Waiting For A Window

We arrived back in Florida just hours ahead of a storm front that blocked the roads north of Virginia with a foot of snow. We had left Canada just in time! But when we got back to the boat it was sad to see that all of our old friends who had been moored up with us had crossed over in our absence and we were left all alone for Christmas. But it was warm, we were anchored in a beautiful part of the world, we had each other and, best of all, the stores were stocked with piles of holiday goodies! For the next few days we explored more of Coconut Grove, and filled the boat with Christmas treats. And on boxing day, we left for Key Biscayne and No Name Harbour.

The first thing we did after setting our anchor here was to dinghy around to the other boats and find out who else was planning a trip to the Bahamas. And within hours we found ourselves an integral part of the small convoy waiting for a window. Each night we took turns hosting small parties aboard our boats where we gradually got to know each other over drinks and hor d’ouevres. During the days we hiked the trails, went into town, and prepared our vessels for the crossing. And early on the morning of the last day of the year we all pulled up our anchors and with a full moon behind us, headed east towards Bimini. Our little group was made up of 5 boats in all: “Dana” (Bonnie & Jim, NY), “My Whim” (Sherri & Jim, Chicago), “Higheeled” (Jackie & Chris, Hamilton), “Gypsy” (Linda & Clyde, Florida) and “Fortnight”.

It was with some reluctance that we left when we did. The weather forecasts were not ideal and the buoy reading at “Fowey Rocks,” taken 6 hours previously, was reporting strong winds of 21k blowing from the east. But this one day would be our last chance for some time. We had already been waiting for almost 2 weeks and weather reports here are notorious for being wrong. So we decided to venture on out and see what conditions were actually like--and if we didn’t like what we were seeing, we could always turn back. Nothing ventured, nothing gained. Despite my personal reservations about going under these conditions, I knew that Vince really wanted to leave along with our new friends and I did not want to let him down. And so we did.

The first three hours were rough. We found ourselves beating directly into a 10-15 k wind with waves breaking over the bow. But it was “doable” and, by the time we reached the gulf stream, things moderated somewhat. Our speed held, “bucking” up and down was replaced by “bobbing” and “gliding” over deep 4’-5’ swells and the comfort level went up a little. We knew that the worst was over and that conditions would gradually improve even more as the day progressed and we approached Bimini. And it did. But just before we saw the channel into the island, I lost my footing, fell against our electronic chart plotter and broke the connections off its back! With no buoys to mark the way in and now no GPS we were in deep trouble. We radioed on ahead to “Gypsy” who was just making her approach and she waited for us--shepherding us in safely to the harbour behind her.

It was SO great to find ourselves ashore in the Bahamas again! The waters were just as incredibly beautiful as we had remembered, the sun shone, and the Bahamians were welcoming and warm--preparing for New Years. We had a great celebration that night. We brought out the drinks and gathered ashore to give thanks for a safe passage, our charmed lives, and wonderful friends. And as the fireworks burst in the sky over head, we raised our glasses to the following toast:

Here’s to the tall ships that sail the oceans

Here’s to the small ships that sail the seas

But the best ships are the relationships

Between thee and me!