........................MacGregor Index Page.......... 2015 Bahama Trip Index Page
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............ ..............................................--- Rose Island --- ................................................................--- to --- .................--- Pimlico/Roberts Cays (Exumas) --- ........... |
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.... .......................(March 31st) Anchorage --- N 24º 47.834´ ==== Trip Mileage = 583 miles ..................W 76º 49.846´ ==== Day's Mileage = 39 miles .................................................................(April 2nd) Anchorage --- N 24º 47.832´ ==== Trip Mileage = 583 miles ........................................W 76º 49.828´ ==== Day's Mileage = 0 miles |
================== March 31st =====================
Going through the rough day before was well rewarded as I came close to sailing the whole way from Rose Island down to the narrow channel between Pimlico Cay and Roberts Cay where I planned on staying for at least one day. I was headed SE and the wind was ENE and started about 7-8 kts and increased over the day to probably 12 kts or so before going back down towards the days end.
To avoid coral heads just south of the anchorage I moved east just a bit from the anchorage before heading south to intercept the marked passage over the Yellow Banks that runs SE from just off Porgee Rocks. I got a 'thumbs up' from a much larger sailboat on the way which was nice.
Heading SE and leaving Nassau behind along with Rose Island I soon began to see a number of boats on this heading with most going south this time of the day. None of them near as small as the Kera Jane and in a completely different price range by a huge magnitude.
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.
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Those are all tourist packed into that high speed power boat headed for the Exumas for the day.
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I had the outboard up and the main and Genoa out and life was good but I still managed some excitement. Every 10-20 minutes the wind would ramp up another 5-8 kts or so over what it was running at the time. Not a gust really but a ramping up over a couple minutes and then would diminish back down to the more steady speed.
I was running a little over 5 the first time this happened and started to see high 5's and...
.... then into the low 6's and got the camera out to take a picture of the speed on the depthfinder so got occupied with that. Well about the time I saw 7 the boat really heeled over and the thought of getting knocked down entered my mind for a second but only a second as about the time I was looking straight down into the water the boat rounded up.
Roger designed the boat so that even non-sailors like myself were usually bailed out by the boat. I started trying to have the main sheet in my hand or close by when I noticed these bursts in wind speed and would try and ease the main to keep the boat from rounding up. Still not being on top of things all the time the boat rounded up a couple more times but not as drastically as the first.
About 15 miles into the run...
..... the wind started to clock a little less favorably but I found that ...
.... reducing the Genoa and sheeting it closer to the centerline....
..... I could still stay away from running the outboard.
I went through the coral heads of the Yellow Bank with out having to change course to avoid any of them but still came close to them. There appeared to of been enough water to have run over them but didn't want to do this.
As you can see from the chart above I ran a course that was on the chart. In after thought I wish I wouldn't of as when I got down to near were I had to turn more easterly I'd be headed too much into the wind to continue sailing. Finally realizing that I started my turn early ahead of my waypoint hoping to still run to the Cays off to the east without the outboard running.
It just wasn't going to happen so still determined to try and sail the entire way I tacked back to the NE but that was slow. I went north a couple miles but saw that I was running out of day to go further north so turned back more easterly towards the Cays. Now the wind was starting to diminish and I could only make about 3 kts and that was going to put me in close to or after dark so had to fire the outboard up for the rest of the run in after running east without it. So the last 6 miles in was on the outboard but0
. I kept the main up as it seemed to be helping some.
I lowered the main as I approached the inlet with Roberts Cay on the port side and Pimlico on the starboard. You need to stay close to the point on the north side as there are coral heads just to starboard. I had no problems there and there was only one work boat on a mooring up in the bay. I passed it and headed into shallower water off to port, almost too shallow at low tide.
Anchored and felt really good about the day as it was the furtherest I had ever sailed in one day. Ate and off to bed early.
================== April 1st ======================
I really liked this anchorage in the channel between Pimlico and Roberts Cays. I got into a little too shallow water overnight but never quite bottomed in the sand but was possibly within an inch or two so the second day moved out into the center of the channel into deeper water there. I used the electric trolling motor to do this and it worked great and was easier and faster than lowering the outboard and dealing with it. I also used the key fob remote to run it off and on and to also try steering with the electric ram that I modified to mount to the same mounts as the tillerpilot uses. I need to get a ram with longer travel or mount it further back on the rudder's tiller as it didn't move the rudder and didn't turn the trolling motor enough to have good steerage.
On a side note I have no regrets at all installing all of the additional solar on the boat. It has given great shade and I've never come close to having to run the gen-set. A couple nights I switched the two 12 volt batteries in the trolling motor bank over to the house bank and used them during the night for the fridge vs. using the house bank batteries ( two 6 volt Trojans in series). It worked fine but the Trojans are never going below 60% night or day. If on this trip or another I get some really cloudy weather I know I could run now 3 days or so using both banks and never go below 50%.
The other advantage I didn't realize I would have with the new solar overhead in place of the Bimini is that I now have many more 'solid' hand holds moving around on the boat using the uprights to the panels and the outboard uprights going to the panels off the side help in getting in and out of the dinghy if I do that by going over the coaming. For the way I'm using the boat for long distance cruising I have found no disadvantages to the added solar and the way it is mounted and regardless of if I use the trolling motor much I'm really glad I took the time to do it. Cold food every day is a blessing and I've found I can keep bread and things like apples up to a month in the fridge. The fridge has been on the boat for a number of trips now but occasionally I'd have to run the gen-set and watch my time on the computer. Now I have none of those worries. OK back to the trip ;-).
I entered the channel down past the work boat and beach.
Nice little beach but the Cay is marked 'private' on the chart. A group of 7 put ashore there in a small overloaded inflatable and 3 of them then left for a bit in the dinghy and the remaining 4 went swimming. Pretty soon I head a lot of commotion and everyone getting out of the water fast and up on the beach. I'm sure it was a shark and it was interesting in that just a ways down from here Mike and Sandy encountered a shark in the same waters.
The small building was deserted.
The workboat that never moved while I was there. I was surprised that it was powered but two 200 HP Yamaha outboards.
A small cay just north of Roberts Cay.
Another abandon building on Little Ship Channel Cay a little further north.
Ship Channel Cay to the left and Pimlico to the right with the ocean side past them.
I was surprised at the height of the south end of Ship Channel Cay. It is the first thing you sight coming south from Nassau.
On the west side of Ship Channel Cay is a place that caters to the ...
... powerboat cruises ...
... that come here daily from Nassau. There were two boats, one just visible behind the stern of the larger one.
I counted over 50 people between the two boats. They spend some of the day on the beach in the previous picture and then were led down the beach aways where they could snorkel if they wanted.
I took these pictures from just over ½ mile away on my anchorage.
You can also get an idea of high the end of the Cay is by seeing how small the people are in the water and on shore below it.
Later the packed and I mean 'packed' boats left for Nassau. The smaller one above was powered by 4 large outboards and ...
... the larger one probably by a couple big block Chevy's (my guess). From the way the boats are filled with people business is good.
I had decided to lay over here for the day because I needed a break and I liked the place and I needed to do some maintenance on a few things. The release cleat on the tiller that allows the rudder to kick up if it hits something was releasing too easily. I think I fixed that. I checked the outboard's oil level and it was good. The strap that goes around....
... the skirt of the dingy chaps had come out on one side but it still stayed attached at the back thankfully. I got down in the water and waded along side the dinghy and got that taken care of. There was also a piece on the rudder post that had worked loose so fixed that.
I also modified the mount for the computer monitor (chartplotter screen) so that the monitor mounted a couple inches lower when it was in the 'high' position I use when underway and I want to see it from the cockpit. Also the brace that holds the ladder out horizontal to tow the dingy got bent up and almost broke in half by all of the pounding between Whale and Rose so I reinforced it with some aluminum I had with me. The drill came in handy doing that along with some of the bolts and screws I carry with me. I found I really don't need it as I can hold the ladder up horizontal with a line and will do that now on passages and maybe not use the brace as I can still climb out on the ladder with the line holding it up. I usually board the dinghy with the ladder out like this (see picture above). It is also handy if I have to climb out onto the ladder if the prop is fouled and I need to clean it.
The rest of the day i relaxed and worked on this trip report and got things ready to move down to Allans Cay the next day. It was a good day in a very pretty place and I was the only boat there and the powerboat people were far enough away I couldn't hear any of that.
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