Steadfast Travels

From the anchorage in the banks behind Hoffman’s, White and Foul Cay we can hear the oceans roar a half a mile away. This location is far enough in that little ocean swell can get to us. The wind is out of the east and the islands block most of their influence except for pointing us into the small waves that lap against the side of the hull. That and our flapping Bahamian courtesy flag are the sounds tonight. This is our fourth night, Jan 28, and the second anchorage in the Berry Island chain north of Nassau. To balance the stress of boat projects and remember why we’re here we plan some fun. Sunday we packed lunch, snorkel gear, and chairs for exploring from Great Harbor north. We started snorkeling at the site of a DC3 plane wreck. It’s alleged that the plane crashed with a load of marijuana back in July 1983. The engine top was right at the surface so snorkeling around was easy, interesting and a bit eerie. Also some reviews online and the fuel dock attendant said concerns about s...

It’s almost  11PM  and we are a bit less halfway to our destination. Now 65 miles from the Miami Ft Lauderdale lights but they shine above the clouds like a sunsets after glow. It’s dark with a canopy of stars and the water faintly reflects the masthead light. The horizon shows the glow of distant towns and cruise ships in the deeper water north of us. Carl’s stern light provides the only light off the bow. The peaceful order is occasionally broken by a call on the hailing frequency 16. John McDermott, JT and other crooners keep me company and the gentle light rocking and engine humming have kept Sheri asleep for a few hours. The crossing was a bit of a washing machine for hours as the current of the Gulf Stream pushed against the east winds. Soon this subsided to long 3 - 4 foot rollers from the north. Which in turn laid down on the banks. The banks is an expanse of shallow water east of Bimini and is what wows the daylight travelers as the water goes from 500 feet to the 20...

After three nights anchored near the Rickenbacker Causeway in Miami doing taxes and finalizing insurance the afternoon of the 23rd found us at the local marina filling our diesel tanks and two extra 5 gallon tanks. We had already showered, washed clothes (in our Lowe’s bucket) and filled our coffee pots for the next morning. Now we filled our water tanks, two extra 5 gallon tanks and an extra 5 gallon bucket to flush with. We docked our clean boat along the wall in a harbor called “No Name” at the southern tip of  Key Biscayne. Here will be our stage for the trip across the gulf. Carl and I reviewed weather plans and routing while Sheri and Debi went to the supermarket for last minute items. We originally planned to go to Bimini and leave At 1 AM Saturday but overnight Thursday that plan looked less appealing so we decided to follow River Rat (Carl & Debi) on their overnight to the Berry islands. We will leave today, the 24th, at noon and travel the 125 miles to great harbor in...

It seems simple enough most times. Get out in the water and put up a sail and sometimes we shut off the motor but most times motor sailing is the best way to go. Days like today make it a little more challenging and sometimes in the heat of the moment you don’t recall everything. The stage is set... The jib is out and we’re heading toward Miami. With 2600 RPM and the jib sail we’re going at 7.3 it’s on average. (Good for a sailboat)The wind slows down and the captain wants to put out the main. The wind starts to pick up and too much sail goes out so we have to turn back into the wind and pull it in. The wind picks up again it has gone from under 10 to over 20. The mainsail is a bit of a fight but it comes in and in the process the jib, flailing wildly, wraps itself around the middle of the head stay and it become an hourglass. Turning into the wind and trying to hold course is very challenging and the wind is gusting in the mid 20 range. I’m just about ready to go out with life jacket...

We have taken six days, made it down to the Lake Worth (about 50 nm) and are ready to go off shore on Monday for the 70nm mile run to Miami. What a change of pace as we unpacked and put away all the important details. We are relearning that hours on the beach and dinner on the grill have everything to do with this cruising life. Nobody wants to hear about just good news so I thought I would spice it up with some of the day to day to day. We prepared for most situations but Saturday could have been better. I was completing the salt water bucket rinse of the breakfast and prior night’s dishes and pans before getting underway. As I dumped the cloudy salt water overboard was I surprised to see two white correlle dishes sink in the water. A foreshadowing... sailors are a superstitious bunch. We had 20 miles to go and seven bridges that required either a request or were specifically timed to open. Ready to go and the engine will not start. I thought I fixed this problem by installing a new ...

“Your car was here all through the night”, explained the security guard at the marina. I use it for storage I said to which he replied “you’re not sleeping on the boat at night?” Sleeping on the boat I said. Our cover was blown so off to the bargain hotel by the interstate. We didn’t sleep any better but we picked up an interesting odor on our clothing. The next night, our last, after parking away from the boat we crawled in careful not to raise the ire of the guard. It was home, relatively free and odor free. Last day we provisioned, washed the decks, filled up 150 gallons of water, scraped grounding plates, picked up an Hawaiian sling, did laundry and while all 26++ tons of Steadfast hung in the lift I laid under and put the bottom paint on the spots that were under the support blocks. Marinas mean long hot showers and endless electricity but leaving them means another world awaits. One where tides and current share the same sentence with wind and weather. Pelicans and Osprey vie f...

On November 14 2019 Steadfast was lifted out in Fort Pierce with the promise of a few simple projects that would prepare the boat and us for a new adventure in the Bahamas. We had launched in June and had a busy season with our trip to Nova Scotia in August and the southern migration in October. As anyone who has done a rehab project knows things don’t always go as planned. After the windless couldn’t be simply repaired it was replaced and our Max Prop met same fate. Each repair meant hours of research, ordering parts, fitting & modifying, phone calls to technicians including many “Dave” phone conferences. Along with a new engine relay the bottom was cleaned, patched and repainted, a replacement bow roller then the chain was flipped, a swivel added and it was pressure washed and remarked, oils changed, impellers replaced, the deck was pressure washed, the hull cleaned and waxed and new zincs added. Ways to wash clothes, clean fuel and communicate in the Bahamas were established. O...