Good-bye USA, Hello Bahamas!

We arrived in Savanah river at 4am with thick fog. This made going into the channel to Thunderbolt very interesting as we couldn't see the channel markers until we were nearly on top of them! Once it was light, it was a lovely peaceful motor to the dock past beautiful riverside homes and wide marshes. Hinckleys (the boatyard people) got to work on the boat straight away. They cleaned the water coolers on the engine and we also had a new alternator fitted so that we could have the old one cleaned for use as a spare. This was supposed to be a quick and easy job as we had been told the alternator was the same as the old one. Wrong! It took the electrician about 6 hours and needed 2 new parts which had to be ordered. Still, it was all finished in time for their thanksgiving shut down.

We decided to stay longer and have the generator checked out again as it was failing to start the air conditioning which was desperately needed for heat as temperatures were very low. Tony and Gill, friends we had met on the way north, invited us to their house for thanksgiving. We had a lovely evening with them and their friends. Gill and Tony gave us a lovely present of English goodies including McVities chocolate digestives and english Heinz beans. They have been keeping us going with little treats throughout the Christmas season.

We moved to an anchorage for the weekend so that we were closer to the shops but missed the electricity on the dock as the weather was particularly cold. Monday we were back at Hinckleys to have the generator looked at. Unfortunately as they were fixing it they broke a part and had to replace it. This involved having to get a part shipped in from another used generator otherwise it would have been 6 weeks to get a new one.

As soon as the work was finished we left to head for St Mary's river. The temperatures in Savannah were below freezing with ice on the dock and we were desperate for warmth. The wind was supposed to be a nice north easterly but was in fact a 20 knot south easterly which meant we were bashing into it. At about 11pm the genoa started fluttering and soon we realised the halyard had detached, as we watched it descend into the sea. By the time we could get to it, the whole sail was underneath the bow of the boat. It took us over an hour to get it back on board while the bow of the boat was digging into the swell and we were both exhausted and wet! With the sail now occupying the whole saloon and dripping water everywhere, we continued on our way under motor bashing into heavy seas. About an hour later a bolt on the davits gave way which meant the dinghy was flailing around and we were in danger of breaking the whole structure. At this point we had no option but to turn around and go back to Savannah. We arrived back on the dock having sailed 110 miles over about 20 hours!

Fortunately our new genoa did not suffer any major damage other than it now has a nice blue tinge from the antifouling. The davits were fixed in an hour with a quick weld and we were ready to be on our way again. The upside of going back to Savannah was that we had been invited to a party at friends of Tony and Gill called Sylvia and Alan. They are both caterers so the food was lovely and we got to meet some very nice people.

This time we left and went direct to Lake Worth. It was the coldest sail we have ever done. We were wearing as many layers of cloths as we could get on and sitting under a blanket and still we were freezing. When we were off watch we slept in our clothes as it was too cold to get undressed! But, this time we had good winds the whole way and a really good sail. We also had a pod of Dolphins with us for well over an hour. They were jumping in the air and doing back flops as well as swimming at the bow. Moments like this make all the bad bits worthwhile.

Lake Worth was the first time we had seen blue water for months and we even ventured to get our shorts out. Tony and Gill had talked about their UK friends Francis and William, on a boat called Alexia, but we had never met them until Lake Worth. They came into the anchorage and we spent a lovely evening with them. Drank far too much and suffered for it the next day (Karen)!

After clearing out we finally left the US on 11 December and headed for the Bahamas. The sail across the gulf stream was one of the best sails we have had while in the US but boy did we pay for the fun later!

We knew their was a norther on its way but thought we would be safe in the Berry's. This is a chain of Islands west and slightly north of Nassau. We anchored for an over night stop on the basis we would move further south in the morning before the norther arrived. Unfortunately, the wind arrived early. By midnight it was so rough we could not sleep in our cabin and then we heard the anchor drag. Given we had a reef not far behind us this was not a nice sound. The anchor seemed to re-set and continued to hold us the remainder of the night. However it got so rough that the bow was probably going up and down about 10 ft and waves were coming straight over the sprayhood. The pressure on the anchor was so great it broke our 5/8in snubbing line which holds the pressure off the anchor chain. At this point we had to motor into the wind to hold the boat and that is how we spent the remainder of the night. We replaced the line with another one which also broke in 2 places. At this time the wind was blowing about 35-40 knots and the seas were very steep so going to the front of the boat needed full oilies as you were completely submerged as the bow went down. It was an incredibly long night but as soon as it was light we had to get the anchor up and get out of the bay. In 40 knots of wind this was no mean feat and the anchor windlass did a great job despite a few squeals as the chain was ripped out when the boat was hit by a gust.

Getting out of the bay was hair raising and then we sailed to the south west corner of the Islands thinking we would get shelter there. Unfortunately not, the seas were just as bad so we had no option but to continue to Nassau. The entrance to the harbour faces NW which is where the wind was from so we were worried about getting in. The sail there was fast as the boat was doing 8 knots with only a small jib and we surfed into the harbour and safety.

Once we were safely anchored we went to bed. Half an hour later the anchor dragged and that was the end of that nights sleep! Our time in Nassau was spent recovering and clearing in with customs. We also finally heard from our friends on CD after 4 weeks. We were supposed to meet them in Cuba but after being stuck in an outer atoll in Belize they had escaped south and were back in Honduras. We were relieved as it was becoming impossible for us to get to Cuba in time for Christmas and it also gave us time to see the Bahamas.

Once the weather improved we sailed to Allen Cay in the Exumas. A lovely spot in nice weather but less good in a norther. After a few nice days the next norther arrived. The anchorage was crowded and the holding not very good. The anchorages are also shallow with strong currents which means the boat goes in all directions and oversails her anchor leading to a grinding sound on the bottom of the hull! So having lost a few more nights sleep we sailed to Cambridge Cay where we met up with friends.

We had a few evenings socialising and had a pot luck dinner on the beach for Christmas day. We were the potato boat while others provided turkey, vegetables, etc. This was probably our best day weather wise and was warm enough to sit on the beach in just a sweater until late into the evening. After that we were all confined to our boats by another norther!

Once the weather improved again we sailed to George Town which is at the southern tip of the Exumas. We did catch a 7lb Mahi Mahi on the way, our first fish since July! Also, it is a lot warmer here with good anchorage and lots of protection. That said, it's still too cold to get in the water although we do see some hardy Americans swimming!

After new year we are hoping to sail to some of the outer Islands such as The Acklins and Great Inagua where we will clear out of the Bahamas. The weather is currently forecast to be good for the next 7 days. Our plan is then to do the long sail direct to the San Blas where we will meet CD.

This will probably be our last post for a few months as there is no internet in the San Blas or outer islands. So Happy New Year to all our readers.