Lessons Learned and Essentials

LESSONS LEARNED

Below I have noted some things that I learned along the way that may be helpful for other crazy sailors out there. Enjoy!

Coming over I had a lot of canned drinks with cubed ice. Going back I had the bright idea to freeze five one gallon containers of water to make block ice but to also provide me with plenty of drinking water - double utility! This seems to be keeping the coolers much colder. The only additional improvement I would add in the future would be to salt the cooler to keep things even colder when the ice turns to water.

Use cockpit cover as sun shade. The sun this time if the year in this latitude is brutal. Honestly, I don't see how people sail without some sort of Sun protection. The worst parts of the day are 0700 to 1100 and 1600 to 2000 when the sun is low on the horizon and it's difficult if not impossible to find protection from the Bimini. In these situations, I use the cockpit cover as a sun shade. The photo above shows the afternoon blocking the West Sun coming across the bow , and the photo below shows the morning blocking the East Sun coming across the port stern.

Use spare halyards as extra stays. Ever since I almost lost my forestay on my Lagoon 37 in Mexico, I've been constantly suspicious of stay integrity. So, whenever possible I use spare halyards as "stays". In the photo above, I'm using the jib halyard as a port side stay because I was doing a lot of port tack reaching.

Bag on tiller pilot. Another "Duh"! I knew I needed to do this from reading various things online, but I'm not sure how it never made it in my preparations list.

Sport-a-Seats (dark blue seat) don't dry easily when wet, but Sport Floats don't even absorb water! Coming over sailing closed hauled, the boat was very wet. As a result the Sport-a-Seats were soaking wet and they're still not completely dry - need to bake them in some Texas heat! I was too tired to think about it coming over. So, I sat in wet seats for days. Let me just say that sitting in salt water for days doesn't do wonders for your skin. It took me until cleaning out the boat in Marsh Harbor to realize that I should have been sitting on the Sport Floats! The picture above shows using both in tandem for the best dry seat.

Put all nonessential gear in 2 plastic bags. Again, coming over was very wet. Everything in the bow locker got soaked. Even if things are designed to get wet like sails, it doesn't mean they should get wet. Water proof containers like I have for my critical gear would be ideal, but costly.

A DeLorame Inreach with two way satellite texting would have been a great help not only in communicating with Bill regarding the tiller pilot, but also in communicating my status with Carmina. She was very worried about me. Apparently, the "I'm OK" messages from the SPOT Tracker were not confirming enough for her. In addition to knowing WHERE I was, she wanted more detail on HOW I was doing.

Enable your phone for international communications before you leave the U.S. On AT&T, you can add international calling for $30 per month. I called my office on Skype once I arrived in Marsh Harbor and had then set it up retroactively.

Local knowledge is key. You have to talk to people along the way to get advice on where to anchor, snorkel, fish, etc. You will save countless hours by just being friendly with the locals. Take the time to meet them.

Take more photos and videos. You can never have enough of these.

ESSENTIAL TOOLS AND PARTS

Here's a list of repairs made:

Waterproofing USB outlets - I wrote extensively about this on the day after the stream post. Check there for details. On further reflection, I think this problem would be easily solved by the addition of an inexpensive waterproof outdoor outlet cover from Lowe's or Home Depot such as the one shown below. The opening is just the right size to fit over the 12V outlets, and the clear cover allows you to easily see if your plugs are still seated properly.

Stern Bar Rotation - the stern bar was under a lot of rotational stress due to the weight of the fishing rods and the constantly bouncing boat. The rotation of the rod was only being held in check by two little 1/4x20 set screws. I had this issue previously and had drilled indentations in the bar for the set screws to penetrate slightly into the bar. However, this we still not enough because it is had to get enough torque on a set screw before the hex socket on the screw starts to strip. So, I got some 1/4x20 x 1/2" bolts and cranked them onto the bar with a socket wrench! That seem to do the trick.

Outboard Alternator Wiring - there are two small wires that come out of the outboard and go forward to charge the battery. I did not have these wires going through any protective cover as they came out of the outboard, and they chafed through on the trip over causing the charging circuit to blow. I picked up some very small tubing in Marsh Harbor to fashion some conduit for these wires and protect them from further chafing.

Blown Fuses - as mentioned above the charging circuit blew due to a short circuit on the outboard charging wires. This circuit also had the solar panel charging input on it. So, when the circuit blew, the battery was not getting charged. This must have happened on the last few hours coming into Marsh Harbor because I never saw a big drop in the battery voltage. Fortunately, I had plentey of spares onboard and could easily remedy the situation after the circuit was repaired.

Engine Oil - I knew I would probably be motoring a lot on this trip, and I remember to bring some engine oil along. The oil level was down a bit after the trip over, and I top off in Marsh Harbor.

WORTH THE COST AND WEIGHT!

Serious Anchor, Chain and Long Rode - after you have spent enough time out sailing on the ocean and anchoring in some questionable anchorages, you come to understand that good ground tackle is worth many more times the weight penalty it adds. I had an suspicion before the trip that things might not go as planned getting to West End, and I might end up anchored on the Little Bahama Bank for the night. It turns out I was anchored out on The Bank for two nights! I was sooooo glad I thought to buy a bigger, better anchor along with more rode for this scenario.

Tiller Pilot - maybe this journal should be titled "The Saga of the Tiller Pilot" since much of the story revolves around getting a replacement for the one that failed the first day of the trip. For a single hander to do this or similar types of trips, I personally believe that an  autopilot is an essential part of the equation. This is for several reasons but they all boil down to safety and comfort. In addition, the tiller pilot will always give you better VMG for two reasons - more accurate steering and ability to continue forward when something else besides the tiller needs attention. I'm constantly scanning the boat for things that may need attention. If I have a tiller pilot, I can address things right away. On the other hand, if I don't have a tiller pilot, I need to heave the boat to in order to address the issue. For example, when I was coming down the Sea of Abaco on the way to Marsh Harbor, I had to heave to in order to refill my gas tank. This is too long and complicated of a procedure to do while trying to steer single handed.

iNavX on iPad with detailed Bahamas charts - I was on the fence about buying the $50 detailed Bahamas charts for iNavX, and I only ended up purchasing the charts a couple of days before I left Austin. This was BY FAR the best decision I made regarding equipment for the entire trip. After I gained some confidence in the accuracy of the charts, I was able to do some things at night that there is no way I would have attempted without the charts including transiting Don't Rock Passage and coming down the Eastern Shores channel at 1am! Now, some of you are thinking these are stupid things to do, but if you understand that the Tramp can use its kick-up centerboard and rudder as "depth sounders", then you'd understand that these were less risky activities even at night.

Solar panel - this trip would have been a lot harder without solar charging. The 100W panel got the battery charged back up quickly after the evening hours, and allowed me to run a lot of equipment during the day including iPad, iPhone, VHF, Lowrance chart plotter, and the tiller pilot. When it got dark, I'd turn on running lights too. At some point along the way, it would have been nice to pllay my stereo as well if it hadn't died. Yes, many have done this trip without all of these modern gadgets, but I like to have all of these things for safety and comfort.

THINGS I DID NOT USE AND SHOULD HAVE LEFT AT HOME

Boom Tent 

Shore Power and Electric Fan

THINGS I DIDN'T USE AND GLAD I DIDN'T NEED TO

First Aid Kits

Emergency Ditch Kit

Hopefully this post will give the sailors out there some inspiration for how you can better prepare for your next adventure!

Sunday, 6/28 - Home At Last

One more day on the road. I left the hotel by 0800 and the drive was much like yesterday, but shorter. I was home by 1430, and the house was empty when I arrived. Carmina and Alex were out at a basketball tournament. So, I cooked up a cold margarita and relaxed for a few minutes before jumping into the unpacking chaos (see below).

In the end, the trip was everything I expected and a WHOLE LOT more! Stay tuned for a few wrap up posts.

Saturday, 6/27 - Texas Bound

0600 - I awoke to find the car and Ama Mam right where I left them. I had breakfast grabbed a shower, and knocked off some emails before heading out.

0815 - I hit the road, but I started off very tired - not a great way to start a long day of driving. It is looking like a 6 pack coffee day. I set the GPS for Beaumont, TX hoping to make it that far, and here is what Siri served up as I got on the highway ...

Dang! That stinks. One road for 499 miles today. Not sure I can do that.

1500 - I've been stopping about every hour or so for gas or just to stretch. Here's a shot of Ama Mama taking a rest at a rest stop.

1845 - BLOWOUT! I had a feeling that might happen on this trip. So, I got a new spare before I left. Below are some shots of the blowout and fix. I ultimately had to get out my car jack because the little hydraulic jack I had was not tall enough. Also, check out the video below of what the tire changing situation was like!

1925 - It was time to go after the tire change, but I looked up and saw that I had a short "runway" to get back on the highway. I had to floor it into a gap!

Not long after just after the sun went down, I was low on fuel on the 18.2 mile Atchafalaya Basin Bridge (see photo below). If you've never been on this bridge, it is not a place where you want to get a flat or run out of gas. There is no shoulder and no way to get off for many miles. Fortunately, I was soon off the bridge and got some gas.

2130 - I decided to stop short of Texas for the evening at the Holiday Inn Express in Scott, LA. This is essentially the same area I stopped on the way to Florida two weeks ago. Get some rest and get home tomorrow.

Friday, 6/26 - Heading North at 70 mph

0500 - Awoke without an alarm. I guess my rhythm on the water is hard to shake.

0600 - Already at the boat storage yard getting the trailer / boat ready to roll. Remember the radar reflector that was about ready to fall off the other day? Well, at least it made it to the boat yard before it fell off onto the soft ground. It could have fallen off on the drive over from the boat ramp, but it kindly waited until now (see photo above). Lovely!

0700 - I saw a car pull off of the road outside the yard, a guy got out, and headed my way. I thought I might be in trouble or something. Dan introduced himself and said he had been following my journal / SPOT tracker. Dan is a fellow Tramp owner (Hydra), and he lives in the area. He read that I would be storing the boat at this location, and he had been keeping an eye out for me on his way to work. It truly is a small world. We chatted about the Tramp and my trip for awhile, but he needed to get to work. Thanks, Dan, for stopping by on your way to work!

0830 - I was wrapping up my road preparations when I received a voicemail from Francine, Bill's wife, wondering where I was. I called her back and told her that I would swing by Sandsprit park after I talked with Steve Marsh a bit. I think I stated elsewhere in this journal that my intention for Ama Mama after this trip is to sell her so I can get a bigger boat for the family to join me. So, Steve and I chatted for a while about the best options for "upping my boat game."

0930 - I arrived at Sandsprit Park with a smile on my face and a bottle of tequila in my hand. I again thanked Bill and Francine for their efforts in getting me a new auto-pilot for the trip home. Of course we had to have a shot of tequila for the occasion! They had just arrived form the crossing around 0700, and I helped Bill get his car and get the mast down before I had to get back to check out of my hotel.

1215 - I got back to the hotel, showered up, checked out and headed back to the storage yard to pick-up Ama Mama. I had her in tow by 1330, and I headed North to check into the country at St. Lucie International Airport.

1500 - St. Lucie International Airport may sound fancy, but it really was a small airfield set-up for wealthy private planes to check in and out of the US on their way back and forth to the Bahamas for fishing and R&R. The US check-in procedure for boaters is kinda strange. You call a number when you arrive in the US, they give you a check-in number, and you have 24 hours to go physically check-in. Not very secure if you ask me. It seems like anyone could get into the US from sea easily if they wanted to. Anyway, I show up at the airport customs building, give them my check-in number / passport, and wait while the agent steps away from the check-in window. In less than 2 minutes, the agent returned with my stamped passport. Where's the "Easy Button"? Unbelievable! No questions about my route, days out of the country, where I was headed - NOTHING. I'm not complaining about how easy it was to check-in - that was nice - but the whole thing seemed like a waste of time and certainly didn't make me feel great about how un-secure our borders are.

1900 - Since it is a place on my list of places to visit. I got of I-95 at St. Augustine's exit and briefly considered driving into town for the evening. I checked it out on the map and decided there weren't any close-in hotel options with good trailer parking, and I really didn't have time to see the place anyway. However, while I was stopped, I refueled, ate dinner, and took a few minutes to pull the nets off of Ama Mama, I didn't want to have them blowing in the wind for 1200 more miles.

2100 - I finally stopped for the evening at Chaffee Point Blvd. Holiday Inn Express just West of Jacksonville. Below is a photo of the car and trailer under a security light out back of the hotel. I like Holiday Inn Express because they have a reasonable amount of security cameras both inside and outside - lets me sleep easy.

2300 - Lights out after catching up on some email. Siri says 1,040 miles to go (all West) or 14 hours and 58 minutes of drive time. Not sure how far I will make it tomorrow. 

Thursday, 6/25 - Last Day on the Water

Awoke at 0400 without an alarm. Got everything ready to go, and then I took a nice warm shower in an air conditioned bathroom! 

Nice facilities at West End, and you pay for it too!

Left the dock at 0515 and followed a sport fishing boat out. I raised the main and pulled out the screacher as soon as I was outside the breakwaters. It is a gentle 5-7 knots from the SE - nothing like when I came over. I hope the wind picks up this afternoon.

Next all three lines are in the water. I was not able to get any Ballyhoo like Alex wanted me to, but let's see what the artificials can produce this morning.

1000 - No fish yet, and I'll have to stop fishing in a couple of hours when I get into Florida waters. I'm following Elie's advice and steering 34° South of the St. Lucie inlet waypoint in order to let The Stream push me North. I'm not in the heaviest party of a The Stream yet, but I'm already consistently seeing consistent 6's. I saw over 9 knots COG when I came over last week in the middle of The Stream. Saw this "little" ship pass me astern earlier.

1020 - Wind just picked up, and seeing lots of 7's now. The Stream is an incredible conveyor belt of the Atlantic.

1420 - 18 miles out and doing a consistent 6 knots no doubt helped by The Stream. The wind is very light from the SE, but enough to keep the screacher up. That is a great thing because it is keeping the West afternoon sun out of the cockpit. The waypoint and my COG are essentially as they should be, but my heading is about 60° South. Check it out below.

Given the relatively clam conditions today, I've been busy cleaning up the boat to get ready to pack it up and head home tomorrow. I even got the washing machine (water, soap, a cooler, and a rocking boat) going again.

I'm tired. I think the adrenaline of the trip is wearing off!

1745 - I have arrived at the St. Lucie breakwater and I decide to drop the main before heading in. Once, I do head in, it is clear that there is an incoming tide as I am easily reaching 6+ knots speed over ground.

Total Distance = 71 nm

Elapsed Time = 13 hrs

Average Speed = 5.5 knts

1830 - I approached the Sandsprit Park launch ramp and the Sheriff's boat is at the dock. Great! Not these guys again. He was parked poorly on the launch ramp side tie; i.e. right in the middle taking up two spots. I approach slowly letting him know that I intended to tie off behind him. He indicated that he would moved up. As he was doing that, I came along side, grabbed my dock lines and tied off.

S; Where are you coming from?

P: West End.

S; You crossed on that?

P: Yes, sir. 

S: I'm assuming you have registration and all of the appropriate safety equipment. 

P: Yes, sir.

S: Can I see your registration please?

P: Yes, sir.

I hand him the registration, and he looks it over.

S: Thanks. I need to do a safety equipment check too.

P: Ok. What would you like to see.

S: Fire extinguishers, throw cushion, and sound producing device.

I produced all three in order, and he was satisfied. At that point, he lightened up. I assumed he was just doing his job. So, I didn't mind. He started chatting me up about me trip, and he got this far off look in his eyes and said he'd like to do that sometime. I asked him if he was going to be hanging out at the dock for a while, and he indicated that he would be. I told him I'd appreciate it if he watched the boat while I walked the mile I needed to go to get my car and trailer. He said that would not be a problem.

1915 - I returned with the car and trailer to find the Sheriff had left. Oh, well. The walk took longer than I had wanted because I was carrying my dry box that contained my computer, money, phone, etc. It was too heavy to run with. So, it took me about 35 minutes to get the car/trailer and get back here. 

My objectives at this point were to get the mast down, take everything back to the storage yard, get something to eat, get a shower, and get some sleep. I would deal with getting the boat/trailer ready for the 1,300 mile journey back to Austin tomorrow. As I was pulling the boat out of the water, the Sheriff returned and actually apologized for leaving before I got back. He said he had to go free a manatee that had gotten trapped up somewhere - a noble reason to abandon Ama Mama!

2100 - I finally got everything back to the storage yard, parked the trailer/boat, and disconnected the trailer for the evening. In the few minutes that I was disconnecting the trailer, I got the blood sucked out of my lower legs by the mosquitoes in the tall grass. I lasted the whole trip with only a bite or two, and now I had dozens in a matter of minutes. Oh well. Just part of the adventure.

2130 - Steve Marsh recommended the Harbor Inn in Stuart. So, I headed that way, got in my room, and headed to the associated bar / restaurant. "Sorry, the kitchen closed at 9pm." Bummer. I quickly checked my phone for local restaurant recommendations and saw one nearby called "Sailor's Return". If I was writing a movie script, I couldn't have thought that one up. It sounded perfect. So, I headed that way.

2150 - The kitchen at Sailor's Return was closing at 2200. So, I ordered calamari, a portabella mushroom appetizer, and a cold beer. Awesome!

2230 - I headed back to the hotel, showered up, and crashed around 2300. A successful return crossing was behind me!

Wednesday, 6/24 - West End Finally!

0500 - Woke up to alarm, but was about ready to get up anyway. Took about an hour to get everything ready to go - eat, put away bedding, clean up cockpit, fire up electronics for the day, raise main, and weigh anchor. The photo above is of my West End Rocks anchorage just before weighing anchor. Underway by 0600.

Headed a little farther south today to get around the Southern end of Great Sale Cay - SW with a SE wind creates a nice beam to close reach.

As I started to do my normal systems check, I noticed that the radar reflector was bouncing around on its mount. One of the fun things about boating is trying to figure out how to solve problems while underway. The radar reflector would certainly fall off if I didn't do something. Sometimes the spinnaker halyard gets hung up on it. So, I thought, "Why not use the spinnaker halyard to put some pressure on the radar reflector?" So, I hove to and made it happen (see photo above). This solution seems to be doing the trick.

0830 - Rounded the Southern end of  Great Sale Cay and headed NW to avoid some rocks between here and the next way-point. I will head back to the SW once I get a clear lay-line to Mangrove Cay. Wind has lightened a bit, but I suspect it will increase again as the day heats up.

1100 -  Headed WSW to clear the Northern end of Mangrove Cay, and I should clear it by 1300, and then turn SW on a course for Barracuda Shoals and the entrance to Goodwill Channel. 

Pasta for lunch again. I realized that it is hard to fork pasta out of a plastic bag without shoving the fork through the bag!

1250 - Around Mangrove Cay ahead of schedule. That's a first! ETA for Barracuda Shoals is 1645. Let's see if we can beat that.

1330 - No wind. The sea goes flat. I motor onward. Maybe I'll get to West End before 1800.

1545 - Storm on the horizon, and I'm headed straight for it!

1615 - And the rain hits! It was a nice wash for the boat after two days of salty sailing. 

1745 - At the dock in West End!

After I got Ama Mama tied off, I went to pay for the dock (very expensive for my little boat - $120 or $6/foot!) as well as fuel / ice up. Then I dropped my form for exiting The Bahamas into the customs office box and head back to the boat. There was a young couple from Miami docked next to me in a 26' mono-hull. They were talking about how their friends from their cruising club thought they were crazy for doing the trip from Miami in their boat. They said that I was crazier, and that the marina was putting all of the crazies in the corner of the marina to keep us away from all of the big boats with AC's and refrigeration. We had a good laugh at it all.

I made a margarita and set-up my sleeping gear for the evening. I could tell it was going to be a breeze-less, mosquito / no-see-em filled evening in the marina. So, I set-up my 12V fan for the first time of the trip for a little cooling and mosquito repellent. I also sprayed up with Off real good, and set-up a little battery operating mosquito scent blower. All three measures combined worked well, and I got a great night's sleep!

Total Distance = 63 nm

Elapsed Time = 11.75 hrs

Average Speed = 5.4 knts

Tuesday, 6/23- Aaahhhhh!

It is sad to leave but, the downwind sail is awesome! It is payback time for last week's bashing. I'm currently headed dead downwind with main out to starboard and screacher out to port. The autopilot is steering, and I'm TOTALLY relaxed. I'm not needing to motor to windward like this charter boat!

We were out fishing until about 1230am last night, but I got up at 630am anyway because I still had a lot to do to get ready to go, and I wanted to see if I could catch Bill and the others at Guana Cay before they weighed anchor for the day. Between packing gear and coolers and saying goodbye, it took me about 3 hours to get underway. We hugged and took pictures, and then I was off.

Here's my leaving our rental for the return trip as seen by Alex.

I immediately raised the main, and by the time I turned around to look back at the dock, everyone had left and went inside. I should have told them that I was going to sail back their way, but I was sad when they were all gone. I sailed right by our rental house and yelled at the house. I guess Scott heard me because he came out on the back deck and waived.

Unfortunately, I had to motor into the wind up the channel, but once I got out of the channel and set my course for Guana Cay, I was able to set the sails wing & wing. Along the way, I kept hailing Bill - "Bird of Prey, Bird of Prey, Ama Mama." I tried about every half hour. Finally, after a week of trying to reach him, Bill answered!

P: Where are you at?

B: We just left Guana Cay and are headed south.

P: I'm headed right at you then.

B: I think I see you up ahead.

P: I see you all now too.

We chatted about a several topics, got caught up, and I thanked him again for his efforts in getting the auto-pilot for me. Within a few minutes Ama Mama was crossing paths with the Rockport Yacht Club's 3 boat flotilla. I was so excited to see those guys, I forgot to take pictures. I just stood out on the net and waived!

Noon - Pasta for lunch. Thanks, Carmina!

Given that I missed it yesterday, I decided to stop in at Green Turtle Cay to top of ON fuel but more importantly ICE for the fish. Yeti coolers are great, but even they have trouble making it several days in this heat. The good news is that the fish cooler does not need to be opened. Below are a couple of shots of Green Turtle Cay homes as I approach the harbor entrance channel.

1425 - Came in hot to the fuel dock at Green Turtle Cay with a 15 knot breeze behind me and no one in sight to throw lines to. Made it in without an incident, but it was a little dicey. I purchased a gallon of gas and 20 pounds of ice and got the heck out of there, The place looked dead, by the dock master said he expected it to be much busier the following week with the Abacos Regatta.

1550 - Wind moved WNW to port close reach due to rain cloud. It was a nice change to not be doing dead downwind for a while, and there was a cool, rain cloud breeze.

1630 - Wind NW motoring directly into a light wind, Sea of Abaco like glass now. Wish I would have had this wind last Wednesday.

500pm - Wind begins a slow migration from the NW back to the SE going North and then East allowing me to get on a starboard tack.

1730 - Passing Spanish Cay (see photo above. I definitely would not have made it here in time for ice and fuel.

1830 - The SE wind is back! Doing 6's along the Northern shore of Little Abaco.

2000 - Rounded Hawksbill Cay and was able to come up about 15 degrees onto a broad reach! My first long reach of the trip - 8 miles into West End Rocks. Hit 9.3 surfing wind waves. Consistently doing 5s and 6's. The breeze eventually moved more South, and I had an awesome beam reach with the fading sun.

2152 - Anchor down and motor off. 61 miles today and 60 more tomorrow to West End. I called Alex and checked in. Carmina and Alex ended up getting stuck in Orlando on their trip back to Austin, and they're going to spend the night with some of our friends there.

Total Distance = 61 nm

Elapsed Time = 11.25 hrs

Average Speed = 5.4 knts

2252 - Lights out.