April 2017: Taking Relish Back to Nassau

Our inReach Track to Nassau

On Monday 24-April we drove back over to Palm Beach once again, with the goal of completing another round of provisioning as well as getting Relish’s punch list completed and moving her back to Nassau. By late morning on Wednesday, 26-April, we were ready to go.  On the way out of the Lake Worth area we stopped for fuel, taking on about 1100 gallons of diesel (bringing our total to 2800 gallons) and then headed out into open waters.  (Click HERE for our tracking site.)

Onboard were James Knight and Scott (from Yacht Tech), Gary Brace (our 4^th crewmember for the upcoming sortie to Bermuda), plus Rick & Michelle.  On the first leg of the route we sailed due south hugging the coastline, mainly to minimize the impact of the Gulf Stream current.  Then at Fort Lauderdale we turned Relish eastward towards the Bahamas.  

inReach Track....with Messaging
Detail Displayed

During the remaining daylight hours we spent our time testing systems, otherwise known as sea trialing.  Both the main and wing engines got a good workout, as did the two diesel generators, air conditioning system, water maker, galley appliances, plumbing, pumps, and of course all the nav/comm gear. 

This was a fabulous opportunity for us to get to know the boat a bit better.  While a Nordhavn 60 bears some resemblance to our N47, it is in other ways a very different vessel – Relish is both bigger and more complex, and also has very different nav/comm equipment….mainly Furuno NavNet 3D augmented by Nobeltec TimeZero. The primary differences and complexities that stand out are the generator auto-start system, modifications made to accommodate European shore power differences (50 HZ AC power vs. 60 HZ), as well as an extensive Maretron monitoring system (which is very sexy.)

Two Radars Active at Different Ranges Plus the Chartplotter

During daylight hours everyone took informal turns at the wheel.  After the crew enjoyed a good dinner of stuffed peppers together in the pilot house just before nightfall, we then split up into our overnight shifts. Gary manned the helm until 2200, then Rick & Michelle took the next watch from 2200 to 0200, followed by James & Scott until 0600.  At about that time we experienced a battery charger issue that required attention (later rectified by replacing a 100 amp fuse), although a backup unit was still functional. 

Plus the Maretron Screen....One of Many Available

Sea conditions tended towards the sloppy side much of the night and following day; with the wind cranking around 20K from the NE, seas built to 4 feet at short intervals, with the occasional 5 foot hole in the water. But overall the hobby-horse ride wasn’t too bad.  Rick and Michelle got to experience sleeping in a forward state room in lumpy seas:  doable when you have a good mattress & pillow (we did), don’t mind dozing in a constantly moving rocking chair (we didn’t), and ignore the occasional air between your back and the mattress (that took some practice.)

N50-21 Get Away Punching Thru the Waves

We had a buddy boat in trail for most of our journey.  The Get Away is a Nordhavn 50 recently purchased by Greg and Michelle Dreiling, and our trip to Nassau turned out to be a good sea trial opportunity for them as well, following a couple months of refit work performed by James’ Yacht Tech yard in Palm Beach.  Get Away performed beautifully, and she looks as good as she runs.  It’s a 15 year old boat that looks and runs like new.  For a video of Get Away taken from Relish Click Here.

Michelle Filming Get Away Getting Spray Over the Bow

Silvio was eagerly waiting for us when we arrived at Nassau Yacht Haven shortly after 1700, and he was very happy to be reunited with his beautiful boat.  He treated us all to a great dinner at the marina’s restaurant (The Poop Deck), and we all crashed into our bunks shortly after that for some much needed shut eye.

The inReach's Trip Summary

We were all up early the next morning and used the time to troubleshoot some of the minor issues that had cropped up….everyone’s circadian rhythm was whacky anyway.  We also in-processed through Bahamian Customs (they had already shut down the previous evening) before scrambling to the airport to catch a flight home – probably setting some kind of record for the shortest time between in-and-outprocessing through customs and immigration.

We have a short break now – until 11-May – before we fly back to Nassau to make final preps for the ocean crossing.  So more to come, stay tuned.  If you have time click over to the NAP Blog site to see the latest there.

That's James Bracing himself in Relish's Pilot House Door Taking Pics of Get Away as She Came Alongside
Enroute to Nassau. Notice the Bow Up (Pitch) Angle of Relish at That Moment.