On Wednesday November 15th, 2012 at 3pm we pulled into the Bluff House Marina on Green Turtle Cay. Our final destination! 26 degrees 46 minutes N, 77 degrees 21 minutes W.
We technically pulled into the Abacos on Tuesday morning at 9:30 am. But the approach through the west end begins through some shallow shoals and sandbars, so we didn't actually see land until much later in the day. We saw signs of life (a few houses, an anchored boat or two) but never saw an actual human until Wednesday when a couple of Bahamians passed us on a small fishing skiff.
We anchored behind a tiny Cay on Tuesday night, and enjoyed a feast of beef tenderloin and a fresh vegetable medley that had survived the voyage in the bottom of the boat refrigerator. And then we laid down for our first night of sleep with no night shifts or rolling seas in five days!
Wednesday morning we pulled anchored and fought 25-30 knots of breeze directly on our bow, along with rough seas and current. For a while we were actually thinking we may have to anchor one more night, but then everything calmed down a bit and the wind clocked allowing us to capture the breeze and get some good speed.
Although we have loved the journey, it was a great feeling to pull out the dock lines when we pulled into the Bluff House Marina. We were greeted with GTC's local drink, "The Tranquil Turtle", and our story came to an end.
Michael and Mike fly home today (Thursday), while Captain Turbo and I will be here for one more day trying to sort some things out with the Tub before we journey home.
In the days to come we will post some more detailed reflection, but for now we'll sign off with this...
In the beginning all that I could promise was a story. I couldn't tell you what kind of story it would be, but I promised we would tell one. In the end it was the kind of story I love. There was adventure, adversity, fellowship, camaraderie, laughter and victory over significant odds. We are just four guys. Four guys seeking adventure and wanting to fulfill a dream. Those things were accomplished, and a story was written. I hope you enjoyed.
We want to give a special thanks to those in our lives who made this dream possible. Our diligent, unwavering ground support Kevin Riley. Kevin helped with a significant chunk of the prep for this trip, and was there to meet our every need from Day 1. He supported the Tub, communicated with our families, and even stepped in to help run some of my work at home when needed! The Tub could not have made it to GTC without him. Thanks to our wives for letting us follow our dreams and take care of our families while we were at sea. Thanks to Kyle for our exquisite menu! But above all, thanks to Captain Turbo. It would be impossible to track the 100's of hours he logged preparing us and The Tub over the last year. His unimaginable generosity and hard work made this dream possible for all of us.
This is sailing vessel Turbo's Tub signing off, standing by for the next adventure...