Bahama Rescue

Frank Leister and I set out from Lake Worth, Florida to sail to Marsh Harbour on Great Abaco in the Bahamas. 

Frank and I were friends from IBM days in Germany. His wife Re, a German, Katherine, and I had great adventures while living Am Taunus, in Falkenstein,  outside of Frankfurt Germany. We skied, road motorbikes in England, Netherlands, Denmark, and Germany.

After we all moved back to the US, Frank bought a Catalina 32 and we decided that he and I would sail the boat to Marsh Harbour in the Bahamas and Kath and Rae would fly and join us for a 2-week vacation in a house we rented on the water.

The trip across the Florida Straits to the Bahama Banks is only about 90 miles but when sailing, the practice among most is to gather in Lake Worth and flotilla to the Bahamas in case some boat gets in trouble. Boats leave about midnight so that the Bahama Banks are reached before dark the next night.

But the Florida Straits are known to be very difficult under the right wind conditions. The Gulf Stream flows through the straits at about 5 knots and under a Northeast wind against that current, a 6-foot short chop is raised that can pound a sailboat hull unmercifully.

After coming down the Inland Waterway, we anchored in Lake Worth, had dinner ashore, and about midnight got on channel 16 and asked for any boats making the passage to the Bahamas tonight. About 12 boats responded and we made a line...we were in the lead, and started out the channel, marked by buoys and lights from Lake Worth through an inlet to the ocean.

The wind was right off our port bow...the channel is a straight line out to deep water so we motored...no tacking under sail, the chop was big and we pounded...As we glanced back to check on the line, we noticed that several boats had turned around...within 10 minutes all the boats had turned around... so we did too.

The next night the same thing happened...the third night the same thing, even though we thought that the wind had shifted...but, by then, we were tired of Lake Worth so we said the hell with it and kept going, although we were the only boat.

It was pitch black and there were no friendly flotilla boat lights to keep us company. We rigged jack lines and put on harnesses and life jackets and clipped in. I steered because, if not, I get seasick. The chop came at us just over the port bow first, then the wind shifted to the Southeast off our starboard bow, but the waves were high enough that on occasion we would almost broach, so we headed into the waves, off course slightly, now to the Southeast instead of the rhumbline due east...and while we pounded the boat made some way under power. About dawn, we were able to set sail, and the pounding eased a little because we sailed off the wind a little....a bit more east-south-east. Frank had to manage the jib halyard ...we changed to a smaller storm jib...because if I went even as forward as the mast, I would get sick.

We maintained a course using handheld GPS receivers and the compass...but our aim was to reduce the pounding.

A rogue wave hit us right after noon and green water came over the starboard side and soaked both GPS devices. We had Loran on board, but neither of us knew how to use it...we were somewhere between Florida and Grand Bahama... but where exactly we had no real idea, especially since we had been heading off course from the beginning to ease all the pounding.

So we decided to seek help.

I ventured down into the cabin after all night at the helm, got on channel 16 and said the magic word...Mayday...Mayday...this is sailing vessel Puff...yes that was its name...Puff...Mayday... Mayday we have lost all electronic positional equipment ...This is sailing vessel Puff.

Almost immediately a voice, a laconic voice, speaking slowly and emphasizing each word, came on channel 16 and said:

"Sailing vessel Puff, this is Bahama Rescue, who is in command of your craft..over...

This is sailing vessel Puff, my name is Jim Ingram..over...

This is Bahama Rescue, sailing vessel Puff, "Captain" Ingram, please tune to channel 20 and callback...confirm....over...(It is the maritime practice to identify the person on a vessel talking as the 'captain' although I did not feel like a captain at that moment...nor did I believe Bahama Rescue thought I was 'in charge' either.) 

This is Captain Ingram, sailing vessel Puff, confirm to tune to channel 20...out

This is Captain Ingram, sailing vessel Puff, on channel 20...over...(it is the practice to move off the public channel 16 to another channel so as not to monopolize the public channel 16. Going to another channel does not provide privacy, however, as anyone can tune to any channel and listen in.)

Sailing vessel Puff, Captain Ingram, this is Bahama Rescue, we understand that you have NO positional equipment ...confirm...over" 

This is Captain Ingram, sailing vessel Puff, affirmative, we have lost two GPS devices due to water damage. We have Loran but do not feel competent to operate it...over

Sailing vessel Puff, Captain Ingram, you have lost two GPS devices and do not know how to operate your Loran... confirm..over..

BahamaRescue, this is sailing vessel Puff, Captain Ingram speaking, confirm we have lost 2 GPS devices and do not know how to operate the Loran..we hope that you can assist us to determine if there is a boat in the vicinity with directional equipment...over

Sailing vessel Puff (by this time the voice has taken on a slightly incredulous tone), Captain Ingram (the voice emphasized the word 'Captain' in a way that led me to believe he really did not think I deserved that title.)...we would be happy to assist you as soon as we determine where you are likely to be...

Where do you 'think' you were when you last checked your GPS device before it was damaged by water...over

Bahama Rescue, this is sailing vessel Puff, Captain Ingram, we believe we were 90 miles east of Lake Worth on heading 110 degrees...(The 'rhumb line' from Lake Worth to Bahama Banks is about 90 degrees or due East.)

(We actually were not absolutely sure since it had been an hour or so since we last checked the GPSes before they were doused..but we decided that we had appeared as idiots too long so we guessed and hoped...and the 110-degree azimuth would give Bahama Rescue a position.)

Sailing vessel Puff, Captain Ingram, this is Bahama Rescue...are you under sail?.. over

Bahama Rescue this is sailing vessel Puff, Captain Ingram..yes, we are under sail...

Sailing vessel Puff, Captain Ingram, please take in your sails, proceed under power on course 48 degrees, sail for 40 minutes and contact us again on channel 20...confirm..over

Bahama Rescue, this is sailing vessel Puff, Captain Ingram, we are to take in sail, proceed under power on a course of 48 degrees for 40 minutes and call again on channel 20...over

Sailing vessel Puff, Captain Ingram, this is Bahama Rescue...out

We proceed for 40 minutes, by this time, the wind had shifted more south, and the chop had subsided significantly, and on our starboard bow appeared a small island that we both recognized from our charts as the entrance to the Bahama Banks that we were steering toward when we lost GPS.

Bahama Rescue did not perform magic...48 degrees was a reasonable course given our direction and the current and the wind.

Bahama Rescue, this is sailing vessel Puff, Captain Ingram, we have proceeded course 48 degrees for 40 minutes...over

Sailing Vessel Puff, Captain Ingram what do you see off your starboard bow?...over..

Bahama Rescue, this is sailing vessel Puff, Captain Ingram, we see an island which we believe is the marker for entrance onto Bahama Banks...over

Sailing vessel Puff, Captain Ingram, this is Bahama Rescue, we believe you are correct.

We suggest that you stay in the area until you sight another vessel approaching, make contact on channel 16 and ask for assistance. And, if you remove the covers GPS devices and carefully dry out the circuits with a cloth, there is a good possibility that the GPS units will begin to work...We hope that you enjoy the remainder of your voyage...and you might consider taking a few moments to familiarize yourself with the features of your Loran directional equipment.

Bahama Rescue... out.

We didn't need to wait...the GPS devices ...without removing the covers.. had dried out and we continued the voyage, seasoned... but chagrinned...sailors now, to Marsh Harbour without further incident...hoping to never again encounter the implicit derision of 'Bahama Rescue'.  And we did read the Loran manual.