BAHAMAS CROSSING
THE NIGHT BEFORE OUR CROSSING | Tavernier Key, Florida
MARCH 7, 2025
It has taken us 100 days of planning and travel to get to this point. Tomorrow we cross to the Bahamas. Our planned route is to skirt the North Rock marker at Bimini, and if the weather is still good, continue overnight to Great Harbour Cay in the Berry Islands - 160 nautical miles. Novella is loaded with fuel, water, as many spare parts as we can hold, and 678 lbs of food. Good thing we dumped some weight in Panama City and sold our bikes in the Keys! There is a point where you have to stop preparing and just go. This is our chance. Last night, the seas were up to 8’ in the Gulf Stream, but today the winds died down and shifted to the south - perfect for sailing. We’ll see you on the other side.
P.S. The boat pictured is much bigger than ours. That’s a neighboring boat in the anchorage tonight. (Tavernier Key, Florida)
MARCH 9, 2025
190 miles and 25 hours later and we are cleared into the Bahamas! It was both our fastest and longest distance crossing to date. The crossing to Bimini was very rolly with big ocean swell and not enough wind to keep us stabilized. We both got pretty seasick. We saw dolphins, flying fish, and Portuguese man o’ war in the deep blue waters. We gradually watched the depth beneath us increase until we were in more than 2,800 feet of water. Once we entered the Great Bahama Bank we very quickly found ourselves in just 15 feet! With darkness encroaching, there was enough wind to fill our sails and we raced along the banks all night at up to 7 knots, trusting our charts to keep us off wrecks and shallow coral areas. All in all it was a great voyage but we are beyond exhausted. Now we rest and try to take in the fact that these islands will be our home for the next four months.
WE’VE ARRIVED IN THE BAHAMAS | Great Harbour Cay, Bahamas
DAILY TRAVEL LOG | TO THE BAHAMAS & BACK
Day 101 • Bahamas bound! blasted through a bag of ginger chunks, lots of flying fish, the scariest wake, crossed the gulf stream with depths of 2,800 ft+ and the most beautiful shades of blue, entered Bahamian waters but won’t arrive at our destination until morning
Tavernier Key, Florida to the Bahamas Bank south of Freeport, Bahamas
Day 102 • after 25 hours we have acquired a new stamp and a new flag! took a much-needed walk, celebrated with lunch out, snack dinner and early to bed - we’re sleepy
Crossing the Bahamas Bank to Great Harbour Cay, Bahamas
