A week ago, I flew to the Bahamas to crew on Trident with Lori and Mike to bring her back to the United States. Our destination was Charleston, and it would take about a week to make our way from Marsh Harbour, allowing a bit of time to wait on a weather window.
We pulled away from the slip less than an hour after I arrived, right on schedule. But as soon as we did, there was a problem. We couldn’t make more than two knots in forward, regardless of RPM. I guess the problem had been intermittent, but deteriorating, and it was not a good situation to make a gulf stream crossing.
So, we dropped anchor in Marsh Harbour and started to do problem determination, and then line up a mechanic. Things work on island time in the islands – go figure. And so responses by phone and email/texting could take a day or two. After consults with several mechanics, a couple of whom visited the boat at anchor, and a few calls to boatyards and part suppliers, a week had flown by. But, finally, on Monday everything came together to make a plan. A Yanmar-certified boatyard would haul the boat out, order and install the needed parts, and do some other minor maintenance. The crossing will have to wait.
Things didn’t turn out as originally planned, but we made the most of it. In between Lori & Mike coordinating with mechanics, we made visits via water taxi to Hopetown on Elbow Cay, Man-o-War Cay, and a visit with old friends, Tony & Michelle, on Green Turtle Cay.
The meals are always excellent on Trident, and on our last night, we had surf, turf, and yet more turf, as we tried to eat the best of what food was left in the freezer, which had to be emptied and disposed of in preparation of hauling the boat out.
So, I flew back to Austin last night from Marsh Harbour, instead of Charleston, and am happy to be home.
I enjoyed spying some of the local bird species, logging a bunch of lifers! I enjoyed a full moon, beautiful sunsets and sunrises, some snorkeling, and a dose of sea air.
During our week at anchor in Marsh Harbour, the boats near us were constantly changing, as they would come for a day or so and then depart. One day we came up to the cockpit, looked around, and saw that we were anchored between S/V Northern Star and S/V Southern Cross 🙂 so I guess S/V Trident was right where she was supposed to be at that moment in time.
This morning we helped her get to the start and then we drove east, instead of west, so we could do some birding on the coast.
I had an unexpected opportunity today to go see a screening of the movie Maiden downtown today with Lori at the Stateside Theater, as part of the 
The Bahamian sunsets never get old…
We left Miami Sunday morning at 3AM, on a course Lori set for West End on Grand Bahama Island, where we clear customs and spend one night before making our way farther east to the Ábacos.
We arrived on time, at the right place, and pulled into our slip at the Old Bahama Bay Marina. We hoisted the yellow quarantine flag until Capt. Lori went ashore to clear in the crew. We skipped the big game but enjoyed our fill of conch and island drinks, which was my real superbowl. Sunset at the marina…
Trident on her mooring ball at Key West… 
Cape Florida Light on Biscayne Bay…
Sheila365 