Our boat is small, but she's mighty. Considered by those who know about such things to be very seaworthy and sea kindly, two slightly different concepts. Seaworthiness describes a boat's ability to withstand "heavy" weather and seas. Sea kindliness relates to how comfortable the boat is in heavy weather for us humans.
A ketch is a "split-rig" sailboat, meaning the total sail area is split into at least three individual sails. a head sail on the front (bow) of the boat, a main sail deployed on the main mast approximately in the middle of the boat and a "mizzen" sail deployed on the mizzen mast on the back end (stern) area of the boat. This setup allows for a variety of combinations of sail deployment to suit ever changing wind regimes. I know I'm getting a little technical here, but if you can't take the heat, get out of the kitchen.
Flicka anchored off Watts Island, Chesapeake Bay
Sunset over Tangier Island, Chesapeake Bay
Flicka is a self contained "living space" with a galley (kitchen), head (bathroom) and sleeping, storage and living quarters. She is powered by a 30 horsepower diesel engine and a "house" battery bank that supplies lights, radios, GPS, radar and other bells and whistles. She has wind and solar elements that assist in battery charging as well an a 100 amp alternator for charging under power.
I intend to use this blog as a "ship's logbook", which is essentially a record of the operation of a boat, its daily position and condition as well as weather, sea condition and general maritime observations. I also intend to make general observations about the natural world, people and cultures we see alone the way.
I have never been to the Bahamas, an island country consisting of a chain of approximately 700 islands, most of which are uninhabited. The Bahamas became a British colony in 1718 and a "commonwealth realm" in 1973, essentially an independent nation. The island chain, located in the Atlantic Ocean, extends approximately 700 miles from northwest to southeast from north of Cuba and Hispaniola (the Dominican Republic and Haiti); northwest to the Turks and Cacaos Islands; southeast of Florida and east of the Florida Keys. Wikipedia of course has everything you always wanted to know about the Bahamas. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Bahamas
Our plan is to leave the Chesapeake Bay on or about October 31 and make our way down the Intracoastal Waterway to Beaufort, NC where we may make an open ocean passage from there to Charleston, SC, a distance of approximately 175 miles. Or we may stay "inside" and continue down the ICW, eventually arriving at Key Biscayne, FL. in December. We will leave Flicka on a mooring there and fly back to VA for Christmas and Beluga Day to visit family and friends. In early January we will return to Flicka and prepare for our crossing from Key Biscayne to Bimini, the first landfall in the Bahamas, a distance of about 50 miles, crossing the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf Stream.
We will probably visit the major "population centers" in the Bahamas, but more to our interests, we hope to spend the largest potion of our time on and around the more remote islands. We have no idea what we are getting into. We have all the recommended guidebooks, charts and other "required" materials, but there is lots of uncertainty naturally built into this endeavor. There will certainly be lots of other "cruisers" around - boat people who look after one another, chatting on shared radio frequencies and visiting. We are told that Bahamians are gracious, engaging and friendly folk. I suspect we find out what I have learned over and over. They will be all those things, to the extent that I am also.
So there you have it. I have no illusions that lots of folks will be interested in this adventure of ours, but you most welcome to check in and comment. We are all on our own individual adventures in this weird thing we call life. The older I get, the more I have to admit as to just how much I don't know. When I was twenty-five I pretty much knew everything, including just exactly what was wrong with the world and that none of the bad stuff was my fault. I do know now that each day is some kind of gift or miracle of sorts. What with all the stuff that can happen to us anytime, that is good enough for now.
I have always wanted to do some kind of grand adventure. Maybe this is it.
So, I offer this narrative to you and hope you enjoy it. Please comment as you see fit. If you take a notion, contact us, come on down. We will pick you up in Nassau and we can go sailing. Our boat is small but we can get along for a week or so - if not we will simply feed you to the sharks.
