Catamaran Harmony

Cruising life

2012-01-23T06:44:00.005-05:00

Hidden Crab in Bita Bay

Even though we are on a mooring in Black Sound, Green Turtle Cay, we are up before the sun. Florrie curls up on the aft bunk and writes. I am listening to Chris Parker, weather guru, on the single sideband radio (AKA SSB or short wave radio) and having my first cup of coffee. If there is Internet, we both are on our computers (sometimes sending notes to each other). Slowly we get ready for the day. Yesterday we did some boat jobs and then went for a bike ride with some friends. Bida Bay for a picnic lunch then on another 1/2 mile and back. Some time during the day we tend to have a nap. We watched some of the Giant game last night but couldn't stay awake for the end. Too bad...giants in overtime. Florrie will be flying back to NJ on wed for some family business and then return in a week. Right now we are lucky. Good Internet, warm during the day and cool at night, fridge working, dinghy hanging on and life is good. Knock on wood!

The picture was actually from last year in Marsh Harbour.

Green Turtle Cay

2012-01-18T15:32:00.002-05:00

When last we left our adventurers they were just getting out of sight of land in a balmy breeze. But things change. The wind and waves were both forecast to be light and from the West. An easy trip. Once again, Man plans and god laughs. The wind picked up to about 15+ from the Southeast, close hauled and almost on the nose. The seas picked up from the Northeast...right angles to the wind...and got somewhere about 3 to 4 feet. Of course, at night everything seems double so it felt like 30 knots with 8 foot waves. Our intrepid Captain thought it was a fine sail but the Admiral was not happy. Oh, she did wonderfully well with 2 hour watches and was never seasick at all. We got to the banks about 9 PM and thought about anchoring but it was too rough so we continued on. By 6:30 we neared the top of Great Sale Cay and stopped, watched the lightning in the sky in front of us and waited for Chris Parker, weather guru, on the single sideband radio. He forecast that the wind would be light and from the north. Well light it was from the southwest until we got to Green Turtle at 3 PM. Dinghied ashore and went to customs to check in. Back to the boat, towing a Canadian Dinghy that had broken a sheer pin on the coral because the town dock didn't have a deck following hurricane Irene, back to his anchored boat.

The Island obviously suffered a lot of damage from the hurricane but is getting back to normal. Still see a loss of trees and shingles on the roofs of houses. We are on a mooring at Donnie's Boat Rental in Black Sound and snug as a bug and well protected from the fronts.

Florrie took lots of pictures and they can be found on Facebook. look for Florence Hill.

On our way

2012-01-12T11:31:00.001-05:00

We left vero at 7 this morning with the current against us as we left Ft. Pierce and headed for the Bahamas. Very light wind from the west and a 1/2 foot slow rollers behind us. About a half knot current against as we are 5 miles off shore and we are motoring.

Sent from my Verizon Wireless Phone

Cold front in florida.

2012-01-04T08:33:00.001-05:00

It is 8:30 AM and 34 degrees. Nuff said.

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Perfect Paul sings

2011-12-25T19:33:00.000-05:00

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-yGJbkQulQw

Xmas 2011

2011-12-25T08:45:00.001-05:00

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Free Navigation Program with AIS

2011-12-23T14:15:00.003-05:00

Most people are familiar with Seaclear as a free navigation program with AIS to see ships. I just discovered, at least new to me, another and, I think, better one. For the link, just click on the title or goto http://opencpn.org/ocpn/
You can get free charts from NOAA, but you will need an AIS receiver and antenna to make that work. Otherwise it looks like a really good general navigation program. Certainly the GPS is quite accurate. And it is FREE! Don't want to bother downloading NOAA charts? There usually is a disc you can get cheaply on EBAY (about $10 +/-) with all the charts.

Sunset

2011-12-22T08:34:00.002-05:00

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From the back of the boat at St. A. The color should be more red than the camera made it.

Happy Holidays

2011-12-20T18:09:00.001-05:00

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PredictWind app downgrade

2011-12-20T11:18:00.003-05:00

I had a really nice app call PredictWind, even though the "tracking" part didn't work. It would predict winds up to 5 days in advance and was almost as accurate as NOAA. Now it has been "updated" so that it only works for one day, which is useless, so I am recommending that you DO NOT use this app. In fact, feel free to complain to them at support@predictwind.com.

Birthdays this week

2011-12-18T10:15:00.002-05:00

Poor unfortunates whose birthdays are within a week of Xmas. Melissa...today. Sarah...yesterday. Dave on Xmas Eve!! Julie on News Year Eve. What were those parents thinking in March? HAPPY BIRTHDAY.

Christmas in St. Augustine

2011-12-18T10:03:00.004-05:00

Didn't get to fix the pump until the next day and we still have refrigeration! I went home for Thanksgiving and came back Dec. 3. Florrie has joined me and we will be spending Christmas in St. Augustine then (knock on wood) off to Vero for a short visit and picking up some stuff to bring to Bahamas for a friend. Hopefully leave for the Bahamas in early Jan. I just read in a cruising magazine that several of the places in the Abacos were damaged by hurricane Irene but should be back to normal by now.

The picture was taken off our sternat the marina on the San Sebastion River.

pumps

2011-12-09T12:04:00.001-05:00

Well it has been three hours fixing and refixing and refixing the water pump for the fridge compressor, only to test it and find leaks. Bah! Humbug!
After the first failure I noticed an O-ring on the bottom of the bilge. Tried to put it on several times...all the time on my belly reaching down into the bilge...but it wouldn't go. Then I noticed that the fitting already had an O-ring in it so I exchanged the one for the other and it seems to be working. How the ring got into the bottom of the bilge, I have no idea. The strainer had to be replaced with a new one then done again, after a long search, with plumber's tape. Of course, every other connection had to be redone with the tape too. Each individual part seems to be working but it needs to be reassembled and tested again. So I took a break and my wrists now hurt just typing. Maybe after a nap.

A new book

2011-11-10T11:55:00.002-05:00

Click on the title above to be linked to a site where I just wrote a book based on an Eileen Quinn song (with her permission): "My Grandma and Grandpa went to sea". It is not for sale but was fun putting it all together. Click on the book to see the next page.

a sinking

2011-11-07T08:29:00.002-05:00

Click on the title to be linked to a story about our neighbor who was rescued by the coast guard and local police after apparently hitting the jetty at St. Mary's inlet. They are OK but the boat was lost. The boat is not a shrimper but a trawler. Don't know the details yet.
Be safe out there!

Sister ship to Sweet Caroline

Grand banks 36.jpg

charterworld.com

Dolphins surfing

2011-11-06T09:16:00.005-05:00

You know how dolphins like to ride the bow wave? And what do we do but make our way to the bow to watch. Well this time I stayed in the cockpit while about 30 dolphins came to play with Harmony. While there I noticed them surfing down 5 foot waves behind us and pass us as the wave did. They would travel in groups and inspect us as they passed. It all makes sense but it is the first time I had noticed and really watched it. Unfortunately, I was too busy watching to remember to take a picture so I found this video of surfing dolphins:
http://youtu.be/bWauuX_1KH8
and this one of a dolphin stampede:
http://youtu.be/AR9JX2fRk3c

Catamaran Harmony in Florida

2011-11-05T13:41:00.006-04:00

I left the boat at River's Edge, formerly Oyster Creek, Marina and flew home until Early Dec. Been in contact with a couple of boats going down the ICW and am so happy we went outside. They are now stopped for a Nor'Easter with gale warnings all along the coast. Not a comfortable time to be moving. Maybe Tuesday they will be able to move again. I was on the bow either watching dolphins or fixing the head.

Sunset at sea.

Hitchhiker. Stayed with us for a day and a night. We thought she was a seed eater but she enjoyed a moth she found.

Less than six days from KeyportNJ to St. Augustine

2011-10-29T16:30:00.001-04:00

We are now in St. Augustine having arrived just before 2PM on Thursday to have made the entire trip in less than six days. While it is snowing in NY, it rained a little here. I had a great crew for the trip but they left at 5 this morning so I am alone. Got the laundry and a few little jobs done and will be eating leftovers again tonight. I tell you, it ain't easy being me.

South Carolina Coast

2011-10-26T08:56:00.003-04:00

We have made really good time. We are just south of Charleston, SC having come west to prepare for some weather on the nose. We left NJ and had a very fast sail down the NJ coast reaching Norfolk in 40 hours. It usually takes us 48+ and we were sailing all the way. By the time we reached Cape Hatteras we had only motored 17 hours total (3 days plus of only sailing) Coming down the NC outer banks we reached a sustained 10 knots several times arriving at the waypoint 3 hours earlier than anticipated. Since then we have been sailing on a broad reach in 15 to 20 knots. Yesterday, the wind died and we turned on the motor about 6pm and motored all night. In fact we are still motoring waiting for the wind to come in but it will be from the SW...on the nose. We are off St. Helena Sound and, if the wind doesn't come sooner, may get to Hilton Head by late afternoon. Man plans and God laughs. Anyway, there are places to duck in and get to the ICW so when the wind does come in at 15-20 knots on the nose we can still make time on the ICW. Predictions say we could go back out on Friday to a Northerly 10-15. Well, we'll see.
The crew has been fantastic. We are eating well and getting sleep. I take the watch from 7-12, after dinner. Joe comes on from 12 to 3 and Merrie from 3 to 7 (she really likes the sunrise). During the day no one is really on watch and people can take naps if needed.
The boat has been doing well overall. The night before last, at 4 AM i was woken up with the autohelm not working. We checked it out and the linear drive motor had come unattached. Joe and I put it all back together by 6AM and off we went. Later that day, I was checking the fluids on the starboard engine when I noticed that the fanbelt had broke. I replaced that with a spare, one of my favorite muscle jobs, and it has been working for the last 14 hours.

5th Season Begins/photo captions

2011-10-23T06:22:00.001-04:00

In the order they appeared, this is what was supposed to go with each of the photos I posted yesterday.

Getting Harmony ONTO the dock.
(It was very windy on Friday morning.)

Loading her up!

The fearless Captain.

One crew aboard.
(Joe looks really happy to be on this off shore trip.)

Fair winds and see you soon - Florrie & Lew.
(Lew will fly back before Thanksgiving, then we will both go to wherever the boat is stored and take off for the winter.)

Roy to the rescue, they need help!
(Roy is the club's launch Capt.)

All three aboard and off the dock!
(I wish I had a picture of Joe leaping aboard at the very last minute with Roy ready to release the bowline.)

Warm weather, here they come.
(It was a cold, windy start but within a couple of hours the winds had calmed.)

Main up, the adventure begins.

(Lew wrote Saturday evening that they had had all but two hours of sailing and they were ahead of schedule. By now, Sunday morning, I imagine they are Quite a bit south of Norfolk.)

Harmony's 5th Season begins/photos

2011-10-22T13:42:00.000-04:00

Getting Harmony ONTO the dock.

The Story behind the pictures.

2011-10-10T19:05:00.001-04:00

The first photo is Florrie's grand-nephew and niece.

Lew asked me to tell this story to our boating friends. On September 29th I drove to Maine to surprise my niece for her 50th Birthday.
It was a terrific surprise but the real adventure occurred the next day. Betsy and her 20 year old son, Shane, were scheduled to take their first sky dives, as a joint Birthday celebration. Rick (Betsy's husband) and I went along to watch. It was fascinating to listen to the instructor, Scott, a diver with over 10,000 jumps, talking to the 6 new jumpers.

We waited hours for the clouds to clear. Then we waited for the 40 MPH winds 5000 feet up to calm down.

Scott, on the left, and the other tandem divers waited around, too. I asked the divers if it is always such an adrenalin rush to jump. Absolutely! But the diver in the stocking cap told me that the most scared he has ever been was on a boat in a storm! These guys pay money to jump out of planes as often as they can, but a boat on the water is worse?! (All of a sudden I didn't feel like such a chicken.)

Finally Scott and one of the other pros went up in a small plane to "test" the winds.

I AM SOOOOOO GLAD that the first time I ever saw anyone jump it was NOT Betsy or Shane!!!!! They were up so high we couldn't even see the plane or the divers until they opened their chutes - and THEN they were PIN DOTS!!!! Pretty quickly they became about as big as the head of a pin. Scott had\s lost count of his dives at 10,000. It takes 20 tandem dives before someone is allowed to jump alone. I am impressed. It was still too windy so we waited around for another hour or two, then Betsy & Shane got rain checks for another jump within the next 2 years. I don't have plans to watch - but who knows?

When it is done right - the landing is quite awesome.

(Pardon the amateur entries! - Florrie)

Correction:

2011-10-10T19:00:00.001-04:00

The skydiving event was September 30 (not October). Oops.

Florrie

FineArtAmerica.com

as Florence Bramley Hill

Wind!

2011-10-10T18:46:00.001-04:00

This is Florrie's grand-nephew and niece.

2011-09-30T22:35:00.001-04:00

How to fit an 80 foot mast under a 65 foot bridge.

http://www.youtube.com/user/hunterparrot#p/a/u/0/WGAzt-8minI

After Irene

2011-08-28T13:58:00.001-04:00

We are good. Our boat is OK. Wind on the rear of Irene about 30 from the West. Tide going out. WHEW!

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Florrie's paintings

2011-08-06T08:35:00.001-04:00

Florrie just added 36 paintings on her facebook page
Florence B. Hill

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Harmony returns home

2011-07-25T08:51:00.001-04:00

From RI we motored to Three Mile Harbor just East of Sag Harbor. Then to Port Jeff where the fuel was $5.00/gallon! But the moorings are free behind the sand spit. Left at 6AM and motor sailed down LI sound getting to Throgs Neck about 2 for the tide change. Actually we were early and came down the East River in slack tide. Got back to the club by 7:30, got a drink at the bar and went home to collapse....

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At Cuttyhunk

2011-07-18T11:11:00.001-04:00

2011-07-18T11:02:00.000-04:00

Dutch Harbor, RI

2011-07-18T09:22:00.001-04:00

From: lew_hill@hotmail.com
To: lew_hill@hotmail.com
Subject:
Date: Mon, 18 Jul 2011 08:33:05 -0400

We left Plymouth early morning (7AM) and headed through the lobster pots down to the Cape Cod Canal. With the current we were speeding (speed limit is 10 knots) at 10.7 k over the ground...i.e. with a 5.7 knot current with us. Got down to Cuttyhunk Island by about 4 and met up with some friends on a mooring outside the harbor. There is actually lots of room to anchor just outside but we splurged and got the mooring right next to Mel and Sandy. The next day they took us on the walking tour of the island and we had a wonderful shrimp and lobster dinner with them on our boat.
About 6:30 AM we were off and headed past Block Island to Three Mile Harbor...Yeah Right! The wind was on the nose and kicked up to gusting 30 in open ocean. We only got as far as Dutch Island Harbor (directly west of Newport on the other side of Conanicut Island where we had anchored on the way up. Since it is scheduled to continue blowing from the SW with high gusts and thunderstorms we decided to splurge and take a mooring rather than possibly do the anchor dance at 3 AM in a thunderstorm. Snug as a bug.
For the cruisers: Mooring costs per night at Plymouth (call the Plymouth Yacht Club)were $60. At Cuttyhunk (First come, first served and a boat comes out to collect), $40. At Dutch Harbor (call Dutch Harbor Boat Yard on VHF 69), $50. Lobsters are just as expensive at Cuttyhunk, where they catch them, as in Keyport, NJ but a lot fresher.

Plymouth, Mass

2011-07-12T10:53:00.001-04:00

Here we are in historic Plymouth where the Mayflower landed after landing at least 2 other places. The rock is a rock. It is a real tourist town. Went to dinner with John and Sue, old friends from cruising. It was great to see them but I am not thrilled with cruising up here. Lobster pots everywhere, especially in the harbor channel. Yikes. The harbor is very very crowded with no anchoring and transient moorings costing $60/night. 7 year waiting list for permanent moorings.
We are at a dock at a nice but expensive marina (electricity discounted to $15/day). Renting a car and off to Boston for a night and day.

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Buzzards bay

2011-07-11T09:07:00.001-04:00

We are anchored between Scraggy Point and Bassetts Island...N41 40 22.7. W070 38 29.6....we tried the guidebook suggested anchorage just north of Bassets only to find it FULL of moorings. This is about a mile East of the entrance to the Cape Cod Canal but we have to wait for the current (up to 6 knots) to turn before entering (about 12:30). Of course at 8:30 the fog has begun to roll in just to make life interesting for a boat with no radar. We should get into Plymouth about 6 tonight...pray for the fog to lift!!!

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BoatUS Vessel Locator Notification

2011-07-09T18:09:00.001-04:00

Lew Hill's wireless phone was last located near Lat: N 41° 30.281' Long: W 71° 23.154' on 2011/07/09 06:04 PM EDT

BoatUS Vessel Locator Notification

2011-07-08T17:46:00.001-04:00

Lew Hill's wireless phone was last located near Lat: N 41° 0.818' Long: W 72° 11.307' on 2011/07/08 05:43 PM EDT

Three Mile Harbor

2011-07-08T15:44:00.001-04:00

This is one of our favorite harbors. Just East of Sag Harbor and 8 miles directly south of Plum Island. Google it ...eastern Long Island. Two days from Keyport. Good holding and very protected. Good thing as thunderstorms and hail expected today. That plus the morning fog led us to hang out here for a day. We want to be in commuting distance from Boston so Florrie can show grand daughter Boston School of Art (her Alma mata) on Wed.

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Catamaran Harmony pictures

2011-05-04T11:14:00.003-04:00

The Admiral has decided to go swimming. We often throw out a line to hang onto as there is usually a current and the boat is anchored. This is the color of the water when the depth is about 10 feet.

Here we have a hitch hiker. This little bird boarded a few miles from Great Sale Cay as we headed home. We anchored on the banks for the night and he/she got nervous and left us. Hopefully she caught a freighter.

We often drag a line behind the boat. We have caught Mahi Mahi, Wahoo, Mullet and other wonderful eating fish. This one is a barracuda which we let go as many of the reef fish have cigaterra (spelling?).

Several of our pictures have shown people steering the boat while standing. Yes you get a much better view but, when there is no immediate need, it can be comfortable sitting down.

Morning coffee while traversing the Intracoastal Waterway (ICW).

summary pictures

2011-05-04T10:45:00.004-04:00

Our fearless leader shampooing his hair.

Kinda speaks for itself

Typical day sailing

Treasure Cay

Nippers

BoatUS app for your phone

2011-05-03T12:46:00.001-04:00

This new app allows you to share your position with lat and long via texting or email. It will also show your position on a map and provide a link in an email. I know it works at least up to 8 miles offshore.

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View from the porch

2011-05-01T16:57:00.001-04:00

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Home

2011-05-01T16:56:00.001-04:00

Moored at Keyport Yacht Club.

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Atantc city from 24 miles out.

2011-04-30T18:32:00.001-04:00

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Coming home

2011-04-30T18:27:00.001-04:00

We left Norfolk about 9 AM on Friday. Light winds from the west. Winds went NW and built so we reefed and took in the jib which managed to foul the line around the winch just after my first nap off watch. A lot of slamming between the hulls until we went off 15 degrees from course. Rough but very little slamming...that is when waves come off each hull and join to come straight up under the center on the boat. Anything on the table is soon on the floor and no sleeping in the saloon where i was. Morning presented with confused waves and wind almost on the nose. This calmed down and by afternoon we had shaken out the reef and jib was up...motorsailing as wind was west at 10. Forcast was for NE tonight and East tomorrow. Well the real story is that it went East early this afternoon and is now from the South. Go figure.
Now we are motor sailing about 20 miles north of Atlantic City which is clearly in view and about 8 miles offshore. Crew has been fed a poor dinner of leftovers and it is getting cold. We expect low 40s tonight. Gotta go find my gloves.

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Norfolk

2011-04-27T08:44:00.001-04:00

Well we almost beat the squall into Little Creek in Norfolk. We closed in the cockpit and did circles in the bay until it passed then motored to Cobbs Marina. Now sitting at the dock. Jimmy arrives today and we leave on Friday when the front passes. Florrie will drive up to see the kids in MD.

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From Goat island on the Pasquotank River

2011-04-24T18:13:00.001-04:00

Happy Easter. Left the Alligator River and are sitting here for the afternoon and night. Dismal Swamp tomorrow.

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20 mile day

2011-04-22T16:13:00.001-04:00

We took off from Moorehead Yacht Basin about 7:30 this morning. Tide was against us all the way. Went out Adams Creek to the Neuse River where it was blowing about 25 on the nose with 2 and 3 foot waves. Lots of white caps and uncomfortable (Florrie sniffed when she read this..apparently she thinks I tend to understate things a wee bit). Turned around and went back and anchored. While I was taking a nap, the boat dragged and when I woke up we were almost in the channel again. There was a Tow Boat US hanging out about 1/4 mile away who took off when he saw us taking off. I guess warning us would have been bad for business. Looked like a little less wind so we headed NE straight into the wind and waves. They started building again so we went into the South River where we are now anchored. Rain predicted for tonight so we will stay here. Maybe Elizabeth City on Sunday or Monday. All in all not a very productive day but just a part of boating but now we have 2 anchor alarms set.

Nasty neuse river

2011-04-22T14:20:00.001-04:00

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Discretion and valor

2011-04-21T15:06:00.001-04:00

The wind kicked up to about 25 on the nose with the current against us. Port engine decided it needed a rest or at least some oil just past the bridge SW of Moorehead City. Wind forcast was for 20 to 25 with higher gusts and I got tired of fighting it. We are now in a very protected marina and yacht basin at 3 PM. We have stayed here several times and there are several good restaurants within walking distance.

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Discretion and valor

2011-04-21T15:00:00.001-04:00

The wind kicked up to about 25 on the nose with the current against us. Port engine decided it needed a rest or at least

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Live fire

2011-04-21T08:19:00.001-04:00

We got up early, listened to the weather, and took off to m.ake the 8 AM opening of the Onslow bridge. Got into Camp Lajuene to be halted by a patrol boat because they were having live shooting exercises closing the ICW. We anchored and await to hear from the patrol boat as to when the shooting will end. Talk about being a sitting duck!
OMG loud booms almost like thunder echoing nearby.

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New crew

2011-04-20T19:25:00.001-04:00

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Cape Fear

2011-04-20T07:28:00.001-04:00

We are now 60 miles SW of Cape Fear..NC. we left St. Augustine monday morning about 9 and went into the ocean. 180 nautical miles later we were off Charleston and Florrie suggested we continue outside for Cape Fear...another 120 miles. It is now about 9 at night and the engines are off. Broad reach in 10 knts of wind and should get into the river about 7 tomorrow morning. We actually slowed down so we can arrive during daylight assuming the wind doesn't die.
Ahhhhhhhhhh!

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Weather Window to US

2011-04-06T08:05:00.002-04:00

Today it is 20 to 25 from the North but it is predicted that it will go down to the NE and diminish to 14 tomorrow then less than 10 until Monday at which time it will go up to 12 from the SE. Not really good in speed for sailing as we like it over 15. However, it is from a good direction for crossing the Gulf Stream. Seas should be down with the lower winds especially with the wind direction. We don't like North winds against the flow of the Stream. It gets choppy. Anyway, we will try it so it means that we will not have internet for a few days until we ger to Florida. Float plan: Green Turtle to Great Sale. Great Sale to Little Bahama Bank (anchored). Then on to Fort Pierce at the municipal marina. Then up to Vero. Still looking for crew mid April to NJ. If not we will put her on the hard in St. Augustine. Email me at Lew.0n.harmony@gmail.com

Nippers on Great Guana Cay

2011-04-04T19:36:00.002-04:00

We’re back at Green Turtle, waiting for the next good weather window to cross the Gulf Stream to the States. What a good winter this has been! At least 2/3 has been terrific. The other third wasn’t great because the weather was doing something extreme… like freezing us. Florida with forty-two degrees in the galley in the morning is NOT what we thought we had signed on for. That lasted far too long. Then this past 2+ weeks have been too hot! Friends and family at home were still dealing with snow in some places! But really folks, 92 degrees for more than two weeks, in March? That’s not what we had in mind either. Another frustration was the Bahamas internet. It was much worse this year than last so there has been very little communication from us - and even fewer pictures.

So - the complaining out of the way - let us tell you that this year was wonderful and all about the people! It was so hard to leave Treasure Cay yesterday because we may not see some of the fascinating and incredibly fun people again! Each year is different from the last and some are going different places in 2012. Sigh. Goodbyes are so hard. However, there was enough laughter and marvelous stories shared to last us all for decades. There will certainly be a good group of us back here next season.

Aside from the delightful visit by Jim, Sarah & Riley Hill, some of the highlights have been the Low Country Boil, the Cajun Onion Soup supper, the Treasure Cay 50th Anniversary fund raising dinner, our own St.Patrick’s Day picnic with the L-Dock Drifters in fine voice, fishing excursions, water aerobics classes, and countless Pizza Nights and Happy Hours on the dock. Amid the jokes and laughter we got to know each other better and even had time for a few, more personal, conversations. Thanks to many new friends for making us “honorary Canadians” for the winter. We’re going to miss you all. We wish you happy sailing - or motoring - wherever the winds and life take you next year.

Here are a few pictures that we can finally share with you all.

St. Paddy's Day

2011-04-04T19:30:00.001-04:00

This is what boaters do on St. Paddy's day. Drink and party. The main difference is that there is a lot of green.

Catamaran Harmony images

2011-04-04T09:20:00.006-04:00

There is a fish in the last picture and, yes, the water really is that color.

Harmony update

2011-04-04T09:01:00.002-04:00

We are currently on a mooring ball at Donny's in Green Turtle Cay. About as safe as one can get (knock on wood). A front is scheduled to come thru on Tuesday evening with winds in squalls up into the 50's. After that is should go East and Southeast with diminishing winds until Sat and then start building slowly until the next front next Tuesday. LOOKS LIKE A WINDOW. knock, knock knock on wood.

Laundry day on hazrmony

2011-04-01T16:02:00.001-04:00

Bucket and plunger

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Harmony faces a strong cold front

2011-04-01T08:34:00.001-04:00

Last night the front came through. The same one that kickned up tornados in Florida. It arrived in full force about 4:30 AM. Thank goodness we were at the dock. No need to do the deck dance during the squalls. No worring about dragging our anchor or the guy in front of us dragging his. Just closing hatches and back to bed. This morning the thunderheads are still around and the wind is still blowing and from the SW so the front has not passed completely. Tomorrow SHOULD be light and northerly. We and several other boats want to leave and start the trek back to the states. Some will go direct but I think we will go to Green Turtle for a week or so. I am not quite ready to leave.

Still need crew for Florida to NJ in mid April.

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Testing

2011-03-28T17:18:00.001-04:00

Marine Weather by Bluefin

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Crew needed

2011-03-27T16:32:00.001-04:00

I know there are people out there. Email me if interested.

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Harmony in treasure

2011-03-27T10:19:00.001-04:00

Oh well. Somebody has to do it

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Two tailed lizard

2011-03-27T10:15:00.001-04:00

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2011-03-27T10:04:00.003-04:00

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2011-03-16T18:19:00.001-04:00

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Harmony still at Treasure Cay

2011-03-13T15:35:00.001-04:00

We are still here and will be for a couple of weeks. First me then Florrie have come down with colds. We blame Riley. Rum only does so much for the symptoms.

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Fishing at Treasure Cay

2011-03-09T16:22:00.000-05:00

Scotty and a mutton snapper he caught (while I was driving). Me? I lost a lot of bait. While I was fishing, they were catching. Oh well. Still a great day.

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Yard Sale on Treasure Cay

2011-03-06T08:16:00.000-05:00

Yesterday I had the most unusual morning. Selling my prints here can be complicated because the government has a number of business licenses that can totally hamstring artists and other crafts people from selling on their own. Selling to shops that already have business licenses ($5000/yr) is ok once you have paid duty on what you have brought into the country. However, yesterday there was a community "yard sale" held in the parking lot of the Coco Beach Bar. It was supposed to be from 8:30 AM to noon. The sign said "anyone could sell anything" so, armed with my customs/duty stamped notice that I had already paid the government 45% of the cost of the prints I brought with me, I borrowed a table from some other boaters and set up what I had left of my various prints. I had been warned to get there at 7:30 because people come early. I thought that was a little extreme but went along with it.

I got there at 7:30 (very early for me) and the lot was already packed! (It is about 1/2 the size of a football field, I think.) Local people were everywhere. That means a lot of Haitians who have come there for work and, because the economy is so bad, are struggling terribly. Also there were plenty of Bahamians looking for bargains because the economy is stressing everyone here. (To explain that could take all morning.) People were selling and buying everything from water drums to golf carts to kitchen supplies, tools, fishing gear, plants, clothes, furniture, you name it. At one point a pickup truck came in with a toppling load of furniture, put it out in the middle of the area, and went back for the rest of the ensemble! (Matching couch, coffee table, chairs, side tables, a rug etc, etc.) The truck was swarmed by people!

Needless to say these people weren't looking for art prints! But some of the winter (second home owner) locals were also milling around, getting bargains for their condos, etc. The boaters don't but much because the don't have any room! But it was fun to talk with people who recognized the places in my photos and understood the inspirations for some of the art on the cards.

Around 8:30 the tourists and guests arrived, when the event was supposed to start, and I began to sell my work. After that there was a pretty steady supply of interested people at my little table. Because my friend Patti volunteers at the Treasure Cay Primary School and I knew they needed more money for programs not paid for by the government, I made a sign that a percentage of my sale prices would go to the free lunch program. Some of the children don't get a hot meal all weekend. I had also checked with the woman who is in charge of the volunteers for this program. The yard sale is an annual event that mostly benefits the library and the community center but I didn't know that until I was already there. It was ok to help support other charities. It was terrific that the Humane Society (which pays for spaying & neutering strays) was selling edibles for lunch! They even had cookies for your dog.

What fun that a couple of the visitors to my table regognized my work! They had seen it in Native Creations on Green Turtle Cay. There are also a few things in the Marina Store here at Treasure Cay. So, at about 11:20 the vendors were beginning to pack up. I had very few things left and a nice contribution for the lunch program. I had had a wonderful time meeting lots of interesting people. The people at the next table loaded my table and rolling cart onto their golf cart and brought me back to the dock. What a totally unexpected and delightfully memorable experience! I'm sorry I didn't bring my camera. -- Florrie

Mia Culpa

2011-03-03T09:19:00.009-05:00

I have been amiss and must atone. It has been almost a month since my last blog.

We left Treasure and went to Marsh Harbour to pick up Jimmy, Sarah and my granddaughter Riley. Then we did the rounds. Great Guana (Grabbers and Nippers), around the Whale to Green Turtle, back around the Whale to Treasure stopping to swim off the back of the boat on the sandy banks, across to Hope Town, down to Tahiti Beach and back to Marsh Harbour. The weather was incredible and the "kids" and Riley seemed to enjoy it.

It was sad to see them go back to the land of snow (which wasn't there...snow that is).

Now we are back at Treasure for a month of R and R. Dock parties (happy hour or two) every night, water aerobics, swimming pool, one of the top ten beaches in the world according to National Geographic, etc.etc. We are at the dock which turns out to be a good thing as the weather has deteriorated. For the last three days winds have been blowing into the 30s and are expected to continue at least for the next week but the docks are quiet at night (unlike Marsh Harbour where the next door bar had live "entertainment" singing off key long past my bedtime) and the sleeping is good. No worrying about the anchor alarm going off and doing the 3 AM deck dance to reset the anchor in the rain.

Low Country Boil

2011-02-15T22:01:00.001-05:00

Low country startes in South Carolina and goes to Florida and is just that. The boil starts with small round potatoes put into boiling water. 10 minutes later you add the sausage. 10 minutes later in goes the corn on the cob and the shrimp. Ten minutes later you drain the whole thing and dump it on a table and people eat it with their fingers putting the shrimp sause on the table for dipping. Now imagine this for 30 people. Then when everyone is totally stuffed, another pot is dumped. Since noone can move, the guitars, flute, gutbucket, mandoline and spoons are brought out and every one sings until it is time for dessert. Oh yeah, all this is after a coctail and munchies hour.
Being cruisers, it all starts about 4 and ends about 9 (cruisers midnight). I can't move.

More treasure cay

2011-02-10T09:05:00.001-05:00

Yesterday I went fishing. Out into the ocean until the debth got to be about 150 feet and the we drifted and tried to keep our lines on the bottom. We caught a 12 lb grouper, two strawberry grouper and several no name small fish. Not exactly killing them. Oh yes. We also caught half of another strawberry grouper. A 6 foot baracuda got the other half. He beat out the other 3 sharks that positioned themselves under our boat waiting.
This was the first time I had even heard of a strawberry grouper. A very pretty fish about 3 lbs. Huge mouth and covered with red spots...thus the name.
Got bach to the docks and cleaned the fish tossing the remains into the water when 4 large tarpon (one estimated to be 90 lbs) came along to be fed. Some of the guys tried to hook the tarpon just to see them run and jump. There was no hope of actually catching them.
By the way, grouper is delicious.

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Treasure bay beach

2011-02-09T07:14:00.001-05:00

No words necessary

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Paradise revisited

2011-02-07T12:48:00.000-05:00

It is good that Lew has been adding a little something to the blog now and then - with lovely pictures. The bougainvillea are lush this year... I guess it is all about the rain. I am here too... but frustrated at the mostly off-again internet so I haven't tried to write for the blog much. We're finally relaxing though. It was hard to get here this year because of all the cold fronts in Florida. Then Green Turtle was so quiet it was totally different from last years 10 weeks of parties and socializing. Treasue Cay is absolutely lovely but how much can we write about swaying palm trees? Check out other years' entries. LOL We're fine and hope you are too. All the best to all of you from Florrie.

Grabbers bar on great guana

2011-02-07T07:19:00.001-05:00

Sitting at the pool, having lunch. That is Harmony in the background. Then we left and sailed very slowly to Treasure Cay to meet up with old friends Emery and Patti.
Went to the fuel dock, filled up with diesel at $4.99 per gallon (5.13 for regular gas). Once again ripped off the port running light getting off the dock. Once again repaired it. Ahhhh.

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Treasure cay

2011-02-06T12:14:00.001-05:00

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Great guana

2011-02-03T11:46:00.001-05:00

Don't know if you can see the fish in 30 feet of water or not. We left Green Turtle this morning, went outside the Whale out to the dropoff and fished in 1000 feet of water then followed both the 400 foot line and the 200 foot line. Nada. Oh well. On to Great Guana and anchored. Google it.

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13 feet deep starfish

2011-02-02T12:23:00.001-05:00

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Morning coffee

2011-01-31T20:52:00.001-05:00

I was having my morning coffee, minding my own business, when I was disturbed by a pod of dolfin feeding next to the boat. I got my camera out but every time I snapped a picture, the darn things went under. I tell you it ain't easy.

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GTC

2011-01-28T07:41:00.000-05:00

It is 7:30 AM. I am having my coffee in the cockpit. It is cloudy with a mild NW wind. The roosters are crowing and all seems right with the world. Well maybe if Pippin would stop barking and scaring people. Pippin is a wolflike beast who was left here by some cruisers who are now elsewhere. Since Donny is away, Mr. Smith feeds him but he remains outdoors and barks at all hours.
Anyway, it is cool but not enough to warrent long pants. Debby and Russ flew in yesterday and the local ferry delivered them to their little (24 foot) boat. Florrie and I had been helping Ripple put up their masts and were having celebratory cocktails with Tom and Jan when they arrived. After a few rums it was getting quite chilly as the sun went down so we went back to Harmony and tried to stay awake until 9 (sailors midntght).

Green turtle...gillam bay

2011-01-24T09:13:00.001-05:00

Ahh. This is what we came for.

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Green Turtle Cay

2011-01-21T12:10:00.001-05:00

Arrived 2 days ago after a 29 hours trip from Vero Beach. Tired but happy to be "home". A really good crossing with Windspirit (Sue and Charles). Florrie has sold somebof her work at a local gift shop.

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Tornado watch

2011-01-17T18:26:00.001-05:00

Yes. A tornado watch today. Tomorrow looks good.

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Weather Window

2011-01-15T08:09:00.002-05:00

Man plans and the gods laugh. We were all set to leave Vero today, stop at Nettles Island to see some friends tonight and go to West Palm on Sunday and leave for the Bahamas on Monday. However, I listened to Chris Parker this morning on the SSB (single sideband radio...short wave) who reported that there will be a cold front developing on Monday with squall winds up to 40 knots (35 knots is the lower limits of a GALE). Not a good thing to be caught with, especially in the middle of the gulf stream, and I would prefer to stay on a mooring at Vero than be anchored in the West Palm anchorage. Oh well. Maybe we will leave on Tuesday. This is not a plan, mind you...only a goal.

On the Move Again

2011-01-12T09:26:00.001-05:00

We are now sitting at the Vero Beach City Marina, on a mooring, planning (can you hear the gods laughing?!) to leave from Lake Worth for the Bahamas on Sunday the 16th. It took us 11 weeks to get here from Norfolk because of the weather. It has been a cold, rainy passage which started November 2nd, arriving on Thanksgiving Day in St. Augustine. If we had written for the blog all these weeks, it would have been a constant litany of complaints about the cold, punctuated by a few sentences about terrific people we've met, the beauty of the ICW, the marshes, birds and dolphins.

We still have a little provisioning to do, prescriptions to get from the local CVS and our dinghy motor to get back from the mechanic. It is having its annual maintenance check-up. Florrie is also hoping to have time to walk over to the art museum - one of her favorites.

As always (except for the cold which kept us in triple layers of clothing, even as we slept sometimes) the sights have been lovely. We enjoy the Dismal Swamp and the cypress swamps of the Waccamaw River. Elizabeth City was home for four days while we waited for Albemarle Sound to calm down. That's where we met Capt Kal. and Brian of "Serenity". We're hoping to see them again in Marsh Harbour, soon.

Staying on the dock of the Riverside Marina in St. Augustine for six weeks, we got to know Pam, Max, Patrick, many local people and some other boaters. It is not a hardship to be "stuck" in such a friendly, fascinating, historic place. Kathy & Jim of "Dilligaf" explored the town with us until they took off for Nettles Island. Merrie, an adventurous boater, is another person we hope to see again sometime, somewhere. One of the hardest parts of this life style is that we make friends easily - then have to say good bye much too soon. Sometimes we manage to stay in touch and that is always a treat. May it be so this year, too.

Lew got the canvas and isinglass in the cockpit repaired, a new auto helm and even replaced the old furling line while Florrie went home for two weeks in early December to see family. "Harmony" is just about as ready for her fourth passage to the Bahamas as she can be.

Florrie now has a few of her most popular prints in Expressions, a gift shop in St. Augustine on Spanish St., behind the Old School House. You can also see some of her Bahamas works on FineArtAmerica.com under the name of Florence Bramley Hill. (More will be added in the spring.)

Our entries into the Blog may be sporadic, we have no idea what the internet is going to be like in the Bahamas. We understand that there have been many changes in the service since we left in the spring. However, we are looking forward to being back at Green Turtle Cay and having Jim, Sarah & Riley for a week in the Abacos! We hope you all are having a good start to this New Year and are not having to shovel too much snow.

Vero Beach

2011-01-09T08:40:00.001-05:00

It is like coming home. Arrived yesterday, got the dink ready (read blown up) and headed for the showers. Ahhhhh.

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On the road again

2011-01-06T16:26:00.001-05:00

Good day. Left st. Augustine a little after 7:15 and arrived in New Smyrna Beach at 4:15. About 65 miles in 9 hours or over 7 miles per hour average speed over the ground had a little help from the current...with us almost all day. Coctail time.

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Holiday Greetings

2010-12-20T11:29:00.001-05:00

Happy Holidays

From Harmony

May yours be warm and Happily Memorable!

Lew & Florrie

Winters in florida

2010-12-07T08:37:00.001-05:00

Florida in December. That is ice on the dock at 8:30 this morning. The new autohelm might be installed today and will need to be tested under weigh. Well at least it isn't snowing yet.

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Fog

2010-11-25T08:50:00.001-05:00

Can ypu see the 3 boats behind us?

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Happy bithday Gareth

2010-11-25T07:47:00.001-05:00

And happy Thanksgiving to all. The fog rolled in last night so we will stay here until it lifts.
Last night we we woken up by some kind of vessel I have never seen before. It had lots of spotlights and ground its way along the edge of the shore while three men stood near the bow with long Tridents. Catfish or alligator? Maybe. They disappeared into the night.

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Pictures

2010-11-23T16:24:00.001-05:00

Full moon

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When its good.

2010-11-23T16:20:00.001-05:00

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Red bird creek

2010-11-20T16:40:00.001-05:00

Passed Kathy's new bargain boat. Now literally up a creek. Absolutely still at mile 606.8. Rum and apple cider time.

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Birds at dawn

2010-11-19T06:41:00.001-05:00

6:15 am. Woken by 16 zillion black. Birds. All those little dots all around and on our neither.

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Past Charleston SC

2010-11-18T16:30:00.001-05:00

Now at. 32 37.135N. 080 23.755W
Cut and paste in Google. It has been a long day. Full moon low tide, current against us, bad and missing marks. One eye on the debth, one on the GPS chart, one on the route in real space and one on the chartpack chart. You do the math. 50 more miles done.

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Ancor circles

2010-11-17T06:44:00.001-05:00

I hope you can see this. This a gps picture of the track of the boat last night on the anchor. The center of the circles is the anchor. Usually the whole night goesbby and all you see is the boat staying in one area like the upper right. Some movement but generally little. Here we see the boat going completely around the anchor. This is what happens when the current goes one way strongly while the wind goes the opposite way.

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Wacamah river, South Carolina

2010-11-16T14:52:00.001-05:00

Now anchored in the lee of Butler Island. Winds gusting to 25...30.

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FineArtAmerica.com

2010-11-16T07:23:00.001-05:00

Good Morning Friends and Interested Strangers,
We have been in the water for two weeks now and finally there is t-shirt weather. The trip down from Norfolk VA has been cold and rainy and also terrific in that we have again met fun and fascinating people along the way. (I hope to tell you about Capt. Kal and Brian one of these days.) We've had many boat systems fixed and are still waiting to find an autohelm before I will go offshore. Lew would risk it but I am far more reluctant. This means we zig-zag through the marshes of Georgia again, to get to Fernandina FL.

We're on the dock at Barefoot Marina near Myrtle Beach SC, heading for Georgetown and hopefully a shrimp dinner tonight. This morning it is 66 degrees in the galley - up to now it has been more like 52 every morning. We finally took the arctic comforter off our bed last night. So, as usual, this is not the dream vacation so many land lubbers insist on believing it is.

Just before we left home in October, I joined FineArtAmerica.com as Florence Bramley Hill, submitting five of my Bahamas paintings as prints for anyone interested. I expect to add more images about every six months. It is an exciting development, going public in such a high tech way. I haven't figured out how to include photos here, yet, but the works on FAA are some of the favorites from shows I've had in New Jersey.

There was an epiphany of sorts when I realized I have met a personal artistic aspiration that began on Bequia in 1978. That's when I was inspired by the spirit in the work of Nora Birmingham. The Bahamas works certainly marry my training and her love of life. If you know of Nora's works, it would be fun to correspond!

So, in a few minutes we're off. It is raining a little now but at least it isn't cold!
Cheers to all,
Florrie

Mile hammock bay

2010-11-12T15:05:00.001-05:00

34 33.13N. 074 19.51W
GOOGLE EARTH. snug as a bug.

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Jonny on the spot

2010-11-06T13:25:00.001-04:00

If you can read this.

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