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Bill May, a friend of Maine Cat, agreed to help me deliver our
first production built P-47, hull #2 MOXIE from Hope Town,
Abaco, Bahamas, to the Miami Boat show at Sea Isle Marina.
We left Hope Town Harbor on the February 7th at 9 AM
headed for the southern route across the Great Bahama Bank since
it was blowing a steady 20 knots out of the NW. The North Bar
Channel out into the Atlantic could have been “done on a 2 by 4”
since Great Abaco Island was making a wonder lee. We pushed
along at 18 knots; 3100 rpm’s burning a total of 11 GPH, in 2’
to 3’ seas about 1/3 mile off the reefs. Life was good until we
passed Hole in the Wall at noon time. There really is a 50’
diameter hole in a wall of limestone that makes out into the sea
several hundred yards on the most southern tip of Great Abaco
Island. The lee disappeared and the seas came up to 8’ to 9’
about 45 degrees off the starboard bow with a period of 3
seconds. We had to slow to 12 knots, 2500 rpm’s and burning a
total of 8 GPH fighting the wind and seas. Plans for getting
to Bimini before sunset had to be scraped.
We diverted south to head for a cove on the east side of Great
Harbor Island inside Petit Cay that Bill had been to before on
one of his trips through the Berries. We arrived at 3:30 PM and
anchored 100 yards off a perfect beach in 10’ of crystal clear
water. One other boat was anchored ¼ mile away from us at the
south end of the cove. We had made 100 miles in 6-1/2 hours,
close to the half way point to Miami, and had come through some
big seas with amazingly little fuss. Great DiGiorno Pizza, that
Bill had pickup in Hope Town, for dinner and early to bed for
this mariner.
An excited early wakeup call at 5 AM got me ready for my first
crossing of the Gulf Stream. Anchor up at 6:10 AM and we were
out on to a smooth Great Bahama Bank with 6 knots of wind out of
the NW and a one foot swell. We pushed along in perfect
conditions at 18.5 knots, 3180 rpm’s and burning a total of 11.5
GPH toward Gun Cay and the Gulf Stream beyond. We made the
pass through Gun Cay and North Cat Island at 11:00 AM and out
into a very deep blue ocean. The left over swell from the 20
knots NW the day before gave us 4’ to 5’ swells on the beam as
we traveled at 17 knots on a course of 287 degrees toward the
sea buoy off Government Cut Port of Miami. We passed the sea
buoy at 2 PM and headed for Sea Isle Marina to setup for the
show. We traveled 210 nm in 13 hours and burned 130 gallons of
diesel from Hope Town to Miami.
Reflections of the crossing have not much to do with the waves
or the water, but more to do with traveling from one dimension
into another. Through the back side of Great Abaco Island,
Great Harbor Cay, and Gun Cut we had seen a total 5 cruising
boats (all on the East side of Gun Cay. The VHF, vigilant on
channel 16, had never once barked a communication for a day and
a half. Six miles off Miami it never shut-up. Within 3 hours
of cruising time from Miami Beach you can be anchored in a cove
on the back side of North Bimini where you are the lone explorer
in a perfect tropical universe with a night sky filled with pin
holes of light you never knew existed. This is far too easy and
something we all should all make time for in this lifetime and
accomplish soon. We all need to recharge, reflect and get away
from our shore life “conveniences” and constant technology
interruptions.
We had a very good show for Maine Cat and the debut of our new
P-47 in Miami. David Wilson and his crew displayed his Maine
Cat 30, hull #42, next to us on pier #5. Thanks, David, for
helping with the show on a very busy weekend for you and your
wife at the Marriott.
Return trip to Hope Town via West End
The good news was the weather on the last day of the show,
Monday February 15th was mild and the winds were out
of the SW, which helped lay down the Gulf Stream. The bad news
was a new front passed Tuesday morning and the winds came up to
20 knots out of the NW by noon. The forecast was for 4’ to 6’
waves out of the north in the Gulf Stream……not bad if correct.
After a photo shoot with a French boating magazine, Neptune, and
topping off the tanks with 110 gallons of fuel, we got under way
as Moxie was the last boat in a parade of 10 yachts under the
Venetian Causeway bascule bridge at the 10 AM opening.
Once we got out of the no wake zone of Government Cut, 30
minutes later, we set the throttles at 3150 rpm’s, 18.2 knots,
burning 5.7 GPH per engine and heading on a course of 58 degrees
magnetic toward West End bearing 52 degrees. All the yachts in
front of me exiting Government Cut headed north a mile or two
off Miami Beach and alone we headed east toward Abaco. In less
than one hour the water temperature went from the near shore 72
degrees to the deep blue 79 degrees in the Gulf Stream. The
seas increased to over 8’ and the wind continued the blow at a
stead 20 knots with gusts to 25 knots out the NW. It was going
to be a fun 80 mile romp to Indian Rocks with the hopeful
anticipation of a quiet calm on the Little Bahama Bank.
Only two calamities in the big waves, the American Marine
Windows leaked terribly with every shower of spray over the port
bow and the microwave left the galley counter midway off the top
of a huge wave and hit the galley sole with enough energy to
make it scrap metal. We entered the Indian Rocks cut at 3 PM,
dead low tide with some skinny water marked on the chart just
after the entrance. We slowed to 9 knots giving us the best
opportunity to read the water for a clue on the deepest channel
through this shoal. The depth sounder flashed some 3.2 foot
soundings, but we never bumped and only kicked up a little sand
in our prop wash. Seas had calmed to a 2 to 3 foot chop on the
beam with whitecaps in the 20 knot NW breeze, but it was time to
put the hammer down to make a our protected anchorage at Great
Sale Cay before sunset some 52 nm to the east. In 6 feet of
water we pushed the throttles to 3250 rpm’s burning 12 GPH and
topped out at 19 knots on our course toward Mangrove Cay and
Great Sale. Anchor down at 6 PM along with the Bahamian sun. A
very good day’s run of 137 nm in 8 hours including the half hour
in Government Cut in the no wake zone.
There were 5 other cruisers anchored at Great Sale Cay, the
first I had seen all day after clearing the Florida coast.
Temperature of the water on the bank was a chilly 66 degrees
matching the day time highs for the past several weeks.
Anchor up at 8:30 AM with a good chunk of the great holding
ground on the Rocna 44 kg. Out on the bank the wind was still
up at 19-22 knots with gusts to 25 knots and white caps on the
2’ to 3’ chop. Short run today to Marsh Harbor to drop off my
crew and buy a new microwave. Speed 16 knots, 2720 rpm’s,
burning 4 GPH per engine and showing 70% of load. Passed Fox
Town at 10:30 and changed course to the south at 130 degrees
with the wind dead astern, speed 17.5 knots, burning 9 GPH at
2930 rpm’s. I flew by old haunts to port Lynn and I have
visited in the past aboard one of our Maine Cat 30’s and 41’s
with our kids and it was hard not to want to visit again, but
not on this delivery trip. The cays of Powell, Manjack
(pronounced Nunjack) and Green Turtle brought back special
memories of our family sailing together each February after the
Miami show. We explored beaches with fresh turtle hatched nests
showing the only signs of footprints in the sand.
Arrived Marsh Harbor Marina fuel dock at 1:30 PM to let off my
crew and take on 120 gallons of diesel. The day’s run was 81 nm
covered in 5 hours. The following morning, I traveled alone
over to Hope Town Harbor for the last 8 nm of the return trip
from Miami. The northern return route had covered a total of
225 nm in 13.5 hours for an average speed of 16.67 knots. We
burned 120 gallons of fuel averaging 1.875 nm/gal at this speed
and over half of this time in some very big seas that did not
help our average.
Conclusions from this trip crossing the Gulf Stream twice in
February with not much time to wait for the “perfect” crossing
weather was that the P-47 is an exceptional sea boat and the
more experience I get with her in big water the more I want to
push her to the next level. We are planning a Bermuda run
sometime this year starting from Maine to see if we can make the
650 mile distance in less than 38 hours and still have 10% left
in our tanks. It is a great challenge Moxie is ready to meet.
I also hope that more people will take the opportunity to
bareboat charter Moxie in Abaco this winter or spring. The Sea
of Abaco is a magical cruising ground and you will not be
disappointed with the variety of islands to explore and friendly
people you will meet both ashore and at sea. It really is
“Better in the Bahamas” on the
Maine Cat P-47.
Thanks for following our journeys aboard the P-47. Dick
Vermeulen
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