Return Crossing – The return crossing is the opposite of the crossing to get to the Bahamas. Aso, the return crossing does not require stopping at the Bahamas customs office in West End, Grand Bahama. The journey from our island home to South Florida will be a non-stop trip. And the time it can take can be anywhere from six- and one-half hours to seven plus hours, depending on the weather and the gulf stream currents.
The return to Florida would come one day early. The day we had planned to leave was not going to be favorable for our return crossing, so Grandad on the evening of Day SEVEN announced that we needed to pack up and be prepared to leave the next morning. Again, when this announcement was made by Grandad, my youngest daughter was not happy. Now we have lost three days of our vacation to weather impacting our boat journey to and from the Bahamas.
We were only on the island for four days in total this year and that was just not enough time.
And we knew that we had to follow Grandad’s, I mean our captain’s, direction and began to pack what we were taking back. We will be leaving early tomorrow morning.
Day EIGHT – It was an early rise and the coffee still needed to be made for me and Grandad. As the morning light began to appear on the horizon of the ocean, it would reveal a perfect crossing day was at hand. As the sun began to crest on the ocean’s horizon, I could see that the ocean was smooth and the waves were small. The wind was calm. The sky was cloudless and bright blue. I sipped my coffee and thought to myself that this day is going to be a beautiful day on the island. But we would not be experiencing this day on the island.
After enjoying my coffee with the sunrise, the scrambling to gather our bags and other things we were taking back to Florida began. We loaded up the golf carts and headed to the dock where the boat was. It was already fueled and ready to go. Once loaded, and goodbyes were said, we left the dock and headed out to the sea where Grandad would throttle the engines up to the speed he had in mind and brought online the navigation system. We achieved our speed at around thirty miles per hour. There were very small waves in front of us, almost non-existent at less than one foot in height, but you could see them rippling from the early morning sunlight.
When we made it to the Little Bahama Bank, we found the water to be as smooth as glass. Granddad had never seen the water this smooth. It was an incredible sight to see. On this morning, the sun was bright, and there were still no clouds to be found. I think we hit forty miles per hour as we headed west through the bank. This perfect weather set the tone for our journey out of the Bahamas across the gulf stream towards South Florida.
For most of this journey back to the US I stood out in the sunshine tanning myself. This was something I had promised myself to do on this vacation. And I did get a bit toasted, I mean tanned, on this return. If I had dermatologist, I am sure that his or her voice would be screaming at me to cover myself in sunscreen.
When the day is perfect, and the sun is shining brightly, you need to go to the next level of enjoyment. And in my case, exposure. Since I was standing behind the center console, I was not covered by the extended sunscreen panel so got some good body tanning going on. Remember, I am looking for new ways to celebrate life since I was given more time in the world to live and I want to get tan during this year’s vacation.
Halfway across the gulf stream some afternoon waves were beginning to build. By the time we could see the tall buildings stretching out along the Florida coastline, the waves had built a little more, but nothing like the waves when we first set out to head to the Bahamas at the beginning of the first crossing.
And then I saw the familiar buildings of Fort Lauderdale. And there is the inlet. It was a busy day with lots of boats passing through the inlet. We got into the cue with other boats, and everyone patiently made their way into the inlet.
We were now passing through the inlet along with the other boats we cued with and who had also made the crossing from other parts of the Bahamas and from a day of fishing. The inlet was getting a bit crowded. Grandad positions the boat so we could have a clear shot through the inlet and into the intercoastal waters. This is a “no wake area” and the police in their boats are waiting for someone to break that rule.
At this point we had put the Bahamian flag away and had notified US customs of our arrival and our declarations. We would be getting from immigration and customs an email notification of our clearance back into the US and a welcome home. This notification usually arrived somewhere along our route home. From the inlet to the house where we dock the boat takes about an hour.
What is always interesting to see as we make our way to the house are the incredible homes built along the Intercoastal Waterway and the New River that runs through downtown Fort Lauderdale. Some of the houses are huge. Some are very contemporary. But for the most part, they are beautiful to look and dream about.
As we got close to the house, we received the email notification that we have been cleared back into the United States with a Welcome Home closing.
As we neared the dock, we saw Grandma on the dock waiting for us. Grandad positioned the boat to the lift, and we threw Grandma a rope to tie off and then we pulled into position to lift the boat out of the water. Once the boat was secure into the lift, the boat began to rise out of the water. Before the boat is completely out of the water the lift stops giving us a good docking height to begin to unload all of the bags and other items. The boat still needs to be cleaned before being lifted to its final lift destination.
If I remember correctly, the return crossing took a little more than six hours to complete. With glassy smooth water you can go fast. But it was still a crossing and that will still exhaust you.
After securing and cleaning the boat, our tradition is to jump into the pool after all of the docking and unloading tasks have been completed. And Grandma will bring out a bottle of wine so we can have a glass to relax before cleaning up for dinner. Remember, the crossing typically lasts for 7 to 8 hours depending on the conditions of the water, wind, and weather.
After cooling off and relaxing in the pool, we showered in advance of dinner. Then some more wine. And then off to dreamland letting the day fade away. And it has been a very long day.
Good night…
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