After a restful night’s sleep from our passage, we were ready to pick up anchor and sail to Freeport, Grand Bahamas. Rick and Maryalice’s boat was at Bradford Marine, on the hard (out of the water) since June 2023. They were excited to get back to their vessel and start this next cruising season. It was not only great to have them with us on the passage from Charleston to The Bahamas, but it will be even greater to have them as a buddy boat with us all the way to the Eastern Caribbean.
We set sail around 7:30am on Friday, Nov. 10th, to head to Freeport, about 4.5 hours if we maintain 6.5 knots. After analyzing Windy, we determined that it wasn’t going to be the most comfortable trip, but neither would the next few days; so this day was as good as any to head there. We started out smoothly and were even able to wash the boat a bit along the way.
As it turned out, the wind veered 40 degrees off our port, so we were able to sail on a close haul for a bit. The guys put the Screecher out for about a half hour, then furled that up and brought out the Jib (head sail). Since the wind kept shifting, we had to bring in all sails and motor the rest of the way. But it gave the guys something fun to do as we passed the time.
Early in the morning, the guys let out the line on a fishing pole and a couple of hours later they had a catch. It was a challenge trying to real in the fish. It seemed like it was a big one. It turns out it was a barracuda with it’s tail almost bitten off. A shark must have tried to get it as the guys reeled it in. We threw it back in the water, but doubtful if it will survive after the shark attack.
After an eventful day on the water, we made it to Freeport Harbour. This is a commercial port and pleasure craft don’t usually enter here because there are no facilities or anchorages. However, Bradford Marine is located here with a boat yard and dock space for vessels needing haul outs, repairs, services. etc.
After docking the boat, it was time to get our black water tank pumped out. The workers showed up after their lunch break, got the hose set up, and within seconds siphoned our 35-gallon tank dry. Would that be enough to unclog it?
When the pump out was complete, we finished unloading Rick and Maryalice’s belongings onto the dock. Some dockhands were kind enough to drive them to their boat with their stuff. They had a lot of work to do after having their boat sit for five months, but they were excited to get on it and get SeaBreeze ready to splash in the water again.
Meanwhile, while Rick and Maryalice were organizing their boat and working on projects, we had a project of our own that lasted until sunset. After the black water tank was pumped dry, we tested it to see if water would flow through it smoothly. Unfortunately, it was still clogged. Kory tried to snake it from inside but he had to bite the bullet, jump in the water, and snake it from the through-hole on the starboard hull. What a disgusting job, as he pulled out two large calcium deposits that looked like stones, along with a bit of sludge that was stuck in the line. Thankfully, we had just pumped the tank dry so raw sewage didn’t come gushing out, but it was still a dirty job trying to clear the blockage. We were so thankful that after hours of work, he got the lines unclogged and everything flowed smoothly. Hopefully there won’t be any more projects for a while.
Projects were done. The water maker worked again and the holding tank was unclogged. It sure is nice to have a handyman for a husband. I made an Asian chicken stir fry for dinner and then it was bedtime. Even though it was a warm day with a lot of work to do, it was a great day laboring with our hands and grateful for the ability to do so!