It's Better in the Bahamas!

We made it to the Bahamas!  Thursday December 21 we motorsailed across the Gulf Stream to West End in a light westerly breeze, averaging 6.5 knots over the ground. We officially cleared in and got a 120 day cruising permit, so we're good to go!  We just don't know where, or what route to take!

But I'm jumping ahead, we've had lot's of fun since Karen told you that we had arrived in Titusville.  I'll hit the highlights.

Wednesday December 13 we spent in Titusville beginning with a walk to the Sunrise Bread Company with Bill and Michael for coffee, baked goods and what turned out to be lunch. It had been a lazy morning.  Then we Ubered to Publix for groceries and back. We capped the day off with Happy Hour at Cracker Jacks, a restaurant nestled under the Max Brewer fixed bridge that we would need to get under leaving Titusville, with Bill, Michael, Monique and Abbe from Brise.

Next day Karen and I hopped in another Uber and went to the Kennedy Space Center for the day.  First we took the bus tour which included the pads from which the Apollo missions and Space Shuttles were launched as well as the Vehicle Assembly Building where the Saturn booster rockets were assembled. 

Vehicle Assembly Building

 We enjoyed learning more about the successes and near failures of the Apollo missions, the Space Shuttles and how NASA has contracted near space missions to private enterprise and is now focusing on far space, specifically manned missions to Mars. We also took the Space Shuttle simulator ride, a very realistic recreation of blasting off in a shuttle.

Atlantis Space Shuttle including the Canadarm

Five o'clock rolled around and we'd only seen half of the attractions ... if you go, allow two days!

Friday we headed for Port Canaveral passing under the Max Brewer bridge with an indicated height of 66', our last fixed bridge because we had decided to go overnight from Port Canaveral to Lake Worth Inlet avoiding the rest of the bridges!  

As an added bonus we got to see the SpaceX International Space Station supply mission blast off right in front of us on the ICW!  Not only did we see the launch, which was the first to be made with a "used" booster, but we then watched as the first stage booster returned and landed on a pad at the space center! Incredible!

The route to Port Canaveral includes a lock of about two feet which was uneventful, and then we were in the Port, sharing it with 1000 foot cruise ships!  

Disney Dream

The Disney Dream and a Norwegian Cruise Lines ship both departed while we were there, having arrived, passengers disembarked, cleaned, provisioned and filled with up to 4000 new passengers in 12 hours!  Karen and I went to Rising Tide Tap and Table for dinner and then to Milliken's Reef that had a surprisingly good cover band playing.  In addition to the music, the "cruiser" watching was very entertaining!


Saturday we had the morning to prepare for our overnighter.  Karen winched me up the mast to reinstall our Windex, wind instruments and put the antenna right way up.  We discovered that SeaTow, a towing company has a free automated radio check service. Karen called it while I was at the top of the mast to confirm the antenna was working fine, and we were loud and clear!  We left around noon and raised sails, turned off the engine and sailed all the way to Lake Worth Inlet beginning on a broad reach and ending on a close reach in 1 to 3 foot waves.  On the way, more cruise ships came out of Port Canaveral and passed offshore of us.  In the middle of the night I noticed on our AIS a vessel coming up behind us and was about to call him to make sure he saw us when he called us to make sure we would be holding our course rather than turning into Jupiter Inlet in front of him.  Very sea-manlike I thought!  At Lake Worth Inlet we negotiated a dredge in the channel, a BIG sportfishing boat heading out at 20 knots and a freighter coming out!  Wakey, wakey!  Once past the craziness we took down the main (it was pretty lumpy outside the inlet) and motored up to the Riviera Beach Marina where my brother Adrian helped catch our lines!  He kindly took us out for a big breakfast during which we began catching up and planning for our crossing to the Bahamas. In the afternoon we slept, had a beer at the Raffiki Tiki bar where we met Jade, a very colourful server who approached Karen from behind scaring the #%&!* out of her, had dinner on the boat and went to sleep early.

The next couple of days Adrian drove us around to Costco, Publix, TD Bank,  Walmart, West Marine and a propane filling station to get provisions. As we loaded them on the boat we questioned where we would stow everything ... 

Provisions to be stowed

Adrian and his wife Mary kindly hosted us for a couple of nights in their guest suite and introduced us to Mary's menagerie of cats, ducks, possums and mice!

Mary's Possums

Adrian walked me through the charts, recommending Cays to visit and pointing out hazards, each with it's own story!  

Adrian and Mary

Wednesday night Ade dropped us back at the boat, we said our goodbyes and later we met Bob, Sheila, Bill and Michael at the Tiki bar for Happy Hour and dinner. After an early night we turned in and tried to sleep, anticipating our crossing of the fabled Gulf Stream!

Thursday December 21 we were up at 0600, away from the dock at 0645 and as I mentioned in West End by 1545 after an uneventful trip! 

Sunrise at Lake Worth Inlet

 After checking in we walked around the Old Bahama Bay resort, which didn't seem very busy, had our first Kalik looking out over the Little Bahama Bank, dinner back on the boat and zzzzzzz.

Welcome to the Bahamas!