Tom’s experience and intestinal fortitude to guide us. I was confident we were in good hands.  I was reminded as I looked up at that golden crescent moon, that we were headed back to our own beautiful palmetto & crescent moon 🌙 state.

As we ventured out of the marina, I kept thinking of the comforting wisdom written by Archibald Rutledge in my favorite of his books; “ It will be Daybreak Soon.” (1938)

Our typical cruising speed is around 7.5 knots (8.6 mph). We were amazed with the incredibly calm crossing. What winds there were, were at our backs  we truly did experience “Fair winds and following seas!” Southern Trawl and her powerful 120hp twin Ford Lehmans, occasionally reached a blistering 12 knots!

…and HELLO SOUTH FLORIDA!!!

We actually experienced major culture shock during our reentry yesterday.  CBP (Customs and Border Patrol) App check in went with out a hitch. We read that Florida had experienced the largest single day of new cases of  Corona virus on Friday. Foolishly thinking, with social distancing practices in place, the waterways might be calm…This is what we encountered .

I’ve heard it said, “You can’t hide stupid, and it appears you can’t quarantine it either.!”

Though we were sad to leave the beautiful tranquil Bahamas behind, we are now like a horse headed to the barn.  We’ve seen pictures that Karen, our amazing  housesitter, has sent. She’s outdone herself with the work in the yard, garden, and house.  Thank you Karen. We’re really looking forward to seeing you and all of your beautiful efforts.

While Tom is busy piloting and navigating 95% of the time we are underway, I’ve enjoyed planning and making meals.  Another distraction that has come in handy during idle times or tense crossings,  (in addition to making sure Robert Earl is calm) is this intricate cross stitch project.

I calculated, as of a couple of days ago, I only have 51,300 stitches to go. If we decide to make a couple “around the world cruises”,  I’ll get it finished up.

We’re headed north up “the ditch”. We don’t know what continued restrictions and shortages we’ll find along the way.  We have plenty of provisions on board without going ashore if that becomes necessary.   We’ll look  forward to seeing you all soon. Stay healthy all!