We listened to the Cruisers Net on Channel 68 and heard that boaters were reporting 2-3 foot swells on the open ocean off Whale Cay. This area is subject to a “rage” which is caused by swift tidal flow from the ocean through narrow island passages compounded by high winds and storms out on the ocean. Rage conditions can create large waves and confused seas and make for very rough and dangerous boating conditions. We wanted to get to Elbow Cay and Marsh Harbor on the other side of the Whale but were prepared not to go at all this trip if we did not have good conditions.
Bob and I took a ½ mile walk out to the ocean and saw the 2-3 foot swell with no roiling or “elephants on the horizon”—this is a good day for the Whale. We talked with Jim on “Damsel” who was planning on doing the crossing with 2 other sailboats this morning. We checked the weather again which did note 15-20 knot east winds which meant that the sailboats would not be able to use sail at all. We decided to go for it and while I battened down everything and readied our safety supplies, Bob did the way points for a course between the reefs and the Whale.
We left at 11am; by 11:30, we were in 2-3 foot swells with chop from all directions. We decided to steer from the flybridge which we thought would give better visibility to navigate through these mix master seas. The swells increased to 3-4 feet with spray up to the flybridge and winds built up to 25 knots. We had good maneuverability with swell mostly on our bow and quarter and experienced no breaking waves.
There are navigational sticks after you pass the eastern part of the Whale and we caught up with our sailboat companions here. They left the dock more than an hour before us but without their sail power, they had a much rougher ride and were jubilant that this challenge was accomplished—so were we.
We proceeded toward Elbow Cay and were welcomed by the Hopetown Lighthouse. We decided to go to Sea Spray Resort and Marina which has a $400 docking special in March. We headed south through a narrow shallow channel and as we approached the marina at low tide, we could see prop marks in the sand but we did fine.
There are a number of Loopers at Sea Spray right now—Charlie and Linda on “Freedom’s Turn”, Lisa and Jim on “Kismet”, Patti and Brad on “Salvage Crew”, and Mary and Andy on “Good News”. It was great to have a potluck dinner with them and swap stories. As darkness fell, the Bahamian band started to play and we all danced under the stars.
Bob and I took a ½ mile walk out to the ocean and saw the 2-3 foot swell with no roiling or “elephants on the horizon”—this is a good day for the Whale. We talked with Jim on “Damsel” who was planning on doing the crossing with 2 other sailboats this morning. We checked the weather again which did note 15-20 knot east winds which meant that the sailboats would not be able to use sail at all. We decided to go for it and while I battened down everything and readied our safety supplies, Bob did the way points for a course between the reefs and the Whale.
We left at 11am; by 11:30, we were in 2-3 foot swells with chop from all directions. We decided to steer from the flybridge which we thought would give better visibility to navigate through these mix master seas. The swells increased to 3-4 feet with spray up to the flybridge and winds built up to 25 knots. We had good maneuverability with swell mostly on our bow and quarter and experienced no breaking waves.
There are navigational sticks after you pass the eastern part of the Whale and we caught up with our sailboat companions here. They left the dock more than an hour before us but without their sail power, they had a much rougher ride and were jubilant that this challenge was accomplished—so were we.
We proceeded toward Elbow Cay and were welcomed by the Hopetown Lighthouse. We decided to go to Sea Spray Resort and Marina which has a $400 docking special in March. We headed south through a narrow shallow channel and as we approached the marina at low tide, we could see prop marks in the sand but we did fine.
There are a number of Loopers at Sea Spray right now—Charlie and Linda on “Freedom’s Turn”, Lisa and Jim on “Kismet”, Patti and Brad on “Salvage Crew”, and Mary and Andy on “Good News”. It was great to have a potluck dinner with them and swap stories. As darkness fell, the Bahamian band started to play and we all danced under the stars.
