April 8 & 9, 2017- Goodbye Bahamas

April 8, 2017

6:30 am- Woke up to a gorgeous sunrise and decided to go kayaking since the wind died right down.  Everyone was getting ready to leave and it looked like that window of opportunity is here.

9:00am- We went in town to drop off our cruising permit and get an exit pass.  Of course, we waited 1/2 hr. and no Customs officer showed up.  She told us the other day that they are always opened 7 days a week 9-5. After speaking to a woman from the administration, she told us that sometimes they go to other ports and will eventually return.  We only had an hour left to leave because of the tides, so we decided to leave Green Turtle and mail our cruising permit from the States.  Hopefully, that works out.

 

9:30-We hurried back to the boat to bring up our dinghy and prepare for our long journey before the tides go down.  We plan on motor sailing until at least 7-8pm tonight, and hopefully cross the gulf tomorrow. We waved goodbye to Margi and Chuck.  They will be heading back next week. So many boats heading back now and taking advantage of the good weather.  Looks like we were the last ones to leave but we are catching up.
 


 

Off we go.  Not much wind to sail so we have to motor also. 

11:30am-  Steve caught a Spanish Mackerel.  After texting a photo to Brent, he identifies it for us.

 

12:00pm- Seeing that we were rushed to leave this morning and were low on bread, I decided to try Margi's sandwich bun recipe.

 

1:00pm-  Buns were made and Steve made himself a sandwich.  They were really good.  Nice to be able to cook and bake while we are motoring.



2:00pm-  Steve caught several more fish along the way.  A small Barracuda and a Jack.  

3:30pm- We saw two dolphins jumping out of the water. 

6:00pm- It was interesting to watch this Barracuda running away from us on top of the water for at least 100ft.  Steve figured a bigger fish must of been after him. 

We are still motoring away.  We want to anchor in Mangrove tonight and get an early start in the morning. 

7:00pm-  Tonight's dinner is meat loaf, sweet potatoes and salad.  

 

What a gorgeous sunset.  Probably one of the best ones since we have left.  To top it off, the moon is almost full and it is bright. I am so grateful to be able to see all of this. 
 

Can you sense that I am starting to feel sad since the realization of our adventure is coming to an end soon? I can't believe that we have been on the boat since September.   

9:00pm-  We arrived and anchored at Mangrove.  We covered 64 kn miles in 11 hrs. Off to bed we go since we will be waking up at 3am to set sail across the gulf. 
 

April 9, 2017

3:15- We left behind 10 boat from our anchorage as we motored towards the gulf. The moon was really bright and it helped us see thru the dark seas. 

6:30am- Washed the moon set.. So cool!

7:00am- The sun is rising.

1:00pm- Steve took down the Bahamian courtesy flag and replaced it with the US one.

The gulf was rough but I must have my sea legs since I did not feel sick at all. Waves were coming from different angles.

3:30pm-  An hour away from the Fort Pierce inlet and a dolphin decided to play with the waves off our boat.  Great finale before entering the intercostal.

5:30pm-  We entered Fort Pierce inlet. 

6:15 pm- Covered 79.30 knots in 15 hr.
We are staying at Fort Pierce City Marina for a couple of days before bringing GaYa to rest at Riverside Marina. 

7:00pm-  We were tired and hungry and went to Tiki Hut to have dinner. 

Stevens is happy.  First thing he does is put on the TV once we came back to the boat.  Although he wanted to stay up to watch it, he couldn't keep his eyes opened.  In bed by 8:30pm.