Dreamer II - Cruising South: Back to the States

Well, it’s almost the end of January. I’m writing this from St Augustine, Florida. After leaving the Exumas Land and Sea Park, we got into travel mode for our passage back to the States. The weather outlook was favorable for a return passage, so we were shooting to take advantage of it while it was there. We did a day trip to Highbourne Cay, where we refueled and got water, plus a little internet time. Pat got in her last opportunity for snorkeling. The next day we left early, headed for Nassau. We made good time, and arrived in Nassau, after passing across the Yellow Banks (a known area for coral heads to avoid). We had good tides and good visibility (sun overhead), and made it through OK – only had to dodge a few. We got into Nassau at 3:00 and anchored in Nassau Harbor, across from the Atlantis Resort. Since we were in travel mode, we didn’t stop to go ashore. We ended up bumping another boat at anchor about 3:30 in the morning (a French Canadian with 100 ft of chain out). So, we decided to pull anchor and leave at 4:00A for our next destination. We left Nassau in the dark (nice deep channel), and passed all the cruise ships waiting in line to come in the next morning. Our destination was the Berry Islands. We ended up stopping just on the other side of Little Stirrup Cay. Little Stirrup is an island owned by the cruise lines, that they have developed into an island playground for their customers. A cruise ship was docked when we arrived, so we went around to find an anchorage for the night. The next morning we were on the move again with a 6:00A start for Lucaya on Grand Bahama Island. We made excellent time (under motor and sail), and also got a chance to learn more about the capabilities of the radar to track other vessels we passed (big ships). We made it into Lucaya around 2:00P and went into a marina. We stayed for two nights, and got to see a little bit of the island by motor scooter, and by walking. Lucaya is home to the Grand Lucayan beach resort – a very nice upscale facility. While on motor scooters, we stopped for lunch at a lovely nature preserve. From Lucaya, we left for our crossing back to the states on Thursday morning the 26th. Our plan was to round the southern part of Grand Bahama Island, and set a course to St Augustine, taking advantage of the Gulf Stream as we headed north. The forecast called for 15 knot winds from the East / Southeast for the next two days, with a cold front coming through late Friday that would shift winds to the North (not good for a gulf stream crossing). Our weather window allowed for an overnight sail to reach St Augustine before the front arrived (about 30 hours). We left at 6:30A in light showers, and set our course for St Augustine. Off of West End, we stopped to assist a couple of men in a 20 foot power boat that had run out of fuel. We responded to their Mayday call. Seems they had left the Florida coast bound for Bimini, and had been carried north by the gulf stream to West End on Grand Bahama. They had no spare fuel and no working GPS, and actually thought they were off the coast of Bimini. We gave them what gas we had on board and contacted local help to assist them, then continued our trip. The night sail was good, with 15-20 knot winds that were more from the South than the Southeast. By the time morning came, winds had increased and began to clock more from the West, and eventually due North – the front had arrived early. We battled 30 plus knot winds dead on our nose, and choppy seas, through the morning. The wind and seas began to subside around 1:00 as we approached St Augustine. Our information on the inlet said to obtain local knowledge, and not to approach in any chop, so our backup was to head on up to Jacksonville for an entry if we couldn’t make it into St Augustine. As it turned out, the weather died down and we entered St Augustine without problem. The inlet was a dramatic one, with surf breaking on either side of you as you came in through a narrow, but well marked channel. St Augustine itself is a popular boating stop, with a nice old historic section and many nice restaurants. We settled into the marina, took nice hot showers and went for a very nice dinner at a place by the name of Raintree. The city, and the restaurant, are definitely worth another visit someday. Now that we're back, its time to go home for a visit.