Lets finish up the trip before I wrap it all up (the blog will hopefully continue throughout the summer. After all we aren't to 365 days yet, right?).
Friday I got asked to race again aboard Ruff Justice. The winds were much lighter and at one point of the race we were making about a half of a knot. We again finished almost dead last but today was a little more due to the luck of catching the wrong wind at the wrong time. I went down to the festivities and ran in to a bunch of old friends. Nuno came down from Staniel Cay and I also ran in to Sean and Gemma who are on their way to Cuba in their sailboat. I met another group of sailers my age and we had quite the crew. I ran down to Peace and Plenty and ran in to the Tida Wave and Lady Muriel crew as well as Bushman and Ben. It was a fun night that lasted well in to the morning hours.
On Saturday I focused on fixing the new generator. The generator was started while the fuel lines were closed and things weren't looking good. I couldn't get the generator to prime despite cracking injectors as well as simply removing the fuel line from the output side of the fuel pump. The racors were full of fuel, being that I just changed them, and things weren't adding up. We removed the fuel pump and found that we could not even blow compressed air through it. It seemed that it was clogged with something. The owner did not want me to leave until we got the problem fixed, but after further thought it is not a hard part to install and I can easily handle the logistics from Chicago.
Ben showed up out of no where and told us that they needed me to race again today. I got in his boat only to hear the 1 minute gun go off out in the harbor. I asked him what that was all about and he said he didn't know. Well it turns out the boys were a little behind schedule today and we missed the start of the race all together! I got dropped off as the boat was sailing down to the start line and I was glad that they still decided to race the course, despite being DQ-ed. We almost caught the last place boat and sailed really well! After watching the ceremony that night with Ben I told him that trophies or no trophies he gave a kid from the United States a chance to do something that he will never forget, and in my mind that means a lot more than a shiny trophy. Of course bragging rights in the Bahamas for a year isn't bad either :-/
The night went much like the last as my goodbyes were made to some of my closest friends I have had over the past two months. I couldn't believe that it was really my last night in the Bahamas....
Well it seems like just yesterday I created this blog and began talking about the trip south with Sound Waves. Its funny how some days (more than others in the islands) seem to tick by at a snails pass, but yet when you finally get on that plane I wonder to myself, "how did the last six months go so fast?".
I remember talking about growing up in my first few blog posts. Talking about taking the lead and not letting the next bend in the river, or reef on the chart intimidate me. Well, I accomplished so much of that "growing up". I've navigated the Western Rivers, been offshore in the Gulf of Mexico, tackled the ICW with a six foot draft, rounded the keys of Florida, replaced props, tore engines apart and put them back together, fixed hydraulic pumps, re-wired a set of underwater lights in the bowels of the ship, replaced door handles, re-wired home entertainment systems, crossed the gulf stream, polished the props in the soft sands of the Bahamas, made friends that will last a lifetime from around the entire world, dove on some of the most beautiful reefs in the world, overcame my fears of sharks and open waters while spearfishing, wasted days away on the beach, had amazing bonfires on the beach, sailed in a traditional Bahama island regatta, rebuilt most of the cooling system on a generator, and maintained someones biggest investment of their life in the meantime.
As I stepped onto Bonita a year ago I think it was safe to say that I was in a bit over my head. A bit over my head is an understatement. I was scared shitless of what I got myself in to. A year later as I fly back to Chicago to get ready for another summer aboard Bonita, the story is a lot different. I have already asked for the project list from the previous winter from our yacht services guy, Wade. I have scheduled an oil change as soon as the boat splashes, and have already began to generate my own to-do list. Last year I walked in to the barn with my jaw on the floor!
I've learned so much over the past year and I am confident in saying that I know what I am doing when it comes to yachts (somewhat :-), there is always so much more to learn!)
I look forward to the next week or so to relax and get my feet back on the ground in Chicago. I then look forward to visiting with my family back in Michigan and taking care of doctors, eye, dentist appointments, etc...
From there I will be back in Grand Haven prepping the 87' Cheoy Lee, Bonita, for yet another great summer in the Great Lakes.
Just a little kicking to chew on for everyone, Nuno asked me if I would be interested in visiting him in Europe next fall and helping him sail Sparrow from the Mediterranean back to the Caribbean. We will keep that one on the back burner! :-)
Here are some more pictures:
Left to Right: Owner's girlfriend, Gizelle, Bushman
Nuno and me at Staniel Cay Yacht Club
Tony in front, David in the back SCYC
Left to Right, Soloman and the owner
At the start line of the A class race. Anchors out and sails down!
And they're off! Start of the A-Class race
Sailing off in to the sunset
Ruff Justice in the back (closest to camera) Thats me out on the pry! (all the way to the right on the "board")
Ruff Justice, port tack to the windward mark, light winds
Tida Wave the A-Class Champions of the 58th Family Island Regatta
Working my way out on the pry
Light winds riding the pry.
Left to Right: Ben, myself, Gizelle, Bushman. Peace and Plenty in Georgetown
Sound Waves Out!
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