The Big Bad Crossing - UPDATED!

We have just started heading across the Gulf Stream today towards Bimini in the Bahamas.   Once in the Bahamas we will probably only be able to post occasionally depending on where we are and on our wifi access.  

Meanwhile, we look forward to the extra time that being disconnected offers us and hope to focus that valuable time on the girls and each other.  

We will be back to the states in late March and will then be heading to Seattle and the University of Washington's Physics Department for further adventures!

Check back in the spring for more regular posts.  

Happy New Year to all and thanks for following our journey!! 

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ADDENDUM:  Hello All! We are backposting (is that a word?) this and other posts way after it all happened and from a different land (Today is 5/1/14, and we are in Tunis!), but with intent to fill out the blog with the year's events so that it can be a great journal for the girls to revisit.  

We were not able to blog in the Bahamas due to lack of electricity.  While on the ICW, we charged up the computer and other electronics using the engine's power during the frequent motoring that we did.  In the Bahamas, we blissfully did not motor very often and were instead either sailing or simply not moving, thus no juice for our devices.  (Of note, other cruising boats generally do not have this problem as most boats are kitted up with solar panels or wind or diesel powered generators.)  

Admittedly, we also really enjoy being disconnected and highly recommend it to all.  

BACK TO OUR ADVENTURES ON JANUARY 2.....

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Crossing the Gulf Stream is a big deal.  So big that I always refer to it as The Big Bad Crossing.  

Why is it Big and Bad?  The Gulf Stream moves fast and powerfully for reasons that are interesting but complicated and involve terms such as "Sverdrup transport," "conservation of potential vorticity," and "western intensification." 

Because this great body of water moves so swiftly, averaging 2.5 knots flowing north, conditions can be truly challenging and totally dangerous depending on the wind direction and strength.  

I will pretend that I understand the physics behind this power.  Basically, take all that potential vorticity, intensify it with ridiculous amounts of Sverdrups and other such phenomena and imagine a gargantuan amount of ocean pushing north with a nonchalant vengeance that only nature can summon.  

Ideally, one does not cross the Gulf Stream when the wind is blowing with any force from the north because the resultant wind vs. current effect creates giant, vertical, choppy waves that are downright life-threatening.

Optimally, one crosses a day or two after there has been such a north wind so that the steep-faced chaos can calm down.  When crossing from Florida to the Bahamas, it is also best to wait for a southerly or southwesterly wind, so that the wind is helping you from the side or from behind you.  

Waiting for conditions to align is called waiting for a weather window.  Our window was narrow and not exactly perfect today (uncertainty whether the prevailing southeasterly winds really would clock southerly for us), but knowing there wouldn't be another weather window till next week and with friends hoping to meet us in the Bahamas next week, we took it and sailed.

The aqua green color of the shallow bay water before we hit the Gulf Stream was beautiful but also had steep and choppy waves that almost made us turn back towards Florida.

Luckily as we entered the intense indigo-colored water of the Gulf Stream, the great depth of the ocean offered much more mellow conditions. The change in water color and sailing conditions was vividly stark and dramatic. 

The wind was strong, and we sailed the way we love to sail -- fast and with maximum efficiency.   

Our plan was to take turns at the helm; however, Jamey's stress about the crossing rendered him incapable of letting go of the wheel the entire journey.  This worked out as I had missed one eye when I tried to put in my contact lenses early in the morning (not advised to try this in the dark while sailing underway), did not realize that one contact was missing (till I saw it in the sink at the end of the day), and ended up with fuzzy vision and a huge migraine rendering me totally useless all day. 

Sage is already feeling woozy. I have the crazed look of Big Bad Crossing giddiness. 

Supine position helps the seasickness.

I awoke from a deep sleep to find that Skye had gotten herself down below and asleep.  She did tumble off the sofa along with all of the cushions, but ended up having a long, comfortable, deep rest. 

This is a short video that epitomizes our day -- Jamey solidly at the wheel, beautiful sailing wind and water, and the rest of us trying to find our happy place while cuddling with our vomit bowls. 

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JAMEY'S ACCOUNT: 

The commonly accepted navigation method involves a little physics, so I was in my element.

To compensate for the current, you estimate your speed through the water (about 5 knots for us) and then figure out how many hours you will be affected by the gulf stream (about 10 hours since the stream is roughly 50 miles wide). Since the current averages about 2.5 miles per hour heading north, C Spirit will get carried 25 miles to the north by the current as we go across to the Bahamas. The fastest crossing path will factor this in ahead of time, so we started out aiming for a point 25 miles south of where we really wanted to end up.  

At first light, the southeast wind would not let  us sail exactly toward that point, but the wind was forecast to shift favorably through the day, so we just aimed our boat as close as possible to our desired heading while still sailing at around 5 knots.  Through the day, this strategy worked.  The wind slowly shifted to the south and we steered a course that maintained an apparent wind of about 60 degrees all day, adjusting slightly according to the GPS once we got within 20 miles of Bimini.  There is a feeling of accomplishment that comes from studying everything so much, recognizing that the trip is possible but not trivial, and then having it work out so nicely.

It happened naturally to me, but still sounded unexpected to my own ears as I softly declared, "Land Ho!" about 15 miles out from the low-lying Bimini Cay. Phoenix, laying in the cockpit, suddenly got a surprised look about her. She crawled up to her feet and peered under the sail toward the horizon ahead.  It was a perfect moment. 

We had been surrounded by crisply clear blue skies all day.  As we entered Bimini harbor, the wind shifted to the west, clouds rolled in, and a squally rain shower welcomed us to the Bahamas.

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WHERE WE STARTED: Coconut Grove, FL, USA

WHERE WE ARE:  Weech's Bimini Dock, Bimini, The Bahamas

THERE TO HERE:  Distance as the crow flies is 55 nautical miles. We crossed in 11 hours, leaving Florida at 5 am and arriving in Bimini at 4 pm.  Winds were in the teens.  We saw lots of flying fish.  

Everyone wore life jackets and harnesses clipped into the lifelines while up above.  No one left the cockpit while we were underway.  

We took ondansetron in the morning which helped most of us feel not too bad compared to some of our earlier trips.  Nevertheless, we still all felt fairly wary and ate only a few pretzels and drank only a sip or two of water.  I worried more about kidney failure rather than any of us falling off the boat.  At the end of the day, I curiously wished I had a urine dipstick to check the specific gravity of our cola-colored urine.  

Comments on seasickness:

Phoenix:  "Be quiet.  I have a headache."

Indigo: "My stomach hurts."

Sage:  "Barfing. I want to barf."

Skye:  "Mommy put my head in the pot." (We found out that Skye's entire head fit comfortably in one of our pots.  This made it possible to hold her head in the pot such that she did not have to sit up while she vomited.)

Nancy:  "I feel awful, an overall oddness, not exactly a stomachache, not exactly a headache."

We saw only one other boat throughout our crossing, a sailboat in the distance, as we approached Bimini.  Not seeing other boat traffic was nice as it meant not worrying about being run over by huge freighters (which apparently really does happen not as infrequently as one would hope), but it was also a bit disconcerting to feel as if we were the only ones out on the Gulf Stream.  

Comments on the crossing: 

Sage:  "It's sunny, windy, and bumpy."

Indigo:  "I had a headache the whole day, and I barfed the whole way."

Phoenix:  "The water is dark and light at the same time."

Jamey:  "It's very Gulf-Streamy."

Upon arrival in Bimini, Jamey tied up at Weech's, flew our yellow quarantine flag (a.k.a., a yellow t-shirt), and went to check in as required at Customs and Immigration.  We were directed to not leave the boat till he had done so; not a problem as we were all still knocked out from the day's sail.  Entry fees were $300 for the boat including three persons + $20 for each additional person.