Back in Nassau

This time by choice, actually; the boat was not yet in need of repair there. We want to head north to the Abacos, a place we visited for a weekend on our first trip here. The weekend ended with concerns about the Westerbeke engine, which performed admirably, until it quit in the middle of the Gulf Stream, but did, eventually, get us back to Brunswick.

We listened to Chris Parker on Tuesday morning. His forecast was for a secondary front to come through on Wednesday with about 16 hours of winds on the "or so" side of 20 knots. With that we were pretty sure that we would not be able to get out the Emerald Bay Marina channel into those east winds; and we were pretty sure that we did not want to transit one of the cuts to head west in those winds. So, after the weather we cast off our lines and headed out. We passed along the port side of that big, blue hulled boat and felt very small in doing so.

We had about 130 nm to cover to get to Nassau and wanted to do that in three days, roughly 40 nm per day. This portion of the trip is about distance, not style. So we motor sailed the whole first day trying to cover and much water as possible. Our thought was to get to Black Point Settlement, hopefully by about 1600 (4pm). We made such good time, rarely under six knots, that we ended up about seven miles north by 1500 (3pm) and anchored at Big Majors Spot, just north of Staniel Cay. Davis and Alice left on Sunday; on Tuesday we anchored about 100 yards behind them.

When we headed south we exited the Cave Cay Cut on the south end of that island onto Exuma Sound. This time we headed for Galliot Cut at the north end of that same island: Cave Cay. Galliot Cut has the benefit of being fairly wide and fairly deep, at least compared to Cave Cay Cut. We hit the cut just before high tide and were fairly lucky. The wind was from the east and the tide was headed east and we got a very small example of what they call Rages here, the waves caused by the friction of wind and water headed in opposite directions. A small example was more than enough.

Actually, the boat is in need of some minor repair. The mast head fly is not aligned, is loose, or both. We can work around this but it is a really good reference for sail trim.

Wednesday started bad and went from there to worse, then awful. Getting the anchor up is not a real challenge, but wind does add a degree of difficulty, and it was windy as Chris Parker had forecast. Carol understands the windlass pretty well but her strength will never be making a critical assessment of a mechanical process. Sure enough, the anchor twisted at the bow roller and wedged in hard and tight, half in and half out. Carol came back to the cockpit but had no real interest in handling the boat in a crowded, windy, shallow anchorage near land. So I piloted the boat out to the fringe where she took over and I started working on the anchor. This work was mostly me hanging out over the bow pulpit and whacking the shaft of the anchor with a ball peen hammer. Enough whacks and it finally came loose and we secured it.

We had covered about 30 of 38 nm from Big Majors Spot to Highbourne Cay and were nearing Norman's Stake, a turning point hard onto a nasty, submerged shoal. All of a sudden the chart plotter started sending messages: Lost Fix. This went on for almost a half hour and was unnerving; it's a long way to Nassau using a small, hand held GPS, our only backup. The signal came back in time for us to make the turn safely and has not been a problem since. There's no explaining it, I suppose. We're been by that place many times without a similar problem. Maybe we can blame it on the Commie rats in North Korea or Islamist terrorists anywhere.

As we approached the anchorage at Highbourne Cay, maybe two miles out, the engine started to lose RPM's, a sure sign of a fuel supply problem. We limped into the anchorage at low RPM's and did get the anchor out and secured the boat. We tore apart the rear cabin to get to the fuel filter. When I removed the filter it was perfectly and purely black, so black that I had stop and think what color it should be: some shade of off-white. The residual fuel in the bowl was not the honey color of the island's fuel; it was dark, muddy and opaque. Big problem! I disconnected, then dismounted and finally disassembled the Racor fuel filter. There is a small float inside and I was concerned that the crud might have caused it to stick. Cleaned everything in fresh, soapy water. Then, it struck me that water and fuel are a poor mix so we got out the Honda generator, fired it up and blew the water out of the interior passages and channels with the small air compressor. We put everything back together, primed the fuel lines and started the engine: it ran, but only for a few seconds. It took us a while to prime the engine successfully but finally, probably blind luck, we got it going and kept it going. We ran it for a half hour at different RPM levels and checked to see if the RPM's were constant with an optical tachometer; they were. Four hours after we anchored we shut things down and counted ourselves weary but successful.

But wait ..... there's more! Thursday morning we ran the engine a while to make sure that the fuel supply was working. We decided that it was and brought up the anchor and headed northwest to Nassau. Our assessment was correct until it wasn't. One hour out and the engine died again. Checked the filter: pristine. The only possible explanation seemed to be a blockage in the fuel tank. So out comes the Honda generator and air compressor again. I blew out the fuel line, primed the engine and voila: it ran. Once again, the most improbable boat tool, an air compressor, saved the day.

When the engine died and we got it restarted, we changed our course to Nassau, opting to take a shorter route through the Yellow Bank and its coral heads. We figured that this would save about 5 nm, an hour of travel time and a gallon less of polluted fuel going through the system. People make this transit all the time but it was a first for us. It was a good day for newbies: flat water and bright sun. The band of coral heads may only be two miles wide, a small portion of the trip. The coral heads are easy to see and to avoid. The issue is that the dark of the coral head stands out well but it is almost impossible to gauge the depth of water over their tops: maybe 2-ft., maybe 20-ft. Since the penalty for guessing the clearance wrong is severe, everybody seems to weave through the dark spots, zigging and zagging, trying not to connect the dots. Boats that usually go arrow straight, driven by wind or motor were all over the place like some kids carnival game.

We decided not to push the engine for fear that the increased fuel flow would cause things to clog again. After 0 knots and dead in the water 5 knots seemed pretty good and we arrived at the Nassau Harbour Club at 1530. We requested a specific slip location that we knew we could enter without maneuvering, forward or reverse, at high RPM's. They accommodated us and all ended well.

Fuel denouement: I was at a store looking at fuel transfer pumps that I could adapt to clean the tank. I was talking with a lady, explaining the issue, and she asked where we had purchased the bad fuel. I said at the Emerald Bay Marina. She mentioned that there was an article in the Nassau paper about Emerald Bay having old fuel, going bad, because they don't have enough sales volume to turn it over. Mystery solved, it was not the captain's fault!

For all of the aggravation and expense, there is a bright(er) side. Had we lost the engine Tuesday morning, which could easily have happened, we would have been on the windward side of the Exumas in strong winds pushing us toward a shore less than two miles distant. In the many scenarios that could develop from that situation most end badly.

We called Albert's Marine to have someone check the engine, just in case. Surprise, the eponymous Albert himself showed up. He said the engine is fine. Someone will come by on Monday to pump the tank dry and clean it. We are replacing all 50 gallons of fuel, an ugly, unnecessary expense. Carol also wanted to replace the five diesel jerry cans so we did that too.

Since we are in Nassau, we walked down to Lightbourne Marine, a Mercury OB motor dealer, to see if someone would check the carburetor on our motor. They sent a boat by to pick it up. Way cool! We found someone at the marina who will clean the bottom; it's beginning to look like one of the putting greens for the upcoming Masters tournament in Augusta.

The last major to-do was the mast head fly. Carol hoisted me up the mast, not a complicated thing but an activity that works better and more safely with two people on deck. It seems to be hard for any sail boater to walk by a bosun's chair without wanting to help. The magnet worked well this morning and a nice guy came aboard to manage the safety line and the mast mounted cam cleats. My guess was that the problem was going to be very simple to solve or require a complete replacement, not possible in Nassau. We needed a break and got it; it was a loose set screw needing only a couple of turns from a screwdriver to secure it. While I may not have gotten it aligned perfectly, it's good enough for us to sail with.

The weather has been great, if not always great for sailing. At the southern end of the Exumas it was warm to the point Carol thought it hot; it was fine for me. Our first night in Nassau the temperature got down to 68^o; good for Carol, cool for me. Everyone has said that April is a great month in the Abacos and we are looking forward to the time there. Carol has been using her time in Nassau wisely: getting her hair done, making dinner reservations and shopping.

So, by midweek we should have the OB motor back and we should be completely refueled and ready to head north. It's 95 nm run from here to North Man-O-War channel, an access point to Marsh Harbour and Hope Town. We'll make an overnight trip, planning to arrive shortly after sunrise. When there we hope to be able to meet up with Debbie on Illusions and also hope to see David and Alice again on Alice Mae.