Back on the water again, finally.......off to the Bahamas

[Ixneigh]

On that chart little bell island is shown as Cambridge cay. See the little "6" area on the side of the cay that faces the nw ?
That's where i parked. No current that I recall in there. Not much else there except a nice little beach that you can bring the boat right up into in nice weather though.

Re squalls yea. Windy. I put out a second anchor since the wind is going around in 360 in space of four hours.
Collecting rain as I write this though.
Ix

[Sumner]

On that chart little bell island is shown as Cambridge cay. See the little "6" area on the side of the cay that faces the nw ?
That's where i parked. No current that I recall in there. Not much else there except a nice little beach that you can bring the boat right up into in nice weather though...Ix

Thanks, I dropped a mark there on the chart with OpenCPN and might use it if I get in there. I also now see where they have Little Bell in parenthesis under Cambridge .

....Re squalls yea. Windy. I put out a second anchor since the wind is going around in 360 in space of four hours.
Collecting rain as I write this though. Ix

I hope neither of us get hit hard but you might possibly get hit harder there than me here. Good luck with that.

The wind is up some here but went down a little from earlier when I'd guess that it might of been 20. Along with some other things I forgot to find and bring my wind gauge. No problems anchor wise and I'm staying cool in the boat with the ...





... wind diverted down into the cabin. The last 2 nights were the first two that I went to sleep with the Caframo gimbal fan running on me and kept it running most of the night. I've been using one of the upright ones in the cabin for some time now during the day (next to the sink above). Neither one uses hardly any electricity. I've had mo bug problems at all to this point with the with the exception of some house flies at times during the day. I've heard others complain about them but Ruth put the skirts on the poptop cover and I've been closing up the door and such before dark each night so the screening in it and the forward hatch has been working I guess.

Good luck with the weather there and send it north if you would,

Sumner

============================
2015 To the Bahamas and back -- I hope

Our MacGregor 26-S

Our Endeavour 37

Our Trips to Utah, Idaho, Canada, Florida

Mac-Venture Links

[Judy B]

Have fun Sumner. Sounds like a wonderful voyage and adventure!

Judy B

[Sumner]

...Do you have pics of, or a write-up of, the tethering system jack lines and anchor points you used?

Don't know if you had seen them but I did get pictures up on the trip report....







... more here .....

http://1fatgmc.com/boat/mac-1/2015%20Ba ... age-3.html

Sumner

============================
2015 To the Bahamas and back -- I hope

Our MacGregor 26-S

Our Endeavour 37

Our Trips to Utah, Idaho, Canada, Florida

Mac-Venture Links

[Sumner]

If you had already looked at the two pages on the trip report about the stay in Georgetown you might want to go back and look again as I redid them and added a number of pictures and added the narrative.

Here are a couple pictures of the Bahamian boats that were there for the race...







Here are the links to the two revised pages...

http://1fatgmc.com/boat/mac-1/2015%2...s-Page-12.html

http://1fatgmc.com/boat/mac-1/2015%2...s-Page-13.html

Sumner

============================
2015 To the Bahamas and back -- I hope

Our MacGregor 26-S

Our Endeavour 37

Our Trips to Utah, Idaho, Canada, Florida

Mac-Venture Links

[fishstalker7]

Nice pictures! And great report!

I'd love to see that regatta one day...lot of sail area for a small boat...the crew coordination must be fun to watch in person!

Thanks again for sharing! Fair winds!

[walt]

I spent a couple hours yesterday tagging along on your adventure... and what an adventure it is!!! Nice job with the write up!

[cruiser]

Talking about the swimming I did use the 3 lb weight today and the day before. It still isn't enough. I bought some fish weights but maybe not enough of those either. Maybe I've 'bulked up' on all my great cooking . Actually I only cook about every 3-4 days and make enough that I eat cold left-overs the other days and actually like it better cold than hot.

Should I have the weight on the belt so that it is on my back or front side since I only have one? [/b]

Mac-Venture Links

Hi Sumner,
Following your travels with great interest - thanks very much for the fantastic write ups and all your communication. I have even noticed a few guys from Oz following your exploits - you are doing wonders for the reputation of Macgregors .

I have not done much diving for the last 4-5 years but when I dive without a wet suit I usually use 1 weight. If I have a stinger suit on (like a full length suit made of the sunshirt type fabric) I find I need about 1 1/2 weights - if I am feeling very fit I will put on 2 weights but otherwise just put up with one weight. The problem with 2 weights is that it makes for very easy downward travel but you often have to push very hard to come back up to the surface - and by then you have expended a lot of your energy. With a neoprene wetsuit on I have had to use beween 2 - 4 weights, depending on thickness of wet suit and my fitness at the time - I think the 4 weight days have probably passed me by now .

When using 1 weight I find it much more effective and balanced to be wearing it in the middle of my back - but that may be just me. Certainly, as has been mentioned, have a good quick release on the weight belt and be ready to drop it if need be. Too many stories of people who hung onto their weight belts for too long - not a good look.

Just another comment, at the risk of 'telling you how to suck eggs': for what it is worth when you are travelling amongst reefs and coral bomies it is worth wearing a pair of polarized sunglasses as they make it much easier to see the reefs from on board the boat. You probably know this of course but I thought I would err on the high side - some saying about 'an error of ommission??' I think.

Safe travels Sumner
Cruiser

[sparky]

Sum, You are seeing and doing some wonderful stuff

[Sumner]

Moved this morning up to Black Point. Have to dump trash and get water. Might stay overnight and might just move north more. After here probably no more Internet for a long time, maybe not until I get to FL.

We had lots of squalls down a Little Farmer the last two days. The worst was right at 50 kts according to people who had instruments. Also yesterday lightning hit the comm tower about 1500 feet from the boat and took out Internet and other communications. Very windy there and I only had the 25 lb. Manson down but it held fine.

Still hope to be back in FL around the 1st of June. I also added a couple pages to the trip report at Little Farmer,

Sumner

============================
2015 To the Bahamas and back -- I hope

Our MacGregor 26-S

Our Endeavour 37

Our Trips to Utah, Idaho, Canada, Florida

Mac-Venture Links

[ris]

Nice to hear you are ok. Was watching the low forming and knew you were getting some wind and rain. Thanks for letting us know how you are doing and when you get back to Florida maybe we can have a meal together. We are still working on the boat, trailer should be finished this weekend.

[Sumner]

... We are still working on the boat, trailer should be finished this weekend.

Hey that is great. Still not sure when I get back to Fl if I'm going to turn right and go up the ICW or straight ahead across the state on the ICW. We will stay it touch,

Sumner

============================
2015 To the Bahamas and back -- I hope

Our MacGregor 26-S

Our Endeavour 37

Our Trips to Utah, Idaho, Canada, Florida

Mac-Venture Links

[cptron]

Hey Sumner, Glad you made it through the wind and storms. But you didn't have to send Subtropical Storm Ana to us. Made me have to post pone my Southport sail till 29-31st.

[Sumner]

Quick up-date.

I'm on the north side of Rose Island just east of Nassau. Leave early in the morning for the Berrys as the wind is suppose to be 14-15 gusting 18 and will be the lightest day for some time. It will be about 40 miles across the deep water of Northeast Providence Channel. Thur. on the wind is suppose to go into the low/mid 20's so I'd like to get across tomorrow. Hope it isn't any worst than it was today where the wind was high teens and seas 2-4 feet with some over 4. I finally had to run on the Genoa about 5 as with the main up and reefed the boat just got too fast in the wind conditions and then some waves would make the boat fall off of them and start to round up if I didn't release the main. Tried different combinations of the Genoa with the main and saw high 6's and some 7's but then a gust would hit along with a 4 foot quartering wave and the auto-tiller couldn't handle it and I got tired trying to hand steer and deal with the main. Hard to explain what all was going on but with just the Genoa all the way out the bow would stay put and not roundup and the autopilot could handle it and I was happy with 5 as an average. I need another higher reef point in the main, only have one and with the one in it was still too much sail for today's conditions. It would run over 5 on just the reefed main but wasn't balance without some head sail or so would round up in gusts still. So 40 miles all sailing except the last 2-3 through a narrow cut with high currents and then dodging coral heads into an anchorage.

I'm finally getting some sailing in and it has been all sails and no motor for the last 114 miles except to get on and off anchor and even managed that a couple times without the motor. Tomorrow should be all sailing also and wouldn't want to have to motor as the seas are suppose to be around 4 feet again and this will be a deep water passage.

The dinghy took a pounding today with the following seas and would at times be higher than the transom on the boat and then surf down into it and then the tow rope would go slack and it would pop like a rifle shot when it took the slack out. I tow the dingy bow forward but from its transom (see my web site for more detail). I'm sure if I would of been pulling from the normal bow rings they would of been pulled out today. I'd stow the dinghy on the Mac but it is too big and I can't break it down or set it up on the boat. I need flat ground for that. Anyway I don't need to be in worst conditions than today as far as the dinghy is concerned. The Mac handled everything just fine as usual.

I haven't been able to add to the blog on my web site but after Black Point it was on to Fowl Cay with two really nice reefs, finally got to snorkel and see them and the fish. Also 2 really nice grottoes there that I got to swim into along with some guys in another boat. We kind of traveled together for a couple days. Then on to Warderick Wells, Exuma Park, and walked some there and also spent the worst night ever on anchor there. It was beautiful though. Then on to Shroud where there is a 3-4 mile inland loop you can do with the dinghy that also opens to the Atlantic side and that was really pretty also. Then on to Highborne yesterday where I gassed up and anchored out around the point and another miserable night with the surge rolling the boat side to side most of the night.

Then the 40 miles across Exuma Bank to here today. I'll post pictures when I can and more detail. I plan on working north through the Berrys and then jump over to the Abacos and up the center of them and to FL around the first of June if things work out. 914 miles since I left Florida's west coast the 9th of March,

Sumner

============================
2015 To the Bahamas and back -- I hope

Our MacGregor 26-S

Our Endeavour 37

Our Trips to Utah, Idaho, Canada, Florida

Mac-Venture Links

[sparky]

Wow Sum thanks for the up date---so glad to read you posts of you N. bound leg quite the little adventure. When you talk to a sailmaker about the have the extra reef points, also ask about putting in put in a third reef and ask about a storm blade to go with them. If you have enjoyed this great introduction to cruising --it sure brings great peace of mind if one can rally reef down for squalls and storm fronts. The trades can really limit you if one doesn't have off shore systems as you are finding out with the dingy. Have you tried snugging it up the transom step bow slightly up?