We were really impressed with the strong sense of community in Boot Key Harbor. People were friendly and helpful. We can see why so many people keep coming back every year, or never leave. As one woman said to Joe in the laundry room, “Honey, this place has a sticky bottom. We came here for two weeks. We’ve been here fourteen years.”
We did move on, initially to an anchorage on the west side of Boot Key with gorgeous views of the sunset over the Seven Mile Bridge.
We waited a few more days for a weather window–not an ideal window–but as good as we were going to get this time of year.
Dolphins and flying fish entertained us as we sailed away from the Keys and into the indigo waters of the Straits of Florida.
The Gulf Stream
To get to the Bahamas, you have to cross the Gulf Stream. It’s the world’s strongest ocean current, transporting warm water from the Caribbean all the way across the Atlantic to northern Europe. The current flows at speeds up to 5 knots between Florida and the Bahamas. For context, we typically motor at 5 knots for maximum fuel efficiency. At this cruising speed, the current is as strong as our engines.
Our point of departure, from the Middle Keys, kept us in the Stream a long time. In the middle, where the current was strongest, steering was challenging at times.
The Straits are major shipping route. In addition to dealing with current, we were constantly maneuvering to avoid giant tankers and container ships.
The Bahamas
Why work so hard to get to the other side? You can see the allure of the Bahamas from space. Look at all the beautiful blue water!
After thirty hours of mixed sailing and motoring, we came up on the Great Bahama Bank, a vast area of shallow, baby blue water with uniform depths of 12 to 15 feet. Winds collapsed in the afternoon, so we dropped a lunch hook—temporary anchor—and enjoyed a few hours of rest before continuing on for another night.
We motored more than we wanted to on the final leg to Andros Island, but with wind on our nose we had no choice if we wanted to arrive at our anchorage in daylight. We arrived Saturday afternoon and completed check-in formalities at Morgans Bluff, a tiny harbor on the northeast tip of Andros.
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