The Birth of the "Bahama Plan"

Well I just turned 48, and it dawned on me that in two years I will be the big 50! So, I started thinking about what I could do that (for me anyway) would be a stretch. I knew it had to be something to do with sailing, and it had to take me outside of my comfort zone. At the same time, I didn't want to do something that would cost a lot of money. That line of thinking led me to dreaming up sailing itineraries with Ama Mama that would take a couple of weeks. I really missed ocean sailing, but what could I do with Ama Mama on the ocean?

After a little Google searching, I discovered that many small boats had done voyages to the Bahamas. Crossing the Gulf Stream in such a small, generally open boat would make for a great story!  I wondered if I could do such a voyage on Ama Mama? It would take a few boat upgrades and some planning, but it was definitely the stretch goal I was looking for to fit my idea of a grand, ocean sail. I was encouraged by reading other's stories. Bill Combs had done a nice voyage over to the Abacos from Florida in his 20' West Wight Potter. I was even more inspired by the book "Travels with Miss Cindy" written by Tony Bigras. Tony built a 16' catamaran from plywood, lashed it to the top of an old station wagon, and drove it down to the North end of the Sea of Cortez. He then sailed the little boat to Nicaragua, crossed Nicaragua to the Caribbean, and sailed to Florida to complete the journey! If Tony could do that in 16' Miss Cindy, I could certainly sail 19.5' Ama Mama to the Bahamas and back!

Ama Mama needs a bunch of work to get her ready, and I need a plan to get me there. Here's what she looked like prior to any upgrades:

The mast is one of the the ugliest things on her that needs to be addressed. But the mast ugliness was relatively minor compared to all of the things that need to be addressed. So, I sat down and documented everything that I thought needed to be addressed to be ready for this trip. The list broke down into the following areas:

• Route and Fuel Planning
• Desired Upgrades
• Electrical Equipment
• Navigation / Communication Equipment
• Offshore / Safety Equipment
• Coast Guard Required Equipment
• International Cruising Regulations
• Personal Comfort Items
• Misc Gear
• General Boat Maintenance
• Provisioning and Cooking

In the posts that follow, I will go through each of these areas and document my preparation for the Bahamas Cruise! I don't really have a budget in mind yet, but I know it will be several thousand dollars to upgrade the boat and complete the voyage. I'm sure to also have some posts of sailing fun between now and then. Enjoy.