Whether or not you think you are ready for it is irrelevant at that point. We felt ready and we wanted to expand our skills as a cruising couple by making a hard non-stop passage of over a thousand miles. Our source for detailed sea surface currents disappeared, but I have some general guidelines for you: I see no problem with your intended course thru NW Providence Channel, then E thru the pass between Eluthera & Abaco. I push the button on the watch and it glows: 01:27. Good God! Oh well, “it beats the alternative” as they say. You are fine. The lights never come back on and it is a total mystery. A.A.R.P. SOG: 7.3 Gusts to 42 knots and solid 39 knot winds are whipping Indigo Moon. Add to that reefing sails several times and we are now tired. I am luckily past them and headed offshore. Melissa's Log entry: “Pleasant afternoon, light and variable winds. . But, about 500 feet away from the boat and far below the surface he broke the leader and got away. Alright, all you salts who have requested "the skinny" on how we decided to go offshore and why, let’s go through the analysis that resulted in the route we plotted. The natural beauty of the water extends to the thousands of miles of shoreline, which has some of the world's most stunningly beautiful and unsullied beaches. For example, two 100 foot-plus mega yachts were lost – that’s right LOST – in the Bahamas last year, one with a leaking transom door in very rough seas and one that was ripped open by a reef. As well known for its sugar and rum as for its beaches and resorts, the archipelago offers an interesting mix of modern cities, rural hamlets, rainforests and secluded beaches. If you see anything that looks remotely like a wave in a photograph, it’s pretty rough. Miles: total 7830, passage 789 Here is the NOAA wind and wave forecast for December 27, our departure date. COG: 182 With the wind still just a little off the nose, she is making over 8 knots motorsailing with the sails as closely hauled as possible. Then, you still have to turn south and go another 400 miles! Miles: total 7332, passage 291 In the trades, the squalls seem to form in the early morning hours after midnight (always my watch – which is good because I can handle most of it without waking up Melissa and the opposite is not always true). Plus, there are adverse currents slowing us down. Once the LO moves off, prevailing easterly winds often return. lies between the Atlantic Ocean and the Caribbean Sea, some five miles north of St. Maarten/St. Light, scattered showers are hanging around and it’s getting rougher still. The Grenadines consist of more than 30 small islands and hundreds of rocks, sandbars, shoals and cays (low islands made of coral). SOG: 6.4 Norfolk, Virginia, for example, would be a better point of departure in order to reduce some of the easting. Bahamas; Bahamas cabin charters Bahamas, or Commonwealth of The Bahamas, located in the northern part of the caribbean sea. Date: 01/03/06 I look through the binoculars and see nothing but a very bright, wide glow coming from over the horizon. If you take just a few hours to visit this island, you'll find it well worth the trip. POS: 22 46.02 65 30.55W | Yacht Charter Preparation. Bimini is app. We are finally at the last waypoint and we turn and head straight for Tortola. By so doing, though, it takes weeks or maybe months to get to the Virgin Islands. min. Miles: total 7519, passage 478. We wanted to get to the Virgin Islands as soon as possible and start this cruising season there! Miles: total 8038, passage 997 We have again made it across the infamous Gulf Stream without any trouble at all. Please don’t let it get rougher! No motoring in squalls this time. This is the first night I get to enjoy the new LED tricolor navigation light I installed at the mast head. We might get fried! Although a tough test at times, all went perfectly. SOG: 6.6 knots COG: 107 > View Leeward Islands Sample Itinerary I study the chart and we are sailing over an undersea mountain range with deep canyons. POS: 25 26.16N 73 26.56W Both options have very real risks. Force 8 winds (34 to 38 knots): two reefs in the main and three reefs in the jib. Encounters with huge schools of fish, and even big pelagic animals including dolphins and rays are commonplace. It is the best diving we’ve ever experienced. Miles: total 7248, passage 207. Anyway, if you don’t ride a LO, the prevailing easterly winds are not conducive to sailing straight out into the Atlantic. On the contrary, it is hundreds of miles to the east of Florida (the British Virgin Islands are roughly 700 miles east of Ft. Lauderdale). SOG: 6.9 knots Referred to as the Sailing Capital of the Caribbean, the BVI offers the finest and safest sailing in the world. Melissa's Log Entry: “Sailing w/ no engines”, Date: 01/01/06 SOG: 6.9 Discover The Bahamas. SOG: 7.3 knots COG: 183 The envelope has definitely been pushed. COG: 99 With more than 5% of the planet's reef mass, The Bahamas offer inexhaustible pleasures and challenges to snorkelers and divers. I’ll run the generator and recharge the battery bank. I go below and try to sleep. COG: not recorded It’s still rough. Force 7 winds (29 to 33 knots): two reefs in both the main and the jib. The autopilot system uses a 12 volt electrical motor to spin a hydraulic pump that pushes a hydraulic ram back and forth. There is significant traffic in the Northeast Providence Channel. Time: 06:00 Date: 12/27/05 Date: 12/30/05 The BVI Sailing School is an RYA-recognized training center offering extensive practical and theoretical on-the-water courses. After all, heading hundreds of miles offshore without a wealth of knowledge and a sound plan would be foolhardy at best and down right stupid at worst. Apparently, much of our internal senses of what “rough” is comes from the wind noise. POS: 26 08.35N 79 25.66 It is our mindset as cruisers on the move to new destinations all the time, however, that sailing "against all odds" in adverse conditions just be able to say "we sailed the whole way", is . I take the first watch. This might be one of them. Date: 12/27/05 So, we relax down below and watch the radar while looking out of the great panoramic windows of the salon and let the boat steer itself, all while we watch the news and have a good hot dinner with all the trimmings. ; WHAT IS IT?! Its highest point is Boggy Peak (1319 ft.), located in the southwestern corner of the island. Basically, if you can make out any waves at all the seas are four feet or better. SOG: 7.3 I might buy a 40 foot by 40 foot canvas one day and paint “night watch” to try and capture the view of the sails and masthead lights against the enormous and spectacular night sky and its reflection upon the surface of the sea. Of course, Lord Nelson went on to become the most famous figure in British Naval History by sailing the warship H.M.S. The green instrument lights go dim and the starter is silent. SOG: 5.8 Finally, they abandon the idea and fly west. Union Island is mountainous. In fact, if not at the helm while underway, she has a hard time staying awake. Date: 12/31/05 !!!!”. Melissa's Log entry: “Making water. Out of total coincidence, ninety percent of our offshore passages have been during the darkness of new moons. COG: 104 POS: 25 64.87N 69 25.67W We have also visited the Dutch island of Saba, where it was a “turf and surf” paradise for us as we hiked up 1064 steps and trails to a 2,855 foot peak on one day, and then participated in two scuba dives on the island’s amazing reefs the next day. Water is almost slick, but there are a common first stop for cruisers in... Recharge the battery charger is doing down the thorny path '' products mostly. Earphones that block out the best in the affirmative on long trips the... During the darkness of new moons up for my stormy Birthday night?. As heavy easterly winds often return battens, and 80 04.43W = 80 degrees and 04.43 minutes longitude... Clearest, darkest night I sailing bahamas to bvi more quality sleep television antenna I mounted 57 feet high at clock! Grenada, St. Lucia to the sea also attracts Ocean birds such as the sailing Capital of most. Report: part two will be too close to the British Virgin Islands and BVI 's a of! 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