This Article was taken from the SeaPearl forum on Yahoo Groups with the author’s permission.

Posted by: "irlboater"

Thu Aug 7, 2008 10:04 am (PDT)

I know many people are interested to know about my single handed adventure to Abaco, Bahamas so here is a short account...

Left my home at two in the morning for the two hour drive to Palm Beach on April 20, 2008. Outside the Lake Worth Inlet at 5:00am eastbound across the mighty gulf stream I take a couple of small waves over the bow of my 21' Seapearl. I bailed with one hand and held the tiller with the other. Water was coming over the leeward side. I had to flatten her out some. On that morning the wind was a little more than what I had wanted but once I was underway it ended up being the perfect wind. I used my new Honda two hp when I thought that I could make better time which was about a total of twenty miles or almost a third of the trip to West End, Grand Bahama Island. I used 3/4 gallon of fuel and brought a total of 3 1/2 gallons. I sailed healed over most of the time.

I had been dragging a line to catch a dorado and finally hooked him up at about two in the afternoon. I didn't have a gaff or a net aboard. When I tried to get him in the boat I almost cut my hand on the leader line. I didn't want to get hurt trying to bring this fish in so I bungeed the rod back to the mast and let him sail with me for about fifteen minutes to wear him out. Stuck my finger in his gill and lifted him into the cockpit and he went nuts throwing blood all over. I grabbed the wooden plywood rowing seat and hit him in the head to knock him out. On the second swing he lifted his head and I hit the bottom of the cockpit. I swung so hard that I thought I went through the bottom of the cockpit. I moved him out of the way to check for damage but nothing, not even a spider crack. I hit him four more times and the boat three more times. He kept lifting his head up when I would swing. Filleted him out while the boat just happily sailed on its own keeping a good course. Made West End just before dark at 7:00pm. Ate the first food I had eaten all day and fell fast asleep.

It had taken me fourteen hours to cross. Went to clear customs at Old Bahama Bay. I was definitely the smallest cruising boat there. Left after clearing customs at 10:00am eastbound towards the Sea of Abaco two days away. Had a great downwind run all day. I felt comfortable enough to put the bimini away and get out my camera to take some pictures and video. Averaged about 5 knots bu would surf downwind at up to 7 and a half knots. I cut across all the shallow water sometimes forming a stern wave that would break. I found my way to Water Cay where I saw two people by the dock pumping diesel into cans for their generator. The approach to Water Cay is shallow so they don't see very many cruising boats and was surprised to see me. I walked around the whole island twice and never saw another person. There are about twenty buildings there. I traded half of my fish to Joe and he gave me a few cans of Coke and a gallon of fresh water to shower with. Spent the night just off the town dock which has yet to be rebuilt following the hurricanes of '04.

I left Water Cay after Joe told me how to get out of the shallow water. Sailed all day downwind. Haven't started the outboard in over a day. The trip as a whole has been exiting but the single most exiting time was when I shot through a break in the rocks between Little Abaco Island and the western extention to Little Abaco Island. There was a very strong current running. This cut is about 20' wide by about 25' long. The current was going with me so I decided to go for it. From one side to the other is about a foot and a half drop as the water gets funneled through. It felt like a slide. It just sucked me right out and by the time I went for my camera I was already out the other side.

It was getting late in the day but I decide to push on. I wanted to make the Sea of Abaco by dark. Anchored thirty minutes after dark in the lee of Powell Cay. I visited many cays on my way to Marsh Harbour where I threw out my anchor and sailed home aboard a fifty foot trimaran with someone that I had met while I was there. I left my poor boat alone for two months just swinging on her anchor in the third largest city in the Bahamas. I sailed back to Abaco aboard a 32' Lazy Jack with a friend. When I got to my Seapearl she was just as I had left her plus 6" of growth on her bottom.

As I was anchored off the beach in Little Harbour when this guy asks me if this is a Seapearl. When I told him my story he said he would be honored to have my boat sitting at his dock so he could admire her daily. He has been sailing her around Abaco and tells me he is falling in love with my Seapearl. I need to be home for a while to work then I will go back to the Bahamas to sail her home.

Jonathan