Tuesday, June 22, 2010



In Charleston we met James and Sandra Little from Kingsport on their boat Ragtime.

This alligator cruising down the waterway is wearing some reeds on his nose, probably as a disguise. We were not fooled.

Spring is the nesting season for the ospreys. The nests are huge and sometimes can make it hard to see the markers along the waterway.

This is Bill with his Spanish mackerel. He caught it on that pink and white skirted lure.


Hello all. Bill and I are back at home in Kingsport.

We left Beaufort, SC June 5 headed for Charleston where our Kingsport friends James and Sandra little keep their sailboat. We hoped to meet them the next day and anchor together somewhere close to Charleston. Saturday was very hot; hot enough that the boat traffic was light even though it was the weekend. We left the ICW at the North Edisto River and anchored in Steamboat Creek. No sooner was the anchor down than we were both cooling off in the water.

We talked to the Littles by cell phone, and we both agreed to head for Dewees Creek. We passed through the Wappoo Creek bascule bridge, entered the Ashley River, and found the Littles in their boat, Ragtime. We motor-sailed together across Charleston Harbor. Just after we pasted Fort Sumter, we had a BIG PANIC. Our oil pressure gauge fell to zero… very scary for people whose engine burns large amounts of oil. Our heart rates returned to normal when Bill found that something had hit the engine controls circuit breaker turning all the gauges off. The fix was easy; flip the breaker back on. We left the harbor, motored down the ICW stretch behind Sullivan’s Island and the Isle of Palms, and anchored in Dewees Creek. Bill and I dinghied over to Ragtime for a drink or two and then ferried the Littles back to Irish eyes for dinner. We had fun catching up with the Littles. Monday morning Bill and I raised the anchor and continued north.

The stretch of the ICW between Charleston and Myrtle Beach is full of birds and alligators. I spotted at least 10 alligators. If you know what to look for they are easy to spot. Sometimes the alligators look like a log floating in the water, but if you look at them with binoculars you can see their eyes, and logs don’t have eyes. I didn’t go swimming. We anchored in the North Santee River on Monday night. It was a very pretty spot among the acres and acres of green marsh grass dotted with the occasional darker green tree or bush.

Tuesday we continued motoring north in the ICW passing Georgetown around noon. In the evening we anchored in Cow Pen Creek, a side water of the Waccamaw River. The water was fresh there. Cow Pen Creek had lily pads, flowers, and basking turtles along its edges. It was all much different from the salt water areas where we had been for the last five months. A motor boat came into the creek and anchored nearby. The captain, who only had his cat for crew, rowed over in his dinghy to chat with us. After he left, Bill went for a swim in the warm fresh water. Later when the sun was going down, I noticed a large log in the water which had not been there before. Its eyes appeared, and it swam from one side of the creek to the other crossing right behind the boat where Bill had been swimming. I think that was the biggest of all the gators I saw.

We headed to Little River planning to tie up in the Coquina Yacht Club for two days expecting to visit with my sister Elaine, brother-in-law JP, aunt Mary Ellen, and uncle Ken.

The ICW between the Waccamaw and Little Rivers is in a dug canal; a ditch lined with houses, condos, golf courses, and businesses. Only here and there is a spot of natural green. Just south of Little River is a stretch called the Rock Pile. The waterway was blasted through limestone ledges and there are rocks just below the surface of the dark brown water. The guidebooks are full of warnings, and we have heard tales of boats grounding on the rocks and suffering serious damage. Half way through this section our engine overheated. The alarm was very loud and contributed to our panic. Bill looked at the engine and found the pulley on the engine fresh water pump had cracked in two and the vee belt had fallen off. We quickly unfurled our jib sail so we could continue moving, but most importantly, so we could steer the boat. There was nothing we could do but shut down the engine and call TowBoatUS as we glided along under sail past the North Myrtle Beach Sewer Plant. The towboat arrived in twenty minutes. He tied up along our port side and brought us safely through both the last of the Rock Pile and the Little River Swing Bridge before depositing us gently against the tee dock at the Coquina Yacht Club. He (and a Visa card) changed what promised to be a nerve wracking ordeal into a pleasant (well, almost pleasant) experience. Bill looked at the water pump while I took a shower. He found that the pulley was pretty well shot. The middle of the pressed steel pulley had cracked away transforming the four evenly spaced nice round holes into a silhouette of Mickey Mouse. The pulley was trash. Thankfully, while the local Yanmar Diesel dealer did not have a replacement pulley, he was able to have one shipped to him from a dealer in Chicago (where it was not yet 5 o’clock) by overnight UPS. We left the boat and had a nice dinner that evening with my family.

The parts man called at 9:30am the next morning and said our pulley had been delivered. JP took Bill to get the part, and Bill had it installed shortly after lunchtime. Bill wasn’t sure if the pulley was the only thing wrong with the water pump but, yippee, it was all that was wrong. We had a second delightful dinner with Elaine and JP that night.

Bill and I left Little River early Friday morning. We decided to sail out the Little River Inlet into the Atlantic and come back into the ICW at the Cape Fear River missing the shallow spots in the ICW at Shallotte and Lockwoods Folly. This ocean trip was very tame. Although we were five or six miles offshore, we could see the buildings on Sunset Beach, Holden Beach and Oak Island on the horizon. The wind was light and seas were calm making it a smooth trip. Off Oak Island we caught a 3-1/2 lb, 26” Spanish mackerel which became supper for the next several days. We motored up the Cape Fear River and through Snows Cut to Carolina Beach where we were anchored by supper time. The mackerel went on the grill.

The next day promised to be unpleasant. It was Saturday, the weekend, and we were near Wrightsville Beach, the boat capital of North Carolina. The ICW between Carolina Beach and Atlantic Beach is narrow and in places shallow. For the next two days it would be filled to overflowing with kayaks, motorboats, fishing boats, sailboats, water skiers, innertubers, and swimmers. In spite of my natural reluctance to get up early in the morning or to sail at night, we decided to start early the next day to pass the shallow spot near Carolina Beach Inlet at high tide, continue on to Wrightsville Beach, anchor there until the afternoon, then head out into the Atlantic for an overnight run to Beaufort, NC (bow-fort) expecting to arrive there just after sunrise.

We were up and underway from Carolina Beach before 7am. Although the sun had just come up, it was already hot and lots of folks were on ICW. Both of us were glad we were going out in the Atlantic where it would be cooler and where we would avoid all the ICW traffic. Not wanting to arrive in Beaufort before sunrise, we lazed around at anchor in Wrightsville Beach until 2, then we motored out the Masonboro Inlet, raised our sails, and headed to Beaufort.

When we started off, the wind was light coming from behind us and the sea was dead calm. As the afternoon wore on, the wind increased and the sea rose. At suppertime I looked at the stove swinging back and forth in the galley and got instantly queasy. Bill the captain became Bill the cook. He made fried potato pancakes filled with bacon, onions, and some of the mackerel we had caught off Oak Island. The pancakes were really pretty good. With the sticky rubber placemats on the table the plates, salad bowls, and glasses did not slide around as the boat rolled. But, if I set my fork down on my plate, it would instantly launch itself across the cabin. As the sun was setting a pod of spotted dolphins swam along beside us. They were really showing off, jumping completely out of the water and doing little twists in the air. It was better than SeaWorld. While I was well fed and entertained, I still was not happy. The boat motion was unpleasant, and I could not sleep when I was off watch. As Bill will tell you I am not much of a shift worker. I get kind of cranky at night, and I do not like the boat rolling, so I must admit I was not the best travelling companion that evening.

We made good time, arrived early, and were going through the Beaufort inlet in the twilight an hour before dawn. The wind died, and we took down the sails as we passed through the Morehead City ship turning basin. We motored through the Newport River, Core Creek, Adams Creek and the Neuse River. Northwest Creek Marina was calling us home. Bud Ellis, the dockmaster, helped us tie Irish Eyes in her slip at 1:30pm. The first thing we did was to retrieve the air conditioner from the trunk of my car and hook it up. It was heaven; cool air, a stationary boat, and a nap.

We spent the next two days moving stuff from the car to the boat and from the boat to the car. We tidied up the boat and packed our clothes. Bill had to replace the battery in my car and to talk with two mechanics about rebuilding or replacing the boat’s engine. We got to use real flush toilets, and we took long hot showers with lots of water. We soaked up the air conditioning in the marina and ate ice cream from the marina store.

It was time to go home. The road trip was a little scary at first; cars go faster than sailboats and there are more cars on the road than boats in the water. We made it home without any problems, but there were problems awaiting us there. One of our 30 year old heat pumps would not cool, and while now repaired, we were told that it and its twin need to be replaced. Bill’s car had a dead battery and the back window motor on our old Blazer burned up the first time Bill drove it. Oh well, I guess you have to expect some problems when you’ve been gone over 5 months.

The 2010 trip was wonderful. The scenery was spectacular and the friends we made even better. We don’t know what we will do next year. We will both turn 60…

Friday, June 4, 2010

 
The rainbow in Marsh Harbour was complete, but my camera did not have a wide enough lens to include it all, so here is one end. By May the rainy season had started. Every day there was a chance of an afternoon shower.

These are the shells I picked up on the beaches at Great Guana amd Spoil Cays. I’m only picking up the ones I really like.

We sailed around the ocean side of Whale Cay. These are the waves breaking on the north end of the island. For scale the top of the light tower is 8 meters (about 26 feet) above the water. …and it was a calm day.

Back in the USA. Actually, I’m looking out across the mashes and the Beaufort River from Port Royal, SC. The white dot in the center is an egret wading in the marsh. It is not a thing like the Bahamas.


Greetings to one and all from Beaufort, South Carolina

Yes, we made it back to the US, and yes, we have been moving rapidly north.

We left our Lynard Cay anchorage on May 21 and headed north to Marsh Harbor. Bill needed to find the cause of our overheating engine, and I needed to buy a few groceries. Marsh Harbor is the hub of the Abacos: the biggest town on the island. It even has a stoplight! How is that for big? Bill took apart the engine cooling water system; the raw water strainer, engine driven pump, and heat exchanger. There was a small plastic barcode label stuck in the inlet to the engine heat exchanger. Other than that he found nothing. But, the engine exhaust still seemed hot, and there just was not the usual amount of water coming out with the exhaust. Bill didn’t know what else to do, and I certainly didn’t. While he was working on the cooling water, the regulator on the alternator stopped working. Another downer. We needed a change of pace. Since it was Saturday, we went to the Jib Room for a drink (or two), their steak night special, and the Rake and Scrape music show.

The steak was good and the music show was, well, ok. The same guy who was there two years ago was there again doing the limbo. He was something to see (once). His head actually dragged on the ground as he went under the bar. We did enjoy talking to several new couples we met. Our night out helped us forget all the mechanical troubles.

Bill spent most of Sunday working on the regulator. He came up with an ingenious way to make the alternator work without the regulator by hooking up some light bulbs in one of the wires. I had the completely *untechnical* thought that perhaps while working on the cooling system he may have knocked something loose or splashed a little water on the regulator or some such thing. Bill took my suggestion quite well and cleaned and tightened several electrical connections the last of which got the thing working again. He put his light bulbs away.

In Marsh Harbor there is a cruiser’s net every morning on the VHF radio. The weather forecast is read, businesses tell what is going on, and cruisers introduce themselves and ask questions. On Monday a plea for help was broadcast. Someone had poured used motor oil on the ground behind the dumpster at the local seafood store, and the owner suspected it was a boater. Bill and I went over and helped clean it up. It really wasn’t that big a mess and we enjoyed working with the other boaters. Bill went to the Buck-a-Book store and came back with three books and two conch salads. Buck-a-Book sells donated books for a dollar apiece raising money to care for the wild horses on the island. The conch salads came from the local conch salad man, Steamboat, who sells his wares from a brightly painted street-side stand. He is a colorful local fellow who is always featured in any article or travel documentary on Abaco. We left Marsh Harbor after lunch and headed to Baker’s Bay on Great Guana Cay. When we arrived, the conch salad made for a great supper.

The Baker’s Bay Resort has really changed the looks of the northern end of Great Guana Cay. They have built a nine hole golf course, condominiums, and a marina for mega yachts. The beach is still pretty, so next morning we walked its length. I found several nice shells. Trying to be picky this year, I am not keeping everything I see this time. After lunch we made a long dinghy trip to a little island called Spoil Cay. It sits just inside the Whale Cay cut and is covered with shells that wash in from the ocean. Bill and I walked completely around the little island. Bill knocked a coconut down from a tree and opened it when we got back to the boat. We drank the juice, and he diced the meat. I made chicken curry with coconut that evening for dinner.

To go farther north you have to go around the ocean side of Whale Cay. The cuts that take you out into the ocean and back again can be very rough at times. Wednesday morning seemed like a good day to go out around Whale Cay. We left early and had a fairly smooth trip. Listening to the radio it was apparent that both cuts got worse after we passed through. We anchored off Settlement Harbor at Green Turtle Cay. It rained that afternoon, and the wind picked up from the west making it a rough whitecap filled unprotected anchorage. The downwind dinghy trip to town would have been fairly dry, but the upwind (and upwave) return would have been like taking a swim. We decided to wait till the next morning before venturing to the Settlement.

Green Turtle Settlement is a very neat and attractive town. Most of the buildings are well painted and the gardens well tended. We walked around town and went to the local museum. We had a personal tour led by the elderly museum caretaker. She was a Green Turtle Cay native and had graduated from Lee College in Cleveland, Tennessee of all places. She was very proud of Green Turtle Cay. The dinghy trip back to Irish Eyes was, as we expected, very wet.

It was Thursday, and the weather forecast was for winds to switch to the south in a couple of days and the seas to be less than 3 feet in the ocean. It was time to head back to the US. We took the motor off the dinghy, deflated the dinghy, and brought them both on board. With the west wind, it was still windy and rough in the anchorage. We figured if we got to the other side of the Sea of Abaco in the lee of Great Abaco Island it would be calmer. This sounds like a long way to go, but we could see Great Abaco Island from Green Turtle Cay. We were right; it was not nearly as rough on the other side. We motor sailed north along the coast to Hog Cay anchoring in its lee for the night. It was a lot calmer there. Bill again took apart the strainer for the engine cooling water, but this time with a flashlight he found the white mud and sand that was clogging the strainer’s inlet hose. After cleaning the mess out of the hose, the amount of cooling water coming out with the exhaust was back to normal and the engine temperature dropped 30 degrees. Finally that problem was behind us.

Friday morning we were underway by 8am. The wind was perfect for sailing. We put up all three sails and headed east across the Little Bahama Bank toward Florida. We sailed until sunset then turned the motor on to motor sail through the night. The moon was full, so we had plenty of light. As we were crossing the Gulf Stream, a thunderstorm to the south caused us some worry because it had lots of lightning in it, but it never caught us. We saw several ships and a couple of sport fishing boats headed in various directions, but none came near. The most interesting ship had “Dockside Yacht Transport” written on its side. It was headed north in the Gulf Stream filled with at least 25 large boats. That looks like the best way to go back home. Maybe next time…

At 5:30am we took down all the sails as the wind died. At this point it was either motor on to Port Canaveral or turn slightly north and head for St. Augustine. That sounds fairly simple, but the trip to St. Augustine is another day and night of travel. Bill convinced me it was a good thing to keep going. He was right. It was Memorial Day weekend, and Port Canaveral would be a zoo filled with naval ships, cruise ships, jet skis, spot fishing boats, and joy riders. As the day wore on the waves increased and the rocking back and forth became truly annoying. We sailed some and motored some. While sailing we had a pod of spotted dolphins stay with us for almost an hour. We saw a 3 foot long turtle swimming along. Then, when the sun set, everything became just dark and boring. The thunder showers stayed over the land, so we got to see the fireworks but didn’t even have to deal with them ourselves.

Sunday morning found us within sight of the St. Augustine lighthouse and the beach. Bill called the US Customs and Immigrations’ 800 number and gave them our Florida Frequent Boater Card numbers. We were cleared over the phone and didn’t have to appear in person. Thanks goodness. We were under the Bridge of Lions and anchored by 10am. It had been a long 3 days.

We rested all day Sunday not even putting the dinghy in the water until Monday, Memorial Day. Bill went to the St Augustine municipal marina and paid for dinghy dockage which allowed us to use their facilities. Our last unlimited hot water showers were in March. I stayed in the shower for 30 minutes and scrubbed off half my tan. We spent the rest of the day walking around St. Augustine like the rest of the tourists and ending our day with a restaurant meal. By the time we got back on board Irish Eyes, we were ready for bed. It was 8pm. Like I said, it was a long 3 days getting back to Florida. Even after a day and a half, I had not recovered.

Tuesday I did our laundry at the marina while Bill went shopping. Of course that meant walking to the West Marine store and the local used boat stuff store, Sailors Exchange. Among his “finds” was a slightly used but much larger rod and reel. Maybe it will help our fishing. Ever helpful, he also picked up diet cokes, beer, and snack food… his steady diet.

Wednesday, when we began to raise our anchor, someone else’s anchor with 25 feet of chain and lots of nylon rope came up with ours. I did a quick look around to be sure we had not hooked out the anchor of any of the nearby anchored boats, but no, it was just junk lying around on the bottom. Bill had me lift it and its bit of bottom ecology onto the deck with the staysail halyard, and we took the creature covered mess to the marina for them to put in their dumpster. The Bridge of Lions opened for us, and we left St. Augustine through the inlet and headed north under sail in the ocean.

Bill’s original plan was to sail until we got tired of it and duck into say Jacksonville, Fernandina Beach, or Cumberland Island for the night. That did not happen. In the spirit of “Always a Distant Horizon” we kept going through the afternoon and the night and the next day. Once again we were treated to thunderstorm fireworks, but we never got the wind and rain, just the show. We entered South Carolina north of Hilton Head Island at Port Royal Sound having missed Georgia entirely. We could have gone on to Beaufort (Bew-Fort) but chose to stop in Port Royal instead. We have never stopped there before, but more importantly had we gone onto Beaufort we would have been late for our 5 o’clock G&T time.

Today we inflated the dinghy, went over to a restaurant dock in Port Royal, and took a walking tour of the town. We came back to the boat with a pound of shrimp bought from the local shrimpers, then motored over to Beaufort and anchored off the town. In Beaufort I bought two more tee shirt dresses (I’m wearing the things out.) while Bill looked at used books.

We are now slowly heading back to New Bern expecting to be there by June 15. I can’t believe it is time to go home! Hope to see you soon.

Thursday, May 20, 2010

I picked up these conch shells on the beach at Shroud Cay. It is in the Exuma Land and Sea Park, and it is against the rules to collect shells. I left them all behind.


Bill took this picture of a Lion Fish. The spines are poisonous. The fish is about a foot long.

This is a Giant Caribbean Anemone. It is about 12 inches across and sort of pretty with the purple tips on the light green columns.

You can see our fish is about 36 inches long. It weighed just over 8 lb. The dolphin was much more brightly colored before it died.

This is the Ocean Hole in the Rock Sound Settlement in Eleuthera. It is round, completely enclosed, and connected underground to the ocean about a mile away.  It is filled with fish and large turtles. Around it is a nice park surrounded by a road and picnic tables.

We went to church at St Luke’s Anglican Parish Church in Rock Sound on Mother’s Day. The building dates from the 1860s.

The Haynes Library in Governors Harbour is the largest library in the Bahamas outside Nassau. It was filled with kids working on projects when we went inside.

The Bahamas have an unusually large crop of Portuguese Man of War this year. We have seen them from Bimini to here on the pink sand beach near Alabaster Bay (which has white sand).

Above the pink sand beach were these Agave or Sisal plants. The bases are 6 ft high and the stem seems to be 20. They are really impressive.

Our boat is 10 feet wide. The guidebook says the man-made entrance to Hatchet Bay Harbour is 90 feet wide, but it looks more like 30 to me. Bill steered, but I could not watch after I took this picture.

Bill found this six pointed star fish in the Royal Island Harbour. It is a Reticulated or Cushion Sea Star (Oreaster reticulatus).  All of the ones in our books have five arms like starfish should. We figure this one must be Jewish.

Hello one and all. We are slowly, very slowly working our way north and back to New Bern. Yes, we are still having fun and still speak to each other.

On April 28th our friend Richard Barr arrived at the Staniel Cay airport. He enjoyed the view flying to Staniel from Nassau, but like Julia and Josh, thought the small plane a bit of a risk. Bill picked Richard up and they did my shopping at the Isles General Store, the largest grocery store in the Central Exumas. I stayed on board Irish Eyes making a loaf of bread. Richard caught us up on all the Kingsport news over supper.

We left next morning and sailed north to the south anchorage at Hawskbill Cay. The wind was fair, so we used all three of our sails. It is good sometimes to look like the cutter we are. We picked up an Exuma Park mooring, launched our dinghy, and went ashore. The walk across the island was not long, but the terrain was something else. First the 100 yards of sand flat, next a quarter mile of bare sharp coral rock, then a small ankle deep stream, and finally up and over a sandy palm covered hill to reach the Atlantic side of the cay. The walk was worth it, but I still don’t like walking on the coral rocks in my bathing suit and flip flops. The risk of being cut to hamburger seems all too real. For my effort I found a perfect Cowrie shell. One of my books says they are a rare treasure. So far I have found three on this trip.

Friday, April 30th we sailed under genoa alone with the wind behind us to Shroud Cay. It was a short trip, so we had time to take the dinghy and go up a creek through the island to the Atlantic side of the island. As we were motoring along in our little dinghy we noticed a float plane. All three of us thought it was anchored. Bill decided to go closer to check it out. Well, the plane was actually moving. It taxied out past us, then it waited for us to slowly get out of his way. Our little 3.5 horsepower dinghy motor doesn’t let us make a hasty move in any direction. It was really neat to watch the float plane lift off in a cloud of spray from its propeller. The trip down the creek was beautiful. I believe that mangroves are the heartiest plants on earth. They grow in sand and salt water with roots reaching in all directions sprouting still more plants and growing where nothing else will grow. Richard thinks kudzu is even heartier. He could be right, but I don’t think so. The Atlantic-side beach was all pink sand and blue water backed by cave filled stone cliffs and sand hills. The tropic birds were nesting. They were swooping everywhere trying to keep us away from their nests - some in the rocks, some in caves, and some just in little holes in the rock.

The next morning we heard Irish Eyes being hailed on the VHF radio. Ray and Kath Boush from Piney Flats, like us members of the Johnson City Power Squadron, were close by on their motor catamaran. Richard knew the Bouchs from years past, but Bill and I had not met them. They came to Shroud Cay, and we spent the morning visiting first on our boat and then on theirs. It was a beautiful Exuma day with clear blue sky, clear water, and lots of sunshine. The Irish Eyes crew let go of our Shroud Cay mooring and sailed north the ten miles to Norman’s Cay. We anchored without any problems and went ashore for dinner at McDuff’s Beach Club. Bill and I like going to McDuff’s. The food is good and the staff even better. We watched the Kentucky Derby at the bar over cocktails on their satellite TV.

Sunday morning found us motor sailing south into the wind. It wasn’t that rough in the beginning just a little bouncy. I decided to make a batch of rolls, half regular and half sweet. I was doing fine until I leaned over to light the oven. That was enough for me! Bill had to finish the rolls with my instructions issued from the cockpit. I don’t often get seasick unless I stay below too long or keep my head below my belly. We picked up a mooring at Emerald Rock at the Exuma Park headquarters. Lots of other boats were on the way back to the US from farther south, so the mooring field was pretty full. The next morning Bill and Richard dinghied into the Park Office to pay our mooring fee and get a wifi password. We hung around till noon checking our e-mail before motoring the few miles south to Pipe Cay.

We explored the island on foot and by dinghy. The anchorage is subject to surge - waves rolling in from the Atlantic. And, it surged all night making us all uncomfortable as the boat rocked and rolled. In the morning Bill and I snorkeled around the nearby rocks where Bill saw a Lionfish. They are poisonous fish and are not native to the Bahamas. You are supposed to kill them, but with their fierce looking poisonous spines and with the spear in the boat, we just took a picture.

It was Tuesday, and Richard was to leave Wednesday on the morning Flamingo Air flight to Nassau. We motored first to Big Major’s Spot to show Richard the swimming pigs, then we went around the corner to anchor off the Staniel Cay Yacht Club for supper in their restaurant. It was again a very good meal.

We got Richard to the airport in time for his 8:45 flight. Without the US hassle of check-in and security, we did not have to be there early – just watch the plane land, walk up, hand the pilot your ticket and luggage, hop on, and leave. On our way back to the boat, Bill and I did some grocery shopping. It was a little tough finding what we needed. The mailboat had engine troubles and was still in Nassau days after its scheduled departure. We did find a (out of date) case of Diet Coke at the Blue Store, but no frozen orange juice anywhere. Bill got 25 gallons of drinking water and 15 gallons of diesel from the yacht club to top up our tanks. We were then ready for the long trip to Eleuthera and the Abacos.

The weather forecast for Thursday May 6th was for winds from the south; perfect for sailing the 30 miles across the Exuma Sound to Eleuthera. This was a 30 mile or so trip across open water. It was a beautiful day, and we sailed along happy as could be. Bill put out our fishing lines. We caught an 8 pound, 36 inch dolphin fish, dorado, mahi-mahi or whichever else you want to call it. We hooked another one about the same size, but it got away. Bill said the knot the factory tied in the lure failed. Probably just as well. We filleted the one we had and put most in the freezer. Supper was fresh fish while anchored in Rock Sound. Wonderful!

Our stay in Rock Sound lasted longer than we anticipated. The wind was at first too light to bother trying to sail and then it was to strong from the north and east, the direction we were headed. Rock Sound was a good place to wait for a week. There was a proper grocery store with aisles and shopping carts, several liquor stores, two good restaurants, and an Anglican Church. We bought groceries, some rum, ate in both restaurants, and went to church on Mother’s Day. I received a carnation corsage along with all the other mothers. In honor of all the mothers, the men in the congregation sang a hymn. Bill did not participate. If you have ever heard him sing, you know why. We sang the hymn ”Faith of Our Mothers”... same tune just different words. The service was very nice but long - two and a half hours! I had an enjoyable Mother’s Day.

Finally on Thursday 13th, we decided to bite the bullet and just sail into the wind. We first were going to go to Tarpum Bay to anchor, but when we got close enough to see the harbor, there were whitecaps everywhere, even under the Government Dock. It didn’t look at all like a comfortable spot to spend the night. On we went to Ten Bay. It was much calmer in this little harbor. There was a beach with several attractive houses in the trees along its edge. Bill and I found numerous sand dollars and several good shells on the wide sandy beach.

Friday morning we left to make the short hop to Governor’s Harbour, the original capital of the Bahamas. Governor’s Harbour is a pretty place. The houses are painted bright colors and many have beautiful flowers in their yards. I was almost out of clean underwear - a sure sign that it was time to do laundry. I looked after that task while Bill made a walking tour of the town. He found a bakery, shops, an art gallery, big houses with gardens, and little houses with chickens. He also found a sign nailed to a tree advertising a Friday Night Fish Fry. It sounded like fun, so we went.

The Fish Fry was held on the beach in the open. The guys in charge, all Bahamians, showed up about an hour after the advertised starting time. They unloaded booze, bags of fish, chicken, and pork chops along with all the fixings. They had a huge iron skillet that I would really liked to have. It probably held at least 10 lb of fish frying over a roaring wood fire in a 55 gal drum. The chicken and chops were cooked over another wood fire in a 55 gal drum. The signature drink for the evening was Rum Bubbas, Bubbas being…uh, well, you guess. I don’t have picture of the sign. They were served from a water fountain with an inverted 5 gallon blue water bottle of the mixture on top. What we found most interesting were the customers for the event. They were for the most part Americans. The area seems to do a big business in resort hotel and vacation home rentals. Bill and I were a novelty as we were the only boaters. There were only three boats in the harbor but maybe a hundred people at the party. One woman asked incredulously,”You just go from island to island in a sail boat?” She hadn’t a clue. We ate conch salad, fried fish, peas & rice, and potato salad, but left long before the party was over and the music stopped.

We did a little shopping on Saturday, and Bill took me on parts of his walking tour including the bakery and Haynes Library. Sunday morning we were ready for another short hop north; this time going to Alabaster Bay and its sand flat beach which we walked finding sand dollars and lots of milk conch shells. Early Monday morning we decided to walk over to the Atlantic side of the island where there once was a US naval base. Our chart also said there was a pink sand beach, and a Bahamian couple gave us walking directions. The female in the couple remembered me from the laundry in Governor’s Harbour. She had been very helpful. The beach was as advertised and beautiful. The base was overgrown with falling-in buildings. Bill found a jelly coconut, a green one, in the woods under a tree beside the road. It became the mixer for our gin and coconut water that evening. We left Alabaster Bay before noon and made our way to Hatchet Bay.

Hatchet Bay was once Hatchet Pond. Then someone decided to open the pond up to the sound and blasted an entrance through the rocks making a perfectly protected harbor. The guide books all say the entrance is 90 feet wide, but it sure looked narrower when we went through. I let Bill steer while I hid my eyes and the looming rocks went past my floating home and ticket back to North Carolina. Once inside we picked up a free government mooring ball for the night.

Next stop on the agenda was Royal Island, our last Eleuthera anchorage. To reach Royal Island we had to go through Current Cut. This cut has a shallow approach and a fierce current running through it, hence the name. We timed our arrival for slack high tide. All went well, and we were anchored at Royal Island by 4pm. It had been a hot day, so a nice swim was in order. Bill found several urchin cases and a six armed starfish. I looked in all my books but none of them talked about a six armed starfish. All starfish have five arms. We took its picture and put it back in the water.

The next leg of the trip, Eleuthera to Abaco is long. Bill dragged me out of bed at 6:30am, cooked biscuits for breakfast to appease me, and we were underway by 7:10am. Once clear of Eleuthera the water depth in the Northwest Providence Channel rapidly increases. We were only 500 feet off the shore of Egg Island when our depth sounder got to 55 meters and could no longer see the bottom, but that was only the beginning. The deepest charted depth along our route was 4300 meters – 14,200 ft. This is a shipping lane with ships bound from Gibraltar and Europe passing through on their way to Florida, the Gulf States or Central America. We had as many as four tankers in sight at one time. Bill put out the fishing lines. The first fish we hooked we never saw. I wasn’t paying attention and didn’t hear the line singing. The fish got took almost all the line off the reel before it broke costing us both the line and the lure. Bill refilled the reel with 50 lb test line. The second fish we hooked was a Blue Marlin! I know you all think that is a fish tale but it is true. We saw it jump out of the water three times before again with the bare center of the reel spool showing through between the last wraps of line, the line broke. That was the second lure we lost. The next fish was a nice dolphin fish – maybe ten pounds. It jumped off the hook when it was maybe ten feet behind the boat. We then hooked another dolphin. Bill played with it for a long time trying to tire it out. While he was reeling it in, another dolphin fish kept swimming up beside the boat. I had read in one of my cookbooks that dolphin mate for life and sometimes if you catch one the mate will swim along. Bill got the played out fish up behind the boat, but I have never gaffed a fish and just couldn’t bring myself to poke that sharp hook in its skull. We lost that fish when the hook pulled out of its mouth as Bill was lifting it out of the water by the leader. When the lure fell back into the water it was immediately struck by the fish that was following us, but the hook never set. I plan to practice using the gaff before our next ocean passage.

It probably was a good thing we didn’t catch any fish. When we started the engine to go through Little Harbour Cut and enter the Sea of Abaco, both of us had noticed what we first thought was a lot of smoke coming from our engine. It turned out the smoke was really steam. We quickly shut down the engine, and Bill went to work. We were in sight of the cut and were being carried towards it by the wind and current. Bill pulled up the cockpit floor and removed the companionway steps to get to the engine. After cleaning the raw water strainer (and whatever else he did) he found that there was something stuck from outside the boat in the intake for the engine cooling water. He unhooked the hose, blew through it, and water poured from the hose and into the boat. He put the hose back and restarted the engine. With the fishing and the engine problem costing us a couple of hours, we did what we never do; we went through a cut without proper light to see the bottom and gauge the water depth. Once through Little Harbour Cut we turned north, anchored, and turned on our anchor light. This trip made up for all the short ones. It took us over 12 hours from anchor up to anchor down and had lots of excitement both good and bad.

We are anchored where we stopped off Lynard Cay in the Abacos surrounded now by charter boats that appeared this afternoon. We feel like a decoy that has attracted a flock of ducks. Bill spent the morning cleaning the engine cooling water system, and all seems well with it. We plan to spend some time cruising around the Abacos before heading back to the US in early June.

Hope you are all well and happy.

Wednesday, April 28, 2010

Bill took this picture while swimming at Cambridge Cay. This goes on for acres underwater.


 Julia in a panic threw the food we had brought for the pigs in the dinghy. She jumped out. They jumped in.

Bill hand carved this driftwood sign commemorating our trips to the Exumas.

Isabella liked playing in the sand almost as much as eating it.

This is the view from the window at the Rockside Laundry in Black Point. The boat is Irish Eyes. You could almost enjoy washing your clothes here.

Hey. We are enjoying life in the Bahamas.

After Easter we left Black Point headed north. We sailed to Pipe Cay, a small uninhabited island. A long abandoned US Navy DECCA navigation station was there, but the island was mostly was sand and beautiful water. We stayed one afternoon and night. I walked the beaches while Bill explored a little of the interior of the island. He found two plastic Adirondack chairs. We put them in the shade of a tree, sat and enjoyed the view. We thought we looked like a Fidelity retirement advertisement.

We left Pipe Cay and went to Compass Cay. The channel going there was shallow and winding. When we were looking for a place to anchor, a large ray jumped out of the water and flew by six feet in the air right in front of Irish Eyes. It just flew through the air instead of swimming in the water. It was a magnificent sight. We spent a pleasant afternoon and night anchored off Compass Cay. There was a marina there which did not sell fuel but did sell us a bag of lettuce for our salads. They also charged $8 per person to land a dinghy and walk on their beach. We decided to give the walking a pass, but we did enjoy our salads.

We left Compass Cay through the Conch Cay Cut going out into the deep Exuma Sound sailing north to Cambridge Cay, one of the islands inside the boundaries of the Exuma Land and Sea Park. We picked up a park provided mooring ball for a $15 a night and spent two days exploring Cambridge Cay and its beaches. It was lovely. The only bad part of the Exuma Land and Sea Park is that you can’t fish or shell within its boundaries. Of course, it was there that we saw the largest fish and prettiest shells! Bill found a yellow, net covered, two foot diameter fish float, wrote Irish Eyes, New Bern, NC on it and tied it in a tree to mark the beginning of a trail to the beach on the other side of the island. I was happy to have the float off the boat. Although a nice float, it was too big to fit in any of our lockers.

The weather forecast was not very pleasant sounding, we still needed fuel, and our water tanks were half empty. A cold front was forecast to come through with winds around 25-30 knots. We decided to leave Cambridge Cay and find ourselves a place to anchor off Sampson Cay with its friendly marina. We had a nice sail out into Exuma Sound, back through Conch Cay Cut, through the narrow gap between two rocks, past the Rocky Dundas and out onto the banks side of the islands. I had the chance to spy on Little Hall’s Pond Cay which is owned by Johnny Depp. All looked well there. Hopefully, if he was on his island, he was having as much fun as Bill and I were having sailing past.

Sampson Cay is a resort with a very nice marina, several houses to rent, and a restaurant. They sell fuel, water, and some groceries, and they have a coin laundry. Over the next few days we bought some groceries, filled the boat’s fuel and water tanks, washed clothes, and walked around the island. It was nice to have clean sheets and clothes. Bill mistakenly filled our three diesel jugs with gasoline but caught his mistake before putting any in our fuel tank. He gave the gas in two of the jugs away, and we will use the other 5 gallons in our dinghy outboard before we leave the Bahamas. We spent almost a week in Sampson Cay enjoying the surroundings and waiting out the windy weather.

We left Sampson Cay on April 16 for Staniel Cay. (A long trip - all of about 3 miles max.) We anchored across from the town beach and took our dinghy over to Isles General Store to replenish our fresh food. Isles General Store sells a limited selection of food, hardware, and souvenirs. A tiny Manhattan grocery looks like WalMart in comparison. But, as Bill said, I had to make more grocery shopping decisions in their 40 square feet than in a 40,000 square foot US supermarket. As luck would have it the mail boat had been there that morning so the selection wasn’t too bad. We got lettuce, ripe tomatoes, and some frozen orange juice; luxuries all.

Julia, Josh and Isabella were due at the Staniel Cay airport on the 2:45pm Flamingo Air flight from Nassau. Julia said that when they boarded the plane in Nassau the pilot was adding two quarts of oil to the port engine of the little nine passenger Cessna 402 – not a good sign. The plane delivered Domino’s Pizza and Kentucky Fried Chicken to Little Farmer’s Cay and to Black Point Settlement before landing at Staniel making it almost an hour late. Bill and I sat waiting in the Staniel Cay Airport terminal (an open air gazebo with wooden benches around the sides) worried because it was quite windy but enjoying the whole scene. The Self family arrived a little worse for the wear but ready to go.

We moved Irish Eyes from Staniel Cay to Big Major’s Spot, a trip of about a mile. Big Major’s was the place with the pigs on the beach I wrote about last time. We had our dinner on board, rigged the lee cloth on our single bunk to make a crib for Isabella and had a good night’s sleep. The next morning Bill took Julia, Josh and Isabella over to see the pigs. With a two year old on board who does not clean her plate, we had plenty of food scraps for the pigs. These pigs were aggressive, and when they swam over to meet the dinghy and started to crawl in, Julia panicked, screamed, and threw the food scraps (still in their plastic bag) straight up into the air. They landed inside the bow of dinghy. The pigs got in the dinghy and devoured the food, bag and all. Julia jumped over the side and escaped. Why any of us let Julia be in charge of the pig food remains a mystery.

Leaving the now well fed pigs behind, we sailed north to Emerald Rock, another of the mooring fields in the Exuma Land and Sea Park. There were several beaches around the moorings. Bill took us in the dinghy to the first one. Julia, Josh, Isabella, and I walked the beach and then took a trail to the next beach where Bill was to meet us in the dinghy. It looked like an easy walk, just over the rock outcropping to the next beach, and it would have been if we had taken the right trail. The trail we took went inland instead through the palm forest and over bare coral rock. I am never comfortable hiking over sharp rocks in my bathing suit and flip flops much less with my son-in-law carrying my two year old granddaughter. One slip and blood would be spilled. We saw lots of lizards and a couple of hutias. Hutias look like a cross between a rabbit and a rat. They are not really attractive creatures but are the only land mammal native to the Bahamas. Bill then managed to talk us into hiking to the next beach. Once again it was a walk over jagged rocks only this time up a hill and back down again. We were on top of the hill when we saw Bill landing the dinghy on another beach three more hills away. I nearly fainted. It would have been dark by the time we got to that beach. Bill was just looking around while we walked. He got back to the right beach just after we arrived. The beaches were lovely and Isabella had fun getting sandy.

The night at Emerald Rock was rather uncomfortable. The wind brought waves that made the boat rock and roll. We asked for and got a mooring at the Park Headquarter, Warderick Wells. It was more protected from the wind and waves. We spent two nights on that mooring. We explored the nearby beaches showing Isabella all sorts of sea creatures. The five of us went to the top of BooBoo Hill. On the top of the hill was a pile of signs from boaters. Leaving your memento was supposed to bring safe passages to the vessel and crew. Bill found a piece of driftwood and carved our names and the date on it using a church key can opener and putty knife as tools. It was a nice sign. We left it on the pile.

Tuesday morning we sailed back to Staniel Cay for the Self family to return to the U.S. on Wednesday. Julia and Josh snorkeled in the Thunderball Grotto while Isabella and I played on Irish Eyes. All of us went to the Staniel Cay Yacht Club for dinner. Isabella had her first conch fritter. She said it was good, and it was.

Bill and I sadly watched the Flamingo Air plane leave with Julia, Josh, and Isabella on board. Just like the old days in the U.S., they didn’t have to have to be the airport hours ahead of departure. There was no security check, and no baggage check. They just gave their tickets and luggage to the pilot, got on the plane, and left. We were a little worried though when the pilot had to try five or six times to get the port engine to start.

It was really quiet and maybe a little lonely back on board Irish Eyes. Bill and I sailed down to Black Point to do our laundry, dispose of our garbage, and top off our water tanks. We were the only boat anchored in the Black Point Harbor. It was the Family Islands Regatta in Georgetown so lots of boats were there, and with spring here, some boaters had already left for US. We did our laundry and went to Loraine’s Café for lunch. We met a very nice couple from Cape Cod who were renting a house on Staniel Cay. It was a fun talking with them.

The weather forecast for Monday, April 26 was for a cold front to pass through bringing west winds. Bill and I decided to anchor Irish Eyes in the well protected area between Big Major’s Spot and Little Major’s Spot. Well, Monday afternoon we had a major squall come through the area. The wind gusted up to 43 knots, it rained, and we had thunder and lightning. Thankfully, we did not drag our anchor. It rained steadily until about 9pm. We went to bed only to have the wind pipe up again about 3am. It was a sleepless night. This was the same front that caused the tornados and storms across the south last the weekend.

Yesterday was a picture perfect day with blue sky, lots of sun, gentle breezes, and the always present beautiful sand and water. We did our beach walking, both morning and evening. Today we pick up our friend Richard Barr at the Staniel Cay airport. He will be with us for a week. It should be a fun time

I looked at the Kingsport weather forecast for today.  Sorry you are going to have frost.



Monday, April 5, 2010

Crashing along upwind to Little Farmers Cay. This was after Bill reefed the sails.

We have been asked if we have to get up early to have the beach to ourselves. Well, no. The sailboat is Irish Eyes, and if you look closely on the mile long pink beach you can see the tiny black speck that is our dinghy.

This is a cocoplum bush. It is about ankle high and the two ripe light green fruit are golf ball size. Sam at Little Farmers Cay told us about it.

Costume, police whistle, and rake and scrape... A Junkanoo band musician in the Black Point Easter Festival.

Feathers, sequins, bells, beads… There were trombones, tubas, and trumpets.

Whistle and cow bells… The costumes were fantastic.

A drum fashioned from a skin stretched over an oil drum… These things were loud.



Happy Easter! Bill and I are anchored in the harbor off Black Point Settlement in the Exumas. We finally got to the beautiful clear water surrounding the Exuma Islands.

While we were in Bimini, we met a young couple who described themselves as boyfriend and girlfriend. They had crossed the Gulf Stream from No Name Harbor in a 23 foot Compac sailboat that they had trailered from Texas. For those of you who know our Tanzer 22, Canary, their boat is about the same size. Only their Compac has fewer conveniences than Canary; no portapotti nor ice box. They were very grateful to be in Bimini as their crossing was a little more adventuresome than they had anticipated. Bill and I had them aboard Irish Eyes for an afternoon of conversation and a few cold beers. I am really glad I never let Bill talk me into coming to the Bahamas in Canary! We purchased five lobster tails from a local fisherman walking down the dock and had the first two for supper. Yummy.

The expected cold front came through Bimini Sunday night and Monday. Tuesday the 23rd was beautifully clear with winds from the west. We paid our bill at Weech’s Dock and left bound for Nassau and the Exumas. The first hour of this leg was not fun. We were motoring into the wind and waves as we ran out through the cut leaving Bimini. This is my least favorite way to travel; into the waves with water washing over the deck, spray everywhere, bouncing up and down, and unmarked shallow sand bars on both sides. I was ready to fly home! We turned first north to sail to North Riding Rock then east across the Great Bahama Bank finally putting the wind behind us which is much, much more pleasant. It was so peaceful on the boat that I was able to knit. Several boats that had been with us in Bimini left when we did. We chose to sail all night, but they basically pulled off to the side and anchored in the middle of nowhere with no land in sight. I don’t know which would be better – sail at night or anchor. Ships headed from Nassau to Florida use this route. It can also be pretty rolly in the ocean swells. I don’t know if I would sleep any more rocking away at anchor than I do between my stints keeping watch while we sail at night. The night passed uneventfully except the passing in the dark of five or six ships and any number of sailboats headed for Florida.

We arrived at New Providence Island around sunrise. The wind was still out of the west and the sun was shining… so on we sailed toward Highborne Cay. The wind died down a little, and after Bill did some of his calculations, we figured we would be in Highborne after dark. Not wanting to anchor in the dark, we turned on the engine. We were anchored before sunset after 36 hours on the move. Whew!

Next morning we decided to move down to Big Major’s Spot near Staniel Cay. We were trying to meet up with our nephew Seth, and Staniel Cay has an airport, cell phone service, and WiFi. The trip from Highborne to Staniel took us about 7 hours. We anchored and agreed the next day was going to be a rest day. It took us two days to get up enough energy to even launch the dinghy.

The beach at Big Major’s Spot is called Pig Beach. There are pigs that live on the island and have been fed by so many boaters that they even swim out to greet the dinghies. I didn’t trust the beasts with their little hooves and teeth around our rubber inflatable dinghy but of course went to see them anyway. They are pretty unattractive but a novelty. We finally made contact with Seth, and sadly he couldn’t make it to the Exumas.

Yet another cold front was to pass over the Exumas which brings wind from the west. This leaves many of the anchorages exposed to wind and wave, Big Major’s Spot one of them. We upped anchor and sailed to Little Farmer’s Cay. The night before we had watched the video Dove. It’s, the story of a young man who sails around the world alone. Of course there are scenes of sailing fast with water coming over the deck and waves crashing into the boat. Well, Bill must have decided we needed to have some heavy weather sailing. The wind was blowing about 20 knots directly in our faces. Skipper Bill unfurled all the sails, except the staysail, so we were sailing at a 30 degree angle with water pouring over the deck! The fuel jugs on the deck were floating and water was spilling into the cockpit. I really don’t like having to hang onto something, anything, to keep upright. I fussed enough to convince Bill to reef the mail and pull in some of the jib. He is never watching another sailing movie! We felt our way through the shallows into the harbor at Little Farmer’s Cay and picked up a mooring. We hadn’t been settled long when the folks from Sea Fox X came over to tell us the other moored boats were going to the Farmer’s Cay Yacht Club for dinner. We radioed the Yacht Club and added ourselves to the reservations list for dinner.

The Farmer’s Cay Yacht Club is a cinder block building painted a vivid coral color. It has tile floors and lots of windows open to the breeze. Perfect. We had a lovely dinner of fish, cracked conch, peas and rice, and slaw. It was another boater’s birthday so we had carrot cake for desert.

The predicted cold front whizzed by with high winds and some swells. On the advice of the mooring ball owner, we put out our anchor in case we pulled the mooring’s anchor out. We were fine, and it wasn’t too rough at all. After the frontal passage we dinghied over to Great Guana Cay, the cay across from Little Farmer’s that helps form the protected harbor. It is on the ocean side of the islands and we were trying to find a path to the beach. Along the harbor shore were several houses; all but one uninhabited. We met Sam who lives in a house that is under construction. It has walls and the windows in place, but it doesn’t have a roof. Sam is quite the dreamer. He is building the house himself. It has a great view - just doesn’t have a roof. He may get around to it one day. Sam showed us the way over to the beach which was beautiful. He found two big cowrie shells for me. We ate a few of the wild cocoplums that Sam pointed out to us. They are okay but not my favorite.

We left Little Farmer’s headed back north to the Black Point Settlement for Easter weekend. Black Point is about 10 miles from Little Farmer’s. To break up this ‘long’ trip we anchored off Bay Rush Bay for two nights and for one night off White Point. We went ashore to the beach every day to walk and look for stuff. Bill walked over sharp rock and through waist high vegetation across the island to explore an ocean side cove. He has hiking boots and jeans; I have flip flops and bathing suits. I declined to go along walking the beautiful pink beach on the sound side instead. I did not see another soul all that day.

We arrived in Black Point on Saturday, April 3rd. We had heard via the VHF radio that Black Point was having an Easter celebration with all sorts of contests and a Junkanoo parade on Saturday night. Lorraine’s Café in town advertised on the radio that they were having a BBQ dinner before the Junkanoo. We called and added ourselves to the list. Lorraine’s also has free WiFi. Bill packed the computer into our new waterproof bag, and off we went to town.

The WiFi was incredibly slow, so we gave up on that and joined the couple from Sea Fox X and some folks we hadn’t met for our BBQ supper. I had mutton, which we suspect was goat, and Bill had chicken. It was really good. Our dinner party broke up, and we all went out into the street to wait for the parade. There were food and drink stalls along the street. We tried to purchase drink tickets, but we were told the bar was out of mixers. Bill asked if they had ice and rum. The answers were yes and yes. He purchased tickets for four drinks. We had triple measures of coconut rum over ice; very tropical and very intoxicating.

Black Point has a population of about 300. I believe all 300 were out on the main street along with about 100 boaters and a film crew from ZNS, the Bahamian TV station. The Junkanoo band arrived about 9pm. The band was a small version of what I have seen of carnival bands in Buenos Aries. Loud horns, feathered costumed pounding drummers, rake and scrape players, whistles and cowbells. The parade went about half a block down the street and back, but it took them nearly an hour. All the onlookers were walking, jumping or just keeping the beat while following along. It was great! The young kids were out with their friends; you can’t get away with much in a town of 300. Some of the kids were chanting Obama, Obama in time with the beat. Why, I don’t have a clue. For us the whole thing lasted about an hour and a half. Bill and I set off from the town dock in our dinghy in the pitch black dark, but for reasons we do not fully understand, had a little trouble finding Irish Eyes among the hundred or so anchored boats. Other boaters were still coming home and having problems finding their boats at 3am. We just lay in our vee berth, listened to their shouting, and laughed.

On Sunday evening we once again dined at Lorraine’s Café and then attended the awards ceremony for the fishing, basketball, pool, and dominos contests. They drew ten winning tickets from the raffle. Thankfully we didn’t win anything. After the awards a young gospel singer from Nassau performed. Sunday evening was much calmer than Saturday. The drinks stand wasn’t open.

We somehow have a WiFi signal on board today, so we are spending the day doing our on-line business and updating all of you.

Have a wonderful spring!

Monday, March 22, 2010

Monday March 22, 2010 

The weekend party on Monument Island. The locals didn’t invite Bill.

 The Miami skyline as we were leaving. In a few days the scenery will be different.

 
A conch horn blowing statue. A monument to all conch horn blowers everywhere. 

 Weech’s Bimini Dock. Home for a few days.


We finally made it to the Bahamas! We are tied to the dock at Weech’s Marina in Bimini. The water is beautiful, and it is finally warm, around 80°.

Our trip down the ICW in Florida was a long-motoring-waiting-for-34-bridges-to-open kind of trip. Every day the temperature was warmer, so like snakes we shed our clothes layer after layer.

We anchored one night in the Matanzas River south of St Augustine. In the morning we left, and I was steering. I was following the markers, about 50 ft from a green buoy, and should have been in the middle of the channel, but ooops, we bumped the bottom and stuck. The depth sounder showed 5 feet, but the boat was in the channel and there should have been 12! It took several tries to get off the bottom and several more ooopses, but we finally found deep water near the starboard side bank where both our paper and electronic charts showed shallow water. A week or so later we found several websites with tales of boats being stuck in the same place. We feel so proud… we did not have to call a towboat like the others.

In Vero Beach I noticed that our oil pressure gauge read no pressure (like almost 0) although the alarm had not yet sounded. I told Bill, and he shut the engine off and checked the oil. Although low, there was still oil in the engine. Whew. Bill looked back at his log and realized the engine had been using much more oil than usual since the last oil change. We hadn’t noticed any strange engine noises or clouds of exhaust, but we decided when we got to Miami we would go to the local Yanmar dealer, Anchor Marine, and have a mechanic look at the engine.

Bill called Anchor Marine while we were motoring through Miami. He talked to the Service Manager who asked if the engine started easily (yes), was it making funny noises (no), or emitting embarrassing clouds of smoke (no). His advice was to buy some oil and go to the Bahamas. No matter what might be wrong, the fix would be the same: overhaul or replace the engine. Since that would take a couple of weeks and $$$$, we decided to follow the guy’s advice. Also, Anchor Marine is a working boatyard in a pretty poor neighborhood on the Miami River and not the sort of place where you go on long quiet solitary walks. I could envision several weeks confined to my bunk staying out of the mechanic’s way while he worked making a greasy mess of my home. We bought 10 gallons of oil.

We did a little celebration jig and continued toward the Venetian Causeway anchoring where we did last year. The wind changed direction during the night making the spot rough, so we moved to the other side of the causeway to discover lots of anchored boats. We picked a spot and dropped our hook. The Venetian Causeway connects Miami and Miami Beach. From where we anchored it was just a short dinghy ride into the city of Miami Beach.

Miami Beach has two nearby Publix grocery stores. One is an old, ethnic one and the other a newer, larger one with lots of variety. In the old one lots of stuff was kosher. They also had several brands of guava paste. I am not at all sure what you do with guava paste, but it did look interesting. I shopped in the newer store. It was more like home. Bill bought oil at Advance Auto.

Near where we anchored, was a small manmade island with a 110 ft high white monument to Henry Flagler, the original Florida land developer, thus the island’s name - Monument Island. Since we were there on Saturday, we got to see the big weekend party on Monument Island. There were Miami Vice type boats, jet skis, loud music, booze, and girls with skimpy bikinis. Bill watched through binoculars wishing someone would invite him over. That evening the City of Miami had a wonderful fireworks display. From where we were anchored we could see the whole Miami skyline silhouetted against the lit up sky; a perfect view. But, we don’t know what was being celebrated.

On Sunday we decided to walk down Lincoln Road, which is a pedestrian mall, to the beach. It was warm and the beach was full. Lincoln Road has lots of shops, mostly shoes and sunglasses, with a restaurant every few feet. We stopped at an outdoor pizza place for a pizza and a beer or two. The people-watching was the most fun. People of every shape, size, color, and manner of dress were out strolling. Having a leashed dog with you seemed to be a near universal requirement for admission. We had fun watching.

With all the anchored boats at Miami Beach, some of the ladies who had wintered there started a cruisers’ radio net. They announced every morning what social events were planned for the day. We went to a pot luck supper in the local park and a cocktail party on Monument Island. Our Monument Island party was during the week, and our group had the place all to ourselves. It was fun to make new friends and hear what other boaters are doing. Several of the ones in Miami Beach had been there all winter. The weather had been cold and windy. Some, like us were waiting for good weather to cross the Gulf Stream to the Bahamas. Others had given up on crossing and are just going to stay in Miami before heading back north. Some boats have insurance that requires the boat to be north of Savannah or some other point by June 1 to avoid hurricanes. We are lucky that we don’t have to worry about that.

Friday, March 19, we moved (along with about 17 other boats) from Miami Beach to Key Biscayne. The weather forecast for Saturday was good for the run to the Bahamas. After we got to Key Biscayne, Bill made one last dinghy trip to shore mailing a form to the IRS requesting an extension to file our 2009 income tax after we get back.

We had a beautiful sunset; Bill and several others blew their conch shell horns, and we went to bed early. We decided to get up at 3am to leave. Bill set the alarm on his radio for 3, only he also mistakenly set the timer to go off every 180 minutes. It did not make for a restful night. We were anchor up and underway by 3:45 in complete blackness. I didn’t like moving the boat in shallow water close to shore in the dark, and I really didn’t like motoring among the other anchored boats. I could see all kinds of things that weren’t there in the dark. The landing lights of an airplane at 10,000 feet ten miles away became the imagined anchor light of a boat 50 feet away, and I turned to avoid it. Ships miles away looked like they were nearby. We motored all the way to Bimini with the wind straight on our nose and with 4 ft swells rolling the boat. Every few yards we saw a Portuguese Man of War. The first one I saw I thought was some sort of balloon. Good thing we didn’t want to swim! Once across the Gulf Stream the swell and rolling went away. We arrived in Bimini at about 2pm, docked at Weech’s Bimini Dock, and cleared customs and immigration. I slept well that night. Even the live band at the bar did not keep me awake.

We are spending a couple of days here enjoying the stationary first hot showers since Myrtle Beach and waiting for a cold front to pass us by before we continue on to Nassau and the Exumas.

Hope Spring arrives soon for you all.