Sunday, April 5, 2009
5 April - Day #32. Made it to West End, Grand Bahama Island today. Left Palm Beach at 0430 this am. Wx prediction was for a one day window before some really bad stuff moves in. Seas were 2 to 4' with 15kts on the beam. Not my favorite but tolerable. The Gulf Stream, which was supposed to be 7 miles out, hit us almost immediately: sea temp went from 70 to 75F; and our progress south slowed from 7.2kts to 4kts. At that point the strategy is to cross the stream as fast as possible, i.e. cross the flow at 90 degrees, knowing you'll be pushed north the whole time. The 49nm trip thus turned into 60nm as we had to beat south into West End. Surprise, surprise. The Old Bahama Bay Marina is part of a resort to which we have full privileges: pool; beach; restaurants; etc. Some of Nellie's crew took a shower and cleaned up before visiting the venues. I, however, made a beeline for the pool where I'm sure I left an oil slick. We'll hangout here until the pending cold front blows through then it's on to Sale Cay (located in the middle of the Little Bahama Bank). Cocktails aboard Nellie with the crew of Sea Island Girl. 60nm today: 1092 total. DBH
