We finally got underway! After Thanksgiving, back on the boat we caught up with friends who were waiting to cross. We managed to get the most important chores crossed off of our list and we are underway! We left Ft. Pierce inlet about 8am on Sunday November 25 bound for Green Turtle. Our trusty GPS says we should arrive about noon on Monday – we’ll see.
Rob & I run 3 hour watches and when we left it was my turn. As we passed what I thought may have been a piece of wood – it raised its head in our direction before it dove under. It was a sea turtle, and a rather large one too! About 45 minutes later Rob had joined me topside when a large pod of dolphin swam with the boat for awhile. They always make my day!
11/27/2012 Well we made it! Not as quickly as we would have liked but that’s ok! First it was the instruments. The are made by Brooks & Gatehouse – B & G which really means broken & gone! The wind instrument hasn’t worked in over a year – that was probably a good thing during Irene & the tornado. The auto pilot has a mind of its own. Last year it would make 10 degree turns to port by itself. The compass will jump wildly if you run it for too long. This year it has decided to have rudder drive issues and turn its self off. That’s ok because you can just hit the off button a couple of times and then restart it. Then there is the quad. It shows many readings – speed, depth, water temp, trip log, you get the idea. Recently the speed has been more than double what the GPS would read but that seems to be ok now. The depth is a real issue. You really like to know how much water is between the bottom of your keel and the sea floor! When you are “off soundings” (really deep water) the unit will show 3 lines. Recently it has started doing that in shallow water! It has also decided that Rob & I need a math lesson as it will only show depth in meters! We have found that if you tap it gently it will cut off and restart with meters. We ordered a refurbished unit that worked for total of 6 days! 
Yes, I do believe that B & G does mean broken & gone! In all fairness – we have had these for over 10,000 miles under the keel!
So we get over to the banks – officially in Bahamian waters and the next to go was the raw water pump. Nothing is ever that easy. First we noticed that the rpm’s were fluctuating wildly and we were no longer charging the batteries. Ok – loose fan belt. Rob climbs down into the lazzerette,(not an easy task) tightens the belt only to find that the raw water pump is dripping salt water onto the belt and that is what is causing the problem. We went to Crab Cay, dropped the hook after 36+ hours underway, had a wonderful dinner of duck, sweet potatoes, green beans & wine before going to bed at 6:30pm and sleeping through the night.
Today – 11/27 finds us underway to Green Turtle with a new raw water pump installed and ready to clear Customs and be official!
Green Turtle Cay
Sundown & Moonrise in Fishers Bay
