Heading South Pt. II
- Thread starter KJ
- Start date
The friendliest place on the web for anyone who enjoys boating.
If you have answers, please help by responding to the unanswered posts.
If you have answers, please help by responding to the unanswered posts.
Captain K
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Ditto "motion30." You might consider relocating from Bimini to around Gun Cay, staying in that area on the hook while waiting for your weather window. When it opens you can easily make the 76 NM to an anchorage near Chubb Cay in daylight if you depart at first light. Then it's an easy hop to New Providence (Nassau) of under 40 NM. We've done that without problems more than I care to admit (old fart). BTW, it's a magical experience crossing the Bank. Like sailing in a fish bowl...see your shadow on the bottom the entire crossing to Chubb. Bon Voyage!
OP
OP
KJ
El Capitan
Still "stuck" in Bimini. Blowing 20-25 outside. They had to dredge the main channel today so the mail boat could get in.
Looks like there might be a window Thursday afternoon.
Yeah, Cat Cay to Chub to Nassau.
Still, it could be worse. I could be stuck at my sister's house in NJ. KJ
Looks like there might be a window Thursday afternoon.
Yeah, Cat Cay to Chub to Nassau.
Still, it could be worse. I could be stuck at my sister's house in NJ. KJ
CPseudonym
Moderator Emeritus
Thanks for letting us cruise vicariously through your updates KJ. I feel horrible for these dreadful locations you keep getting stuck at. Let us know if you get tired of fresh lobster. 
OP
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KJ
El Capitan
It’s been a fun ride so far, lots of interesting places and people.
It was a little eerie anchoring out overnight on the Banks. Dropped the hook in 15ft. of water with no land in sight in any direction.
Very lumpy run to funky Nassau.
Easy passage over Yellow Bank.
Got hit with a black squall 20 minutes after anchoring at Norman’s Cay. Very intense.
Warderick Wells was a very cool place as was Cambridge Cay. Spent 12 days at Cambridge.
50+ boats at Big Majors during a blow.
Black Point Settlement was fun too. Loraine’s mom makes the best
cinnamon/raisin bread in the world.
Caught some nice Mahi (yum-yum) on the run down to George Town (Exuma Sound).
George Town is a pretty good place to provision and get off the boat for a while. Lots of stuff to do.
320+ boats in Elizabeth Harbor.
I’ve been staying at the ExumaYC Marina. Will probably anchor out next week.
This is as far south as I’m going.
I’ll be heading back north to Eleuthera and then to the Abacos after a while.
It’s been very windy. But at least it’s sunny and warm. KJ
It was a little eerie anchoring out overnight on the Banks. Dropped the hook in 15ft. of water with no land in sight in any direction.
Very lumpy run to funky Nassau.
Easy passage over Yellow Bank.
Got hit with a black squall 20 minutes after anchoring at Norman’s Cay. Very intense.
Warderick Wells was a very cool place as was Cambridge Cay. Spent 12 days at Cambridge.
50+ boats at Big Majors during a blow.
Black Point Settlement was fun too. Loraine’s mom makes the best
cinnamon/raisin bread in the world.
Caught some nice Mahi (yum-yum) on the run down to George Town (Exuma Sound).
George Town is a pretty good place to provision and get off the boat for a while. Lots of stuff to do.
320+ boats in Elizabeth Harbor.
I’ve been staying at the ExumaYC Marina. Will probably anchor out next week.
This is as far south as I’m going.
I’ll be heading back north to Eleuthera and then to the Abacos after a while.
It’s been very windy. But at least it’s sunny and warm. KJ
OP
OP
KJ
El Capitan
It's a date. I'll bring the Mahi. KJ
Action
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Very nice, thanks for the thread and posts.
>>>>>>>Action
>>>>>>>Action
Capt.Bill11
Guru
Say hi to the pigs for me.
OP
OP
KJ
El Capitan
Ah yes, the pigs.
All I could think of was a big BLT.
Quite a site to see.
I thought this big guy was going to jump into my dink! KJ
CPseudonym
Moderator Emeritus
That'd be some lean bacon
Enjoy the good life KJ, bet the diving is great.
Enjoy the good life KJ, bet the diving is great.
OP
OP
KJ
El Capitan
That'd be some lean bacon
Enjoy the good life KJ, bet the diving is great.
Been mostly free-diving for bugs. Good stuff.
Hasn't been all peaches and cream though. Had a couple of "bumpy" passages like the one over to Nassau on the Northwest Channel. Or, like sitting out an intense black squall on the hook at Norman's Cay just ahead of a major cold front. Gale force winds for two days. Yeah.
Overall though, pretty damn good place. KJ
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CPseudonym
Moderator Emeritus
Hmmm. Occasional black squalls and a bumpy passage to Nassau...
Hmmm???
Nope. Don't feel too sorry for ya at all. If the ex boss calls again tell him you're actively pursuing a more lucrative offer.
Enjoy the bug dives and beer my friend
Hmmm???
Nope. Don't feel too sorry for ya at all. If the ex boss calls again tell him you're actively pursuing a more lucrative offer.
Enjoy the bug dives and beer my friend
OP
OP
KJ
El Capitan
Well, I’m back in the good ol’ US of A.
I stopped at a marina in Nassau on my way to the Berry’s and Abacos and wasn’t plugged in to the shore power for more than twenty minutes when a mega-yacht across the fairway spiked the whole marina with a huge power surge that “fried” any boat’s DC system that was connected to the marina power and had their chargers on, like mine and the two KK’s that pulled in right before me and after me. Killed my inverter and five of my seven batteries. Blew one of my battery's posts right off the body, and boiled another on the spot. The engine room and main cabin were thick with the smell of hydrogen gas. I disconnected all the battery cables, praying I wouldn't cause a spark and completely ruin my day. Very intense. One of the Kadey guys said his whole nav system was toast. After the spike the whole marina lost power for several hours. The mega–yacht was registered in the Bikini Is., so good luck going after him. I got all the info and we’ll see what the insurance people say. The marina denies responsibility.
So I inquired at a couple of the local repair facilities and no one was really interested in doing the work. One yard said they could fly a guy in from Miami to do the repairs. He had one battery he would sell me for $400.
So I rewired the two working batteries and hightailed my butt back to Ft. Lauderdale. Everything seemed to be holding together ok so I figured I would to try to make it to St. Augustine where I can stay at a marina for a while to effect repairs. I know some folks up there so that would work best for me. On the way up, I dropped the hook at Cocoa and the next morning both engines wouldn’t start and my plotters/sounders were kaput. I jump started the port engine with the genset battery and made it up to Titusville where I replaced all the batteries. Everything seems to be ok except my port tachs are acting screwy. I’m gonna have a marine electrician go through the whole system when I get to St. Augustine.
Right now I’m spending the night at the Halifax Harbor Marina in Daytona Beach. Nice place.
Passed “Hobo” (heading south) on the road today, just south of New Smyrna. Nice boat guys.
KJ
PS At least I was able to pack the freezer with lobster in Bimini.
I stopped at a marina in Nassau on my way to the Berry’s and Abacos and wasn’t plugged in to the shore power for more than twenty minutes when a mega-yacht across the fairway spiked the whole marina with a huge power surge that “fried” any boat’s DC system that was connected to the marina power and had their chargers on, like mine and the two KK’s that pulled in right before me and after me. Killed my inverter and five of my seven batteries. Blew one of my battery's posts right off the body, and boiled another on the spot. The engine room and main cabin were thick with the smell of hydrogen gas. I disconnected all the battery cables, praying I wouldn't cause a spark and completely ruin my day. Very intense. One of the Kadey guys said his whole nav system was toast. After the spike the whole marina lost power for several hours. The mega–yacht was registered in the Bikini Is., so good luck going after him. I got all the info and we’ll see what the insurance people say. The marina denies responsibility.
So I inquired at a couple of the local repair facilities and no one was really interested in doing the work. One yard said they could fly a guy in from Miami to do the repairs. He had one battery he would sell me for $400.
So I rewired the two working batteries and hightailed my butt back to Ft. Lauderdale. Everything seemed to be holding together ok so I figured I would to try to make it to St. Augustine where I can stay at a marina for a while to effect repairs. I know some folks up there so that would work best for me. On the way up, I dropped the hook at Cocoa and the next morning both engines wouldn’t start and my plotters/sounders were kaput. I jump started the port engine with the genset battery and made it up to Titusville where I replaced all the batteries. Everything seems to be ok except my port tachs are acting screwy. I’m gonna have a marine electrician go through the whole system when I get to St. Augustine.
Right now I’m spending the night at the Halifax Harbor Marina in Daytona Beach. Nice place.
Passed “Hobo” (heading south) on the road today, just south of New Smyrna. Nice boat guys.
KJ
PS At least I was able to pack the freezer with lobster in Bimini.
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OP
KJ
El Capitan
Supposedly. he had a couple of "monster" gensets all running at the same time and when they exceeded the boats capacity it tripped the breakers and back-fed into the shore power system. He had two hundred amp lines running into the boat.
I dunno, sounds like a bunch of BS to me. I mean, how power hungry is this guy? KJ
CPseudonym
Moderator Emeritus
Gee whiz KJ, you just cannot have nice things. Lobster and ice cold beer should help salve the soul. Watch out for those evil rich people and their boats, we have a whole thread devoted to it around here somewhere
windmill29130
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Ouch! Good Luck with the repairs and hope all works out for you.
Actually sounds like a marina problem too. They should have the electrical systems protected against any sort of overload or spike of that nature. Properly wired, there should be nothing one boat can do to cause such harm to other boats.
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KJ
El Capitan
Oh yeah, could've been a lot worse. You could have heard about it second hand. KJ
N4712
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No, sounds like they're was a either a flaw in the design of the yachts electrical system or lots of voltage leaked where it shouldn't have. But that's pure speculation. I've never had problems, when yachts come in. A lot of the three phase 100amp connections have they're own local transformer.
Action
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