We Made it - Almost!

We started on Sunday Jan 5 at 11 am and landed in Spanish Wells, Eluthera Bahama at 3:00 on January 11. We covered 887 miles over 150 hours (very few of which we slept). We actually stopped short of our intended destination of Marsh Harbour. When entering the Bahamas you need good daylight to enter from the sea. When we were by Cat Island we realized we would arrive around 8pm with some really strong winds forecasted, We we adjusted course and stopped an island chain early to check in with Bahamas Customs. We plan to leave around 5 pm today to make the final 70 mile trip overnight to arrive in Abacos early in the morning.

So overall what are my reflections on our first ocean crossing:

First - it went relatively smoothly. The weather forecasts were not great initially but improved as the week went on. The boat handled amazing and is a pleasure to sail every direction except upwind. When you sail very close to the wind the boat slams into the waves making it very uncomfortable and almost impossible to sleep.

Second - All of our confidence increased. We all feel more comfortable with the boat and various wind / sea conditions. You may not think of sailing as something that requires confidence but there are a lot of moving parts - weather, boat, breakdowns, crew, safety, etc. To effectively manage all those items takes confidence and experience (I am still building both on the boat).

Third - Be Prepared. One thing you learn in Boy Scouts is to "Be Prepared" This is critical on a trip like this. I spend hundreds of hours reading online, taking notes, considering as many situations as I could, making lists and purchasing required items and spares. While our trip went well things did happen. Our Main reefing line broke (This allows you to make the sail smaller). I had heard this was a common issue so we had a spare line and were back up and running in under an hour - had we not had a spare it would have been a challenging trip. We also hired a weather router - this is a sailing expert that does custom weather forecasts for you. He helped us identify when to start our trip with the best conditions expected, prepare for bad weather before it arrives and he was critical in our decision to stop in Eluthera as we knew unfavorable weather was coming. We also had all our meals prepared before we left. It is very hard to cook while underway in significant seas and being able to microwave food in 10 minutes made all the difference for us.

Finally - Enjoy the moment! I have been thinking about a trip like this for 30 years and planning it for 2+ years. It was special to me to do it with Juan Carlos and my son Andrew. While I was exhausted, stressed at times I will never forget this trip down to the Bahamas and the experiences we had together. I am looking to having Sue and our guests join me next week for the rest of the trip so we can build new memories together over the next few months,