Friday, December 24, 2010
Nassau to Staniel Cay
Entrance to Nassau
Greeting committee at the dock at Nassau.
We spent last Sunday on anchor in Nassau waiting for a weather window. Bill stayed on the boat and worked on boat projects. I hitchhiked ashore with Bob and Gail. We walked to the Catholic Church for the 11:00 service. It was a long walk, but the service was beautiful and the people were very friendly so it was worth it. The Bahamians dress to the nines to go to church, so I felt a little bad about showing up in my "cruiser best" clothes, but no one seemed to mind. After church we were walking by an elegant old hotel that had its door open. We admired the enormous christmas tree in the lobby so much that they let us in to see it at close view. The ceilings were probably 15 feet tall and the tree was so tall that they had to set it up in the stairwell so the top was only visible from the second floor. That evening there was a parade of lighted boats. Where we were anchored we had a front row seat for the fireworks.
Monday we headed out with a group of other boats for the Exumas. We had a nice sail to Elbow Cay. We had originally planned on Shroud Cay, but Elbow had better protection, although around sunset Bill had to take the stern anchor out in the dinghy so we could pull the boat around to head into the swells to stop the boat from rolling in the swells wrapping around he bottom of the island. After that we had a pretty comfortable moonlit night. Unfortunately we forgot about the eclipse.
Tuesday we had another beautiful sail and sailed down to Wardwick Wells. We anchored next to STAR in the anchorage by Emerald Rock. In the afternoon we went for a hike that involved as much wading as hiking.
The goal of our wading walk was to visit the Pirate's Lair. There is a very protected anchorage that was a popular hiding spots for pirates back in the day. Besides a sneaky place to hide their boats there was access to fresh(ish) water. The water hole is surrounded by non-native palm trees. The pirates slept on woven palm mats from the states. The seeds managed to grow into a little grove of palm trees.
Wednesday Bob and Gail decided to head down to Georgetown to get ahead of some windy weather that is coming our way. We decided to stay in the Exumas for a couple of weeks. We went for another wading hike in the morning.
Bill on the trail to Boo Boo Hill
Curly tailed lizard
The tradition for cruisers is to leave a piece of driftwood with their boat name a the top of Boo Boo Hill.
Next to Boo Boo Hill there are some amazing blow holes. The islands are quite porous and between the erosion from the rain water from the top and the pounding waves from the bottom holes have formed in the island next to the sea. When a little wave comes in you can feel the air blowing out with quite a lot of force. When a big wave comes in the water shoots out of the hole 10 or 15 feet in the air. After about tweny pictures of rocks I gave up trying to capture the spray with the digital camera. In the afternoon we went snorkeling around some beautiful little coral heads near our anchorage. This year we bot have prescription drive masks. Now that I can see what is going on I was astonished at the number and variety of fish. There were hundreds of fish of every conceivable color at each reef and giant lobster hiding in the rocks. Fishing is not allowed in the park so the fish are abundant and big.
The water in the Bahamas is absolutley amazing. It is crystal clear. From a distance the color ranges from dark blue in deep water to almost white in shallow water. This is a view from the top of Boo Boo Hill.
Wednesday night we had a great time on board BLESSED SPIRIT, a boat from Edgecomb, Maine. Corning and Tita are alot of fun, and they have one of the cutest puppies I have ever seen.
Thursday we headed down to Cambridge Cay to meet up with CHAPTER TWO. It was great catching up with Mike and Karen who we haven't seen since Maine. They are on a leisurely circumnavigation so it was a nice treat when we heard them on the radio.
Today, Friday, we are at Staniel Cay. I am listening to Christmas Carols as I am typing at the Yacht Club. It is surreal to listen to Frosty the Snowman in the Bahamas.
Saturday, December 18, 2010
Nassau, Bahamas
We are finally in the Bahamas!
We left No Name Harbor (just south of Miami) at daybreak on Thursday with a group of other boats. The crossing was okay, although the wind was pretty much on the nose. We were off Bimini by late afternoon and decided to head on to Chubb Cay. Crossing from the ocean to the Bahama banks is incredible. The depth goes from thousands of feet to tens of feet in about a quarter of a mile. When the depth sounder started working again at 499 feet I timed it on my watch. Within 4 minutes at 5 knots we were in 30 feet of water. The water is so clear that the bottom is visible. After months in the murky ICW we spend a lot of time just staring overboard at the novelty of see through water.
The overnight run was one of the most enjoyable we have had - the 3/4 moon was bright enough that we had great visibility. After the moon set the stars were incredible. We even saw a few of the leftover meteors from the Geminid meteor shower.
Around 4:00 in the morning we realized that for a change we were making better time than expected and would get into Chubb too early so we spent an enjoyable four hours sailing. The sunrise was gorgeous. Around 8:00 STAR called with an update on the weather and we decided to head on to Nassau. When we made the decision we were happily sailing and did not want to waste a good sailing day sitting in a harbor. About an hour later the wind was again exactly from the direction we were headed so it was a long, very slow slog. Happily, we pulled into Nassau harbor in the late afternoon, at exactly the same time as STAR. Unfortunately, the marina we were hoping to go to was full ($1.75 per foot), so we had to call the next one on our list. We ended up at Nassau Yacht Haven ($2.00 per foot). Pulling into tricky marinas is always a slightly tense moment. This time the tension was lightened by the cheerful greeting from the very small dog that was helping the dock hands. Although it was a little more expensive at this marina we lucked out because the customs officer came to this marina first. We were cleared through by 7:00 p.m. The customs officer was heading to the other marina next and didn't expect to get done there until midnight. The hot shower at the marina was wonderful. The great thing about going 20 days without an indoor shower is the tremendous enjoyment of unlimited hot water in a room with a door!
We are not sure where we are headed next but it will probably be one of the islands in the Exumas. Our decision will be based on wind, weather, and where other boats are headed. Judging from all our other trips you may think we look to see where the wind is coming from and decide on a point directly into the wind but we really do use other criteria. In our defense we are not the only ones with this problem. I heard another cruiser say he doesn't really need to look at his compass. If he knows the wind direction he knows his heading as it is always the same.
We are enjoying the warm weather and the clear waters and are very happy to be in the Bahamas.
We left No Name Harbor (just south of Miami) at daybreak on Thursday with a group of other boats. The crossing was okay, although the wind was pretty much on the nose. We were off Bimini by late afternoon and decided to head on to Chubb Cay. Crossing from the ocean to the Bahama banks is incredible. The depth goes from thousands of feet to tens of feet in about a quarter of a mile. When the depth sounder started working again at 499 feet I timed it on my watch. Within 4 minutes at 5 knots we were in 30 feet of water. The water is so clear that the bottom is visible. After months in the murky ICW we spend a lot of time just staring overboard at the novelty of see through water.
The overnight run was one of the most enjoyable we have had - the 3/4 moon was bright enough that we had great visibility. After the moon set the stars were incredible. We even saw a few of the leftover meteors from the Geminid meteor shower.
Around 4:00 in the morning we realized that for a change we were making better time than expected and would get into Chubb too early so we spent an enjoyable four hours sailing. The sunrise was gorgeous. Around 8:00 STAR called with an update on the weather and we decided to head on to Nassau. When we made the decision we were happily sailing and did not want to waste a good sailing day sitting in a harbor. About an hour later the wind was again exactly from the direction we were headed so it was a long, very slow slog. Happily, we pulled into Nassau harbor in the late afternoon, at exactly the same time as STAR. Unfortunately, the marina we were hoping to go to was full ($1.75 per foot), so we had to call the next one on our list. We ended up at Nassau Yacht Haven ($2.00 per foot). Pulling into tricky marinas is always a slightly tense moment. This time the tension was lightened by the cheerful greeting from the very small dog that was helping the dock hands. Although it was a little more expensive at this marina we lucked out because the customs officer came to this marina first. We were cleared through by 7:00 p.m. The customs officer was heading to the other marina next and didn't expect to get done there until midnight. The hot shower at the marina was wonderful. The great thing about going 20 days without an indoor shower is the tremendous enjoyment of unlimited hot water in a room with a door!
We are not sure where we are headed next but it will probably be one of the islands in the Exumas. Our decision will be based on wind, weather, and where other boats are headed. Judging from all our other trips you may think we look to see where the wind is coming from and decide on a point directly into the wind but we really do use other criteria. In our defense we are not the only ones with this problem. I heard another cruiser say he doesn't really need to look at his compass. If he knows the wind direction he knows his heading as it is always the same.
We are enjoying the warm weather and the clear waters and are very happy to be in the Bahamas.
Wednesday, December 15, 2010
Miami
We have spent the last few days mostly running errands.
Usually at night we hang the dinghy from a halyard to get it out of the water and to make it less of an attraction to anyone who would have evil intentions of stealing it. Around 5:00 a.m. Monday morning when the wind was blowing about 25 knots the dinghy flipped itself around so it was hanging straight up and down instead of horizontal. In doing so one of the oars was lost overboard. Monday's project was to find a new oar. This required finding a West Marine, calling and talking them into taking an oar off a display dinghy, and then figuring out the public transportation system so we could get there. We ended up taking a bus, walking a few blocks, then taking a train. We were quite proud of ourselves for mastering the system, until we missed our stop on the way back and ended up with an unintentional tour of North Miami Beach.
Tuesday was laundry day. Gail and I did laundry while Bill and Bob sorted out refilling propane canisters. When we were walking down the street bundled up against the cold carrying our clothes in sacks we wondered if anyone would mistake us for homeless people and give us money for food. In the evening Bob and Gail came over for dinner. I made a chicken pot pie and apple turnovers for dessert. Gail brought a salad.
(If anyone out there is reading this blog are you interested in recipes? If so, leave a comment and I will start adding them, or not...)
Today we are finally getting ready to leave for the Bahamas with quite a few other boats. We have all been listening to various weather sources, researching the weather on the internet, comparing notes via the VHF and it looks like an okay weather window. Our plan is to leave sometime early tomorrow morning - probably around 1:00 a.m. and head for Nassau which will probably be about a 30 to 35 hour run depending on the wind and the gulf stream current. If the weather turns bad our bail out points are Bimini and Chubb Cay. Hopefully the next post will be from the Bahamas.
Usually at night we hang the dinghy from a halyard to get it out of the water and to make it less of an attraction to anyone who would have evil intentions of stealing it. Around 5:00 a.m. Monday morning when the wind was blowing about 25 knots the dinghy flipped itself around so it was hanging straight up and down instead of horizontal. In doing so one of the oars was lost overboard. Monday's project was to find a new oar. This required finding a West Marine, calling and talking them into taking an oar off a display dinghy, and then figuring out the public transportation system so we could get there. We ended up taking a bus, walking a few blocks, then taking a train. We were quite proud of ourselves for mastering the system, until we missed our stop on the way back and ended up with an unintentional tour of North Miami Beach.
Tuesday was laundry day. Gail and I did laundry while Bill and Bob sorted out refilling propane canisters. When we were walking down the street bundled up against the cold carrying our clothes in sacks we wondered if anyone would mistake us for homeless people and give us money for food. In the evening Bob and Gail came over for dinner. I made a chicken pot pie and apple turnovers for dessert. Gail brought a salad.
(If anyone out there is reading this blog are you interested in recipes? If so, leave a comment and I will start adding them, or not...)
Today we are finally getting ready to leave for the Bahamas with quite a few other boats. We have all been listening to various weather sources, researching the weather on the internet, comparing notes via the VHF and it looks like an okay weather window. Our plan is to leave sometime early tomorrow morning - probably around 1:00 a.m. and head for Nassau which will probably be about a 30 to 35 hour run depending on the wind and the gulf stream current. If the weather turns bad our bail out points are Bimini and Chubb Cay. Hopefully the next post will be from the Bahamas.
Sunday, December 12, 2010
Lake Worth to Miami
Wednesday, Dec 8 there was a short weather window to head to the Bahamas. We are a slow boat so decided not to take the chance. Quite a few boats that were waiting in Lake Worth headed over to Lucaya late in the day. We decided that it was time for us to get a move on too, so we moved to Peanut Island near the Palm Beach inlet for the night. On the way down we came across POLAR PACER limping back to Lake Worth with engine troubles. This was very sad as Tom and Chris were looking forward to making the crossing and had been organizing timing and places to go with the other boats.
We had heard on the radio that ITS ABOUT TIME, an Island Packet, was planning to head down to Miami the next morning at the same time we were thinking about leaving so we made arrangements to travel with them. Thursday we were up dark and early at 3:15 a.m. and left the anchorage at 4:00 a.m. There was a chilly north wind at 15 - 20 knots so we made fantastic time.
About 5:30 a.m. Bill caught a flying fish by the ingenious method of having his forehead in the fish's flight path. Luckily the fish was only about 4 inches long.
Later in the day we were listening to the radio announcements about the Navy's surface operations in the area we would be going through. They requested that mariners stay out at least 2 miles. We were about 2 miles offshore when we saw the submarine. At about the same time the wind shifted a little so we had to rig the pole to hold the jib out. As soon as we sorted that out a patrol boat came out and asked us to alter our course away from the sub as it was getting ready to make a turn. Since they had nuclear weapons we did as they asked!
On our way into Miami we came across an impressive group of boats racing. It was fun to see the fast boats maneuvering around the buoys.
By 3:30 in the afternoon after traveling 70 nautical miles in 11 1/2 hours we were anchored in Miami next to STAR.
Friday we spent the afternoon exploring South Beach with Bob and Gail from STAR and Sally and Conrad from ITS ABOUT TIME. Gail taught us how to use the bus system and acted as a tour guide through the Art Deco district and along the beach.
Saturday Gail and I had a girl's day and went shopping in the morning. In the afternoon Bill tried out his new wetsuit and prescription goggles while scrubbing the bottom of the boat. The water is quite warm - probably around 80 degrees - and it is clear, a nice change from the murky ICW water.
In the late afternoon their was a cruiser potluck on monument island, about 40 people showed up all bearing yummy treats. Unfortunately, a very handsome but nervous looking man in a nice suit had arrived before we all showed up. He had spread flowers in a path from the shore to a clearing with the plan that a yacht was going to drop off his girlfriend who would follow the flower petals to find him so he could propose to her. After about 20 minutes of waiting and watching the crowd of cruisers at the end of the path he scrapped that idea, had the captain come get him in the dinghy and went to Plan B which was to go out to sea and propose from the boat. We all felt horrible about ruining his romantic plans. He was a very good sport about the whole thing, was very nice and polite to us, and we all wished him well. About an hour later the yacht came cruising back by the island and he and his new fiancee gave us the thumbs up.
We had heard on the radio that ITS ABOUT TIME, an Island Packet, was planning to head down to Miami the next morning at the same time we were thinking about leaving so we made arrangements to travel with them. Thursday we were up dark and early at 3:15 a.m. and left the anchorage at 4:00 a.m. There was a chilly north wind at 15 - 20 knots so we made fantastic time.
About 5:30 a.m. Bill caught a flying fish by the ingenious method of having his forehead in the fish's flight path. Luckily the fish was only about 4 inches long.
Later in the day we were listening to the radio announcements about the Navy's surface operations in the area we would be going through. They requested that mariners stay out at least 2 miles. We were about 2 miles offshore when we saw the submarine. At about the same time the wind shifted a little so we had to rig the pole to hold the jib out. As soon as we sorted that out a patrol boat came out and asked us to alter our course away from the sub as it was getting ready to make a turn. Since they had nuclear weapons we did as they asked!
By 3:30 in the afternoon after traveling 70 nautical miles in 11 1/2 hours we were anchored in Miami next to STAR.
Friday we spent the afternoon exploring South Beach with Bob and Gail from STAR and Sally and Conrad from ITS ABOUT TIME. Gail taught us how to use the bus system and acted as a tour guide through the Art Deco district and along the beach.
In the late afternoon their was a cruiser potluck on monument island, about 40 people showed up all bearing yummy treats. Unfortunately, a very handsome but nervous looking man in a nice suit had arrived before we all showed up. He had spread flowers in a path from the shore to a clearing with the plan that a yacht was going to drop off his girlfriend who would follow the flower petals to find him so he could propose to her. After about 20 minutes of waiting and watching the crowd of cruisers at the end of the path he scrapped that idea, had the captain come get him in the dinghy and went to Plan B which was to go out to sea and propose from the boat. We all felt horrible about ruining his romantic plans. He was a very good sport about the whole thing, was very nice and polite to us, and we all wished him well. About an hour later the yacht came cruising back by the island and he and his new fiancee gave us the thumbs up.
Monument Island
More misc photos
Rain approaching in the ICW
Bill searching for the gold at the end of the rainbow.
More fun than fighting with an outboard.
The most interesting "paint" job we have seen.
Tuesday, December 7, 2010
Sailing photos
Scott from TAMURE kindly forwarded these photos to prove that we do remember how to use the sails.
Still in Lake Worth
We are still hanging around in Lake Worth waiting for a weather window. We haven't been doing too much, a little last minute boat part shopping and provisioning, and waiting around on the boat.
Last week we did have one of those days that answers the question of "How do you spend your time?" It is easier to clear into customs coming back into the country if we get a clearance number before we go to the bahamas. At 8:00 a.m. I logged onto the extremely slow internet connection from the boat. At 9:00 I finally got through to the customs website. The only page that would not load was the one page needed to pre-register to get an appointment at customs. At 10:00 I gave up on the computer, but that was okay since we were going to meet Scott and Kitty at Starbucks at 10:30 to try on the internet there. When we walked in a couple of customs officers were having their coffee break. They could not get the page to come up on my computer either. Strangely, Scott could get to the correct page. It still took a long time to figure out how to fill in the information and make appointments. From 10:30 to 1:00 we worked on getting the appointments for each of us at 2:00, 2:15, 2:30, 2:45. This gave us just enough time to get lunch and drive to the customs office. It is amazing how long it takes to accomplish one simple thing.
The Christmas season is kicking into high gear down here. Saturday night there was a parade of lights and fireworks. The fireworks were very cool as they were from a moving barge that followed the ICW.
Last night we were having dinner when we heard Christmas carols. Some of our friends were caroling by dinghy.
We are having quite a cold spell. This morning it was 42 degrees inside the boat. Oh well, at least there was no snow.
Last week we did have one of those days that answers the question of "How do you spend your time?" It is easier to clear into customs coming back into the country if we get a clearance number before we go to the bahamas. At 8:00 a.m. I logged onto the extremely slow internet connection from the boat. At 9:00 I finally got through to the customs website. The only page that would not load was the one page needed to pre-register to get an appointment at customs. At 10:00 I gave up on the computer, but that was okay since we were going to meet Scott and Kitty at Starbucks at 10:30 to try on the internet there. When we walked in a couple of customs officers were having their coffee break. They could not get the page to come up on my computer either. Strangely, Scott could get to the correct page. It still took a long time to figure out how to fill in the information and make appointments. From 10:30 to 1:00 we worked on getting the appointments for each of us at 2:00, 2:15, 2:30, 2:45. This gave us just enough time to get lunch and drive to the customs office. It is amazing how long it takes to accomplish one simple thing.
The Christmas season is kicking into high gear down here. Saturday night there was a parade of lights and fireworks. The fireworks were very cool as they were from a moving barge that followed the ICW.
Last night we were having dinner when we heard Christmas carols. Some of our friends were caroling by dinghy.
We are having quite a cold spell. This morning it was 42 degrees inside the boat. Oh well, at least there was no snow.
Wednesday, December 1, 2010
The first fish of the trip
Vero Beach to Lake Worth
We finally unstuck ourselves from Vero Beach. I can see how people spend the season there as it is convenient, comfortable, and very friendly.
We had a quiet, kind of boring day to Jensen Beach where we anchored by a bridge for the night. I am not complaining about the boring as that is one of my goals when boating. Exciting days tend to go over the edge into scary too fast for my taste!
After Jensen Beach we headed for Lake Worth through scattered showers. On the way past a wide spot in the ICW called Peck Lake we had a call on the radio from a boat we had met at Vero Beach, they had been hanging out there for 3 days and walking over to the beach. We may head back and try out this anchorage if we have to wait for too long for a weather window instead of spending the time in Lake Worth where it is very crowded and surrounded by high rises.
We did a pretty good job timing the bridges - we only missed one because we were too slow. We pulled up to the last bridge before the Lake Worth anchorage right on time to hear the bridge tender say they had electrical problems and could not open the bridge for at least a half an hour. We were a little worried that they would not be able to open it at all as we would have had to back track for about 4 hours to get to an anchorage and it was already 2:15 in the afternoon. Travelling on the ICW in the dark is not the best idea in the world. Luckily they were able to open one side of the bridge so we were able to get through.
Tuesday night we went out a an all you can eat Chinese buffet with Scott and Kitty. I usually can't eat enough at these sorts of things to make it worth while, but I think I did this time. I was full before going for dessert, but could not pass up the ice cream.
Our plan is to cross over to the Bahamas as soon as there is a weather window. Unfortunately, the windows seem to be closed. We probably will not be able to leave until next week.
We had a quiet, kind of boring day to Jensen Beach where we anchored by a bridge for the night. I am not complaining about the boring as that is one of my goals when boating. Exciting days tend to go over the edge into scary too fast for my taste!
After Jensen Beach we headed for Lake Worth through scattered showers. On the way past a wide spot in the ICW called Peck Lake we had a call on the radio from a boat we had met at Vero Beach, they had been hanging out there for 3 days and walking over to the beach. We may head back and try out this anchorage if we have to wait for too long for a weather window instead of spending the time in Lake Worth where it is very crowded and surrounded by high rises.
We did a pretty good job timing the bridges - we only missed one because we were too slow. We pulled up to the last bridge before the Lake Worth anchorage right on time to hear the bridge tender say they had electrical problems and could not open the bridge for at least a half an hour. We were a little worried that they would not be able to open it at all as we would have had to back track for about 4 hours to get to an anchorage and it was already 2:15 in the afternoon. Travelling on the ICW in the dark is not the best idea in the world. Luckily they were able to open one side of the bridge so we were able to get through.
Tuesday night we went out a an all you can eat Chinese buffet with Scott and Kitty. I usually can't eat enough at these sorts of things to make it worth while, but I think I did this time. I was full before going for dessert, but could not pass up the ice cream.
Our plan is to cross over to the Bahamas as soon as there is a weather window. Unfortunately, the windows seem to be closed. We probably will not be able to leave until next week.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)