Sleeping in Friday morning would have been a good plan but not one that worked. I was just to nervous. In the back of my mind the concerns about the wind and wave predictions that I found online swirled around and around. Vic had tried to assure me that it shouldn't be to bad of a crossing when we spoke on the phone but I had my doubts. The deciding factor had been the fact that our approved window for going was dwindling away because of the lack of weather window. If we didn't go now we might miss it all together. Add to this my uneasiness about a night crossing and I was one anxious chick! A sailor I am not and will be the first to admit it. The sailors I know either don't mind or really enjoy night crossings. Not me!! Especially those that will have little or no moon to shine on the water. I want to see what is around me in and on the water.
We pulled away from the mooring ball at check out time which was noon and moved over to the anchorage near the entrance to the harbor. The target time to start across was 4pm. We were purposely the tail end of the three boat regatta. I wanted lights to follow as the night was going to be black as coal. As we headed for the Gulf Stream the waves were 2-3s making for a somewhat choppy start. Vic thought they would calm down a bit once we were out on the open sea. They never did! In fact as the evening and night wore on the waves and wind increased. They were following seas so rather than go up and slam down they pushed us up and forward. As we came down Laughter would lurch to the left and right, sending anything loose to the floor. By 8pm Tom was Sea Sick and Peanut was a nervous wreck! She so wanted on my lap but couldn't move without falling to get to me. Obviously I drove. It would be somewhat difficult for Tom to drive with his head in the garbage can. Peanut tried to find a safe spot, digging herself into the blanket I had brought up. Her head the only part of her body that could be seen. At one point both Tom and Peanut were sick. The auto pilot allowed me to get up and clean up after Peanut. Tom was on his own! He finally found relief by wrapping himself and Peanut up in the blanket and going to sleep. I listened to music and sat at the helm. At one point in the middle of the night there were four freighters showing up on the radar, reminding me why I am not a fan of night crossings. We do not have active AIS on our chart plotter so I kept in close touch with Vic and Kathy to verify the distance of the freighters. As the night wore on the waters provided a washing machine effect on Laughter. Up, down, back and forth, repeat. I think you get the picture. About 4am our auto pilot decided to weird out on us. This meant I had to fight the waves manually to keep us in line with the other two boats. It also meant I had to stop drinking water. With Tom sleeping and no auto pilot, running below to use the facilities was no longer an option! When the dark of night began to give way to the light of a new day, I started to relax. Finally I could see where I was headed and better grasp the distance between boats. I no longer had to worry about objects in the water that I couldn't see and how close or far the freighters really were. This relaxed and excited state was briefly interrupted by the realization that I could also see the waves. The up and down, back and fourth caused by what I thought were four to six foot waves were actually six to eight! Being able to see us being pushed up and then sliding down at a forward angle was not comforting!
At about 7am I woke Tom up. I told him sick or not he needed to suck it up and drive for a bit so I could use the facilities! Once he was up and could see the horizon he seemed to do OK and took over the driving. Peanut stayed hidden in the blanket.
Before long the mountains of Cuba rose in the distance. They were beautiful and we were excited. Soon the landscape changed, the mountains disappearing from sight. The land ahead was now flat with a rocky shoreline. .Like a little kid excited to arrive at his vacation destination I found myself asking, when are we going to get there. I can see land, why is it taking so long to reach it?
I had read that in severe North winds the marina closes its entrance to mariners. The entry path is a 45 foot wide cut through a reef and a strong North wind could easily push you into the reef. I now wondered was they considered severe? We tried hailing the marina as directed in our guide but had no answer. About 30 minutes later someone came on our radio. "The three boats headed to our shores, what is your intention?" We took turns giving our information and were instructed to proceed to the customs dock upon entry into the harbor. Yee ha! The entrance was open. The approach was bouncy but with careful attention and the excellent directions provided to us over the radio, we were soon safely tied to the customs dock. OMG, we made it!! We are actually in Cuba.
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