After almost three months of leisurely wandering the isolated cays of the Exumas and the Abacos aboard Let’s Dance, it’s finally time to return to our other world. As with our initial jaunt across the Gulf Stream, this passage was planned with the precision of a military mission. First comes reconnaissance: chart books, guides, calculators are gathered. Angles depicting the likely push of the Gulf Stream flow are factored in as well as wind speed and direction, boat speed (or lack thereof), currents and tides. Sunrise, moon rise, possibility of rain. It’s all there. I am reminded of the old math problem wherein the eastbound train, traveling at 53 mph with 9 passengers on board etc., etc. I didn’t understand it then and I really don’t get it now, but Captain Bill made all the calculations and presented the plan to me, on paper, with drawings, arrows, lines of drift, appendices and all sorts of other data. It was impressive.
Time to move closer to our departure point, “the plan” at the ready. We trek westward until we reach the edge of the Bahama Bank where the ocean plummets from depths in the teens to depths in the thousands. We anchor in our usual efficient fashion and settle in for the last night on the bank. I am awakened at 0430 for an on time 0500 departure. Bill has figured that at 5.5 knots, with a projected 2 knot push north by the Gulf Stream that it will take us 11 hours to transit the miles between us and West Palm Beach. We set the autopilot on a course of 239 degrees even though the direct course is at 267 degrees. Aha! We will fool mother nature by heading further south than we want to go so that we end up at our destination, 22 miles to the north. It works! By 1400 hours we are within sight of land -- Florida in our future -- but wait…..we cannot enter the harbor into Lake Worth at 1400 hours. The current coming out the inlet is too strong, over 5 knots. The result of the spring full moon. It will not be at an acceptable level until 1730 at the earliest. What to do? Exercise the wing engine, of course.
And so we do, letting the little-used engine rev and stretch while we roll about off the coast. It’s time for a short break in the mission and a crew debriefing. There is a ton of information to be reviewed, remembered, recorded and retold. Some highlights for the Captain include the small, sparrow-like bird that entered the pilothouse one morning as we cruised the open seas. The little one rested his wings for a few moments, perched on the compass, while observing Bill at the helm. Refreshed, he flew back out the door, leaving an astonished Bill in his wake. Another special day brought six black fin tuna to our freezer via trolling lines in the cockpit. These guys are fighters, and more than one escaped, taking a “Tuna Treat” or “Dolphin Delight” lure with them. Then there was the day of the waterspouts! Oh, my. You don’t want to get anywhere near one of these destructively awesome displays of nature. Even from several miles away, the volume of water that is sucked up into the funnel is visible as it churns into the clouds. In one day we saw three spouts, and that was enough to last us for quite a long while, thank you.
From my perspective, the precision of the daily operation of Let’s Dance created a sense of order and routine that was both comforting and seductive. It is easy to fall into the lullaby created by the waves, the background hum of the big diesel engine and the variety of music playing at all hours. Given the aquatic backdrop, it’s natural to conjure stories of fanciful encounters with all manner of creatures -- flying fish, sea biscuits, starfish, pelicans, iguanas, wild pigs, jellyfish and dolphin, to name but a few. There are still tales to be told! In direct opposition to the lulling regimen of life at sea are the “wheeeee” moments. These occur with infrequency when we encounter mother nature in a snit. Transiting the cuts from the Sea of Abaco into the Atlantic Ocean can provide such a moment. We watch the weather always, and heed reports from other mariners, but sometimes you just gotta go. Waves in the 5 to 6 foot range can cause havoc on Let’s Dance when they smack us on the beam. The sturdy trawler has no issues, but the crew has to sit and hold on, or crab crawl to a more stable location. Likewise, dipping and rising into oncoming seas brings salty spray over the bow and onto the windshield. It’s a marine rollercoaster, well worthy of squeals of “wheeeee” and gulps of “yikes.”
Next time, we will try to summarize our adventures in a “by the numbers” style recount. But for now, we are safely home on Daufuskie Island, relishing the remembered wonders of nature that we shared aboard Let’s Dance. Here’s a small selection of the abundant natural beauty we captured..….deserted beaches, sunsets and moon rises, breaking waves, coral reefs, sandy inlets and open, endless seas.
Bahama Beaches and Sunsets. Click Here!
