With that decision made, the next decision was how to get to the Abacos. I considered leaving from the Miami area and heading to Bimini and then up to Grand Bahama. From there, I would drop the mast and use the Grand Lucayan Waterway to get to the north side of Grand Bahama and onto the Little Bahama Bank. While this initial plan seemed interesting, it also seemed like a lot of extra effort. After a lot of thinking and rethinking, the initial plan is to sail from somewhere in Florida (a whole other logistics challenge) to West End Grand Bahama and then onto the Abacos across the Little Bahama Bank.
As far as fuel planning goes, I'm thinking I will need about a 100 mile range between fill-ups. This is mainly to account for the fact that it is possible to have to motor if there is no wind. While highly unlikely, I have read accounts of glassy seas in June which is when I am planning to go. The other need for fuel will be if I wanted to motor sail to get higher pointing angles or just make it across the Gulf Stream a little faster. Of course, my preference is to sail, but I'm doing what everyone tells you not to do - sail on a schedule!
Right now, Ama Mama only has a 3 gallon fuel tank. I'm guessing that my little 5HP, Nissan four stroke gets about 10 MPG.
So, I will need to supplement my fuel tank with some additional fuel. I have not decided yet whether to supplement with hard or soft cans. There are pros and cons to both.
- Hard tanks take up valuable space, but they are cheap and plentiful. I might even be able to borrow some for the trip.
- Soft tanks will take up little space when they are empty, but they are expensive, and I don't know anyone that I can borrow one from.
For now, I have a 3 gallon tank, and a 5 gallon refill can ( not shown).
