It’s always the little things that hold you up, and in our case, this week, it was a single data cable – the one sends the signal from the masthead wind sensor to the onboard nav/comm network our instruments draw data from. All the key sensors and transducers plug into this network and speak the same digital network protocol language, NMEA2000, so that any device plugged into it receives a feed of real time data, including GPS latitude/longitude, course & speed, water temperature and, in most such systems, wind speed and direction. Our wind sensor, however, runs on an earlier, analog data standard the rest of the network can’t understand… so we need a very particular Furuno converter cable that nobody seems to have. Furuno, of course, only sells through their dealer network… we’ve spent the past week trying to find a reputable dealer that has it in stock. So far the thing seems to be on global back-order, so we’ve decided to just make sail without the converter and put it in whenever it becomes available.
We do not have a traditional electronic chart plotter. Instead, we run all our maps and charts from our iPads, which have moveable mounts at the helm so the watchman can sit/stand where he desires and still see the chart. Our Furuno sensor kit plays particularly well with the TimeZero iBoat app for iOS, including the ability to overlay radar returns against 3D satellite imagery or published charts. And once we’re done configuring things, we will also be able to see AIS targets in the same application. AIS stands for Automated Identification System… large commercial vessels are required to carry an AIS transponder that uses the ship’s VHF antenna to broadcast that vessel’s course, speed, position and identity to anyone in range of the signal. Recipients of that signal can see where the other vessel is, whether it is on a collision course, and how close it will pass if it is not. One can set alarms to sound loudly through the boat should some target appear to be a danger, at which point you can make a course adjustment or hail them on VHF to advise them of your presence. It’s not foolproof; many recreational vessels don’t have AIS, and one cannot always rely on commercial ships to follow the rules; but between AIS, radar and our own eyes, we have all the tools needed to avoid hitting things above the waterline.
Underwater, it is another story. The Bahamas are famous for their gorgeous, brilliantly colored waters, especially where it is shallow and pure white sand blankets the seabed. The same phenomenon, however, makes navigating by boat a little treacherous… here and there, shifting sand shoals, random rocks and coral heads break the surface or lurk just below it, and may or may not be visible depending on the tide. Approaches to islands and anchorages are especially fraught, making accurate charts and disciplined visual navigation an absolute necessity. Even then, published charts cannot capture every rock or shoal, or give local knowledge of sometimes variant bottom conditions. It is for this reason that we carry no fewer than five cruising guides to the Bahamas, written by people who crisscross the area annually in dinghies with handheld depth sounders – updating the charts and guides and advising of any new obstructions or changes. Most places have recommended GPS approach waypoints, followed by instructions like “steer 098 degrees magnetic until the water tower is off the starboard beam, then follow the darker blue water between the two green shallow spits around the corner until you see a flashing green buoy, which may or may not be there, then take care to avoid the submerged airplane left over from when the Medellín Cartel used to airlift blow on the way in to the USA, then…” and so on.
We have provisionally circled this Sunday, June 9, 2019, as our target departure date. Winds have been from the south all week long (WITH the Gulf Stream, which is what we want), and are forecast to remain so for the next few days. Conditions should be calm and not too windy at all for our 50 mile crossing to the Little Bahama Bank, and hopefully then our onward voyage to Grand Cay where we aim to clear customs. Most boats departing West Palm Beach clear in at West End, the closest Bahamian settlement as the gull flies, but we are going to enter the banks about 30 miles north of there, in an area devoid of islands or civilization, and anchor overnight in the open (shallow) water, continuing on to Grand Cay in the morning.
One reason for doing it this way is that everybody else does it the other way! Another is that West End is actually a bit south of our departure point (West Palm Beach) – against a 2-knot, north-setting Gulf Stream current. Entering the Bahamas well north of there makes sense, as this way we can make the current work for us instead of fighting against it for 10 hours. And we love the idea of our first night cruising being spent anchored out of sight of land, under stars unfiltered by light pollution or urban smog. We must fly our yellow “quarantine” flag prior to checking in, and nobody may go ashore until formalities are completed, not that this will matter, given our unusual course: Grand Cay will probably be our first Bahamian landfall, 24+ hours after arriving in Bahamian waters. Immigration/Customs can be cleared at Rosie’s Place, a small marina and restaurant there famous for its conch fritters and slow WiFi.
Much to accomplish in the next few days, including selling the car. But even that is underway and should be relatively painless. We shall soon be on our way! More to come.
– Kendal