TOP
Nassau to Georgetown

Mission Panamania: Operation Nassau to George Town

I had to squint hard and force a few tears out to rub the grit away.  I had slept so hard my eyes were nearly crusted shut.  I didn’t realize just how stressed and exhausted I had been until this first night at anchor.

peace sailing at sea

It’s been little more than three days since we left Florida and all the craziness that happened in the couple of months we were there.  Everything about our time in Florida was good, but it was jam packed, non-stop, go go go.  There were countless meetups, endless decisions to be made and a literal boat load of projects to tackle.  It took a toll on both of us.

Now, here we are just a stone’s throw from Nassau.  We’ve only sailed a couple hundred nautical miles away but it feels like Florida is a distant memory.  With each breath of salty air I feel the tension in my shoulders slowly loosen and that warm-fuzzy feeling of being a nomad slowly coming back.  We’re on the move and it feels oh-so-good.

Traveling Chromosomes, Where We’re From

Our target destination for this voyage is Panama but we’re in no hurry to get there.  We’re savoring the journey and getting back into the cruising groove. It’s all salt spray, sunny skies and starry nights ahead for us!

When I said thanks for watching at the end of the video, I really did mean it.  It’s all of you watching, liking, sharing, commenting, shopping our gear store and supporting us through Patreon and our semi-hidden tip-jar that makes sharing these adventures possible.  While it’s not always easy to publish our lives to the world (ya can’t have the sweet without the sour), it’s here on our website, our virtual home, that we find strength in our community.   Thank you for being here, for your words of encouragement and becoming such an impactful part of our journey.  We appreciate it more than we know how to express.

That said…I will blame the excessive fresh air and sunshine for that bout of emotion.

If you’re wondering why we checked into the Bahamas, it does seem to be a grey area.  Lots of people said if you’re sailing through and have no intentions of going ashore, you don’t have to check in…on the other hand we’ve read if you’re sailing in their territorial waters, fishing their seas and anchoring near their shores it is proper to check in and get a cruising permit. We couldn’t find a straight answer and even had varying responses from customs officers. Some people we chatted with said we could have skipped checking in and saved the $300+ bucks, but it just didn’t feel like it was the right thing to do. Plus, we weren’t in that big of a hurry and welcomed the break for some land fun.  If you want the scoop on checking into the Bahamas we covered that here: www.gonewiththewynns.com/bahamas-blowing-line-checking-in

Lightning at Sea

When Jason showed me his photo’s of lightning he captured during his shift I was crazy impressed.  I struggle to photograph lightning strikes at night on dry land, add a moving boat to the mix and I thought he was magical. Turns out he cheated…big time.  He has a new toy called strike finder. It’s a nifty device that detects the lightning and triggers the shutter…or maybe he is magical?!? 🙂

If you are a lightning photo fan, check it out here: https://strikefinder.photo  And, if you use the discount code WYNNS at checkout you’ll get 10% off.  This device is new to us and we’re sort of excited and scared (ya know, lightning and sailboat masts don’t exactly mix well) to see what we can do with this gadget.

lightning at sea

photographing lightning at sea

Sailing Report

To see our full map with interactive pins, click here: gonewiththewynns.com/map

nassau to bahamasDates: July 17-20, 2017
Nautical Miles Sailed: 241
Anchorage:  Old Fort Bay, New Providence Island.  Just outside of George Town.  Anchorages can be found easily on Active Captain.
Cell & WiFi: Our BTC cell phone signal was good.

 

Gear Used In This Video

Cameras Used to Capture This Video

 

Thanks for being a part of our journey!  If you enjoy what we do and you want to help us keep the videos and posts flowing, check out our Say Thanks page. It lists out some ways you can show us some digital love and most won’t cost you a penny.

 

Hello there! I honestly don’t know what to say, so I am going to tell you a bunch of random facts instead. I'm a fish eating vegetarian who hates spiders and loves snakes. I almost never took vacations growing up. I wanted to be Pippi Longstocking (still do). I misspell about every other word I write and still struggle with grammar. I love splurging on a good high tea (which is really hard to find these days). And whatever you do, don’t tell me I can’t do something, because then I'll HAVE to do it!

Comments (37)

  • Sarah

    Awesome video! I love following y’all. I was wondering if you could explai. The purpose of the “kill juice” you put in the gills of the fish. Tried googling it but only found ceviche info lol

    reply
  • Deborah Kerr

    Wow I hope that mahi was worth all the effort! Good exercise for sure? I love your adventures⛵️ Thanks for sharing & keep smiling! ?

    reply
  • Jerry Lee

    Last year we did the Exuma’s and This Nov we will be in Georgetown for a week. Love seeing the same places we enjoyed so much. Glad you are safe in Panama now. Looking forward to your videos of the rest of the trip to Pan.
    Your video’s and telling of your thoughts seem so refreshing and sincere. Keep ’em coming
    Jer and Cheri

    reply
  • Tracy H

    Another amazing video, beautiful blues of the sky and ocean. Love to see ya’ll catching those fish too. It surely takes an adventurous spirit, courage, grit and being a modern explorer to do what you all are doing. Congrats to you and your crew. Stay safe and well.

    reply
  • Alex

    Thanks for the great video. So great seeing you live the dream we are planning in about 18 months. Shows what i hope it will really be like. Starting to learn to sail next month and then trip planned in the Seychelles (on your make and model of cat). Can’t wait. Happy sailing and thanks again for the great videos.
    Alex (South Africa)

    reply
  • Hal

    Just bought a used Leopard 44 and love it but not the heat. I was sold on lagoons till I started following you guys. Are you able to run your a/c on battery/solar now? I would rather not run the generator so much. Did you upgrade solar this summer?

    reply
  • Wendy Hardy

    Love your videos! Your rappor, honesty and freshness makes them interesting to watch. We first found your RV videos on YouTube which led to your sailing ones.
    My husband and I have done a fair bit of sailing in Canada, the Eastern Seabord, the Bahamas as well as a two year trip with our children from Georgian Bay in Canada to Venezuela, Trinidad and home again.
    Watching your latest video, Nassau to Georgetown, has us quite concerned about your night time safety. On our night passages once it was dark everyone in the cockpit wore a life jacket/inflatable life vest and if they were alone they were tethered to the boat. No one ever went out of the cockpit without someone else being in the cockpit and the person on deck was tethered to jack lines that run the length of the boat. Boats move very suddenly and if someone were to go over at night retrieving them would be horrific!!! If something happens ones immediate reaction is to jump up and take care of it. Taking the time to put on a life jacket isn’t intuitive.
    Please, please, please take your night time safety more seriously.
    Fair winds and more mahi! Rick and Wendy. Silver Fox II

    reply
    • Curious Minion

      If you watch carefully, you’ll see Jason wearing an inflatable PFD when he’s reefing the sail (in other words, out of the cockpit at night) and the PFDs all have AIS transponders on them. In addition, he mentions that there are always 2 crew members on watch now, so there’s a second pair of eyes and hands available.

      reply
      • Wendy Hardy

        An AIS MAY help you find the person. In the video Jason has gone to the bow, reefing the sail because of increasing winds and seas therefore the conditions are rough. If he were to go over it would be extremely hard to find him. In a man overboard situation person 1 never takes their eyes off and points to the person overboard while person 2 manoeuvres the boat. In this video there is only one other person on watch with Jason. Who has their eyes on him (not that you could see him in the dark although he might have an outomatic strobe light on his vest) and who is steering the boat? By the time they can get someone else up the boat would be very far away from Jason. Being tethered to the boat negates the whole possibility of going overboard.
        During a friendly daytime race under rather benign conditions, we had a crew member go overboard. With 8 experienced sailors on board it still took over 20 minutes to get him back on the boat. Manouvering a large boat to pick up a person is not easy. It was a very sobering experience for us all. Having someone go overboard is a situation you NEVER want to be in.

        reply
  • Lucille Hjort

    I have no idea where you are all at now. I think the video is much delayed as it has been far more than 3 days since we heard from you. There is a big storm in the Gulf of Mexico and I hope you are out of there. I thought you were going west out of Panama Canal if that is possible. It is hard to see it on my map even though I enlarge it. Good luck.

    reply
    • Curious Minion

      If you check the map on the blog (at the bottom of every page) you can see Curiosity tucked up in Panama. The canal transit isn’t scheduled yet (lots to explore on this side of Panama!).

      reply
  • Rob & Lori

    Love all your videos, but this one was one of your best for us. Really enjoyed it and your new crew. Thanks for what you do.

    reply
  • bahamamam penny

    I can NOT believe you are back in the Bahamas!!!!! We are preparing to head back by early Oct. Leaving Ohio in 35 days!!! FUN watching all you are doing! Sending BIG hugs!!!

    reply
  • Randy Thoren

    This is getting exciting, I so would love to go through the Panama Canal, and get a hat!. I’m a pilot and am taking my first sail lesson this Wednesday in Lake Tahoe! Yoo Hoo!. One small request. I’m a gauge guy, could you show the gauges for about 3 seconds each, I like to try to do the math while your underway. Miss you during the week so taking copious amounts of pills to cope with the anxiety by Friday. 😉 thanks for the fix.
    Some day over the rainbow!! Cheers and happy tail winds. Randy (SV Loki)

    reply
  • Marsha

    I love Sundays, it means I get to watch your videos. You didn’t disappoint. Stay safe & stay classy!

    reply
  • Dayami

    Would love to know where Nikki buys the cute bathing suits. My daughter liked the one in this video. Thanks for sharing the adventure. We are watching your video from our RV at Badlands National Park.

    reply
  • Risa

    SO look forward to each and every video you upload! Love when you guys take the time to stop and appreciate the beauty as you witness it!. as always, safe travels!

    reply
  • Michael Williams

    Looks like great fun…..freedom and ….adventure. I would love to do that but alas my patients need me more just now. keep up the good work….I am jealous …..but happy you are living the dream. Maybe one day I will get free and fly like you……
    Wishing you Smooth sailing, fair winds and clear skies…….

    Doc Mike

    reply
  • Irv

    What is “kill juice”? Google couldn’t find anything useful for that search term.

    reply
    • Daniel Lemaire

      Any strong alcoholic beverage (preferably not expensive!) poured into the gills of a fish will kill it cleanly and painlessly.
      Daniel L.

      reply
  • Milton McKinney

    Very good update! I am retired and putting my own plans into operation, after watching your RV videos, and now you are tacking off in a new direction, lol. As much as I would love to have a boat to sail away on (four years in the Navy after all), I’ll have to go the full time RV route for now. Heading out on a month long motorcycle trip in a few days, leaving Texas once again (Houston area) to head up to Montana to visit with old friends, and see some of my newer friends from working at Yellowstone National Park for a couple of years immediately after I retired. All that to say, I look forward to your updates and videos even when I’m off on adventures of my own, lol. Keep them coming, I’m going to hit the patreon when I get back from this trip!

    Mac McKinney

    reply
  • Mary vancompernolle

    It is so nice to see a video again! I’ve become so used to my Sunday fix! Glad you get a little land time. Glad you made it safely there.

    Everyone looks a little tired Get some rest.

    Jason you shared something about mother nature and how beautiful your night the ceiling was. I don’t remember what the little green things in the water are called ,plankton?? however, my question is was that more incredible than the Aurora borealis you and Nikk saw in Alaska?

    reply
    • Mary vancompernolle

      Sailing…⛵️

      reply
  • Jeffrey Stone

    Just how many bathing suits do you own?

    reply
  • Gary

    Hi Troops – Will be in George town in November 🙂

    reply
  • George Hofmann

    It’s alway a joy to see you have posted. In my humble opinion, your vlogs are my cup-a tea. Information dense, joyous people doing what they love and being gloriously impacted by their surroundings, people and sailing. Good on ya!

    reply
  • MILTY

    Just so you know == Sailors do not stand “shifts” that’s for factory workers. Sailors stand “watches” and have for years per nautical tradition. It makes you a lot more “salty”.

    Another “suggestion” would be to make your flag hoisting halyard a never ending loop, and affix two eyes to it with clips to hold you pennants etc.

    reply
  • Sharon

    Hi Guys – all 4 of you are awesome! You are my favorite sailing group and the only one that I subscribe to on Patreon. I also followed you when you had the RV videos. This Thursday would be great to have a “live session” with you all. Last time was a little dicey but I stilled enjoyed it. Enjoy Panama!

    reply
  • Awww, a little emotion is good 🙂 We feel the same, a true connection with y’all and I for one understand the vulnerability that comes with putting up videos and blogs of one’s life-good and not so good. It’s real and gritty. It speaks to all of us, and encourages us that we can do things too. Right now Angelo and I are in negotiation for a Holiday Rambler. We shall see if it works out, or we need to keep looking (it’s perfect for us, just about, with room for Cali Dog and Tarby Cat). It’s your videos and blog posts that have given me a lot of encouragement to let go and look outward. Congratulations on your journey….and yes, it does seem right to give a bit back to a beautiful place like the Bahamas, and I’ll bet you really did need a bit of a breather….after the crazy sauce of Florida. 🙂

    reply
  • Dennis

    Great video. Makes me envious and inspires me. Was Nikki practicing a different language at 10:54. I couldn’t understand a word she said. Got a good laugh.

    reply
  • Sue Goetzinger

    Great to catch up on your sail so far. We were sailing last night near St. Petersburg and thinking about you.

    reply
  • Heather Stewart

    Welcome back! ? Nice to catch up with y’all … and yes, we wish you could share all those beautiful things too, Jason, but just some things don’t translate. ? Glad the shoulder knots loosened up, and considering you’ve arrived at your final destination too, hope all that hard work in FL paid off and everything worked as it should, they are further relaxed! Look forward to the next chapter…and now, I’m off for a day sail on the SF Bay. Last time out, we followed a humpback whale IN the Bay, right in front of the cityfront & SF Ferry Building…beautiful and amazing!!!

    reply
  • Daniel Lemaire

    I’ve been following you on MarineTraffic.com since you left Florida, and according to them, at this hour (August 6, 11 AM EDT), Curiosity is still to the south-east of Jamaica !? So if you’ve been able to upload, I guess you’re back somewhere in “civilization”…

    One remark concerning the way you set your sails when beating to windward. I think you should move the genoa sheet car further back, if you can, because your genoa is not flat enough to my taste when close hauled. Remember that the force exerted by a sail is perpendicular to its surface, so if the sail is too rounded, has too much draft, the forward portion of the sail is indeed pulling forward, but the aft portion of the sail is pulling you back, creating drag. If you moved the sheet car back a bit, you could flatten the aft section of the genoa, diminishing that drag… and make better speed!

    Good luck and fair winds. I love to watch your videos.

    Daniel L.
    P.S. I had written to you several months ago about steering the dinghy outboard with your left hand: glad to see you eventually came round to it!

    reply
  • It has been a Longgggggggggggggggggg 2 weeks …

    reply
  • Pamela

    Thank you for sharing your lives with us, it’s not only entertaining, it’s motivating. I just gifted our chatterbox set that we used in our motorcycle helmets (seems I’m not a fan of having my husband of 33 years in my ear while riding!). In what capacity do you use yours? Thank you. Happy sailing.

    reply

Post a Comment