The Bahamas Under Sail

Man O War, Abaco ~ Newfoundland Round Trip Summer 2025

Sailing Vessel “Andrea”, 49’ Cutter.

In June of 2025, A friend of mine and I departed Man O War Cay, Abaco for St. Peter’s, Nova Scotia, a distance of approximately 1,400 nautical miles. Our route took us out to a point 200 n.m. NW of Bermuda and then to St. Peters, which gave us the option of stopping in Bermuda for Fuel or Weather. We departed on the 5th of June after topping off Fuel and Water at Conch Inn Marina in Marsh Harbour. I estimated the trip would take 10 days.

I had obtained weather routing services from two sources, Commander’s Weather and Chris Parker and the options were the coastal route, riding the Gulf Stream North, and the route close by Bermuda. I chose the Ocean route over the Coastal route as there were weather systems along the coast that we avoided by staying further offshore.

Departing Man-O’ War North Channel at Noon in Southeasterly Trade winds we put fishing lines overboard, fine-tuned the Monitor Self-Steering vane and set the watches; 06-12, 12-18, and then rotating every two hours through the late evening/early morning hours.

The boat is a design derived from the 1972 Swan 48 and built in Aluminum. She weighs in at around 21 tons, is cutter rigged with a mast height above water of 65’, is flush-decked with two cockpits; one midships and one aft for the helmsman.

We caught our first Mahi less than a day out and the fishing proved exciting throughout the trip, hooking two additional Mahis and one Blue Marlin. The Blue Marlin proved too much for our gear and stripped every bit of line off the reel in a tremendous display of acrobatics while I frantically tensioned the drag, to no avail. We nonetheless enjoyed fresh Mahi for most of the voyage and a lot of laughs about “the one that got away”.

We made fairly good time the first few days sailing towards Bermuda and then altered our heading directly towards St. Peter’s. On one day, with 15 knot winds and 8’ seas astern, we averaged 10 knots for several hours, making for exhilarating sailing!

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After 9 days and 20 hours at sea we sailed past Dover Island, Nova Scotia and entered St Peter’s Canal, a quick transfer from the seasonally cool North Atlantic to the idyllic calm waters of the Bras D’Or Lakes. The St. Peters Yacht Club allowed us to dock, clear Customs and Immigration, and do our laundry. The St Peters Yacht Club is a warm and welcoming facility and a hub for cruising sailors. My crew departed, having family and business obligations, and I continued alone onto Baddeck, where I had a summer mooring awaiting me.

Baddeck is a lovely community and Baddeck Marine a delightful place to make a service stop. The staff there are hardworking, industrious and hospitable, the ship’s store complete, and so, before departing for the Fjords of Southern Newfoundland I hauled “Andrea” and completed bottom and topside maintenance, engine servicing and reprovisioned, went back in the water after just two days, topped off fuel and water and prepared for the departure while alongside Baddeck Marine’s service dock.

The ”Great Bras D’Or entrance” (Northern Entrance) can be a bit tricky and warrants careful planning. So, I spent time consulting with locals and was able to gain the assistance of a local pilot who advised on passage times. In the course of many conversations, I was able to meet the owners of two other vessels planning the same trip and cruising the Fjords and settlements of Southwestern Newfoundland, and a group soon formed.

We departed Baddeck and made our way out the lake to the Seal Island Bridge, adhering to the advice given us by the local pilot. We passed under the bridge and out the narrows with no more than a slight ebb current and crossed Cabot Straight, arriving early the next morning at Isle-aux-Mortes, Newfoundland. Isle-aux-Mortes is essentially the Western end of the Fjords of the Southwest Coast. It is a lovely, serene anchorage with a sturdy Government Wharf facility. After a two-day rest, we (Three vessels) sailed together along the Southwest Coast visiting the various Fjords and settlements along the way and reveling in the sheer beauty and peacefulness. The quaint villages, some abandoned, tell a tale of the Codfishing era of Newfoundland’s past. After visiting Francois, midway or eastwardly along the coast of fjords and inlets, I sailed alone back to Burgeo where I had made berth arrangements while I returned to work. I could not possibly have landed in better hands and the slip I was assigned perfectly protected my vessel.

One of the profound beauties of the Newfoundland Fjords is their remoteness. Dotted along the Southwest coast are several abandoned fishing communities, once prosperous and then resettled elsewhere by the Canadian Government. Waterfalls cascading into the sea are common along with stretches of white sandy beaches. Indeed, along the shores of Burgeo one such beach is 8 kilometers long.

Whale sightings were frequent between Nova Scotia and Newfoundland, and the curious “sunfish”, large black fish with wing-like fins as well as Seals were often seen along the rocky Newfoundland Coast.

Although I never made it to the French Islands of St Pierre and Michelon due to my work schedule, these Islands close offshore the Burin Peninsula offer a taste of culture like “the icing on the cake” of a Newfoundland cruise as well as convenient air and sea connections to Canada and France.

After a brief hitch delivering a Tractor Tug from Puerto Rico to Louisiana, I returned to Burgeo to do the transit back to the Bahamas. A Burgeo Lobsterman joined me and we left on the 28th of September, stopping along the way as weather or fuel necessitated. After exiting the Cape Cod Canal, we anchored in South Dartmouth, Mass. My crew had family issues to attend to, so he returned to Newfoundland while I continued south, completing the last 1,400 Nautical miles of the trip alone sailing the near-coastal route, clearing Customs at Marsh Harbour, Abaco on 1 November.

Back at home at Man- O’-War Cay, the sails are cleaned and stowed, the

preparations for the next voyage are being made, and the horizon beckons.