Don't Try This at Home, Folks--Great Harbor, Berry Islands

Sunrise Great Harbor, Buddy Boat Gizmo in Foreground

The major problem with entering the Bahamas at Port Lucaya on Grand Bahama Island is that you need a weather window to leave. It is 55 nautical miles to the nearest Berry Island, and that is due SE into the teeth of the prevailing winds. White Pepper had a good window to leave in front of a stationary cold front. Winds were predicted to be light from the south or southwest and seas calm. We cleared the jetties at dawn at 7 am. Indeed the morning started out exactly as predicted. We made good speed with gentle breezes abeam or just forward of the beam. Trimming the sails precisely for a close reach on starboard and motoring we were making good progress. In the afternoon the winds stayed light but gradually veered to the ESE which made a head wind. The motor got so hot I had to back off to avoid starting a fire on the boat. Eventually, the wind came around enough to reset the genoa on a port board. However, by this time our window for a daylight arrival had expired. We arrived at the Great Harbor waypoint at 7:30 pm about an hour after dark.

Conventional wisdom, endlessly repeated, is to never enter a strange port at night. Countering this ancient and sound advice was a powerful desire not to spend the night at sea. Also in our favor was a bright moonlight, calm seas, and almost no wind or current as it was slack water. The opening is about 300 yards wide which is quite large by local standards. Great Harbor is an old and historic harbor for ships transiting the Gulf Stream and Bahamas. It is tucked up between Great Stirrup Cay and the northern tip of Great Harbor Cay. It gets poor reviews from the cruising guides, but who cares about surge and current when the alternative is the deep blue sea of the Northwest Providence Channel at night.

The Garmin chart plotter was spot on guiding White Pepper through the opening and to a safe anchorage in 10 feet of water. The land was dimly visible in the moonlight. There were, of course, no aids to navigation. Later, after celebratory rum, I thought that isn't this the way we enter all anchorages nowadays—with eyes glued to the chart plotter? Aren't all landings just instrument rated landing even in visual rated conditions?

Just because we got away with it I do not recommend entering Great Harbor at night. I would , however, take the same window again if it comes up. But next time I will leave Port Lucaya at 4 am.

Finally, what's a good sailblog worth without a cute kitty picture?

Aphrodite