Sailing Rumaway back to BVI's

I knew the trip home would be challenging. We had to sail about 600 miles upwind which is difficult on a catamaran due to having to sail into the waves and the boat does not sail very close to the wind resulting in lots of tacking, rough conditions and extra miles sailed. Our first leg was from the Bahamas to the Turks and Caicos which was 2 1/2 days and our second leg from Turks to BVI's was 5.5 days. We ended up sailing 960 miles over 8 days to go from Bahamas to the BVI's.

Leg one was the most difficult sailing conditions I have encountered. We had an average of 23K of wind with gusts over 30 knots. Combine that with 9-10 foot waves and you have a very unpleasant sail, Sleep was nearly impossible for the 2.5 days due to the continuous banging of the hull against the waves and eating or evening getting around the boat was a challenge. Mike, who has never been seasick, started to feel sick about 1/3 of the way through the journey. We had to push on to the Turks as conditions were going to deteriorate even more so stopping was not an option. We arrived in Turks at Blue Haven Marina. It was an amazing marina as it was part of a resort so we could enjoy the beach, restaurants and bars during our stay. We ended up waiting for 5 days in Turks for the weather to improve for our final leg to the BVI's.

Leg 2 was a much more manageable trip. We sailed non stop for 5.5 days going north of Dominican and Puerto Rico. Conditions were windy at 15-20 knots but the seas were only 4-6 feet allowing for sleep when you were not taking your 3 hour shift on the helm. The trip highlights included multiple pods of Dolphins swimming out front of the boat, birds landing on the boat for little break, and countless flying fish. A quick check in at BVI customs and we had Rumaway home to start her Charters 2 days later. It was a memorable trip back but not one I am looking to repeat anytime soon.

I will post a final blog in the coming days with reflections on our trip and plans for our 2026 adventure.