Friday May 17, we got up at the crack of dawn (6am!) to set sail for Eleuthra. We are enjoying the longer days of sunlight so it is easy to make good headway and still get to your destination in daylight. Most guidebooks recommend never entering a new harbor at night and we have planned accordingly…always having the anchor down by sunset. We must agree it is much more relaxing not to mention safe!
We skirted by Little San Salvador. We had tentatively planned to spend a night off the west end but there was a Holland Cruise Line boat and guests there (the island is privately owned by Holland). There are a lot of privately owned islands in the Bahamas but Bahamian law dictates that all beaches (up to the water line) are ‘God given beaches’ so we are able to at least dinghy ashore and walk any beach. Even with this law, Holland Cruise Line probably wouldn’t be happy with us crashing their beach party for their guests so we moved on to Rock Sound, Eleuthra.
Rock Sound is a fairly protected anchorage from all wind directions which is a rare find in the Bahamas. We had settled winds throughout our stay but it was nice to know we could stay put in any weather.

There is yet another Blue Hole in Rock Sound. A Blue Hole is a very deep pool of water that is fed from underground tunneling that has made its way from the eastern Atlantic shore. People jump into Blue Holes...usually on a dare. They are very dark/deep so there is no telling what kind of creatures are lurking in there. We opt to look from the side and take photos of the aquatic creatures! The Blue Hole has a bunch of sea turtles in it all 'begging' at the side of the pool where tourists throw in stale bread for them to eat.

Monday, May 17....A tough day. Today my cousin's family is holding funeral services for their 21 year old son, Dylan Stiegers. He sustained a head injury while playing college football and it was a rare accident indeed. They asked us to say a prayer and sprinkle some sand at sea because he loved the ocean. While we were in town that day there was a local man making bouquets out of the flowers from the island. Dylan, Godspeed.

Tuesday, May 18th….Happy Birthday Ed! Today is going to be a play day! We went ashore and walked to the market for a few items. The market was a mile away from our boat so a loaf of bread and some cookies hardly seemed worth the round trip! We scoped out a place to beach the dinghy closer for when we do our major reprovisioning! Then it was back to the boat where we broke out the noodles and the floating lounger. We played in the water, off the back of the boat and even the puppy dogs joined in. We found out the Mija likes to float on one of our seat cushions! The water is getting warmer and is ‘just right’! Tonight is Mahi for dinner followed by a port we received as a gift from Robert and Joann Nadler, bottled in the year Ed was born. Nummy!

Bare Footin’ and Konaloa are also in Rock Sound. We have been at several of the same anchorages with them along the way. Bare Footin’ are friends of Steve and Ann Bolin who were in our marina in Kemah, TX. (the world keeps getting smaller). We had heard the South Palmetto Point Settlement was having a Home Coming celebration over the weekend so we decided to make our way north to check it out. A bit of grocery shopping, refueling and the purchase of 5 DVDs (yes, we now have movies on our boat!) we are ready to take off the next day. Tonight…movie night! FYI: Pirate Radio is a fun movie!

Friday, May 21st…..South Palmetto Point is a lovely spot. We had a choppy 24 mile ride north but once we reached the lee of the shore it was settled water and very scenic. The beach is set up for the event with food booths and the prerequisite DJ/band stage with very LARGE speakers. Bahamians love their music LOUD, so loud that you can’t talk to the person next to you. In fact, the volume is just about perfect from the cockpit of your boat a few hundred feet away! The first night we met Skip and Sharon Warner who own the Barefoot Beach House just up the beach. They have 3 guest quarters in a house right next to their home that they built themselves. We had admired the home and they invited us to come the next day for a tour. The bottom floor is a workshop (Hairy…you would be impressed) and an art studio. The upstairs is their living space with a stunning view. If you would like a nice get-away…this is a neat spot. The owners are delightful! http://www.thebarefootbeachhouse.com/

Sunday, May 23rd…..Time to head north to Governor’s Harbor. It is a whopping 7 miles so we had a visit with the Warner’s and took off at 5pm for a quick run up the coast. Ah, another lovely spot. We are really enjoying Eleuthra! It turns out that the next day there is going to be a Whit Monday celebration. Our timing has been unplanned but perfect! Everything is closed on this holiday so laundry will have to wait! 10am the marching band from Hatchet Bay kicked off the event. Then, at the main square gazebo all of the Methodist churches from the island came together for song and services. Even the church service had the BIG speakers and it was LOUD!

We have decided to rent a car to see the northern part of Eleuthra. We would like to see Harbor Island where the older Loyalist homes have been nicely preserved. One choice is to stage your boat at Spanish Wells and then have a captain pilot your boat across the northern part of the island called the Devils Backbone (lots of coral heads, reefs and wrecks scattered along the way!). It costs $75 each way for a pilot so we opted to rent the car and see even more of this lovely island. We just have to remember to stay LEFT.

Tuesday, May 25th….. Here’s how one rents a car in the Bahamas. First gather up all of the dirty clothes for a trip to the laundromat. Pile into the dinghy and go ashore, then walk the mile or so to the laundromat. While the four loads are in the washing machines ask the owner is she knows where we can rent a car for the day, actually the best time frame is 12 to 12, that is a 24 hour period from noon till noon. Of course she knows where to rent a car, however unlike in the states where we would be given directions to the rental office in the Bahamas she calls the rental agency and asks if there is a car available. After some conversation Vicky gets on the phone and it is then agreed that there will be a car left at the library for us, sometime that morning. Once the laundry is finished we fold it up in dry bags for the trip back to the boat and pay for the laundry. We also pay for the rental car in cash. It seems the owner of the laundry lives next door to the owner of the car rental company so she’ll drop off the money that night. Back to the boat to put away the clean clothes and pick up the dogs and our lunch basket. Then swing by the library to pick up the keys and fill out the paper work for the car. The paperwork is a simple receipt showing our name and the rental fee, no credit card required let alone a drivers license. Off we go in our rental car, simple as that. Of course the steering wheel is on the right side of the car and we have to drive on the left side of the road, but that’s another story.

The car is great and we head to Harbor Island. Taking the pedestrian ferry across the bay to the island where we step back in time a few hundered years with all of the Victorian homes, tressels and smiling happy people. We’re greeted at the dock by a young man asking if we wish to rent a golf cart when we tell him we’ll be walking he gives us a map of the island and says to have a good day. Off we go in the heat. With the dogs in tow the strategy for the day is to see the entire island while hitting every shade tree we can find. The trees are GREAT. huge, beautiful flowering trees, it’s amazing that some of these trees have survived the storms over the years. The island is very clean and the homes and buildings are nicely maintained. As we wander the side streets and alleys we get an eyeful of what life might have been like in the Bahamas during the 18th Century. With a visit to the pink beaches on the Atlantic side the girls are able to run in the surf and cool off while we meander along the beach enjoying the view. After wandering about for a few hours the four of us are hot and tired, so we seek shelter in the shade of leanto in the Conch section of town. Here we have a few icy cold Kaliks Golds (more alcohol content!) while chatting with some of the locals who are also enjoying the shade. All of the adults are kept amused by the antics of Mija and Chula trying to get a French fry from the little girl out with her Grandmother. After this much enjoyed break we are told that before we leave the island we must put some sand in our shoes (sandals) to ensure our safe return one day. Of course we have sand in our shoes, we always have sand in our shoes, in the dogs paws, between our toes, etc…… Guess that means we’ll always enjoy a safe return to all of the Bahama Islands. The final stop on our Harbor Island tour is at the Romora Bay Club. We have seen the signs advertising the islands only, FROZEN Goombay Smash, and after the heat of this day FROZEN is good. Oh yeah...the cushy couch and umbrella didn't hurt either! With our frozen cocktails in hand we climb aboard the water taxi “Lady M” for our trip back to Eleuthra.

In addition to being able to see an entire island from the interior, the other wonderful thing about rental cars is the AIR CONDITIONING. With the air on full blast and Mija and Chula crashed in the back seat we’re off again. Visiting the Preachers Cave, where the original Eleuthra explorers spent their first shipwrecked years, we meet up with Farrel and Tina, he’s Irish she is Canadian and they met in Freeport. Farrel is a musician and confirms that we must stop by Elvina’s bar later that evening for the weekly jam session of local musicians as well as world reknown rockers such as Lenny Kravits. With empty stomachs and some time to kill we’re off to the Rainbow Inn where we enjoy the meatlovers pizza. While most may think this odd let us tell you after two weeks of Mahi Mahi, no matter how fresh the fish, it is time for some red meat. The pizza didn’t disappoint either. With the sun setting off the balcony of the Inn’s restaurant and a good time with the owners we are ready for a night on the town. Well, truth be told it is already past our bedtime and things don’t start hopping at Elvina’s until the wee hours, so off we go for a final-final and some conversation at the bar. With just a few guys pickin away on the stage we have a chance to visit with some folks and get some of the local color for the island, by now it is 10pm and well past cruiser midnight, so its off again back to the boat for a good nights rest.

Many folks ask what it is we do all day? Sit around and enjoy fruity cocktails with umbrellas in them. Well, we don’t use umbrellas. Given that we have the rental car until noon of the second day we’re up and off early, 10am. A great breakfast along the Atlantic and then its time for chores. The car will make it easy to carry water from the towns supply (water weighs a little more than 8lbs per gallon our two jugs when full are 50lbs) after taking on water its time to hit the Shell station (it’s the only game in town, otherwise I’d stay away from Shell) to get some diesel, again tis better to drive it back than walk it back. We try to keep it simple. A few items from the grocery store and it’s time to return the car (1230, oops we’re late). So park the car at the library and leave the keys at the desk and back to the boat (the car was picked up sometime during the evening, we think, as it is not there this morning). Wash the decks, clip the dogs, vacuum the cabin, make some drinking water (the town water is for showers and dishes), oh its sundown time for one of those fruity cocktails, sans umbrella. My how the time flys.
Up with the sun and check the weather, looks to be another fine day, where shall we go next?

We had a lovely stay at the Emerald Bay Marina, just north of George Town, for 6 days! They had a special running that included free laundry so we proceeded there to continue bombing the boat and washing EVERYTHING. That may not seem like a big deal financially but we spent almost $100 doing laundry in George Town so by our math we came out ahead on the deal! Plus, we didn’t have to load our dinghy, tie up at the dock, walk 8 blocks to the laundry…you get the picture!
When we arrived at the marina, Simpatico (Greg and Jo) were there as well getting ready for their trip back to Florida. The marina is part of the Sandals resort and had an incredible clubhouse. There was a 60 inch TV (yep, hadn’t seen one of those in a long time) and movies you could check out. So, we popped popcorn, mixed our favorite beverages and joined Greg and Jo for ‘movie night’!
There is also a good vet in George Town so we had made an appointment to have Mija’s teeth cleaned. We rented a car to get her there and toured the island for most of the day. We headed south to the bitter end of the island where we found a great outdoor bar/restaurant where we stopped for refreshment and liming with some cruisers that were there. And yes, Chula loves beer!

Well, it was fun to be at a dock for a while where the puppy dogs ran like crazy but we are ready to set off again for some more scenic island hopping. Sunday (Mother’s Day) we are off to Cat Island. This is a different island from Cat Cay where we first checked into the Bahamas back in January. We are getting better at remembering the island names which is no small task considering there are over 500 islands (or close to that!) with several having the same name!
We arrived at the north bight in Cat Island in good time. Most of the wind is now coming consistently from the east (with some NE and SE in there) so anchoring in the lee of the islands is easy without having to worry about those cold fronts bringing west wind. Oh yeah, have you noticed we stopped talking about cold fronts! Could they be finally over???
Cat Island boasts the highest point in the Bahamas, at Mt. Alvernia, at a height of 206 feet. At the top of the peak is Father Jerome’s Hermitage. At the age of 62, the architect, turned priest built this small replica of the hermitages found in Europe. There is a beautiful 360 degree view from the top. Inside there is a guest book and we noticed a couple had just signed in from Beach City, TX. When we came outside there was a man who said, “How ya’ll doin?” so by deduction we asked if it was them. We started talking on the walk down and it turns out that Tom and Janice Hitchcock (on M/V Reprieve) know the market director from my previous job so…Dan Bellows…they say ‘Hi’!
That evening we also got a Mahi (Pompano Dolphin)! He was a handful and will feed us for weeks. Did we catch him you ask? Well, no. As we were having our Sun Downer in the cockpit a boat came up and asked us if we wanted one of the four they had in a bucket. They were from M/V Who Cares. The ‘mother ship’ (a very large boat) comes down for a month and all they do is fish. There are two arms coming off the ship that tethers two good sized fishing boats to it. Every day they were off with the sunrise and fished all day. It was a big task just to clean this guy so it was very nice to have them do the hard work of landing it for us! Ed has replaced the reel on the rod (the first one broke when he caught something BIG) and as soon as we have room in the freezer we will start fishing again as we sail.
Next we made our way a whopping 7 miles north to a new anchorage at Fernandez Bay. It is a beautiful bay with great reefs for snorkeling and a lovely resort. They welcome cruisers ashore and invite you to dine with them if you give them notice. We heard there was lobster on Wednesday evenings so since there is an upcoming birthday (Ed adds a digit on the 18th!) we decided to make it an early celebration. We dined with a nice couple from Maine that is on the island to get married the following week. They both worked at the Maritime School and it was fun to hear about their education program.
The next day we decided it was time to go snorkeling as the winds had died down a bit. We dingied ashore with the dogs, suited them up with their life jackets and started swimming out to the reef just off the beach. Beautiful! Ed decided to bring the dogs back to shore and Vicky continued to snorkel. All of the sudden she notices a 3-4 foot fish with a very toothy grin following her. She kicked her fins in the fish’s direction…still there. She went right; she went left….still there. Now she is getting a bit panicky because it doesn’t seem to be afraid of her and likes to come way too close. Luckily Ed decided to get the dogs in the dinghy and come looking for me as I had skirted around the point out of view. I quickly hopped in the dinghy gasping as I was beginning to hyperventilate! A quick look in the fish identification book we have quickly confirmed what Ed suspected…it was a barracuda. And, as it turns out they are very inquisitive (i.e.: come too close!) but won’t harm you. Just don’t wear any shiny things in the water or be bleeding (good advice…as if you would be snorkeling if you were bleeding!) So, we get back to the boat and Ed is relaxing in the cockpit when he sees this large fish hanging out below. You guessed it…a barracuda. Vicky insists it was the same one continuing to stalk her!
Well, it is time to start thinking about the next destination. We are off on Monday toward Eleuthra. We may stop along the way at Little San Salvador. It is privately owned by Holland Cruise Line but you can anchor off the west end. If making good time we may go straight to Rock Sound, Eleuthra. We hear it is one of the best and most-reasonable places to reprovision so we are looking forward to that!

Our House - Jeanneau 40 DS

BOTO is the name of our house, here in the islands we have noticed that many homes are named, "Peach House" (happens to be the home of the local Veterinarian), "Lonesome Conch", "Cotton House", "Pink House", etc…. Ours is BOTO.
BOTO is a 2001 Jeanneau Deck Salon (DS) sailboat, constructed and launched in Les Herbiers, France in 2001. We acquired BOTO in March, 2006. Her LOA is 40', Beam is 14' and Draft is 4' 11". Her mast sits 56' above the water and she carries a Main sail and a 140% Genoa head sail for a total sail area of 820 sq. ft. . She weighs in at 25 GRT (56,000 lbs) empty, with 5,800 lbs. in her keel. With all of our electronic, anchors, rode, lines, supplies, fuel, water, etc…. we've added another 5,000 lbs to her. Still with all of this she can manage a respectable 5-6kts of boat speed under sail; while she can motor at a steady 7kts with her 57Hp Yanamar diesel.
Her main auxiliary power plant is the 57Hp Yanmar diesel with an 80Ah alternator supplemented by two 85W (5Ah each) Solar Panels and when 120V is available a 30 Amp battery charger. All of which provides a charge to our house battery bank which consists of four 100Ah AGM batteries plus an isolated Starter battery. The house bank provides enough juice, with constant charging to run all of the electronic gadgets that make our life afloat a little more comfortable. Some of these include; Refrigerator, 1.5cf freezer, 12V fans, VHF Radio, SSB Radio, Lights, Two (2) Chart Plotters (so we know where we are), Handheld GPS (so we know where we are when the Chart Plotters do not work), Navigation Lights, Navigation Instruments, 1.5 g/hr water maker, an assortment of electronic pumps to keep the fresh water flowing in the "pipes" and to keep all water outside of the hull, coffee maker, microwave, computers (2). In addition we have an 1800W inverter which converts the 12V DC power from the battery bank to 110V AC power. These items, while not a requirement to survive and sail, certainly make life comfortable. We have encountered vessels with 100x as much equipment as BOTO as well as folks with nothing more than a compass and some water jugs. Like anywhere we have lived it's a matter of what makes us comfortable not a need to keep up with the Jones' (although, some of the toys on the Mega Yachts are pretty cool).
Returning to her decks, BOTO's ground tackle consists of three (3) anchors. Her primary is a 45 lbs. Danforth attached to 150' of 3/8" High Test chain coupled with 250' of 5/8" Mega Plait Nylon Rode from New England Ropes. Her secondary anchor is a 45 lbs Bruce attached to 50' of 3/8" High Test chain coupled with 250' of 5/8" Mega Plait Nylon Rode from New England Ropes. Finally, her stern/backup anchor is a 35 lbs. Danforth with 25' of chain and 200' of rode. All serve to keep the boat where we park it. Speaking of which, we spend the vast majority of our time anchored, usually in some exotic location that one sees on the covers of travel magazines. When we reach such ideal locations BOTO becomes our stationary home base and we resort to our other means of water transport.
Our dinghy (aka "CAR", "DINK", "RIB", "$!**#?" when not functioning properly) is an Achilles 10'2" (every inch counts) inflatable, with an inflatable floor. The inflatable part needs some explaining, the three tubes which make up the pontoons of the boat inflate to 3 psi, not too bad. The inflatable keel, which runs the length of the boat, inflates to 3 psi, again not too bad. The inflatable floor which provides the stiffness for the boat to skim across waves and withstands the wear and tear from our feet and those of the two dogs, this floor inflates to just under 9 psi, very much a Royal PIA; literally as we only have a foot pump to pump up the entire dink. Who needs a gym membership; no amount of time on a Stairmaster can prepare you for inflating this floor. When she is fully inflated and ready to go we carry an assortment of items necessary to keep her and us afloat. Fuel aboard is five (5) gallons, with a reserve of ten (10) gallons strapped to the foredeck of BOTO. Our main engine is a 9.9 Hp two stroke Mercury, which gives us enough power to get up and go carrying BOTO's full crew. When we reach a port in which we will not be going any great distance in the dink we opt for the smaller/lighter 3.3 Hp two stroke Mariner, with internal gas tank. This little bugger is like the Eveready Bunny. The dink carries an additional compliment of ground tackle, that in and of itself would not do much for BOTO, however, in a pinch these anchors can be used to secure BOTO to trees, rocks or roots. A five (5) pound grapnel hook and a ten (10) pound mushroom are more than enough to keep the dink in place when we go ashore, or dive overboard to snorkel for dinner.
When not in use and whenever we are underway the dink is hoisted up on our davits. The davits are a stainless steel extension to the transom, two arms either side with connecting cross beams. A block and tackle system raises the dink with little effort, while the aft cross beams serve as mounts for various antennae. The custom arch which rises to bimini height holds our two solar panels and allows us to rotate the panels in order to track the sun throughout the day.
This brings us to the Cockpit (aka "Patio", "Back porch", "Sun Room"). The cockpit serves as our control center whenever we are under way. Here is located our helm and navigation equipment. All lines, sheets and halyards lead aft into the cockpit allowing us complete control without having to leave the comfort or safety of the cockpit. The area is protected from the elements overhead by the Bimini; this is a UV protected canvas cover which keeps out the sun. Forward of the helm is the Dodger a combination of UV canvas and Eisenglass, which keeps out the wind, sun and sea spray (to some degree). Whenever we are in port we are able to drop down the sun screen which as the name implies keeps us cool and shady while the tropical sun blazes away.
BOTO's cockpit is somewhat different from most sailboats in that the helm is mounted to a forward bulkhead, as on a powerboat, rather than to a binnacle midship. This gives us an enormous amount of space in which to relax and entertain. With a somewhat oval shaped sitting area we are able to accommodate ten to twelve people in the cockpit for happy hour, and can comfortable feed six for dinner at the folding/collapsible table. Of course some of the most pleasurable moments are two people, two dogs and two hot cups of coffee watching the sun come up; or, two cold cocktails and watching the sun go down.
From the cockpit the companionway leads to three steps down into the main salon. Here is our living quarters (very nautical) otherwise known as the house. When descending the stairs (one comes down backwards) to the left or starboard is the galley. Here we have our refrigerator, large enough to carry all the fixins for Thanksgiving along with cold drinks on the bottom. The four burner stove with oven, large enough to cook said Thanksgiving dinner and bake the appropriate pies. Dry locker/beer and soda ice cooler and the two tub sink; Microwave, spice racks, utensil trays, coffee maker, pots-n-pans and all of the assorted kitchen needs one would normally find (we like to eat well). There is also the door to the "SHED".
The Shed is our storage closet. BOTO has two berths, one forward V-berth, one aft port side. There is an option for a third cabin, or in our case the area is made into a storage space. The Shed is approximately four feet deep and four feet wide by three feet high. In here we carry the majority of spare parts and tools needed to keep us afloat and enjoying ourselves. Opposite the rear wall of the Shed, is our starboard lazarett. This is another large storage area accessed via a large hatch in the cockpit. In this lazarrett lives the generator, bicycles, dog carrier, beach chairs and umbrella, rags, engine oil and fuel equipment, emergency tiller, spare lines, manual bilge pump(s), and anything else we can squeeze in there. The Shed is much like any basement or attic in any house. It serves an important function, however to venture into the Shed is to spend an entire day moving boxes and squatting in uncomfortable positions reading barely legible text hoping to find that one item you really need. Of all the spare parts and tools we carry the one we most often need is the one we do not have, which gives a good reason to grab a few cold beers and go about the anchorage visiting other boats until we find what we need.
Leaving the galley and the Shed and facing immediately to port is one of our two heads (aka Bathroom, WC, Toilet, and Shower). This is about the size of an airplanes restroom (a small airplane). Her we have a sink and toilet along with standard storage for toiletries. The faucet extends to mount on the wall and serve as a shower with the water draining overboard. As a side note: when underway and travelling in the out islands where fresh water is scarce we will combine shower day with laundry day. This exercise involves placing dirty clothes on the floor of the head and after adding some soap stomping on the clothes while showering. The final rinse is for both the clothes and the body. In this manner water is conserved and our wardrobe is rid of salt (ever present) and dirt. The clothes and the person then go above to air dry. Back to our tour.
Aft of the head and running along the port side is our Aft Cabin. This cabin consists of a Queen sized bed, three book shelves, clothes closet and tool rack(which takes up the second half of the clothes closet and contains those tools needed on a daily basis). The cabin boasts two portals and one 12v fan along with enough headroom for a Ewok to walk upright. Seriously, there is plenty of leg room for the horizontal person, but anyone taller than a Hobbit needs to be careful. When we are without guests the aft bed serves as a storage area and reading room. When guests arrive we stuff all of the stored items elsewhere, or we eat them. The stored items, not the guests.
Moving forward, we enter the main salon. This is our living room, den, family room and dining room all rolled into one. Here we have a U-shaped settee (couch) with ottomans or a dining table along the starboard, to port we have to overstuffed (kinda) chairs either side of the chart table/table for two. The deck salon is so named due to the main salon being raised approximately two feet above the forward and aft cabins. This in turn raises the deck roof giving us a 280* degree view from the main salon via large, tinted windows. This also makes BOTO a very light and airy boat below decks. Along the hull either side of the main salon is storage for our dishes, glasses, books and ships papers. The electric subpanels along with radio equipment and stereo live here as well. Below the seats themselves is storage for food, our freezer, liquor cabinet, water maker, HVAC system, pots and pans. Under the floorboards is more storage for spare parts, the wine cellar and primary water tank (50 gal.) as well as access to all electric wiring and plumbing.
Moving forward we come to the V-berth, so named due to its location in the forward peak or "V" of the boat. Here is our stateroom. Another Queen sized bed with storage along either side for books and clothing. A clothes closet, desk and shelves add to the storage room. The second head is located to starboard while the second water tank (25 gal) is below the bed to port. Underneath the bed is a vast area of storage, here are our winter clothes along with some formal wear (ya never know), dog food ( at the time of our departure we carried close to 200 lbs. of dog food), plus an assortment of items that we will likely need some day, just not today.
That's the long and short of it as they say. You may have noted that the key theme throughout this narrative is storage. While supplies throughout the Bahamas are accessible they are not always available or timely. The further out we go the less likely we'll find what we need, hence the need to carry what we need aboard.
BOTO has a fresh water capacity of 75 gallons between two tanks, plus another five gallons on deck in a container complimented by a water maker capable of 1.5 gal/hour. Her fuel capacity is fifty (50) gallons of diesel plus another twenty (20) gallons carried on deck in containers. This gives us a motoring range of approximately 500nm. For the dink we carry fifteen (15) gallons of gasoline. Our food stores are sufficient to feed the two of us for at least a month, supplemented by fresh fish and we are unlimited.
Our little floating world is fairly self sufficient and with fair winds our range is unlimited. The days and nights are full of activity, some work some play but there is always something to do. The inherent nature of living aboard makes for a physically active life which both tires us while strengthening us. Hauling 50 gallons of water from shore to Boto via the dink is quite an exercise, especially when you consider the weight of water and the need to balance yourself and the water in a pitching rubber float. Our anchor chain weighs 1.5 lbs per foot; we usually anchor in 10 to 15 feet of water with a 7 to 1 scope, so between 70 and 105 feet of chain. Coupled with the anchor that is 150 to 200 lbs of deadweight under water. When the windlass doesn't work it takes a little effort to get the anchor on board. The constant rocking of the boat is always good for a workout, too. We mention these not to complain but to illustrate a day in the life, one which we are enjoying more and more with the passage of time and with each new experience

----------
radio email processed by SailMail
for information see: http://www.sailmail.com

National Family Regatta, Georgetown Exuma

Our company now gone, we readied ourselves for the next week. We had been told that Fowl Cay (a small cay with an amazing little resort on it owned by Sandals) was looking for a new couple to manage the property. It was an excellent opportunity to work in this incredible part of the Bahamas, the Exumas, where the water, snorkeling and scenery are simply outstanding. Were we ready to ‘go back to work’? Maybe not quite yet but it would have provided us the opportunity to live and work in paradise for several years while bolstering our cruising kitty that would allow us many years of continued cruising. With our resume in hand we headed off to Fowl Cay for our interview. Unfortunately, we were a bit late in hearing about the opportunity because a couple had already been selected. Better luck with the next opportunity that arises!
The next stop? Back to Little Farmers Cay on our way to George Town to yet again meet up with Wayne and Beth (Gypsy Moon) and later in the week, Peggy and John (LVD). While here we might as well try to fix the generator….AGAIN! We continue or love-hate relationship with this piece of equipment (a Fischer Panda). We love having it when it works…hate spending the time and MONEY! to fix it. The few hours of use we have gotten out of it currently puts the cost at about $100/hour to run it (repair costs only…not original equipment cost). You do the math! Henry, from s/v Phoenix volunteered to come over and assist in the repair. Ed crawled into the ‘pit’ to remove the head and do the investigating. Ah, the head gasket is broken and a push rod is being chewed up by the compression spring. Didn’t that head just get replaced last October? There is water in the cylinders. Oh my, isn’t this why we had to get a new head…last October? A portable Honda 2000 is starting to look attractive! We could have purchased two of them by now!
We are back in George Town for the National Family Island Regatta. Sleepy George Town transforms itself for this event. Small kiosks (shacks) are erected along Government Dock and the temporary setup is called the ‘Fish Shacks’ where conch, fish, ribs, chicken, guava duff (nummy dessert) and, of course, beer are available at the shacks. Large speakers are erected and pulsating music (LOUD! with enough base to serve as resuscitation if you have cardiac arrest) plays from mid-morning until the wee hours of the next day. Bahamian boats, from surrounding islands, arrive for days on large boats before the sailing races begin.

We hear that you can sometimes volunteer to crew on one of the boats for the races…and this gets Vicky excited! While walking mid-day around the Fish Shacks with Beth, Vicky had a tall Bahamian named ‘H’ approach her and say, “Hey beautiful, how would you like to crew on our boat the Six Sisters”? Wanting to crew on a boat, and with that incredible compliment, how could I say no! The next day I am to crew on Six Sisters.

The traditional Bahamian sailboats are amazing. They are nothing like a cruiser’s modern sailboat. No winches, no auto pilot, no engine, simply the wooden boat, rudder, sails and lines…all of which are often in need of repair! Ed took Vicky to Six Sisters, which was anchored in Kidd Cove, a few hours before the race to help them ready the boat for the race. Sails and lines were in the process of being checked. One of the lines, at the top of the mast, was fouled so we brought Six Sisters over to the large, two-decker mail boat at Government dock and laid up next to it. After much ado, the crew got the line unfouled and we made our way to the starting line…with only minutes to spare before the race began!
The anchor is dropped and the sails are lowered at the starting line as we take our place, number 17. The one-minute gun goes off and we readied ourselves to quickly hoist the sails while bringing in the anchor. Oh, and also trying to miss the surrounding boats! The starting gun goes off and Six Sisters is off and running. Cooking! Wow, this boat is fast…could we have a chance at winning this race? We are in the front running!

There are cruiser’s boats on the perimeter of the race course. The wind direction brings the race boats close to these boats. We came so close to one boat that the bow sprit actually ‘shaped’ through our jib sail! It is time to tack toward the first mark. Vicky is on the pry. There are two boards that cross the mid-ship perpendicularly. When the boat heels to port the boards are out to the starboard and you slide either way out on the end or move in trying to keep the boat on an even keel. When the boat tacks you must slip under the mast, pull the board to the other side of the boat and quickly get your butt out on the pry to keep the boat from tipping!
Time to tack! Ready set…GO! Wait, something is wrong! Darn. Our jib sheet got stuck and we struggle to come around. We needed to fall back and then come about again. Could it be? Suddenly we are in last place! Well, nothing to do but finish the race now. Six Sisters is a fast boat so we manage to catch up and overtake two boats during the final lap so we manage a third from last place. There are three more days of racing…tomorrow we will do better!
Steve, another cruiser who was sailing with us, couldn’t make it the next day so I encouraged Ed to take his place, telling him that he had to experience it. Ed was all in so the next day the crew took off early to sail a bit and work out the bugs before the race began. Wow, we are looking good! It is time to make our way to the starting line. The anchor is dropped and the sails are down. We are ready! Then, out comes a boat carrying two Bahamians who were to sail on the boat but hadn’t shown up earlier. With the addition of these two men Captain Rev had to admit that there was too much weight on the boat. Ed and I volunteered to get off and we hitched a ride with Butch and Jacquie from Tropic Bird in their dinghy. Ed didn’t get to race but he got to experience sailing on a Bahamian boat. What fun! Truth be told…my butt was happy to not be on the pry for another day!
That night Gypsy Moon, LVD, Tropic Bird and Boto head to the Fish Fry for libation and dancing in the streets. It is Jacquie’s birthday so we must celebrate! All of that sailing and then dancing the night away…we are slow to get up the next day and just a little stiff! Oh, are we glad we decided to do this cruising business when we were younger!
Saturday night is the wrap up of Regatta and a lot of fun. The Royal Bahamas Police Band is the highlight of the night. The streets are packed with spectators who were treated first to the local Exumas High School Marching Band. They will be a tough act to follow! After the parade the trophies from the sailing races will be awarded followed by more music and libations at the Fish Shacks.
Regatta is over and a lot of boats are starting to make their way back home or to other parts further south. We say ‘Goodbye’ to many of our friends and start making new acquaintances. We have decided to stay in George Town for a few weeks until we are certain our ‘tick thing’ is OK (more on that) and then we will be heading north toward the Abacos.
The ‘Tick Thing’ - The Reader’s Digest version. There are Brown Tick is the Bahamas and it has taken the lives of several dogs so everyone if diligent about treating their dogs properly and vigilant about checking them for ticks. Our dogs are actually so well medicated that the ticks don’t want anything to do with them. Oddly enough, most folks aren’t worried about ticks and….humans! We weren’t! Well, it appears that one of the ticks we found must have laid larvae on our boat, in Vicky’s bin where she keeps her bras. They got onto her back and were snacking on her for their first meal. They leave behind a toxin that itches to beat the band! A visit to the doctor and the vet confirmed that it is indeed tick larvae. So begins the bombing of the boat, the numerous loads of laundry in hot water + bleach, the non-stop spraying and cleaning. It has been two weeks and we seem to be under control of the situation. It takes 10-12 days for any illness to show up if it was transmitted by the tick. So far…so good! If you are reading this and you want more detailed information…because we are now Brown Tick experts….we have a ton of statistics and advice. Simply email us at svboto@yahoo.com
The next plan is to go to Cat Island, Eleuthra, the Berry Islands and the Abacos so stay tuned.