Blue Heaven Rendezvous

Oh my, the dreaded socks!

2011-05-09T07:03:00.000-07:00

After the Alligator River, we had a good sail to Coinjock Marina. We had a good meal at their restaurant shared with other sail boaters, one of which was Simple Pleasure whom we met at River Dunes. The next day there were thunderstorms predicted between 11am –noon. We left before 7am to try to be through the wide part of Curratuck Sound when they hit. We were glad we did, because they came an hour earlier and we were in the Northlanding River which was much narrower when the 39 knot winds came through and the temperature dropped at least fifteen degrees. Long pants and socks were donned for the cold temperatures which were the first time since the cold spell in Miami in December that the socks were used. Luckily we had pulled in our sails before the winds hit, but Simple Pleasure did not and the sun protective covering on their jib was shredded.

We were lucky that there were two spots left on the bulk head at Great Bridge which is where we spent the night after sharing a meal on Blue Heaven.

Norfolk waterfront

We caught the 8am lock opening and headed to Norfolk. The winds were strong out of the northwest which would have been miserable out in the bay to head north, so we decided to take a slip at Waterside Marina.

Chrysler Museum of Art

After lunch Al and I walked across town to the Chrysler Museum of Art. It was a beautiful building with two great special exhibits that were there. One was an artist named James Tissot who had done over 350 paintings of Christ’s life. They were so detailed and none were over a foot in size. The other exhibit I found interesting was the Tiffany glass exhibit. It consisted mostly of the various lamps that had been made. They were just exquisite!

The waterfront at Norfolk is a delight to walk around. They were havjng a Cinco de Mayo party at the waterfront, but we chose to eat dinner at the Ganby Bistro which was an excellent deli with Bill and Sharon on Simple Pleasure.

Wine and Cheese Reception

Buy Boat

We had great southwest winds to leave Norfolk and come up the bay to Deltaville. This was where our friends on Discovery and Tilt leave their boat for the summer while they head back to Michigan. Simple Pleasure was doing the same thing so we decided to stop here for two days to visit with them. We anchored off Deltaville Marina in Jackson Creek. We lucked out because that night they were having a wine and cheese reception for the people in the marina and for those who worked on the buy boat that was restored at the Deltaville Maritime Museum. Bill and Sharon asked if they could bring friends and they said yes, so we had a nice time learning about the F. D. Crockett as well as connecting with friends. I never knew what a buy boat was and learned it would go out to the skip jacks doing the oyster harvesting and bring the oysters to the various markets. So in other words, it was the middleman for oysters.

Since our friends were busy working on their boats preparing for storage on land, Al and I entertained ourselves by walking to the Deltaville Maritime Museum which we had been to in the fall. I thoroughly enjoyed their sculpture garden in the woods so we went back to experience it again as well as to get some exercise. We then took the dinghy to the next creek over and found some tornado damaged trees and houses. This tornado had gone through about 3 weeks ago. It was only a half a mile from the marina. The homes and marinas nearby were so lucky. It did quite a bit of damage in Deltaville but luckily no one died.

Home near marina demolished by tornado.

Friends, Marilyn, Chris, myself and Sharon

That evening we had dinner with Carl, Marilyn, Craig, Chris, Bill and Sharon. We each brought something for a delicious spaghetti dinner in the screened in porch at the marina. We said our goodbyes saying we see them in two years, but they said on no, we got to come next winter. We said that we’ll see once we get home whether or not that is a possibility. We truly have enjoyed our experience but only time will tell.

Friends, Craig and Carl with Al

We left the next day to head to Mill Creek in the Reedville area but the bay was so calm we thought we would take advantage and go all the way to the Solomons. It was the calmest we ever saw the mouth of the Potomac which can get quite nasty. We are in our home stomping grounds now and plan to end our 8 month cruise meeting up with our sailing association friends next weekend in Jubb Cove. It has been a wonderful time and we plan to do it again, whether is is next winter or the following, I don't know, but we will be doing it again!

A calm Chesapeake Bay!

A Lucky Week

2011-05-03T06:26:00.000-07:00

Bull Creek

Cypress Swamps

This was not a very exciting week but a lucky one. We continued north from Georgetown, SC for a night in the wilderness at Bull Creek in the cypress swamp. When we got to the anchorage we saw our first alligator in the wild. Unfortunately I did not get a picture because we were in the midst of anchoring. It was a beautiful spot but there were some very strange noises that night as we fell asleep. We then headed to Pipeline Canal, Wrightsville Beach and then to Mile Hammock. We had a lay over day in Mile Hammock because of severe storms predicted. We lucked out because they were all around us. The scariest part was for all the tornadoes predicted. I kept thinking where do you go on a boat during a tornado? We got some rain but no wind higher than 26 knots. As I said we really were lucky.

We were also lucky the day we came out of Wrightsville Beach. We got through a 10 am opening at the Figure Eight Bridge and after that it was closed until further notice for unexpected repairs. If we had not gotten through we would had to return to Wrightsville Beach where the winds were 40-45 knots during the storms and blowing right into the anchorage.

In Mile Hammock we met up with Bob and Gail on Star whom we met down in Georgetown. We had a delicious meal and a good time catching up on what they had been doing since we last saw them.

We had a long day the following day to get to Broad Creek to anchor outside of River Dunes. We stayed at River Dunes in the fall and thoroughly enjoyed the amenities. The pool, hot tub, shower rooms, bikes, exercise room and the $1 a load laundry were a delight. So the next morning we went into the marina early. We fueled up and got into our slip by 9am. We used their courtesy car to go to Oriental for the farmer’s market, get propane and then off to the grocery store for supplies.

Blue Heaven with white calcium

Calcium deposit on hull

Al worked on cleaning the boat. We had gotten a large white stain above the waterline on one side of our blue hull. We thought it was a result of using a harsh cleaner to try to get the black scum off our white boot strip that we had gotten in Nassau harbor in December. However, our friends on Star, another blue hulled boat, said it was probably calcium deposit and to use vinegar. Al did, and to our relief it came off. We were seeing an upcoming expensive imron job needed but not now. We “lucked” out again! (That brown next to the blue hull was the water in SC. Yuck!)

Large home in River Dunes

That evening we had dinner with five other sailors who were in the marina. They had a large affair in their main dining room of the marina’s restaurant, which left only so much room for other patrons for dinner, so they put us together. We had a wonderful time getting to know the other people and the meal was delicious. I wanted to stay another day, but Al said we had to keep moving. For all you land lubbers, you can visit River Dunes by land as well. They have some very cute cottages you can rent. It is also a whole community, so if you want to buy property I am sure they would love to talk to you! Check out their website. This was one of the larger homes in the community.

Our days are filled with motoring, sailing or a combination of both heading up the inter-coastal waterway. Our scenery has changed quite a bit as we head north, seeing tugs and barges and other commercial happenings.

Big Beaver Dam?

We passed by Bellhaven and anchored at the south end of the Alligator Pungo Canal. I got a lot of rug hooking done while going through this rather boring and least favorite area. Being spring it is a beautiful shade of green along the banks. We came across this Beaver Dam in the canal. You should see the size of the beavers! Only kidding, of course! The Corp of Engineers clean the canal every once in awhile and pile it there.

We decided to make it a short day and after a three hour trip through the canal, so we anchored in the south end of the Alligator River. We thought we would have a quiet afternoon but soon found out that one of our armed forces practices flying jets in this remote area. I was glad when five o’clock rolled around so we could have some quiet. However, it was the day Bin Laden was killed so maybe there was a reason to be practicing! We had no ATT cell phone service since being in NC and had no internet service for two days. But we could get TV and Dancing with the Stars! Go figure!

Misty Morn on the Alligator River

We left early while the mist was on the water to head up to the Virginia Cut and hope to get cell phone and internet back so I can post this blog.

Heading North

2011-04-23T08:15:00.000-07:00

Leaving Vero Beach at Sunrise

We ended up staying four nights in Vero Beach because we heard from Dave and Toni that they would be there Wednesday. Then we stayed an extra day because Al was having the light for the bow that he ordered, sent to St. Augustine Municipal Marina and that it would not get there until Monday, so why leave “Velcro” Beach with free bus service to almost any type of store you want and to the beach as well.

We left Friday and had a terrific sail up the inter-coastal waterway which you don’t get too often. We made it to Titusville where we anchored for the night. The next day we did some motor sailing up to Daytona where it blew a good 25 knots for a while but then settled down for the night. We then motored to St. Augustine where I made the 5pm mass at the Basilica of St. Augustine which is a beautiful old church with a lot of history.

The next day we went into the dock to fuel up, get water and to hose down the boat. It was the first time we hosed the boat since leaving Nassau in December. We did have two good rains that helped clean the boat, but nothing is as good as a hose down.

Cannon

Afterwards we decided to do the tourist thing and go tour the fort, Castillode San Marcos. It was our lucky day because this was the week that all National Parks were open free to the public. It was interesting to see how they built such a strong fort and how they lived there to defend our country. Also I found the decorative touches to the cannons thought provoking. Like why make them fancy? There were some great views from the top of the fort as well. We left at sunrise the next day and got another beautiful sight looking similar to our sunset at Great Sale Cay.


Sunrise leaving St.Augustine

Our next destination ended up being Cumberland Island. We had been doing some long days because we thought we might like to take a good weather window to go out in the ocean from there to Charleston, thus by-passing the twisting inter-coastal waterway in the buggy marshes of Georgia. That is what we ended up doing after countless hours checking the weather from all the sources we could use, television, internet, and NOAA weather. There was a 20% chance of thundershowers when we neared Charleston but luckily it never happened. The winds were in the 7-9 knot range from the south, but wasn’t enough to keep us going at 6 knots so we motored sailed. We saw some interesting sights along the way. One area of the ocean was just covered with the round jelly fish with a brown ring. Another area had groups of skates just floating below the surface, almost like they were sunning themselves.

Three dolphins playing beside our boat

But the most fun were the dolphins that came and played next to both sides of the boat around dusk. We never have had so many at once. We saw at least six on one side and four on the other rolling up next to the cockpit. It is so much fun watching them and “trying” to photograph them. It seems all I can ever get are their backs and fins. This was one of my better shots.

These long days on the ICW and mild sailing in the ocean have given me an opportunity to get some rug hooking done on my Halloween rug. My witch has been a lot of fun to do after the repetitive geometric I completed earlier on this trip.

We made it into Charleston inlet around 8:30 in the morning and headed to Isle of Palm marina to visit with some friends. Al slept to mid afternoon since he was up almost all night, while our friends took me to replenish produce and milk. The predicted thunder storm did finally arrive but while we were having dinner with our friends safe in their home! We had a pleasant visit with our past neighbors and moved out the next day to continue our trek north. We motored from Isle of Palm and spent 6 hours in the ICW in rain, with the radar swinging, and the six mile band of showers followed us the whole time. The only change was regular rain, or downpour! We are in Georgetown, SC to enjoy the town and attend church on Easter.

Last Days in the Bahamas

2011-04-12T11:48:00.000-07:00

Fires in Marsh Harbor

Pavilion at Man of War Cay

We could not wait to leave Marsh Harbor because of the smoke from the fires so we visited Man of War Cay next. We did the usual walking to the beach and the settlement to check out the few stores. It was Sunday so nothing is open generally in most settlements on the various cays but I determined that I wanted to come back the next day to check out the store that has the renowned Andros batik fabric. Several boats we knew were anchored out with us at the narrowest part of the cay where there was a pavilion with picnic tables. We decided to stage a Happy Hour gathering there which was lovely and a fun way to gather so many people to share stores and plans for the future.

After a quick trip to the fabric store, we headed across to Treasure Cay Resort area. Some nasty storms were predicted for Tuesday so we wanted to be in a protected area. The harbor here has 360 degree protection, so well worth the ten dollars a night to anchor there. You also had use of their pool, showers, beautiful beach and internet. We checked out the beach, and I can understand why it is considered one of the top ten in the world. Just gorgeous! We got the lay of the resort and were ready to enjoy for the rest of our stay.

Treasure Cay Beach

The next day we enjoyed the beach and had lunch with Sandra, Chuck and Freckles at the Beach Bar. It was so beautiful that you say to yourself, “How can we leave these beautiful waters?” knowing that in another week we will be back to dark green or muddy waters of the inter-coastal and eventually to the Chesapeake Bay. I am not sure I can swim in the Chesapeake ever again! We enjoyed our first land showers since December and then headed back to the boat for the skies darken and we had to prepare for the storms. The rains and wind came but we only saw 26 knots at the most, while our friends back in Marsh Harbor had 53 knot sustained winds for about 15 minutes! When it was over, the air was much cooler with no humidity which was a welcome treat.

Storm

Being cloudy and cooler we took advantage to walk the grounds, pick up some groceries and I did some baking in the afternoon. Sandra and Chuck invited us for dinner which was a welcome treat.

Before leaving the next day we fueled up and paid to fill our tanks with water. For us, it was the first time we paid for water since we left Nassau in December. Most of the time it is 20 cents a gallon, but this was a flat fee of $9 for boats 40-50 ft. One of the reasons people like Georgetown is because of free water being available and we took advantage of it. We also found free water in about two other places.

New Plymouth at Green Turtle Cay

We sailed to Green Turtle and picked up a mooring in Black Sound. We once again went to check out the settlement of New Plymouth which was a bit larger than Hopetown or the settlement at Man of War. It had many quaint small houses and businesses. We also sped over to White Sound to see what it is all about. It is mainly two resorts, restaurants and marinas that people enjoy there however we did not have time to try them.

Black Sound

The next day after exploring the beach which wasn’t much after seeing Treasure Cay Beach, we decided to anchor outside of New Plymouth because there was no wind or bad weather predicted. When we went into New Plymouth to get a few things, we met up with Pam and Glen on Blue Pearl and their guest as well as Chuck and Sandra on Eliora.

So we decided to go to Happy Hour at Pineapples after everyone was finished with their shopping. Wow! Powerful rum punches which made for a very happy hour! But it also was sad because we also had to say our goodbyes because we were heading out to Great Sale Cay to prepare to cross to Florida and they weren’t leaving until later in the week.

Sunset at Great Sale Cay

As often is, the wind was right on our nose so we motored most of the way to Great Sale Cay. We only got about a twenty minute sail at the end of the trip. There were about ten boats in there mostly staging to cross to the USA. We heard another two boats that had the same plan as us to go to Fort Pierce inlet. So Al called them on the VHF and asked if they minded if we tagged along. They were the usual friendly cruisers on boats called Oz and Star of the Sea, and said that it would be great to have us. So our departure time was set for 3pm the next day, which was Sunday.We experienced the last beautiful sunset in the Bahamas with Al blowing his conk horn as it went down.

About quarter to three we started out engines, except that Oz’s would not start. We waited hoping he could get the starter to work but was not being successful. So we put our dinghy in and Al rowed over to be of assistance. After about 30 minutes the engine was started by hot wiring it, and we were all off. The light winds were out of the northwest not the southwest, as predicted, so once again it was a total motor trip. The nice part was, there were very little or no waves. The Gulf Stream was calm.

Sailing west to USA

It ended up being a easy trip which is what we want for a crossing. We reached the Fort Pierce inlet around 11am at slack tide which is exactly what we wanted. Then on to Vero Beach for a night or two and restocking in an American grocery store. Woohoo!

A Taste of the Abacos

2011-04-04T16:21:00.000-07:00

We left Meek’s Patch anchorage across from Spanish Wells around 6:45am to make our passage to the Abacos. We had a great sail to the cut but once through it was mostly a downwind sail. We sailed several hours but then put the motor on for the last few hours anchoring off Lynyard Cay around 5pm. It was a loooo…ng day!

Lynyard Cay

After listening to the Abaco Cruiser’s net which tells you all sorts of information we took the dinghy ashore to a pretty beach on Lynyard Cay. Once again on the ocean side we had great sea glass pickings which was a lot of fun. Marilyn on Discovery, Sandra and Chuck on Eliora, Mary Lou on Cygnus and myself all came back with a stash of glass.

Pete's Pub "Where the elite eat in their barefeet."

Afterward we headed across by dinghy into Little Harbor to lunch at Pete’s Pub and to see the Pete Johnston gallery of sculptures. Unfortunately, they were not having a pouring at the foundry until Thursday and it was only Monday. We now understand why people say you have to go to Pete’s Pub because it was a great eating experience! It was the best fish of the entire trip so far.

The next stop we made was Marsh Harbor after a vigorous sail. The harbor was very crowded with so many cruisers starting to head back. We saw at least six or seven boats in the harbor whom we had met along the way or down in Georgetown and it was fun to reconnect with them. It was a place to get the chores such as laundry and food shopping done. The food store was a mega store which was a bit overwhelming after all the little stores we had been shopping this winter. We found an internet cafe which is how we got the last blog out. Our bullet isn’t working well for us so we are not getting connected out on the boat. There were a few more shops here to so I got my “shopping fix” somewhat filled.

Smoky sunset in Marsh Harbor

Unfortunately they were having fires on the island. They called them forest fires but since they have no forest I would think they were brush fires. Unless they are threatening homes they do nothing. So it was a bit smoky and made for an interesting sunset,but not pleasant sleeping.

Freckles praying.

After two days in Marsh Harbor we decided to sail over to Hope Town on Elbow Cay. There is no anchoring in the harbor and we got one of the last two moorings available. Now here is a quaint little town! The streets are barely wide enough for a vehicle and most use golf carts. The little cottage type homes with the beautiful flowering bushes were just lovely and they had a very nice beach as well. We met up with Chuck and Sandra from Eliora and they told us about the wonderful coffee shop with great mango sorbet. It was superb! And while we ate, their dog, Freckles, entertained us with his tricks.

Hope Town from the Lighthouse

The town had the typical gift shops, ice cream store, coffee shop and various restaurants that most tourist towns have but not in excess. It was a true delight. Our friends, Bill and Marge on Jubilant were there so we shared another happy hour and the following day we went to dinner together. Earlier that day we had a front come through with a downpour. Before I could get all the hatches and ports closed, we had some went bedding and wet computer but luckily all dried out. It was one of the few rain showers we had so we took advantage and really cleaned the boat of dirt and salt. When you have not been into a marina since December it is hard to clean the outside. We climbed all 101 steps of the lovely lighthouse there and had some great views of the harbor and the waters. I really liked this stop except for the close moorings.

One of the many pretty flowers in Hope Town

Al's Birthday Dinner

We decided to go meet up with Eliora and Discovery back in Marsh Harbor to be able to celebrate Al’s birthday with friends. So we had Marilyn and Carl, and Chuck and Sandra over for dinner and chocolate cake which I made and decorated with peanut butter and chocolate chips. Another year older and another year wiser!

We are on the move-Eleutheura, Spanish Wells, and Harbor Island

2011-03-30T08:42:00.000-07:00

We left Rock Sound on Eleutheura to sail about 20 miles north to South Palmetto. We had an enjoyable sail but had a hassle anchoring. We put it down and pulled it up four times until we were satisfied that it was dug in. It was the first time that we had problem setting the Rocna anchor but less problems than the other boats with different anchors. The bottom looked like sand but was rather hard with little loose sand. We wanted it to be set because strong winds were predicted while we planned to be here.

Junk Sculpture in background

One of the pretty homes

We walked across to the ocean side to a gorgeous beach. Carl, Marilyn, Al and I met Chuck, Sondra and their cockapoo, Freckles, there for a long walk on a gorgeous beach. They had an interesting way of keeping the beach clean. They made artwork out of the flotsam by hanging it the dead trees. Very interesting! On the way back we saw some cute homes. Later everyone came to Blue Heaven for dinner and a game of Mexican Train Dominoes.

The winds came as predicted but we were able to get into land for a long walk the next day. However, for most of the day we just hung out on the boat. We were thankful that the anchor held in the consistent 20 knots.

My rug is complete!

Anglican Church, Governor's Harbor

We moved the next day all of 5 miles to Governor’s Harbor on Eleutheura. It was a very gentle sail so I was able to finish the edging on my rug. Al actually took a picture of me with the rug while we were sailing. Once again anchoring was a problem in the harbor for the other two boats but we found patch of sand and I told Al to drop it in the light blue spot. It held the second time we put it there. Eliora got so frustrated after numerous tries that they went around the bend to another beach. We walked the town which had more than the other settlements we had been to lately. There were two decent grocery stores, dive shop, clothing store, and two wine and spirit stores. The library and Anglican Church were two interesting buildings along the waterfront.

The next move was to Alabaster Bay which basically was a beach area with Cocodimama Resort. I got some kayaking done around the bay and later we enjoyed a drink in the resort. They had a wonderful sitting area with sofas. What a pleasure to sit on a sofa! We have not been on one since when we were home at Thanksgiving. Oh, such simple pleasures! Then we went to Discovery for a shared delicious dinner. You can see we are not starving!

We finally had a longer day to get to the northern end of Eleutheura (a 110 mi. island) which was a brisk sail of 33 miles. We wanted to go through Current Cut at slack tide but got there about an hour sooner than we expected due to stronger winds than expected.

We got through it fighting about 2 knots of current, but it wasn’t too bad. What did surprise us was to see snorkelers in the cut. Since the winds were light and out of the west we anchored at Meek’s Patch which is about 2 miles across from Spanish Wells. Another boat, Tilt, joined us once again.

Flowers covered the graves.

We all took our dinghies across to walk the settlement of Spanish Wells. This settlement is a more prosperous than many of the places in the Exumas and other islands. It had the first large grocery like we see in the USA. The cemetery was a sight to see with all the flowers! Some lovely homes and numerous stores are here but not much choice for restaurants. I will say I have not been impressed with Bahamian cuisine. It is mostly hamburgers, chicken or ribs or fried conch, fish or chicken fingers. I like fish, but not fried and not with the heads!

Street on Harbor Island

Pink Beach

Golf carts and people lined up for funeral

Out of the group of boats, Al and I were the only ones who had not been to Harbor Island, so we went by fast ferry for the day. This is even a wealthier island with lots of well-to-do visitors. The homes and prices for food or clothing were definitely catering to the wealthy. When we got off the ferry, we noticed many Bahamians dressed to impress. We thought that there must be a wedding. We walked past the Anglican Church which had canopy and chairs outside and lots of people milling around. After a walk to the “Pink Beach” and lunch at a lovely spot overlooking the ocean, we came by the church and services were still going on. We asked one of the many waiting in the golf carts what was going on, and it was not a wedding but a funeral. We were told the preacher had not spoken yet (at least 30 to 45 min.) and then there would be a parade afterwards to the food and beverage to celebrate this woman’s life. It looked like around two hundred people were there! On these small islands, I guess everyone knows each other or are related.

The island had some very attractive homes and streets than other places we visited. Going to and from Harbor Island the ferry had to go what they call the “Devils Backbone.” It is an area with many reefs and even the ferry had to zigzag through the maze. You can see why they recommend that you hire a pilot to take you through on your own boat. The day was a nice change of pace.

We are off in the morning to head north to the Abacos planning to be around Little Harbor. It is a 50 some mile trip so we will be up and out early.

A Week of Losses

2011-03-22T07:47:00.000-07:00

Look at the determination on his face!

Mahi Mahi that was lost.

On Monday, March 14^th we finally departed George Town to head back. We wanted to go to Cat Island but the wind did not co-operate so we and several other boats decided to go up the Exuma chain to Black Point and then cross over to Eleuthera from there. Al threw out his fishing lure and had a nibble but it got away rather quickly. A while later, we heard the whiz of the reel and he had on a nice mahi mahi. While I tried to slow the boat down by heading into the wind, Al struggled to reel it in. I grabbed my camera to take some shots. Good thing I did because as soon as it was to the back of the boat and Al was ready to gaff it, the hook broke away from the lure and bye-bye fish. Oh well, at least he finally had a hit! And I was so looking forward to fish for dinner!

Anchorage at Black Point

Once in at the anchorage we had dinner on Discovery with Carl and Marilyn and Sondra and Chuck on Eliora whom we met on Christmas day at the restaurant and again in George Town and whom we are traveling with for a while.

We stayed put another day in Black Point and discovered that Bill and Marge Goettle, long time sailing association friends, were in the harbor. We did some hiking and enjoyed dinner on Blue Heaven with them. We had fun catching up on what each had been doing during the winter.

The next day we left to go out Dotham Cut to cross over to the island of Eleuthera. Unfortunately it was not slack tide so we ended up going through what they call a rage. We had all ports and hatches closed but somehow missed our favorite Teva sandals (that are perfect for walking beaches) wedged onto the deck next to the cockpit. We hit a wave that flowed over the bow giving us green water over the deck and our shoes must have flowed right out the back with it. We are thankful we did not see them go over, because your first inclination would be to try and save them, and there was no way we could have safely done that with rocks on both sides of the cut. The green water also found its way into our forward head. We are not sure if it came down our dorade vent or our ventilation fan. We also had the seat knocked out of the dinghy which was tied on deck on the bow, but luckily got caught on the furling line and so we were able to save it. The plastic cover on the port bow light was also knocked off and lost. We will definitely go through cuts a bit differently in the future. Live and learn!

We anchored in Rock Sound and just chilled once we got in. The next day we walked to an interesting cave and blue hole. Unfortunately, there are no pictures because I took my camera but had no memory card in it because I downloaded pictures that morning and left it in the computer. Live and learn again! Later that day everyone in our group went in for Happy Hour at a nice place called Four Points.

Chris from Tilt, Sondra from Eliora and Marilyn from Discovery

The guys enjoying Happy Hour

So we lost various things all week, but nothing compares to the loss that we got word about by email that night. Al’s father died unexpectedly from a brain bleed. It’s so difficult being so far away. Al’s mother planned for him to be cremated and have the service when we get home. We are comforted by the fact that it happened so quickly that he never suffered. We will miss him dearly.

We hope next week is a better week.

Regatta Continues

2011-03-13T13:12:00.000-07:00

Model made with styrofoam hull.

Busy, busy with little time to rest! What a great second week of Regatta. Monday was the small boat races. They had small model boat races mostly made by kids.

Sailing Inflatables

Then there were sailing inflatables which could have used whatever they wanted for wind power. Some used kites (which did not work), bed sheets, tarps, and umbrellas. It was great fun to watch.

Next were small sailboat races. My favorite was the Sunfish with the sailing dog. They also had kayak races which I would have liked to enter but our friend Don on Jubilee was giving an infosession on photography which I wanted to attend. Not enough hours in the day to do everything!

I once again tried Bocci in the tournament. It was my partner’s second time playing also. We should have got a prize for the fastest team to be eliminated. Boom, bang, it was a shut out at 13 – 0! I think I need to practice more. Later that day we were a team with the Mershons for Trivial Pursuit. The only thing we walked away with was a memory of the beautiful radiant sunset and how some people dressed for the “Pure Gold” theme.

Wednesday was the Around Stocking Island race so Al and Dave sailed on Jubilee with Don and Sue and Doug from Bad Boy. Toni and I decided to take advantage of the day away from the guys to hit the stores and have lunch at the Peace n’ Plenty, a nice restaurant and hotel in town. It was so nice not to eat hamburger or ribs, the mainstay of the restaurants in the Bahamas! After the guys returned we went to St. Francis Resort for a post race party where I was one of the judges for the baked goods made on the boats that raced that day. It was a snap judging seven entries, much different than judging 30-80 or more items at many of the local fairs that I judge back home.

The next day was slow with Al wanting to attend the infosession on fishing. I hope he learned something for the trip back seeing he hasn’t caught anything with that new fishing rod he got for Christmas. The morning was spent getting the extension of 90 more days to be able to stay in the Bahamas. Why they just don’t give you the 180 days at the beginning is beyond me.

I am explaining about rug hooking.

Hooked Rug Display

Friday was the Arts and Crafts fair at Volleyball Beach. I displayed my hooked rugs and had fun educating people on the process and getting some people interested in the hobby. I had found one other fellow rug hooker on a boat who displayed her things next to me.

In the afternoon I went to the “ Eating Well on a Boat” infosession. She demonstrated making bread, English muffins, an apple pie, and pizza on the beach. Since I do food demonstrations, I know how much work it is to put together a demo, but to bring everything from a boat in a dinghy had to be a lot of work! We got to sample her Lobster Dip and Banana Muffins. Yum!

2nd Place Winner, Al, Dave, Don, Sue and D

Awards night had our guys take second place in the Class A boats for the Around the Island race and afterwards another romp roaring dance at the Chat ‘n Chill.

Rope Dancer

Kids Junkanoo band with a little adult help.

The last day of Regatta was Saturday and it ended with the Talent Show chair by our friend and fellow sailing club member Sue Engler on Jubilee. It was a lot of fun with great acts including singers, a Bahamian modern dance group, a child’s Junkanoo band, the high school band, a rope dancer (the guys really liked her!), a skit that had a sax player and an opera singer included and others. It was a great way to end the two weeks over in Regatta Park in George Town even though it was a brisk windy night.

We plan to leave to start heading back in the next day or two. We have to wait and see which direction the wind blows to determine where we will go. We would like to go to Cat Island but the wind often does not co-operate. Dave and Toni have guest coming next week so they will be staying as well as Jubilee will be staying for the rally to Long Island. So we will be parting ways for awhile but might catch each other later in the waterway or the Chesapeake.

Romp Rolling Regatta

2011-03-06T07:09:00.000-08:00

Sign-ups for Cruisers Regatta

Ladies in our Regatta tee shirts

Tee-shirt design entries

What a busy week and we still have one more to go! It started with registration on Volleyball Beach on Monday where you signed up for what activities you wanted to participate in. Al and Dave found two more guys to be a team for the Coconut Challenge, Mershons and us will be a team for Ultimate Trivial Pursuit and I signed up for the Bocci Tournament and to display my rugs for the Arts and Craft Fair. They had people vote for their favorite tee-shirt design which will be next year’s tee shirt design. Giveaways and music were all part of the scene.

One of the dinghy in parade.

Tuesday’s activities included a dinghy parade which went all over Elizabeth Harbor. Afterward we, Mershons and Sherry on Bad Boy were a station over in Georgetown for the Dinghy Poker Run. We handed out the one card for our station encouraging people to enjoy the drink special, buy two get one free at the restaurant we were located. People had to have gone to five places to pick up a card and take them back to Volleyball beach to hand them in to see who had the best poker hand. Then we dashed over to the beach with a dessert which I had made that morning for a Meet and Greet with prizes for the Poker Run participants and a wonderful pick up band that played the night away. Wow, what a busy day!

Sue decked out for Pet Parade

Wednesday was dead calm, so we zoomed over to town to get water, food, fuel and internet like the majority of cruisers. After lunch the rain came which was nice for cleaning off the boat.

The Pet Parade and big Opening Night Free Dinner sponsored by Indiantown Marina were on the schedule for the day. It cleared so we headed over to Volleyball Beach for the activities. They only got about four dogs shown and it started to rain and it rained for the next two hours, something that doesn’t happen in Georgetown too often. People scattered back to their boats if they were close, but the rest of us tried to get into Chat n’ Chill which was a near impossibility, it isn’t that big.

However, we held firm and at five o’clock the free drink started and people started coming in wearing their rain gear to get their free meal. Luckily, the rain finally let up to let us enjoy our barbecue and dancing on the deck with another pick-up band. This will be an opening night that won’t be forgotten!

The "Geezers" Team for Coconut Challenge

The next day was the big Coconut Challenge. Our men’s team, “The Geezers,” was ready for the challenge. The first activity is where almost a thousand coconuts are dumped in the small harbor in back of Volleyball Beach. The teams and their dinghies are lined up. The members must be wearing a life jacket, somewhere on their body, and only one leg and one arm are permitted in the water for each participant. The horn is blown and everyone paddles to try to get the most coconuts. There were five gold coconuts which were worth more points. One bucket is allowed so of course splashing others occurs. Our guys did quite well with 57 coconuts and one gold but not as well as the two half as young couples who had twice as many and four gold coconuts! There was also a toss the coconut threw a ring, rolling a coconut to knock down a bottle and tossing a coconut over the volleyball net into certain point rings. It was a great time and a tiring morning! An afternoon nap was a must have!

Heeled quite a bit in the race.

Then Saturday was to be the around Stocking Island Race but due to strong winds they decided to do the more protected in Elizabeth Harbor Race. Mershons, Maugers and Englers were all on Engler’s boat, Jubilee. We were neck and neck with one other boat for most of the race but unfortunately the other boat, Voyager, pulled ahead near the end. We won’t know the results until Award Night next week. Since there are ratings for different boats it is hard to tell who won, but it doesn’t matter because we had fun and that is the name of the game! I think Al just might find some muscles he did not know he had after the Coconut Challenge yesterday and grinding those winches today.

Jubilee neck in neck with Voyager in the In Harbor Race

The Lull Before the Storm

2011-02-26T08:56:00.000-08:00

This week was like the lull before the storm. We did not have a lot of planned activities and next week the regatta starts so there will be loads of things going on.

We did some hiking with Dave and Toni and I walked the beach one day when it was extremely calm and low tide.

I actually got some pictures of coral with my camera from above the water. The water is so clear it is so amazing to see the coral reefs near the beach so clearly. The tide was so low that there were many sand bars and loads of live sand dollars, thus the reason for calling the beach, Sand Dollar Beach.

Lounging on Volleyball Beach

Toni gets her haircut.

One day I lounged on Volleyball Beach watching all the activities going on; bocci ball, haircuts, basketry, reading and of course volleyball. It was nice to have a slower week.

Potluck dinner on Sand Dollar Beach

We did end the week Friday night with a Potluck dinner on the beach. We continue to meet new people and enjoy their company.

Al chatting with fellow cruiser.

The community around here is totally amazing. We have the radio net everyday with information about the various activities going on, but the amazing section is people can come on and ask for help with any type of problem they have and people will call them back after the net and offer whatever help they can give. One boat was having refrigeration problems and needed some sort of putty for use underwater. Al had some and so called and offered it to him. People need help finding a lost dinghy or need help with installing a WIFI extender or someone needs some water jugs or use of a spare motor. It is an amazing community because people respond to almost everything. If only we could have such community helps in the states! This is one more reason why I love it here. The sunsets are another.

A Very Educational Week

2011-02-22T08:03:00.000-08:00

This week was somewhat educational in more ways than one. Al attended several seminars this week. One was on using the Kindle for email. We don’t have one at this time but have given thought to getting one and he wanted to learn what it can do other than for reading books. He also attended a seminar on using the single side band radio for email again for a future possibility.

Shaving Al's head

I became a barber for an afternoon shaving Al’s head once again. I could not believe he let me do it the first time. I cut those thick gray curls right off to ½ inch all around. He liked it so much the last time that he wanted me to do again.

Unfortunately we became educated on using the doctor in Georgetown. Somehow I got a staph infection. It looked like a bite at first. I started to worry about it on the previous Friday. Unfortunately, the doctor is only in on Thursdays. He flies in from Nassau. I waited all week to see him. We took our dinghy to get to the office. It was quite rough and as we were landing the dinghy on the beach it turned sideways and caught a wave which soaked me from the thighs down. That is the first time I ever entered a doctor’s office soaking wet! As in the states, after two hours I saw the doctor. He was very good and told me I needed to come back the next day for his assistant to work on it. When I said how rough it was getting there, he offered for his assistant to come pick us up in town to bring us to the clinic and return us to town. Now that is a service you don’t get too often in the states! I am happy to say I am on the mend.

Al and I each learned how to play bocci ball this week as well. They had a tournament on Volleyball Beach. They drew names for partners. Al and I and our partners lost in the first round, but we walked away with a bottle of wine from the door prizes they had. It is nice that you don’t have to be good to win a prize!

The next day we went to the Exuma Garden Club Horticultural Fair. They had about four small school bus loads go. Compared to Lancaster County Farm shows this was a mini farm show, however, it was what I expected since they cannot grow much here. They had vegetables, baked goods, plants, a few animals and plant displays. This little Bahamian girl was so proud of her vegetable floral design that I just had to get her picture. We had an interesting nature walk with a guide who was originally from Scotland.

Pizza Party on the Beach

Afterwards, Toni and Dave, Sue and Don and Al and I had lunch at a local eatery. Then there was a pizza party on Sand Dollar beach to end the busy day. There must have been thirty different types of pizzas which is my kind of meal!

We took Blue Heaven across the harbor to Kidd Cove near Georgetown the next day so I could go to church and Al could haul water to the boat. Afterward we decided to anchor at Hamburger Beach for the first time, so that later we could attend the function on the beach. We hiked to the ocean side for a walk on the beach in the afternoon. Later we attended the pot luck and jam session at the Sand Bar. It was a lot of fun. The cruisers and towns people who come with their instruments and their voices were great. There were two darling dancers, all of 14 and 18 months old, enjoying the music. Also, there was a young boy who enjoyed playing a small hand drum with the rest of the adults. It is so much fun seeing all ages enjoying themselves.

Our Go Go Dancers

Uke Player

Young performers having fun.

Georgetown Happenings

2011-02-16T07:04:00.000-08:00

Al and I decided to sail back to Georgetown on Tuesday and Dave and Toni stayed another day off of Rutter Cut Cay. We had a motor sail because the waters were quite flat which gave me a lot of time to do some chores like vacuum and defrost the freezer.

How about this internet cafe outside of the market!

We arrived in Elizabeth Harbor and headed straight to Kidd Cove to anchor so we could go to town for fresh food and internet. We have discovered that Exuma Markets (the prominent grocery) has free internet so a lot of people sit around the building using it. The internet in the harbor that you can get is still very “iffy” to work. Too many people using too much band width for the area I guess.

The next day Al made three trips to get the free water to fill the tanks after being away almost a week and then headed back to Sand Dollar Beach where we have stayed in the past. There are definitely many more boats in the harbor now. I think the last count was 260 boats. So it is harder to get close to shore for anchoring.

We headed into Volleyball Beach in the afternoon and I saw Phyllis from Aquiligia who did the car trip on Long Island with us. She was working on an oval basket which is what I wanted to try next. She invited us over to her boat later where I was instructed on how to get started and she gave me a few tools that help with the basket weaving process.

The next day we headed back into town to do laundry and found that Toni and Dave returned and were leaving the Laundromat when we got there. We heard about their waves breaking over the bow sail coming back the day before. (I am glad we made it back in the calm!)

Friday we did our volunteer duty for the Regatta by selling tee shirts in town from 9am to noon. I had baked some goodies as an incentive, one going to each sale and we sold quite a few. Second best day of sales that they had! We did a beach walk with the Mershons in the afternoon and later returned to the beach for a bonfire celebration of a young couple that got marred that day who were anchored where we were. Several people brought instruments so they had a jam session. The sax player was terrific along with the guitarist and bongo player.

Since this was going to be the last calm day for awhile, we decided to take the “looky bucket” (a bucket with clear plexiglass bottom) and view some reefs. (It is the lazy man’s way of snorkeling!) Then we headed in to town for some internet and phone use and lunch at the local park where the youth were having a barbecue fundraiser. When we got back to the boat Toni was there with her dinghy. She had been trying to reach us because while defrosting their freezer it sprung a Freon leak and she needed space for her frozen food. I told her to bring it over and we will see what we can do. We took out our ice cube tray and were able to get all of her things in. Now Dave has his work cut out to try and fix the leak. By sunset the wind kicked up and was blowing 20 knots so the front came through bringing cooler temps. The wind is supposed to stay 15 to 20 knots all week. We had some boats dragging with the stronger winds but things finally settled down.

Rug near completion.

I did not make it across the harbor to get to the Catholic Church due to the strong winds, but Al and I went to “Beach Church” on Volleyball Beach where there is a non-denominational service prepared by the cruisers with a choir and all. It is very good and has a nice social hour afterward. We stayed on the boat due to the strong winds so I finished my basket and worked on my new oval one as well as hooked on my rug. I am getting close to finishing the design and will have only the border to do on the rug and then I can pull out a new design.

Valentine's Day Dance

Valentines Day we went to Hamburger Beach and had a great hamburger and Bahama Mama (an unbelievable drink!) at the Beach Bar sitting looking out at the gorgeous waters and sailboats anchored there. Later another dance was held at the Chat ‘n Chill so we danced away all those calories we ate! It is just amazing to see all these “elders” acting like college kids again. I swear the couple next to us was in their mid seventies and doing moves that were unbelievable. At one point she was dancing on top of a stool! Needless to say we had a great time!

Sea Treasures Abound

2011-02-09T08:29:00.000-08:00

We came back to Georgetown from Long Island for groceries, laundry and another great oldies dance on the decks of Chat’n Chill. I also had two women come over to learn more about rug hooking. They are both from the Crisfield, MD area and said when they get home they will check in to getting supplies because they thought they would like doing it. Mary Lou’s father actually did rug hooking so she was somewhat familiar with it.

View of Twin Beaches Anchorage

The next day we sailed north with the Mershons to visit Rat Cay. We walked some beautiful beaches and hiked to the top of Boysie Cay for a great view. Afterwards we motored to Williams Cay to an anchorage called Twin Beaches. It was gorgeous. It should be called Triplet Beaches because we could see three wonderful white beaches from Blue Heaven.

Mangroves into Salt Pond

Exploring was on the agenda for the following day. Al and I took the dinghy to Norman Pond’s Cay looking for sea treasures. We found the entrance to the salt pond and so Al rowed us in. I felt like Katherine Hepburn in the African Queen with mangroves on either side of us. Once inside we found some conch shells that Al could use to make his horn to blow at sunset which is tradition around here..

After lunch we went ashore at Twin Beaches to walk the beaches on the sound side. We struck pay dirt with sea glass. Toni and I were like kids in a candy shop picking up piece after piece in the surf at the waters edge. I found about thirty pieces and Toni about twenty!

Dave, Al and I toured the Perry Institute for Marine Science not far from Twin Beaches on Lee Stocking Cay. They are barely operating because they ran out of money about two years ago from the endowment. They have only two paid employees and several volunteers. Colleges from around the country still use them in the spring and summer but it is their slow time now so only one research experiment was going on with coral. The most interesting thing seen was their decompression chamber which I had only ever seen in pictures. They have it but do not have two trained people available that are needed to run it, so people have to get flown to Nassau when necessary.

After the tour we were given permission to hike the Coconut Trail on the island. Once again it gave us some gorgeous views of the sound and more beautiful beaches. You would think we would be tired of hikes and beaches but we are not. The turquoise waters and white beaches are superb!

When we got back to the boat, Toni told us to come for lunch for which I was thankful because I was tired. We pulled up to their boat and the best smell was coming out of Toni’s pizzeria. She stayed back to bake and one of the things she made was homemade pizza which was delicious. After a short rest we went back to “sea glass” beach and found some more. We had not wiped it out completely the day before!

We had a gentle sail to Leaf Cay to go snorkeling and to find lobsters. We did snorkeling but Al and Dave had no luck finding lobsters. Al said between not having a prescription face mask and his asthma he does not think spearing lobster is his “bag.” We saw another small elk horn reef with a variety of fish and a beautiful purple fan nearby. Later we went ashore to walk the beach and ran into another dinghy of people who were anchored behind us. They had caught a King Mackerel that morning and asked if we wanted any. We said “Sure!” since Al hasn’t caught any fish yet either. They gave us a huge piece and then our other boat neighbor who is a single hander came by about half hour later to give us one large and one small lobster.

We hit pay dirt! Al said now the pressure is off for getting lobster. I said, “I don’t think so!” This was the week for all sorts of sea treasures; ones we got and ones given to us.

We decided to sail to Rutter Cut Cay upon Dave and Toni’s suggestion. The wind had been predicted to be rather light out of the south, southeast but it blew 17 knots and was rather roly-poly out there. I was glad it was only eight miles because it wasn’t the most comfortable sail. We anchored off this beautiful beach and a cave. Unfortunately, the island is private so exploring that beach was out of the question. We took the dinghies south to Darby Island and walked the beach and saw some interesting starfish.

We also saw Faith Hill and Tim McGraw’s Paradise Island that they built and still in the progress of building. They had a beautiful modern main house and at least three guest houses. The pier was being built presently. After “oohing” and “aahing” we motored up to Musha Cay to walk the waters at low tide for sand dollars, sea biscuits and helmet conch. We found the first two but not much luck with the helmet conch. Dave found one but it was not a very attractive one so we put it back. The one he found here another year was just gorgeous.

A Break Away from Georgetown

2011-01-30T18:43:00.000-08:00

The wind blew quite a bit for two days so Mershons called another Happy Hour on the nearby Sand Dollar beach like we did a few weeks back to get everyone off their boats. We had another enjoyable time meeting some new cruisers who had arrived.

On Wednesday when the wind quieted everyone seemed to be in town doing all sorts of chores such as getting water, fuel and groceries. We ate lunch in town with the Mershons and Don and Sue Engler whom we don’t see quite as much since they enjoy anchoring of Volleyball Beach. Later Mershons came over to discuss leaving for Long Island.

Early Morning

We left the next day around 7am with a beautiful still morning.

Looking back from our boat.

There was absolutely no wind so it was a motor trip. The waters were like glass and could see the bottom with a few starfish here and there. It was like a parade of boats leaving Georgetown and heading to Long Island. I guess many others had the same idea we did to get out of town for awhile! I got some interesting photos today with the water and clouds.

Once in Thompson Bay on the east side of Long Island where we anchored with at least twenty other boats, I got on the VHF radio asking if anyone would be interested in sharing a rental car for the next day to tour the island. A couple, Pete and Phyllis on Aquilegia, who we met before leaving Georgetown came back and said they were interested. I called the car rental by the radio also and found out they only had a van left for six people. We booked it and the other couple found a third couple before we returned from a walk on the beach. We were set for the next day.

Dean's Blue Hole

We took our dinghies to a dock and walked about a block to pick up the car. We set off about 8:45am south to Dean’s Blue Hole. It is suppose to be the deepest blue hole at 660 ft. deep. It was absolutely stunning! It sits by the Atlantic’s edge, well protected by high cliffs and bordered by a gorgeous beach and bay. The colors just mesmerize you. We did not bring our snorkeling gear or swimsuits but must be put on our to-do list!

St. Peter's Church

We went to Clarence Town to view two interesting churches built by Father Jerome who is famous for building the Hermitage on Cat Island, where we have yet to visit.

Columbus Monument

Then heading back north we enjoyed the small Long Island Museum, lunch at Long Island Breeze restaurant and the Columbus Monument. This point at the north end of Long Island is claimed to be the third stop of Columbus entering the New World.

On the return trip we stopped at Stella Maris Resort Club and saw the large cave that is home to cave parties with open fires, food and drink, and rake and scrape live music. It looked like it would have been a lot of fun to experience. Unfortunately, we had to get the car rental back.

Road Trip Friends at the Cave with friendly Bahamian

We spent another day at Long Island just “chillin” and ended the day with 10 fellow cruisers getting together on Blue Heaven for sharing some experiences and sampling some good recipes.

We headed back to Georgetown with a great easy sail since the wind wasn’t cooperating on letting us go further northeast to the island of Conception. We hope to go back to Long Island and visit again when the active life of Georgetown gets to be too much!

A Busy Week

2011-01-25T08:51:00.000-08:00

Dave with two large lobsters!

We finally had some calm warm weather so we went snorkeling with Toni and Dave. Dave speared two lobsters. They were two nice sized ones. Al could not even see them under the shelves of coral! Dave said his first year down he never got a lobster. I wonder if he just said that to make Al feel better. They showed us how to clean them and have them ready for cooking. Now all Al has to do is be able to spot one and dive down to get it! Going out on the sound side of Stocking Island which is much deeper, we got to see an interesting wall of different types of coral with fans, sponges and lots of fish. The elk horn coral was most interesting.

The next day was chore day. Al had to get water and rid of garbage. We have to cross the harbor to do this, a fifteen minute ride in the dinghy. There is free water in Georgetown which makes it very nice. Many places charge 50 cents a gallon in the Bahamas. They also permit cruisers to rid of garbage in the town dumpster as well. These two amenities make it appealing to cruisers to stay here all winter. We had laundry to do and I had to go the internet café and grocery store. With all the chores done later that day we had an enjoyable Happy Hour on a boat called Reflections with Floyd and Elaine from Tennessee, Sue and Don from Jubilee and Dave and Toni on Sequence.

Flip Flop Spot

Many afternoons we go hiking or take the dinghy and explore a new area. We usually go with Toni and Dave. We found this area called “The Flip Flop Spot” that cruisers developed on one of the beaches for parties. It had a pavilion, bar and many decorative touches.

Hiking Stocking Island

Monument at top of Monument Beach

Many times on the trails we take, we end up at the top of a large hill for some great views! This one is at the Monument which is a large cement pillar used as a navigational aid. Some people say that in the past they had lit a fire at the base of the monument if there was salt available so that ships would stop to get it otherwise they moved onto the next island. There are other monuments on some of the other islands too.

On Friday we attended two social functions! The Exuma Tourist Office and the Ministry of Tourism invited visitors to the island to a tea at a local restaurant. Most of the people there were cruisers. When someone offers you free food, cruisers come out in strong force. It was a very nice affair with delightful Bahamian treats. These included conch fritters, conch salad, Bahamian pastries, bush tea, ginger tea and something called “sky juice.” I believe it was made with coconut milk and rum. (Probably makes you feel like you are flying high in the sky if you drink too much!)

Junkanoo Band

The entertainment included young Bahamian girl dancers and a “Junkanoo” band (Their special music and dance to a strong beat.)
Both were very colorful and fun to watch. Afterward we zoomed across to a beach party to once again share food, drinks and fellowship with other cruisers.

Bahamian Boat

Youth Band

Our busy week of social activities included a bus trip to the far north end of Great Exuma Island to a settlement called Barraterre. About 60 cruisers had an hour school bus ride to the fundraiser for the Family Island Regatta held in April. They had a Bahamian boat race, a youth band playing, Bahamian music and food. It was a good way to see some of the island since when you are on a boat you only get as far as your legs will take you. (The roads are quite narrow for riding bikes.)

We ended the week with playing Trivial Pursuit with about sixty people at a local resort called St. Francis. The resort is on Stocking Island not far from Volleyball Beach. The owners are very generous with their facilities for the cruisers. We were lucky enough to catch the end of the Green Bay Packers and Bears game and the first half of the Steelers and Jets game while there. Being from Pittsburgh originally I guess you know for whom I was rooting! Now all we have to do is figure out a way to see the Super Bowl.

St. Francis where we watched the Steelers

This week activities have slowed down so we are hoping for a weather window to perhaps move on to Long Island and maybe the island of Conception for a visit for a few days.

Georgetown, the Social Hub of the Exumas

2011-01-20T06:33:00.000-08:00

Ladies Cruiser Luncheon at St. Francis Resort

Stocking Island is where most of the cruisers anchor when there is an east wind. There are several beaches along the island where cruisers make their home, Monument Beach, Volleyball Beach and Sand Dollar Beach being the main ones. I attended a luncheon for women who are cruising held at St. Francis Resort not far from Volleyball Beach. All the beaches were represented with 45 ladies total so you can imagine the volume of chatter coming from the room. It was a very nice affair set up so the new people to Georgetown like me were set between “seasoned” cruisers so that you could learn more about what is available. They also had volunteers give hints that they have found helpful living this life style. The resort donated some door prizes as well but of course I was not a lucky winner.

Happy Hour on the Beach

Dave, Toni, Al and I were talking that there had not been any beach parties. So we decided to plan one for Friday late afternoon. There is a net on the marine radio every morning at 8am for business to make announcements, community announcements about happenings around the harbor and on the island, boater’s general for boaters to offer or ask for help with problems or questions, and new arrivals and departures of vessels. So it is quite easy to send out an invitation. You just announce it on the radio which I did. “Happy Hour on the beach at 4:30pm. Bring your own beverage and an appetizer or snack to share.” Now it had been blowing 18-20 knots for two days and was still blowing for when the beach party was scheduled. I said to Al, probably not that many will come because of the wind and chill in the air. Well, I was wrong. About fifty people showed and many said they just had to get off the boat because they had been stuck on it for two days due to the weather. It was the easiest party I ever planned and we got to know many more people that way!

The next few days were a lot of the same; Al still trying to figure out the head (the toilet for you non-boaters) problem, me working on my basket and rug hooking, as you can see my progress on both.

My rug progress.

Termite mound

Shells, sand dollar and bean pods found.

We both went for walks on the beach and hiking different trails on Stocking Island looking for sea treasures. We both got lucky each finding a sea pod that probably came from Africa. Heading back along one of the paths we came across this huge termite mound. Glad I don’t have a house on the island!

Rockin’ Ron and Cool Karen on Sea Dancer are cruisers who are deejays and lead dances. And what a dance they led on Monday night. Cruisers came from all over the anchorage to the Chat n’ Chill restaurant on Volleyball beach, to dance the night away. And dance the night away we did! Well sort of, until 9pm, but it did start at 5:30pm! We had guest appearances of some of the stars from the past such as Sonny and Cher, Leslie Gore, Paul and Paula, and the Supremes. It was a blast and as usual a good time was had by all as you can see by our friend Sue on Jubilee!

Sonny and Cher - a blast from the past!

Sunset from the deck of Chat 'n Chill

We were planning to leave for a few days, but have gotten involved with a few more social activities at the end of the week, so we decided to delay leaving until next week..

Getting into the Groove

2011-01-12T08:04:00.000-08:00

Toni leading the way on one of our hikes.

Dave and Al getting into shelling.

We have been in Georgetown for a week and we are getting into the groove. When winds are light, we do more playing and getting around to different places. When the fronts come in, we stay on board doing various projects that need to be done and cleaning the boat. The past few days have been play days where we have snorkeled and did a lot of hiking the island and their beaches. Even the men have gotten into the beach treasure hunting, as you can see in the picture.

Arleen trying basket weaving.

In the afternoon cruisers congregate on Volleyball Beach for playing volleyball, crafts, games or just plain socializing. Toni and I have already started to learn basket weaving with the supplies being palms from the local islands and not found many other islands. (Don't worry my colleague rug hookers, I have not given up my rug hooking. I do that in the evening!) I have not gotten too far but am pleased with my progress. Hopefully, on the next blog addition you will see a basket shape.

Al used his snorkeling gear to help clean the bottom of the boat. I am surprised at how cold the water is. You think it is the Bahamas, the water should be warm. Wrong! I am glad we bought shirts to go under our farmer john wetsuits. We also snorkeled with the Mershon's hoping to find lobster, but we failed on that account, but did get to see some coral reefs. We saw some interesting fish and fans and were definitely tired by the end of our experience.

Al snorkeling around Blue Heaven for cleaning the bottom.

We came into Georgetown today from our anchorage at Sand Dollar Beach because the winds are light, but that is to change later today and sounds like we will have 20k or more winds until Sunday. We came to fill up on free water, gasoline for the dinghy, fresh produce and internet. Unfortunately at Sand Dollar we cannot get
internet so our access is limited to once or twice a week when we can get to town or a resort.

Entrance into Lake Victoria where we get free water.

Sunset from Sand Dollar Beach

Slower Pace, Indeed!

2011-01-08T09:23:00.000-08:00

Monday at the Laundry

I said I wanted a little slower pace, and I got it! The laundry opened at 8am and I was third in line at 7:45am. There were a lot more behind me. I got my three loads washed and into the dryers for about 5 minutes when the electric went out. We waited, and waited and finally were told that they were putting in a new generator for the island. No one was informed about it previously and they said it would take about 45 minutes. Well, they were Bahamian minutes and so almost 2 hours later the electric came back on and I got to finish the job. However, in the meantime almost everyone from the anchorage seemed to be at the laundry. People were exchanging a lot of information about various topics. I learned that I could text for 10 cents a text from the phone I bought which is a lot cheaper than the 81 cents a minute for a phone call.

Not only was Ida the attendant for the laundry but she also was the local hairdresser and she cut a girl’s hair while we were there. It certainly was a different type of experience and the sharing among cruisers is wonderful. We of course don’t go to a laundry at home so we have no idea what it cost there, but in the Exumas the average cost is $7 a load for a wash and dry, and they are not always dry but that is why you have lifelines on the boat! After laundry we went to Lorraine’s Café for lunch and internet use. Lunch was good and the internet was good into mid afternoon when it went really slow. I could not do much at all so gave up and went back to the boat. I left at 7:40am and got back to the boat at 2:55pm. And my friends wonder what we do all day!

We had a great sail the next day to Leaf Cay. Shortly after Sequence, Jubilee and Blue Heaven arrived, Dave and Toni from Sequence were off in their dinghy to hunt for lobster. They said they stopped, Dave got in the water and there was one right below him. He came back showing us his great catch. We got our snorkeling gear on but never did get in the water. Dave and Toni showed us how to look for coral heads but it was getting late and decided it wasn’t worth getting all salty.

We did go to a beautiful little beach that had iguanas on it. Three were there ready to greet us but we held our distance. This was a gorgeous area and we debated about staying, but our fresh item stores were getting low so we decided to move on before the front was to come on Thursday night.

We arrived in the beautiful Elizabeth Harbour where the famous Georgetown, the Mecca for cruisers and largest city in the Exumas, is located. Since the front was going to be out of the west, northwest we anchored in Kidd”s Cove not far from where you enter Georgetown. Dave and Toni gave us the quick tour showing us where different things were so that we could find what we want. We had a celebratory happy hour on Blue Heaven, toasting to arriving in Georgetown, also known a Adult Day Camp!.

Mama and Baby Dolphin

Oceanside

The next day dolphins swam around our boat two times and you can see how clear the water is. There were three of them. One was smaller so we figured it was a baby. And just think, we see all of this from our home, Blue Heaven.!

Here is the famous "Volleyball Beach" where a lot of the cruiser happenings are.

Lots of Activities New Years Week at Staniel Cay

2011-01-03T10:54:00.000-08:00

We returned to the same spot that we had been earlier at Big Spot Major near Staniel Cay and what a difference when the wind comes out of a different direction, now east and southeast. It was much quieter and more pleasant. We took our dinghy over to Staniel Cay and got voice mail added to our phones from Batelco (Bahma Telephone Company). We got rid of trash at their dump and got connected to the internet although it was very slow at Staniel Cay Yacht Club.

The next day some of the festivities started for the New Years Eve celebration. They had Happy Hour at the Staniel Cay Yacht Club, rum punches were two for one, and free appetizers.

On Thursday, the mail boat brought in supplies so one of the first accomplishments of the day was to get to the store for needed fresh food such as vegetables, fruits, bread and milk. We had two small bags and our bill was $38. You just have to grab what you want and forget about the costs, because they don’t put a price on anything anyway and you need it!

Later in the day we went over to Staniel Cay Yacht Club for the auction of items donated by the cruisers to help support next year’s regatta. They provided free drink and dinner of conch chowder, lobster salad, conch salad, macaroni and cheese and grilled fish. It was all very good!

Hiking out on Bahamian Boat

Friday, New Year’s Eve day, was the day of the big Bahamian Race called “The Mixed Doubles.” This race consisted of two Bahamian boats where cruisers and Bahamians can sign-up to be on one of the boats to race. These boats are very similar to log canoe races we see on the Chester River. They hike out on the boards to counterbalance the heel of the boat. I guess AL did not feel agile enough to sign-up, but they are certainly fun to watch even not knowing the people on them.

We had a wonderful New Year’s Eve dinner on a boat called Bad Boy. Doug and Sherry are from North East, MD. We were there with the Mershons and Englers. We each brought a dish to share and we had a wonderful Italian meal. We made it to “Cruiser’s Midnight” which was ten o’clock which was the latest most of us had been up in a long time.

New Years day was the Cruiser’s Regatta. People could enter their boats and get crew and race a simple course. It was blowing a good 15 knots so it was a challenge to sit in our dinghy and get pictures while we bobbed around in the wind and waves. Later we took time to explore the beaches on the other side of the island but did not find much in the way of beach treasures (sea glass, shells and bean pods that come across the ocean from distant lands.)

With the New Year’s Regatta over we decided to move down to Black Point where there is a laundry. We have not done laundry for two weeks so right now it is a high priority for us and many other cruisers who have been at Staniel Cay for the past week. We arrived to discover it is closed on Sunday so we will be staying over another day. The past week was a busy week and I am looking forward to a little slower pace!

Pipe Creek and Gale-Force Winds

2010-12-29T07:26:00.000-08:00

The pre-front and cold front came through as predicted but nothing like the blizzard the states had so we heard. The winds were strong all day Sunday and it was a good day for me to do some scrap-booking while Al worked on our one toilet that wasn’t working quite right. Thank heavens we have two heads on board! As night fell the winds keep getting stronger and they were as high as 39 knots at one point which qualifies as gale force winds. Luckily all the boats around us had been here for at least two days so the anchors were secured and no major problems occurred. The winds blew 25- 30 knots all day Monday so again, not a day to go ashore. We did a lot of reading and organizing due to the fact we wanted to get our snorkel gear out which was way back in the quarter berth where we store our folding bikes and everything that we don’t know where else to put it.Our hope is that it will warm up so we can get some snorkeling in.

Today, Tuesday, the winds lessened to 12-15 knots so we decided to move back near Staniel Cay so we are there for their festivities coming up for New Years. They have regatta races, an auction, happy hours, special meals and a pirates party to name a few of the activities. We hope to join in on some and be spectators for others. Have a Happy New Year.

The Real Paradise Found

2010-12-29T07:20:00.000-08:00

Banana Quip who Welcomed Us

We used our “looky bucket” (a bucket with a plexiglass see-through bottom) to see some of the marine life on a coral reef nearby and then hiked the island with Dave and Toni. At the highest point on Boo Boo Hill we had a spectacular view of the harbor where Blue Heaven was located and the deep blue ocean on the other side of the island. The next day we had a motor sail to Big Majors Spot. However, the wind was not as far north as we hoped so had a roly-poly night and decided to move north to Pipe Creek because a front would be coming through on Sunday out of the west with wind predictions of 25 to 30 k. Time to find a protected spot! Pipe Creek is another wonderful spot. So wonderful, quite a few boats come and stay here all winter. At 3pm we had a beach party at the designated “Yacht Club”(a few signs and various nautical items left by past cruisers) complete with good food and Christmas carols with accompaniment by a guitar and a recorder.. It was a great way to meet all the people on the boats in the anchorage and get into the Christmas spirit..

Christmas Eve day I baked all morning getting ready for our dinner on Blue Heaven with the Englers and Mershons. After lunch we hiked to the ocean side looking for shells and sea glass. Toni, the experienced one, found two beautiful shells. I have to open my eyes more! We had a wonderful ham dinner complete with all the fixings. We are so blessed to have such good friends with us when we are so far from home. It makes it easier being away from family. Christmas morning people came by dinghy bearing a lot of home-made goodies. There is such camaraderie and caring among the cruisers. A lot of us headed to Sampson Cay marina by dinghy for Christmas dinner. We had a wonderful meal of Rosemary chicken with gravy, garlic mashed potatoes, sautéed peas, berry cheesecake and coffee. When we first entered they had out fresh strawberries, raspberries, chocolate dipping sauce and fresh home-made doughnuts for which they are known. Everything was delicious and as usual a good time was had by all!
Sorry we have no pictures because they are beautiful but the WIFI here is so slow we cannot upload them.

The Real Paradise Found

2010-12-29T07:11:00.000-08:00

The last blog entry was entitled Paradise Found but we should have named it Man-made Paradise Found because of the resort Atlantis. Now we have found the true paradise of the natural sort. The waters have so many shades of teal and blue that they are just amazing!

From Nassau we had a great sail to Norman Key and then the next day to Warderick Wells Land and Sea Park. It took my breath away when we arrived at Warderick Wells. It was just so beautiful. While we were tying to the mooring the prettiest bird called a Banana Quip greeted us on our life lines which seemed like a good omen. We used our “looky bucket” (a bucket with a plexiglass see-through bottom) to see some of the marine life on a coral reef nearby and then hiked the island with Dave and Toni. At the highest point on Boo Boo Hill we had a spectacular view of the harbor where Blue Heaven was located and the deep blue ocean on the other side of the island.

The next day we had a motor sail to Big Majors Spot. However, the wind was not as far north as we hoped so had a roly-poly night and decided to move north to Pipe Creek because a front would be coming through on Sunday out of the west with wind predictions of 25 to 30 k. Time to find a protected spot!

Pipe Creek is another wonderful spot. So wonderful, quite a few boats come and stay here all winter. At 3pm we had a beach party at the designated “Yacht Club”(a few signs and various nautical items left by past cruisers) complete with good food and Christmas carols with accompaniment by a guitar and a recorder.. It was a great way to meet all the people on the boats in the anchorage and get into the Christmas spirit..

Christmas Eve day I baked all morning getting ready for our dinner on Blue Heaven with the Englers and Mershons. After lunch we hiked to the ocean side looking for shells and sea glass. Toni, the experienced one, found two beautiful shells. I have to open my eyes more! We had a wonderful ham dinner complete with all the fixings. We are so blessed to have such good friends with us when we are so far from home. It makes it easier being away from family.

Christmas morning people came by dinghy bearing a lot of home-made goodies. There is such camaraderie and caring among the cruisers. A lot of us headed to Sampson Cay marina by dinghy for Christmas dinner. We had a wonderful meal of Rosemary chicken with gravy, garlic mashed potatoes, sautéed peas, berry cheesecake and coffee. When we first entered they had out fresh strawberries, raspberries, chocolate dipping sauce and fresh home-made doughnuts for which they are known. Everything was delicious and as usual a good time was had by all!

Arriving in Paradise

2010-12-18T16:57:00.000-08:00

Arriving in Nassau at Dawn

Just a brief addition to tell you we made it to the Bahamas. Yeah! The wind was directly on our nose the entire trip so it was a very “loooong” motor. We were so glad when we could finally shut the engine down. We made it from Miami to Nassau in twenty-eight hours which according to experienced cruising friends was good time. It was a little lumpy in the Gulf Stream but not too bad, and the entire trip across the Bahama Banks and even down through what they call the “Tongue of the Ocean” was quite smooth. We cleared customs and immigration but were granted only a ninety day cruising permit. We were hoping for twice that, but they assured us that if we go to the customs office the week of expiration that we will be granted another ninety days. It just makes more work for themselves and makes us cruisers have to move to an island that has an office. Oh well, that is just the way it is in the Bahamas.

Entrance to Atlantis

We are in a marina to do laundry, replenish fuel and wash off the salt encrusted boat. Today we played a little by visiting the Atlantis Resort on Paradise Island. Wow, talk about opulence. It is beautiful and just reeks of wealth. You all need to take a vacation there. It really is quite nice! Maybe next time we will stay at their marina and really live it up!

Atlantis on Pleasure Island

Tomorrow we will leave Nassau and head south toward the Exumas, hopefully, to spend Christmas at Staniel Cay before reaching the fabled Georgetown (aka. Retirees Day Camp).

(Remember, blog additions will be much less since internet connections are fewer the farther we head south.)

Goodbye Miami, Hopefully Hello Bahamas!

2010-12-15T17:32:00.000-08:00

No Name Harbor in Key Biscayne

The time has come! We plan to be out of this anchorage at 3am to leave for crossing over to the Bahamas on tomorrow (Thursday) and continuing straight through to Nassau hoping to be there around 8am on Friday. We have dealt with some serious cold this week with night time temps down to 37 degrees and highs only in the fifties. That is cold when you are on a boat on the water with wind gusts up to 32 knots! And that is in a totally enclosed harbor! The wind quieted down today so the ocean should be fairly calm. So calm in fact that we will probably have to motor due to no wind prediction. Better that than too much wind!

Since we have no idea how much we will be able to get wifi this might be the last blog entry for a while. We hope to get into a marina in Nassau but with approximately 50 boats crossing tomorrow there might not be any " room at the inn." If not a blog entry, I might send a brief email saying we made it so all you "worry warts" don't have to worry about us over the Christmas holidays.

Speaking of Christmas, we wish you a very Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.

We wore our winter clothes so you would not feel so bad! I wish that was the only reason.

Waiting,Waiting and More Waiting

2010-12-12T12:12:00.000-08:00

View from our home for the week

Miami Beach Marina

Monument Island

Well, we are getting to know the Miami area better than we want. We are so ready to get to the Bahamas but the weather just hasn’t quite co-operated. This past week had been so cold that I wore a sweatshirt and fleece long johns to bed under a sheet, summer blanket, fleece blanket and a coverlet. Did we turn the wrong way? We have seen quite a bit of South Beach, Monument Island and Miami from a distance from our anchorage near the Venetian Causeway. It has been home to us for a week and even longer for Sequence and Jubilee

Jubilee and Sequence in our anchorage in Miami Beach

Our group moved yesterday for a change of scenery to the Key Biscayne area. We wanted to go into No Name Harbor but there were 19 boats in there and would not take four more. So we went around the corner to Hurricane Hole which worked well except for the birds bombing us in the morning with their blue splats all over our deck and white bimini and sail cover! I guess I will be putting my cleaning skills to the test.
It started to warm up but our group of boats waiting to cross, hesitated on going (Saturday) because it was only a short weather window followed by a very strong cold front to come in Sunday night. The winds are still out of the north although lighter (10 knots) but we were taught that you don’t want north winds crossing the Gulf Stream which flows north because it can be very uncomfortable. Also the cold front will have winds of 25 -30 knots and we don’t want to have to stay put for several days in Nassau where thievery is common. The next good crossing is predicted around Thursday and looks good for several days after. If only that could be written in stone!

Dave Mershon and I kayaked the anchorage hoping to find a way to get to some of the canals in the area but unfortunately discovered it land locked. Don and Sue decided to move and checked out No Name Harbor and were pleasantly surprised to find only five boats in there. That means that fourteen must have decided to try for the short weather window. Al and I decided to pull up anchor and motored over and got a spot near Don and Sue. The Mershon’s decided to stay put in Hurricane Hole and use their dinghy to motor over.

We packed our lunches and headed off for a hike to the lighthouse and to explore Bill Baggs Cape Florida State Park. It felt good to have shorts on again. Once back on the boat we were entertained by the locals on various boats blaring music with the hot babes on deck. The men especially enjoyed themselves! With the sun setting the anchorage quieted down nicely. After dark we also enjoyed some of the decorated boats for the holiday

Cape Florida Lighthouse

The group checking out history of Stiltsville.

Power boat decked out for the holidays in No Name Harbor

Hello Miami! Time for a Road Trip.

2010-12-07T15:44:00.000-08:00

Container ships being loaded in Port of Miami

We safely made the trip from Fort Lauderdale to Miami sailing half the time in a fairly quiet ocean. The wind actually wasn’t quite strong enough to move us at the pace we like to go when trying to make miles, so we sailed with the motor the second half of the trip. Arriving in Miami definitely gave us a variety of things to look at which we have not seen else where.

Miami skyline.

We made it to the anchorage by 2pm where our friends on Sequence and Jubilee were located between San Marino and Di Lito Islands near South Beach.

Welcome Happy Hour on Jubilee

Later in the day they had a welcoming happy hour on Don and Sue Engler’s boat, Jubilee. It was a lot of fun meeting the other couples on boats in the anchorage who are all waiting to cross over to the Bahamas as well. Englers and we are the only “newbies” being our first time. One couple has done this fifteen times and most of the rest have done it three or more times. Some said they have waited as long as 3-4 weeks for a weather window. I hope it isn’t that long for us but it is not looking too good at this time.

Our Own Little Christmas Tree

Al praying or thinking?

On Sunday Al took Sue and I to the dock in South Beach where we caught a bus to church. The bus cost all of $.25 a ride which is great for getting around town. Before going back to the boat we stopped at the local Publix to get a few more things and could not resist some free greens next to the Christmas Trees. Back on the boat I decorated for the holidays while Al worked on doing navigational "stuff" for the Bahamas or maybe he is praying for a weather window! Who knows???

Later the Mershons and Englers came over to discuss how we might get to Fairchild Tropical Botanic Gardens in Coral Gables to pass the time while waiting for good weather. We talked about moving the boats to the mooring off Dinner Key Marina in Coconut Grove and taking bus transportation, but finally decided on leaving the boats here and renting a car to get the six of us there.

Al, Dave, Toni, Sue and Don ready to explore Fairchild Gardens

It took some time to figure out all the logistics but we did it and it was well worth it. We spent the day touring the gardens and looking for the wild life. We started the day with a tram ride to give us an overall view of the 83 acres that is included and to learn about many of the tropical plants there. One fact we learned was that there are 2700 species of palms. And I thought there were only a dozen or so! Being so chilly in the high fifties, we were afraid we would not see any butterflies but after lunch in the warmth of the sun they came out of hiding. Not quite so true for the birds but we enjoyed the magnificent gardens with all the various sculptures, flowers, insects and cacti. It also felt great to just walk most of the day on solid land instead of sitting and moving on the boat. All agreed it was a great road trip!
Hope you enjoy the photos of what we saw.

Don't miss the two bugs kissing!

CBP Checks Us Out

2010-12-03T18:47:00.000-08:00

Arleen meets local celebrity in Riviera Beach

Up early and off the anchor we went, headed for Lake Worth. Al wanted to get in early because we had the appointment at Customs and Border Protection (CBP). We motored the ICW and got through the bridges even with one having a span just ¾ of the way up. We anchored at the southern end of Lake Worth so we could take the dinghy into Riviera Beach Marina to dock and go for our appointment which was only about a block away. We had all the right documents for them so things went smoothly so now we are the owners of our own local boaters cards which allow us to just call in at any port we enter in the United States on our boat instead of having to physically present ourselves at the office. Afterwards we strolled the docks at Riviera Beach and I had my picture taken with the local celebrity. I think I have a real catch with Al, compared to this captain!

Before we went back to the boat, we motored across to Peanut Island which is open to the public for picnicking, swimming, hiking, and camping. It is a lovely well kept area and had some great views of Lake Worth inlet. As we walked around the island we saw interesting sites of a kayaker using an umbrella to bring him right into shore and the local turkey vultures drying their wings in the trees.

Turkey Vulture drying its wings.

A new way of kayaking!

It was blowing quite hard out of the north so it was a bit rough in the anchorage but luckily quieted down for sleeping. Our friends the Mershons called and said not to be in a rush to get to Miami to meet them because the weather window for this weekend for crossing has gotten too short. Also, strong winds for the days after arriving would trap us in Nassau where we planned to check in. From experience they said you want to get in and get out due to a lot of thievery in the area, so now it might be another week until a possible weather window opens.

Al with his early Christmas present.

We listened to the weather and Chris Parker who is the cruiser’s guru for predicting wind and wave conditions before we left Lake Worth. We decided at the last minute that it would be okay to go outside from Lake Worth to Fort Lauderdale so we could avoid over twenty bridge openings. The wind wasn’t very strong but the waves were a little “roly poly” so we motor sailed the entire day to Fort Lauderdale. Al pulled out his new rod and reel to do some fishing but lets just say I am glad I had something thawed for dinner!

As we came up through the Fort Lauderdale area, the opulence is unbelievable. The one house had not one, but two huge yachts at its dock!

We got in to the anchorage called Lake Sylvia about 4 pm to see about fifteen boats already anchored in this small area. We snuck in and about five or six other boats came in after us! It is amazing how you can make room when you have too.

We plan to go out in the ocean again tomorrow to reach Miami and meet up with Sequence and Jubilee. It looks like we will have plenty of time to explore South Beach and Miami before crossing to the Bahamas.

On the Water Once Again

2010-12-01T16:42:00.000-08:00

Lore, Christopher, Arleen, Al and Nate

Shopping with friends.

Ten days at home seemed like a whirlwind! A visit to Al’s parents was a must and visiting with friends and prepaying bills was all we seemed to get done. My sister held the usual delicious Thanksgiving feast in Baltimore and getting caught up on all the news from our sons and relatives was accomplished. Flying back to Stuart from BWI was a bit more taxing than flying from West Palm Beach. The check in line seemed to wind around the entire airport even though they were doing just a few “pat downs” or scans. Al’s bag got pulled out for a special check. I knew those oil filters for the engine would probably get questioned! They were looked at thoroughly and then we were allowed to pass on to our boarding gate.

Al getting the boat ready to leave.

Back on the boat once again we went to the grocery store three times to shop. You can only carry so much in the bikes baskets and backpacks! Al got all the packages for more equipment that he ordered and so worked on various projects the last two days. We fueled up, pumped out the waste tanks and were ready to go.

Being well stocked we headed to Peck Lake where our entertainment for the afternoon was watching a power boat run aground and have to be pulled off by Towboat US.

Tomorrow we plan to go to the customs office in Riviera Beach for our interview for the “local boater’s option.” That way when we return from the Bahamas in the spring, we will only have to call in and not have to present ourselves physically at an office. We hope the weather will cooperate and allow us to sail outside down to Miami to catch up with our friends on Sequence and Jubilee. There is a possibility of a weather window to cross over to the Bahamas on Sunday and Monday. All we can do is wait and see. One last thing, it feels great to be out of daytime temperatures in the forties and back to beautiful sunsets and warmth although it is going into the forties tonight!

Peck Lake Sunset

Work and Play in Stuart

2010-11-18T17:51:00.000-08:00

Loggerhead Marina in Stuart, FL

The view of the bridge from our boat at nigh in Stuart.

We made it to Stuart where Loggerhead Marina will be home to Blue Heaven for the next three weeks. It was The Harborage two years ago where we spent two months. Since being in Stuart we have been prepping the boat for the crossing to the Bahamas. Al received a new (used) single side band radio which he installed, changed the oil in the engine and thoroughly scrubbed the waterline and salt encrusted sides of the boat. I went for more staples and packed them away as best as I could.

We did spend an afternoon with Al’s Aunt B.J. and cousin Leslie having a great lunch at Sailor’s Return the restaurant across the river in the new Sunset Marina which used to be the municipal marina. It was nice catching each other up on our lives and travel. We also met Al's fraternity brother and wife for dinner another night in Stuart so it was not all work and no play this week!

I asked a woman on a boat if the marina had a courtesy car. I was hoping that had been added with the change of management. She said no, but offered to take us wherever we needed to go. So stops at a tackle store for lures, K-mart for various items, Lowes and of course West Marine. She said she has cruised and people took her around when needed so she was just passing the favor on. We are very thankful to Michelle because it would have been at least a twelve mile bike ride. We are not used to that!

We fly home tomorrow so the next blog won’t be until December. Have a great Thanksgiving

Vero Beach Shopping Extravaganza

2010-11-15T06:18:00.000-08:00

We were up early and off the mooring in Cocoa following Sequence to Vero Beach. It was a non-event sail and motor to the harbor except when a pair of dolphins played next to our cockpit for a short time. There was another boat from our sailing association, Jubilee, already on a mooring ball in Vero which we had hoped to share, but they were in town when we arrived so we went to an empty one instead. The wind had kicked up a bit in the afternoon so it took us three tries to finally tie up to Sequence on the mooring ball. You would have thought we were new at this and not thirty some years of sailing experience!

Free Vero Beach Bus

The next day we were up and on the 9am free bus to various stores along with many other cruisers to get the supplies we need for going to the Bahamas. Al and I each got wet suit shirts to go with our farmer John wet suit pants that we have. They say you need the suits to stay warm in the cool water for snorkeling. Al also bought a spear so that he can catch lobster and perhaps a fish or two. (This shall be interesting!!!! Maybe I should get him a loin cloth and a chimp so that I have my own Tarzan!) Next we went to the ABC Beverage store for wine and liquor and to the grocery store for food. Do you know how much a five month supply of that stuff weighs? We were on a bus, each with a back pack and what ever we could carry in our arms. We bought half of what we wanted and came back after lunch for another load. I will still need to shop for more items in Stuart next week and get fresh things after we come back from going home for Thanksgiving.

After dinner we went to Jubilee to play dominoes, but they never even came out of the box. Don and Sue and ourselves just kept asking Dave and Toni lots of questions about the Bahamas and they were happy to share the information.

Dinner at Waldo's in Vero Beach

Saturday we were on the bus again and out to Walmart for more needed items. Vero Beach businesses truly benefit from us cruisers. No wonder they provide free bus service! That evening called for a drink on Blue Heaven and then a walk in town for a fun dinner at Waldo's.

Al up the mast

Dolphin in Vero Beach Mooring Field

Al spent Sunday doing projects on the boat. Up the mast he went to replace a light bulb and put up the radar reflector. I unfortunately caught a cold. The first one I have had in two years and I get it in Florida! I was wiped out so I just lay around and read. A dolphin played near by which as always was fun to watch. Once again the three couples gathered this time on Sequence to discuss the world problems and upcoming places we will be visiting.

On a mooring in Vero Beach

We parted ways from Sequence and Jubilee today because we are headed to Loggerhead Marina in Stuart and they to Peck Lake. The marina is the same one we spent two months at on the last trip. We are flying home Friday and will be back Nov. 29th. We hope to do our fresh food provisioning and then zoom to Miami to hopefully catch up with Sequence and Jubilee. However, we told them if they have a great weather window, not to wait for us. We would find someone with whom to cross over to the Bahamas, We will not go alone!

ICW Drawbridges Have Their Ups and Downs

2010-11-11T05:39:00.000-08:00

We declared Monday, Nov.8th “Bird Day”, the reason being that we saw more birds and variety of birds on this day than any other on the trip. Shortly after leaving Daytona we passed an island called Pelican Island and it was full of them. Not far from them was a white egret rookery. While motoring through Haulover Canal later in the day we saw several types of herons looking for their next meal. Then we passed a spoonbill pelican rookery. They are pink and from a distance look like flamingos but when you look through the binoculars you can see they are not.

Barge at Nasa Railroad Bridge

Around 2:45 PM we reached the NASA Railroad Bridge which is normally open, however, today there was a huge barge blocking the channel. After numerous calls to the bridge from numerous boats we found out that they are working on the bridge and that it would be closed until 4:30pm! No announcements by the coast guard or any other warnings on the radio which seemed a bit ridiculous. They only open at 12:30pm and 4:30pm. So by the time the bridge opened there were at least a dozen boats, anchored and ready for the signal that we could pass.

We finally got through and went into Titusville Municipal Marina for fuel and then anchored outside of the marina with numerous other boats.

The next morning we had to go through another bridge not far from the marina called the Addison Point Bridge. When the bridge went up only one section went up all the way and the other one got stuck three quarters of the way up. You are not suppose to enter until the spans are all the way up but finally one brave captain called the bridge tender and said with his permission could the boats pass through because there was enough clearance. Unexpectedly, the bridge tender allowed us to go through, thank heaven, because no one wanted another long wait! A little further down another bridge was having trouble but when we got there it was working. So bridges do have their “ups and downs.”

Cocoa

We arrived at Cocoa after a decent sail where we anchored and had lunch. We then took the dinghy to the town dock where Al headed to the famous SF Travis hardware store. The largest old fashion, have everything hardware store. I of course headed to the boutique shops in town for browsing. After we got our fill of “eye candy,” hardware for Al and clothes for me, we headed back to the boat for a quiet night on the hook.

We decided to stay another day because it is a great place to ride bikes. We took the bikes in the dinghy to town. We then biked several miles south along the wonderfully scenic River Drive. We stopped for lunch in town because I was craving pizza and found a great place with outdoor seating. After lunch, we biked several miles north on the River Road which was just as pretty as the south section. The weather was just perfect for biking with sunny skies and temps in the high seventies.

Back on board Blue Heaven, we did a few chores and waited for our sailing association friends, Toni and Dave Mershon on Sequence to finally catch up with us. And catch up we did, on our past month of sailing experiences we each had over a drink and some munchies. It was good to see two familiar faces!

Sequence at sunset.

Chicken or Smart, It Depends How You Look At It!

2010-11-07T17:33:00.000-08:00

A cold front came with some brisk winds. You would think we would love the winds, which we do when moving, but not at night on anchor. So we made a decision to go into a marina in Daytona. One of the reasons we decided this is because of the circumstances of dockage at the marina, and second, because it was predicted to be in the mid forties at night. Heat would be nice! With the dockage situation, it is that we are planning on docking the boat at Loggerhead Marina in Stuart, FL for three weeks so that we can fly home for 10 days over Thanksgiving. It is cheaper to rent the slip for a month and Loggerhead has reciprocal dockage at other Loggerhead Marinas, one of which is in Daytona, the rest are south of Stuart. So we have a week of days we can use at other Loggerhead marinas, so why not use them when it is so windy and sooooooooo… cold?!!

Sailing in ICW

On the way to Daytona Beach the winds were 18-20knots. We sailed in the ICW as you can see by the tilt of the boat with the winds abeam. When we pulled into the marina the winds were still 18 knots. Speaking of knots, that was what my stomach was in, since we had to get into a slip with the winds blowing so strong. However, it was all for “naught” because Al did a perfect job. The cold front definitely came through as it went from the high seventies to the low sixties and finally to the forties for the night.

View of Daytona Beach from bridge that we biked.

We had never been to Daytona, so exploring was a must. Out came the folding bikes and our winter jackets. Since it was a Saturday, we biked to the Farmer’s Market on City Island to get some needed produce because there was no major supermarket close by. We were lucky to discover the Halifax Arts Festival going on with at least 120 or more stands of high quality goods, food and music, I enjoyed myself immensely looking at all the art and crafts while Al, who hates to shop, took the produce back to the boat. After lunch we then biked over the bridge to see the beach side of Daytona Beach. With it being so brisk, there certainly were not many people out and about. Al and I agreed we have never seen so many motorcycle shops and bars in one place as in Daytona Beach. I think I was glad there were not many people around! I cannot imagine what it is like here during “Bike Week.”

Halifax Arts Festival

Boardwalk at Daytona Beach

We had a great meal at the marina’s restaurant called “Caribbean Jack’s” It is a popular spot for locals with people sitting outside on the deck from lunch through late evening. I think we lucked out being closed up for

the cold so we did not have to hear the music all night long.

On Sunday I went to church. For those who are Catholics and travel, you cannot beat the website, www.masstimes.org. for finding a church in the city you are in. We visited the Arts Festival again and then accomplished various chores. We are getting ready to move on to Titusville area tomorrow since the temperature is suppose to start climbing and be near eighty by midweek Hopefully I will be able to get rid of my fleece top and vest!

Cumberland Island Wildlife to Henry Flagler Highlife

2010-11-05T05:40:00.000-07:00

Blue Heaven off Cumberland Island. GA

Shrimping

We decided to stay another day at anchor off of Cumberland Island. We wanted to hike some of the island because the trails are so beautiful and Sue and Don Engler from Jubilee, friends from our sailing association, were coming over from Fernadina. I had a great morning kayaking along the inland coast. While having lunch we got to see how locals get shrimp by throwing the nets off their boats and hauling them in and dumping their catch in the bottom of their boat. Once the word gets out that there are shrimp in an area it must spread fast because there had to be at least ten boats doing it all within 20 ft. of each other.

Armadillo

After lunch Al and I visited the island. We hiked the River Trail and got a great shot of Blue Heaven out on the water. The wild horses were abundant that day. We counted eleven of them in one area at the same time. You can see they are not that wild if I can get a shot that close! We also saw several armadillos (which blend so well into the surroundings) and a flock of wild turkeys. We also made it to the other side of the island to see the beautiful pristine beach. We certainly got our exercise which we so desperately needed! We ended the day catching up with the Englers on their boat all the while smacking those darn no-see-ums.

Cumberland Island Beach

St. Augustine

Flagler College

One of eleven Tiffany stained glaas windows

Pine Island was our next stop after a motor sail through a bit of rain on the way. It quieted down for the night and we were in St. Augustine by 10:30AM the next day on a mooring ball. We had lunch in town and afterwards toured Flagler College . What makes this college so interesting is that it had been the Ponce de Leon Hotel which was “the place” for the very wealthy back in the late 1800’s and early 1900s. The architecture was amazing and the inside was even more so. In the present day dining hall there are more Tiffany stained glass windows in one place than any place in the entire world. They also had true Tiffany chandeliers and any gold you saw on the woodwork or ceilings and walls was real gold leaf. Henry Flagler knew how to really make the wealthy feel even wealthier in one of his hotels. Now college students sleep where the Rockerfellers and Gettys perhaps stayed!

With 70% chance of rain, we decided to stay put for another day and spent it doing various chores. It only rained in the morning and then once again around 5PM. We learned high percentages doesn’t mean it will rain all day!

Wild Horses on Cumberland Island

St. Simon and Beyond

2010-11-01T09:13:00.000-07:00

Another beautiful sunrise in Bull Creek, GA

After leaving Thunderbolt we anchored in Bull Creek for the first major rain of the trip. It poured on and off for two hours. The front came through with no problems and cooled us down which was great and made for a beautiful sunrise the next day.
We pulled into Golden Isles Morning Star Marina in mid afternoon which was an easy in along their t-head dock. Al’s high school buddy, Tony and wife Shirley who live on the island were the reason for the stop here. Tony came over to see the boat and then we went to their beautiful oceanfront property for some catching up since two years ago.

Golden Isles Marina, St. Simon Island

Al and Tony played golf the next day while I borrowed the Guthrie’s car to run some errands and do some shopping. Later they took us to their country club on the other side of the island which was just exquisite, the furnishings and the food!

The Golden Isles Marina must figure they have to keep up with Thunderbolt, because they too delivered a newspaper and fresh muffins instead of Krispy Kremes to your boat every morning. It seemed the resident pelican posed so that you would take his picture.

Jekyll Island Dock

We left the marina around 10am because we were in no rush to try to go through Jekyll Creek on a dropping tide. We got through fine so our plan worked! We anchored off the southern end of Cumberland and ran into Dawn Treader whom we know from the upper bay. They came over for dinner and once again we spent another evening updating each other about our trips and sharing information learned.

Southwest Winds-What’s Up With That?

2010-10-29T10:15:00.000-07:00

Ever since we left the Norfolk/Portsmouth area the winds have been south or southwest, exactly the direction we are headed. This is unusual for the fall when they usually come out of the north or northeast which would allow us to sail more, but when they are right on your nose it is useless when you are trying to make miles. We have not been able to go out in the ocean due to the wind direction either. We got to sail all of twenty minutes in Port Royal Sound on our way to Savannah area. The one benefit of this wind direction is the great warm weather we have been having. It is around the low eighties during the day and cools off for sleeping at night. Today in Thunderbolt, GA was the first really humid day but luckily we are at a marina and can use the air conditioning. Another benefit at this marina is the complimentary Krispy Kreme donuts and a USA Today newspaper delivered to your boat.

I have been getting a lot of rug hooking done on the long motoring days as well as reading and tending my little herb garden. It is great to pluck a sprig of mint for my mojitos or basil or parsley for my recipes for dinner..

Since leaving Charleston it seems all we have been seeing are catamarans. There are definitely more this year than on the last trip. We had drinks on Lipari (40 ft. catamaran) in Bull Creek with Janet and Randy Wallace. We enjoyed getting together but I don’t want to get on too many catamarans because they make your mono hull feel small!

In Thunderbolt we found a shrimper selling fresh shrimp from his small shack about a block from the marina. While we were getting the shrimp, there was a gent fishing through a hole in the cement floor of the structure. We could not believe it when he pulled out a nice size red drum bass which you can see in the basket. The fish barely fit through the hole. The owner said that is the best fishing hole because shrimp parts get thrown down there which attracts the fish. It was like he was ice fishing, so do you think they call this cement fishing?!!

We took the bus from Thunderbolt Marina and enjoyed a day in Savannah, A modern flagship named Peacemaker built in 1989 was docked at the harbor and free tours were available. It has an interesting background and you can learn more about it at www.peacemaker.com. Next big stop is St. Simon Island, GA.

Charleston Bound

2010-10-25T08:01:00.000-07:00

The cut into Osprey Marina

We motored the waterway past Myrtle Beach and the famous “Rock Pile” with no problems. In the middle of the cypress swamps there was a cut which led to Osprey Marina where we were spending the night. Since we got in around noon, we had plenty of time to get fuel, wash the salt off the boat, do a load of laundry and take a long walk. It was a nice but smaller marina. It was a reasonable at $1/ft, and fuel was $2.67 with Boat US discount..

The next day we shot down the Wacamaw River with the current with us and got into Minum Creek for another early day. It was spaghetti night but that wasn’t all that was for dinner. We were dinner for the vampire mosquitoes finding their way into any crack they could until we closed them all.

Stillness of dawn in the marsh

An Egret Rookery

Mode of transportation on Dewees Island

The mosquitoes were still waiting for us the next morning so we got underway as fast as we could to let the air blow them out of the cockpit. On the way to our next anchorage, Dewees Creek, we saw some different sights other than the usual fishermen.. One was an egret rookery in a tree and the other a group of kayakers in the waterway. We also had two free loaders (black birds) land on our boat for a free ride. Once into the creek, Al put the kayak in the water for me so I could kayak the nearby marsh creeks near privately own Dewees Island where I could see all the golf carts lined up for their personal use from the ferry to their homes..

We got into City Dock in Charleston early to take advantage of the marina and the wonderful city. Out came our folding bikes and it was a great day for biking around the city. We stayed Saturday also so that we could re-provision at the great Harris Teeters and do some more chores. The history, homes and wonderful restaurants are not to be missed!

Oddities on the Waterway

2010-10-19T13:49:00.000-07:00

On Friday, Oct.15^th we left the plush and posh marina for the very basic Dudley’s marina in Swansboro. It was a blustery day of 20 knots and even the waterway was somewhat choppy. Al chose here because of the location for us to make it to Wrightsville Beach the next day without a seventy mile day. The only spot for our size boat was at the end of the T-dock. We got it in with three dock hands preventing us from damaging the boat for which we were thankful. It a basic fishing marina with simplistic heads, showers and even a courtesy car all for .75/ft. but we really only needed the tie up for the night. I don’t think the seagulls liked sharing their dock with us because they stood their ground on the pilings so close that I got some great close-ups of them. At dusk we were joined on the dock by an Army Corp of Engineers dredge in back of us. Are you getting the picture of the type of marina this was? All in all, it was not a bad night because the wind died and so it was much quieter than anticipated until about 3:30am when something started banging the mast. I, being a light sleeper, asked Al to please fix it. Luckily I insisted because Al discovered it was the spinnaker pole hoist which came loose and the pole which takes almost two people to handle, could have come crashing down from its spot attached to the mast. We don’t want to think what could have happened then.

On our way to Wrightsville Beach we saw several odd sites that you can see in the pictures. First there was the Giraffe statue in someone’s yard. Stylish isn’t it? Then there was the boat that seemed like someone ran right up on land in the marsh. Lastly, there was the house painted “hot” pink (Maybe in Key West, but not in NC!) Since it was a long day getting here with four bridges that had to open, we decided to lay over a day in Wrightsville Beach and give our ears and body a rest from so much motoring.

We spent a nice day going to the beach with perfect beach weather and later invited Harriet and Skip from Moondance over for a drink and conversation. They are another couple who have been to the Bahamas before so filled us in on more information.

Wrightsville Beach, NC

Leaving Calabash Creek, NC

We motored to Calabash Creek north of Myrtle Beach and had a quiet night on the hook. We left at day break with this beautiful sky.

Amenities Galore

2010-10-15T12:16:00.000-07:00

Main Lodge

Well if you want a little luxury you need to come to River Dunes Marina north of Oriental. It is a beautiful riverfront community. For $1.25/ft. per night you have lovely scenery, great floating docks, a beautiful main lodge with a restaurant (only weekends now), billiards, a screened porch, and the dockmaster's office. The pool with some private cabanas, 2 hot tubs and a fountain are next door. They also have a superb shower and exercise facility which includes an office where you can use their computer or fax machine. Bicycles, canoes and kayaks are also available. And a great advantage for cruisers are the two courtesy cars which we used for getting groceries and going into Oriental for dinner. There are also some small cottages to rent and two large homes are also able to be rented. The private homes in the community are large and many have the southern architecture. There were only a few transients there, so the small laundry was very accessible for our use. He said during the summer months it is more difficult to use. One drawback is no ATT accessibility, but Verizon works and they have free Wifi. Secondly the mosquitoes, due to the warm muggy weather seemed to enjoy our northern blood. Overall it was a great find and glad we stayed two days. A storm blew through while we were there but due to the protected harbor we hardly felt it. We highly recommend trying this three year old marina to renew after being out on the water awhile and cleaning up after a bug invasion!.

One of the magnificent waterfront homes in River Dunes

The Great Invasion

2010-10-14T17:20:00.000-07:00

When we awoke and Al looked out in the cockpit he said, “You don’t want to look outside.” I said, “Why?” and of course I went to look. Thousands of bugs were covering our cockpit, bimini, enclosure and anywhere else they could land. If it was light colored they landed there and left little black dots all over. They were not mosquitoes and did not bite, but they were disgusting in such numbers. I spent the entire morning with Simple Green, a Teflon pot scrapper and a rag trying to get rid of the dots and bugs. And you thought we just sat around sailing all day!!! After passing through the Alligator River swing bridge the sailing was great to our next wilderness anchorage. We stayed out further from land hoping not to have a repeat of the bug invasion.

For all my Strong Women Friends

Luckily, the bugs were not like yesterday, only having a little clean up. We motored through the Alligator/Pungo Canal where there were a lot of upended trees with their roots sticking out of the water like modern sculptures. Motoring so much, you might wonder what we do all day. I have magazines and books to read. I work crossword puzzles to exercise my mind and hand and ankle weights to exercise the body. I do rug hooking and scrap booking for my creative outlet. When possible, I use the internet for email response, blogging and banking. What does Al do? He does the navigating and steering. I tried to give him breaks on the last trip but he did not know what to do with himself, so he would rather be on the wheel or using our auto pilot and he be the eyes on the water way.

We anchored off the town of Belhaven and took the dinghy ashore. There was not very much to see at all except a few beautiful homes. Had drinks with Valerie and Graham on Bonnie Lass who were anchored nearby. They told us about a new marina on Broad Creek north of Oriental which have introductory rates of $1.25 a foot. We thought we might go there because we are ready for some pampering.

Days of Contrast

2010-10-14T12:57:00.000-07:00


Blue Heaven leaving Wilton Creek by Marge Goettle

Norfolk

From the serene and scenic Piankatank River, we ended up having a motor day down to the anchorage off of Fort Munroe near Hampton, VA. Here we heard noise from the entrance to the Chesapeake Bay tunnel and there was all sorts of boat traffic and buildings around. What a contrast! The next leg was a motor day as well. We passed all the naval ship yards and the waterfront of Norfolk. The cancer walk must have been in Norfolk because we saw oodles of people walking and a lot of pink among the crowd. We decided to go the Virginia cut instead of the Dismal Swamp route which we went the last trip. We headed to Great Bridge lock and tied up at the dock immediately after the lock. We were lucky to get the last spot on the dock. Being a weekend there was a festival going on at the park across the canal. We walked to see the big happenings including craft stands, singers, sheep shearing, spinning wool into yarn and of course food stands.

Sunday dawned sunny but cool so the mist on the water made for a beautiful morning. While waiting for one of the bridges to open Al spotted an eagle catch a fish and land on a fallen tree limb to eat it. I was lucky enough to get a photo. Going down the Virgina cut is very much like a lot of the other waterway. Trees on either side, swamp or reeds with some homes here and there. The fall colors are starting to show in the vegetation. We passed into North Carolina and anchored in Broad Creek which is south of Coinjock, NC. We were the only boat in there where it was eerily quiet, especially after hearing the engine for almost eight hours.

Rainy Days and Sunshine

2010-10-08T17:25:00.000-07:00

Smith Point Lighthouse near the Potomac. Now privately owned. It isn't my idea of a summer home!

Sunday, Oct.3

We cast off from the raft of boats from the Wine cruise at 7:15am with winds blowing around 20 knots. It was very rough going out of the Magothy River with the winds coming from the northeast which is where most of our members had to return. We were glad we were heading south. We zoomed down the bay under full sail and pulled into the Solomon Island, Md. Around 3:30pm covering 55 nautical miles. Many of the anchorages near town were crowded so we ended up in Mill Creek with just two other boats. It seemed like déjà vu because this was where we were the last trip south when we spent two days waiting for weather. We would be doing the same tomorrow since they called for 90% chance of rain.

It was rainy day activities as expected. I pulled out my scrap booking supplies and worked on a book for our youngest son, did some work on my hooked rug and read. Al putts around doing a variety of boat related projects, used the computer and read. We ended the day with a great shrimp pasta dish. When you don’t have much else to do, cooking can be fun!

Great Wicomico Marina

It dawned sunny but a bit windy on Tuesday. We decided to head out with winds in the 15-20 knot range but thought the waves might still be high from the day before. The seas were not bad and since the winds were out of the northwest we had a good point of sail down the bay. We expected once we got to the Potomac it would be rougher and it did not let us down. There, we had some 3-4 ft. waves and surfed with the boat at times on some of the larger waves, but made it safely into the Great Wicomico River around 3pm We motored up this pretty river to the Great Wicomico River Marina. It is a tiny marina with about 20 slips for $25 a night. We went there because acquaintances from our last trip south have their boat there. We enjoyed an evening with Tom and Cathy Heacock from Perserverance II. It was great learning about their experiences in the Bahamas and they gave us some great insights of what to expect.

Blue Heaven on Wilton Creek

The next day we headed out on a bright clear sunny morning. Al spotted dolphins playing in the river which was a surprise to us to see them this far north. Unfortunately, they did not come and play in the bow of the boat, but it is always fun to watch them if even farther away. We had a variety of sailing and motoring to get to the Piankatank River. Our destination was Wilton Creek where a couple we have known for thirty years from BRMSA, our sailing group, lives now. It is a beautiful creek which is a known hurricane hole, so we were looking forward to a quiet night. Marge and Bill Goettle's condo has a few slips, so we were able to tie up in their guest spot. Catching up on all the news and having dinner was the entertainment for the evening as well as laundry, if you can call that entertainment!

Buyboat-F.D. Crockett

Sculpture Garden Nature Walk

The Goettles showed us their surrounding area, going to Deltaville to the Maritime Museum where they are active volunteers. We saw the F.D. Crockett, a renovated a log-bottomed buyboat, finished this spring as well as the lovely Azalea Sculpture Garden Nature Walk. Afterwards we headed to the next closest town called Matthews where
we had a great lunch and we were able to stock up on some needed fresh food. Once we returned Marge and I headed up Wilton Creek in kayaks to explore. It was the first I was able to put on shorts in a week. (There were a couple days we wore thermal underwear and winter jackets!) Later we shared crabs caught in their trap off the dock and called it a night.

On the Boat Again and Bahama Bound (Hopefully!)

2010-10-03T14:20:00.000-07:00

Al and I have started our second trip south, planning to winter in the Bahamas this year if all goes well. We came down to our marina in Swan Creek, Md. on Wednesday, Sept.29th thanks to our daughter-in-law and our youngest son who came to keep her company on the way back to Lancaster. The remnants of tropical storm Nicole poured on us all day and night Thursday, which gave us lots of time to do inventory and small projects that needed to be done inside the boat. We got to see our boat rise with the tide as the water crept to two inches over the docks, but luckily the winds shifted to blow out of the north which helped the waters recede. The next day we still worked on various projects but were disheartened to discover that our single side band radio which is of the 1980's vintage was fried on the inside which we feel might have been caused by lightning. We did not use it much on the last trip but would have liked it for over in the Bahamas. Some decisions of what to do about it will have to be made before crossing over in December..

We finally left the slip on Saturday, Oct. 2nd after filling the water tanks to go to the Magothy River which is not very far south but we wanted to attend our sailing association's Wine Tasting Cruise. Six boats attended which made for a great wine tasting with appetizers and desserts served before and after. And guess whose red wine won? Yours truly with our $3.50 bottle of Malbec by Crane Lake. So you can see that a wine does not have to be expensive to be liked!

Chatting with friends and saying our good byes for the next 8 months as the orange sky silhouetted the far shore, I thought, "What a great beginning to our trip!".

The End to a Wonderful Trip

2009-05-27T19:17:00.000-07:00

Blue Heaven Rendezvous #37

After leaving Tidewater Marina in Portsmouth with 20 knot winds we motored to Old Point Comfort where Fort Munroe is located. We wanted to be closer to the bay so we would not have an extra long day the next day. After anchoring, we took the dinghy into the dinghy dock at the marina and were able to walk around. The fort was very interesting with a moat all around it and a town within it. There was also an excellent museum which gave all the history about the fort. We got some great views of the town within the walls and of how rough the bay was from the top of the fort. We were very glad we stopped.

The next day we were able to sail about three hours until the wind came around on our nose. We then motored into Jackson Creek on the Piankatank River. Old sailing association friends, Marge and Bill Goettle, were working on their boat at the Deltaville marina right off of where we anchored. Later we enjoyed sharing stories about past cruises and of course, cocktails and hors’doeurves on Blue Heaven. Present were Dave and Toni on Sequence and Bob and Chesley on Cygnet who also knew the Goettles from cruising the Bahamas.

The following day we were in the Solomons and spent the early evening with the Luke and Jeannie McLaughlin on Grianphort and the Mershons once again. Everyone seemed anxious to be getting home and even though we all were heading up the bay the next day, we each were headed for different locations at the end of the day.

It was an unexpected day of decent south wind of about 10-12 knots that sent Blue Heaven up the bay with an unexpected treat. The Blue Angels flew over a few times. Later we found out that the Naval Academy had their graduation and thus was the reason for the air display. We were able to sail all the way to Mill Creek off of Whitehall Bay. Our long time sailing group, Bay Region Mariners Sailing Association (BRMSA) was having a rendezvous there to start the Memorial Day cruise. We had five boats and it was just so nice to see former friends again. We spent the entire holiday weekend with our group of about fifteen different boats, sailing up the Severn River to Little Round Bay for Saturday and then to Rock Creek off the Patapsco River on Sunday. We shared Happy Hours, dinners and a breakfast, all planned by our cruise captains, Fritz and Bronnie Becker who did a wonderful job. What a great way to end our seven months on the water; with good friends and sharing our experiences of the last seven months with them. Our association motto, “Good winds, good food, good friends” sums up the weekend and the entire trip perfectly!

(We arrived back to Spring Cove marina in Swan Creek near Rock hall Maryland after 221 days and 2948 miles. )

(Credit goes to Ann Miller for her photos she took to document our return.)

Unexpected Stay in Portsmouth, VA

2009-05-19T17:37:00.000-07:00

Blue Heaven Rendezvous #36

The next day we motored the entire 60 miles to Pungo River and met up with the Mershons in a pretty anchorage before entering the Alligator Pungo Canal. We shared a dinner and had a wonderful evening catching up on what we each did this winter and who we met that they had known from their other trips down the waterway and to the Bahamas.

We motored through the 20 mile canal but were able to sail up the Alligator River and across Albemarle Sound. We wanted to come up the Virginia Cut route, but the winds in Albemarle Sound were pretty close to being right on the nose so we cracked off a bit and sailed up the Pasquotank River to Elizabeth City, NC. where we stopped for 2 days. This town is where the "Rose Buddies" give all the visiting wives a rose and have a small wine & cheese party if there are more than 5 boats at the free city docks. We didn't see any roses or parties, but the town was nice and worth the stop. The docks are not really very good so we tied up to a nice bulkhead that was protected from the wind as directed by the local drawbridge tender. I told him the signage at the bulkhead said "NO DOCKING, FOR TRAILERED BOATS ONLY" since it was next to a launch ramp area. He said no problem. The next day a guy from Parks & Rec. came by and wanted to know if "I could read the signs". I told him why I was there and that I was leaving the next morning. He said enjoy Elizabeth City and that everything was fine. I think it was only fine because the weather & fishing was not that good so very few fishermen were using the launch ramps! We toured the new 15 million dollar museum which can be seen from the water about the area and its history. We left on a Friday and that Saturday was the Big Annual Potato Festival- "free French fries as long as they last"! Better pencil that one in on your must visit list for next year.

The Dismal Swamp was fine again with no water depth problems and the lock tender at Deep Creek was first rate and very friendly. We saw loads of turtles and a Canadian goose standing on an osprey nest in a tree. Arleen wished she had been closer to get a photo because it certainly looked odd!

As we motored past Portsmouth Arleen thought she smelled diesel fuel. I thought it might be the local industries. A quick check in the engine room confirmed we had diesel fuel leaking from a cracked fuel line, with about 1 1/2 gallons of diesel in the bilge. Not too nice! Very fortunately we were right in front of Hospital Point anchorage and Tidewater marina. We anchored and cleaned up the bilge, but it was pushing noon on Saturday so I couldn't look for parts. I called my friend Dave and he said I should try to solder the cracked brazed fitting. I did that, but on re-start the fitting began leaking again after we hauled anchor and the crack telegraphed through my soldered joint. We anchored for the night and I cleaned the fitting again and applied GOOP and left that dry over night and then wrapped a layer of Recue Tape over the GOOP. Since bad winds (20 to 28 knots) were forecast for Monday I thought it would be good to get in to Tidewater marina and tied to the dock. So we motored in here Sunday morning at 9:00 a.m. and the patch held. Tomorrow I'll be out looking for the replacement part which should be within 4 miles of Portsmouth.
Friends, Chick and Dorothy, whom we met in Stuart, FL. live here in Norfolk and we partied over at their house today with another couple from our sailing club who also stayed in Florida and are also traveling back to Annapolis.
So the bottom line is my boat engine is broken, the partying is pretty good here in Norfolk, we are having fun with friends along the way, and Chick is loaning me his truck to chase down boat parts. And I already told you I broke down in front of a marina and anchorage.
It just doesn't get any better than that! Maybe that's why this rainbow came out after the rains Sunday over Norfolk.

Arleen”s Note: Engine’s One, a diesel company, bent over backwards to find something that would work for us so that we would get moving again. We were able to get the boat fixed by using parts from an old engine because the store did not have the new part that we needed in stock. Al put it all together and it still weeped fuel just a little. He could not figure out why, and so we called in a mechanic from Full Throttle who told him he over tightened the bolt. With new copper washers put in and tightened by a mechanic, it WORKS and we are underway again! We are moving out to Old Point Comfort which is at the mouth of the James River. The winds are too much to go into the Chesapeake today, so we will head out tomorrow with probably hundreds of other boats.

North Carolina-Some New Places, Some Revisited

2009-05-12T08:34:00.000-07:00

Blue Heaven Rendezvous #35

From mosquitoes to no-see-ums to flies that is what we dealt with in Thoroughfare Creek, NC. The creek was lovely, although not as lovely as in the fall, when the weekend boaters were not there and neither were the flies. It was so bad that these black flies drove us below at 4 o’clock just so we could read instead of swatting them. A local saw us swatting them and said they would be gone in two weeks. Well, we were not staying around to find out!

Basically we have been motoring or motor-sailing when possible as we head home. We stayed in Calabash Creek, Bald Head Island Marina (which is where the sunset picture was taken) and Wrightsville Beach. All places we had stopped on the way south. We actually stayed in Wrightsville Beach for three days. There was to be some unsettled weather the one day, so we stayed put. We were glad we did because a storm cane through in the morning as predicted with some heavy rain and we heard that where we were going to go, a tornado was sighted. You can see the interesting sky after one of these showers. Later in the afternoon we took our dinghy over to Bridge Tender Marina (just south of the bridge) and got some fuel for it. They allowed us to leave the dinghy there while we walked to a Harris Teeter grocery store for some needed items. There was also a West Marine there, but luckily we did not need anything from them. We talked to our long time friends the Mershons, on Sequence who were behind us by a day or two and so we stayed put the third day so they might catch up which they did. I also got to enjoy the beach in the afternoons while there, which is not Al’s thing, so he stayed back and tinkered on the boat.

We had a rather nice sail up to Mile Hammock anchorage which is where the military base, Camp Lejeune, is located. We were glad we got in early because about eight more boats came in to anchor there as well. Two of which were friends of Sequence from the Bahamas. So Sequence hosted cocktail hour on their boat. We got to meet them all, Bill and Sue on Nice ‘n Easy and Chesley and Bob on Cygnet. They all talked about the “Georgetown Experience” and made us excited about going there on our next trip south probably in 2010-2011.

The next day we went into Morehead City Marina because I needed to get a prescription filled. Morehead City is located near Beaufort. We had not been here by boat so it was something new. The marina was very nice as written up in the guidebook. Nice floating docks, nice bathroom facilities, beautiful cruiser’s lounge, cable TV hook-up, pump-out, fuel and a courtesy car. They charged $10 for 2 hrs. of use of the car, but you do not have to fill it up. The cost was reasonable at $1.80ft. with the discount from Boat

U.S.

membership.

Since it was Mother’s Day Al took me out to dinner. The dockhand recommended Floyd’s 1821 which could be seen from our dock. It was a very nice place with linen table cloths, delicious food, and excellent service and not overly priced. With phone calls from our two sons my Mother’s Day was complete.

The next day rain and high winds were predicted. We motored twenty miles to Cedar Creek off of Adams Creek and got in just as the rain came down hard and the winds picked up. It felt like the temperature dropped a good fifteen degrees as we donned long pants and socks for the first time since January! It was a lazy day reading, scrapbooking and a little TV. You have to expect these kinds of days every once in a while. I am sure they will be more frequent the further north we get. We are still in North Carolina but plan to be in Virgina by the end of the week if all goes as planned.

Georgia to South Carolina

2009-05-04T05:29:00.000-07:00

Blue Heaven Rendezvous #34
Coming up the ICW through Georgia we saw this boat aground. No this shrimp boat wasn’t blown ashore during a hurricane or other storm as you might think. According to Al they purposely beached it to work on the bottom. This is called careening. If you take notice on the right side, you will see a small skiff and men underneath working on the bottom. The tides are extremely high in Georgia being eight foot, so they can work on the boat at low tide. This is an interesting way to work on it without having to pay for a haul out. But think about how many days it must take to get the job done, because at high tide this boat would be floating again.

We spent another night in no-see-um territory in Bull Creek, South Carolina, by passing Savannah. We decided to be able to get to Charleston by a set date to visit friends, we needed to keep moving. We would save that wonderful city for our next trip south. We also motored past Beaufort, SC the next day but had visited there in the fall. Once across St. Catharine’s Sound it became more scenic. We anchored in the Edisto River with one other sailboat there. It was Dawn Treader, the owners whom we met at a friend’s party last summer and whom we saw in Oriental on the way south. It was after 5PM when we arrived and were just too tired to put the dinghy all together to go for a visit, so we just talked on the VHF with them, hoping to catch up with them another time in the future.

The next morning it was extremely foggy, so we took our time and had a good breakfast. You can see how foggy it is in the picture. By about 9am we were able to get motoring. We made the first bridge south of Charleston and were glad to get out of the canal because it was Sunday, and all sorts of boaters were out for a good time. We were going north of Charleston to Dewees Creek which would be close to Isle of Palm for the next day where we were to visit friends. We had to go through a swing bridge but unfortunately on the weekend it opens only on the hour, so we had to idle for 50 minutes. Finally the traffic stops, the bridge opens for us, and only us, and the engine would not power up. We decided it was too dangerous and too slow to go through at idle speed so we had to turn around and abort. I can’t imagine what all the passengers and drivers in those cars thought and said when they saw us turn around and go back down the ICW. Luckily, the wind was in the perfect direction for us to pull out the genoa and sail back to Charleston Harbor. We anchored off a sandy beach where one other boat was anchored. With sailing in and dropping the hook, I told Al I did not want to be where a lot of other boats were anchored. Al started diagnosing the problem and after changing all the filters on the fuel tank and engine, he discovered that we had let the fuel tank get to low and sucked in all the “gunk” from the bottom of the tank. He finally got it started and we headed for the bridge again for the 6PM opening. This time we made it through, although the engine still did not seem quite right. We made it to Dewees Creek with the dolphin leading us in. Once again we had a magnificent sunset in the marsh with dolphins surfacing, mesmerized by the beauty of it all.

The next day we got in very early to the Isle of Palm Marina, because they had no one in the slip. Our engine still did not seem quite right so Al worked on it some more while I cleaned up the boat for our friends, Patty and Harold Smith, to come and see us. We eventually went to their lovely home and biked Sullivan Island and came back most of the way by the beach. We had a great dinner and made plans for them to go sailing the next day. We went down to Charleston Harbor and out into the ocean for a sail going through the bridge both times with no problems which made Al feel more confident about his motor job. That evening we went to a terrific Greek restaurant in Mt. Pleasant called Samos Taverna. It did not look like much from the outside, the décor inside was more American than Greek, but the food was as authentic as we have found in the states and delicious.

We were on our own the next day with the use of one of the Smith’s cars. We got our groceries purchased and returned to the boat. Afterwards we drove to Magnolia Plantation and Gardens. Unfortunately, we were about two weeks late for the blooming azaleas that abound on the property and too early for the magnolias to be blooming. Nonetheless, it was beautiful with other flowers in the gardens, the Audubon swamp garden, marsh and pastures where horses grazed. We got to see 10 inch baby alligators and larger ones, as well as wild turkeys walking across our path.

The next day we left the marina and motored the entire day. We saw several alligators along the way, always just floating in the water with their beady eyes just out of the water. We arrived in the middle of no where and anchored in Minim Creek. As usual sipping wine and watching another sunset ended our day.

The next day we were able to sail almost the entire way to Georgetown, SC. The guidebooks say this town has pluses and minuses. The minuses are a steel mill and paper mill. Both which can be unpleasant when the wind blows in the wrong direction in the anchorage. The other minus is the holding isn’t very good and there is not a lot of space to anchor among the moorings. Our first attempt at anchoring failed and so I flagged a gentleman in his dinghy who just came off one of the moored boats. We asked if the moorings were for transients but he said no, they were private. However, he knew the guy on the mooring next to him was gone for awhile so to just tie up to it, which is what we did for two days.

Al and I walked around to see some of the lovely old homes and came across this huge lovely old oak tree which is said to be over 550 years old with a circumference of 23 feet. There were some small museums, shops and various restaurants along the harbor like most small sea side towns. But one of the pluses is a wonderful seafood store down at the docks where the seafood is brought in. It could not get any fresher! I am certainly getting my fill of shrimp on this trip which is my favorite. Instead of a great sunset with dinner, we had a great rainbow which came out after a brief shower.

Titusville, FL to Georgia

2009-04-24T16:57:00.000-07:00

Blue Heaven Rendezvous #33

I finally finished my “Stars, Moon and Sun” hooked rug that I designed and started a year ago. The majority was done on this trip and I just had to show it off especially for my rug hooking friends who follow this blog.

This week we left Titusville, Fl and are now in the wilds of Georgia. We anchored off of Daytona and then off of St. Augustine Municipal Marina. We never went in at Daytona, but did go ashore in St. Augustine to walk around the old section of the city. We saw the oldest Catholic Church in the US, Basilica of St. Augustine, which is from the 1500’s. The Spanish influence could definitely be seen with the black and red ceilings trimmed in gold. The one man band who played on one of the side streets was a interesting character also.

When motor sailing from St. Augustine to Fernandina in the ocean it was not a very comfortable ride due to being rocked side to side by the waves. I could not wait to get in, but we had to have some excitement first. We were getting close to St. John’s inlet when all of a sudden we heard a siren and saw a boat with flashing lights come zooming toward us with a soldier with a gun on the bow. By microphone they instructed us to maintain our course and to stay away 500 yards from the navy ship. As if we planned to go anywhere near it! Why they had to scare us half to death, to tell us to maintain course is beyond me! I guess they just were bored and wanted something to do.

We got into Fernandina and the moorings were full so we had to anchor near the mooring field. We took the dinghy ashore and went to Arte’s Pizza. We had tried their wood oven baked pizza and sangria on the trip down and returned once more to satisfy our craving for pizza.

The next day we planned to leave but predictions of gusty storms deterred us to stay another day. We actually got to sleep in to 7:30am. What a treat! We were in slow mode that morning puttering around the boat which was good, because around 10am we had a blast of heavy wind and rain. It did not last too long and then the sun broke through the clouds. We went ashore to walk several miles for some exercise and to see more of the town. It looked threatening but nothing more developed. Out on the marina dock we saw some people who had gone to the Bahamas that we had met on the way down in Charleston. We chatted with them awhile and then went to the seafood market next to the marina for some fresh shrimp for dinner. With that shrimp we also had another wonderful sunset!

Our sailing buddies from Saltaire who went to the west coast with us showed up for fueling at the dock at Fernandina. We were hoping to get together; however, they had to keep moving because they needed the high tide to get to the marina where they were taking their boat to store it until next winter.

We motored to Brunswick Landing Marina in Brunswick, GA the following day where we planned to stay for two days. We got our bikes out to see a bit of the town and then did laundry at their FREE laundry at the marina. That is a first; to be able to do laundry for free!

Then next day we biked to the grocery store to restock. We connected with some high school friends of Al’s, Shirley and Tony Guthrie, who live on St. Simon Island not far from Brunswick. Unfortunately Tony works in Atlanta during the week, but Shirley and her friend, Pam, came to see our boat and to take us on a tour of St, Simon, and Sea Island. Both places were extremely nice and were told that a lot of “trust fund babies” have homes here. We ended the evening going to a wonderful restaurant own by Shirley’s daughter and son-in-law. The seafood was fantastic as well as the company.

We left the next morning at 7am in a bit of fog which lifted after an hour or so, not causing any problems. We did not get to the anchorage until about 4:30pm, motoring 95% of the time. Georgia consists of marsh grasses, coarse white sandy beaches, 8 foot tides, mud flats, lots of current, birds and insects. We anchored in the boon docks of Georgia at the “prettiest anchorage of Georgia” on the Wahoo River as described by the writer of the cruising guide. However, the no-see-ums were horrendous so we did not get to enjoy the sights because we had to go below to save our bodies! Now we understand why a lot of people try to go the ocean route and by-pass Georgia. Next stop; will be somewhere in South Carolina.

Manatees, Alligators, and Storms, Oh My!

2009-04-16T17:21:00.000-07:00

Blue Heaven Rendezvous #32

We had a nice sail to Fort Lauderdale in the ocean making six knots with the wind behind us. We entered Port Everglades and it was filled with cruise ships for trips for the Easter holiday. This was just one of the small boats on the docks in Fort Lauderdale. Al and I thought we might consider it for our next boat! Yeah, right!!

All eight of the moorings at Las Olas Municipal Marina were full so we went over to Lake Sylvia not far away and anchored. Usually you stay away from the edges toward the land, but here it was different. The edge was where the deep water was until you were in the lake. We luckily did not have any problems but we watched others running aground coming in.

Later we followed the cruising guide’s instructions and motored by dinghy to the Raw Oyster Bar where we could land the dinghy for $10. However, the $10 could be used toward food and drink at the restaurant. We needed groceries and the store was across the street from the restaurant. After having a libation since we already had lunch, we did our shopping and went back to the boat to pack it all away.

The next morning we took our dinghy to the Las Olas Municipal Marina to be able to land and walk around the beach front. The fee is usually $15 but because we did not want to use showers or laundry, and because we had stayed at their facility in February, he waived the fee. We learned that it can be very difficult to find a public mailbox. We had to walk forever and that was after being told where the closest one was.

Later in the day we returned to the municipal dock to meet Al’s aunt and cousin for dinner. We had a wonderful Italian meal and time to chat about our experiences with them. Being that they live in Florida, we do not see them often, but this year it was a treat to see them three times.

A cold front came through, and although this seems warm to northerners, the high sixties with 15 knot winds seemed quite cold to us. We left Fort Lauderdale and went out in the ocean with the wind on our nose. There were large rollers but the distance apart was about 75 ft. which did not make it horrible. If they had been close together, it would not have been pleasant. Even though it was cool, it was clear and sunny which made for a pleasant day ending at the north end of Lake Worth.

The next day we motored through seven bridges that had to open for us in the ICW only having to wait for one for any extended time. We were anchored at Peck Lake by 12:30pm. This gave us plenty of time to dinghy ashore and cross the barrier island to walk the beach looking for shells and sea glass. I even convinced Al to take a nap on the beach which gave me more time to enjoy it. (Al is not a “beach” lover!)

The next morning we were leaving at sunrise and what a beautiful sunrise it was after having a beautiful sunset the night before that looked like the sky was on fire!

Al was pulling up anchor and I was snapping pictures left and right as the skies changed.

We motored to Vero Beach and were tied to a mooring by 1pm. This was where we celebrated Thanksgiving, now we are here for Easter. We shared the mooring with another boat called Camelot. No one was on it when we came in and did not come until two days later.
While here we met Al’s fraternity brother and his wife for a nice dinner in town and on Easter Sunday we met our friends Chick and Dorothy Hundley whom we met in Stuart for brunch. It was nice seeing familiar faces and visiting with them.

Later in the day on Easter, I kayaked in the Vero Beach lagoon area. What was neat is there were four or five dolphins swimming all around me. It was fun watching them surface so close and hearing the air from their air hole. Kayaking with dolphins was a whole new experience!

We left Vero Beach after three days and had a great sail up the ICW to the north side of the bridge at Cocoa. It was blowing 15-20 knots out of the south west so it wasn’t a very quiet night. We were up early to get to a marina in Titusville. We knew some unsettled weather was coming but in hind sight we should have left an hour earlier. Thunderstorms were predicted for afternoon but around 11 am the skies darken and we prepared for a storm. This was the worst storm we had the entire trip. Al got the anchor down along side the channel just as the winds gusted to 31 knots and rain pelted down. There was lightning and thunder and I started praying. We had suffered a lightning strike many years ago on our former boat so I was a bit jumpy. My prayers must have worked because the storm passed without incident and we motored into Titusville Municipal Marina. It felt good to be tied up because the wind was howling all day.

While Al sprayed all the salt off the boat with the hose, we had a visitor manatee. We heard manatees love fresh water and he stayed at the corner of the stern slurping as much fresh water as he could get. In the picture you are seeing his face looking up with his tongue licking the water. Manatees are very slow creatures and never seem to look like they have eyes, just a nose and mouth. Other manatees were at the pipe at the marina wall doing the same thing after the storm. We certainly saw plenty of mantatees at this marina, probably ten or more.

The next day we rented a car and went to the Kennedy Space Center for two days. We could not have asked for more gorgeous days; blue skies and temps in the high seventies. It was fascinating to see what all goes into our space programs and to see all the types of rockets and satellites we have sent into space. The astronauts are definitely extraordinary people. And it still amazes me how all these people on the ground and in the air work as a team to accomplish our space exploration. It is mind boggling and the whole Kennedy Space Center was out of this world!(Sorry, I could not resist!)

While at the space center we finally saw our first alligators. We have been looking the entire trip. We did not even see one in the Everglades but saw lots on the space center properties.

Hundreds Come to Al's B-day Celebration

2009-04-07T11:54:00.001-07:00

Blue Heaven Rendezvous #31

A front came through and cooled things off a bit, and Saltaire (the catamaran in the picture with Nancy and Dave Hall) and Blue Heaven were finally able to leave Marco Island. It was a bit lumpy at first but then quieted down so that we could sail until about noon and then the iron jenny (motor) had to get us the rest of the way to Little Shark River in the Everglades where we had been on the way up. This time there were twice as many boats there and the no-see-ums and mosquitoes were out in full force since it had been so warm. We had dinner on Saltaire and planned our next few days. When we rowed back to our boat, it was pitch black with large splashes all around. We could not see if they were fish, alligators, or huge mosquitoes landing on the water but we did not want to find out. I never saw Al row so fast!

I also never saw Al get the anchor up so fast as he did the next morning because the no-see-ums were horrendous! He and I looked like we were doing a special dance as we swatted those pests off our bodies. Once out in the open water they finally departed and we could relax. We had decided to by-pass Marathon and head straight to Channel Five on the inside which saved us one day of traveling. The winds were very light so it was a MYBO (motor your brains out) day. However, the next day we went under a bridge, out to Hawk Channel (which is on the Atlantic Ocean) and were able to sail on a beam reach up to Angelfish Cut. Once through, we anchored once again off Pumpkin Key. With Al’s birthday the next day I baked a cake and some bread for his celebration before retiring for the night.

Our next spot was Boca Chita Key in Biscayne National Park which we had not seen on the way down because it was a weekend . Everyone who has a boat in Miami goes there, or to No Name Harbor so you avoid those two places on weekends unless you are the type who likes to dance the night away to salsa music. I am glad we got to see it on our way back because it is a beautiful small harbor where boats tie up to the bulkhead. There is a pretty but nonfunctional lighthouse, picnic tables and a small beach. A gentleman informed us that at slack tide snorkeling was good at the cut. Neither the Halls nor Al wanted to do it, so I tried itmyself with other boaters who were on the island. There were hundreds of fish mostly one kind that all faced into the current looking like they were in school facing their teacher. A few other varieties of fish, a conch and starfish were sighted but you did not have the colorful coral or fans like the Caribbean, but it was fun nonetheless.

Since it was Al’s birthday the Halls came to help celebrate to have dinner and cake, as well as a hundred others. The only thing is that they wanted blood not birthday cake!
As dusk came, the mosquitoes were the most ferocious we have ever had. We knew they were bad, because just walking across the grass earlier, many landed on you, but we never expected to suffer as we had that evening in our boat which has screens. (Here Al is trying earlier his own brand of bug spray called "ode de stinky cigar!" ) Al finally used tape to go around the hatch screens and after killing about 50-80 mosquitoes between the four of us, we finally were able to finish enjoying cake and a game of Dominoes. We were told by people who are familiar with Boca Chita that it is very unusual to have mosquitoes especially this early. However, they had a lot of rain about two weeks previous which is probably the cause. Lucky us!

Al enjoyed reading all his birthday greetings from many of you. It was definitely the most birthday wishes he ever received!

The next day we parted ways with Nancy and Dave because we wanted to go into Dinner Key Marina at Coconut Grove, and they were not able to accommodate the Hall’s wide catamaran. The few spots they have for such a boat were all filled. Dave finally found a spot at Grove Isle which was about 1 ½ miles from Dinner Key. It was blowing 20-26 knots but luckily it was behind us once we left Boca Chita We were in the slip by 1pm, and then it was chore time with Al cleaning the outside of the boat to get the salt off of everything while I did four loads of laundry. It was close to ninety degrees with high humidity which set another record, and we were glad to be in a marina where we could use our air conditioning.

The next day we went for a bike ride after getting needed groceries. We went to see the accommodations at Grove Isle where the Halls got a slip. Well it was something! It was a gated community where they took our picture before they allowed us to pass. It was definitely for the high paying customer at $3.50 a foot per night. Dave never asked the cost because he needed a spot because his daughter and son-in-law were coming for a visit and they needed to pick them up. There were several pools, spa, high-end restaurant and beautiful landscaping. They only have four transient slips, and they just had a cancellation when Dave called which he took because he had called all around with no luck elsewhere.

That evening Al and I went to a great little French restaurant called Le Bouchon du Grove on Main Street. The food was excellent and I never had a restaurant start you off with complimentary champagne.

The next day we took our time leaving the marina because it was hot and humid again and we were only going across Biscayne Bay to anchor outside of Hurricane Bay which is at Key Biscayne. When we anchored we were with about 150 other boats most that were there to party for the day on the long sand bar that comes out there. It sort of reminded me of Hart/Miller Island for those familiar with the upper bay, just the boats were a lot larger! I went in for a swim around the boat like many of the other boaters and had just been thinking no fish would come around this area with all the commotion when not far from the boat a huge fish leaped out of the water and I did too, right onto our boat!

That evening I made a great salmon recipe with mango salsa which we enjoyed while watching the sunset. I have found having the time available for cooking that I have enjoyed trying new recipes on this trip. Al says why go out when he gets better food on the boat. I say, if I have to burn a few things, I will!

We will be heading to Fort Lauderdale next.

Marco Island Forever?- We hope not!

2009-03-29T11:14:00.000-07:00

Blue Heaven Rendezvous #30

Well, I told you we were heading leisurely back to the bay, but we did not want it to be quite this leisurely. We only got to one anchorage past Fort Myers Beach which is Marco Island at Factory Bay. We had planned to stay two nights and it has now been four days longer. We tried to leave on Thursday but the winds piped up to 20 -25 knots out of the south which is the direction we need to go. The waves were 5-7 feet and we were pounding terribly. I was so glad when Saltaire who was ahead of us, said they were turning back. We did too!

Unfortunately, Marco Island is not the most cruiser friendly. If you want to land your dinghy, it costs $5 at Marco River Marina, the only place available in Factory Bay. There are grocery stores, pharmacies and other stores within walking distance, but we did not see one Laundromat.

The first day that we walked around, my foot that I have had trouble with in the past and had been sore since we walked so much in Key West, seemed to be getting worse. So we found a walk-in clinic where I got a cortisone shot. Ooooooooooooooh, how I hate those shots but it did help.

We explored by dinghy to find a public dock at the Esplanade which is an upscale group of shops, restaurants and condominiums located up another bay which we heard about from people on a nearby anchored boat. You can land your dinghy for free and it is near a Winn Dixie grocery store. Unfortunately, we were told the holding is not as good as Factory Bay so we stayed put.

We got to our second Seafood Festival, and Marco Island’s first. It was not as good as Marathon’s but wasn’t bad for their first one. Al and I enjoyed some wonderful Coconut Shrimp. They had various groups playing and people selling crafts and their wares just like in Marathon, just fewer of them.

We have been doing a lot of reading, resting, checking of the weather, watching the pelicans catch their dinners and enjoying the beautiful sunsets. Hopefully we will be able to leave tomorrow, Monday, March 30, 2009 to do those same things, just elsewhere!