We made it! It wasn’t easy though! Last night at 10pm, the engine alternator crapped out on us. The engine was still working but we weren’t charging the batteries, as we used energy, we had no power to replace it with. We shut off all the power, all fans and additional energy suckers, the refrigerator and the freezer! We switched off the auto pilot for the Hydrovane and kept it on coarse using the GPS for the rest of the night. Every 2 hours we turned on the generator to charge the batteries and keep the fridge cool.
Land Ho! 6am- thankfully my internal alarm clock woke me up otherwise Ivy wanted to wake me up with a fog horn...that’s one way to start the day!- We saw land and then we saw rain. Lots and lots of rain, all around us, coming in fast! We thought we might be able to skirt around it but really just motored right into it. Silver lining: we washed some sea salt off our decks!
We made it through the Man-O-War Channel, as we got closer to land the rain died down, into the shallow Abaco Sea we came. We were greeted by a group of happy blue spotted dolphins. We passed a few fishing power boats and a catamaran at close range which is to be expected since there are only a few lines where the water is deep enough. We scrambled to make the boat presentable, along with our selves, getting changed out of pajamas and brushing our teeth.
As soon as we got into the Abaco Beach Resort the first boat we saw was from New Bern, NC-- Bodacious. Then a friendly guy in line at the fuel tank was also from New Bern! North Carolinians represent!!
We were so tired that getting into a slip seemed like an epic task. It didn’t help that we hadn’t had time for breakfast or Blue Lizard application so we were hungry and getting sun burnt.
Immediately after we docked, the customs officer was ready for us, Runyon and I went up to the resort office and filed out what felt like 50 forms, writing down everyone’s passport numbers and addresses at least four times. I couldn’t stand without the feeling of vertigo, so I sat and hugged a fancy pillow. Land legs..blah. Our customs officer was so nice, turns out he is a musician in a band called, Bahama Brass Band, check them out on youtube. The band is three generations old, started by his great uncle. Last week he had played in North Carolina, and New Jersey.
The Ladies, Ivy and Debby, were back at the boat cleaning up and showering so when we were finally finished with the customs officer we headed straight to the pool bar for grouper burgers and tacos and Pina Coladas. Welcome to land.
Leaving the rain behind us- see the rain wall to the right?
Ivy steering the boat at around 6am.
Dolphins!
Ghost
Land Ho!
Tired Captain Runyon
So glad to hear you guys made it to the Bahamas! Sure sounds like lots of work, but the pictures make the work seem worth the effort. I hope you're all able to get some rest!
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