There was no escaping it. There was no changing it. We were in the Atlantic Ocean somewhere between the coast of the Carolinas and Bermuda. Approximately 800mi separated our 47ft boat and Myrtle Beach. Every direction I looked, 10ft swells rose and fell as 25kt winds blew the tops off the waves throwing salty spray into the air. My hands tightly gripped the railing as I surveyed the scene from the bridge. I took a deep breath and smiled. This was my first passage (although small by passage standards) and it was really turning into an interesting one. The weather forecast wasn’t the best, and the latest information told us we were committed to the same waves, the same wind, and the same constant motion for the next 24 hours. Part of me hated it, and part of me loved it, but when you’re at sea, the ocean doesn’t care about how you feel. As I said in the second sentence, for all my feelings, there was no changing it. Luckily, the rough conditions only lasted for a few days, and the rest of the passage was delightful, filled with good food and great times.
Several months earlier, my friends Keith and Romey had invited me on their passage to Bermuda. They had recently purchased a beautiful Nordhavn motor yacht and needed some crew to assist with the trip. I was overjoyed they thought of me and was thrilled to join. A trip like this requires a great deal of preparation, planning, and skill. Keith and Romey were up to the task and had everything planned out in detail to ensure a safe passage.
PWe left from Ft Pierce, Florida and made a line directly for the 120Nm weather buoy which floats off the coast of Port Canaveral. On a boat trip this long, catching fish is not just fun, but also a useful way to keep the provisions stocked up. Our visit to the weather buoy was supposed to be our ticket to a whole pile of fresh and delicious yellowfin tuna. After two days at sea, we trolled past the large yellow buoy, anxiously awaiting the unmistakable sound of a screaming drag, and a bent rod. This was, after all, the place everyone goes to catch big tuna. We were certain to get at least a few. However, despite driving around the buoy several times, we caught exactly zero fish. We were disappointed to say the least. With no time to waste, we made a course directly towards Bermuda, and waved goodbye to the weather buoy. Truth be told, for the entire trip, we only caught one decent sized fish. A mahi-mahi which we got just before we arrived in Bermuda.
Leaving the buoy to disappear into the distance, we motored onward for several more days. In this time, we encountered the 24 hours of rough seas. Not “Deadliest Catch” rough, but still rough enough that showering required a whole new process:
Step 1 – Turn on the water, and sit down, bracing yourself carefully. As the boat swayed back and forth, the stream of water would fall straight down, and your moving body would pass through the water enough to get wet.
Step 2 – Turn water off and soap up.
Step 3 – Repeat step 1 to be rinsed off, and then get out of the shower with great caution so as not to fall over and slip.
Luckily, most of our passage was filled with naps.
Beautiful sunsets.
And a constant supply of delicious food. Romey had meals planned for the whole trip, and they were all delicious.
As we approached Bermuda, we hung the yellow customs flag up, and made way into the harbor where we set anchor after clearing customs.
We grilled some fresh mahi-mahi, poured some drinks and watched the sun set. It was an epic adventure and I am looking forward to the next trip.
