Bee-ing the Self Appointed Risk Tolerance Appraiser

When we were cruising on Lorax, our first 30 foot fiberglass sailboat, our biggest accomplishment was crossing the gulf stream to the Bahamas. We waited for a month in Ft. Lauderdale before finding an adequate weather window to make the 60 mile crossing. One night we attempted a crossing but turned back because the seas where too large and we scarred the shit out of ourselves. 

Before the actual crossing we were preparing as if we were making a 20 day passage. We provisioned with months worth of food, had "Bahamas Bound" meetings with our buddy boats, and prepared Lorax for battle! We ended up motoring the whole thing, into wind and waves, but it was an awesome feeling as soon as our depth meter started falling and we found ourselves on the Bahamas bank. 

This time, in Cambio, our departure was much different. We listened to the weather that morning, baked a frozen pizza, skyped with my brother and my niece, and finally we turned to each other and said, hey do you want to go now? The feeling was total relaxation. We were making a 170 mile passage and our stress level was zero! We pulled up anchor and Spencer took the helm to drive us through the intercoastal waterway (ICW). 

The Miami skyline from the ICW

For us the ICW is horrific! We both would rather be out, 50 miles from land, than driving the ICW. Why, you may ask? Well, because our engine is not a normal engine. We have a SABB engine with a variable pitch prop. So instead of having two levers, one for forward or backward and one for speed, we have one for the pitch of our prop, one to engage it, one for our speed, and a clutch. Add that fuck show to not being able to see over our top deck due to 2 dinghies and a dodger and it makes for an ordeal. The stress free morning soon became a panic induced roller coaster for me. 

Spencer usually doesn't stress as much, as he considers us the biggest steel wrecking ball in the ICW and figures people will move out of our way. I neither believe this nor put this into practice while at the helm, so he usually drives in the tight spots, whereas I become the self appointed "other boat" alarm. At regular intervals I state, "Do you see that boat" or "Are you moving for that boat." I find my services, although unappreciated, invaluable to the whole experience. I mean without this annoying little feature it would be a fun experience, and we can't have that! 

Spencer at the helm in the Miami inlet
(possibly a little annoyed at his co-captian)

So, after giving myself the stress shits and Spencer saying for the final time, "YES! I see that boat!" we were out of the Miami inlet and on course to the Bahamas! (Ahhhhh, a sigh of relief) We had gotten the green light from our weather guru Chris Parker (CP) and we were also going to be able to sail the whole thing. A rare and unexpected perk to crossing to the Bahamas. We had put up the sails, turned up the tunes and watched the sun go down when a couple of clouds rolled in. CP didn't mention anything about squalls (our mortal enemy on Cambio as they ramp the wind up to, as much as, 60 knots) but I decided to turn on NOAA on the VHF, just to double check. 

NOAA radio has employed the use of the most sinister computer automated voice on the planet!! They also have bizarre weather reports in which they will say "North wind 10 to 15 knots with gusts up to 90 knots" (actual broadcast we have heard out of the Florida Everglades) so their forecasts leave a lot up for speculation and terrify me. So when I turned on the radio and heard, "squalls in the central Florida area with winds up to 60 knots and damaging lightening and hail," both our hearts sank. The voice went on to say, "All boats should seek safe harbor, if offshore, reduce windage and go down below." At that point I was pretty scared, the most wind we have experienced was 50 knots in Lorax and we ended up on the shore with a lot of other issues. Although Cambio is a much more capable boat, and we were offshore, I was not excited to experience 60 knots! We reefed the sails, took down a few things that would blow away and heaved to. We sat with the sails inflated, but not making any headway, and watched the clouds rumble, light up, and pass along our bow. We turned on the VHF after a half hour and to our frustration heard, "All emergency storm warnings have been removed." WHAT! We just sat there, freaking out, for nothing!!! 

Squall line!! AKA terror in the sky!

The rest of the trip was uneventful and fantastic! For giving us that little weather scare, it seems nature helped us out a little, and with the help of the gulfstream we sailed across the Bahamas bank in record time and made it to that crystal clear water, by day break. Hello, Beautiful!

The gorgeous BAHAMAS!!