Five years later ……..

It’s so hard to believe that it was exactly five years ago today – September 4, 2016 (see note below) – that we sailed away from the dock of the Youngstown Yacht Club. Away from our family, our friends, our jobs and all that had been constant in our lives. It was the most perfect morning for starting our adventure – sunny, but not too warm; a nice breeze but not enough for waves. Guy Jones and Bob Reese & Pauline Kaiser were the brave souls who saw us off the dock at 6 am and we were glad to have the company as we bid Youngstown farewell.

I don’t think we knew what to expect as we set off – we could only hope that the short cruises we had enjoyed, the reading and research we had done, and the encouragement of fellow long-time cruisers would be enough to get us through all the adventures we were about to have. Although we originally thought we would have headed down to the Caribbean and perhaps beyond by now, we have found that we really enjoy the Bahamas in the winter and New England/the US during the summer. Not only are the Bahamas relatively crime free, they are close by. The people are wonderful, the climate is perfect, and the sea life is spectacular. But who knows what we may decide to do in the next few years – our options are open.

*In case you’re wondering what color to paint your boat …………………………………*

What have we learned over the past five years? Certainly more than I can capsulize here, but I’ll give it a try.

(1) Most importantly, we’ve learned that it is hard to be away from friends and family, especially during the tough times. My beloved father passed away on April 1 this year, and a moment hasn’t passed when I haven’t wished I could have visited with him more recently or more regularly. All plans I had on flying home around the holidays or in the spring were all squashed by Covid. We have missed parties, weddings and funerals, missed hanging out at YYC, missed race nights, and missed just sharing a glass of wine with friends. But when we are lucky enough to see friends and family, it is all the more special.

(2) We’ve learned that A LOT can go wrong on the boat – all cruisers say the same thing. It’s not all sitting around quaffing umbrella drinks and eating bon bons. It’s crawling into tight spaces to replace impellers, or pumps, or hoses, or goodness knows what. And things go wrong at the most inopportune times – mostly when you have guests! Nothing worse than an exploding head with company on board. As our friend Linda said, cruising is hard, and that’s why many people give up after a few years. Having said that, we are not ready to give up! We just really appreciate it when the boat is behaving for a spell. Unfortunately, most of the “ugly” jobs fall into Gary’s lap, so I think he gets the raw end of the stick (until I think of how many meals I have to make every day – then maybe, not so much!).

(3) We’ve learned that WEATHER is our life. Windy.com is our new friend. Every morning we look at the weather, whether we are moving or not. We have outrun several tropical storms and hurricanes. It is NOT fun. Ida was the closest we have been to a tornado – there was one in Annapolis as we were traversing the Chesapeake-Delaware Canal. On this recent trip back down from Maine, after we were at the Cape and Ida was coming up the coast and headed straight for us, we were doing 112-115 NM a day (about 125-130 Statutory Miles), starting at 5 am at morning and going till 9 pm just to cover enough ground. I love going into an anchorage in the dark – NOT.

*and this is not a black and white photo ……….*

(4) We’ve learned that there are wonderful fellow cruisers out there – some that we have really bonded with and stay in regular contact with. Unfortunately, those fellow cruisers usually head in different directions, so we don’t get to see them often as we would like. Thank goodness for the internet, which allows us to stay in touch with them as they travel different parts of the globe. Other cruisers are also a wonderful source of information.

(5) We’ve learned that YouTube is our friend – there are countless “how to’s” on YouTube which are a lifesaver when you are trying to do something yourself the first time.

(6) We’ve learned that plastics are a complete nightmare for our environment – not that we weren’t aware of it before, but it is really in your face when you see the amount of plastic waste in the water and washed up on beaches. We have reduced our plastic consumption considerably, and re-use as much as possible.

*Dawn on the water – 5 am can be beautiful*

(7) We’ve learned that climate change is a real issue, particularly in the water. The level of coral bleaching we have seen is downright frightening. We have been back to underwater sites that have been destroyed just in the past few years that we have been visiting – all the colors gone, covered with algae, and few fish. And storms are becoming more frequent and more violent.

(8) We’ve learned to fish, either by trolling or by spearing (by “we” at this point, I’m talking mostly Gary – although I have reeled in a fish or two!). We save tons of money in the Bahamas, not having to buy protein very often.

*I love this picture – even if it was taken on a cell phone. Just sad to think how good it could have been on my real camera*

(9) We’ve learned that we love our boat. We love the space, the layout, the galley, and especially the cockpit. It is wonderful to be able to completely enclose yourself when the weather is cold and miserable, and to drop all the screens when the green-headed monsters are biting. And it is perfect for entertaining guests. It is a big commitment to decide on a boat that you’re going to live on, and we are happy we made the right choice.

(10) We’ve learned that Hobie the cat is a HUGE stress reliever for us. When things are going wrong or you’ve had a bad day (or on the verge of throwing each other overboard!), he is the constant in our life that is always happy to see us. We had some trepidation at the beginning, but now we can’t imagine living aboard without him.

Despite losing Dad in April, and Gary’s unexpected back surgery in July, we still managed to make it up to Bar Harbor in Maine. As I write, we are back in Annapolis, getting ourselves geared up to make yet another trek down to the Bahamas. The list of “things to do” and “things to buy” before we start heading south is a mile long. Knowing what to do and how to provision has been a big learning curve for us, but we have slowly got the hang of it over the past five years. At the top of the “things to buy” us a new camera! My beloved Sony NEX-7 sounds like a machine gun when I turn it on, so I think the salt life finally got to it. All the pictures in this blog were done on my cell phone.

So on we go – bring on the next five years! Love and hugs to all.

Tuna!

While we were in Rock Sound (Eleuthera), we befriended a young couple on a 31 foot Hallberg-Rassy (they had a cat on board too). It was their first time in the Bahamas, and they were making it up as they went along. We invited them on board, and Gary reviewed all their charts with them, showing the good anchorages and what to avoid. He also gave them a spare fishing spear as a parting gift, one that he hadn’t been using. In return, they gave us the above-pictured squid for fishing. It had jumped onto their boat in the night. We also had squid ink (black) on our dinghy, but no dead bodies. The colors on it were absolutely amazing – I didn’t do a thing to this picture. Every color of the rainbow on one fish. (Unfortunately, it didn’t net us a fish when we were trolling with it as bait – something gobbled it right off the line!)

After Eleuthera, we set off to Little San Salvador. On route, we caught about 8 fish, although we lost several of them reeling them in. We ended up with one large Skipjack tuna, and two Blackfin tuna – no complaints! No more room in the freezer anyway. A shark had helped himself to the tail of the larger Blackfin as we were reeling it in – we were lucky it didn’t take more. It’s amazing how much money we save by catching our own protein. Sushi for dinner that night!

Being on Little San Salvador with no cruise ships was wonderful (the island is owned by the Holland Line). The water was so clear – you can’t describe it. There were only a couple of other boats there with us. We went ashore and walked the beach, and snorkeled around the island.

Gary got a big lobster (about a 2 pound tail), which we enjoyed for dinner and lunch the next day. Overall, though, the snorkeling was disappointing and depressing – so much algae and diseased coral everywhere we go. We really notice the difference, even in the short amount of time we have been coming to the Bahamas (our fifth season already!). We both hate to think what the future holds.

*Algae and White Band Disease on Elk Horn Coral*

Cat Island was our next stop, at a little town called Bennett Harbor – tiny little place. We walked to shore to stretch our legs and managed to get bananas and a loaf of bread at the little store.

*When I get back to the States, I am overwhelmed in the grocery store*s

Everyone is excellent about wearing masks and social distancing on these small islands, so you feel very safe. Although we had planned on going farther south on Cat Island, there was a big northerly front coming. Since there were no good anchorages on Cat, we crossed to the Exumas.

We made our way from the Staniel Cay area (after stopping for a quick grocery run for milk) down to the Exuma National Park area to ride out the 30-knot winds forecasted. We were snorkeling near Cambridge Cay when Gary had an incredible close encounter – with a HAMMERHEAD SHARK!!!! He had been snorkeling along and thought he spotted a lobster, so he dived down to take a look (the Park is a no-take zone). As he came back up for air, he was literally an arms-length away from the shark – about an eight footer. Gary says he doesn’t know who was more scared – him or the shark! Both shot in opposite directions. Unfortunately, he didn’t have the GoPro on, and the shark took off before I could see it. You never know what you are going to see under the water.

*Just what the hell is this? Anyone know? (This was underwater, BTW)*

One of our favorite spots was up next – Warderick Wells, also in the Park. As I have previously mentioned, some parts of the Park have assigned mooring balls, and it is always entertaining to watch people as they try to snag their mooring line. One day, Gary first helped people to pick up their line – they had first run aground at the entrance, and then could not pick up the line (the current is pretty strong there). Gary took the head Park Ranger with him in our dinghy to assist them. Then another Beneteau 49 (exactly the same boat as ours), ran aground on the huge sandbar near the entrance. Unfortunately, the tide was going out and the wind was pushing them farther onto the sandbar. So we jumped in the dinghy to see if we could help. We positioned the dinghy on the bow of the boat and turned the throttle way up and started to push. Another boater saw what we were doing, and came over to help push. Between the two dinghy motors going full tilt, we were able to get him off and into deeper water. We stayed and helped them pick up their mooring ball, since they were a bit frazzled at that point and almost ran aground again! We thought that would be it for the day, but then a catamaran came in and were having trouble with their line. They radioed to the Park Ranger for help, but since we were only two mooring balls away, we told them we would help. Turns out that the mooring line was totally twisted under the main ball and Gary had a hell of time getting it free. But eventually, success! The Park Office Manager, Cherry, told us she was very happy with her two new assistants.

Haven’t been able to identify this yet – working on it. Very cool horizontal flower.

We did a lot of cleaning during the blow. Gary practically dismantled the aft head, taking off all the stainless bits and pieces and polishing them all, and cleaned and waxed all the fiberglass/gelcoat. Looks brand new! He also removed both of the sinks and re-bedded them with fresh caulking (caulking is a pain to keep clean – most of the newer boats don’t use it anymore). One day we took out the entire stove unit and cleaned it inside and out (Gary) as well as cleaning the entire area it rests in (me – I got the easy job). We have done that job a few times, and it is a pain in the neck, but there’s really no way to clean it properly otherwise. So much for drinking umbrella cocktails and eating bon-bons!

*Second Sojourn at anchor near Staniel Cay*

We eventually made our way up to New Providence, where our first guests of the season arrived. We had some trepidation, but with the testing program in place, masks and social distancing, we made it work. After the test in the Bahamas, they were “free & clear”. Normally at this point, we have had about five sets of guests so we were very happy for the company. It was the third visit for Gui and Patti, and they were so happy to be away from Buffalo’s snow and cold.

*On Shroud Cay – probably my favorite beach ANYWHERE*

We landed a nice Mahi Mahi near Highbourne Cay, and I (yes, ME) was reeling in a huge Wahoo – it was killing me! Unfortunately, as we tried to get it aboard, we lost it. Just as well, as the freezer was packed after provisioning in Nassau. We were happy with Mahi Mahi Teriyaki (it rhymes!) that night.

As I write this, we are anchored off Lee Stocking Island, just north of George Town in the Exumas. We are hoping for a weather window to head farther south to Long Island, but only Mother Nature will make that call for us. Hopefully, she will be good to us.

*Do you really think you can squeeze into that fruit basket?????*

Sweetings Pond, Eleuthera

*The very narrow entrance/exit into Hatchet Bay (man-made) and the lagoon behind us*

We crossed to Eleuthera on January 5^th. Seas were fairly flat and behind us, so it was a good crossing, except for in the fishing department – nothing! Not even a lowly barracuda. Typically, when we get to the anchorage at Royal Island, it is a pretty busy spot. But there was only one other boat when we got there. Things are quiet indeed! And then when we tried to shop at provision at Spanish Wells (very good grocery store), it was closed because of a national holiday – Majority Rule Day, which celebrates Bahamian independence from British rule. Gary wasn’t in the mood to stick around for another day, because he was itching to get to Sweetings Pond.

Sweetings Pond is a landlocked lagoon located just north of Hatchet Bay, where we often anchor. Although it is connected invisibly to the ocean, since water seeps through the limestone rock, there is no physical access to it from the ocean. It has been physically cut off for over 6000 years and is home to the densest population of seahorses in the world. The threatened Lined Seahorse is found there in numbers never discovered elsewhere. There was some chatter over the past few years about opening the lagoon up and making it into another harbor with a marina, etc., which is what they did to Hatchet Bay years ago (see first picture above – God only knows what was in that ecosystem before it was destroyed). Fortunately, the Bahamas National Trust, who oversees the management of the National Park system, has purchased the pond and is making it part of the Park, so it will remain untouched.

Gary and I walked about two miles from Hatchet Bay with our snorkeling gear to the pond (definite sign of Covid’s influence – normally we would have been offered about ten rides). It is a very quiet, still place. Although the water is clear, it is very silty. The sign said not to wear fins, but we were both concerned about our ability to lie flat and still without fins, so we both wore them. You just had to be very careful about kicking – tiny little movements so as not to stir up the sediment and make visibility impossible (it was somewhat limited to begin with).

The whole floor is covered by algae, which is perfect for the seahorses to hide in

Once I found the first seahorse, it was easy to find many more. Overall, I think we found about 40. They lie on their sides to camouflage and try to hide their heads in the weeds. The female lays her eggs into the male’s pouch where they stay until they are born as tiny little seahorses, perfectly formed (about 1/4 of an inch long).

This one has its tail wrapped around an algae stalk to keep it steady

*This little guy started swimming away from us*

We also found an amazing Fringeback Dondice Aeolid Nudibranch, which is basically a sea slug – a snail without a shell. Seeing a Nudibranch is a real treat. In all our years of diving (other than in Indonesia), I can count the number of Nudibranchs we have seen on one hand. This particular specimen is bright blue, yellow and white; it was hard to get close for a good picture. I am pulling all these shots off a GoPro video, so the clarity is compromised.

We also saw Brittle Stars and Rough Fileclams. Brittle Stars (called that because they have plates on their arms which break off easily) move more quickly than other sea stars. Typically, they are out at night, but in this pond, they were moving around during the day.

The orange-red color of the Rough File Clams, which are relatives of the scallop, have a mantle so bright it has to be seen to be believed.

*There are anemones, oysters, mussels, and different types of algae and weeds all growing in this cluster – all attached to some abandoned machinery dumped in the pond*

The weed life was amazing too; there was an underwater green vine (which I think is Green Feather Algae), and the brownish pink algae sprouted little white flowers (Pink Bush Algae?). It’s hard to properly identify some of the things since this pond has been cut off from the outside for thousands of years, so many plants and animals have mutated.

We are so lucky to be able to discover and explore these different places – not many people in this world have been in Sweetings Pond. We thank our friend, Nancy, for telling us about it and are grateful that the Bahamas National Trust had the foresight to save it from destruction. You can get more information on the National Park system by going onto http://www.bnt.bs.

*This was a particularly colorful grouping of coral, fileclams, oysters and anemones*

After Hatchet Bay, it was our intent to stop at Governor’s Harbor (one of the better booze stores on the island!), but the wind was in the wrong direction, so we continued on to Rock Sound. We caught a nice Cero Mackerel underway, which made for a delicious dinner. We stayed a week in Rock Sound (they have decent provisioning there), and made some new friends. The best part was a local farmer, Brother Dan, who brought his van loaded with fantastic homegrown tomatoes, beets, cucumbers, arugula, leaf lettuce, cilantro, tiny bananas, etc., to the parking lot by the grocery store – we became very good friends! Good tomatoes are almost non-existent in the Bahamas, because the soil is so bad. Eleuthera is one of the few that has decent topsoil.

On our last night in Eleuthera, we treated ourselves to a night at Cape Eleuthera Marina (equalizing batteries, laundry, etc.), although the internet signal I had hoped for to do some serious catching up was not to be found unless you sat in the main office. We hadn’t been to a marina since we were in Belhaven, NC, where we tied up at the Town Dock, so Hobie was happy to be on land once again.

Next up, Little San Salvador and Cat Island. Stay safe and warm!

And to all, a good night ………

Clearly, Hobie had a very nice Christmas! And no, I did NOT pose him for that picture. Which begets the question – why was the rum on the bed? I’ll leave you guessing on that one. Christmas was a quiet one for us, as I’m sure it was for the rest of you. We had our friends, Barry & Marcia, who literally had been tested that day (their five-day required test), over for Christmas Eve on our boat, and it was good to have some company. Christmas was just the three of us, and I was a bit panicked, because we had lost all phone/data service (company-wide problem) about mid-day on Christmas Eve and I still didn’t have it Christmas morning. Most importantly, I wanted to chat with my Dad and be in touch with the rest of my family. Finally, about 1 pm, it was working, and then I was frantic trying to send out greetings to everyone.

*Hope Town Harbor – at least some greenery has filled in, making it look so much better*

After leaving West End, we made a beeline for Green Turtle Cay because more weather was due to come in in a couple of days. Green Turtle Cay is one of our favorite spots, and it was nice to see that a lot of the island has been rebuilt since Dorian, although there’s still a lot to be done. They didn’t get hit as badly as some of the other islands just to the south, but it was still devastating. En route, we made friends with a family on a Little Harbor 64 – an absolutely gorgeous boat.

Turns out that the captain is Andy Green, who is a renown British sailor and America’s Cup announcer. We led them through Indian Cut – a tricky shallow area for our deeper keeled boats (we draw about 6 feet, they draw about 6.5). Shaves about two hours off the trip around the bank, so they were happy to follow along behind us, copying our route. High tide is a must. We took them to Pineapple’s – probably our favorite restaurant in the Abacos, and they had a great time.

As I write we are still sitting in the harbor at Hope Town, although we did leave last week to go a little farther south to Tilloo Cay, Armstrong Cay and Snake Cay. Gary did some lobstering and was quite successful! These were the two largest ones – one tail weighed 1 ¾ pounds and the other weighed about 17 oz. When they are that big, you can also eat the legs and antenna. We ate the big one for dinner, and still had enough for lobster salad the next day at lunch; the other one is in the freezer.

It has been tradition that the “Harbor Rats” – the cruisers who come and hang out on the mooring balls for the winter – hang the Christmas lights on the lighthouse. Gary and I helped out this year and it was so much fun. For all of us, the lighthouse is reminder that, even though the town is still in tatters, Hope Town will survive and carry on.

*Sorry that this is such a fuzzy picture, but between the boat moving and the lights swaying, it was next to impossible!*

One night, I was sitting in the cockpit in the dark, talking to my Dad on the phone, when a 23 foot boat silently floated by. I didn’t even see it until it passed us since I was facing the stern. How it didn’t crash into us, I will never know; the current must have been just right. I called down to Gary and told Dad I had to go. We lowered the dinghy into the water (we have fabulous davits, so it only takes a minute), grabbed some spare lines just in case, and off we went with a bright flashlight, trying to find the wayward boat in the dark. Once we found it, we quickly grabbed the bow line (the only visible docking line) and I held on for dear life while Gary motored our dinghy over to a vacant mooring ball and tied it up. It was a pretty heavy boat! Good thing we caught it when we did, as it had already bumped one other (empty) boat and was heading for shore.

When we got back to our boat, I tried to call the owner of the boat (it was a rental boat, so the name of the owner was on the side). We were concerned that someone could have fallen overboard, particularly since it had no other lines indicating it had been tied up somewhere. Unfortunately, almost all of the phone numbers on line for businesses on the hard hit Abaco islands are inoperative – all the landlines were wiped out by the hurricane. The company had three numbers listed, and not one of them worked. Gary then hailed on the VHF, thinking that perhaps someone was looking for their boat, but no response. So then I called our friend, Harold, who runs the boat rental company called CatsPaws. He finally managed to track the owner down, and shortly thereafter, we saw red and green lights going by us on the way to retrieve the boat. A few days later, he stopped by to thank us profusely. Apparently, he had pulled up to the dock by the liquor store and completely forgotten to tie it up – clearly, there was some alcohol involved that night!

Gary had a second rescue on his hands when we went to Marsh Harbor to grocery shop. Unbeknownst to the boat owner ahead of us, his wooden dinghy had got loose and was floating merrily away. I spotted it and Gary jumped in the dinghy, collected it and took it back to his owner. Very pretty little dinghy and not a great spot to lose track of it. The owner was extremely thankful!

Days right now are filled with snorkeling (when it’s not too choppy or chilly), cleaning, cooking, baking, beach walking, reading, etc. Did I mention napping? There is not much to do ashore in Hope Town, since they suffered the double whammy of first the hurricane, and then the Coronavirus. Electricity hasn’t been completely restored yet, which is a big problem. Business are slow to reopen, not only because of the damage, but because there are no visitors. It’s a vicious cycle – they would put the rush on to open if people were coming, but they’re not because of travel restrictions, so around it goes. Thank goodness that the greenery has come back, and the native wildflowers are all in bloom.

I came across this picture of the beautiful pool at the Harbor Lodge (the Lodge is now completely razed). This is the before and after picture of the swimming pool area; the pool is now completely filled with sand and weeds.

We are lucky to be in a place where Covid is rare (only 2 cases on Elbow Cay where Hope Town is located, and those were months ago). The testing program that the Bahamian government has in place seems to be working well, and we keep our fingers crossed that we will avoid the lockdown situation that plagued us last spring. But the whole of the Abacos is VERY quiet. As you can see from the above picture of Hope Town harbor, there are very few boats. Normally at this time of year, you are lucky to find an empty mooring ball. Only two sets of the “regulars” are here. Gary commented that it’s as though we have the whole of the Abacos to ourselves. Some days, we barely see another boat. Hopefully, we are off to Eleuthera at the beginning of next week to begin our trek south, and it will be interesting to see if it gets busier as we head that way. It has been a bit chilly up here – 65-70 ish, so we will go in search of some warmer weather!

*A Spiny Orb-Weaver Spider (my sister won’t like this!)*

Gary and I (and Hobie, of course) wish everyone a peaceful, happy, healthy New Year – certainly 2021 has to be an improvement on 2020! Missing everyone, especially at this time of year. Virtual hugs and kisses, M&G&H xoxo

A Bridge Too Far……

We are happy to be back in the Bahamas, having crossed on the 15^th of November. It is good to be here in the crystal blue waters after being in the muddy Chesapeake and ICW for so long. The lead-up to our crossing was not without its issues, but once again we persevered and here we are.

*The Woodwind, sailing past our anchorage in Back Creek in Annapolis*

We left Annapolis on October 13^th. Always so hard to say goodbye to our friends there. Once again, Garth and Sue were invaluable and so good to us. Garth let me use his Sailrite machine to make a new grill cover (don’t ask), a boat hook bag, and a bag for the dinghy anchor out of Sunbrella. We thank them for taking us inside their Covid bubble and treating us like family. The first few days of our trip down the Chesapeake, they traveled with us down to Deltaville on their new boat – they crossed to the “dark side” with a power catamaran, which we will be very jealous of when it’s shallow in the Bahamas!

The trip down the ICW from Annapolis was mostly uneventful. We were kind of pushing ourselves every day to put mileage behind us, because two days before we left Annapolis, Gary broke a tooth. So we made arrangements for Gary to see a prosthetic dentist in Stuart, Florida, on November 6. Engine was running well after all our issues last fall and spring, so we weren’t stalling every five minutes, which was a plus! We hit some windy weather in the Norfolk/Hampton area so were unable to visit with our good friend, Caroline. We made good time down to Carolina Beach, where we connected with fellow cruisers, Will & Muffin, on their sailboat, Antares, who were on their way south to the Bahamas as well. Unfortunately, Muffin had broken AND dislocated her shoulder, so they were laid up for quite a while (they eventually left the boat and drove home until she is fully recovered and has the strength to travel – hopefully mid-December). We offered to stay longer and help out, but there was little we could do.

*Morning light on Great Bridge in Virginia*

In North Carolina, we decided to go ashore to one of our favorite restaurants. Supposedly, the restaurants were at seating only 50% of their capacity, and masks were required. When we got there, however, the restaurant was humming and they wanted to seat us at a table where I would have hit the people behind us when I pulled out my chair. I told the owner/hostess that it was not acceptable, and she seated us in the wine room, by ourselves, which suited us fine. Then when the waitress came over, I had to ask her (nicely) if she would “mind” pulling her mask up over her nose – grrrrrr! We decided after that fiasco, that we would not be going out to eat anymore. We were very surprised by the whole lackadaisical attitude after all the New England states were so careful and strictly following the guidelines.

As we went through Beaufort/Morehead City, NC, we came across this ship in the waterway. We were totally puzzled by the big net on top of it. When we googled it, we discovered that it was one of the SpaceX-affiliated ships called GO Ms. Tree. Specifically, it is a payload fairing catcher, meaning that as the fairings fall away from the rocket (fairings are the part of the rocket that guards the payload during the launch process) the ship catches the debris so that it can be used again – amazing!

Speaking of weird stuff, we also saw this in the waterway – still haven’t been able to identify what it is yet. Any clue?

We visited our friends Wayne and Gretchen Bretsch in South Carolina, and we were happy to see them because we couldn’t stop to see them in the spring on the way north. Because we had made such good time getting down the ICW, we had time to kill before we could go past Brunswick, Georgia (our cutoff for hurricane insurance – can’t cross below there until November 1 – if you do, you have NO insurance). Instead, I called the insurance company and asked for a four-day window, pleading a medical appointment. They actually allowed us to go on October 28^th, which was a good thing because it would have been very hard to get from Brunswick to Stuart in six days! And meanwhile, of course, Eta is brewing and re-brewing ………………

*Sunrise on Cumberland Island in Georgia*

So off we went to Stuart at full tilt, stopping in New Smyrna to visit an old friend but otherwise just doing 50- to 75-mile days. We got to Stuart on the 4^th of November and prepped the boat for the onslaught of Eta. After picking up a mooring ball at Sunset Bay Marina, Gary prepared the mooring lines with garden hose to stop any chafing. We took down the headsail and stored it below, along with all the cushions and anything else that could go flying. Winds were forecasted to be in the 30’s with potential gusts to 50+. There was a very short debate on whether we should take down the bimini, but since that would mean we would lose all our solar power (to charge the batteries to keep the fridge and freezer going), we quickly decided that it would be okay to leave it up.

And then we jumped ship to Bill & Linda Goller’s wonderful home in Jensen Beach – a stone’s throw from Stuart, fortunately. We rode the storm out there and it got pretty ugly at times. I think we would have been all right on the boat, but it would not have been comfortable.

*Enjoying Chef Gary’s homemade sushi with Bill & Linda*

Hobie would not have liked it AT ALL. He much prefers the Gollers’ guest house with enclosed courtyard!

The boat came through with flying colors and the batteries stayed well charged during our five-day absence. On November 11^th, we determined that we had a five-day weather window to start our testing process to be admitted to the Bahamas, so off we went to the local urgent care facility in Stuart which had 24-hour turnaround time for results. The test was NOT fun. It was a PCR test (required), and apparently that can be administered either up the nose (with a rubber hose – haha!) or by scrubbing the back of your throat with a large Q-tip. For who-knows-what reason, the results for the throat test come back in one day; the nose swab test takes three days to get results back. They had to administer it to me three times (fortunately, they didn’t charge for each time!) because I kept gagging so badly. Apparently, gagging forces your tongue up and touches the swab, and that is not a good thing for test results. Gary got through it the first time, but he gagged badly at the end too. Should have got a picture of that!

So after provisioning like crazy with food and booze (and with Gary’s tooth successfully repaired with a new crown), off we went on the 12^th for the last leg to Lake Worth Inlet (North Palm Beach area), with plans to cross on Friday the 13^th. There was a good three day weather window that looked good for crossing the Gulf Stream. And then – after God knows HOW MANY BLOODY BRIDGES in the ICW (I’ll have to actually count), we HIT THE LAST ONE. The Blue Heron Bridge. Our anchorage for our crossing was about 500 yards on the other side of it. And when I say hit, we are used to scraping the VHF antenna on a regular basis, since that’s about 18” above our mast head. But this time, we took out the TV antenna and the windex (and we thought the anchor light, but it was still up there – with a broken wire, so not working). We had taken the wind instrument down in North Carolina before we started going under the sketchy bridges, so at least we didn’t lose that too. And we didn’t actually hit the mast itself, although I can only imagine how close it must have been. The REALLY ANNOYING part is that the tide board (showing the aerial height in feet for clearance) was clearly 65 feet. And since we have gone under bridges reading 63.5 before, 65 was easy-peasy. At least it should have been if it weren’t for the fact that it was TOTALLY INCORRECT. And we have been under that bridge before with no issues whatsoever – if we have issues, I make copious notes in my Waterway Guide. So I can only guess that we have been under it at low tide before.

And that wasn’t the only issue – Gary had noticed that the batteries weren’t charging as well as they should be (this is before the bridge incident), and after trouble-shooting, determined that we needed a new alternator. AND (they say everything comes in threes), the generator decided to act up. GOOD GRIEF. After a consult with Fisher Panda (our generator manufacturer), it was determined that we needed new capacitors. So we rented a car for the day (the 13^th – sure seemed like Friday the 13th to me!) and Gary drove to Fort Lauderdale (about 100 miles round trip), where he bought a new Balmar alternator, and six new capacitors (whoever heard of those before other than in Back to the Future where the DeLorean had a flux capacitor???). Apparently, capacitors store energy and were basically at the end of their natural life. So on Saturday, Gary replaced the alternator (moderate swearing) and decided to wait to replace the capacitors until after we crossed.

On Sunday, the 15^th – the last day that our five-day test was valid for entry, and with our approved Travel Health Visas that the Bahamas government issues in hand, off we went at 6:30 am. Good crossing for the most part – a bit “washboardy” at first because the waves were fighting the wind, but after a torrential downpour (great for washing the salt off!), the fronts all cleared out and we had a very nice sunny crossing.

*After the rainstorm, there was a beautiful rainbow behind us and the seas calmed down*

We arrived in record time at West End at 2:30 pm (at the west end of Grand Bahama Island), checked into Customs & Immigration, and made ourselves a VERY large Goombay Smash with some freshly made conch salad. And there was yet another rainbow to welcome us to the Bahamas.

Since our arrival, Gary has successfully replaced all the capacitors (EXTREME swearing). I have no clue how he figures out how to do half this stuff, but on a boat, it’s not like you have much choice! The generator is running smoothly again, and the batteries are charging nicely with the new alternator. Once the wind dies down (it has been in the 20kt range since we got here), I will take him up the mast to replace the windex and run the wire for the anchor light (we’ve been using Luci Lights in the meantime). Our friends Barry & Marcia are bringing a new TV antenna for us when they cross at the beginning of December. Fortunately, we have a lot of recorded movies and TV shows to watch in the meantime.

We also survived our “fifth-day here test” – a rapid antigen test administered by a local nurse on Green Turtle Cay. FINALLY done with all that rigamorale!

*A well-deserved nap for the Captain and his First Mate – love the paw on his arm*

So – our fifth season in the Bahamas, and we are happy to be here!! Happy Thanksgiving to everyone – we will probably be by ourselves for the first time since most of our friends haven’t crossed yet. Going for a nice swim now, not to rub it in or anything……………………

Four years ago today …..

Hard to believe that it was four years ago today that we left the dock at Youngstown to begin our “big adventure”. At times it seems as though it has gone by really fast, and then sometimes it seems a million years ago. But no regrets – we are still loving each and every minute of it. Although we do miss our family, friends and the dishwasher! And we still don’t like the summer storms that inevitably crop up during our travels.

Since I last wrote, we have been up to New England and are now on our way back. September brings very squirrely weather, and with cooler temperatures on their way, it is time for us to make our passage back to Annapolis. Unfortunately, the Annapolis Boat Show is cancelled, which is definitely a bummer. But we will still enjoy visiting with friends, getting done, and provisioning before we head south.

Since I am so hideously behind, I think I will just catch you up through a series of photos. Since I have already written about our trip north before, it gets hard to not repeat yourself. But there are a few highlights of trip that are interesting.

I was amazed to see CRUISE SHIPS docked in Norfolk when we went through. Typically we see all kinds of warships and naval “stuff” – Comfort was docked there, having just returned from a stint in New York City. But the cruise ships had just made Norfolk their new home base, since they were limited as to where they could go.

The cypress trees are beautiful in the morning as you work your way through the ICW. In the early morning light, everything is so blue.

After our trip north, we stopped in Annapolis for several weeks. This is a picture taken from our friends Garth and Sue’s house on the South River. It was a pretty wicked storm! Several storms blew through while we were there. Seemed to be an on-going pattern this summer season ……

Our insurance company required a survey this year in order to reinsure us. No real reason – all the insurance companies are getting crazy. So not only did we need to haul out (which we did in Annapolis), we also had to drop the mast. Not a cheap undertaking – between the haulout, the mast drop, the land storage, the survey, and then the mast rise and the re-launch, it was close to $5,000. Ouch. But the good news is that the boat passed the appraisal with flying colors and appraised for the same price we paid for it five years ago. The surveyor was very impressed with the condition of the boat. Hopefully they won’t require another one for a long time! Some insurance companies (like Geico/Boat US) have stopped insuring off shore voyages. Pantaneus, a very well know insurance company, just pulled out of offshore coverage and is making major changes to boating policies.

We had a wicked storm off Cape May on our way up to New England. The jib on the boat next to us started to completely unravel during the first wave of the storm. Gary waited until the first wave had gone through, and then jumped in the dinghy to go help them. You can see his red Level hat on the bow! They were an older couple and really appreciated the assistance. They managed to drop the jib completely and get it folded before the next round of strong wind hit. It’s amazing how much noise a flapping sail makes n a storm. Gary was able to make it back to the boat just before the next wave hit us. He would have liked to have gone to help them sooner, but you can’t leave your own boat until the time is right.

Sunset off our anchorage in Atlantic Highlands, New Jersey. The lights in the background are of the New York City Skyline.

As we made our way to the East River the next morning, the fog shrouded the bridges. Then the sun would come out and highlight something in the most spectacular way.

No matter how many times I go through the East River, I never cease to be amazed at the fabulous architecture of the many bridges. This is the Hell Gate Railroad Bridge.

This is probably the most iconic bridge in the East River – the Brooklyn Bridge.

The Manhattan Bridge is the second bridge traveling from west to east.

And the Williamsburg Bridge, which has a cable car that runs alongside it.

One of my favorite views of the New York City skyline. The thin blue building in the background is the one that replaced the World Trade Towers.

I will leave you with this image of the fin of a Humpback Whale which we saw off Cape May. Such a treat! Unfortunately, we didn’t get to see any more than the fin, but he/she did spout several times. I would like to write more tonight but am running out of time to get this out on our fourth anniversary. Will continue tomorrow with a short narrative on our season in New England. Hope everyone is well and staying healthy in all the masked craziness. M&G&H xoxo

Reflections on Marina Life

*That was us – sort of dead center with the dinghy hanging off the back*

After a month (plus) in the St. Augustine Municipal Marina, we are happy to be underway. We left the dock at 8:30 am on the 20^th, being very careful to time it for slack tide, otherwise docking (and “de-docking”) is an absolute nightmare. As we were approaching the fuel dock to “diesel up” before we headed out, Gary noted that the steering seemed a bit peculiar. At the fuel dock, he jumped in the water to see if it was a growth problem; after all that time at the dock, the bottom was a hairy mess. Anticipating an issue with the rudder, he found nothing to cause alarm. Back on board, we checked the lazarette and, sure enough, one of his fishing spears had become lodged against part of the steering mechanism, which prevented him from being able to fully turn the wheel. Problem solved! Nice that, for a change, it was a quick and inexpensive fix.

*A Snowy Egret (the giveaway is the yellow feet!) fishing from a dock line next to our boat*

We missed the 9:00 raising of the Bridge of Lions, so had to sit and wait for the 9:30 opening, but then we were on our way.

The weather was conducive to being outside in the Atlantic, so off we went – happy to missing several bridges that have been an issue for us in the past. There was very little wind outside but, what there was, was from the west so it was nice and flat. We wanted to run the engine anyway. Our observation was that the engine is running a hot at higher speed, so now we are diagnosing that. Always something!

*The former Flagler Hotel, now Flagler College (closed due to Covid-19)*

Life at a marina is much different than life on the hook. More expensive, for one. Many marinas have daily, weekly, and monthly rates. Daily is where they really sock it to you. We have paid anywhere from $.50 a foot (very rare to find!) to $4.50 (very rare for us – we were off NYC our first year out). In Nantucket, it is $7.00 a foot – needless to say, we never stay there. And some marinas include the overhang of your dinghy or anchor or bowsprit in the calculation. Our 49 foot boat suddenly becomes a 53 foot boat. I’m glad that we don’t covet marina life – can’t afford it! But it does offer some benefits: (1) easy access to land for exercise; (2) access to laundry (a lot of marinas have their own); (3) electricity plug in (which you sometimes pay extra for – in the Bahamas, it’s metered, but in the States, it’s usually a flat fee per day or sometimes free), so you don’t have to worry about draining your batteries every time you want to use a high-powered electrical device, like the vacuum cleaner, the electric kettle, etc. We usually have to power up the generator or have the engine running to use those things for any length of time otherwise; (4) all the water you want (again, in the Bahamas, usually metered and expensive, but free in most states – although they do charge in some spots for water in New England); (5) social life – you tend to meet more people at a marina since, if you’re there for any length of time, people stop and chat; and (6) sometimes you see cool stuff like these masses of catfish feeding right next to the boat!

*Kind of creepy, actually. Apparently not “good eating”, as they say — too bad!*

I love being at the marina for getting up close to the birdlife. It amazes me how little birdlife there is in the Bahamas. There I see mostly small birds and a few different types of Herons, not even many gulls. But Florida is loaded with birds; I’m guessing it has to do with the type of fish.

*So happy to get a shot of a Roseate Spoonbill feeding at one of the oyster beds at the marina – kind of rare for them to be that close to humanity*

After all those marina positives, I’m sure you’re thinking – hell, I’d want to stay at a marina all the time! And some people do. Some people park their boat for an entire season in a marina and become part of the community, a lot of them giving back where they can. In the States, some boaters even drive a car down for the season. But there are a few negatives – the biggest one being the expense. Our stay at the St. Augustine Municipal marina at the monthly rate for one month was almost $900 (including electric), about $30 a day. But if you stay for a short time, the daily rate is $2.25 a foot, plus electric. So since we were supposed to leave on the 17^th (the end of our month), we then reverted to the daily rate, meaning that our three extra days, with electric, cost us $375 more! It is always interesting to talk to people who plan on cruising but clearly have not investigated the cost of doing so, particularly with regard to staying at marinas.

*The irises were in bloom while we were there, as were the magnolias – nice to see spring flowers*

Mooring balls are often a convenient alternative to anchoring, and we tend to gravitate to them if we know there is a blow coming in and there is one available. Not only just for our sake, but for the sake of other boats (who could potentially drag) around us. Everyone is comfortably spaced (unless you’re in Hope Town Harbor in the Abacos where sometimes you feel like you could step onto someone else’s boat right of yours), and most reputable mooring fields have good tackle. But it’s important to know if your tackle is good before blindly picking up a ball. And not all marinas offer mooring balls. In the Bahamas, mooring balls can be sketchy, so your cruising guides can be invaluable in telling you which ones to avoid. When all else fails, you get in the water and check it yourself, which Gary does from time to time.

*A Great White Egret at the dock, eating what appears to be a baby Filefish*

There are some other negatives of marina life: (1) you can very often get sandwiched in between large motor yachts, so you have no view from either side; (2) you are not always headed into the wind and getting protection from your dodger, as you are when you are anchored, which means that a strong breeze can blow into your cockpit, making it less comfortable for sitting up top; (3) some boats have very noisy wind generators, although the quality of those is getting better. When it’s windy, those things can make a hell of an annoying noise; (4) some power boats “pee” all night – usually because they run AC non-stop, so they are constantly discharging water over the side; and (5) some people are very noisy at 6 am in the morning!

*Pretty quiet in St. Augustine before the “re-opening” rules went into effect – lots of nice little stores that Gary was happy I couldn’t go into!*

Overall, in this life of COVID-19, I have to say that I can’t think of a better place to social distance than on a boat. We have our own little island of safety, which is only threatened by a very occasional trip to the grocery store and liquor store (although we are well stocked on that for a while). I am used to making dinner every single day, I am used to making bread, I am used to having a well-stocked (albeit small!) freezer and plenty of canned goods, I am used to having spare toilet paper (still have some that we left the States with in the fall!), and we don’t use very many other paper products (I think I have used three rolls of Scot towels in the past 6 months – if that). Even though many restaurants were offering take out service, we only ordered out twice – once for pizza and once for Cuban sandwiches. So life hasn’t changed much for us at all. But we have been very lucky to be in warm weather the entire time – so much nicer when you can be outside rather than stuck indoors. So we are not complaining. And St. Augustine was a beautiful old city to be “stuck” in – lots of nice walks with interesting architecture and bird life, as you can see from the photos I have interspersed here with my ramblings. St. John’s County, where St. Augustine is located, had one of the lowest incidences of the virus in Florida.

We are presently sitting at anchor at Cumberland Island in Georgia. We are keeping our fingers crossed for a speedy fix for the overheating engine. Gary has checked all the usual suspects – fuel filters, water intake (another dip into the brown water), impeller, etc., so now we are waiting to hear back from the mechanic. I’ll close with this series of pictures of a Great Blue Heron catching a fish, which I have yet to be able to identify – anyone know? How in the world it swallowed that huge fish is beyond me!

xoxo

Almost Back on Track

Two mechanics from First Mate Yacht Services have just left the boat – they reinstalled the refurbished fuel injection pump which they finally got back from the refurbishing company (apparently located in Orlando) on Friday. It is a big relief to know that we are about a day away from being able to hit the “road” again. So far, so good!

I’ve had a bunch of time to work on pulling out still photos from the video that Gary (mostly) and I shot in the Bahamas on the GoPro7. The little camera does an amazing job of filtering out particles in the water and adding light. Unfortunately, the files aren’t very big resolution for blowing up into big prints, but they will suffice for smaller prints. I am including some of my favorites for you to see.

GH011003_Moment(2) — *A Queen Triggerfish – some people kill these to eat, but we won’t because they’re too pretty!*

GH011002_Moment — *Two Spotfin Butterfly Fish – see the little black dot at the very top end of its dorsal fin*

GH021002_Moment(4) — *I am pretty sure that this is a Leather Barrel Sponge – my friend and I think it looks like an underwater termite nest!*

GH011005_Moment(2) — *This lobster looks like it has a hula skirt on!*

GH011017_Moment(2) — *These Eagle Rays (up to 9 of them at once) circled our boat at the Exuma Land and Sea Park at Warderick Wells*

GH011030_Moment — *This was a friendly Caribbean Reef Shark – looks like he is tagged if you see the small white mark in the middle of his torso*

GH011013_Moment — *The tail end of a Spotted Moray Eel – looked really blue underwater*

GH011008_Moment — *A juvenile Spotted Drum with a BF Lobster in the background*

GH011009_Moment — *Christmas Tree Worms on the left and a Common Sea Fan with a Tulip Shell on the right*

GH011006_Moment — *A Red Hind – part of the Grouper family. Super shy!*

GH011002_Moment(4) — On top: a juvenile Gray Angelfish; on bottom: a Rock Beauty

GH010337_Moment — *A Giant Anemone (they grow up to 12 inches across – which doesn’t seem that “giant” to me!)*

Baby lobster — *A baby Spiny Lobster – so tiny!*

*Our good friend, Gui, on the dive trip with Gary*

And the weirdest one of the lot – the Spotted Sea Hare (two pictures). My friend Kay and I saw one last year when I didn’t have my camera. I didn’t think I’d be lucky to see one again, but we found several of them off Armstrong Cay in the Abacos. They are like big snails without a shell, but their bodies are bizarre – they have these wing-like coverings called parapodia – they kind of open up like lettuce leaves. But the most amazing thing about Sea Hares is that they have more than 20,000 neurons, so they are used extensively in researching mental illness. Who knew!

Sea Hare 1 — *From the front – its “ears” make it look like a hare*

Sea Hare 3A — *The rear view where you can see the parapodia*

Hoping that the engine will be all set so that we can depart on Wednesday. Today went well, but they want us to take the boat out and run it a bit before we leave, so we will do that tomorrow. Looking forward to saying farewell to St. Augustine! Hope everyone is staying healthy. xo

SECOND SOJOURN