176: SAILING FROM Deltaville, VA to Marsh Harbor, Bahamas - FIRST BIG OCEAN PASSAGE

It was our longest offshore passage from Deltaville, VA to Marsh Harbor in the Bahamas and the boat was not ready. We had prepared endlessly for this moment, hence the whole reason we hauled out in the first place, but the boat yard, seemed unable to restore our Yanmar Engines to working order. We already missed the whole Salty Dawg Rally, networking, celebrations, and all the events leading up to the crossing. We were also stuck 5 hours North in Deltaville instead of in Hampton, Va. And, we were not well rested due to a Nor'Easter that blew through. After the 4th sea trial, the engines seemed to be functional, a weather window opened and our friend, Alex, showed up at the dock in Deltaville. We were cautiously elated. We frantically completed our online covid tests, filed our health visas with the Bahamian government, and applied for our cruising permit. The sun set and the darkness surrounded us. Our buddy boats for the crossing started the journey ahead of us. They couldn't wait. We always follow the advice to never leave in the dark and arrive in the dark especially in an unfamiliar anchorage, BUT the weather window was closing. We had to be in Marsh Harbor by Thursday night or risk facing gale force winds. Though completely exhausted, and probably against better judgment, we untied the lines from the dock and headed South. It was 9 pm. The Chesapeake was all chewed up. The wind chop, waves, swell had no pattern. If we could put up the sail, it would help with stability, but we were not going to attempt this feat on a dark night, in unfamiliar waters. We decided to motor until day break. The first two days of the trip, we endured rough conditions. It was uncomfortable and challenging in every way. None of us felt well so we picked at the plethora of snacks on board, hoping the conditions would change soon. After heading into the gulf stream, contrary to earlier reports, the conditions improved and we all seemed to get our sea legs and settle in. This was just in time to address a bunch of issues that emerged like snapping the first reef line, the exhaust hose base coming untethered, and a dry engine dipstick when tested. Thankfully, the dolphin & whale sightings, as well as the two caught Mahi gave us hope and life long memories. We had to motor the entire trip, but we arrived mid-day in Marsh Harbor on Thursday. Thankfully, we dodged the 50 kt winds that others faced who left after we did. We were elated to drop anchor and check-in to the Bahamas, knowing that the next 6 months, we would be sailing the turquoise blue waters. #sailing #sailboat #sailingprojects #DELTAVILLE #ABACOS #BAHAMAS #MARSHHARBOR #SALTYDAWG #yanmar NEW TO OUR CHANNEL? We are Eileen and Brown Councill. Welcome to our channel and a glimpse into our life adventure! 2020 was a year of uncertainty and change (for all of us, right?), but we overcame the challenges and decided it was time to chase our dream, to sail around the world! Did I mention that we had very NO sailing experience? Before leaving Qingdao, China, our home of 4 years, we sold almost all of our earthly possessions and started our international search to find the right sailboat that we would call "home." After 5 months of unanticipated twists and turns, we found what we were looking for, a used Leopard 44' Catamaran located in St. Lucia. So, here begins our journey, filled with unmatched excitement and honestly, a bit of trepidation as well. We have much to learn as we travel the world on our floating home and we intend to document that journey and share it with you. We are so glad you have decided to join us, and we hope that you will find our story so compelling that it will inspire you to chase your dreams too! As a viewer, we consider you to be part of our family and look forward to getting to know you. Don't hesitate to comment on our videos and ask questions. We will do our best to answer every correspondence! All we ask is that you have patience with us as we work really hard to improve our camera/video techniques and ability to tell a story. Hopefully, you will be as BLOWN AWAY from watching, as we are in experiencing and producing our adventures! HOW CAN YOU SUPPORT US? If you wish to support our video efforts, all we ask is that you SUBSCRIBE, give a THUMBS UP, SHARE our videos with your friends, AND COMMENT! WOULD YOU LIKE TO GET TO KNOW US MORE DEEPLY? It would be an honor and pleasure to deepen our relationship with you as a Patron. Please click on the following link to see how: https://www.patreon.com/sailingblownaway WOULD YOU LIKE TO FOLLOW OUR JOURNEY? https://www.noforeignland.com/boat/6040796987916288 WHERE CAN YOU FIND US ON SOCIAL MEDIA? Instagram - @sailingblownaway Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/SailingBlownAway Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/eileen.dietrich/ YouTube Channel: www.youtube.com/sailingblownaway