Cruising 2024
We made our first trip to the Bahamas in 2024. Most of it was done in company with our friends Rob and Juliet on Kadey Krogen 58, Sea la Vie. Rob and Juliet have done this trip before and it was so great to have them guide us through all the things you need to know to cruise the Bahamas. We arrived back in New Bern, NC in May of 2024 after the Bahamas trip and stayed at home for a few months rather than taking the normal trip north. However by September we were ready for some cruising and did a leisurely trip to Chesapeake Bay and attended our fourth Kadey Krogen Rendezvous in Solomons, Maryland.
January 2024
Don’s sister Diane and her husband Brendan flew into NC to join us for the trip to the Bahamas. Weather delays started from the outset. First the plane trip from Newfoundland Canada was not happening due to winter storms and delays. Diane and Brendan arrived a few days late, and at the beginning of several bad weather days in NC. By this time we were getting a little less picky and decided to head out of New Bern, NC on January with a day or two of “ok” weather, at least for a Kadey Krogen 58. We had many options to head to port if needed, however a 75 hour run saw us arriving in Stuart, FL on January 18, just ahead of several more days of high winds. Eventually we made it to the Bahamas and cruised for three months before heading back to New Bern, NC.
Bahamas – January 2024
Boat project winter 2023
Main projects completed winter of 2023.
- Replaced the house battery bank. We use Lifeline AGM batteries, with three banks of batteries, each bank consisting of four 6 volt batteries, for a total of 900 Amp hours of capacity at 24 volts. The removed ones were from 2020 so failed a bit early and Don got a 50% discount on replacements directly from Lifeline. Hopefully we can do better with the new ones.
- Removed most of the sound shield on the 20kw generator and modified hydraulic hoses so Don can get behind the generator to access hydraulic pack for the davit. The 20kw generator is 95% used for hydraulics for the thruster and windlass so is only running when the engines are running. Noise reduction is not really a requirement compared to the 12kw generator which is used at anchor to provide electricity for battery charging and high voltage electricity such as air conditioning. With the sound shield removed the 20kw generator is much easier to access and maintain as well.
- Upgraded our snubber to a custom made snubber from a Florida company. The new snubber has chafe protection and uses soft shackles for connection to the bow eye and anchor chain.
- Replaced our EPIRB with a new one as the old one no longer is supported for battery replacement by ACR. The new unit has the addition of AIS capability and latest technology.
- Boat was hauled at Bridgeton boat works in New Bern. Bottom was cleaned and thru hulls cleaned out. Bottom paint was inspected and will be renewed in spring of 2025. Hull was cleaned and waxed and a number of fiberglass repairs were done to repair some stress cracks around hinges in doors and repair a few scrapes and dents from our cruising. We hit a stump in 2023 while moving over for a barge on the north landing river and damaged the wing on bottom or the starboard fin. This is an unnecessary protrusion on the ABT fins so Don removed the wing and replaced it with a 1/2″ fiberglass panel. Also removed the port side wing and replaced it as well.
- Installed Starlink on Long Point. This provides unlimited internet and is a game changer when cruising. This was done after our summer 2023 cruise but before the 2024 Bahamas trip.
- We finally rigged and practiced using the flopper stoppers in preparation for the Bahamas. All lines were in the flybridge lockers except trip lines that we added. After a couple of days of practice at the dock we were ready to use them when needed.