[Rhodes22-list] I'm Back from the Bahamas!!!

[Bob Weber]

Bill, I am eagerly awaiting any and all pictures and descriptions.  BW


>From: "William E. Wickman" <wewickman at duke-energy.com>
>Reply-To: The Rhodes 22 mail list <rhodes22-list at rhodes22.org>
>To: rhodes22-list at rhodes22.org
>Subject: [Rhodes22-list] I'm Back from the Bahamas!!!
>Date: Mon, 12 Jun 2006 14:18:17 -0500
>
>And off he went in a small boat across the Gulf Stream bound for the
>Bahamas….never to be seen again.  Actually, a better way to put it would 
>be
>“There and Back; A story of long boring passages interrupted by short
>periods of abject terror".
>
>Joking aside, it was really a wonderful trip!  I had originally planned to
>build up to this ambitious trip of sailing to Bimini and the Berry Islands
>in my Rhodes22, but when opportunity knocks you have to answer, or regret
>it for the rest of your life.  Looking back, the worst part about the trip
>was the fear of the unknown.
>
>The story actually began two years ago when I had just settled into
>ownership of my wonderful Rhodes22.  My master plan called for cruising
>coastal destinations for a while and eventually venturing away from
>American soil to some exotic location like the Bahamas.  Last year I had a
>learning experience in the Outer Banks, and spent some time sailing around
>the Destin, FL area.  My next steps included going back to the Outer Banks,
>and taking a week or two sailing the Florida Keys and possibly out to the
>Dry Tortugas.  After those adventures, I would take the leap and plan a
>trip to the Bahamas.
>
>Like I said, when opportunity knocks….  Late last summer, my daughter was
>accepted into an internship at Dolphin Encounters based out of Nassau,
>Bahamas.  The internship would be the first week of June, 2006.  My wife
>and other daughter would accompany her for the week.  Thus, an opportunity
>opened up for my son and me to do something that my wife would likely not
>enjoy (1-2 weeks cruising on the boat in locations that would be totally
>remote from any civilization).  My son was graduating from high school and
>this would very likely be the last opportunity to have him with me for such
>an extended time.  So the plan was hatched to “go for it”.  A friend of
>mine was going to go with us but chickened out, so we added a sailing buddy
>of my son’s to round out our crew.  Both my son and his friend are good
>sailors.  Both competed on the high school sailing team and will go on to
>sail in college.  So with able crew, I was committed.
>
>Planning was key to making this trip successful.  I researched all I could
>find on the internet; I emailed for advice from anyone I found that had
>made the trip; I bought charts and guidebooks and read them twice; and I
>spent much time creating my own provisioning checklist.  Everyone I talked
>to was very helpful, and I would especially like to thank Chris Geankoplis,
>Robert Quinn, and all the others on the Rhodes listserve who provided me
>with valuable advice, local knowledge and insights.
>
>If everyone is interested, I would be glad to post some pictures and a trip
>log as soon as I get it written.
>
>For now, attached is one of my nicer photos.  It was taken from Flo's Conch
>Bar and Restaurant in the Berry Islands.  The harbor has very thin water
>and other cruisers were amazed that we were able to get in there (they
>anchored out and motored in on their dinghies).  We actually had to heel
>the boat and just scraped over the shallows, but is was a very proud moment
>for the Rhodes22.
>
>Bill Wickman
>
>(See attached file: View from Flo's.JPG)


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>Url: 
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