Across the Little Bahama Bank - Sunrise to Sunset

 We left the dock on Saturday 12/4 just prior to the crack of dawn as the sky was lighting up. Heading out onto large water there is always a sense of apprehension but they were assuaged quickly. The Northwest Providence Channel was calm so once we cleared the shallow water I pushed the throttles to the stops and Freedom responded. We hopped up and we started making great time towards the Grand Lucaya Waterway. This was important since our total planned trip was about 94 nm and we had to maintain at least 10 knots to get to Spanish Cay before sunset. Having the calm water at the outset was certainly beneficial.

 It also helped us avoid all of the dive shop mooring balls and crab pot floats we encountered along the way. Having wasted no time out on the N.P. Channel we turned into the Waterway and pulled back on the throttles since the canal and its side canals have many houses with docks and boats exposed to our wake. But we did manage to keep a decent pace in the canal and after a couple of hours we could make out Dover Sound. However there was a work barge visible and we did not know if it was blocking the channel leading out of the water way. This channel is about 2 boat widths wide with little room for error. Fortunately the barge with crane were pushed up onto the shallows and well outside the channel.
 Since we had been waiting for high tide and weather (wind) to line up with our arrival we were pleased to see that we timed it well and we had plenty of water under us as we lined up in the channel leading from the water way. Just consider that plenty of water in this case means 4.5 feet under our depth sounder transducer, which only leaves a couple of feet under the keel, props and rudders.
 Once out on the sound we motored along at about 9 knots and to our surprise we picked up a little shove from tide that moved us along at about 10.5 knots or so it seems. This was great news for us and in spite of the wind out of the North and the developing chop we made great progress rounding Mangrove Cay on schedule.
 That was when I looked at the gauges again and saw the starboard alternator had stopped working. At this point we were about 1/2 way along and we both knew that turning back was not a good option since the tide was going out and that would take away all of the clearance we needed to get back into the water way. So on we went with Deb at the helm while I reviewed the schematics for Freedom's DC power. Luck was on our side since all of the important equipment was being supplied by the port side alternator. The starboard alternator and battery merely supplied the power for the starboard gauges, starter motor and generator starter. With the built in solenoid to jump the engines from each other we felt safe continuing since in addition we have to 8D AGMs to draw on if we need to start the generator.

 Once we turned to the ESE to track to the South of Great Sale Cay the wind started to clock around to the WNW and then from the West while the water laid down becoming calm. While progress is slow at 10 knots and you're all alone out there, with a change in weather coming during the evening, sometimes you get a pleasant surprise and ours was a playful dolphin that jumped along with us for a minute. By the time we had the camera ready it was gone.

 It wasn't long before Little Abaco came into view followed by The Center of the World Rock, which was our decision point. Once here we planned to review our progress and decide if we had time to travel to Green Turtle Cay. We don't travel at night and the time was tight. But our nav software told us we would arrive at sunset so we pushed down the throttles for a while and ran at 16 knots to provide a buffer in the schedule. As we turned into White Sound the sun was setting on a long day but a day of excellent progress in spite of the alternator calamity.

 Given the battery charged overnight and started the engine the next day we figure we are good to move on to Hope Town where we will reside for a few months. While Freedom is getting on in years I'm still glad we chose her since her engines are all mechanically injected and throttled. All we need to be able to do is start them. And hopefully that's what they will continue to do.

 But right now we're very glad to be at the Bluff House Marina on Green Turtle Cay. Running the extra distance paid some very large dividends because the wind kicked up considerably over night and it has made the Sea of Abaco quite choppy. This would have made a stay at Spanish Cay a bit more uncomfortable because the wind was out of the West and brisk. Here on Green Turtle we are much better protected and we don't have to worry about slogging it out in 1-2 feet of chop which is something a beautifully restored Bertram Moppie(?) appears right at home in.

 The GPS tracks have been updated but given the bandwidth here additional photos will have to wait but we'll get them into the bucket soon. I'll post a link to them then.