We were in no real hurry to leave and took our time with breakfast, dishes, and final readying of the boat for an overnight voyage. With mixed emotions, we pulled up the anchor for the final time this year in the Bahamas. No more simple pleasures of seeing the chain laid out nice and straight under water, knowing exactly when you're over the anchor, and raising up a perfectly clean hook. We headed to the top of the Northwest Channel along with many sport fishers. A basic pole stands at the spot where the Shoal meets the Tongue of the Ocean. The water was calm and the wind was light -- trawler weather. Our chartplotter revealed a large gathering of cruise ships off Coco Cay. These giant floating cities are sitting at anchor without passengers during the Covid-19 outbreak.
The afternoon was uneventful and warm. Again, apparent wind ranged from 0-3 knots. We alternated watch shifts and each was able to read in the sun and/or nap. With the water deep enough, our route straight, and no other boats in sight, the autopilot took care of most of the work. We ate our prepped dinner and settled in on the flybridge to enjoy the final hour of daylight. Off our starboard side, we spotted a few light spots on the horizon. A little time passed and we could make the shapes to be sailboats. Then AIS confirmed what we were thinking. It was Ti Amo and River Rat. They had departed Great Harbour Cay in the morning as well. The sun sank and began casting an orange glow in the sky. On the western horizon, more cruise ships sat at anchor near Hen and Chickens Rock. Their large superstructures appeared to be more like islands than boats. An excellent sunset developed and we all watched while maintaining course.
At the last moment, the green flash appeared and radio chatter confirmed what we all thought we saw. How special to share this moment in the middle of open water. What are the odds of this meeting happening totally unplanned and without communication? Heck, could we have pulled it off it we had planned a sunset rendezvous? Final good nights and safe travels were swapped and we all continued to our destinations. Darkness soon overtook the daylight and the lights from the cruise ships lit up the moonless night. There was quite a bit of vessel traffic which helped our three-hour watches to pass quickly. My 12:00-3:00 shift had me playing a game of Frogger, adjusting speed to navigate through the traffic and maintain two miles of separation. It sounds like a lot of space, but it was white knuckle time. I was switching between the three ships checking speed, heading, and closest points of approach. We all played nicely together and no radio communication was required. I was particularly glad to see Gaslog Hongkong, Emerald Princess, and Disney Fantasy move on.
Thankfully my 6:00-9:00 shift was much calmer. I got to enjoy the stars in the deep black sky and watch as the sun rose through a thick cloud bank. Multiple alerts and tones sounded around 7:00 letting me know that cell service was returning. News of a total lockdown in the Bahamas helped make our decision to return more acceptable. Beachfront hotels, condos, and a nuclear power plant grew larger on the horizon. We arrived at Fort Pierce Inlet at our target time and we easily entered at slack current.
A short distance later we turned into Harbortown Marina to refuel. Pumping 360 gallons took a while, but the flowers on the nicely landscaped grounds provided a great view. Thankfully we did not have to relocate and were able to stay on the fuel dock overnight. We gave Crossroads a good rinse and then took extended showers ourselves. We have been in water conservation mode for so long that these were great treats. Tomorrow we'll hop back offshore for a several day trek up the coast. The weather conditions will determine how far we go. Ideally, we'd like to make Beaufort, NC in three days. We are no longer in sightseeing mode. Now, we just want to get back to our home slip. There will be no post until we stop and catch our breath.
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