No-Go to the Bahamas

We tried……Our plan to get to the Bahamas was foiled due to seas that were too rough for safe and comfortable cruising. We met our friends Eric and Ellen Provost on their boat, “Kentucky Wildcats” on Monday afternoon, 5 March, at Sailfish Marina in Lake Worth, FL, which is just a bit north of Ft. Lauderdale. They were traveling with their friend Don and his daughter and sister on Don’s boat, "Miss Priss.”

We hung around Sailfish Marina until Wednesday before attempting to cross the Gulf Stream to the Bahamas. All weather information that we obtained beforehand indicated the seas were to be calmer on Wednesday, and at a predicted two to four feet, the voyage would have been tolerable, but as is often the case with marine weather forecasts, the information was incorrect, as we soon found out.

While hanging out at the marina, we watched fishermen clean their catches of the day and pelicans waiting patiently for the remains of the fish. They were not shy about coming in close for the wait.

We left the marina at 0900 Wednesday on Kentucky Wildcats and headed out into Lake Worth Inlet bound for West End in the Bahamas, which is only about 60 miles. The difficulty in this trip is the Gulf Stream, which is similar to a river that runs through the Atlantic Ocean from South America all the way north and across the Atlantic to Europe. The “Stream” is a warm water river-like body of water that is much warmer – as much as 5 degrees or more, than Atlantic waters, and can be 20-50 miles wide in the Atlantic. That difference in water temperatures creates havoc in the sea, and can cause very troubled waters, depending on which direction the wind is coming from. The seas can be 2-3 foot high in the coastal Atlantic, and 5-7 feet in the Gulf Stream, which is dangerous for small boats like ours.

Everyone was excited that we were finally going to make the crossing. However, as we moved further along across the Inlet, it was apparent the seas were rougher than we had anticipated--more like five to seven feet, which made for a very uncomfortable trip. About an hour and a half into the crossing, everyone on Kentucky Wildcats agreed we should turn around and head back to Sailfish Marina. The Captain and crew of Miss Priss turned around after about 20 minutes into the trip—wise decision. They had an engine problem soon after entering the Atlantic from Lake Worth Inlet, and wisely turned back. The Bahamas trip has now been delayed until next spring, 2008.

We should be leaving Ft. Lauderdale on Sunday, 18 March, headed for Cocoa Beach for a couple of days before we move on north to St. Augustine, FL. Stay tuned.