Light winds in the Far Out Bahamas Lindsay McRory June 25, 1996 "Far Out Islands" is a very appropriate term to describe the southern most Bahamas island group. Only a small percentage of the boats that visit the Bahamas ever venture this far south. Only a few pages in the cruising guide are dedicated to this long stretch of cays and islands. The guide, which states, "offshore skills determine the success of a cruise. In this remote part of the islands where distances are greater and yachting services scarce. Resourcefulness and self-reliance are critical here." There a few similar warnings in other guides. Doesn't really put a warm and fuzzy feeling in your tummy. It is the beginning of the route dubbed the "Thorny path" by offshore sailor Carlton Mitchell. Luckily, we have been thorn-less so far. The days have been long and hot, the wind has been very light, 5 knots at most. If the winds were blowing their usual 10 to 15 knots, we would have sailed north east to Rum Cay. This would allow us to tack our way from island to island until we arrived at Mayaguna Island, the last stop before the Turks and Caicos. Due to the light air, we have opted for a more direct route through the Crooked Islands. It's been three days of motoring since Georgetown. If it wasn't hurricane season we would find some neat spot to hang out until the winds filled in. But there are no hurricane holes between here and Luperon in the Dominican Republic. Time is important. Hakuna Matata's 240 gallons of diesel could motor us 1,100 nautical miles if we had to. There have been several boating accidents caused by heavy reliance on GPS systems. One happened in Georgetown while we were there, and I talked to a casualty in Spanish Wells. Entering reefs and areas of shallow water has to be done by eyeball and compass. Both accidents occurred after the crew loaded the desired waypoints in the GPS unit to guide their entrances into harbor, then used the waypoints to guide their way out. Both boats went hard aground with minor damage. We only use GPS to get us within visual range of our destination. When entering complex areas we set up as many transits as possible and follow them with the boats compass and a hand bearing compass. There is a compass in the binoculars but the card is small, seems to be unstable and more affected by magnetic influences around the boat. A good quality hand-bearing compass is essential cruising gear. Offshore we maintain a dead reckoning and transits to land if available. I haven't broken the sextant out since Martha's Vineyard. Maybe it's time. We just left Clarence Town on Long Island, heading for Landrail Point on Crooked Island. It's hot and calm. With any luck we'll be in the Turks and Caicos this Saturday.