Finally to Florida

We rolled into Gainesville, FL yesterday about 4:00pm.  Sounds like we made it just in time to hear about some cooler weather hitting Bismarck.  Sounds like it's going to get below zero in the next couple of nights.  Andrea called to let us know that she's having some trouble with her car heater.  That's a no brainer about whether she gets it fixed or not.

We arrived in Titusville, FL today about 3:00pm and went to the condo that we've rented.  We found out that the person that we rented from has two units that he owns.  One he uses for himself and one he rents.  Naturally, we went to the wrong unit and couldn't understand why we couldn't find the key.  We finally figured it out.  We'll be renting this unit until December 1st and then moving to the unit that we rented last Spring until about the 10th of December.  During that time we'll be getting the boat ready to put back in the water and visiting with our son Tom that will be visiting for a week over the Thanksgiving holiday.  This unit is not as nice as the one we rented last April.  Marilyn had to wash most of the dishes before we could use them and the air conditioning is not working very well.  Right now it's warmer inside than it is outside.

Tomorrow we hope to head over to the boat yard and see how things fared over the summer and early fall.  I have several maintenance things that I need to take care of before we can put the boat in the water.  Two of the major things are fixing the port center board and removing and cleaning the diesel heat exchanger.  There are lots of other minor things that I need to do, but most of them can be done after the boat is put in the water if necessary.

First palm tree of the season

Time to head south again

After a lot more difficulty this year than in past years, we're finally ready to head south.  Once we get to the boat and find out how things are, I'll start to do some more photography and let you know what's going to happen next.  Our son Tom is coming down to visit us for Thankgiving so that should make the holiday a lot more fun.  I also have some projects that I'd like him to help with.  Stay posted and let the fun begin.

Headed Back to North Dakota

Once we made it back to the U.S. we made our way up the Intracoastal Waterway by way of Peck Lake, Vero Beach, Melbourne and a few days at the Titusville Municipal Marina.  Arrangements were made for the boat to be hauled out at Westland Marina which is right next to the municipal marina.  Things went pretty well except when the boat was hauled we discovered that the line to the port centerboard had broken and we were unable to raise the board.  That didn't prevent them from moving the boat since many monohulls have much more draft than we do with the centerboard completely down.  We did make a valient attempt to repair the line, but we found that we needed to have the board all the way down to complete the run for the line.  So, since it was now on the hard, we have everything ready to go, but we'll have to wait until we put the boat back in the water to complete the process.  We completed the other standard things that needed attention before leaving it for the summer and this year we decided to cover it for protection.  Westland Marina has many more trees than were in Key Largo and it seems that birds also love to roost on the boats.  So, the covering will keep out both the vegetation and the bird goodies from ruining the deck and/or plugging the scuppers.  We're now on our way back to North Dakota, however, not very quickly.  We're trying to keep from doing long driving days and the last we checked they still had a little snow on the ground in ND.  We did get a message from friends today that said it was 77 today, so I guess we'll pick up the pace a little.

Drinking Tom's Spotted Cow

On our way to Sandy Point for a fish fry

Saying goodbye to Joan, Jerry, Chistelle, and Gary after making it to Titusville.

A homemade cover for 9 Lives

Goodbye Bahamas

Although we've been having a really great time, it's time to say goodbye to the Bahamas and all the new friends we made at the Jib Room in Marsh Harbor.  The first thing I want to say is thank you to Christelle Beer-Donavan.  Much of the following narrative was written by Christelle, but she did such a nice job, I couldn't help but post some of it.  After leaving Marsh Harbor the first thing on the agenda was to negotiate a safe passage back through the Whale Cay Channel. When we came through it the first time it was a lovely calm day and we had no problems at all.

After waiting for a good weather window we set off with MV Teaghlach and MV Time and Tide but instead of navigating around the treacherous Whale Cay passage we were opting to do the inside route through aptly named,“ Don’t Rock".  Don’t Rock passage is a little more sheltered from the Atlantic but comes with its own problems, being that it is very shallow. We were fortunate to follow MV Teaghlach through and although they never saw less than 5 feet of water on the depth sounder, we did see one spot of 4.5 feet.

On Easter Sunday we set off from Green Turtle Cay for Great Sale Cay. We were going to anchor out for the night and get an early start to West End. Great Sale is about 60 miles from Green Turtle and the trip was easy, but long.   The anchorage was not very comfortable.  The winds were from the ESE but the rollers that came in to the bay were straight from the South, It made for a rocky night on the hook and none of us slept very well.

The next morning (April 1, April fool’s day) we set off again with our boating buddies and headed to West End. This was supposed to be one of the easiest parts of our trip, the banks are shallow and the waters are a gorgeous clear blue/green. It was supposed to be a walk in the park. But the forecasts were a little off and instead of SSE winds at 10-15 knots we got blown around and knocked about in a confused sea state with waves on the beam and winds up to 25-30 Knots. It made for an uncomfortable ride but it wasn’t the end of the world.

Now, to get to West end you have to go from the “banks” out through a cut (Indian Rock, which is basically an inlet through a reef) and turn to the left to get into the harbour. As I said, the waves were pretty nasty out on the banks and we knew going through the natural narrowed area of the cut those waves would be amplified. We expected that and were prepared to hit a few big waves as we got through.  Little did we know? Live and learn. The two trawlers we were traveling with were about an hour ahead of us.  As they entered the narrower area of the cut they were met head-on by waves of about 15 feet.  The wind was blowing straight from the Atlantic into the cut and gathered up waves and threw them at the trawlers. The waves were so big, they would ride up them one side and down the other.

Fortunately, Time and Tide called us and recommended that we consider other alternatives rather than going through the cut.  The only real alternative was to anchor out on the shallow bank even though there is no real protection.  There is a small place called Goodwill Channel, which is not very protected and has poor holding, so we decided we would work our way there and spend the night.  Unfortunately as we approached the turn for the channel, our engine died.  Because the water is so shallow and the cut pretty narrow, we quickly dropped the anchor, which set immediately.  That took a lot of the pressure off.  Even though it was a little rocky and rolly at least we knew we weren't going anyplace and we could address the engine problem.  We found a dirty fuel filter and after changing the filter the engine fired back up.  Even though we had the engine back on line, we decided to stay put, spend the night and see how the weather was in the morning.  The next morning the winds had died and we were able to get through the cut and work our way to the marina.

On Wednesday morning, April 3rd we left West End at 3:00am and headed for the Lake Worth Inlet in Florida.  The trip was pretty uneventful compared to our trip from Great Sale to West End.  The wind was from behind us and not blowing very hard at all.  The only people that we had to keep us company were those on the 4 cruise ships that we saw on our way.  About 10 miles from Lake Worth, the winds did start to pick up and the seas became pretty messy in and near the Gulf Stream, but it was still nothing that was unmanageable.  We arrive about 1:30pm and went into the Lake Park Harbor Marina.  Needless to say, we went to bed at about 8:00pm that night.  From here we'll work our way north to Titusville, FL on the intracoastal waterway, so thing (should?) be much better. We've decided to leave the boat in Titusville this year rather than Key Largo.   Boating is not for everyone, but the good things have far outweighed the bad and we've met some wonderful, wonderful people.

It's much nicer sailing during the day than at night

Maybe we should use this as a Xmas card

Red sky  in the morning, sailors take warning.

  

On our way past "Don't Rock"

Barefoot Man in Great Guana

I think I mentioned that we were going to go to the Barefoot Man concert in Great Guana.  It was a pretty wild time.  He has a great following in the Bahamas and many people turned out to listen and dance.  He put on an afternoon performance and an evening performance.  The afternoon was much better than the evening.  The weather was nice during the afternoon and there were lots more people.

Had some pictures of Pat and Judy Sorenson that I wanted to get on line and also some pictures of the wild surf on the beach at the Abaco Inn on Elbow Cay.

The weather was beautiful today.  Absolutely no wind which happens only once in a great while.

Good Bye to Pat and Judy Sorenson

Pat and Judy Sorenson left Marsh Harbor this morning after visiting a little over a week.  We had a great time and we're sorry to see them leave.  We made it to Hopetown, Elboy Cay and Great Guana Cay while they were hear.  After leaving Hopetown we had a nice sail to Great Guana.  While there we went to Nippers restaurant for their weekly "pig roast".  There were lots of people there which was a surprise because we didn't see very many boats in the marina or at anchor.  The big swell was still running on the Atlantic side of the cay and it was fun watching people try to get pictures of themselves with the surf in the background.  They'd get up on rocks along the shore and then a big wave would come along and cover the rock.  I was sure someone was going to fall in, but everyone managed to stay on the rock even though they were pretty wet when they got off.  After leaving Great Guana, we sailed back to Marsh Harbor so that they were here to get to their airplane for the trip home.

This week-end there's a concert being put on by "barefoot man" and we had hope to attend.  We have reservations for the marina, but the wind is suppose to be 25 to 30 from the north which would be right on our nose.  The week-end itself is suppose to be nice, but I'm afraid we won't find any place to stay, either dockage or anchorage, if we don't get there early.  So, we'll see how everything goes.

Pat and Judy in the Bahamas

Pat and Judy Sorenson made it to Marsh Harbor on March 4th.  We had to stay in the Marina for a couple of nights because of strong winds.  After a couple of nights we finally decided to head on out.  Plans were to head for Great Guana Cay, but those ended quickly when we saw that the wind was  right on our nose.  So, we headed for Hopetown Harbor on Elbow Cay.  We'd heard that the harbor was full because of the cooler and windier weather we'd been having, but we decided to check it out anyway.  We called in and found out there was one mooring still open and we got it.  Spent two nights there and rented a golf cart to do some exploring.  We had a great time exploring new places.  The Atlantic side of the island was spectacular.  There was a very big swell running so the surf was unbelievable.  Made me wish I was still young enough to go surfing.  Saw a few surfers paddling out, but never saw any of them actually get into the breaking waves.  No pictures this time because of the uncertain internet, but we have some new ones, and I'll  try to post some later.

Cooler Weather in Paradise

Still in Marsh Harbor for a few more days.  Pat and Judy Sorenson from Colorado are coming for a visit arriving Monday March 4th.  The weather has been unusually cool and rainy for the last week.  It doesn’t look like Spring is here yet.   It sounds like the forecast is for better weather right after Pat and Judy arrive.  So, we hope to move around a little while they are here.

Marilyn has managed to get into a daily routine of playing dominos with several other ladies.  The guys were even playing for a few days when it was really cool and rainy.  I’m not sure what she’s going to do when we leave.  We will come back to the marina to drop Pat and Judy off when it’s time for them to return home.

We had lots of fun going to the Marsh Harbor "junkanoo" celebration.  This normally happens around Christmas time in conjunction with "boxing day", (see google) but evidently many of the out islands have competitions at various times of the year.  Junkanoo is kind of like a band day parade only different.  They have a kids day where schools compete and then they have one the next day for the adults.  

Right after Pat and Judy leave, we have reservations at the Orchid Bay Marina on Great Guana for 3 nights in conjunction with a concert being put on by “Barefoot Man”.  Everyone we’ve talked to says it’s great fun.  After that we’re kind of going to go wherever the wind takes us.  The southern part of the Abacos have some good spots for snorkeling and anchoring if the wind direction cooperates.  Little Harbor is the southern most anchorage on the Sea of Abaco with good protection so we hope to make it there for a short visit.  

As hard as I try to be better about blogging, the internet systems seem to have ideas of their own and then I have trouble.  I’ll try to report on some of these spots as we get there.

Chilling in Marsh Harbor

Still snuggled in at Marsh Harbor Marina in the Abacos.  We’ve managed to get snorkeling once at Mermaid Reef which is very close to the marina.  We’d forgotten how cool the water is compared to other places we’ve snorkeled down island in the Caribbean.  We have wet suits at home and we were wishing that we’d brought them.  It would allow us to stay in the water much longer than we’re able without them.  We’ve scoped out some of the local establishments like the major grocery store, the hardware stores and also been able to get propane.  Next week we hope to try a couple of the restaurants that are a little further from the Marina.  Everything is done by dinghy now that we’ve returned the rental car, so we’ll probably see what kind of lunch specials there are.  That way we don’t have to be using the dinghy at night.  It’s not that we can’t, it’s just a lot easier to get around during the day light hours.

Next weekend the Man o War Cay school system is having a fund raiser flea market and we’re hoping we can go.  They plan to run ferries from Marsh Harbor to Man o War.  However, Chris Parker, the cruiser’s weather guru is predicting gale force winds for the that day.  Who said weathermen could predict weather a week in advance.  So, we’ll see what happens, but if that happens, I’m not even sure I want to take the ferry over there.  Time will tell.

Checking Out Marsh Harbor

We made the decision to hang out in Marsh Harbor for awhile and right now we’re glad we made that decision.  Three cold fronts moved off the U.S. coast and winds have been blowing 20 to 25 for 3 to 4 days now.  There are lots of boats in the area and it's like Georgetown in the Exumas, they have a cruiser’s net that broadcasts on VHF radio every morning at 8:15am.  They provide a weather forecast and announcements from many of the stores and restaurants about things happening around the area.  Of course this weekend is Superbowl Sunday, so everyone is having a party.  The marina here is having a chili cook-off and pot luck.  Even though they have a restaurant they seem to encourage the pot lucks.  They always have a cash bar so looks like they make way more on drinks than they do food.  There seems to be no lack of activity.  Since we arrived they’ve had a mexican pot luck, happy hour with goodies, and a conch blowing contest to name a few.

“New Wave” is one of the boats we met on our way from West End and they showed up here 2 days after we arrived.  They had heard the weather reports and decided to hide here for a few days too.  We were able to use our rental car and help them retrieve some batteries for their boat.  They had a couple batteries go bad and were having problems with their charging system.  Finding the battery store was another adventure.

We drove to Treasure Cay to check out the golf course.  We decided to play even though the green fees were more than Glen Ullin, ND, but it wasn’t too bad considering we had to rent clubs and everything.  The course was OK but with the lack of rain and water, the ground was pretty hard.  That’s OK though, that way my ball would roll further.

We did our laundry the other day and took it to the laundromat in town since we had a rental car.  There were about 30 washing machines of which about 23 were out of service.  Same with the 15 dryers that they had.  They had someone working full time while were there.  It's really hard to understand the mentality that just ignores these problems.  When we look at the prices for food, the availability of all kinds of goods and services and especially computer and telephone service, we forget how lucky we are and how good we have it in the United States.  The Bahamas are still pretty third world.  More people should see this reality and we all might be more grateful for the things we have.  

We have to return the car today, Monday, but at least we had a chance to see a little of Great Abaco in addition to the Marsh Harbor area.

Warm Wind and Blue Water

Yesterday January 28th was relatively chilly.  72 degrees for the high and it was overcast and windy.  Today is much better.  81 degrees for the high, light winds and partly cloudy sky.   Last night, the marina had a mexican night pot luck with a cash bar.  The food was great with lots of different kinds of dishes.  I still feel a little new on the block and our boat is definitely low man on the totem pole.  Many, many, 38 to 40 footers with all the electronics, roller furling main sails, and all the other amenities you can think of.  Many of the people in the marina are from the Chesapeake and Annapolis area, so they've basically moved their summer activities to the Bahamas for the winter.  We are planning to stay at the Marsh Harbor Marina for a month or so until the weather starts to moderate a little with fewer fronts moving off the US coast.  We were thinking of renting a car for a couple of days.  While sitting in the marina restaurant using the computer, we overheard a man (Cliff) calling for prices on rentals.  We asked what he found out and to make a long story short we went together on a weekly rental.  He's going to be out fishing for a couple of days, so we'll have the car to ourselves at least for a couple of days.  Went exploring with the car this morning and found the bakery and the hardware store.

The Whale

Yesterday January 25 we left Green Turtle Cay about 8:30am headed for Treasure Cay.  In order to get there we had to go through Whale Cay Channel.  The concern that exists with Whale Cay Channel is whether there is a "rage" going or not.  With a rage the channel can literally have waves breaking across the entire channel.  We traveled with several other boats and the trip was uneventful.  It was a little rolly in spots, but nothing breaking at all.  The wind was relatively light so we motored most of the way.

Treasure Cay is a full service resort with marina.  They used to have a mooring field but now it is used for anchoring and all the moorings are gone.  Treasure Cay now charges $10 to anchor but allows the use of all their facilities.  Not a bad deal.  Weather has been relatively cool (long pants cool) so not a lot of water or beach activity.  Many of the locals we've talked with say this is the slowest January they can remember.  Had pizza at "Pizza Night" at the marina last night.  Lots of people there, many that looked like they might be golfers since there is an 18 hole course connected to the resort.  We'll probably spend at least one more night here because the weather is suppose to deteriorate again.  Saturday or Sunday sound good so we may head to Guana Cay or Marsh Harbor depending on what actually happens with the forecast.

A Long Time Coming

Just noticed that I haven't blogged since we left Key Largo.  Shame on me.  We actually left Key Largo on January 3rd and anchored in a local bay called Thursday Harbor.  The next day we sailed to Card Sound and anchored at Pumpkin Key.  When we woke up the wind had switched and just before breakfast we noticed our anchor was dragging.  We  quickly moved to the west side of the key for more protection and re-anchored.  From there we sailed into the Biscayne Bay and headed for the Herbert Hoover Marina (named after the vacuum cleaner inventor not the president).  They didn't have much in the way of services but at least Marilyn could watch the Pakers in the playoffs.  From there we sailed to Miami and took a mooring at the Dinner Key mooring field.  The first couple of nights were fine and then the wind started blowing from the east all the way across the bay and into the mooring field.  We knew we weren't going to move since we were on the mooring, but we had a rocky few nights.  Dinner Key did have a transfer boat so at least we could be picked up and transferred to shore.  It was a good location with good local transportation and lots of stores close by.  I think we'll look for something with a little more protection on the return.

On January 12, we left the mooring at 7:45am headed for Fort Lauderdale.  We couldn't go out the Miami Harbor because it was closed for cruise ship security.  We arrived at about 3:00pm but had to wait for a bridge opening at 3:15pm.  Stayed at the Las Olas City Marina.  The marina was very nice with great rates and a great location.  The facilities were in wonderful shape with a nice laundromat, wifi and super showers.

We waited several days for a good weather window to leave for the Bahamas.  During that time we met Stan and Diana Pendelton aboard "West Wind" who were from Maine and were looking for the same good weather to make the crossing.  Originally we had planned to go to West Palm Beach for the crossing to West End, but after talking with several people we were convinced that it would take no more time from Ft Lauderdale with the help of the gulf stream.  So, on January 16 at 9:40pm, La Contessa VII, West Wind and 9 Lives made the 10:00pm bridge opening and headed for West End.  As we left Port Everglades, we were met by rain, rolling seas and a pilot boat ordering us out of the channel because of an arriving freighter.  Not what NOAA had predicted.  After about 30 minutes La Contressa turned around and returned to port.  After talking with West Wind we decided to give it another half hour and if things didn't get better we'd turn back too.  Things did settle down a little but still nothing like the predictions.  We continued on motor-sailing since the wind was more easterly than southerly as predicted and also stronger.  We made good progress, but at 2:20am we lost power to our engine.  I was able to restart it, but was concerned about having the engine when we got to West End.  So, we put up more sail and kept going under sail alone.  The winds never did get light and even strengthened as the sun came up.  The boat handled the winds very well and we kept pace with West Wind who continued to motor sail.  We arrived at West End, took the sails down and tried the engine.  It started; life is good!!  We tied up at 11:30 am.  We've decided that all marine weather forecasters should be required to be an off coast sailor for at least two years.  After changing the fuel filters I found them full of some ugly looking stuff which caused the engine to shut down.  Feel pretty confident that we've solved the problem at least for the time being.

After 2 nights at West End and their exorbitant rates, we headed across the Little Bahama Bank for Great Sale Cay.  We left at 7:00am and arrived at 6:00pm just as the sun was setting.  We had a long trip because we had to motor the entire distance with the wind directly on our nose.  On January 20, we left Great Sale Cay for Alans-Pensacola Cay with absolutely no wind.  Motored all the way and arrived about 2:00pm.  As at Great Sale Cay, there were no other boats except ours at anchor.  We finally got in the water to check the anchor, fiddle with a rudder that was up a little and to cool down.  The water was refreshing, not cold, but felt good and it was crystal clear.

The next day January 21, we pulled anchor and headed for Green Turtle Cay.  Again, there were light winds.  We arrived and decided to go to the Bluff House Marina.  Their rates were great and the facility was wonderful.  Today, January 22 we're still at Green Turtle Cay.  Weather kind of went to pot, and may not be any better for a few days.  This is a great place to be stuck.  We rented a golf cart to explore the island and found a bakery, so life is good again!!!  Our next goal is to get to Marsh Harbor, which is not too far away, but we still need good weather to do it comfortably.  We hope to get a rate at one of the marinas and maybe stay there for about a month.  Weather tends to be kind of ugly in the Abacos the first part of the winter and slowly moderate as you head for spring, so we'll do some more moving around as we get into March.  Our Bahamas cruising permit is good until April 17, so we'll most likely start to head back to Key Largo on or about the 1st of April.  Once again "everything depends on weather"!!

Still On The Dock

Been a little lacks in updating the blog.  Sorry about that, but if you look at the pictures, you’ll probably see why.  I’m still doing mechanics 101.  We thought we had everything ready to go on New Years Day, but got up and had trouble with our pressure water.  I can do without a lot of things, but not water.  For some reason the valve that changes the water from starboard and port tanks was not working right and allowing lots of air into the line.  This was determined after about 3 hours checking all the fittings and lines.  So, we spent New Years day at the dock and today we headed for West Marine and Home Depot for new fittings and lines.  Everything went together pretty well and it seems we have water again.  Just like at home fixing the water at the lake.

Marilyn wanted me to be sure and show everyone a picture of one of her favorite Christmas presents:  the Greenbay Packer nome.  Thanks nephew Wes.  Marilyn called Wes, who is a big Vikings fan to thank him and express amazement that he was able to bring himself to purchase the little bugger.  He replied:  It's OK, it's like chopping onions, you cry for awhile and the smell doesn't come off your hands for a couple of days, but he's over it now.  Pretty sad, but a least she doesn’t have any other bad habit.  Right!!

Weather is suppose to be good again tomorrow, so hope that nothing else goes wrong and we can finally get off the dock.  Happy New Year to everyone!