Late May - New Arrival 05/31/2010
 We’ve spent the latter part of May at our daughter’s house helping our son-in-law with some remodeling work in preparation for the arrival of our youngest grandchild. Taylor Marie was in a hurry however, and she arrived before the room was quite done. We'll have no trouble remembering her birthday, since she was born on our wedding anniversary. We took care of her big brother while Mom and Dad were at the hospital with the newborn. In the week and a half after her birth, we helped with the grandkids and finished enough of the remodeling work to allow the nursery to be turned over to Taylor. It's already been a busy summer, and we're just getting started.   Add Comment Early May - Heading Home 05/16/2010
 We made our way north over the final miles of the ICW and pulled into Hampton on the first Friday in May. As we’ve done for the past few years, we will stay here for a few months this summer, letting it serve as our base as we make road trips to see the family and spend time with our kids and our growing number of grandkids who live nearby. With Orion tucked into a slip at Joy’s Marina, we are settling in again and mapping out our plans for the summer.  Clint and Dave confer about the route The Last 200 Miles After finishing our long hop outside from Charleston, we ended up in the South River, which lies west of the Neuse River opposite Oriental, NC, With Cathy’s brother-in-law Clint still on board, we headed out the next morning to make our way north to Dowry Creek, where we would stay for the next 2 days. With a fair amount of wind and a shorter distance to go, we sailed as much as we could, breezing along on the southwest winds up the Neuse until we followed the ICW’s 90 degree turn east into the Bay River. The winds now on the beam, Orion heeled over and took off for the short distance until the river narrowed for the entrance to the Hobucken Cut. We doused the sails, motoring through the cut and out Goose Creek until we reached the Pamlico River, where we unfurled them again and silenced the motor. As seems to be our luck, the wind gradually weakened, leaving us completely as we approached the entrance to the Pungo River. After searching the horizon in vain for evidence of the 15 to 20 knots forecast, we were thinking it was time to start the engine again. But before Cathy could put the key in the ignition, a puff arrived, then another and then we were moving again. With the wind’s increase in velocity, it shifted more to the Southeast, requiring a few jibes to make our course up the Pungo. When we followed its turn to the east, we were now close hauled and making 8 knots. But this was going to be short-lived, since we were only a couple miles from our destination – Dowry Creek Marina. With the forecast over the next few days, we realized this was likely to be the last sail for several days. So we were glad for the time we got, but wishing for Clint’s sake it could have been longer. With stormy weather forecast and not wanting to arrive in Hampton until Friday, we put in at the marina for 2 nights. It was going to be an unseasonably hot couple of days with temperatures soaring to the 90’s. We were glad for power to run the air conditioning and the ice machine. Clint had never seen Belhaven, so we took a short ride in the marina’s courtesy car to drive through the little town. It had changed little since our last visit a couple of years earlier. After grabbing an ice cream cone in town, we drove back to the marina for a short walk and a cooling dip in the pool. In the evening, we gathered with our fellow cruisers in the comfortable marina lounge, sharing stories of our winter’s adventures.  Sunset over the Alligator River The storms were slow to arrive and had not cleared completely when we awoke the next morning. So we had planned a late start, since we were only traveling about 25 miles to the south end of the Alligator River. With little wind and most of the day’s travel on the long Alligator-Pungo Canal, it was a motoring trip. Unlike our travel day on Sunday, where we were dodging dozens of boats, we saw almost no one this day. We joined only one other boat when we set anchor in the late afternoon. As the day drew to an end, the overcast skies finally broke, giving us a spectacular sunset, before we had to scurry below to escape the bugs. To our surprise, we received a voice mail message shortly after anchoring. This is the most remote section of the ICW. Cathy was able to pull the voice mail, which was a message for Clint. To our endless surprise, Clint was able to connect with the caller and even join a conference call. So we were surrounded by wilderness, but had better reception than we had in Belhaven. Who knew?  Dave and Clint pull anchor The next morning dawned foggy (and buggy), as we pulled anchor just after sun-up to head north to Coinjock. The fog was a result of the still air, so it was another motoring day up the Alligator and across the Albemarle. By the time we entered the North River, the winds had picked up enough to sail for about an hour, but as the river narrowed, the winds were variable, so we furled the sails and motored the rest of the way to Coinjock. We had planned to arrive at Great Bridge on Thursday to rendezvous with Steve. He would join us there for the final leg to Hampton and get some experience going through the locks and opening bridges on the Elizabeth River. We pulled onto the free dock between the bridge and lock shortly after one – in time to walk down to get some groceries, propane and, of course, ice cream. It was another stifling hot day, and the bugs descended at sunset. We put in our screens for only the 2nd time since we’ve been on Orion. By late evening a cold front had moved through and it was finally cool enough to sleep.   Steve arrived early the next morning. With the rush hour bridge restrictions, we decided to request an 8am lock opening. We were alone in the lock. Knowing this, it would have made more sense to make this later, since we had a long wait for the Steel Bridge afterwards. It was a busy trip up the Elizabeth River, with lots of tugs, Navy Ships, Coast Guard, etc. By the time we reached mile zero, the river had opened up to allow us to sail the rest of the way to the Hampton River. Pulling into the slip around 2pm, we had a late lunch and then put the boat back in order. After a celebratory dinner at Harpoon Larry’s, we prepared to say goodbye to Clint the next morning. He would be taking a train south, while we would be driving to our son’s house for a Mother’s Day picnic. It had been a great time, and we really enjoyed his company. Boat Stuff We had a little time to do boat projects in between travel. Using an idea from Bette on Inspiration, Cathy made some tubes to make it easier to stow the enclosure curtains, keeping them in good shape, but taking up less space than lying flat. She cut a 3” PVC pipe to the widths of the curtains, wrapped a towel around the pipe, and sewed a sheet to it. The pipes would accommodate 2 panels each and could be stowed on the V-Berth shelves. Thanks, Bette! After pulling into Dowry Creek, we did an oil change, our first since leaving the Bahamas. But the biggest issue has become the problems with our Garmin 5208 chartplotter. We had already been planning to send it back it to resolve a voltage issue that was preventing us from displaying AIS signals at the helm. However, just before we left Charleston, the SD card-reader would no longer accept the SD cards, meaning Dave could no longer load routes and waypoints to the helm from his stored files. We had to load these all manually, which took several hours, although not as long as it had during that first year heading south. But trouble comes in threes and our third problem with the unit was the killer. As we were leaving Dowry Creek, the unit kept losing the GPS signal. After 15 minutes, the problem went away, but 2 days later when leaving Coinjock, it was back. And this time, it persisted. Without our position on the unit, it kept sending messages and eventually turned itself off. We already had our small Garmin 76 mounted on the helm for anchoring and timing to bridges, so we started using it as a backup, getting a sense of upcoming turns and distances. Dave managed to disconnect the GPS by removing its fuse, so we could use the 5208’s charts. The unit has now been removed and sent back to Garmin. Since this will be the fourth replacement, we are more than a little curious to see how well the next one holds up. Family, Friends and Other Notables We’ve managed to spend a couple of weekends in Emporia with the kids and grandkids. We took in a Roanoke River festival in Roanoke Rapids with Adam’s family and followed up with a Mother’s Day picnic at his house. The next weekend, we spent time at Bonnie and Troy’s helping finish an attic room, which will accommodate the furniture and other items still in the room which will become the next nursery in a few weeks. Then, on Sunday, we enjoyed a surprise birthday party for Adam.         We noticed The Dove on the dock at the Hampton Public Piers shortly after our arrival, and invited Larry over for dinner one night, as he waited out some weather. It was good to catch up with him once more before he headed to Deltaville to haul the boat.  Hampton was buzzing when we arrived on Friday the 7th, but it wasn’t because of our arrival, but the upcoming commencement address being given by President Obama at Hampton University on Sunday, May 9th. Our marina sits just off the campus of Hampton University, so the Coast Guard was very close that morning, even pulling into one of the slips briefly, while the helicopters patrolled overhead. We didn’t see the President, but we were close enough to hear him introduced to the graduates. Staying Put for A While We’ll be in and out of Hampton, working on the boat, swimming at the nearby community center and visiting family and friends. If you’re in the neighborhood, give us a call. Late April - All Good Things 04/30/2010
 We knew our time in Charleston had to come to an end. It just seemed to sneak up on us faster than we wished. We were torn between our love of this wonderful city and the desire to get north to see family. As we waved goodbye to Marianna, we knew we would soon need to be doing the same ourselves. We started to follow their progress and start to turn our attention to our own travel plans.  Clint takes the helm Orion Takes on Crew We knew we wanted to be in Hampton by mid-May, and wanted to travel outside as much of the trip as possible. Being relatively close to NC on both ends of the trip, we invited Cathy’s brother-in-law Clint to join us for the trip. Clint’s last trip out on Orion had been 5 years ago, when we were painfully new at sailing. After a couple of days bobbing on a languid Chespeake Bay with no wind in the sails, we thought he would enjoy another chance to maybe get some real sailing in. He would also be a help on the longer runs and would get to sail some on familiar and some not-so-familiar waters. He agreed to join us and made his way south, arriving on the train Tuesday, April 27th.  Dave explains the weather forecast We put him to work almost immediately. Dave began showing him all the boat systems – the engine, the instruments, the batteries, etc. Dave showed him his sources for weather and how he went about interpreting it. He went over the watch schedule for our offshore runs, the log books, the radios and the list goes on. Cathy spent this time preparing meals for the trip, which would last at a minimum two days, meaning a couple of lunches and suppers, along with some snacks that needed to be readied.  Flat Calm as we depart Charleston In studying the weather, Dave began to see a window to head out on Thursday, April 29th. Unlike most of our previous outside runs, we were hoping to just sail as much of the trip as possible. That meant that we needed a window with enough wind to sail, but from a direction that would keep the seas manageable. We were beginning to see a long period of sustained southwest winds that would do the trick. Since the weather seemed to be holding, we headed out mid-morning along with Pagan Chant, our neighbor on the dock. The morning’s flat calm conditions were gradually replaced with a steady southwest breeze as predicted, and by early afternoon, we were zipping along. Pagan Chant decided to head for Southport, so we said goodbye earlier than we expected. Since we were heading for a least Beaufort, and maybe a trip around Hatteras to Hampton, we pointed further east toward a point off Frying Pan Shoals and sailed into the night.  By early morning, the winds were too light to sail. We started the engine and motored through the day until once again the wind picked up in the afternoon. We assessed the situation after supper and decided not to attempt the run around Hatteras. That meant we needed to aim for the Beaufort inlet. However, we didn’t want to come in before sunrise. So, we set a course that should eat up the hours until sun-up, reefing the headsail to de-power the boat and slow her down. Unfortunately, we kept doing better than we expected. As we neared the inlet, we took in the headsail completely and just sailed on the main alone. By this time the flood current was giving us a boost as well. We managed to sail around until the eastern horizon became light enough to douse the sail and motor into the inlet.  The sun sets off NC on Friday By early afternoon, we had sailed up the Neuse to the South River, where we anchored along with a number of weekend sailors. We were tired, but felt good about the trip, having sailed for 35 of the 52 hour run. We still had some work to restore order to the cabins below, top off the fuel tanks and prepare routes for the next couple of days. However, the steaks on the grill never tasted so good, since we felt we had earned them this time.  Dinner at Hyman's with Bill and Bette Charleston – The Last Hurrah With the comings and goings of other boaters, we got to enjoy the company of both new and old friends. Bill and Bette from Inspiration joined us for the free Star Trek moving on their first day in Charleston and later at Hyman’s Seafood for a farewell dinner. Larry on The Dove came aboard one rainy Sunday to catch up on his winter travels and later we met him and his fellow traveler, Victoria on Malie, who was single-handing as well. We happened to take the same tour of the Calhoun Mansion one afternoon, which was an elaborate mansion built with the fortunes made in blockade-running during the Civil War, and restored to its former glory by its current occupants after years of decline. Carolyn and Keith on Whim were at the Maritime Center when we arrived, having recently brought the boat down from Beaufort with plans to sail back to Maine for the summer.    Patty and Joe on Acacia were our neighbors for a few days. They had some troubles with their electronic charts and GPS interface on their computer. Dave seemed to be able to resolve most of the problems so that they could now use them underway, much to their delight. We took in an Earth Day film festival at the nearby Hippodrome theater, along with an “after party” that had a bluegrass band and good food.    And for the first time, we were able to try the wonderful food prepared by the St. Phillip’s Episcopal ladies in their “Tea Room” fundraiser, held once a year in April. Okra gumbo and pecan pie were a southern delight, although not necessarily Dave’s first choice. We discovered the wonderful fare at Hyman’s Seafood, enjoying it so much we returned a couple more times in our visit. The owners have a custom of visiting every table during the evening, and there was no question that he recognized us by our 3rd visit. We told him it would be at least 6 months before we could return however. (Not Much) Boat Stuff We managed to squeeze in a little boat stuff. Cathy was able to scrub the V-berth well, since we had to empty it for Clint’s arrival. Dave equalized the batteries, which are doing very well after a winter’s use. He also managed to convert a string of 110V LED Christmas lights into a 12V strip after some trial and error. When the experiment seemed to work, he soldered the connections and installed them in the cockpit.  Serenity Nycole Family News We were pleased to welcome the newest addition to our family, Serenity Nycole, born to our son Adam and Christina on December 12th. She is a lovely little girl. Next stops We’ll be headed up through NC to arrive in Hampton Roads by Mother’s Day if the weather holds. Early April - Relaxing in Charleston 04/25/2010
 It’s been two weeks since we pulled into Charleston, and we’ve settled in so well, we may need to be pushed out of here when it comes time to leave. Pat left shortly after we arrived, anticipating the birth of a new grandson, who arrived on April 15th. Fred and Marianna remained behind, allowing time to enjoy the city and for the crew (Julie) to make a road trip. Although Marianna will be pulling out soon, (with another new crewmember, Isaac, on board), we will stay behind for another week or two before heading north again.  Sunday’s highlight was an Easter egg hunt in the graveyard. Easter Sunday The first full day in Charleston after our arrival was Easter Sunday. We decided to go once again to the Circular Congregational Church for their early Easter service. Afterwards, we were invited to what turned out to be an amazing Sunday brunch, followed by an Easter egg hunt for the children in the only open space between the buildings – the graveyard. It was a lot of fun to watch (and maybe help a little with a few hints), and a tremendous metaphor for the day.    The next weekend, we joined some members of the congregation to prepare and serve breakfast at a men’s shelter in a small way of giving back to the community. We don’t always get the chance to do this.  Flying High Shortly after arriving, we learned that the US Navy Blue Angels were going to be performing over Charleston harbor in a couple of weeks. We decided to stay at least through the event, especially since it was going to be centered over the Maritime Center. It wasn’t hard to figure out when the jets had arrived, since the sound of them was deafening as they made maneuvers over and around us – first, in practice runs on Thursday and Friday, and then in the performances on Saturday and Sunday. Their precision flying and speed were amazing and awe-inspiring, and we couldn’t believe our luck at securing such a perfect ringside seat for all the action. We were even closer than the VIP seats, which were on shore just outside the Maritime Center building. (This location also created a minor inconvenience, by putting the marina offices and restrooms on the other side of a security barrier for 3 days.)        Skimmer races ahead of us toward the finish line. Racing to the Finish The week of April 8 – 11th was Charleston Race Week. About 150 boats are engaged in races through the day on Friday, Saturday and Sunday of the event. Races take place both in the harbor, and out in the ocean. We would have normally paid little attention to the activities associated with this event, but that all changed when Dave jumped aboard another boat in the harbor to help it move from one slip to another in the marina. John on Ragtime was looking for crew to help him race his Gulfstar 44 ketch in the ocean races over the 3 days. After making sure that he understood our experience was limited to cruising, not racing, we agreed to join him. Fred joined us as well, contributing both his sailing and racing experience to the crew.  Dave takes the helm during the downwind leg. We ended up racing 2 of the 3 days with – how shall we phrase it – mixed results. The conditions both days were windy and the ocean was rougher than we have generally experienced (with the possible exception of a few nasty inlets). On the first day, we managed to start and finish the first race, but we were only on the first of 4 legs in the 2nd race, when the headsail blew out and we had to “retire” for the day as they say in the racing world. We later learned that our first finish didn’t count, since we didn’t pass between the correct marks to indicate the finish line. That’s OK. Tomorrow is another day.  Fred helps to raise the main sail. John pulled out his back-up headsail for the 2nd day’s racing, but it was having some problems, and we had trouble pointing very high. This proved problematic as we tried to tack across a narrow start line to begin the race. Although we were successful for the first race, we took too long in the second race, which disqualified us. So, once again, we decided to “retire” for the day. Since, in our first race, Cathy managed to aim for the wrong marks at the end of the 2nd leg of the course, we managed to be disqualified yet again and therefore got credit for neither of the races we entered that day. It wasn’t all a loss, though. We still had fun and learned a bit about racing in the process. We ended the 2nd day with a sail north up the Cooper River past the old Navy base. Since we’d never been that far north, we had a good time seeing this part of the river from the decks of Ragtime.  Studying the racing rules. We probably should have done more of this. John and Anne had to leave for home unexpectedly the next morning, so Saturday’s contests were our last attempt to prove ourselves for this event. We still have quite a ways to go before we would go from calling ourselves cruisers to racers. And it’s a lot less to worry about when it’s on someone else’s boat.     Dave and Fred enjoy the game. RiverDogs Baseball We took in two Charleston RiverDogs games at the Joe P. Riley stadium (the “Joe”), which backs up to the Citadel campus north of downtown. Since the first game was in the evening, we had to time our departure to make sure we didn’t miss the last bus back to town. We would have had no problems, except it was just our luck that the game was tied at the bottom of the 9th, as the tying run crossed the plate seconds before the final out. That meant extra innings. We stuck it out as long as we could, but finally had to leave as the 11th inning was about to begin. It turned out the RiverDogs beat the Lexington Legends by 1 in the 12th inning. We were glad we didn’t wait any longer, since we just made the last bus.   Our second game was a day game (to ensure we had no bus problems) and was supposed to have an all-you-can-eat buffet. When we arrived, however, we were surrounded by thousands of kids from area schools. Apparently, we had chosen to attend on “Education Day”, and the usual buffet was not going to be held. Instead, we were offered a seat in a Sky Suite for the same price, where a waitress would take our orders and we could order as much as we wanted. That suited us fine, and we enjoyed a great view and some good food.   It wasn’t so good for the River Dogs who lost the game to their opponents, the WV Power. Maybe next time.  We picked up a new toilet to replace our broken one. Boat Stuff You may recall that we had a few items that broke down as we made the journey from the Bahamas to Charleston. First and foremost, there was the matter of a broken toilet that needed to be addressed. After checking with West Marine, the toilet was under warranty and “all” we had to do was return the old one in order to pick up a new one. This wasn’t going to be a pleasant task to take a used toilet by bus to West Marine. Luckily, when Dave mentioned this to the marina staff, someone was able to drive him to West Marine with the old toilet and bring him back with the new one. Having installed the original just last summer, Dave had a pretty good idea what would be involved. We had already pumped out the holding tank and rinsed it with water to minimize the mess. Dave then disconnected the old toilet. While it was out, Cathy cleaned behind it thoroughly. Then we put the new one back in without too much difficulty, considering that some of the connections are not the easiest to get at. It’s been working great since. Whew!  The burnt out inverter has been removed. The other issue to be resolved was our burnt out inverter. It was a Peak 1200W inverter that Dave had installed in January. So, he contacted the company about the problem. They were very concerned about the issue and responsive in dealing with the problem. They immediately sent a replacement 1500W inverter and supplied a pre-paid UPS label for the return shipment of our damaged 1200W inverter. Unfortunately, we realized once the new one arrived that it lacked the remote switch. This is an important feature for us, since it allows us to turn the unit on without crawling back into the engine room. When we spoke again to the company about it, they told us they would ship a unit with a remote to us, but that we could keep the 1500W inverter for our trouble. They also said they would let us know what they found out about the damaged unit.  Cathy working to win prizes. Work Hard, Play Hard So, the rest of our time in Charleston is being divided between work and play. We caught up with our mail, which generated several days of activities, including doing our taxes. The Maritime Center has a free washer and dryer, so one full day was taken up laundering clothes, including some of the mattress and cushion covers that got so damp in the cold last winter. (The Maritime Center happened to replace the dryer while we were here, making this less of a hassle, since the old one had trouble with large, heavy loads.) And the marina’s excellent WIFI connection allowed us to do some work on the internet that had been long delayed.    To take a break from the work, we found a few diversions. We had arrived just in time for the free Movies in Marion Square on Thursday nights, and have taken in 2 of the 4 movies so far. We’ve even won a few T-shirts in the process. The Farmer’s Market started up the day we arrived, and we’ve managed to sample its ware on a couple of occasions. Then there are those baseball games, and time spent with Marianna before they have to leave, to name just a few. With a couple more weeks to go, we should have no problem finding ways to enjoy the time in this beautiful city. Late March - Island Hopping 03/31/2010
 Orion anchored off Treasure Cay We spent the last 2 weeks of March near the “hub” of the Abacos, in the islands immediately surrounding Marsh Harbor, before heading back to the states in another long run to Charleston.  The Elbow Cay Reef Light rises up behind Fred and Julie in Hopetown harbor. Let There Be Light We returned to Hopetown, with its signature candy-striped lighthouse, for a couple of days during this visit to the Abacos. We managed to snorkel the reef again, sample some conch fritters at Munchies and take away 2 freshly-baked loaves of whole wheat bread (they were literally fresh out of the oven) from Vernon’s. However, the highlight of the trip was a return trip to the top of the lighthouse – this time at sunset. This is one of the few lighthouses in the world still manually lit and wound using its original works. It was a rare treat to be allowed to see how it is done.  Sea of Abaco from the Elbow Cay Reef Light at sunset About a half-hour before sunset, we dinghied over to the light, climbed the 101 steps to the top, and took in the spectacular view as the sun slowly descended over the Sea of Abaco. However, as the sun sank lower, we found ourselves alone at the top, expecting the lighthouse keeper to appear any minute to begin the lighting process. But the sun dipped below the horizon and there was no one even approaching the lighthouse entry below. Also, the interior of the lighthouse was getting pretty dark with the dwindling light, which made us a little worried about descending safely. So, we headed down and began to hover around the entrance, looking for someone coming to light the light in the gathering dusk.  We were allowed to climb up on a level with the Fresnel lens. Finally, Dave saw someone at one of the cottages at the base of the light, who said he was indeed the lightkeeper and would be willing to let us watch him light the light, although usually this wasn’t allowed. We climbed back up to the top and Jeffrey followed turning on the interior lights to make the return trip easier. Jeffrey is a 2nd generation lightkeeper, following in his father’s footsteps, who retired 5 years ago after 35 years in the job. He was generous in allowing us to view his handiwork, even letting us climb up to the platform on a level with the Fresnel lens to get a better view.  Jeffrey is one of 2 lightkeepers But we didn’t delay him in his work. He climbed inside the lens (using the opening that is the light’s “off” sequence), to begin the process. In order to get the kerosene burner heated to allow it to light, Jeffrey started by pouring alcohol into a small pan that fitted into the column that held the light’s mantle and lit this. Then, he had to wait for 15 to 20 minutes while it heated the burner. While he waited, he took down the curtains that shield the lens from the sun, preventing any accidental fires created by the lens’ magnifying effect on the sun during the day. Soon, smoke started rising from the mantle, indicating the burner had reached the right temperature to be lit. It didn’t take long after lighting before it was glowing bright, but it was still amazing at how such a small light could become such a dramatic beacon. Next he had to release the brake that would allow the lens to spin, creating the beacon’s signature frequency. Finally, he raised the weight that drove the lens’ rotation by operating a crank beneath the light. This would allow it to turn for 2 hours, when he would be back to do it again.    Jeffrey shares the lightkeeper’s job with another man, who has been doing it for 37 years, each taking the job of cranking the weight every 2 hours for half the night. Our thanks to him for this fascinating view into the lightkeeper’s special world.  Orion sails into the sunrise across the Sea of Abaco. Great Guana - Treasure Cay - Marsh Harbor We kept bouncing back and forth between the anchorages across the Sea of Abaco, staying near Great Abaco when the winds blew from the west and moving to the out islands when they settled and blew from the east. At Great Guana, we snorkeled, walked the beach, enjoyed the pool and the view at Nippers, and socialized at the Wednesday potluck at Grabbers. While at Treasure Cay on Great Abaco, we sampled the famous Café La Florence cinnamon bun and took in their award-winning beach, and then back in Marsh Harbor, we made preparations for our return trip to states – studying the weather, planning routes, changing the oil, topping off propane and food, and repositioning the cabin for a longer time underway.        Dave hoists the quarantine flag Back to the US As the first of April approached, we knew Marianna would be heading back to the US with the first weather window. We began looking at the weather as well, but were going to follow only if it allowed for a run all the way to Charleston. Traveling through Florida had no appeal at this point. Amazingly, a perfect weather window began to be forecast for – what else? – April 1st. As it began to be more certain that this was for real, we made our plans to take advantage of it. We sat in Marsh Harbor for the winter’s last angry blow, which actually spawned a tornado in Freeport, but as soon as the winds began to settle down, we looked for our opportunity to move.  Heading north for Manjack As with so much of our travel this winter, sailing wasn’t an option. We pulled out of our slip early on Wednesday, March 30th, timing our departure more for the high tide, rather than the diminished winds. The Sea of Abaco was rough and our northerly course took us almost directly into the seas and winds which were still gusting to 25knots. We managed to get enough of a report about the Whale to believe it would be safe to transit, which was true, but it was the roughest we have experienced with waves up to 6 feet and wind chop making the seas confused. By the time we set anchor in Manjack, Orion was covered with salt, but the price of a rougher day for this trip was small to pay for the long smooth ride in the Gulf Stream promised by Chris Parker in the forecast for the next few days. With little opportunity to sail, we wanted to position ourselves to be able to top off Orion’s fuel tanks as late as possible before leaving the Little Bahama Bank. We also wanted to arrive in Charleston earlier in the day on Saturday, since the current would turn against us around noon. (Last year we arrived at 2:30pm.) That meant shaving 5 hours or so off our running time from last year. To do this, we decided to anchor on the banks, about 15 miles beyond Great Sale Cay, our starting point for last year’s trip. We traveled from Manjack at first light, heading out at the lead of a dozen or more boats taking advantage of the same weather. Every hour or so to break up the monotony of the long day, Cathy would run a Jeopardy quiz show on the radio, using a calendar she got for Christmas. This was something we had done all winter with Marianna. However, with the first round, we were joined by Aurora, who chimed in on an answer that had Marianna’s crew stumped. With each passing round, the participants grew, until we had 5 boats playing: River Rat, Grateful Attitudes, Aurora, Marianna and Our Turn. We cruisers are easily amused.  Marianna’s crew takes a final swim in the Bahamas for this trip. Around 5:30pm, we pulled off the route line and anchored south of a giant sand bar, Lily Sand Bank, although from the endless water around us in every direction, you’d never know it. As Orion’s crew scurried to re-fuel and prepare supper before sunset, Marianna’s crew took a final swim in the blue waters of the Bahamas. Boy, maybe it’s time to jump ship.  Marianna glides along on an ocean that is like glass. We were up early the next day, leaving at 5am, an hour before Marianna. With Orion’s tighter fuel situation, we need to pace ourselves in case we couldn’t re-fuel as much as we planned due to rougher conditions. However, we needn't have worried. The roughest conditions occurred in the late afternoon that day, with 3-4ft seas. But, as forecast, these moderated to flat calm conditions, which persisted the rest of the trip. The only drama came in the form of boat traffic in and out of Savannah. For example, it took a while for a departing cargo ship to acknowledge that he would not clear both of us if he stayed on his present course. At the last minute, he turned to pass astern. Not everything was going so well on Orion, though. Before leaving the Bahama banks, Cathy went to turn on the inverter to charge the laptop, when a nasty spark and some accompanying smoke prompted Dave to disconnect it until further investigation could be done. Then, at the end of the first day, the toilet stopped working. You don’t want to know what we had to do about that one. The next morning, the ham radio wouldn’t power up. That turned out to be just a fuse, but it took a bit of work to discover it. And then, as if to remind us that it's still there, the rudder started leaking just 4 hours out of Charleston in a sea so smooth it could be mistaken for glass. Go figure.  Despite our troubles, we made it into Charleston on schedule after 51 hours at sea, entering the inlet around 8am and pulling into our slip by 9:30am, just ahead of Marianna, right on schedule. Customs was even there to meet us and clear us in just after we arrived. It was almost too easy. And now we are set to enjoy another Easter in Charleston. It doesn’t get any better than this! (Well, except for a working toilet . . .) Early March - From Eleuthera to the Abacos 03/15/2010
 The spring weather that’s arriving in much of the US is also bringing warmer temperatures to the northern Bahamas, where we find ourselves now and for the coming few weeks.  Spanish Wells crest reflects the fishing and lobstering life of the community. Spanish Wells, Eleuthera With our arrival in Spanish Wells on the northern edge of Eleuthera, the weather for traveling north to the Abacos began to deteriorate. The fronts were stronger and the winds were staying out of the north in between them. This meant that we would need to stay here longer than we had planned, since the winds were coming from the direction we needed to go and were kicking up some nasty seas. Luckily, this wasn’t too hard to take.  Sunset at Spanish Wells We pulled into Spanish Wells Yacht Haven, in the protected harbor on the south side of St. George’s Cay, on a Saturday morning after a short run from Current Island. Although the water is plenty deep in the channel, we made sure to follow the dark blue water, because the sides shallow up dramatically and without much room for forgiveness. Unlike last year, the dock was full of other boaters, seeking haven from the predicted high winds associated with the next front. Options 3, who shared a dock with us at Emerald Bay, and River Rat, who had joined in the Thanksgiving dinner at Charleston, were among our many neighbors. Of course, lots of cruisers meant a spontaneous gathering for hor d’ouvres on the dock, which lasted until the sun set and the winds turned too chilly for casual conversation.    Having time on a dock meant we could stretch our legs with long walks on shore. We took walks through the quaint streets of Spanish Wells, along the beach, and far out to the west on nearby Russell Island, connected by a small one-lane bridge to St. George’s Cay. Our muscles complained a bit, but finally started to toughen up. On the last leg of our first long walk, we were offered a ride by a gentleman leaving the Methodist Church after Sunday services. After initially declining, Cathy finally said yes, since her legs were not cooperating any more. Our benefactor, Andy, is a long-time member of the church and has an insurance business on the island (having retired from his other occupation as a building contractor). He offered us a ride to evening services, which we gladly accepted. Over the course of that evening and the following week, we got to meet several members of his family and even stayed just long enough to enjoy one more Sunday service before heading out.      One of Spanish Wells more famous residents, at least among the cruising community, is Captain George, of the fishing vessel Lady Marie. He is one of Chris Parker’s sponsoring vessels. (Chris provides weather routing daily on the SSB radio.) He is usually traveling to the fishing grounds off Andros and other less-visited areas of the Bahamas, which is more unusual than typical cruising boat calling in. So, we were excited to see the famous Lady Marie and get a chance to talk to George as he prepared her for their next trip. He was being held up waiting for a part, but was gracious to talk to us about what he does and some of the weather he has found himself in – the worst being a hurricane off Andros with 120mph winds. Like many of the other fishing boats in the harbor, he was anxious to be out again before the season for lobster closed on April 1st.    The highlight of the week was a little league baseball game double-header between the local Spanish Wells Divers and the Blue Marlins from Nassau. The visiting team had arrived on the ferry from Nassau in the morning and was taking it back in the afternoon. That meant there was no doubt when the 2nd game would end – in time for the Blue Marlins to catch the ferry. (According to the locals, it apparently is the only thing in the Bahamas that runs promptly on time.) We stayed for the first game, watching a lopsided 13-0 victory for the Divers with Andy’s grandson batting in some runs and George, captain of Lady Marie, serving as umpire.  Fred orders ice cream at Papa Scoops. Our last night on shore, we took a stroll down to Papa Scoops, an ice cream stand that is nothing more than a tent outside a home off the main street in Spanish Wells. It had been closed all week, but apparently the coconut ice cream they serve as the flavor of the day on Saturdays is a tradition. So, we walked down to get a scoop. Most other residents drove up and placed their orders through car windows or from their golf carts.  Sunrise off Lynyard Cay Crossing to the Abacos We left the next day for a short run to Egg Island to position ourselves for the hop to the Abacos early Monday morning. Leaving at first light, we passed through Egg Island Cut easily but soon found ourselves heading into 8 foot swells. These moderated as the day progressed, as the wind gradually died. With what little wind there was just a few degrees off the bow, there was no sailing to be done (once again). It made for an easy passage into the Little Harbor cut though, and water so flat in the anchorage, we could see the bottom clearly all around us down 15 feet or more, as we anchored off Lynyard Cay.    After a night at Lynyard Cay, we motored north to Marsh Harbor. We needed to position ourselves for Pat and Fred’s company arriving on Friday. We learned from other cruisers that a number of factors had affected the boat traffic in the Abacos, with numbers down dramatically from previous years. This led to some bargains at the marinas in Marsh Harbor. We took advantage of the deals and pulled onto the dock at Mangoes on the southern shore of the harbor, next to the Moorings Charter base.    With another few days on the dock, we decided to rent a car and explore the southern peninsula of Great Abaco. Our first stop took us down a bumpy dirt road to Little Harbor, where Pete’s Pub and Gallery dominates the beach. We passed this protected harbor on our way into the cut on Monday. The bronze marine sculptures that Pete’s Gallery is famous for dotted the walkways in the harbor. We took a short trip over the dune to see the ocean, which was kicked up by the southeast winds.    From there we made our way down to Sandy Point, on the southwest tip of Great Abaco. The road ends here, where there is a small community surrounding a ferry dock that has 2 ferries a week arriving from Nassau. The locals were all gathered at The Palace, a local eatery and bar, which we couldn’t resist trying. To our dismay, the domino game was broken up so that we could be seated for lunch. But it wasn’t long before it started up at another table. Since the power went out in the middle of lunch preparation, we had longer than usual time to kill, so Fred joined the domino game, learning the nuances of this very competitive game, even slapping his tiles down with the best of them. He didn’t manage to win, but he held his own. We learned that most of the locals either work in construction or at Disney’s private island, Castaway Cay (aka Gorda Cay) some 20 miles west of Sandy Point.   On our way north, we visited 2 large housing developments being scoped out on the eastern shore of Great Abaco. Both had grand plans for beautiful homes. Schooner Bay claimed to be a more environmentally-friendly development, but appeared to be doing far more aggressive re-shaping of at least some of its landscape, carving out a harbor with an island in the middle and raising the land many feet to withstand hurricane surge. Serenity Point had its own approach, having leveled every tree within its scope to provide unencumbered views of the water. Time will tell if either has a more manageable approach (or if they actually come to be). After a quick trip to Cherokee Sound, another harbor on the east coast, we had to head back home, since time was passing quickly and we needed to get back to pick up Roger and Annie at the airport. The storms of the passing front arrived just after they landed, making us glad we had decided to pull into a dock to greet them.   The rest of our time here has been spent doing boat projects, walking the island, snorkeling on nearby Mermaid Reef, and provisioning, since this is the 3rd largest city in the Bahamas, with everything you could ask for in terms of supplies. Boat Stuff Not surprisingly, we still are dealing with the rudder leak that has plagued us for some time. While Dave tries to find a permanent solution, we are trying different things to manage it. Our biggest concern is a longer run back to the US, where it will be tiring for the person on watch to pump out the water at short intervals. Although the water will eventually find its way to the bilge (which has an automatic bilge pump), the route would be unnecessarily messy. While in Marsh Harbor, Dave found an automatic bilge pump that he installed in place of the manual one by the rudder. With a diode he found at a local electronic repair shop, he was able to wire it so that it would run automatically (testing every 2.5 minutes for water) without the alarm sounding. It would still be triggered by the float switch and could be turned on manually if desired. This should do the trick for any longer passages that turn sloppy. While on the dock at Spanish Wells, we took advantage of shore power to fully charge and then equalize the batteries. We also used time on the dock to defrost the freezer, top off the water tanks, and last, but by no means least, make lots of ice. You’ve got to set your priorities. Island Hopping We’ll be making short hops from here around the central Abacos before heading north of the Whale cut and positioning for a crossing to the US in April. We’re hoping for fewer fronts and warmer temperatures, but we’ll take what we can get. Late February - Out of the Exumas 02/28/2010
 We motored out of Emerald Bay on a calm Monday morning after the latest front had blown itself out over the Valentine’s Day weekend. It was to begin a pattern for (at least) the next 2 weeks. The wind howls, the front moves through, the wind howls some more from a different direction and then we get a day or maybe 36 hours of calm weather before it starts again. We moved to new ports in the calm between fronts, making for more motoring than we’d have liked, but better than being pounded by the wind. Then we searched for shelter from the storm – sometimes more successfully than at others  One of 5 boxes of textbooks to be delivered. Little Farmer's Cay We had a delivery to make on Little Farmer’s Cay, so there was no question that we would be stopping here for a visit as we made our way back north through the Exumas. After leaving Emerald Bay, we motored through a gentle Exuma Sound, reaching Galliot Cut by lunchtime. The long frequency between swells minimized their impact on the open water, but coming through the cut, we were reminded that the power of the current through the cut with wind and waves opposing is not something to be taken lightly. The rough water at the entrance to the cut, mild in comparison to rage conditions, was still an unexpected contrast to the rest of the trip to Little Farmer’s.  Our neighbor aground on Little Farmer’s Cay. By the time we reached the anchorage, the winds were completely calm. We arrived in the early afternoon, an hour or so before low tide, and were a little surprised to see another boat already in the anchorage. After re-assessing the situation, we realized that our neighbor was aground and was getting higher out of the water. Having run aground on a falling tide, he was not going anywhere until just after dark. We offered our assistance, but there was little to be done but wait for the water to rise. By 7:30, he was off the bar and anchored nearby.  David talks to the principal about setting up a computer lab, with the two computers he has managed to purchase and those he hopes to add. But our reason for going to Little Farmer’s was not to be entertained by the misfortune of another boater (all evidence to the contrary). We had 5 boxes of textbooks to deliver to the Little Farmer’s All-Age School. It was too late in the day to deliver them on Monday afternoon when we arrived, so we decided to carry them ashore around 9am the next morning. Unfortunately, showers started arriving overnight, and by mid-morning they were passing over in regular intervals. Since we didn’t want to get our cargo wet, we decided to wait. Finally, by early afternoon, they had eased up enough to give us a window to go in. Since the waves were up and the showers were still threatening, we took precautions to keep the boxes (and ourselves) dry. We were successful and were rewarded with a warm thank you and a brief tour of the two-room school by the principal, where the 12 students from first to 9th grade on the island are taught.    We spent some time exploring the island, making the obligatory stop at Ocean Cabin to see Terry Bain and, in the process, heard Symmetry on the radio coming into the harbor. We met them there the next day for lunch, catching up with their travels over some good food and a beautiful view, as the skies cleared, but the winds began to pick up. With the winds coming in from the northwest, we decided to hunker down at Little Farmer’s for one more day. We stayed on the boat, since our anchorage on Little Farmer’s west side was exposed to the northwest, and the long fetch kicked up a swell. By Thursday, the winds had finally calmed down and we were ready to move on and explore new ports.  Dave compares profiles with a friend. Big Major's Spot (aka Piggy Beach) Our next stop was a new port for us. We anchored off Big Major’s Spot, an island whose only inhabitants are a herd of wild pigs that are not above begging for handouts from the boaters who venture nearby in their dinghies. The bolder ones swim out to meet you in hopes of scarfing up the best of the goodies. We got to meet 2 of these cuties shortly after dropping anchor and taking a ride over.  Nurse sharks ply the waters of Staniel Cay The pigs weren’t the only wildlife that gave us a close encounter. After the pigs left us for better feeding grounds, we headed around the end of Big Major’s to Staniel Cay, tying up to the Yacht Club’s dinghy dock. Before we had even attached the lines, we saw a huge shark (7ft or so) swimming underneath the dinghy. It was a nurse shark. We scrambled onto the dock quickly, only to realize there had to be half a dozen or more sharks swimming underneath all the boats. We were guessing that these big guys were not too much of a threat, given the calm demeanor of our fellow boaters, but their size alone got our attention.   Staniel Cay is a little larger and has a few more services than Little Farmer’s. There were 3 grocery stores, a private clinic, at least a couple of restaurants, a marina with fuel, an airport and several pastel-colored guest cottages along the water. The availability of services made it a popular stopping place for cruisers, since boats were anchored in the harbor and around the bend at Big Major’s to take in the sites. We walked around the island and managed to buy some whole wheat bread (but no groceries – the stores were closed because the proprietors had gone to Nassau for a funeral). Then we moseyed back to the boats to take advantage of some calm weather for a swim before getting together again for games after dinner with the crew of Marianna.    The next day was going to be another calm one, so we decided to take advantage of the light winds and slack tide to go snorkeling near the cut off Little Major’s Spot, just north of our anchorage. Using the information from our guidebooks, we found a likely spot. It was surprisingly good snorkeling, with lots of coral and fish, albeit spread out over the bottom. But slack current disappeared quickly. We had to swim with some effort to stay still and not get swept toward the cut. We took at least one dinghy ride up current to drift over the coral and to reach some more sites further in. By lunchtime, we were ready to take a break and beached the dinghy on a nearby unnamed cay for a picnic and some exploration.    We couldn’t call it quits yet, since we had not visited the area’s most famous spot – Thunderball Cave. On Staniel Cay, the vintage James Bond movie Thunderball’s underwater scenes had been shot in a dramatic cave with openings above that let light filter into the water below. We tied up to a dinghy mooring just outside and let the current pull us into the cave. We were at mid-tide, so we had to be careful not to get too close to some lower hanging rocks on the way in, but the view inside was worth it. The entrance was crowded with fish, and the sun filtering into the cave from the holes above made for dramatic snorkeling. Some brave souls even jumped in from the ceiling, but none of our crew was so brave. By the time we had finished our underwater spelunking, we were congratulating ourselves on all we had managed to squeeze into this beautiful day. We capped it off with drinks on Orion, but then began preparing to head out the next morning for Warderick Wells. Another front was coming (sigh!) and we wanted to pick up a mooring ball for its passage.  Shroud Cay Swimming Hole Back to the Park We arrived at Emerald Rock on the western side of Warderick Wells (home of the headquarters of the Exuma Land and Sea Park) in the early afternoon, after finally getting in a pleasant sail north from Big Major’s. We anchored just outside the mooring field for the calm weather forecast overnight. This also placed us pretty close to the reefs on the west side of the small island that gives the anchorage its name. We headed over to explore. The water was a little chilly, but otherwise the conditions were good for us to swim over the reef, with the dinghy on a mooring ball nearby. There were some large fish, obviously enjoying the protection that the Land and Sea Park affords, even though the reefs themselves were small. The next morning we picked up a mooring ball, so we could ride out the next front without worries about someone (or us) dragging anchor. Other than a quick dinghy ride in to pay, we spent the day on the boat, checking the internet via a fragile connection and visiting with Pat, Fred and Julie. Dave did get a chance to talk to Tenacity, whom we had met in Deltaville. They were working their way back to the states and planned to leave the boat in Florida before returning home to England in May.   Although we had originally planned to spend the next day at the park exploring some more, we realized that if we instead moved to our next stop, Shroud Cay, we would hit the tide right to explore the northernmost mangrove creek. We decided to change plans and headed out shortly after checking in on the Waterway Net. By 1:30pm, we had secured a mooring ball and were headed in the dinghy through the mangrove creek toward Exuma Sound. The tide was just about at its peak, which would give us an unimpeded ride to our favorite swimming hole, but we would need to be sure to head back out before the water levels dropped too far. After our swim, Julie, Pat and Cathy made a trip up the hill to get a better view of the terrain. By the time they returned, the ebb current was picking up, so we took a few rides through the small cut before heading back to the boats.  Calm conditions provide amazing visibility into 11 ft of water. When the Winds Blow . . . When we returned, the water was like glass, and the sun warm as it set over the Exuma Bank. Looking down into the clear water, we could see the bottom through 11 feet as if we were looking through no more than a blue filter. This was all going to change, as a strong front was making its way toward us. It arrived in the middle of the night (as they all seem to do) with downpours and thunder and lightning. Initially, we had some protection from shore until the winds moved to the west and then northwest, where they howled and blew up an enormous sea, making sleep or anything else impossible for the next 18 hours. Orion and Marianna were tossed around like corks, and things below were flying around worse than our toughest offshore passage. We stowed things, scooped up debris and then started an unofficial watch system as we wanted someone in the cockpit to make sure that the rocky shore behind us didn’t start getting closer and our bridle remained secure.   As day broke, we became concerned that our worst fears were coming true. Fred called to ask us whether we were any closer to Marianna. We looked around and felt everything looking uncomfortably close – especially the waves crashing on the rocks. As Cathy started the engine, Dave went forward to check the mooring bridle. He saw no chafe and the lines seemed firmly attached to the pennant, which also seemed fine. Cathy watched the track we traced on the chartplotter, which we turned on with the engine for the first time since picking up the mooring the day before. It was obvious we had moved from the time we had arrived in yesterday’s calm conditions, but with the wind shift that would be expected. Had we moved more than we should have? Were we still moving back? The waves on the rocks seemed close, but the instruments were beginning to tell a story that we were staying put. With our fears calmed, we killed the engine, but left the instruments on until nightfall. Dave went forward to check the bridle periodically, which held fine, but Marianna was not so lucky. One of their lines chafed through, reinforcing the importance of having 2 separate bridle lines through the mooring pennant. As the sun set, the winds were down to below 20 knots (from the 30+kts in the morning ) and had shifted to the north, where we had more protection. However, the waves were still on our beam, so sleeping was fitful at best. By morning, winds and seas had calmed more, but we were ready to move on. The good news was that we had held through the storm and, in what is becoming an all-too-familiar pattern, our trip north to Eleuthera was once again on a glassy calm sea.  The water off Beacon Cay (in the distance) is over 20 feet deep, but we could see the bottom clearly. Leaving the Exumas Behind Our overall travel plan had been to move from the Exumas to Eleuthera, positioning ourselves in the lee of its northern islands in order to wait for a window to cross the Northeast Providence Channel (aka the ocean) to the Abacos, arriving in Marsh Harbor by mid-March. So, our destination upon leaving Shroud Cay was the east side of Current Island, a long, thin island that reaches out to the southwest from Eleuthera’s western-most point. We would anchor for one night and then this would position us for a short run to Spanish Wells the next morning, allowing us to time our passage through the short but infamous Current Cut, just north of our anchorage, on a favorable current. In planning a route north, Dave and Fred explored options that took us through one of a number of cuts between the Exuma islands, out into Exuma Sound and across to the Eleuthera banks. However, it turned out the most direct route would take us straight up the remaining island in the northern Exumas, into Eleuthera without entering the deeper waters of the Exuma Sound. So, we headed northeast, paralleling the island chain until we reached Beacon Cay, where we bid the Exumas goodbye. About 5 miles north of this landmark, we entered a 5-mile stretch of coral heads, some of which were reported to be less than 6 feet deep. With near-perfect conditions, they were easy to spot and avoid any that might be a concern. Once through them, we made another course change off Finley Cay and were setting anchor just before sunset. One irony of this amazingly calm day was its contrast to the 36 hours that preceded it. While on the mooring, we had to secure everything and hold on for dear life. While underway, nothing moved at all. We even took showers, something we didn’t even consider in the pitching and rolling we had left the day before. It’s amazing what a difference a day makes. Waiting for a Window We arrived in Spanish Wells with little drama, but will be here until we can see a window to head north to the Abacos. We enjoyed our stay here last year, so we expect this visit will give us more time to explore further – and, of course, wait out the fronts. Early February - Bimini to Georgetown 02/15/2010
 We have arrived again in the Exumas, after a 34 hour run from Bimini making our first stop at Shroud Cay. We spent the last week of January in the Exuma Land and Sea Park, spending a couple of nights at Shroud Cay and another couple of nights at Emerald Rock on Warderick Wells before moving onto Georgetown.  Sunset on what is reported to be the only western facing beach in the Bahamas on Bimini Leaving Bimini We said goodbye to Bimini on a reasonably calm day, as the winds blew steadily from the north. They were forecasted to shift to the east, as our course toward the Exumas gradually shifted to the southeast. It was going to be a close-hauled trip, but we were hoping to sail a good bit of it, if possible. We would travel across the Great Bahamas Banks throughout the day and night, across the Tongue of the Ocean at night and through Nassau harbor early the next morning. We would still need to cross the Yellow Banks, a shallower sea with large coral heads east of Nassau to reach the Exumas by afternoon the 2nd day. In order to time our arrival at Nassau during daylight, we left a little later in the morning, which also happened to be low tide. Since we didn’t want to go aground (again), Cathy sat on the bow and watched the water, giving Dave her read on how to maneuver around the shoal at the entrance to Bimini harbor. She quickly re-joined him in the cockpit as we cleared it, since we were almost immediately in the Gulf Stream. With north winds, the seas built quickly, but we had only 5 miles to go before heading back onto the banks and out of the deeper water. We successfully sailed most of the day until dark, when we fired up the engine to motorsail across the rest of the banks. As the wind shifted overnight, we finally had to furl the sail, the angle being too close even to motorsail. After passing out the east side of Nassau harbor, we raised the sails again, having made a decision based on wind angle to go to Shroud Cay, instead of Allens Cay. This allowed us to sail until just before entering the anchorage about a half-hour before sunset. Not a bad run. In addition to Marianna, we traveled with 3 other boats: Symmetry, Inspiration, and Wild Iris. Wild Iris traveled at a slower pace, so left earlier than we did, but gave us a report on the channel and the seas before we left. Inspiration needed to make their way to the Abacos, so they stopped in Nassau to position themselves for the next leg north. Symmetry was running about an hour behind us, so they decided to head for Norman’s Cay, which would get them in before sunset. So, it was just Orion and Marianna pulling into Shroud Cay at the end of the 2nd day.  Shroud Cay Exuma Cays Land and Sea Park The weather was warmer this year than during our visit last year, so we did more swimming and snorkeling – first in the mangrove creeks at Shroud and then in the South Anchorage on the east side of Warderick Wells, protected by Hog Cay from Exuma Sound. They were both delightful, but the snorkeling and sandy beach at “Capture Beach” on Warderick Wells was the best. But some things were a pleasant repeat of last year. We made another trek up Boo Boo Hill behind the park headquarters on Warderick Wells and fed the banaquits. And once again, we met up with Val and Graham on Bonnie Lass, who had arrived the day before. They joined us on Orion for frozen drinks which made for a great reunion.    Dave had a significantly better birthday than last year, topping off a day of swimming and snorkeling with ice cream. He didn’t get the offer of a new bow pulpit like last year, but thankfully, we don’t need one. (And let’s hope it stays that way.)  Black Point Black Point sits on the northern tip of Great Guana Cay in the Exumas. (Not to be confused with Great Guana Cay in the Abacos. Must be like Mill Creek in the Chesapeake.) We decided to make a stop here for the first time on Monday Feb. 8, after beating down the Banks from Warderick Wells for several hours. We arrived mid-afternoon to drop the anchor, where we joined about 30 other boats in this large harbor. The next morning we loaded up people, trash, laundry and a computer into the dinghy and rode into the Rockside Inn dinghy dock to take advantage of the short walk to the Laundromat. While Cathy did laundry, Dave checked the internet, picked up a coconut bread order, and then got roped into some work. Tom and Cathie on Interlude were in the harbor with Blessed Spirit. In the process of delivering supplies to the school in the settlement, they were contacted by a teacher who needed help with his computer. Dave helped him set up a dial-up internet connection, and talked with the principal about establishing a wireless network from the school that all the teachers could use. (The teachers are housed near the school.) She was eager to pursue this as a better solution.   With laundry tucked back on the boat, we started exploring the town. The first stop was Lorraine’s Café, where we enjoyed a conch sandwich and fries, before heading out to Willie Rolle’s Garden of Eden – a must-see stop at Black Point. On the way, we passed many groups of mostly women, weaving the long rolls of plaited palm, which would be used to make other goods. We had no trouble finding the Garden of Eden, with signs painted everywhere, including the pavement on the middle of the road. The garden contains dozens of driftwood sculptures, nestled between plants and flowers, which when viewed from the right angle and with the right imagination, turn into animals (2 of every kind according to Mr. Rolle) and humans in various activities. Of course, no garden would be complete without fruits and vegetables, and these were there in abundance, despite the meager amount of soil between the large patches of rock in the yard. There were papaya, guava, bananas, tamarinds, sapodillies (round kiwi), and pigeon peas – just to name some of the harvest. They were all thriving.       It was a beautiful day, but hot, so we were glad to get back to the boat to quench our thirst and, after stowing our laundry and performing some engine maintenance, we jumped in the water to cool off. We swam over to Marianna to say hello and then back to the boat. After dinner, Pat, Fred and Julie came over (by dinghy this time), bringing some of the sherbet from the freezer, so we had ice cream again. (We had to empty the freezer soon, since it was going to be delivered once we reached Georgetown. So, the ice cream had to be eaten.) We ended early, since we needed to be up at first light to head out for Georgetown, where we would spend the next week. Georgetown Again   Having completed a 9-hour run from Black Point, out through nearby Dotham Cut, and down the Exuma Sound on a strictly motoring trip, we dropped anchor off Volleyball Beach, site of our infamous collision last year. It’s hard to say we were enthusiastic about returning, but we managed to spend a little time on Volleyball Beach (where we saw Fred and Debbie from Early Out), hiking on Stocking Island and provisioning in town, between high winds that kicked up the harbor too much for our little dinghy. Interlude joined us for cocktails one evening as we managed to eke out enough ice to make a pitcher full of frozen pina coladas. We also visited briefly with Fran and Floyd on Prior Ties who had just returned from Long Island with a group of boats that had participated in a regatta out of Georgetown.    Marina At Emerald Bay With the forecasted fronts coming through every other day, we decided it was time to move on from Georgetown. We headed 12 miles north to a re-opened Marina at Emerald Bay. At $20/night, it was cheap as a mooring ball, but had free laundry, wi-fi, and showers on their “no services” dock, plus access to a gorgeous clubhouse, with TV and lots of places to lounge or plug-in and do internet. Wow! It is pretty far away from any settlement on land, but there is a well-stocked grocery store a short walk away, with free shuttle if you prefer. The only thing missing seemed to be propane re-fill. While Cathy was musing how we might find a way to do that, a propane truck drove into the driveway and Dave ran back to the boat to bring the tank for re-filling. Cathy’s thinking of what to ask for next.     Emerald Bay is a resort that was operated by Four Seasons. It closed in 2008 and re-opened last November after Sandals purchased the larger resort, including the marina. It is for sale, and the current bargain slip prices are to keep it running while a buyer is found. It had some problems that need to be overcome. Some facilities are still to be built, but the biggest obstacle that keeps boats away is the persistent surge in the marina basin. Dave talked to the harbormaster, who said they need to angle the breakwater walls to dampen this effect. Until then, the mega-yachts that will fuel the marina’s profits are reluctant to pull in.    Pat and Fred joined us late Thursday as the marina began to fill with boats hoping to escape the winds of the more severe weather forecasted on Saturday. With the marina full of boats, it wasn't long before a party was organized. On the opening night of the Olympics, the lounge was packed as we snacked on goodies and watched the Olympics coverage on the 52" flat screen TV. Then, on Saturday night before Valentine's Day, we loaded onto a bus to take a trip to the Palm Bay Beach Club, where the local Island Regatta Committee had a live band and some good food. It was a cool night, but we danced to keep warm and had a good time. By Sunday morning, however, the crowd was starting to trickle out, as the winds calmed down. We started looking for the right weather to leave and head north. Boat Stuff Our biggest concern about planning so long a run from Bimini to the Exumas was the potential for an overwhelming amount of water coming in through the rudder, as had happened on the trip from Vero Beach down the coast of Florida. Luckily this wasn’t the case. We did get some water in during our motoring legs, but this was a manageable amount. And while we sailed the rudder stayed dry. We did discover that the check valve in the line between the bilge pump on the thru-hull was doing its job a little too well, since we couldn’t get the little amount of water in the well past it. So, while in Georgetown, Dave changed the angle of the hose so the valve would be open for the aft bilge pump to pump out. One unpleasant surprise of our trip out of Bimini was when, after only a short time underway, the tachometer stopped working. After several hours of travel, Dave was finally able to fix it by adjusting the leads to the sensor. Since we use this to monitor our fuel consumption, this was a relief. As if we didn’t have enough problems with water in unusual places, Dave discovered water under the engine after our beat into the wind between Warderick Wells and Black Point. As he traced the leak, it became clear that it was coming from the raw water pump. However, since we had a new one on board in our spares, this was a simple fix to install the new one. And since the switch, no more water under the engine. Some good news this year is that our batteries are retaining their charge and voltage much better than last year. While at Emerald Bay, although we didn't have power on the docks, we used the time to run the generator to charge them well. Back North So our general direction from here is north, through the Exumas and then to the Abacos by mid-March. We hope to spend more time at some of the Exuma islands we haven’t visited yet before making the jump across to the northern Bahamas. The water is still emerald green and warmer every day. Late January - Into the Bahamas 01/31/2010
 No more complaints about the cold from us. The weather has finally warmed up and we are enjoying the beautiful sunshine and mild temperatures as we begin our travels through the Bahamas.  Bahamas or Bust Well, we almost didn’t make it. We actually parted company with Pat and Fred as they turned east off Ft. Lauderdale and made their way toward the Bimini waypoint, sadly resigning ourselves to a trip south to Marathon for repairs. About 8 hours into our trip, our mostly dry rudder post had started spilling water in a steady stream. Not enough to worry about sinking the boat, but more than we would be able keep up with as the 20kt of wind from the north kicked up the Gulf Stream for the crossing. These weren’t the conditions we would have chosen without our water problems, but with them the rough seas would mean we would have to bail constantly, meaning the off-duty crew would get no sleep. Why had this happened all of sudden, when we had had so few problems up to now? By 2am, the bilge pump Dave had installed was no longer pumping the water out, meaning we were back to hand bailing. Not a pretty sight. So, we told Pat and Fred to go on, we weren’t crossing. At that point, we had to decide where to go. We looked at the timing and decided to continue on through the next day and anchor off Rodriguez Key, the stopping point midway between Miami and Marathon in the Florida Keys. Since we didn’t want to run Hawk Channel (the eastern channel between the Keys and their ocean reef) at night, we killed the engine and poked along downwind on our headsail alone. There was enough residual Gulf Stream current even 3 miles from shore to make it slow going, but at this point we weren’t in any hurry. By sunrise off Miami, the winds were starting to calm down to the lower teens. Cathy turned on Chris Parker to get his forecast for the day ahead. Dave, now rested from several hours sleep was up and we tried to assess the situation. The rudder was dry. The waves seemed to be moderating with the winds. We could always turn around. We decided to go for it. Dave took the helm, while Cathy got some sleep, ready to respond if he needed her. By 11am, we were halfway across, and the rudder leak had been amazingly very manageable. We had furled in our headsail shortly after making the turn, with wind on too close a point of sail to get much benefit. The waves were about 4 feet on our beam, but spaced far enough a part to make the passage not too bad (after all, Cathy was able to sleep through the first part of it). Having checked into the Waterway Net with our intention to still cross to Bimini, we figured Marianna now knew of our revised plans, but we couldn’t get good enough propagation to communicate with them directly and were barely able to hear the Fleet Captain on the net. We would just have to wait until we saw them.  Bimini Entrance Channel As Bimini came into view around 1:30pm, we started preparing for the trip into the channel. Our information said that the charts we had were outdated, since a new channel had been dredged a couple of years ago. We happened to hear Interlude on the radio right about then and asked them for any first-hand information about entering Bimini. (They were approaching the banks north of Bimini headed for Chub Cay.) They said the new channel was well-marked and had plenty of depth, but that Blessed Spirit had gone aground coming around to enter the northmost fairway at Bluewater Marina, where we planned to stay. We signed off with a little better feeling about going in cold. We tried Marianna on VHF, but got no answer. As we neared the channel, we first made out a red daymark, and later a green can further out. We tried in vain to spot more markers, but none were there. It turned out the green can was number 3, meaning at least a couple of marks were missing. We watched some other small motor boats enter and exit and decided on a path in. After rounding the can to port, we started heading for the red mark. Cathy tried to read its number but could only decide that it was a single digit, but not what number it was. Dave tried to read the water color as we made our way in. We were less than a foot up on a falling tide, so we didn’t want to run aground. A minute or so later, Dave said, “we should be aground”, and then we hit the bar. He tried backing off, but it wasn’t obvious how much progress we were making. Every so often a wave would pick us up and drop us onto the bar again. Bang! As a large sportfishing boat came by at top speed, we notified him that we were aground. Although he didn’t acknowledge us, we benefited from his large wake which gave us the final push off. We moved to starboard to follow in his wake and, finally were able to read the read daymark we had been heading for. It was number 8. So much for a well-marked channel. We had no further problems and were soon tied up in our slip next to Marianna. Dave checked in with Customs and Immigration a short walk down the street. We soon saw Fred, Pat and Julie and Marianna, whom we had thought we would not see again for quite a while. As it turned out their crossing had been pretty rough, calming only later in the trip as they drew closer to Bimini for a noon arrival. It appeared we had made the right decision to delay our crossing. It had been a bit of roller-coaster ride emotionally for the past 36 hours, but we had made another successful crossing and were in the Bahamas for another winter’s stay – a destination that had seemed to slip out of our grasp just 12 hours earlier. Now, we just had to figure out how to manage that leaking rudder. Upon consideration, we have a suspicion that the difference between this trip and the others since leaving Deltaville was the weight of several jugs of fuel on the stern of the boat, in addition to the additional weight of provisions. Based on this observation, we have decided to carry less fuel and water jugs than in the past, and are working to remove any other weight that will push Orion’s stern into the water. Dave has also replaced the bilge pump by the rudder with one with intakes that are closer to the hull, so it will hopefully a) work and b) pump more of the water that does accumulate. We still hope the rudder will stay dry until we can find the permanent solution. Steering True It has been a few months since we’ve given an update about our new Garmin and the start-up issues we were having. The most significant one was the unit’s use of our Raymarine autopilot compass to determine heading information. After trying in vain to get the unit to ignore the faulty compass, Dave instead turned his attention to getting the compass itself fixed. However, instead of calling the generic Raymarine technical support, he instead went straight to a contact that we had met at the Annapolis Boat Show 2 years ago, from Raymarine Product Support. After explaining the problem, our contact immediately suggested Dave try a new compass (the solution Dave had tried to get Raymarine Tech Support to suggest 3 years ago). He sent Dave a replacement compass free of charge, which we installed while in Daytona. Unfortunately, we would not be able to test it until we could get underway and perform a sea trial calibration (which requires you to drive slowly in 2 large circle for not less than 3 minutes and not more than 2 knots. This can be tricky to do on the narrow waterways in Florida). Since the compass was installed facing astern, the display was now even more confusing until we performed the sea trial, because it kept orienting the display backward, allowing us to see where we’ve been. It was very disconcerting. It was with great relief that early on in our trip south from Daytona, we found an opportunity to calibrate the compass. While stuck waiting for the Coronado Beach Bridge south of Daytona, we decided we had (just) enough room and time to do the calibration maneuver. With the calibration done, the boat icon on the chartplotter began facing (incredibly) the way we were going. Sometimes it’s the small things you appreciate. We have now traveled over 40 hours with the new compass, and it has worked flawlessly. Another benefit is that the autopilot now starts tracking to our route much more easily, without any wild swings while it tries to compensate for the faulty compass reading. Thanks Raymarine. You done good.  Paragraph.    We are staying on North Bimini, the smaller, but more populous of the 2 Bimini islands. Its unobstructed view of the Florida Straits have fueled the economy in a number of ways for generations: from the early days of wreckers, to trading with the passing ships to the current tourist economy, which has spawned a huge development at the north end of the island called Bimini Bay. The contrast between Bimini Bay and the rest of Bimini couldn’t be greater. The small towns of Alicetown, Bailey, and Porgy Bay are very typical Bahamian towns, with residences, small shops, schools and government or utility buildings lining the main road running the length of the island. However, once one passes through the entrance at Bimini Bay, one is transported to an idyllic resort community with immaculate landscaping, wide boulevards, spacious homes and condominiums as far as the eye can see. We were taken on an extensive tour by one of the salesmen, who took us north of the existing homes to show an amazing process of constructing more island, with earth moving equipment running back and forth on an expanse of sand that could rival most interstates.    On the other end of the island, we were treated to a tour of a 18-year project called the Dolphin House, constructed almost entirely of found or donated objects and concrete. Its proud owner and builder considers it still a work in progress, but proudly shares its sturdy construction and carefully executed decorations with visitors for a modest fee. It has survived several hurricanes and will no doubt be here through many more.     Bimini also contains the answer to some of “life’s persistent questions”, such as the location of the Fountain of Youth (on South Bimini) and the lost city of Atlantis, which apparently is being explored off the shores of Bimini Bay. When not wondering the island, we were doing boat projects (such as making glass-bottom buckets), socializing with and helping out other cruisers, enjoying the abundant rock lobster tails or cracked conch, and getting ready for our next run, which will be another overnight -- this time to the Exumas.        Moving On So, we are nearly ready to try again. After a failed attempt last Friday, where the strong south winds and a similarly strong current foiled our collective attempt to depart, we are looking for calmer conditions which appear to be arriving on Wednesday (Jan. 27). Hopefully, the passage will be as good as (or better than) forecast, which mostly contains wind on the nose, albeit lighter than most of the past week. And let’s hope that rudder stays (mostly) dry. Early January - Braving the Cold 01/15/2010
 Those of you in latitudes 30 degrees and above will find our whining about cold weather amusing, but the past 2 weeks brought record-setting cold to Florida (along with the rest of the nation) which we experienced first-hand. Now that temperatures have returned to more normal ranges, we hope we don’t get a chance to repeat the frosty weather experience any time soon. Spacing Out   As the cold weather moved into Florida on the first, we headed out for our annual trip to Disney World, but instead took a left and ended up at the Kennedy Space Center, which we had last visited many years ago. Although there was no shuttle on the launchpad, there was still plenty to see and do. One highlight was the visit to the Mission Control center for the Apollo program, where they recreated the launch of the Apollo 8 mission. Upon completion of the program, we were ushered out into the area where a Saturn rocket was laid on its side from one end of the hall to the other. To say it was huge is a gross understatement.     An alligator swims up close at the Visitor Center The Cape Canaveral National Seashore surrounds the space center, and we were told about many efforts made to help preserve the wildlife that lives there. One dramatic example swam up to us at the visitor center. Despite the stormy weather, we had a great time, stayed all day and could easily have spent more time. Sun Worship    Over the holidays, Dave ordered 2 hard solar panels to add to the flexible ones we already had. With the additional power, he needed to upgrade to a new controller that would better manage the power generated and ensure that the batteries were not overcharged. Once back on the boat, he just needed to run the wires for the panels and install the new controller. After a couple of trips to the local marine supply store, he had all the supplies he needed and started connecting the new and existing panels to the new controller. With the panels and controller in place, he was able to see a noticeable increase in power from the new panels. We now have one mounted on the stern so we’ll be able to take more advantage of different sun angles. Ice, Ice Everywhere Several years ago, when we first started cruising with Marianna, Merlin and Milano Myst, there was a running joke about having an ice machine on board for cold drinks. Although, with all the cold of late, it was hard to believe that the time would come that we would want it, we had purchased an ice machine over the summer and needed to upgrade some wiring to handle it. Dave kept it hidden until just the right time during our trip south, to provide ice for drinks while we stayed at R. E. Mayo. It had the desired effect. Fred couldn’t get over the fact that Dave had kept it a secret for so much of the trip south. We had originally wired a little 500W inverter to an AC outlet by the nav station to power our blender. This would not be enough for the ice machine. So, we purchased a new 1200W inverter and installed it in the engine room, closer to the batteries to avoid power loss. With a remote switch, it is pretty easy to turn on, without crawling into the engine room. It is wired to the same AC outlet. So, when the weather warms up, we will be able to make ice and enjoy a cold drink even while at anchor.  Lines frozen from the cold Stocking Up, Cleaning Up, Moving Out We spent much of the time in Daytona on provisioning: shopping for food and supplies, stowing what we bought and removing anything that we could that was no longer necessary. When we were done, Orion was full of stores, food, and water, making her ride lower in the water than we have ever seen her. While Cathy tried to keep her clean on the inside staying one step ahead of the condensation from all the cold weather, Dave worked on the outside, having a diver come and clean the bottom and replace the zinc. We were pleased that the report was that the bottom was very clean and the prop especially so. The PropSpeed seemed to be working well. Cathy found a warmer day to finish stripping and applying Cetol to the swim ladder steps, a project she had begun but was unable to complete before leaving Deltaville. Unfortunately, the weather was not nearly as warm the day before leaving Daytona, so she did her best to make as quick work as possible of topping off the water tanks and cleaning the strataglass in the enclosure. She didn’t consider the effect of having all that water running across the deck onto the lines. When Dave began casting off the next morning, he found the lines that had been neatly coiled on deck, were now frozen in that shape. It wasn’t until late morning that the lines thawed enough to unwind. The work to clean the enclosure seemed to pay off on the day of our departure, when the glass was clean and clear. However, it wasn’t good enough to prevent the glass from completely frosting over the next morning as we prepared to leave Cocoa Beach. Cathy had to take care to clean the glass without scratching it and without her hands going numb from the cold. This isn’t supposed to happen in Florida. Daytona to Vero Beach We took 2 days to make the run from Daytona Beach to Vero Beach, clearing the 2 bridges near Titusville just before their 3:30pm restrictions on the first day to make Cocoa not long before sunset. We took time to top off Orion’s fuel to fill the tank for the first time in a month. We topped her off again in Vero once we arrived before taking a mooring. Although our original plan had been to depart after just one night in Vero, Chris Parker reported that the cold weather in Florida was kicking up the windspeeds in the Gulf Stream by 10 or more knots, making for a rough crossing at night, which was our plan. With this new information, we reluctantly decided to wait for the next window, which would keep us in Vero for another week. We made use of the time to visit with friends who were already in Vero Beach. Libby and Dick from Tarwathie, who had been our neighbors for a week on the hard in Deltaville, invited us over for dinner one night. Later, we enjoyed an evening with Euphoria, Cattiva and Marianna on Orion. Each night of our stay was gradually getting warmer, until finally the shorts and T-shirts came back out again. Another week passing meant more grocery shopping, laundry and, with the warmer weather, time spent drying out the boat and cleaning up the mildew from all the condensation. Finally, we are ready to go – again. Our plan is to head south out the Fort Pierce inlet, down the Florida coast to some point south of Fort Lauderdale, where we’ll cross to Bimini, arriving there in the morning of the next day. If all goes as planned that will be Tuesday, Jan. 19th. So, the next update should find us in the Bahamas. |
