Paradise Found!

Warderick Wells

Christmas Eve we left Nassau in the morning and headed southeast to Warderick Wells in the Exumas (a chain of islands in the Bahamas). Ever since we left CT, we've been headed to the Exumas, and now we're here! The effort to get here has been handsomely paid back with our arrival at Warderick Wells.

For most of the day as we sailed south, we saw enticing glimpses of azure water and impossibly white beaches as we passed one small cay (pronounced "key") after another. Somehow, we resisted the siren call of these glimpsed treasures and left them in our wake. Around 4:30PM, with the light softening, we made the final turn towards our destination.

Warderick Wells is the main island in a group of cays that encompass the Exuma Land and Sea Park. As you approach the island, you steer away from the crystalline blue of the shallow sand bars and towards the deeper turquoise water. You follow the deeper water and enter a narrow passage - just wide enough for a moored boat and room to pass them by. The moorings are spread out single-file in a giant U-shape that surrounds a powder-white sand bar covered in transparent water that ripples and curls in interesting patterns as the ebb current plays across it. We're one of the last moorings, so we pass by all the other boats as we head to our spot.

Arrival Christmas Eve in Warderick Wells

The water is warm too!

The view looking back towards the anchorage

Visiting the park HQ

Friendly Encounter

Surprisingly, one of the cruising families that we had last seen in Norfolk, VA was in the line of boats! We had a briefly gotten to know them before they sailed away, so it was a wonderful gift to run into them again. They have three children around Jeanette's age.

As we settled in for the evening, we were in awe of the beauty of our surroundings. I don't think I've ever been anywhere so beautiful. It's certainly the first spot I've been where I have no desire to leave. It's really everything we hoped to find and share with Jeanette.

Christmas day, we enjoyed unwrapping presents and then headed to the beach to reconnoiter. We didn't expect the park office to be open, but it was and we learned that the park rangers were hosting a "Cruiser's Potluck" later that day. About 30 adults and 15 kids showed up for the afternoon meal and we quickly got to know people and Jeanette could meet new kids.

Christmas Morning (early of course)

Kid's Galore

Despite our fears that we'd have trouble finding other people with kids here, we've found it surprisingly easy. Some of the long-time cruisers say they've never seen so many kids here, so perhaps we just stumbled into paradise at the right time.  Last evening, all of the families assembled on the beach for an impromptu potluck. It's very easy to make friends here and you'll generally see the same people over and over as you transit the islands. Most everyone is destined for Georgetown ( a couple days' sail from here), but no one seems to be rushing to get there. And why would they? We've hiked trails to the top of Boo Boo Hill - with breathtaking vistas and working blow-holes - we've snorkeled a sunken wreck, a small reef with lots of spiny lobsters waving their antennae at us and have seen nurse sharks swimming around near the beach and also one that swam right between the hulls of our boat! 

Can you find Jeanette?

Of course, since there is no water, fuel or food here (and you can't catch any of those tasty lobsters), people do have to move on and we will too in a few days. But for now, it certainly is our little piece of paradise.

Funky Nassau

If I had a bucket list – and I don’t have anything official – Nassau would not be on it; having spent nearly a week here hasn’t changed my mind.  Nonetheless, making a stopover in Nassau was one of the necessary evils of our trip.  As Ken already explained, we made a rather “interesting” entry but have more or less recovered our groove and have had a decent rest after pushing hard to get here.   It seemed as though we left Bimini almost as soon as we arrived, having spent a little over 24 hours at the dock.  It was just enough time for “clearing in” with immigration, obtaining our phone and internet connections through Batelco (Bahamas Telephone Co), and taking long, hot showers.  Oops, did I say “long, hot showers?”  Actually, the hot water only lasted about a minute, but the tepid water that followed did just as good a job at washing away the salt.  Welcome to the islands! 

Docks lining Paradise Island

Yoga Retreat on Paradise Island

Grand Bahama Bank

We left Bimini Monday afternoon in an attempt to make some headway before another front blew through.   Cutting between Gun Cay and Triangle Rocks, we entered Grand Bahama Bank and anchored at sunset about an hour east of Cat Cay.  At 75nm wide and 180nm long, the shortest heading across the bank is still 60nm – a long way for a sailboat averaging 6 kts.  While it sounded like a good idea to get a head start and anchor out in the open, the reality was a very bumpy, uncomfortable night that left me wondering why we just didn’t sail all night instead of pretending that we were getting some sleep.  Grand Bahama Bank is described in the guidebooks as a large tableland of shallow water (mostly 15-18’ feet) with many sandbars, shifting sands, and constantly changing depth contours, making an accurate survey nearly impossible.  The parts of the bank that are charted often have missing or unlit markers and, even with reliable charts, there are still hair-raising moments.  One of these moments comes with the entrance to the Northwest Passage, the point of convergence for most easterly routes.  The chart shows two markers and makes a notation that one of the markers is broken at approximately 2’ above the waterline at low tide and may not be visible at high tide.  In other words, a sharp pointy object just waiting to hole a hull!  We could not visualize either one of the markers so we kept to what we felt was a conservative course (i.e., away from both markers) and hoped for the best.  With NE winds blowing 15-22kts and kicking up a short, steep chop on the shallow bank, it was a long, uncomfortable day.  Once through the NW Passage and into the Tongue of the Ocean, the seas became a little more organized and our depth finder began blinking as it lost the bottom of the ocean.  We logged 73nm in 11.5 hours, arriving at Chub Cay at 6pm with darkness falling fast.  We let go the anchor and spent a blessedly calm night with clear skies and a full moon coasting overhead. 

Chub Cay Anchorage

 

Full Moon as we sail away from Chub Cay

Nassau Harbor

The full moon was setting behind us when we pulled up the anchor and set off.  We answered a panicked call from another boater who was approaching the NW Passage channel and was looking for those missing markers.  Ken gave him all of the assurances that come from having survived the passage unscathed.  The Bahamas may only be 40 miles from Florida, but they may as well be on another planet.  We are learning to adjust our expectations. 

With winds NE at 15-20kts (sound familiar?), the seas gradually built from 2-4’ to 3-5’.  By the time we reached the entrance to Nassau harbor, we were surfing down the occasional 6-footer.  We passed into the harbor entrance and, like magic, the water smoothed out to gentle wavelets and we were enjoying life once again.  Until we tried pulling into our slip – and, as Ken has already filled in that part of the story, I will, to borrow from Mark Twain,  “draw the curtain of charity on that scene.” 

Nassau Light at the harbor entrance

Nassau Harbor and Paradise Island Bridge

Cruise ships aplenty!

Colorful Nassau

What Nassau has is an abundance of color.  Beautiful Bahamian colors that span the spectrum of the rainbow, dazzle the eyes, and lift the spirit; while the colorful characters, who accentuate its populace, provide the entertainment.  

Highlights of our experiences here:

• Careening around the island on the Local #1 bus.  Hanging on for dear life as our neighboring passengers engage in conversation – very loudly – with their pedestrian friends.   Ken got a good chuckle out of the “No…” sign:  "No Drinking, No Smoking, No Swearing, No High Arm Odor”  -  and indeed, there was none that I could discern.  There are no hand pulls to let the driver know when you would like to disembark – you simply call out “Bus Stop!” and rush to the front and out the door, tossing fare to the driver on the way.  
• Strolling through the government area with its parliament buildings and well turned-out shops that cater to the cruise-ship crowd.  The beauty, fashion, high-end jewelers, and cleanliness end at what I can only assume is deemed to be the average distance walk-able by the average tourist originating from said cruise ships.  Abruptly, the Disney-fied ambiance screeches to a halt and abandoned buildings and the general disorder and dirt that mark this place take over once again. 
• The Christmas Boat Parade.  We were in luck to have front-row seats for our second holiday boat parade of the season.  It turns out Bahamians are pretty competitive and the dock next to our slip was filled with locals cheering on their favorite entries.  Meanwhile, the official party was taking place on a neighboring pier and the MC was loving every minute of having a microphone in hand.  Lots of loud music – none related to Christmas – punctuated an evening filled with an abundance of enthusiasm.   The boats were wildly decorated, in whatever fashion they liked, and one of the last boats even shot off some fireworks as it passed by, capping off the spectacle.
• Meeting up with cruiser, Peter Landis, whom we met at anchor in Hollywood, FL.  Peter came over for dinner last night and I found out that his family physician when growing up in Southern California was Dr. Henry Biehler.  We had a great conversation about diet, nutrition, and growing up unvaccinated and healthy.  While I know that most of you won’t get the reference, anyone of my colleagues who’s prescribed Biehler’s Broth to their patients will! 

Moving On

It’s evening and the winds are finally abating.  Skies are clear and the weather is looking promising for a solid week!  Provisions are stowed and last-minute presents are wrapped.  We are ready to move on!  Tomorrow morning we are headed to Warderick Wells Cay and the Exumas Land and Sea Park.  We’ll stay there through Christmas and then resume our journey south, with hopes of making Georgetown by Jeanette’s birthday (New Year’s Eve).  After three months of primarily adult company, she is chomping at the bit for some extended kid time, and she’s earned it!  We have been blessed with not only a wonderful daughter, but one who is also a great traveler and a good sport, willing to roll with our constantly changing plans.  I can hardly believe that she’s turning 10! 

We will likely be out of contact for a few days as we traverse the Exumas chain.   Whatever the sights and wonders we experience on Christmas Day, our thoughts will be with our family and friends.  Thank you for your e-mails and messages that connect us and warm our hearts from afar.  

Wishing you all a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! 

Always Look on the Bright Side of Life

Some of you might be familiar with the song, "Always Look on the Bright Side of Life," from Monty Python's, "Life of Brian". I think it captures where we're now at - upbeat, but recovering from a few "issues" over the last couple days. 

Life Was Good, Then it Wasn't

There we were on Tuesday, smiles on our faces that we'd made it into Nassau - sailing the whole way in big seas. Sure, we had a few repair "issues" that we thought would be better sorted in Nassau than at some desolate island with no one around but me with my "mechanically challenged" skills. But we felt the issues were likely simple to resolve. We checked into a marina as I was pretty sure I was going to need professional help to resolve our generator problem. I was very prescient, as it turns out.

I Dare You to Try This

The first challenge was getting into our slip with the wind blowing 15kts directly on our beam (meaning the wind is perpendicular to the boat) and a 24' gap between large wooden pilings to slip into. Did I mention our boat is 20' wide? In our favor, we have two engines, which do give us marvelous maneuverability.  The only hitch was that we couldn't approach the slip directly.  We had to first go down a narrow channel and then pivot the boat 90 degrees and go into our slip straight. The pilings were downwind, the dock was upwind so we couldn't just drift down onto the dock. To help things out, there was a 2 kt current driving us into the slip, so that had to be factored into my rapidly greying grey matter. 

There are basically two strategies for this situation: drive hard for the finish line and hope you can stop; or try to wriggle your way in using light touches of the throttle. Since I wasn't sure in my abilities to stop (remember the direction of the current), I chose the second path. So, when we hit the piling (which was sort of inevitable) we at least didn't do much damage to it or us. We bounced off it, and we sort of bumped our way further in, at which point I heard a dramatic "thunk" before the port engine shuddered to a halt. My only thought was that I'd hit a rock or something. Never mind, no time to worry as we still weren't docked and the wind was trying to push us down onto the boat next to us. 

We Lick our Wounds

Eventually, with much heaving and hauling, we pulled our boat upwind to the dock and semi-secured ourselves. Just a few more battle marks on the side of the boat to demonstrate our braille approach to docking. We're looking a little beat up at this point - but the marks generally come off with some muscle and wax. I'll make sure Beth has plenty of wax…

Beth diagnosed that we had caught one of our lines in the prop and that was the cause of the "thunk." We have no idea how the dinghy lift line got free, but we were in pretty big seas coming over and it must have worked itself loose with so much turbulence at the back of the boat as we charged along at 8+ kts. However it happened, we'll make sure not to let it happen again...

Scary Thoughts

I jumped into the water (after putting on a wetsuit as it was colder than I thought) and surveyed the damage. I cut the line off the prop and, in my adrenaline-fueled panic, I saw that the sail drive (the thing that the prop sticks out of) was "bent" about 10 to 15 degrees.  I came up to tell Beth the bad news and then spent hours trying to figure out how we were going to fix a bent sail drive. This was a potentially vacation-altering situation that would radically transform our trip - if not force us back to Florida for repairs. I finally gave up worrying about it and left it for the morning to deal with. 

Water Maker Makes Trouble

Next, I decided that Beth and I should validate that the water maker was indeed putting out as much water as it claimed. So we fired it up to see it work and, sure enough, it did exactly what it claimed. I had previously started the water maker for an hour after a year of not using it, so I knew it basically worked, but wasn't sure how well it worked. 

We then decided to make some water, but the machine kept stalling and shutting itself down. Yikes, another problem to deal with in the morning! We then had dinner and watched a movie. In the middle of the movie, the bilge light went on (this is the light that you generally don't want to see go on and signals that a pump is trying to get water out of the boat). Now, I thought it was the bent sail drive allowing water to come into the engine compartment so I rushed outside to see. Nope, dry as a bone. Hmmm, so where is all that water gushing out of the boat from? I told Beth to rip up the floorboards and check - sure enough, a bunch of water in the hull where it shouldn't be. For some reason, I immediately suspected the water maker and opened the compartment. There was our very expensive water maker immersed in over a foot of seawater. Now that can't be a good thing - and I can hear water continuing to flow into the compartment. 

The Bucket of Doom

We're sort of slowly sinking, but we're in no real risk of actually sinking because the bilge pumps can easily keep up with the flow. However, the casual observer would think otherwise based on our ensuing panic. Beth and J leapt into action bailing water out of the bilge while I got out my "bucket of doom." This was a yellow plastic bucket containing a large electric bilge pump with a long hose and set of power cables. It was supposed to be used in extremis when we collided with something and we needed to pump out the boat and the bilge pumps weren't enough. It was the perfect solution to get 50 gallons of seawater out of our compartment and it did it in just a minute or two. We shut off the raw water inlet to the water maker and now everything was under control, but for the mess of water, hoses and wet towels strewn everywhere that needed cleaning up.

I could not easily figure out why the water maker turned into a boat-sinking device, so I left it, also, for the morning. We went back to our movie and then to sleep and dream of a future where we don't have all sorts of mechanical problems.

Unbending the Sail Drive

Wednesday morning we set to work to figure out how to first fix our bent sail drive (our most serious problem); secondly, how to fix our water maker, and; finally, what to do about the generator (our original "serious" problem that now had to play second fiddle to everything else). After calling and talking to lots of experts, none of whom could believe I'd actually bent the sail drive, I began to realize I'd need some pictures to prove everyone it was indeed possible. I jumped back into the water (still cold) and looked carefully at the sail drive and how it lined up with the rudder. By gum, it was indeed straight as a cowboy in Texas! We tested the engine with the prop engaged (something we hadn't tried because we thought it might make things worse) and it all seemed to work perfectly. What a huge relief! A bent sail drive was the kind of repair that would have totally messed with our plans (and our expenses). 

Next, I crawled into the water maker compartment to see what had gone so wrong. It seems our water maker basically blew up where the raw water comes into the reverse osmosis tube. There was a hole the size of a quarter where there shouldn't be a hole. OK, that was way beyond anything we could deal with and would need a new part. Not sure how the salt water immersion will treat the rest of the device, but we can't do anything until we can get the part replaced.

Two Down, One to Go

Finally, it's time to figure out why our generator won't stay running for more than a couple minutes. It just simply shuts down. It will restart fine a few minutes later, but then die again. After doing as much troubleshooting as I can, I call in the experts and, $1,000 and two days later, it turns out to be a failed electric pump that I didn't know existed!  It's a $50 part that, if I had known was the cause of the problem, could have fixed myself.  Instead, I imagined it was something way more complex that only experts could figure out. I could probably have figured it out if my life depended on it, but I took the easy way out thinking it couldn't be that expensive here in the developing world. Yet another lesson learned…

Dream Repairman

At this point, the boat is clean, we're all set to head out to the Exumas, we have all systems go (except the water maker) and we almost have our groove back. I've spent two days working and sweating to get things resolved and I'm looking for a little R&R - which was really the goal of the trip, we just don't always get to that point. It seems sometimes I'm just constantly fixing something. It's been the rare week where everything is working perfectly and I can just relax. And you thought we were living the dream? Did you know dreams require someone behind the scenes to make it work? Make sure you pick up one of those before you leave on your dream!

Ready, Set, GO!

So Long America

For the past three months, we’ve been dreaming, scheming, and planning for crossing the Gulf Stream and entering that magical place that cradles the fabled islands in the stream.  Visions of white sandy beaches, gin-clear water reflecting every shade and hue of green and blue, vibrant reefs, and dinner….er… fish on the line, have underscored each stop along the way since we left Connecticut on September 13^th. 

New places discovered, paths explored, and moments shared with family and friends have struck bittersweet notes on our heartstrings as we savor the meeting, yet mourn departures that come all too soon.  We only hope that our family and friends will continue to join us along the way and enrich our journey as only loved ones can! 

Expectations

As a family, we anticipate the islands in different ways.  For me, the Bahamas hold echoes of the familiar and the promise of delights yet unexplored.  While I sailed throughout the Berry Islands with my family when I was a kid, the rest of the islands are an unknown.  For Ken, it’s all new and I’m only hoping that my waxing eloquent over the clarity of the water and beauty of the islands holds up to the reality.  As for Jeanette, she’s the same age as I was when I first came here.  Like me, she is taking it all in and is looking forward to some kid time.  For that reason, we are pressing on to Georgetown – the promised land for boat kids – and, most likely, the southernmost part of our journey.

Tis' the Season! The annual Xmas Boat Parade in Miami passed right by us in our anchorage

The Day Dawns

Every morning and evening for the past two weeks we analyzed the weather data in anticipation of making the crossing.  Given the beautiful weather that Florida’s been having, we were hard pressed to discern any kind of favorable wind pattern that would calm the Stream, fill our sails, and allow us to set a reasonable course to our destination.  Although we do not subscribe to a personal weather forecasting guru, we do listen in to Chris Parker’s forecasts in the morning and have learned a lot.  In fact, we’ve learned that we actually do a pretty good job analyzing the data!  So, after several maybe’s, we finally hit on a short but real weather window that had us leaving Sunday morning and arriving in Bimini in the afternoon.  

It seems a small thing to go such a short distance, but as anyone who’s crossed the Gulf Stream in the wrong conditions can tell you, the wind direction and speed make all the difference between a miserable day and a fun crossing.  As it was, we had a great crossing.  We weighed anchor at 6am and headed out in the pre-dawn darkness, following the channel markers out to Fawey Light.  We trailed behind a couple of sloops, but quickly gained and then left them – and the other dozen or so boats that left the anchorage with us – behind when we raised our sails and picked up speed.  (This may seem like a trivial detail, however, according to sailing lore, whenever two sailboats are on the water at the same time it’s considered a race – and, just for the record, we won!)  

After all the “should we or shouldn’t we,” the weather did not disappoint.  With seas running in a rather poorly organized southerly swell at 2-4’ and SW winds steady at 15-18kts, we made 6.5-8.5kts under sail, averaging 7kts.  It was a boisterous, rollicking ride, but we made the 50nm crossing in 7 hours from up anchor to docking – not too shabby!  As a bonus, we caught a Spanish mackerel and a Blackfin tuna along the way and were rewarded with fresh fish for dinner. 

Some tasty tuna, we think it is a Blackfin tuna, but we're still beginners with the hook and line thing

Land Ho!

The Gulf Stream ends rather abruptly at Bimini, with depths of several hundred feet only ½ mile offshore.  The bottom shoals rapidly at ¼ mile off the beach and the water turns from a deep purply blue to emerald green in just minutes.  Once through the channel, the water calms dramatically and the beach-lined shore gives way to rather rustic-appearing marinas to the west and sandy flats to the east.  I wonder, not for the first time, how did the frigates and barques of old manage to navigate these waters and stay afloat?! 

This is what the channel into Bimini looked like

This is the view of the side of our boat, can you name all these blues and greens?

Bimini Beach is Beautiful!

Jeanette runs free!

T-1 Day to the Bahamas

The wind is swinging into the south - which is the key requirement for us to head out to the Bahamas. We've been waiting for this weather window for over 2 weeks now. This is it. There isn't another weather window like this for another 2 weeks - so we have to be go now. We're expecting 10-15knots from the south-southeast. We'd prefer a southwest wind, but we'll deal with what we have. I'm sure we'll run the motor the whole way to give us a better angle on the wind and make better time.

Once we get to the Bahamas, our cell phones will stop working. Or more correctly, we have to stop them from working because we wouldn't be able to afford the cost of the calls (something like $2/min). Instead, we will eventually get Bahamian phone numbers - but this might take a week or more.

Meanwhile, you can reach us via email - which will be pretty reliable since we have a few ways to pull it in. You can also always use the text messaging feature of our satellite-based tracking system. See the link to the right of the blog for more information.

We'll likely be in a marina in Bimini for a couple days, which might give us wifi and allow us to post a blog on our trip over. We'll be sure to include some pictures of the shades of water we'll encounter.

T-2 Days to Bahamas

Five Years in the Making

We're now anchored in teal-accentuated ocean just south of Miami. The wind hums and thrums through the rigging as a northerly toys with us - but we're pretty well dug in and not going anywhere. I can see fireworks going off in one of the exclusive neighborhoods not far from here. Wonder what they're celebrating? We'll soon have something to celebrate too. In a couple of days we'll travel about 50 miles east, but those are significant miles as they will deposit us in the Bahamas. For me, this is a big step - not so much the crossing of the Gulf Stream - it shouldn't take much more than 7 or 8 hours - but the landing in a foreign port after voyaging over 1,400 miles from CT. Those 50 miles will make a big difference as they launch us into a new culture and a very different environment from anything we've experienced so far.

While we didn't plan it this way, it's almost 3 months to the day when we left our friends in CT and sailed off. Given everything we've done so far, it is hard to imagine what the next 3 months will be like. But rumors are that it involves endless beaches with only one set of footprints - ours! We can already see a dramatic change in the color of the water - it's become clearer and shaded in greens that we simply don't have words to describe. I don't even think Crayola would know what to call these colors. And that's just here in Miami! The Bahamas will make this seem an opaque and limited palette of green. Even our camera struggles with capturing the hues we're experiencing. It's almost as if there is something more than photons we're soaking up.

The ocean off Lake Worth: Blue-green with a hint of teal 

Jupiter Inlet: Frosted sea-glass green

Miami: Shades of emerald green

Planning the Crossing

The gulf stream runs as fast as 3kts north, so we have to adjust to make sure we have a quick ride rather than a long one. That means getting as south as you can before you tackle the stream. You basically plot a position south of your destination that is offset by the same distance the stream will take you north. You then just lock onto that compass heading and steer to that. Your actual course over the ground will be very different, but you'll wind up where you want to be. You also have to make sure that you go over in a south or southwesterly breeze because if the wind ever opposes the stream - things will get ugly fast. 

So, we're now as south as we should be and the stream is about 13 miles east of us. By this Sunday, we should have south southeast winds to head over on. It's likely that we'll be motor-sailing to help beat the stream. I think we'll land in Bimini and clear customs and immigration there. Then, we wait for the right wind and we're off across the Bahama Banks. 

The sun sets on Hollywood

72 and Cold

Ever since mid-Florida, we switched back to T-shirts and shorts. After a few weeks of that, I went outside the boat tonight and felt chilled. It was 72 degrees! I'm not sure I ever imagined I'd think of 72 as "cold". I know many of you are suffering from snow and ice and are not likely to feel much sympathy for us. 

Florida!

But first...

Well, it turns out that we’re not very reliable bloggers.  There are some gaping holes in our account that may or may not ever be filled.  Suffice it to say that we spent a weekend in Charleston after Masonboro, then sailed down to Hilton Head Island to visit our friends Judy and Bob Powell.  We arrived in HHI just ahead of a cold snap that saw temps drop to the low 30’s on the boat!  Judy and Bob were kind enough to offer Ken’s mom, Marie, a cozy guest room and she quickly warmed (no pun intended) to the idea.  Walks on the beach, lunch at the yacht club, and an afternoon at the coastal museum gave us a taste of the island, then and now.  We watched the old Jon Voight movie, Konrack, in honor of the Gullah people who settled these islands, and enjoyed two nights of fresh-caught shrimp.  Our friends pampered us silly and we left with warm feelings and promises of a rendez-vous; along with a full fridge and clean laundry (two of our in-port priorities!).   Marie stayed behind and flew home to Fresno the next day with assurances that she will rejoin us in the Bahamas at some point. 

Boat Monkey

Lovely Charleston home

Swing bridge coming into Charleston

Beautiful Hilton Head

Marie, Ken, J, Bob, and Judy

Bob and Ken trying on their "captain" hats

Sculpture at the Coastal Center

24hrs On the Ocean

We left HHI knowing we’d spend the next 24 hours out on the ocean. The wind wasn’t overly cooperative, but at least it wasn’t howling.  The full moon was obscured by clouds, but lightened up the sky considerably.  We wound up motoring for much of the trip with Ken taking the late night watch until 2AM before I took over until 6AM.  The highlight of the trip, for me, came around 3AM when I bent down to take in the jib sheet and a dolphin surfaced just 2' away from my hands.  It was comforting to know that there were other travelers at that hour!  We arrived mid-morning on Sunday, 11/17, with time enough to go ashore and tour the fort (Castillo de San Marcos) that afternoon.  St. Augustine is lovely and its Spanish history is evident in its architecture.  We were glad to have had the opportunity to get ashore that day as it began to rain on Monday as a front moved through.  

Cannons at the Castillo

Castillo de San Marcos from the water

Manatees, Dolphins and Rays – oh My!

We gave up waiting for good weather and left St. Augustine that Wednesday with a blustery breeze at our stern, resigned to a couple of days on the ICW.  The trip down to Melbourne was beautiful and a chance to experience “Old Florida;” the part of Florida that most people never see and which keeps me coming back for more. 

The Matanzas River was new territory for me and I was constantly scanning the water and shoreline for wading birds, dolphins, and manatees; and the beautiful vistas of hammocks, marsh, and cypress.  A short cut across the Haulover Canal and we were in the Indian River and the home stretch to Melbourne.  We arrived Thursday evening, 11/21, and anchored by the Pineda Causeway Bridge. 

It’s All Relative

My brother, Joe, picked us up the next morning and we spent a long weekend with him, my sister-in-law Debbie, niece Amanda, and great-nephew Ethan.  Jeanette was in kid heaven, having a cousin her own age to play with after several weeks of adult company.   It was difficult peeling them apart at the end of each day!  On Saturday, we decided to move the boat down to a marina in Eau Gallie because of a big blow forecast to move through the area.  Joe, Debbie, and my cousin and his wife, Jim and Pam Wheble, joined us for the short sail down river.  The wind was light, but we were in no hurry (for once!) and savored the tranquility of the river and the fun of being together as we skimmed along.  Sunday was a double birthday celebration – Ethan’s (the Thanksgiving baby) and an early preview of Jeanette’s (our New Year’s Eve girl).  It was difficult saying good-bye to the warmth of so much family after having been en route for so long, but we were eager to make more progress south so that we could position ourselves for the crossing. 

Joe, Pam, Debbie, and Jim

Jeanette and Ethan with his favorite gift!

Doing the ICW the Hard Way

We left early Monday morning, 11/25, with 30 kts of wind behind us, and squalls lining the horizon.  It was a wet ride down the Indian River to Fort Pierce, where we anchored in strong winds and spent a rolly night.  We weighed anchor at first light, with the wind finally abating and I caught sight of a spinner shark in mid-air as we pulled out of the anchorage.  The weather gradually cleared and by the time we were south of St. Lucie Inlet, the sun was breaking through and shining on emerald green water.  Hammocks and mangroves were slowly replaced with mansions and soon we were gawking at the homes that line the ICW as it passes Jupiter Island and the North Palm Beach area.  We slipped into Old Port Cove Marina in time for dinner with Joe and Debbie, who were in the area for business.  Our location also gave us a chance to catch up with my friend Dede, spend time with my brothers Chris and Phil, Chris' wife Debbie and son Bobby, and share a wonderful Thanksgiving with even more family!

Jupiter Lighthouse

Dad, Connie, Matt, Carmen, Becky, Mike, Ken, Debbie, Chris, and Beth

Hollywood, Here We Come!

After a week of rubbing elbows with the Beautiful People in North Palm Beach, we headed south on the 2^nd to Hollywood, my childhood home.  We left N. Palm on a picture-perfect morning – the kind of day that sells beachfront condos to Snowbirds.  We passed Peanut Island and marveled at the clarity of the water and the sea life beneath us.  Lake Worth was a hodge-podge of gorgeous yachts and abandoned derelicts, their fuzzy skirts revealing time spent too long at anchor.  Leaving Lake Worth Inlet, we trailed behind a luxury motor yacht with a helicopter buzzing close and hovering at all angles to catch the perfect shot.  Later, coming through Port Everglades, we passed another mega-yacht with a sizeable “sailing dinghy” on board. 

Florida has been a wonderful respite, with long weekends spent with friends and family and warm days for fun and, of course, boat chores.  I’ve managed to connect with a few of my long-time friends here and have soaked up the companionship and comfort of friends who’ve known me through good times and bad.   No matter how many years pass, we always pick up right where we left off.  For the past week, we’ve been anchored in South Lake.  The homes, many of them quite modest, are beautiful here, framed by lush foliage and open to the east and south for the best breezes.  We’ve been sharing the lake with a French Canadian couple on their 60’ trawler and a solo sailor on his 30’ sloop – 2 sides of the cruising coin.  It’s been fun practicing my French and getting tips on how to make “the crossing: (i.e., crossing the Gulf Stream) from a regular.  

There is no dinghy landing on this lake, so we must take a 10-minute ride under the bridge (Hollywood Blvd.) to North Lake and the public boat ramp.  From there, it’s a short walk to my dad’s house and it’s been great having this time to spend with him and Connie.  We’ve had fun decorating the house for Christmas – something Jeanette and I have sorely missed this year.  While I brought a few ornaments for the boat, it’s not the same as making the trek to Jones Family Farms for a live Christmas tree and a case of wine.  Still, we’ve opened the door to new rituals and I suspect we’ll be stringing up decorated shells and finding novel ways to celebrate the holidays in warmer climes. 

Luxury Yacht photo shoot

Cerulean blue water

...with a little sailing dinghy "tumor" in its side

Anchored in South Lake, Hollywood

An old Hollywood institution

Bahamas Beckon

The northerly winds have abated, for now, and the gentle southerlies that filled in their place served to usher out the rain and calm the seas.  Ideal sailing weather continues to evade us, however, and we have been forced to motor sail for much of our time here.  Still, the sight of so much wildlife – dolphins, leopard rays, flying fish – and the gorgeous water – aquamarine, jade green, cerulean blue – have more than made up for any disappointment.   Our plans are revised daily as the forecast changes, but it looks like we’ll be heading down to No Name Harbor in Biscayne Bay on Thursday and then make the crossing to Cat Cay or Bimini on Sunday.