It was late in the summer of 2014 as we wrapped up a beautiful day of sailing on the Boulder Rezervoir (in Colorado) when we pondered that it had been 5 years since we first raised a sail. We never had an engine on our first boat, the Coronado 15 aptly named after our beloved dog, Bosco, who passed away just a few years prior.
With the wind at 15 knots, the sails were full and we were racing at near max-hull-speed, 20 yards of our mark. Turning the tiller slightly, the boat smoothly rounded up into the wind. Without missing a beat, the sails were down and we glided almost to a perfect stop right next to the dock, stepping off and tying up. A small group of people were watching us from the shore, one commented: “Wow you guys look like you’ve been sailing your whole lives.”
It was such a surprising comment but we couldn’t help but be flattered. Jake and I were not raised as sailors. We only learned how to sail about 5 years ago with a friend on their small dinghy. It was overwhelming and challenging to comprehend it, so we thought the best way to really learn would be to dive right in the deep end. We signed up for three ASA courses over the next few months, focusing on basic bareboat sailing and navigation rules. It was the perfect mix between a vacation and school, and it planted the idea of a dream of cruising on our own sailboat.
For the next few years, we saved and planned and when the time came, we sold everything from our home, possessions and quit our jobs to go off cruising for the next five years. We narrowed down our selection of boat-types to the hefty, offshore salty types such as Westsail 32, Caliber 33, CSY’s and Baba 30’s. We knew the low-30-foot range would be something we could manage single-handing if necessary and hopefully more affordable. After attending a boat show in Rhode Island, we found the Island Packet gave us everything we wanted and more – a hefty offshore sailing vessel with very comfortable living-quarters.
We found our boat in the Island Packet mecca of Rock Island, MD. We re-dubbed our new beauty, s/v Bosco. For the next many months we moved aboard and learned the hard way what life would be like with nothing but the basics. But it was a good lesson because it gave us the knowledge of what we actually “needed” and what we could live without. And from there we moved her down to Oriental, NC where we completely rebuilt the boat from the inside. She has a brand-new electrical system, wind, solar, refrigeration, pure sine wave inverter, a huge battery bank, and brand new engine (not part of the plan but a necessity), along with countless other updates and upgrades. We almost never go to marinas and do not plug into shore power, our boat is 100% powered by wind and solar, making it a lot easier and more enticing to spend more time nestled in some long-forgotten island paradise…or at least that’s the goal.
Our first time out, we traveled all throughout the Bahama islands, T&C and Cuba but we never spent any long period of time in any one location. This time around, we hope to spend more dedicated and focused time playing around one area; one that is quite beautiful and offers heaps of fishing, diving, snorkeling and sailing opportunity.
Fast-forward to the fall of 2019, Jake and Jill have been living and traveling aboard their 31-foot Island Packet, “Bosco” for years and are preparing for the second journey out to the Bahama islands, specifically the Exumas. Our journey begins in Oriental, NC, where we have spent many years and met Mike and Nancy, who have done so much for us and our Bosco over the years.
It took us about 6 weeks to get her cruiser-ready again, having to replace several necessary items including VHF radios, new batteries, a new outboard and dinghy to name a few. Its exciting to begin round 2 of cruising south for the winter.
Our departure date began the morning of December 3, where we figured it would take about a month to get down to Biscayne Bay, Florida, where we hope to make our crossing of the Gulf Stream to Bahamas. When we left, we were donning every bit of layered clothing and foul weather bibs and jackets to combat the 40-degree temperatures. Despite the cold, the weather was fairly dry. We traversed the ICW in-between short bouts offshore when the weather would cooperate. The first time we did this journey mostly offshore. It was exciting to experience it in a different way, to see areas we’ve never seen and appreciate the gorgeous colors of fall as we headed south through the Carolinas and Georgia. We could often find beautiful, quiet anchorages that felt like our own private sanctuary.
By the time we reached St. Augustine Florida, we could actually travel without all the layers. But winter fronts were relentless, bringing on pounding rain and wind making offshore passages impossible. We took a mooring for a week so that I could travel home for the holiday and Jake could do some work on the boat. Unfortunately with the terrible conditions, it made for a dismal break. Our mooring ball was exposed to current and an inlet with little wind or wave protection. One good thing is that we learned what needs to be battened down better, because just about anything that was loose came undone.
It felt so good to leave the bustling city on Christmas Eve, continuing our southward journeys. It felt like we were racing through Florida as we managed to traverse the busiest sections of the ICW with almost zero traffic (with horrible weather). I suppose that is one good thing about all that rain and wind. By the time we reached Miami, we had to pace ourselves to scheme a window of weather for which we could do a Gulf Stream crossing. It was nice visiting with one of my long-time friends and family for a night and a last-minute provisioning jaunt before embarking down to Biscayne Bay for NYE.
Our small window opened and we began our crossing the morning of New Years Day, fitting for the first of the year to head to the Bahamas. It was a calm morning with only 5-10 knots of wind out of the northeast. Its not ideal for Gulf Stream, but seeing as it is very light it will make it a semi-mild crossing (or so they say).
We raised our main and let out the jib, but kept the motor in a low gear to help supplement. Our goal is not to sail across the stream completely unpowered, but rather get across as fast as possible, before our weather window closes. Our max-hull speed is around 6 knots, and that’s if we have current with us, which we don’t in this case.
The first time we crossed the stream it was horrendous, seas of 6-7 feet and Jake was sick for the bulk of the passage leaving me to hand-steer most of the way. What should have been a 9 or 10 hour crossing took almost double that time and left us shaken. This time around, we were a bit anxious, but things looked good as we cleared the inlet at Biscayne Bay. The water was relatively flat until we reached the shelf and the surge and swell picked up to 4 feet. Not great but doable. It came out of nowhere though and felt like we were riding a roller coaster as wave after wave came at us to our forward-beam. Its not the most uncomfortable position, and it actually softened the blow of the waves, but it was rolly and if we were prone to sea-sickness, these conditions could easily bring it up. I steered us for the first 3 hours out of the gate and though the waves were large, focusing on the horizon really helped. The stream wasn’t as strong which meant we didn’t have to lose speed or time southing. After 4 hours we noticed a huge difference in the water activity, things were calming a lot. We made it to the shelf of north Bimini about an hour before nightfall and as we continued on, spotted a pod of dolphins all around us…a good omen! We continued on to almost perfectly calm water for the next 70 miles, coming into the Berry Islands at dawn.
We are thrilled to be back in the Bahamas, its gorgeous crystalline turquoise water. It never fails to amaze how far one can go with the power of wind and sails (and maybe a little help from the motor too).
Jake and Jill have been traveling on s/v Bosco for years, but have also had a slew of other adventures. To learn more you can visit their website at JakeAndJillAdventures.com