VAMOS - The Journey Continues - 2025 Part I

I got to live out a dream! Arriving by boat is unique and impressive. I’m not talking cruise

ship. I’m talking personal boat. I’ve been lucky enough to arrive many places by boat.

Arriving in Grand Cayman in a 37ft center console boat and then returning to Stuart, FL is

something altogether different. This was amazing! This is what dreams are made of. TY

God!

Before jumping into the dream trip, a little bit of catch-up since it has been about four years since I posted anything. We are still bi-coastal with the house in Yountville, CA and the house in Stuart and condo in Delray Beach, FL. In mid- 2020, I commissioned a new boat with Bonadeo Boat works, a Stuart, FL based custom builder. The Bonadeo boats are beautiful and extremely well built! The build was scheduled to be completed in 9-12 months, but due to labor and supply chain shortages it took about 22 months. The finished product was worth the wait. During the build I visited the shop frequently - maybe too frequently for some - but I really gained a sense of the work it takes to build a custom boat. Now the new VAMOS sits at the end of the dock in Stuart on a boat lift.

The trip to Cayman from Stuart, FL is just over 1,000 miles. In the old VAMOS (55'

Nordhavn) we would have left Stuart and headed down the east coast of Florida at 7.5

knots until we headed West and then rounded the western end of Cuba and then set a

south easterly track for George Town, Grand Cayman. The trip would have been about 800

miles and would have taken roughly four days, with no stops. But new VAMOS (37’

Bonadeo) is a center console and does not have capacity for enough fuel and little of the

creature comforts of a big cruising yacht. But the new VAMOS can travel fast! Our route

will be similar to above but instead of rounding Cuba we will cross the straight of Yucatan

and head into a small island near Cancun called Isla Mujeres to take fuel. This extra bit of

the journey adds 200 miles to the total so the trip is about 1,000 miles.

Old and New VAMOS.

Before getting into the details of the trip, I feel a bit of background would help set the stage.

Back in December 2023, Julia and I and Tortilla spent the month of December in Cayman

visiting old friends. It was our first trip back to Cayman since Covid happened and the

impact to the island was profound. However, the island had bounced back and in short, we

had a great time! Sometime later, we decided to go back for another stay and decided we

would try an early summertime slot so we booked six weeks from the last week in May through the first week of July. This covers my 60th birthday and Julia’s birthday as well!

What better way to celebrate than going to Cayman!

With the timing set for the summer months I figured it was early enough before hurricane

season that I would endeavor to get my boat to Cayman where we can use it the way it was

built to be used. I started my preparations at least six months in advance. Early

considerations included insurance (those pesky insurance companies), my somewhat

unreliable motors and my crew.

Insurance proved to be a challenge – of course! My current carrier would not extend the

area of navigation to allow me to travel all the way to Cayman. Most domestic carriers

allow you to go to the Bahamas from Florida, but otherwise they expect your area of

navigation to be coastal and inland water ways of the US. I needed to cross the Gulf of

America (Mexico) which means passing fairly close to Cuba and stopping in Mexico. Both

of which are not normal for a 37’ center console, unless it is being towed behind a giant

yacht! So after testing many domestic carriers, I found a large yacht broker and explained

what I wanted to do and we found Lloyds of London carriers that would cover the trip at a

steep price – but I found coverage!

Next, I needed to sort out my somewhat unreliable motors. When my boat was built I made

the decision to put two motors on the boat instead of three. Three motors just looks cool

and makes the boat go faster but I have found that you rarely have the opportunity to go

that fast and having two motors allows you to bring in fish off the back of the boat or jump

in the water and be able to easily get back out because you have some room to maneuver.

The problem with two motors is that the boat is fairly heavy and I need the boat to get up

and go. I have always been partial to Yamaha motors but I decided to try Mercury because

they were (and still are) producing some of the best outboard motors on the market. After

consulting the Mercury rep, I selected on a pair of 450 hp Mercury Racing motors. 900 hp is

plenty for VAMOS! The Racing motor is a small block V8 4.3L motor that is the same basic

motor as Mercury’s 300 hp motor that is well tested and very popular. The difference is that

the 450R is super charged to produce the extra horsepower. I was a bit nervous about

these motors because I wanted reliability for longer fishing trips. It turns out that I was right

to be concerned because after two plus years of use I had no end of pesky little problems. I

made the decision to get rid of the 450R motors and after a lot of research I (begrudgingly)

stuck with Mercury and selected a new model. It is a 400 hp, big block naturally aspirated

V10! I dropped 100 horsepower, but I gained better handling around the dock, better fuel

efficiency and surprisingly about 2-3 miles per hour on the top end! It was an expensive

switch, but after falling out of love with my boat, I am back in love with my boat!

Lastly, you need a good crew to make a trip like this. I was looking for reliable, capable

people that I can hang around with for several days. When I mentioned the trip to people

lots of people want to go but they don’t commit and most of them don’t really realize what

you are getting into making a trip like this. In the end, I was able to entice two young guys to

come along for the trip. The first is Pat Humphrey. I only recently met Pat but he has been a

boat captain on private boats for 11 years and before that he was in the US Coast Guard

and is super experienced on boats. It just so happened that he was available and

interested. The second member of the crew is Tony Bonadeo. He was the boat builder and

maintains the boat for me now. Tony knows the boat way better than I do! This is the dream

team. It is like having Koby and Lebron on your team!

Tony, Bart and Pat on Day 1 – all smiles!

The last problem to solve was fuel. The route takes us from Stuart, FL to Key West which is

225 nautical miles. From Key West you cross the Gulf to Isla Mujeres, MX which is 340

nautical miles. And then you go from Mexico to Grand Cayman which is another 330

nautical miles. All together that is 895 nautical miles which converted to statutory miles is

1,025 miles. We are doing this in a 37’ center console boat! The boat holds 400 gallons of gasoline which in the right sea conditions is probably just enough to complete the two long

legs, but there is little to no margin for error and there is nobody to help if you run out of

fuel. So I needed to figure out how to get another 50 gallons or so on the boat. I looked into

a fuel bladder that is designed for this exact purpose, but they mostly are designed to sit on

the deck and be strapped in to keep them from moving around. On a big boat that is fine

because there is plenty of deck space but on my boat deck space is at a premium. In the

end I decided on 10 five-gallon jugs and a fuel transfer pump to quickly get the fuel into the

main tank while probably rolling around a bit. This method worked well: with two fuel

transfers at sea, we barely spilled any, and the jugs fit in the fish box below deck, so no

deck space was lost.

Filling the jugs in Stuart and then packing them in the fish box.

With most of the big issues solved I needed to figure out what was going with me on the

boat and where was I going to store it so it didn’t move around too much. The big items

were things like fishing and dive gear but I also made room for dog food, beach towels, golf

shoes, balls and the mudslide machine! I also needed to be able to communicate with the

outside world if I had a problem and needed help trouble shooting so I considered adding

Star Link to the boat. With Star Link you have super-fast and reliable internet which would

allow video calling even in the middle of nowhere. But you need space to add the hardware

and space is at a premium in my boat. In the end I settled for a satellite phone. Small,

inexpensive and pretty reliable. Check! Lastly, I tested all of safety gear which includes the

personal flotation devices (PFD), an EPIRB (a radio beacon that transmits a distress signal

to the world), a spot tracker so people can follow the movements of the boat, a handheld

GPS in case the main one breaks, first aid kit, and flares. Of course, some of the gear

needed to be replaced, but you spare no expense for this gear!

Given the distances we were planning to travel, weather is a very significant factor. I use

several different weather Apps but the two I rely on most are Windy and Predict Wind. Ideally, I want a weather window of about a week of good to acceptable weather. For this

trip I wasn’t too worried about the first leg from Stuart to Key West because you always

have options to duck into to the intracoastal waterway. It is slower but reliable. The

second and third legs are the long, difficult legs. The leg from Key West to Isla Mujeres, MX

is 340 nautical miles (400 statutory miles). For about three quarters of the trip you are

protected by Cuba assuming the wind is coming from some southerly direction which is

typical this time of year. The last 100 miles is crossing the straight of Yucatan. This can be

tricky because there is a pretty significant current that runs from south to north and

depending on wind direction it can get very rough and sloppy. Additionally, the last 40

miles or so can be rough even on a good day because the depth is changing rapidly from

2,000 plus feet to 100 feet or so on top of the bank. The current piles up on the incline and

produces rough seas for 10-15 miles. The last leg from Isla to Grand Cayman is 330

nautical miles in a straight line, but typically the weather dictates that you arc a bit north to

get better seas which adds 20-30 more miles. Coming out of Isla you face the same sea

conditions as I just described, but once you get off the bank and into deep water the seas

typically subside.

We ended up with very good to acceptable conditions each day. On the first leg we left

Stuart, FL at 6:30 a.m. and exited the St. Lucie inlet about 20 minutes later and then

headed south staying approximately ½ mile off the beach so we avoid the northerly flowing

current. The seas were as calm as predicted and we covered 225 nautical miles in 8 ½

hours (averaged 26.5 knots) arriving in Stock Island at the Perry Inn Marina by 3:00 p.m. I

had loaded 210 gallons of fuel on the boat in addition to a somewhat unknown amount of

fuel already in the tank. When we arrived at Stock Island we went directly to the fuel dock

and filled the main tank which is rated at 400 gallons capacity. We ended up taking 394

gallons in the main tank which means we arrived in Stock Island with only 6 gallons of

fuel…Ooops! We did have another 50 gallons in five-gallon jugs that we could have

accessed but I didn’t intend to use that on the first leg. I just didn’t want to carry extra fuel

for the first leg because the heavier the boat the worse the fuel burn is going to be. Anyway, it all worked out and we carried just the right amount of fuel.

For the second and third legs there was little doubt that we would need the extra 50 gallons

of fuel. Day two started at 5:00 a.m. exiting Stock Island. Captain Pat was very familiar

with the area so he took us out and through the reef into deep water. We then headed west

towards Mexico at approximately 10 knots. The plan was to continue at this speed to cover

some ground at a safe, fuel-efficient speed until we burned of 50+ gallons of fuel and then

transfer the fuel from the five-gallon jugs into the main tank. The quicker we moved the

weight of the fuel from the stern of the boat into the main tank the better the boat would

run. As the sun came up, we put a couple of fishing lures in the water just in case we came

across some fish. I was hoping for a marlin strike so I put lures that are meant for big fish

which sometimes means that the leader is steel instead of heavy mono. We trolled for

several hours and no luck. However, at some point a toothy fish cut the tail end of a wire

leader lure right off. It was likely a wahoo that struck so fast that the line never pulled any

drag and didn’t make a sound. I have never seen a fish cut through the wire leader until that

strike. Too bad!

The sea conditions for the second leg started nearly flat calm and continued that way for

approximately 260-270 miles. We were cruising at 26-27 knots after starting the day at 10

knots for five hours. I figured if we averaged .9 nautical miles per gallon (nmpg) we would

arrive at our destination with plenty of reserve fuel. The more fuel you burn the less the

boat weighs and the more fuel-efficient it becomes. So at the beginning of the trip you

expect to average less than .9 nmpg but by the end you are getting better than .9 nmpg. I

was watching fuel burn all day and we arrived in Isla Mujeres way ahead of schedule with

60 gallons of fuel left in the tank. That was great news! We averaged .885 nmpg, which was

close enough to the target. We arrived at 9 p.m. central time so we took 17 hours to cover

343 nm for an average speed of 20 knots. Pretty good given fives hours at 10 kts to start the

day.

We hadn’t planned to arrive in time to need a room, but Captain Pat is a local legend in Isla

having spent many months running sport fish boats during sail fish season. He was able to

find us two rooms close by the marina and we slipped into a local restaurant before the

kitchen closed. We had a shower, a good meal, 8 hours of sleep and we headed back to

the boat to clear customs and immigration and refuel. Again, Captain Pat came through

with a connection to CBP Mexico and we cleared in and out while we refueled the boat.

Pat’s contact, German, met us at the boat slip, took one look at the boat and said, “You’re

going to Cayman in that?.”

Fueling up in Isla Mujeres, MX

We departed Isla at 9:00 a.m. headed to Grand Cayman. The route was somewhat

nonlinear to achieve better weather and calmer seas. The wind normally blows across the

Caribbean Sea from east to west and the current is flowing the same direction, so we were

headed against the wind and the current and the sea conditions were predicted to start

sloppy, get better and end sloppy over the course of the 340 nm. Again, I was concerned

about fuel burn. We needed to arrive at Grand Cayman well before 4:00 p.m. when

Customs and Immigration closed. I figured we would arrive in approximately 24 hours so

9:00 a.m. Saturday morning and then head directly to the government dock to clear in. This

leg started as expected with a head sea and sloppy sea conditions. After having been on

the boat the previous day for 17 hours, I was starting this leg tired. The sloppy conditions

persisted for 40 miles or so and then like magic the seas flattened out and were much

better than expected. We traversed the first 100 miles, found calm seas and decided to

transfer the extra fuel into the main tank. With the fuel transferred, and calm seas we took

off at 26-27 kts and covered ground all day. We saw precious little crossing this westerly

part of the Caribbean. One or two ships and a fairly large pod of dolphins that appeared to

be chasing us while jumping out of the water. I took this as a good sign! Each time we

passed a ship we figured the ship Captain was looking at us as we passed by and thinking,

“What the hell are they doing out here???”. By the time the sunset at 7:00 p.m. or so we

had covered 250 of the approximately 340 nm. The sea conditions were deteriorating but

they were still acceptable. We slowed to maybe 22 kts while the ambient sunlight

disappeared, and we all got soaking wet from spray. As it got dark, and we slowed further

to 15 kts we started anticipating arrival. The miles were ticking down and the stars were

out. The Southern Cross was amazingly clear as were several other constellations that I

can’t name (pretty lame for a sailor!). About 20 miles from Cayman at 12:30 a.m. we could

see the glow of light from the island. About an hour later we could see lights from

buildings. By now were 8-10 miles off of the Northwest point of the island. We arrived at

NW point by 2:00 a.m. I didn’t call Port Security to alert them of our presence because I

figured no one would answer back. Wrong! Since it was 2:00 a.m. and CBP wouldn’t open

for clearing until 8:30 a.m., we decided to take one of the many mooring balls off of Seven

Mile Beach. As we started searching for a mooring, flashing blue lights appeared behind

us. It was CBP patrolling the waters. We had seen an unlit vessel on the radar earlier but I

figured it was a local fisherman. Apparently an unknown 37 ft center console boat arriving

in Grand Cayman at 2:00 a.m. it is not an everyday occurrence. The CBP captain pulled up

beside us and asked where we were coming from. I told him Isla Mujeres, MX and he said

“Where?”. I repeated what I had said and he said, “In that thing?”. The captain sent two

young crew onto our boat to search and take some information. That took about 20 mins

and made for an arrival story! If I had called Port Security the whole thing probably would

have been avoided. Next time…

Cayman CBP exiting VAMOS after search!

We found a mooring buoy at the sight of the Kitiwake and secured on for the rest of the

evening. We had an SAB (safe arrival beverage) and some food and then chose a bean bag

chair to catch a few hours of sleep under the stars. I awoke at sunup which was about 6:00

a.m. and jumped in the beautiful, crystal-clear water wishing I had brought the Nespresso

machine with me. By 7:00 a.m. I called Port Security to let them know we were intending to

check in as soon as CBP arrived. They took our information and put us number one in the

queue. It was good thing we called in because it turned out that we had been followed on

our trip by 60-70 foot sport fish boat called MaHa. They arrived in time to clear at 8:30 a.m.

but we beat them to government dock – HaHa, MaHa! We cleared without incident and

were off the dock by 8:50 a.m. We headed back around North West Point and into the

North Sound on our way to Crystal Harbour where one of my friends kindly allowed me to

keep the boat. We first went to the fuel dock to take some fuel and ice and buy some more

beer – Caybrew anyone? The trip from government dock to the fuel dock took 20-25

minutes and we passed several boats fishing. By the time we got the fuel dock Tony already

has several quick videos of us passing by a fishing boat and several pictures of the boat

that had been posted on social media. Crazy!

The entire trip took 44 hours and we covered 902 nm which equates to an average speed of

20.5 kts and we burned a total of 1,020 gallons of fuel for an average fuel burn of .884 nm

per gallon. The new motors performed flawlessly! Not bad for three days work! In six

weeks I get to do it all in reverse!

Pat, Bart and Tony in front the WaterColours pool after arrival.