Traveling Team Fischer

Let’s see, where were we? Oh yes, anchored in the middle of nowhere. By morning the winds and seas had picked up a bit, helping us scoot along to Chub Cay where we planned to top off tanks. While en route, we triple checked the forecasts and saw the weather was going to continue to get a bit stronger. We opted to stay at the Cub Cay Marina for a couple nights. We enjoyed more pool time, the beautiful beach, and great conversations with other sailors before continuing on our journey.

We were heading to the Exuma Cays, and anchored by a smaller cay out of the way yet still near Nassau’s cruise ship port. Other than a parasailing boat that came a little too close for comfort, it was a beautiful day on the water and a lovely anchorage. Watching the tour operators in their boats made me question if I would want take part in those activities ever again.

Making our way down the Exuma’s chain brought some new experiences, like repairing a tear in the jib while at anchor, watching a rental motor boat showing off for his female passengers impatiently pass us in a marked channel only to quickly run aground, and finally, my realizing that the seas that had me questioning our safety were considered ideal for the other 20+ boats sailing with us. If only I knew then what we would sail through later.

Every morning, we’d check on fuel, oil, and the alternator belt that seemed to be getting chewed up on a daily basis. We were going through spare belts faster than planned. We also had a small oil leak we couldn’t locate. When we reached the end of the Exumas, we decided to let the engine rest and stopped early where some scenes from Pirates of the Caribbean were filmed.

This was about when I started to (quietly) sing the theme song from the movies during longer crossings. Something about being on the water and wanting to sing. On challenging crossings, whether they were long ones or just spicy, I would sing Livin’ on a Prayer when we were halfway to our destination to cheer myself up. This came in handy on our way to Long Island, where our anchorage was more than 10 hours away due to following the only channel deep enough for us that required a few switchbacks. There was very little wind, and it was fairly easy to stay in the deeper parts while we motored along.

The next morning was beautiful at our isolated anchorage, and we started our systems checks. Then our happy little routine came to an unpleasant stop. The bolt holding the alternator in place had snapped. This bolt is one of the few things for which we had no replacements on board. We tried to find one before setting sail, but could not locate this little metric headache in the right width, thread, or length. So there we sat, trying to stay calm. I couldn’t believe a single bolt could be this critical. We knew waiting for the wind to be what we needed to sail out could take weeks. We also knew there was a storm system trying to come down from the NE United States, and no one knew exactly where it was going to hit, or how strong it would be when it arrived.

Luckily, hubby remembered he held onto our old alternator that may have one bolt attached. It was and he was able to make that old bolt, which wasn’t quite the right size, work well enough to get to a marina on the next island. I no longer complain about having old or duplicate parts on board.

Navigating through the shallow rocks and coral heads into Crooked Island Marina was a little tricky. After topping off fuel tanks, we decided to stay a couple nights and try to find additional spare parts while keeping an eye on the oncoming storm. The marina manager offered to check all of his contacts to see if any of them had what we needed, too. He even took us shopping allowing us could provision a bit. Alas, no bolt was found. We took advantage of the area to explore a little, enjoy the beach bar, and recharge our batteries.

The marina was not finished adding a breakwater, and there was a lot of surge moving through the marina, it jerked the boat around to the degree that we were concerned about potential damage to the boat. We found a place mid island on our charts that looked safer to wait out the weather, and made the short trip down island. We set our anchor and prepared for the weather that was due to arrive after dark. By midnight, the winds and rain arrived, and our anchor started to drag. It took multiple attempts to reset it, and when we finally felt it grab again, we were able to relax a bit and stayed awake until daylight, making sure we didn’t drift again.

With the sun up, and winds calming, we could see where we could reset for another night in a sandier spot. The chart showed the depth was good and we slowly made our way over. Then our momentum abruptly stopped. We had run aground. Luckily, it was in sand, and likely not causing damage, but still unnerving. The chart showed the water should be deep enough for us. We opened the back up navigation system and it showed that we were on dry land. We couldn’t just back out of it until we dropped the dinghy in the water, which allowed us to float just high enough to get free. Using both navigation maps, we finally found a safe anchorage and got some sleep.

We needed to press on, and we headed to an anchorage that had great reviews, but it was too shallow and rocky for our comfort given recent events. We decided to go to the next stop on our route, knowing we’d arrive after dark, and it had “make sure to arrive with good light” in all of it’s online reviews. Between google earth, and hubby’s skills, we were able to anchor safely and securely. It was a good night’s sleep and we were happy we took the risk.

We were nearing the crossing point to Turks and Caicos, and making our way to our anchorage. After resting for a few hours, and looking at forecasts, we decided we could take on the crossing that evening instead of waiting another day. A few things about this bright idea: 1) we need more sleep than we realize, 2) the weather is always spicier than forecasted, and 3) we are not fans of over night crossings.

The lights on the horizon were a beautiful thing to see. Only a few hours until sunrise and being able to start our Turks and Caicos chapter.