Andros and Nassau

We have now been in the Bahamas for 10 days and the 2 ½ months it took us to get here now are a distant memory. After checking in at Cat Cay we left the following morning for a 70+ mile trip to Andros Island. Because we can’t make that much headway during daylight hours we decided to go as far as daylight would take us and anchor out on ‘the banks’. This is essentially a long stretch of water that is about 9-12 feet deep….and get this Kemah folks…you can see the bottom! We had a nice relaxing sail and the winds dropped to 5 knots for the night so a peaceful sleep. The next morning we made our way to the Northwest Channel marker. This marks the top end of the Tongue of the Ocean which is VERY deep. Again the depth meter went to - - - quickly and the water turned that amazing color of blueberries again. We had wonderful wind and amazingly from the right direction so we sailed the whole way to Morgan’s Bluff at the north end of Andros Island.

After anchoring we went inside the breakers to a small commercial fishing harbor of the main harbor. We were immediately greeting by Jim, aka ‘Local Knowledge’. Jim gave us the rundown of what to do in the immediate area as well as a description of all the boat dwellers in the inner harbor. For the most part these boats had some type of issue (waiting for boat parts, lost their cruising partner, or simple just didn’t want to leave the comforts of a snug harbor). There was a bar/restaurant at the end of the inner harbor where we enjoyed an evening of liming with the locals and playing pool.

Mija and Chula enjoyed the beach! They were finally able to run free and get full of sand. Ah, the beginning of battling sand on and in the boat! We spend several days comfortably sitting out some strong southerly wind. We had planned to leave on Tuesday but as the weather often does…the forecast advanced so the north winds were going to be coming in strong by midnight on Monday. We quickly stocked up on water, chatted with our neighbors (Windswept Dreams) and we both weighed anchor and headed across the Tongue of the Ocean to Nassau which has good protection from all winds. At one point the winds clocked up to 34 knots but we had perfect wind direction so were snuggled in nicely by Monday night.

About the water on Andros! There was a ship called Titus that would come into the harbor every day and load 4 million gallons of water for the Nassau area. Andros just happens to have a large supply of fresh water so it is one of those rare instances where you can get fresh water without paying for it in the Bahamas.

As luck would have it, we dropped our hook east of the bridges in Nassau and haven’t slipped or moved yet! We have heard that the holding isn’t that good in the Nassau harbor due to currents/tides but so far…so good! Windswept Dreams (Ann and Ed) took a slip at a marina right next to our anchorage and as it turns out we were anchored right next to friends they had met last year (Wayne and Beth) on Gypsy Moon. The next night we had homemade banana dessert on Windswept and played our first game of Mexican Train (dominoes)!

We have been exploring island and having a good time. One day we dinghied over to the Atlantis Resort to check out how the other half lives! The dinghy dock is at the back end of the channel so we had a chance to pass all the mega-yachts at their marina. You can see that some of them even dwarf Atlantis!

It was decided that we all wanted to explore the rest of the island so Boto, Windswept Dreams and Gypsy Moon rented a van for $59.00 and off we went. Vicky tried to negotiate with some of the scooter vendors but after watching how crazy the drivers are on New Providence we decided it would be best to have some metal armor around us. We took off to the northwest making our way to the southwest part of the island. It is a beautiful area with a lot of hotels and some very nice residences. The beaches were beautiful. It was interesting to actually see how much construction was started but never finished. I bit like Mexico.

We went to the Clifton National Park where you could find old plantation ruins and steps that used to lead to the shore where deliveries were made to the islands in the early days and then later on this is where the slave ships arrived.

Onward to enjoy a true Bahamian lunch of Cracked Conch, beans and rice, macaroni and coleslaw...and of course a Kalik. After lunch we drove to the east end of the island and back home. After sitting in much traffic we can’t really say we miss driving all that much. It is much quicker to get from one end of town to the other in our dinghy!
Monday we will be heading to the Exumas! We will make our way to Allan’s Cay and then down the chain in a leisurely fashion.

More to follow!

Adios and Via Con Dios:We're Leaving Today

Taking liberty with a line from "Toes" by Zac Brown, we are leaving and as we write this we have left. We departed Marathon Key and Boot Key Harbor on Tuesday 1/19/10, after two wonderful weeks of COLD and DAMP weather. The wonderful part is the people we met; it's amazing, meet someone for all of five minutes and you are now pals, more than five minutes and you are part of the family. Something born of being in the same boat, literally and figuratively. While in Boot Key we didn't get a chance to meet everyone, primarily because most folks, us included, spent the period of 1/6-1/15 before the heaters; crowded around the propane stove; wrapped in a blanket or someone elses arms (oops didn't mean to give anything away); in short it was damn (pardon me) cold. All of the sudden the weather cleared, warmed and folks emerged from the hulls in shorts and tees, and started to visit one another. We enjoyed an impromtu concert from the comforts of our dinghy, along with another two or three dozen dinks, broadcast from the cockpit of one of our neighbors: Classical Guitar coupled with Opera Arias and the occasional homespun favorite like "I Don't Know". All in all our stay in Boot Key was fun, capped by a visit from John and Peggy and a wonderful dinner ashore.

Tuesday, 1/19/10 we are off at the ungodly hour of 0900, headed for Rodriquez Key off Key Largo. Winds are forecast at NNW 10k which actually means they will be ENE 10-15k as we are heading in an ENE direction, and thankfully the universe according to the weather forecast holds true as we motor into 15k winds for seven hours, alas, we make a wonderful anchorage before sunset on the SSE side of Rodriquez Key and have a non eventful night on the hook. Oh, by the way this part of the trip saw our first SEA TURTLE, yep a big one too.


Captains Log: Wednesday-January 20, 2010 (Stardate ?????) we're up and at 'em at 0500, anchor up at 0645 after double and triple checking the weather and we are off across the Gulf Stream and the Florida Straights. Talk about a non-event, whatever wind there is, is of course on the nose and the waves are the gentle swells are few and far between. The inky black/blue water begins about 10nm off Rodriquez Key, another 5nm and the depth finder stops working as we move from hundereds of feet to thousands and then who knows. By the by, the depth finder doesn't work again for about eight hours until we approach Honeymoon Harbor on Gun Cay and things go from beep, beep, beep to 50 feet real quick. Oh then they go to 20 feet, then 10 feet, get the picture. Well it wakes you up.



Flying Fish! Tiny, mid-size bird like creatures that create a wake (and kinda scare the hell out of you at first) and actually FLY for a good distance. Well there are many of these happy fish along our route. Other than the inky,rolling blackness of the ocean we are ALL ALONE, there are no other vessels on the horizon.

We anchor in Honeymoon Harbor on the north end of Gun Cay at N25*35.274W79*18.235 in 8 feet of water, a mere 100yds from the beach, this will keep Ed awake. This calls for a toast!However, our crew sleeps the sleep of the just and innocent. Ha. We are up early Thursday the 21st by a rocking anchorage as the wind and waves increase and swing. We pull anchor at 0800 and head around Gun Cay cut looking for a place to drop the hook and wait for the sun to get a little higher before we try to work our way through the coral heads into Cat Cay Yacht Club. Well, the hook just doesn't work! After rounding Gun Cay light and its breakers we figure we are ready for the coral heads and head on into the Yacht Club, we need a break. Tied up and secured by 1100, we cleared customs and immigration and are now flying the Bahamas courtesy flag, officially in the Islands.

It's been two and a half months and a few storms but BOTO and her crew; Vicky, Ed, Mija and Chula are now on Island Time. Chula said,'Ed, Mon! Dude, it is bright here! Give me your shades!'


We'll be in touch.

Ready to leave the States?

Where to begin its been almost three weeks, and we've started a new year. Well, Happy New Year to everyone. We spent two full weeks in Key West, enjoying all that the town has to offer, from its nonstop parties, to the wonderful old neighborhoods with the great houses. When you visit be sure to sample the fun along Duval Street, but make sure to get off the beaten path and see the surrounding neighborhoods.

There are great places to eat and the locales are always friendly, check out the Coffee Plantation on Caroline or have a pint at Finnegan's Wake. However you spend a visit, make a trip to the end of the line.

Celebrating the New Year in Key West has its own appeal, and by the time the party was over we were definitely ready to move on. The weather doesn't always cooperate and although New Years Eve and New Years Day were great, the first night of the new year really cranked up the winds and the waves. Boto drug her anchor resulting in our having to pull up and reset elsewhere, all after dark; this turned out to be fortuitous, as long about 2100hrs there was some excitement when another boat broke free of its mooring and ran helter skelter through the anchorage, directly through where we had been anchored, better lucky.

After several days with our friends Paul and Sharleen it was back to reality for them and time to plan our next leg, jumping off on a nice clear sunny, if cold and windy January 5th, we took the short hop up the east coast of the Keys to Marathon and Boot Key Harbor.

Here is where you will find the flotilla waiting for the perfect weather window to cross the Gulf Stream to the Bahamas. Some folks come for a week and stay for a year, others make a month or two of it. We've been here two weeks now waiting for the cold winds to blow out and for the weather to move to the SE to give us a nice smooth ride across to Cat Cay, our choice of gateway to the Islands. As we sit here on a warm (75*) rainy day we are all set with food and drink, fuel and water. There will be a number of boats heading across in the next several days so we will not get lonely out there and it's really a short trip, actually two short trips. A hop north to Rodriquez Key (40nm) then across to Cat/Gun Cays (60nm). With our boat speed of 6.5k and the Gulf Stream at 3+k, well make the trip across in day light and find a nice place to rest up before crossing the Bahamian Bank towards the Berry Islands where we will turn south and head along the Tongue of the Ocean (REALLY DEEP, 2,000+ ft) on our way to the Exumas. After that who knows, but we're sure that after all of this stress and strain of getting here we'll need a vacation, good thing we'll already be in the islands.

The Conch Republic

Why are these people smiling?

"We are the people, our parents warned us about...."

Monday, 12/21 off we go even before the sun has reported for work. Scratch that there is no work out here. We are up and going bright and early, making it out of Longboat Pass by 0730 and pointing our way south for the Keys. The weather forecast is perfect for us, 10-15k winds, ENE with moderate, read 2', seas. The first 18 hours are just perfect, the sun is shining, the wind is off our port beam (that's at a 90* angle to our left) and we are sailing along at a comfortable 6-7kts of boat speed. Breakfast, lunch and dinner under sail life is good. Sunset is great and we are into the night crossing at least this time around there is no fog and the moon is providing a good amount of light and then there are the stars, beautiful.

All this is before we pass Sanibel Island and leave US waters for international waters and the area of the charts which simply states, "Here there be dragons". It's deep and dark and of course the wind picks up along with the seas, so much for weather forecasts. N, NE winds replace our ideal and pick up to 20-25k with following seas of 6'. For those that have heard the saying, fair winds and following seas, it is really not a blessing but a bit of a curse. Following seas mean that big, nasty roiling bodies of ocean come crashing into you from behind, making things very uncomfortable. After reefing (reducing) all of our sails around 0200 on the 22nd, we were still surfing down waves making a good 7-7.5k (for Boto under reduced sail this is fast) finally we bring in the head sail completely using a reefed main only and still make 6-7k of boat speed and still we rock-n-roll. By 0500 things are getting a bit tiring as the rough seas and gusty winds have made sleeping difficult, at best we've each caught a brief puppy nap (no cat naps on Boto). By 0700 we've given in and cranked up the engine hoping to flatten out the ride a bit and give us some more speed as we've dropped below 5k.

Sunrise shows us that the large waves we caught glimpses off during the night were not our imagination, while 6' is not huge, when you are in the trough between two 6'+ waves you feel small, especially when they are occurring every 5 seconds or less. By noon of the 22nd things are looking up, we make sight of land and by 1300 we've made it to the outer sea buoy marking the channel into Key West. We've both been to Key West before as we're sure have many of you out there, but arriving via the water on a small boat is kinda exciting.

The trip down has been great, wind and waves aside and we make it to our anchorage off of Fleming Key without incident. We actually get a great dolphin show on our way in, imagine we get to see all the dolphins we can take in without having to fork over money to the dolphin tours, we also get our fill of sunrises and sunsets without having to sign up for the tour. Grab a boat and go see for yourself.

Mija and Chula have decided Key West is their favorite stop so far, especially as our first landfall on the 22nd was to grab a bite to eat at the Schooner Bar before getting some sleep and they were both welcomed to come in and have a seat. Of course they got to share in the burgers and fries but not the beer, there are limits after all. Christmas in Key West we've decided should be fun. Of course from there we decided that New Years in Key West should be even better, so here we are enjoying some time on the hook in the Southern Most city of the Union. Of course the Conch Republic views itself differently.

We've met a number of great folks, other cruisers as well as some of the locals all have been very eager to help and share a story. It's somehow reassuring to have a beer and a conversation with a 19th century pirate (not a make believe pirate, but a pirate) not to mention the angel (complete with wings) to his right.

It's a little chilly now as the coldfronts continue to roll through and the high winds continue to rock us to sleep, but for now life at the end of the line is comfortable. Sunrise, ah!

Where to Next?

Clearwater Florida to Longboat Key, a very short distance but all the difference in the world. After a beautiful sail down the coast we made our way into the Longboat Pass, navigating between ambiguous markers; there is actually a sign halfway through the channel that states, "Shallow Water", most reassuring. We made it around Jewfish Key without going aground unlike our friends on the Cat "Kitty Wake", they went aground just outside the channel, but Jeff was able to jump over and push her off, ah one of the benefits of a Cat. We made it into the anchorage between Long Beach and Jewfish, oh yeah we went aground twice (see the picture, at low tide, with the birds on it!), but made it off and began our five day stay in a wonderful little anchorage. With shore just a couple of hundred yards away the dink came in handy as did the smaller engine, and the girls just loved going for their daily walks/runs along the beach; which means lots of sand and saltwater (on land and in the boat!)

We made a total recon of the area and even managed a 12 mile round trip to the grocery store on our bikes, ouch. A nice break from the day to day travels. Yup even sailing gets to you every day, well not really.

On Saturday, December 19th, Vicky's cousin Joel made the trip up from Venice Beach to have lunch with us and spend the afternoon catching up after 10 years. We were pleasantly surprised by the goodies Joel brought with him. A bag full of fresh Florida oranges, grapefruit and limes, a concoction of granola, oatmeal and almond milk (nummy) plus a small, adorable Christmas tree! We didn't have any decorations so it was fun to light it up at night to put us in the Christmas mood! We also went for a ride in his car to get diesel for the boat. We haven't been in a car (other than one taxi) since we left Texas so that was a BIG treat!

That morning Vicky was up on the deck when she started yelling, "Ed, it is a huge squishy walrus looking thing! Come quick!". The area is a protected area for manatees so this was the first of many we saw. They escaped before the camera could be retrieved but they are spectacular!

For those of you wondering what our boat looks like...here it is behind us nestled nicely in Long Beach key.Well, the rip tides and surge have now diminished to a manageable size so we will make our way on Monday, Dec. 21st to Key West. We were going to stop in Charlotte Harbor for a day. On Cabbage Key you can go to the restaurant to get a cheeseburger that is the inspiration for Jimmy Buffet's song 'Cheeseburger in Paradise'. It looks like the weather may deteriorate again so we have decided to make the 30 hour trip straight to the Keys while the weather looks good!

Finally, It's 80*

Yes, we are in Clearwater, FL and today it is 80, from here it gets cold again, but for now this is paradise. Our trip here reminds us that no amount of planning can insure that the plan will go accordingly. With the weather forecast in hand and the tanks all topped off we planned an early departure Sunday to arrive in Clearwater early Monday. Fog was not mentioned nor was it predicted. Oh well that is what radar is for, just follow the little green and red thingys marking the channel; let's see It's Red Right Return? So heading out we keep the Greenies to Starboard, oops ran aground, back off back off, we're floating again. Well lets reverse that and try it the other way. Ooops, we're aground, very aground. Rev the engine forward, rev the engine reverse Nadda, Zip, time to call for a tow. Oh at this time visibility is NILL. Get out the bell, the whistle, call out on the radio, whats that, nothing just a gull, but that is a rather large fishing boat emerging from the fog, Hi. Rusty from Towboat never made it out so we were left to our own designs, with some help from a few wakes we finally were afloat again, but lost in the fog. Finally the fearless crew got it together and off we go in the right direction, hey look another very large fishing boat that doesn't care it if gets a nick in the hull from a glass boat, hard to port.
Ok, there's the channel to the Gulf of Mexico, we're home free, wait what is that, just some locales in a little row boat anchored in the middle of the channel fishing. WE exchanged pleasantries, something about tools. I'm sure that Darwin will take care of the situation in time.
In to the Gulf to begin the 150nm trek SE, oh yeah more fog; in fact to make this short, FOG the entire trip, at least it'll be dark too. Nothing like disturbing a sleeping pelican in the middle of the gulf as it yells at you and begins flapping its enormous wings and running on the water, you can't see it but you hear it then see the wake it created and wonder what the hell is that.
Finally arrive Monday afternoon with the Clearwater Pass clearly in sight and then, it just disappeared behind a fog bank. Let us repeat that, ikt was there one nano-second and the next it was gone. What to do, circle call on the radio get the whistle.
Finally into the channel and running for the marina, land. Wait what's that, it's a manta ray showing off; it too can fly, just watch it leap into the air roll over and crash back into the sea, cool, get the camera forget about running into the jetty that's too cool. Well, no pic's but we made it into the marina and had a great nights rest. Now for cleaning and more planning for the next leg. Hey did we tell you about the flying manta ray?

Finally, warm weather??????

Where to begin, we have been remiss. Although we have planned out a rather Hi-tech (:)) solution to allow us to pick up WiFi everywhere on the planet; ok it's just a big antenna, we are learning just how tough it is to get "connected". New Orleans we had a so-so connection at the Southern Yacht Club (not what ya might think), Pensacola was a good connection, but we were there three days waiting out weather, one day/night of gail force, so we basically ate, slept and watched "LOST", etc.... So here we are in Apalachicola, waiting out weather, again, with an Excellent connection. Oh yes, keep in mind that connections first and foremost should and need to be FREE. So here we are.

Our three days in New Orleans were lots of fun, but it was time to get off land again and we headed back to the ICW and a nice anchorage at Rabbit Island, talk about remote.

From there we made our way, Thanksgiving Day to Gulfport, MS. That is we decided against going to Biloxi, MS because of the 20-25k winds and 6' waves. Things just kept building, so we ducked into Gulfport where we cooked up our feast which was acquired while in New Orleans.

This is a good time to talk about prejudices. We have discovered that the rest of the Automobile Addicted world looks down upon bike riders and heavens forbid, WALKERS. Our first night in New Orleans we went looking for a kitchen still open on a Sunday night at 6pm, the first stop was fruitless, however the gentleman at the bar just wanted to know, "what happened to your car". We explained we lived on a boat and were walking to no avail. Then there was the bartender that gave us a number of recommendations, until we finally got across that we were walking to which she replied, "You're Walking", as if we were diseased. Then there was the waiter in Pensecola, who looked at us with bug eyes when we asked him to suggest a grocery store within walking distance as, well, we were walking, he simply stated, "you're walking?". So yes, let it be known, Vicky and Ed are WALKERS (occasional bike riders, that is collapsible bikes much like in the circus and this too is looked upon in amazement, not just because of the funny bikes either).

Back to the feast, the standard, turkey, stuffing, sweet potatoes and green beans along with a nice wine, followed by........ PUMPKIN PIE, yes we live large. We must point out that we arrived at the Gulfport Yacht Club about 2pm and were greeted by some folks who had already feasted and had retired to the Yacht Club bar to watch football, one of whom was kind enough to give us a ride to the store for a few things, oh yeah, and buy Ed a beer too.

Off we head on the 27th, our plan is to spend the next several days on the hook, so the girls got a very nice walk before we pushed off. Great weather from the 27th through 12/1 with stops at Dauphin Island, MS then onto Ft. McRae in Pensacola, FL. White sand beaches and sandy bottoms to anchor in, what a pleasure to pull anchor and not have stinky mud. The girls were able to run up and down the beach and chase the ball, Chula even went for an extended swim some 50' off the beach, but she came back!

The neighbors at Ft. McRae are fun but not to talkative, well not in english or any other language known to man, they chirp a lot. Oh yeah, the sunrises and sunsets continue to be GREAT. Then there are the private airshows by the Navy's Blue Angels, nothing like a fighter jet at 300' to wake you up. All things come to and end and for us the anchorage at Ft McRae is about to be over run by a gail force storm so we headed off to the Palafox Pier Marina where we were met by, Captain Ron, no kidding, Captain Ron is the harbor master, :). However, before we could get safely tied up on the dock and enjoy extended hot showers and do laundry and watch some internet TV, we had to deal with a couple of boat issues. As we hauled up the anchor that morning Vicky hollered out, "We've lost steerage"; think what would happen if your steering column in the car suddenly disconnected from the axle and you had to improvise a method of turning the wheels. For us that is the emergency tiller, a device which is attached to the top of the rudder and by which one can steer a boat. The catch is that now all of the force of the wind and water is on the tiller and the helmsmans arms and not the steering cables. Oh well, we needed something to do anyway. Oh, then we ran aground, that's where the boat that floats tries to walk on land. Oh well. Off we went and to the marina we sailed. Tied up, cleaned up and watered down (that's cocktail hour by the by).

After three days of Pensacola, and it is a nice town, we were off to Destin, FL with dolphins guiding us out of the way, a good omen, motorsailing into NW15k and calm seas. Dinner was a wonderful pint and a plate of Irish Bleu Chips (homemade potato chips smothered in bleu cheese, emmmmmmmm).

Next up, Panama City, FL and you guessed it, some work on the generator, that wonderful machine that gives us 120V electricity, when it works. Three days of mechanic work and bad weather, coupled with a not so bad time in an ok city, and the genset works....we have heat at anchor.

Allow us to digress a minute, as we are piling on the narrative. Back in Pensacola before the weather turned foul we tested one of our new toys, the WATER MAKER. That's right we make water. From your basic, nonmuddy, seawater we can produce 1.5gal per hour and is it good. We've had two runs so far and while it is not a necessity right now we will continue to supplement our fresh water from now on.

From Panama City we headed to anchor in St Joe Bay, there is nothing so rousing as the radio announcement stating that the "Crooked Island corridor is closed from 0700-1100 for missile testing" that is if you happen to be sailing through that corridor. Yes, our tax dollars at working, blowing up plankton. While we didn't see any missiles headed out to sea we did some some on shore explosions, better than the movies. Which brings us to Apalachicola, FL where we are currently tied up at the Scipipo Creek Marina, you guessed it waiting on weather. At least we are not alone, tomorrow the 13th there will be a half dozen boats setting out for the Tampa area and warmer weather, the report is 80*, we hope.

We've sailed a little, motored a lot and did a bit in-between, had our ups and downs and have had freezing weather on our tropical adventure, time to head this boat south. We hope to have some updates before Christmas and perhaps we'll make it to the Bahamas for New Years, for now it looks like Christmas in the Keys, bummer, :). Hope you all have a great holiday and we'll be in touch.