Spanish Wells

Wednesday, January 28th: Spanish Wells, St. George's Cay

Looking out at the Beach at Spanish Wells

We left Marsh Harbour on Sunday morning and sailed to Lynyard Cay where we anchored for the night. On the other side of the cay we could hear ocean waves crashing. The following day, we would be venturing through a cut between islands and out into the Atlantic.

We put our dinghy in the water and scooted around stopping to talk to crew from 2 other boats. Both were there to swing on the hook with no intention of leaving the Abacos. In other years, they had made the trip to the Exumas as we planned to do, loved the experience but also loved the Abacos with its beautiful cays and anchorages as well as towns, services and stores that are never far away. The Exumas, on the other hand, involve a trip of several days to get to their awesomely beautiful but sparsely populated cays. Once there, finding secure moorings and traveling from place to place over coral heads makes for a unique but challenging experience - or so we've read.

To reach the Exumas, we would be crossing the Northeast Providence Channel to get to the tip of Eleuthera, and then choosing a route that goes south and then west to the chain of Exuma Islands (I've decided that it's time to spell Exuma correctly!). Crossing the channel is the first big step. We would be in ocean waters that with high winds can build tall unpleasant waves. In the preceding 2 days, when groups of boats had set out from Lynyard Cay to go across the channel, winds had been manageable; wave height, moderate. For the following day (when we planned to cross), Chris Parker, predicted winds out of the north (a good direction for a sailboat going south) and wind speeds of 10-15 knots, but as he admitted on his 6:30 a.m. single sideband broadcast the day after we crossed, he had made a rare mistaken prediction. If we had heard an accurate forecast, we likely wouldn't have left.

At 7 the next morning, we set out. Mary and I were only just slightly less anxious than we had been for our Gulf Stream crossing. We were traveling in daylight - yes - but the passage was expected to take 10 hours and we had an unfamiliar anchorage in a tricky location to get into before dusk.

Southern Vectis in the Northeast Providence Channel

At first winds were in the expected the 10 - 15 knot range but as the day progressed, they increased and began gusting to 20 knots. Accordingly, the waves built until some, we think, were as high as 6 or 7 feet. All of this sounds awful but actually it was not. The time between ocean waves can be several seconds. As they build, the boat tends to ride up and over them so that they are not necessarily looming 7 feet above. Also - the wind was on our beam (mid-boat) so that we were able to turn off the engine and sail about as fast as our boat allowed - 7+ knots for a good part of the day. That's fast for a 35 ft. sailboat. With sails up, both Southern Vectis and Sea Change cut a steady path through the water with a minimum of tossing about. Some waves splashed over the Sea Change deck showering us occasionally in salt water but not so with Southern Vectis - it is a bigger boat with more freeboard (more boat above the water). Our crossing was so fast that both boats reached the last waypoint in 8 hours rather than in the expected 10.

Finally we were close enough to turn on the engine and take down the sails. Bob turned the engine key and pushed the button - the engine began to turn over, whined a little and then with a clunk, stopped. Bob tried again. With more whining the engine clunked and stopped a second time. My heart went to the bottom of my stomach and I began to shake. This was a very bad time to be without an engine - but Bob wasn't panicking yet - he told me to turn the battery selector from the starting battery to "both" (starting and house batteries) and then he tried again - the engine turned over and then as it threatened to sputter to a stop once again, Bob pushed the throttle forward - the engine raced - he pulled the throttle back and we were in business. Still shaking - I listened to the engine and was convinced it was running rough, clunking - all manner of scary things - Bob lifted the stairs to have a look and listen to the engine behind. "It's fine", he said. He was unconcerned and cited possible dirty fuel as the cause. He would add "conditioner" when we were safely at anchor. And that was that. We've had no problem since.

As we neared Royal Island, our destination that day, Mary wisely put out a call to other boats also making the crossing - asking whether the closest charted entrance was safely passable in this "wild weather". One captain responded that he had just gone through the cut with room to spare and plenty of water under his 6 ft. keel. A second boat called to give us a heads up on how to safely enter the inner harbour where we would be anchoring for the night. From there, we carefully picked our way in following behind Southern Vectis while they consulted the anchorage chart in their excellent Pavlidis guide book.

The anchorage at Royal Island is a little dismal. Vegetation is sparse and the land has a desolate look. We all agreed to make the short run the next day to the marina in the town of Spanish Wells and what a lovely little place it has turned out to be. We are staying for the next few days until the next cold front - expected on Friday - comes through and settles through Saturday and Sunday. We hope to be able to move on near the first of the week.

Homes in Spanish Wells are built to withstand hurricanes. All have hurricane shutters or a place above and below the windows where they can be attached. The family auto - a golf cart sits in the driveway. The main industry here is fishing - note the fishing net hanging in the side yard. This home is fairly sedate looking but the trim on many is much brighter - lime green, pink, aqua or turquoise.

It's hot here and the beach is absolutely stunning. We've been busy with boat chores - both inside, outside, and electronic but fun times are ahead. This morning, Bob helped Bill free his jammed in-mast main sail and as a thank you, the Mursells have ordered dinner for us all from the local "take out" (a kind of shed/kitchen) - and we can hardly wait. We have already placed our orders. Dinner is being delivered at 6. My pork chop dinner (the special tonight) includes fried plantains along with "peas and rice" - commonly served with most dishes here in the Bahamas.Yumm.

Spanish Wells - the water is so clear, it's hard to tell where water meets the sand beach.

Tomorrow, we are taking a fast ferry to visit Harbour Island which is reputed to be a must see but for now, just walking around Spanish Wells and down to it's lovely beach has been a treat. - and the funniest thing, I think, is how we stocked up so completely at Marsh Harbour, expecting to encounter only tiny poorly stocked grocery stores from there on - but yesterday - in the course of our walk around to discover the town - Bob and I came upon a gigantic, well stocked store - bigger, Bob thinks, than the one where we shopped at Marsh Harbour. There's not much that we need now - not after all the frenzied "stocking up" that we did in Fort Lauderdale and again in Marsh Harbour - but we'll stop by on Saturday (everything closes on Sunday) - and pick up a few missing items (one or two) as well as some fresh veggies - they are difficult to keep in our humid fridge - or even in our hanging vegetable net during these warm down south days.

Time to Re-Provision

Saturday, January 24th: Marsh Harbor

We went through The Whale yesterday morning - escaping at last from Green Turtle Cay. There were rolling swells of 5 feet or so - very manageable seas which made for an easy crossing. It's not that we didn't enjoy our stay in that lovely place - but 5 nights on a small island in not so balmy weather were more than enough and we were glad to be moving once again. Always, after we've had our hot showers and done our exploring and our wash, we're glad to be on the move.


We sailed straight to Marsh Harbor, saying good-bye to Somewhere In Time as they turned toward Guana Cay where they'll stay until Sunday for the Pig Roast at Nippers restaurant and yes, we did sail - turning off our engine for the last half of the trip. It was great to be able to sail again (and save on diesel)!

Marsh Habour is the third largest city in the Bahamas - 5,000 people - so our plan is to take advantage of the large grocery store here to top up on fresh meat and vegetables and canned food supplies before moving south. Once anchored in the bay, we dropped the dinghy and went to have a look. The town is not what I expected - but then - not many places here are. We arrive with experiences of other places to inform our expectations and then nothing matches. True enough, the grocery store is large and well stocked - certainly better than any other we've been to - even the one we were taken to in Freeport - but the town is very different from New Plymouth on Green Turtle Cay with its pastel coloured buildings and clean crisp look. Marsh Harbor seemed a little bedraggled, dusty and haphazard. A second visit this morning left us with a revised impression - we walked away from the commercial centre of town along the waterfront and checked out a couple of stores and marinas along the water. This part of the town is a little more "spiffy". Every marina that we've seen so far in the Abacos also has accommodations for land lovers and with that a dining room or snack area as well as pretty surroundings for guests so sit in and take in the sun - like pools or attractive water side decks and outside dining.


We are just beginning to understand what the Bahamas is all about - it's not about wealth - and it's easy going and relaxed with no worries about smart business practices. People we met at Bluff House, Lisa and John, have spent quite a bit of time in the Abacos (and love the area) told us of some of their experiences. For instance, the first time Lisa went to the bakery in New Plymouth, there was no bread. She asked if there would be bread the next day - and the answer was - maybe. Would there be some the following day? again - maybe. That was all the information available about the bread. The bank there is open 2 days a week and opens at 11 - but doesn't always open at 11 - sometimes later, sometimes not. One day the personnel came but couldn't do business because they had forgotten the money. I think that if you are traveling here, you have to understand the slow paced culture and not get fussed.


Last night we had people over for a drink. Kathy and Andy are from Nanimo BC and they had with them Kathy's sister, Gail who is visiting from Sault St. Marie. They have crossed over from Florida four winters ago, liked Green Turtle Cay so much that they decided to leave their boat there. Now they return every winter. Sounds lovely, doesn't it?


Today, we returned to the grocery store and concentrated this time on getting more canned goods. I've not wanted to buy canned veggies (other than corn) because I find them so unappealing but there will be times when we're traveling along Eleuthera and in the Exhumas when fresh anything will be hard to find. We'll also buy more milk in tretra packs - milk packaged this way is expensive but is tasty and can be stored without refrigeration until opened - perfect for a trip like ours.


Tonight we're going with the Mursells for drinks on a boat owned by people they met last night - they graciously included us in their invitation to the Mursells. After that we'll go to Snappas restaurant for dinner and have a listen to the band for the night- Andy and Kathy especially like the band slated to play so it should be fun. We sailors will have to see if we can manage to stay up past 9:00.


P.S. I'm giving up on uploading any more pictures for this posting - the connection seems good until I try to upload and then it times out - and - I've spent long enough sucking up energy from the boat batteries since they are my energy source while we're on the hook. Adios.

Crossings: Waiting It Out on Green Turtle Cay

Wednesday, January 21st: Green Turtle Cay

From the Wikipedia: A cay (also spelled key or quay; pronounced as "key" IPA: /kiː/) is a small, low-elevation, sandy island formed on the surface of coral reefs.

The town of New Plymouth on Green Turtle Cay

After crossing the Gulf Stream, we felt that we had "arrived" but the feeling was short lived. When we began to study guide books and charts, it was evident that there would be many more arrivals to come - each requiring study and planning.

When we first planned this trip, and before I began reading about sailing in the Bahamas - I pictured crossing from Florida, breathing a sign of relief, and then moving from island to island, from bay to bay in a leisurely relaxed way - soaking up the sun, walking through the sand and swimming in the warm water. Well not quite.

The Bahamas consists of two thousand cays and seven hundred islands that stretch north to south about 550 miles. A first glance at our Explorer chart book for the Northern Bahamas (where we are now) is confusing. While studying various pieces of the area with its myriad cays and channels, it's hard to get a picture of the whole. Where to next? What route to take? Will the shallow waters over Little Bahama Bank be deep enough when we set out? Should we be waiting for high tide? - and in the back of our minds, if we were to run aground, what recourse would we have?

When we left Old Bahama Bay last Thursday, as I described earlier, Sea Change led the way. Although we were following a charted channel, in the beginning there were some uncomfortable moments when the water was too shallow for comfort - but unless we wanted to hide out at Old Bahama Bay for the duration of our stay, there was not much choice but to carry on. Eventually we found ourselves in somewhat deeper water although since the islands and cays of the Bahamas sit on a kind of shelf in the Atlantic, we would seldom be traveling in water deeper than 3 fathoms (6 ft. per fathom) and the average depth we have so far encountered has been closer to 2 fathoms. Depths will remain minimal - until we make another "crossing" over the deep open waters that separate groups of islands and cays.

On our first day "out", we arrived, with relief, at the anchorage at Great Sale Cay at about 5 p.m. Our anchor dug in without problem. We are now in new anchoring territory meaning that the bottom here is much different than we have encountered before and the frequent high winds and their changing directions call for extra vigilance. A dragging anchor is more a threat than in it was when we were anchoring along the ICW. Indeed, the Mursells were to have a scary nighttime dragging experience at our next anchorage - Manjack Cay.

We stayed 2 nights at Manjack and what an idyllic place it was. There we paused to admire the sparkling absolutely clear waters and white sandy beaches on each side of the cay. The night we went over to Somewhere In Time for a pot luck dinner, the water was so clear that our dinghies looked as though they were suspended in air and during the day when we all went from our anchored boats in to the little island and walked along a nature trail to the beach on the other side, the view was awesome. The colours of the water were so bright - even brilliant - like the best "technicolor" movie with the water shaded from dark blue to shades of aqua-marine and turquoise. We will have to learn to read these colours as, here in the Bahamas, they are an indication of depth with the darkest blue waters indicating the greatest depth and brown patches warning of rock patches or coral heads.

The morning after we arrived at Manjack Cay, Bob hoisted me up the mast to reattach the burgee halyard
(i.e. the line to haul up the club flag, also used to raise the radar reflector on foggy days)

We left Manjack Cay to get to a protected harbour as 2 cold fronts were coming through, one following the other, and we wanted to be securely tied up at a dock. So, after a long and bouncy ride with lots of sailing, here we are at Green Turtle Cay.

It's Wednesday, we arrived last Sunday and we will likely not set out again until this Friday or Saturday. There are 2 considerations. First, we need to wait for the high winds to calm and secondly, we must be sure that a short stretch of water open to the Atlantic, ominously called The Whale, is in good shape for passing through. This 2 mile long stretch of water, even when winds are calm, can be subject to "rages" making it impassible. We can determine the state of The Whale by listening to the local Cruiser's Net broadcast over VHF channel 68, each morning. For some reason, on Sea Change, we can't get much on this channel, so we have been relying on the Mursells for local weather reporting.

About Green Turtle Cay - we're staying at the Bluff House Marina - and guess what - it's kind of like being at another resort. It has it's own very nice bar and dining room overlooking the water, a pool (too cold for swimming right now) and a small but lovely sandy beach on the other side of this point of land. It's spooky though - there's almost no one here. At the top of the hill, the Bluff house hotel/lodge sits - with no guests. This month, the marina has a special - "eat your dock fees" - meals at the cafe/bar are deducted from fees for staying here. Not bad, especially since fees here are moderate - at least before you add the daily cost for electricity and water use (the water use is recorded on a meter).

Yesterday afternoon, Bob, Mary and I walked around to another spot on the bay where the Green Turtle Club sits. What a pretty facility - they have docks, mooring balls, a huge lovely dining room, a comfortable lounge and attractive bar - a well stocked gift shop and several staff members wandering around. There appears to be no guests - just staff. January is a slow month - but more than that, the economic downturn is keeping people away. Tonight, we plan to take our dinghies across and have a drink at the bar.

Day before yesterday, we took the Green Turtle "ferry" (smallish power boat) into the little town of New Plymouth - a charming place - and bought a few groceries at a couple of the tiny grocery stores. At Sids' Groceries we bought our first locally baked bread - in this case, coconut bread (mm-good). There are a few cars and trucks on the island but the major form of transportation is by golf cart - perfect for the narrow little streets of the town and the short distances around the island. The homes near here have car port like parking pads for their golf carts. Some carts have big, all terrain wheels, presumably for dealing with the dirt roads and possibly muddy conditions after rain.

Next stop for us is Marsh Harbor. Along with the Mursells, we want to get south as soon as possible - out of the cold north (well, everything is relative) - and into the Exhumas, where we can begin to breath easy, knowing that we will get to Staniel Cay (along the chain of Exhumas islands) in good time before Sean, Michelle and Krista fly in to meet us at the end of February.

The Woolseys will remain in the Abacos until their company flies home on February 2nd and then they will begin to move south also. To get to the Exhumas, we will be moving south from the Abocas Islands where we are now, and will make a 50 mile crossing over the deep blue water of the ocean to the Eleuthra chain of islands and then eventually, we'll sail to the Exhumas. It's not so far, but then again, while waiting for the good conditions for each crossing, it can seem very far indeed.

Let's Blow This Pop Shop!

Friday, January 16th: Manjack Cay

(There are lots of cays in the Bahamas - and Cay is pronounced Key - the pictures of the 4 couples were all taken on the beach at Manjack Cay)

Wednesday night, the crew of the 3 boats met on Southern Vectis for pre-dinner martinis (for those who drink ---- martinis). When we parted, no decision had been made for travel plans - where would everyone go, and on what day? Weather forecasts had not been promising - on the other hand - that very day had turned out to be perfect for cruising but we had missed the opportunity having gone instead on a bus trip to Freeport and Lucaya - neither really offering much to see except the sad aftermath of the 2002 hurricane which destroyed hotels and ended much of the tourism in the area. The highlight was a visit to the Freeport grocery store where we bought much needed perishables for our ships stores.

That night, back at our boat, Bob and I began to feel that it was time to get going. The weather websites indicated that the following day might be a fair travel day. Winds would be blustery on Friday but we could always find a place to hunker down and at least we would be on the move. Our stay at Old Bahama Bay was beginning to remind me of when Bob and I were in the Chesapeake waiting for perfect weather and avoiding heavy winds. For a time we were not moving far or very often and had become paralyzingly cautious - until we remembered that we were on a sailboat and could handle wind - even strong wind if it came from the right direction.

After more talk following dinner, I walked over to the Mursells who turned out to be going through the same machinations. By then it was 9:30 and there were no lights on in the main cabin of Somewhere In Time, but if we were going to get going in the morning, the crew of SIT would need a heads up. I got John out of bed by knocking on the stateroom port (lights were still on in John and Eileen's cabin so I knew they weren't asleep).

The next morning, Chris Parker's 6:30 weather forecast promised a good day on the water. The Mursells wanted to get away by 8 so that we could reach Great Sale Cay anchorage before dark (about 5:30). The crew of SIT were set to go as well so Bob and I hurried back to the boat and were the first out of the cut but only because we delayed breakfast until we were out on the water. As usual, as soon as we got up, we had made coffee in the insulated Bodum coffee maker we had inherited from Sean. Once on our way, I pulled out the banana bread that I had made a couple of days before. I used a recipe from my Cruising Chef cookbook (what a great book for a trip like this). The bread is made with honey, bananas, walnuts and dried fruit (I used dried cherries that I bought at a Farmer's market in the Chesapeake) - so as promised, it was a great "breakfast bread".

So we were on our way once more and after weeks of motoring on the ICW, we were finally back to sailing. We motored the first third of the trip, motor sailed the second third, and then continued under sail only - until we reached the anchorage. In the evening, when the group conferenced on VHF, we were joined by another boat offering advise on cruising in the Abacos Islands - specifically recommending Manjack Island as the place for our next anchorage. The group decided to continue on - we had no access to weather reports that night but aside from healthy winds there had been no scary warnings in earlier forecasts.

Today, we were ploughing through waves with the wind on our beam - an especially good point of sail for our boat which gave us very good speed for most of the day. Bob was quite enjoying the sail - it was a bit bumpy for me and I'm not a fan of fighting the wheel to keep on course but other than that - it was a good sailing day.


Tonight we are anchored at the recommended Manjack Cay - the wind is high and I'm campaigning for Bob to put on the anchor alarm in spite of his great faith in our 90 feet of chain anchor rode. (He finally did put on the alarm.)

We'll dinghy ashore tomorrow and do some exploring. I am going to give in and begin wearing bug spray - something I'm not keen on doing. I haven't really seen any bugs yet, but the no-see-ums have seen me and I have many bites from our stay at Old Bahama Bay. The bites look less fearsome than mosquito bites but itch more and from a quick google the other day, I learned they can itch for a week - good grief!

No-see-ums in evidence here - whew!

The Back Story

Monday, January 12th: Old Bahama Bay Resort and Yacht Harbor, Bahamas

Are we having fun yet? Yes!

When we picked our way in past the breakwater at noon on Sunday, we didn't expect this - we've ended up docked at a resort! - Old Bahama Bay Resort and Yacht Harbor - sounds so much fancier than "marina", doesn't it? And it is. There's a beautiful pool, an exercise room, 2 restaurants, and a white sand beach complete with chairs, umbrellas, and beach bar. All this for $1 a foot and for us that translates to $35 a day (plus $10 a day for water - water is not free in the Bahamas).

There are few people staying here, so perhaps the resort is glad to have we boaters stay, hoping that we'll eat in their restaurants, buy souvenirs at their store, and order drinks at the beach bar.

Looking back, the memory of anxieties during all the days leading up to crossing the Gulf Stream is fast fading. What a week that was. Since it's behind us now, I'll tell you a little about the troubles we had. First, Bob had a relapse of the very bad chest cold he'd had a Christmas. As we motored down the ICW from Lake Worth to Fort Lauderdale, he felt increasingly lousy to the point that I became captain for a day. Once I had persuaded Bob to lie down, he was loath to get up and I took over calling for bridge openings, keeping the boat in place while waiting 'til opening time and then bringing the boat under the raised arms of each bridge. Since we were eager to get docked sooner rather than later, on some stretches, I revved up the engine to the max so as to make it to the bridge ahead in time for the next opening. We arrived at the Las Olas marina at 5 p.m., docked next to the Mursells and went for a casual dinner with them. Bob dove into bed as soon as we returned.

Thank God for the Mursells. Tuesday morning, Mary drove us to a clinic where Bob saw a doctor and was prescribed a second round of antibiotics (he had taken some over Christmas), then it was back to the boat and into bed where Bob slept for the rest of the day. The following morning, there was a flurry of activity when we heard of a possible upcoming weather window - but it was too much too soon and Bob was back to bed for the rest of the day. That evening the Woolseys arrived with their on board guests, John's brother Peter and his wife Donna. We all went out to dinner. About half way through dinner, I began to feel unwell. By then end of the evening, I had asked Mary if she would take me to the clinic the next day for 8 a.m. (Dennis and Marilyn were coming to the boat at 11:00). Luckily, I got in to see a doctor quickly and was prescribed an antibiotic to treat an infection. After a full nights sleep, I didn't feel all that bad and we were back to the boat in good time to greet the Hurls.

By the time we headed out to Lake Sylvia on the day of the "crossing", Bob and I were both on the mend but we had a bad case of pre-crossing anxiety and the afternoon preceding our departure did not go well. After we had anchored and had lunch, we launched our dinghy, but Bob was unable to get the dinghy engine started (likely the engine got flooded ---- somehow) so we could not go shopping onshore nor could we join the Mursells for a visit to the oyster bar. We were very disappointed as there were groceries I was hoping to buy and the activity would have been good for us. Then, in preparation for the "voyage", I was mixing hot chocolate in the thermos, and with an explosive sound the canister inside the thermos broke sending hot chocolate drizzling to the floor. Yipes.

And finally, when we turned on the GPS to enter way points, we found that, mysteriously, the GPS had reset itself to default settings. While I began to check out the set up menu, the unit turned off completely. Bob was not happy - after all it was crossing night. What was going on with the GPS?? Bob tightened up all connections, and long story short, as he would say, the GPS settled down, I reselected our preferred settings and all was well.

When we up anchored at 11:15 p.m., I think it would be fair to say that the crew of all 3 boats were full of nervous expectation. Going out the narrow Lake Sylvia channel in the dark, we cut a corner too close, and each boat touched bottom, ours perhaps more frighteningly than the others. The thought went through our head, will we end grounded on the big night? - but we all bumped over the high spots and carried on into the waters by the 17th Street Bridge. Mary called the bridge: "17th Street Bridge, this is the outward bound sailing vessel, Southern Vectis requesting a 12:00 opening, do you copy?" Mary called and called. No response. Again, we wondered, is this it for us? no night opening to let our tall masts through?? Finally, minutes after 12, the bridge operator responded - "This is the 17th Street Causeway Bridge" so apparently he hadn't twigged to the fact that we were calling his bridge - some people can so particular or was he just ---- inattentive? And then, finally, out we went through the inlet to the ocean where the churning seas gave us pause. The 3 helmsmen had a conference VHF call and agreed to go a half hour further out to see if the waters were more manageable. The rest is as we have already said. It got easier, and easier as we settled in for our night on the ocean and looked forward to a new day and our arrival in the Bahamas.

The moral of the story is this - Don't get your shirt in a knot about crossing the Gulf Stream. The preparation and build up are many times more difficult than the voyage.

Here's to new adventures in the Bahamas!

Successful Crossing

Sunday, January 11: West End, Bahamas

7:15 a.m. - Looking behind us - a full moon and at the same time ----

7:15 a.m. - Looking ahead of us - the sunrise

We've arrived! Bob is checking into customs. I can't get off the boat to wander around until we're "officially" in the country. We've elected to begin by staying in the Old Bahama Bay marina in West End rather than anchor elsewhere as a cold front is coming through in the next day or two.

All was as predicted. Light winds that clocked from the east to the south through the night. There was a some moderate bucking, rocking and rolling but we were traveling though seas of 2 to 4 feet which - in open water - are not bad at all.

When we started out, the waves were every which way and steering on course was difficult - especially for me. I wondered, will Bob be steering all 12 hours? But as we got further out and settled on a steady course, I was able to take the wheel with the result that we took turns at about 2 hour intervals - one at the wheel, the other snoozing on a cockpit seat.

Got to go - the Cap is back and he's anxious to get at the Bahamas experience!


Southern Vectis - almost there!

Confirmation of "The Crossing"

Friday, January 9th: Fort Lauderdale

After the navigators' meeting; group happy hour: crew of the 3 boats are set for tomorrow.

We have confirmed that the best time to make our crossing to the Bahamas will be Saturday night. We'll be leaving at midnight and will arrive at about 12 noon on Sunday.

I signed up for a personal phone consultation with the local weather guru - Chris Parker - who is a trusted adviser on Caribbean weather conditions and best times to make passages. Bob called twice this morning - the second call was for clarification - so now we are very clear about what to expect. Chris Parker's confirmation of weather information gathered elsewhere makes me feel much more secure that we won't be caught unaware in confused seas.

I'll post our arrival on the blog as soon as I get Internet access but a more immediate notification should be available from the Sea Change Locations Map that I have added on the side bar at the right of the blog page. Locations on the map are sent via our SPOT GPS device. We press an OK button each time we reach a new location and our coordinates are added to the map automatically.

We'll all a little nuts today - everyone is scurrying about and our boats are all topsey turvey while wash is done, beds are changed and lockers are organized. We have a lists of large and small tasks. There will be a meeting this afternoon among representatives of each of the 3 boats and a happy hour to follow on Somewhere In Time.

We really are going and I say again - I can scarcely believe it!

Waiting for a Weather Window

Thursday, January 8th: Fort Lauderdale

Marilyn and Dennis came for a visit today. It was wonderful to see old friends we met way back when we had just moved from Vancouver to the big city of Toronto. We four went for lunch at one of the many restaurants near the beach that look out over white sand, turquoise water and and bright blue beach umbrellas.

Our experience of Fort Lauderdale has been a pleasant surprise. It has a beautiful beach along the water, attractive residential areas, and lots of close by shopping spots. Our friends, Bill and Mary on Southern Vectis have spent a fair amount of time in getting to know the city and have lots of suggestions for things to do.

We would love to stay and explore --- but ---- a weather window seems possible on the weekend and weather windows should not be missed. We may, possibly, all things going well, fingers crossed ---- be sailing to the Bahamas on Saturday night. We have begun last minute preparations although, as yet, I'm too wound up to join Bob in reading our Bahamas guidebooks.

The Woolseys arrived yesterday afternoon so the three boats all are set to move to nearby Lake Worth on Saturday morning where we will wait until our departure time Saturday evening. We'll travel all night so as to arrive in the Bahamas in daylight. The navigators from the three boats (Mary, John and Bob) have been busy checking various weather sources and we will proceed unless weather predictions change. I can scarcely believe it.

On Our Way in Sunny Florida

Sunday, January 04: Lake Worth, FL

Florida's ICW in a Sunday afternoon: boats everywhere.

It did not feel at all strange to be home in December. We immediately plunged into Christmas preparations and socializing. It was a bit whirlwind but we had a very good time visiting with Krista, Sean and Michelle and our friends. The cold and snow seemed perfectly fine – it was Christmas after all and except for a few forays into the city, a day in Trenton with my cousins, and an evening in Oakville with good old friends we stayed put in Markham and watched the snow fall.

It was coming back to Florida that seemed surreal – getting off the plane and breathing in the warm moist air that has its own Florida scent and realizing that our boat was sitting here in this warm palm-treed place.

Back at Fort Pierce several new boat items were waiting for us: a spare prop for the dinghy motor, just in case (the current prop is already a bit chewed up from hidden rocks), a replacement water filter, a signal booster and antenna for Internet access, and a Bahamas SIM card for our cell phone. The diver had already checked out our zinc anodes, replaced one, cleaned the slime off the hull, untangled something from the knot meter wheel that was interfering with readings, and cleaned up the propeller (Bob says that now the boat runs at higher revolutions with less vibration).

While we still had our rental car, we bought provisions for the Bahamas. I had a knot in my stomach while filling 2 carts with groceries. What to buy? How many extra? Once back at the boat the many bags of groceries made my head ache – where would I put it all?

This morning while under way, I dispersed all the provisions. Some, I added to already packed lockers. The overflow is sitting on the stern berth in those handy cloth grocery bags. In my “inventory” notebook, I listed contents of each bag: Loblaws bag: coffee and filters, Longos “Spash” bag: baked beans, vinegar, oil. There are items I missed – I’ll buy them at our next stop - and there are items that we have way too much of. One thing is for sure: if weather keeps us stuck somewhere, we’ll have enough baked beans, dry cereal and onions to last for weeks.

Back on the dock of Harbourtown Marina in Fort Pierce, we were restless. Our dock was full of friendly, party loving boaters who gathered in a knot near our boat and enjoyed the wonderful sound systems on their boats, some tuned to the same station for a stereo effect. All was quiet by 10 pm but we missed the quiet at anchor – and the views. The staff, facilities, and location at Harbourtown are good – but pretty, it’s not. We could hardly wait to get going.

Timing it right: getting through just as the bridge opens.

It was wonderful to be on the water again – especially now that we are basking in a warm sun. We’re in la la land for sure – unbelievable and awesome homes built almost to the water`s edge, Sea-Doos and boats of all sizes with tanned bare chested men and beautiful women in skinny bathing suits.

This is the "many bridges" stretch of the ICW. Before anchoring at Lake Worth, we requested an opening from 8 bridges. Milling around before bridges open slows our travels. Luckily, days are longer and at 5 pm we arrived at the anchorage with daylight to spare.

Tomorrow, there will be 18 more bridges to get through. Some open on request. Some open on the hour and half hour: some, at quarter after and quarter to. We'll set GPS locations for each bridge and then try to travel at the speed required for the next bridge opening. We are headed to Fort Lauderdale to meet up with the Mursells and where we'll be seeing friends who are driving over from the Gulf side to lunch with us. We haven’t seen Dennis and Marilyn since they moved to Vancouver Island three years ago.

The Woolseys will soon be on their way from Fort Pierce and will meet us at Fort Lauderdale. Tonight and the last two nights have been perfect for crossing to the Bahamas but that’s no help to us – we’re not quite ready. Hopefully once all 3 boats are together, another weather window will appear.