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Turbo's Tub - Day One in the Open Water--Friday Nov 9th



It was an early departure for Turbo’s Tub this morning.  They were up at 3:30am and pushed off of the Morehead City dock at 4:16am.  Their hope was to make it to the Gulf Stream by sunset.  They set out through Bougue Inlet and sailed past Cape Lookout heading East to the Gulf Stream, quickly greeted with 20-30 knots of breeze and waves reaching 8-10’ and were reported as being quite intimidating…very choppy and making it feel like sailing in a washing machine.  Afternoon arrived and they hit the Gulf Stream…it was time to make their first passage through the Gulf Stream.  About an hour in, the waves cleaned up and they were well on their way.

 

The Tub wasn’t alone in this voyage/passage.  Aside from T’ai Chi, who they met up with in Morehead City and will sail with to Green Turtle Cay, they were joined by large groups of porpoises.  At one point, about 50 of these porpoises put on a “Sea World” show for them.  They were also joined by a few sea turtles along the way. 

 

After listening to all of the fishing tales throughout the buildup leading to ARC Bahamas, they were quick to get their lines in the water.  They hooked four “huge” fish, but were unable to get them to the boat…or so is their story J

 

It is 8:00pm now and they should be through the Eastern Wall of the Gulf Stream and ready to head south to Green Turtle Cay.  From what I can see, they have been cruising along nicely at 6-7 knots.  The repair to the steering system is holding up perfectly, but the auto pilot is a different story.  It malfunctioned early in the day so they will be hand steering all  the way to Green Turtle Cay…that can make for some long days and nights.  Because of this issue, they will be running two man shifts throughout the night. 

 

Captain Turbo took the helm for the most of the day today through the rough conditions.  While he was working hard to keep the Tub plowing through the waves, some of the other crew members were experiencing one of the treats of offshore sailing…seasickness.  It got the best of Mike for a little while, but he recovered quickly and Hutch reports that for the first time in his life, he was actually close to being seasick.  Some Ginger Ale, Ginger Snaps and fresh air helped him and after about an hour, he was good to go.  Hearing this definitely made me realize that I made the right choice.

 

Here’s to them all having a great night, getting rest, staying well, sailing fast and taking in every minute of this passage.

 

"It isn't that life ashore is distasteful to me. But life at sea is better." -Sir Francis Drake


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