> After 3 weeks and one day up on stilts ... the yard crew calls it 'on the hill' ... we were haulled back into the water at about 3 PM yesterday (Friday). All the systems seem to be working so we have refrigeration again. This morning I'll go grocery shopping then return our rental car. When I get back to the boat I'll do some cooking ahead so we can heat up a few things quickly while underway.
It is lovely to be rocking gently again. There are swallows nesting under the dock near us, entertaining us with their chatter. I think a dolphin slipped by early this morning but I didn't get a good look, just saw the bubbles after the gentle splashes. Sunrise was serene on the silky water. No boatyard noises! Ahhhhh, Harmony once again.
Tomorrow we are hoping to get off this dock about 5 AM and head outside to Ocean City MD, on DE Bay. It will be a long day sail and should be a good anchorage for the night. Then we'll go outside again and get to Cape May on Monday. New Jersey! What a concept! Our friend DR will meet us there sometime on Tuesday and probably Wednesday we'll take off for Keyport. It is 27 hours from Cape May home and the weather looks like it is going to cooperate - even if it is hot.
Judy, you could turn on the refrigerator in the condo on Thursday. Thank you!
With all that has gone wrong this trip I'm hesitant to say we will be home soon - but it seems we will be. I can't wait! I've told Lew I don't want to even talk about another trip for at least 6 weeks. He's not sure he can keep still that long. But there is so much to be done at the condo that trying to plan another boat trip is totally overwhelming for me.
We hope you all are doing fine.
Saturday, June 7, 2008
FW: We're on the water!
Tuesday, June 3, 2008
Life on the hard
Josh working on the hole in the keel
By the time we get Harmony back in the water we will have been living 20 feet above the ground for at least three weeks. The fiberglass work is coming along beautifully. Josh is a magician and the port keel will be stronger than ever. We have installed a thru-hull GPS fish finder ahead of the port keel so we will be able to see the depth under that pontoon. One of the reasons we’ve run aground in the past is because the depth finder is on the starboard side, aft. That isn’t much help with a 21’ beam in narrow channels.
The plus of being “stuck” in mid air is that there is plenty of time to get the chores done. Lew has been varnishing like crazy. I have cleaned and polished the isinglass. In spite of the dust from the yard and the sawdust from sanding the bright work, Harmony is beginning to sparkle beautifully.
Inside, I’m in the process of cleaning out every closet and drawer in the whole boat as well as cleaning every surface from top to bottom. If we were home, I am sure I would not dedicate 6 - 8 hours a day to spring cleaning the boat. So, however reluctantly, we are getting our floating home in ship shape again. We’re even getting the Dismal Swamp souvenirs, tannic acid stains, off the white hulls. If we ever do the Swamp again it will be in a brown boat.
The boatyard is a memorable experience in itself. Imagine a whole fleet of garbage trucks starting at 6:30 AM - and staying on your block. The enormous lift-cranes begin moving boats in and out of the water, power hoses blast away for bottom cleaning, and painting, drilling, sanding and grinding all begin during or before morning coffee. Because this is a marina that can handle large boats, there have been boats hauled in on flat-bed 18 wheelers from the west coast and every where in between. Norfolk is a good place to begin the summer sailing migration up to New England and Nova Scotia, beginning with a leisurely trip up the Chesapeake, so some people have their yachts trucked overland to start.
Harmony is on the corner of two gravel “streets” that are double- and triple-deep in boats of every size. From our cockpit we see a tug, numerous sailing yachts, a “pirate” ship, a commercial cruiser and, in the yard next door, a whole fleet of Navy ships. Last week three Zodiacs or similar Navy boats were brought by trucks, smaller trailers and all. A day after we arrived a submarine was hauled up. Today a Coastguard, Tow Boat US and some Army inflatables arrived. All we need are the Marines.
We are supported by stanchions and climb a portable staircase to get inside. We are so high up that both Lew and I have been in the cockpit when a duck flew by at eye level! We could step off our boat onto the top of the truck cabs. The lifting crane passes by within a couple of feet a few times a day as we watch some yacht gently swinging in its sling. It really isn’t what you expect to see out your window. As the gentleman in Maine comments, this is neither a leisurely “vacation” nor “retirement” but it certainly is an adventure! The best part of an adventure is to have lived through it and enjoy the stories you can tell. Maybe it is keeping us young.
Tuesday, May 20, 2008
Once again
Click on a picture to see an enlargement.
Early mornings are best
Going throuh the lock of the Dismal Swamp
Saturday, May 17, 2008
Bounce
1. All this time you've just been putting Bounce in the dryer! It will chase ants away when you lay a sheet near them. It also repels mice.
2. Spread sheets around foundation areas, or in trailers, or cars that are sitting and it keeps mice from entering your vehicle.
3. It takes the odor out of books and photo albums that don't get opened too often.
4. It repels mosquitoes! Tie a sheet of Bounce through a belt loop when outdoors during mosquito season or wave it around in the boat.
5. Eliminate static electricity from your television (or computer) screen.
6. Since Bounce is designed to help eliminate static cling, wipe your television screen with a used sheet of Bounce to keep dust from resettling.
7. Dissolve soap scum from shower doors. Clean with a sheet of Bounce.
8. To freshen the air in your home or boat, place an individual sheet of Bounce in a drawer or hang in the closet.
9. Put Bounce sheet in vacuum cleaner.
10. Prevent thread from tangling. Run a threaded needle through a sheet of Bounce before beginning to sew.
11. Prevent musty suitcases. Place an individual sheet of Bounce inside empty luggage before storing.
12. To freshen the air in your car - Place a sheet of Bounce under the front seat.
13. Clean baked-on foods from a cooking pan. Put a sheet in a pan, fill with water, let sit overnight, and sponge clean. The anti-static agent apparently weakens the bond between the food and the pan.
14. Eliminate odors in wastebaskets. Place a sheet of Bounce at the bottom of the wastebasket.
15. Collect cat hair. Rubbing the area with a sheet of Bounce will magnetically attract all the loose hairs.
16. Eliminate static electricity from Venetian blinds. Wipe the blinds with a sheet of Bounce to prevent dust from resettling.
17. Wipe up sawdust from drilling or sand papering. A used sheet of Bounce will collect sawdust like a tack cloth.
18. Eliminate odors in dirty laundry. Place an individual sheet of Bounce at the bottom of a laundry bag or hamper.
19. Deodorize shoes or sneakers. Place a sheet of Bounce in your shoes or sneakers overnight.
20. Golfers put a Bounce sheet! In their back pocket to keep the bees away.
21. Put a Bounce sheet in your sleeping bag and tent before folding and storing them. It will keep them smelling fresh.
Friday, May 16, 2008
On the Hard
The picture above shows the reflection of the bow, 8 inches out of the water.
By Wednesday night we had said goodbye to the beautiful Dismal Swamp Canal with its miles of honeysuckle, occasional turtles and Great Blue Herons, its serene reflections and the comraderie of boaters rafted together on the dock at the North Carolina Welcome Center near South Mills. We were anchored with Puff on Mill Creek, amidst the busyness of Norfolk, Hampton and all the ports and docks and activity of this huge area. The 'plan' was to start early Thursday morning, heading for Annapolis where we would get the boat hauled to check on the possible damage of our going aground on May 4th. There was no lift wide enough to pull Harmony out of the water until we arrived in Norfolk. Going to Annapolis would take us closer to where Gareth and family live, so we thought we could have the job done there. The insurance company considered that an all right decision.
Weather permitting.... well, weather was threatening rain and lousy winds for going north, so at 7 AM on Thursday, Lew decided to have the boat pulled at Cobbs Marina, our favorite boatyard, in Norfolk. Puff took off, with sad goodbyes. We'll see them in Keyport next month. We made the two hour motor trip south across Hampton Roads and here we are. We honestly thought there was nothing wrong with the boat. It was a wise formality to get it hauled and check to see if there had been damage to our hull. As it turns out, once again, we are in a good place to get bad things fixed.
The hulls are fine but what a nasty surprise. The hulls are separate compartments above the keels. The port keel has a foot-long gash that poured water for over a minute when the boat was finally out of the water. The starboard keel has scratches along the bottom. We're not sure what else might be wrong. Probably next week the insurance surveyor will be able to fit in an appointment for us. After that, the fiberglass work and any other repairs can begin. Stay tuned.
The good thing about all this is that Cobbs did a lot of work on this boat two years ago when we bought it and Lew brought it up from Florida. We spent a lot of time in this area and know where the stores, restaurants and laundries are. It will also be terrific to spend the weekend with Gareth and family, four hour's drive away in Maryland. Next week we'll not only have the professionals here to fix things we cannot, but Lew & I will also get a chance to clean up and take care of some of the things we've found to need our attention.
Someday we'll get home. This feels like 'Charlie on the MTA', the Kingston Trio song.
Sunday, May 11, 2008
Dismal Swamp
When last we left the intrepid adventurers they were getting over being towed off a grounding. Today we are rafted up at the free dock at the visitors center at the Dismal Swamp (mile 28 of the ICW just below the Virginia border) avoiding an underwater post at the south end of the dock and, we hope, the gale predicted for the Chesapeak for tonight until tuesday. In between we went to Morehead City and stayed at a marina, met up with Kathy and Dave on Puff, anchored at Bellhaven, did a long (89 mile) day across Albamare Sound to Elizabeth City where we went to a local party for the cruisers that they have about every three days. We talked with some cruisers who had come across the sound after us and were hit with 6 to 8 foot waves and 25 knot of winds. The Dismal Swamp is not dismal. In fact, it is quite beautiful with depths, so far, not under 9 feet. Between its beauty and the friendliness and free docking of Elizabeth City, it is WELL WORTH IT. However, you need to time it well as the locks at each end open only 4 times a day. We just missed the 8:30 AM opening and had to wait for the 11:00. Puff and Harmony anchored in the middle of the narrow channel to block the powerboats from getting ahead of us and were the first ones into the lock and out of it as well. There were so many boats that the lock master had to work the lock twice to let people past. After each opening, he would hop in his car and drive up to open a highway bridge for us all to pass. Lots of turtles, snakes, birds, etc. in the swamp but the "ditch" as it is called is very narrow and perfectly straight. It is also very well protected from wind with large cyprus trees overhanging the sides. I think this will be the route of choice when we go south again.
Sunday, May 4, 2008
FW: North Carolina
Today was a 9.5 hour, 62 mile day with two runnings aground. The first was a humdinger! Out port pontoon caught 'something' and spun us 90 degrees left. Crunch! We were up on the limestone dredgings from the ICW which did not show anywhere. Both bows were 8'"or more out of the water and we had 12 feet mid-ships! It took TowBoat US 40 minutes to haul us off. A couple of miles later we went briefly into soft sand a few miles north east of that. Low Tide ain't for sissies! Soooo after travelling another 5 hours or so, we're at a marina just west of Southport NC for the night. Lew bumped his head which is not bad but the scab looks like Norman's Island, one of our favorite places in the Bahamas. What a souvenir.
Last night we were on anchor in the midst of the MOST beautiful Cypress Swamp imaginable. This morning the storm had passed and the water was a mirror. Everything was gorgeous green and shiny.
Now it all seems much more populated but there may be more wilderness between here and Beaufort. We hope to be there tomorrow night.
Stay in touch when you're away with Windows Live Messenger. IM anytime you're online.
Friday, May 2, 2008
FW: St. Augustine, Florida to McClennanville, South Carolina
We left St. Augustine about 6:45 AM and headed out to sea. 34 hours later we have entered Charleston (181 miles at sea)
and gone 30 miles up the ICW to a funky little creek ('Five Fathom Creek') which is a home for fishing
and shrimper boats. Leland Oil has a raft out and we get fuel in the morning. It takes a couple of days like
this to really appreciate a shower.
Stay in touch when you're away with Windows Live Messenger. IM anytime you're online.
Back to work after baby– how do you know when you're ready?
Tuesday, April 29, 2008
FW: heron
St Augustine where we are resting. The front came by...no big deal but since we are here for today, I am working on the bilge pump, etc. Hopefully this afternoon we will get to sightsee and then leave here tomorrow to continue up the ICW.
Sunday, April 27, 2008
blog?
We are on a dock at Palm Coast Marina-only because there are lousy anchorages between here and St. Augustine. That's our goal for tomorrow and to hang out on a dock there for the storms to pass. Then it is on again at our snail's pace for home. We'll be lucky if we get home before mid-June. The ride is beautiful, particularly in the early mornings and late afternoons. Above Vero Beach the ICW gets more natural and some places look like Jurassic Park! Of course there is development and some phenominal estates on the water but we like the rustic parts best.
Today we saw a HUGE manatee with a smaller one nearby.The adult was surfacing and rolling back into the water like a porpoise. We saw only part of the back and the tail and all THAT was at least 5'!!!! And the porpoises were playing around all day. About sunrise the water was like satin and there was a porpoise arching up and down in a slow rythm. It was surreally peacefull! Later, one even came along side the boat and looked at us, twice! WAY cool! I was sitting on the deck with my feet off the side and it was only about 24" from my toes! I heard there are eagles north of this. Maybe we'll see some tomorrow.
I like the ICW as something very different from the Bahamas but understand that it may not be our cup of tea very often. The weather has been absolutely gorgeous so we've had three great days of motoring - after two weeks of getting the engines fixed. We still have 'issues' but hopefully we'll not need to get them professionally taken care of until Cobbs Boatyard in Norfolk - or home.
I'm not painting until we get to St. Augustine. It is hard to do it while we're on the way right now. But there is the triptych that I started in Bimini and it is coming along beautifully. I have one part finished and the other two are in good shape. Hopefully one more part will be done in St. A. I'd like to do some sightseeing there, too.
The rum punch is kicking in. I'd better go cook dinner 'for I forget how!
:-)
Saturday, April 19, 2008
Local Boater Option
Immigration has a new feature which allows you to call into them rather than show up in person for future entrances into the country. It is called the LBO or Local Boater Option and is open to all US citizens. You can only get it at specific offices in Florida (Miami, Port Everglades, and West Palm Beach), Peurto Rico and the Virgin Islands. You have to call first and get an appointment. You bring your passport and boat documentation. The interview takes about 10 minutes and they issue you a number which lets you in without the hassle of having to report in person. It is good forever and is free. There are 11 places in Florida in which you can enter and use this service. Otherwise you need to report in person within 24 hours or face severe penalties. This is in addition to the decal you need for Customs but, with these two, you can enter the country by phone. Finally, a good deal from our government.
On the hard
In Bimini we discovered that the oil looked streaky and gray. Showed it to several people and there was no general agreement as to the problem. Changed the oil, including the filter and it still looked that way. Turns out that there was water mixed in with the oil. The fresh water coolant level was fine which meant it must be salt water and the only way for it to get in was through the exhaust. But the engine would run. Pumped out the sludge several times and got mostly water out. Put some new oil in and decided not to run it until we got to the states. If this ever happens to you, PUT DIESEL FUEL INTO THE OIL TO CUT IT AND MAKE IT EASY TO GET IT PUMPED OUT. Of course we learned this after the fact but it really works.
We left Bimini the next morning on one engine and motor sailed the 80 miles to Palm Beach, Lake Worth in beautiful weather. The Gulf Stream was a non event with the wind from the ESE and 2 to 4 foot waves. We anchored just south of the entrance (see previous discussion about customs) and had dinner on Puff. The next day got the boat into a yard (Cracker Boy) and hauled. Not a bad feat for a boat that could only make left turns. We rented a car and went to Immigration to check in. No problem...so now we are completely legal.
We have been lucky to get a good mechanic. While we can’t go anywhere anyway, we are having general work done on both engines: new belts, filters, hoses, getting the heat exchangers rebuilt, etc. Hopefully the new parts will be installed early next week. We have also found a guy who has been working on the refrigerator. We think we have diagnosed the problem, after a year and the debacle with those #*@$^#& at Lamy Marine in Norfolk (see earlier)..
Other than that, we are doing small projects and hanging out. We keep running into cruisers we met in different places along the trip as everyone seems to be making the trip north.
Sunday, April 13, 2008
Bye Bye Bimini
Hello all,
First I have to apologize to you for these impersonal emails. Finally we are in the States and will have pretty easy access to the internet for a couple of days while we are at Cracker Boy Boatyard getting the engine fixed (again!). I hope you will write and give us your news while we can have a dialogue! (What a concept!)
No more turquoise water. No more vast horizon with just an occasional island. No more flying fish "escorting" our boat home. Now it is all memories, photos and souvenirs. We collected empty conch shells, fan coral, pretty shells of many colors and sizes, sea beans and beach glass. We made friends with countless strangers, also boaters, whom we have found again all the way from Georgetown in the Exumas up here to Riviera Beach! Now we're embarking on yet another chapter in this adventure.
On Wednesday Kathy, Lew and I walked down N. Bimini island to go beach combing. As we passed the Fisherman's Paradise Restaurant, Desne Smith (the owner/chef) came out to say hello. She gave us some of the history of the island including the large estate across the street and stories from the Hemingway era. Before we left we had made arrangements to have a big family style dinner for at least four more boats on Thursday evening. It turned out to be 14 boats and a fabulous way to say good bye to the Bahamas. We were delighted that Desne could put together a delicious grouper dinner with cole slaw, peas and rice and a cracked conch appetizer (plus corn and green beans and ice tea and a fruit punch) for so many people on such short notice. The best part was that it was only $15 per person! A dinner like that would have cost us $40 anywhere else in the Bahamas. If any of you are traveling that way, you can reach Desne at work (242) 347-3220 or home (242) 347-3370 to arrange your own dinner party. But it is more fun to meet her in person.
Bimini is the best place to start or end a Bahamas vacation. It is only 40 miles east of Miami but, because of the strong current, getting across the Gulf Stream is rarely a straight shot. We were about 70 miles from the Lake Worth Inlet, near Palm Beach. We left Bimini with about 20 other boats on Friday morning crossing the Gulf Stream in near perfect weather.
The statistics of this trip so far have been too detailed to list but the synopsis is this: 95 "Lovely Wonders" which include animals, sunsets, beaches, and social gatherings; 58 irritants that are as wearing as water torture but not life threatening; "only" 21 scary and/or dangerous incidents that could have been worse, 8 of which were actually life or health threatening. On this long trip so far we have spent 42 days in the Abacos, 85 in the Exumas and only 6 in Bimini. We could enjoy many of the places we visited again, and again.
Now we're living aboard about 20' off the ground in the boatyard. There are three or four other boats that are "populated" but the yard is locked up until Monday morning. Our rented car is outside where we can get to it if we want to. There is another catamaran "Harmony" to our right. Between us, in this order, are "Lady Rapscallion", "Tranquility" and "Mayhem". At least "Mayhem" is surrounded by "Tranquility" and "Harmony" and not the other way around!
The Intercoastal Waterway part of this adventure will begin as soon as the engines are good to go again.
We hope you are doing ok in your many adventures.
Cheers from Florrie & Lew
Get in touch in an instant. Get Windows Live Messenger now.
Friday, April 11, 2008
homeland security
How can I describe this one. You get a decal which allows you to check through customs by phone. You call them with a number you got from another cruiser because they don't give you one when you get the decal. You are put on hold for about an hour only to her a voice which hangs up on you. You dial it again, now getting very close to port, to be put on hold (your call is important to us...) for another 40 minutes to be told that you have to be tied up at a dock or anchored in order to check in (IF YOU CONTINUE TO TRAVEL OR TIE TO A TREE OR RUN AGROUND, YOU ARE FREE TO BE HERE WITHOUT GOING THROUGH CUSTOMS...NOW DON'T YOU FEEL SAFER?)
Ok, being a law abiding soul, we anchor in West Palm Beach and call customs. Now it is 6:30 and we wait on hold for another hour. Finally we are cleared through by someone with a foreign accent. Tomorrow, after we get the boat hauled to fix the head gasket on the port engine, we have to go ashore and rent a car or take a taxi to go through immigration at the nearest airport because the law gives you 24 hours to clear immigration or else! And this is supposed to be a shortcut? It used to be you called customs and they either came to the boat or let you in. That was it...the whole process of entering the country. On the bright side, I guess I have an honest voice because they never asked me about what I had to declare or if I had any firearms (I don't) or fruits or vegetables, etc. etc.
Long and short of it is that we are back in the USA after a beautiful day (East at 10) with the gulf stream being a non event.
Tuesday, April 8, 2008
Bimini
We left Nassau at about 10 AM on Saturday for an overnight trip to North Rock, just north of Bimini. Listening to weather reports, we prepared for the possibility of cutting short our plan to go directly to the US. Lightning was in the sky. According to other people's radar, it was about 30 miles away but headed to cross our path. By then we had picked up two more sailboats in a five boat flotilla (we were traveling with Puff and The Suzanne). We slowed down and were only using 1/3 jib so that we would reach North Rock by dawn and would have a choice: push on or go south to Bimini. About 7 AM Sunday, as we were getting close, there was a lot of discussion on the radio and it was decided to go into Bimini. We rounded the light and went south only to be hit with the thunderstorm. It was pouring buckets. One boat was about 100 feet behind us and we could barely see their lights. We hove-to on one motor for the first time. Harmony was sideways to the 6 foot waves but rode steadily going southwest at less than ½ knot for ½ hour while the storm blew through with 30 knot winds. One of the other boats took a wave over the stern which broke off their davits, holing the dink and they had to drag it behind them upside down.
Coming into port was hairy. Someone on land was trying to give directions but it sounded like we needed to leave a rock to port and come between it and the shore - we were looking at ferocious breakers. We went for it only to do a 180 because there was no water between the shore and that rock. Wrong directions - so we went north to find the pass and got into the marina. As we got there we turned on the port engine to get into a slip. Yeah? No port engine so at about 10 AM Sunday we got to the gas dock where we remain. No starter! We will probably stay here until we get one shipped from the states. OR, if we get a really good weather window, take the starter off the starboard engine, put it onto the port engine, start the port engine and leave it on for as much as it takes while putting the starter back on the starboard engine. At least we have that option but given previous problems with the port engine …
So we sit here. Lew had expected Bimini to be a fancy place with lots to see and do. Wrong! Since the fancy boat traffic goes up to Lucaya, this place is almost empty. At least it is cheap at $.75 per foot. Every other marina had been $1.25 - $4 a foot. Three boats, including Suzanne, left this morning leaving Puff and us here.
On the bright side, we caught a 43 inch Mahi Mahi on the trip over and had fresh fish (very hard to find in the Bahamas) for Saturday dinner. Dinner on Sun night with Puff and Suzanne finished off the Mahi Mahi and we all slept very well at the dock only to wake up at 5:30 in another thunderstorm. Now it is about 8 AM and it is clearing up. Who knows when we'll really head for the States …
Florrie's addendum: During the 24 hours between the anchorage in Nassau and the dock at Bimini, we had to take turns at the helm. Even with an auto pilot that meant someone had to stand watch for other boat traffic etc. At one point in the middle of the night all three women - Kathy, Sue & Florrie - were on the helm at the same time. We chatted a bit. Kathy was hand-steering Puff, a 39' sail boat, while Dave slept. Florrie was paying attention to the auto pilot and doing her nails while Lew slept. Sue was just enjoying the night and stars from the bridge of their 39' trawler, The Suzanne. It was a pretty unique initiation into a very different sisterhood. Bimini is lovely, sitting on the edge of vast sand bars and shoals which means gorgeous turquoise water. There is a little cay covered with Mangroves a few hundred yards to the east that is covered with White Ibis or Egrets. The Pelicans sit on any available piling. Maybe Kathy and Florrie will get to do some more shopping before heading to the States.
Get in touch in an instant. Get Windows Live Messenger now.
Friday, March 28, 2008
Crew?
We will be here in Nassau at least until next Thursday. There is a bunk free if someone wants to join us for the trip from Nassau to the states.
Nassau
We're exhausted bacause after a lovely day trip from Norman's Island, the last few minutes here in Nassau were horrible - the port engine clonked out as we were leaving the fuel dock. There is no room at the marinas because ALL the boats are trying to go home and are looking for safe havens for the next storm. While we were on Norman's Pond - a truly spectacular island paradise - a front came through that knocked us silly for an hour or so. We managed the 30+ knot winds in the most protected anchorage we've been in in weeks. Whew! People a mile away in a different anchorage on the same island had 40 knot winds! That is NOOOOOOOO fun.
However, we have made a couple of friends that are fantastic. Lew and John are great buddies, we met them in Staniel Cay awhile ago. (Lew is on the VHF with John right now.) We've been 'buddy boating' every since. Sue is a retired elementary art teacher who is also an artist. Get this - John is a registered Circus Clown! We have been having a lot of fun with them. They have showed us all sorts of great places.
HEY - you know the stories about the Green flash that the sun makes at sunset on the ocean? Well it is TRUE! Last night we were all at a rustic and elegant place called McDuffs on Norman's Island. That was after a day that included finding empty and alive BABY conch shells on a tiny little island with only one palm tree! The four of us AND another couple of strangers SAW the sun go from brilliant orange to the most amazing jade green dot - then disappear! If I hadn't had witnesses I think i WOULD HAVE DOUBTED MY OWN EYES. It was magical.
We got to Nausua this afternoon after a gorgous day of motor/sailing through the most incredible turquoise water. In another day or so it is supposed to blow 40 knots again and we're NOT goin to be happy. However, we will stay here until it passes. Then it is a long way to Port Lucaya or West End on Grand Bahama Island. That will be an overnight trip which I'm not crazy about but - oh well.
The maladjustment du jour is that the generator and port engine have dirty diesel fuel in them and keep clunking off! We got in here on one engine and that is really scary because there are are a lot of boats crowded in here.
Windows Live Hotmail is giving away Zunes. Enter for your chance to win.
Sunday, March 23, 2008
Happy Easter
ALL I NEED TO KNOW ABOUT LIFE I LEARNED FROM THE EASTER BUNNY
Don't put all of your eggs in one basketWalk softly and carry a big carrot
Everyone needs a friend who is all ears
There's no such thing as too much candy
All work and no play can make you a basket case
A cute little tail attracts a lot of attention
Everyone is entitled to a bad hare day
Let happy thoughts multiply like rabbits
Some body parts should be floppy
Keep your paws off other people's jellybeans
Good things come in small sugarcoated packages
The grass is always greener in someone else's basket
An Easter bonnet can tame even the wildest hare
To show your true colors you have to come out of your shell
The best things in life are still sweet and gooey
How well do you know your celebrity gossip? Talk celebrity smackdowns here.
Saturday, March 22, 2008
Test your Star IQ Play now!
Thursday, March 13, 2008
March 13
You've heard it before …We're waiting for yet another lousy cold weather front !!!! WHO said this is Paradise??? Right now it is very pretty and has been for about two days. I started a new painting that I'm very pleased with so far. (That feels sooo good!) I'll send a picture one of these days, when it is finished. We went ashore yesterday and on the way saw a huge ray with about a 4" "wing span". WAY Cool! We followed it around with our dinghy.
When it is good it is REALLY great!
We're still near Staniel Cay, anchored by Big Majors Spot (it is also a Cay). We're expecting 30+ knot winds again.
Our windlass, which retrieves and lowers our primary anchor, broke and we're waiting for a part - again. Do you remember the problems in Georgetown in Feb? (There will be a test on all this when we get home. J ) Right now we seem to be comfy on our extra anchor but the currents moved us around the other night. At 5 AM Lew heard "something" and we had dragged and were almost on the rocks! Yikes. We "did the deck dance" and got ourselves back to the middle of the harbor where there is good holding again. The bizarre "lesson" on this was that even if the anchor is secure, keep your anchor alarm on. It was a calm peaceful night and it was "just" the currents that pushed us here and there, wrapping the anchor rope around the anchor and eventually pulling it up !
We're going to shore in a minute and will try to phone someone this morning. Phones get tinny fast so we might not be able to get anyone. I'm sorry that it is impossible to call Marilyn and Marvin! Please know that we are fine. This is an intense experience and I truly don't recommend it unless someone has been on the water as a kid, with good experiences. There's no way I could do this year round.
Someday I have to write about WALLY - Lew's crony from the Caribbean 1500 days! He and his wife Connie are here too and it is great to see them almost every day. Wally has been giving us their "spare" water and helping us figure out where the best places to go are to wait out the next storm. We may be at Cambridge Cay for that… 5 miles north of this.
Gotta Scoot!
Big Hugs to all!
LOVE,
Florrie
& Lew
Climb to the top of the charts! Play the word scramble challenge with star power. Play now!
Saturday, March 8, 2008
Staniel Cay again
Yesterday we met up with Wally and Connie on their huge motoryacht at Black Point. Very rolly and we left as soon as we could to go to a better harbor for the cold front. Anyway, they were ahead of us and lost their engine in 4 foot waves and 20-25 knot wind. We couldn't tow them in those conditions but hung around until they got the engine working again, (stuck biocide filter). Now we are both on mooring balls and will probably be here for a couple of days - stuck on board maybe - until the front passes. When we feel safe Florrie enjoys this very much. This is where part of the movie Thunderball was shot and we ALMOST got to go into the cave yesterday. However, unless you go in at slack Low Tide you have to dive under the rocks. At that time you can swim right in. We missed the 20 minute time slot so will try again another day. Around the point from us there is a beach where there are feral pigs that come out to your dinghy for food! We'll check that out too. And take pictures.
We're glad to be here again. When we were here in late Jan we had sail and water tank repairs to make so didn't enjoy it very much. However, this is where the nurse sharks congregate to get the scraps from the deep sea fishing boats when the catch is cleaned. Way cool! You can even walk among them, in the water. As we were dinghying into the dock to come to the internet, a 6 foot ray swam under us. Cool.
Shed those extra pounds with MSN and The Biggest Loser! Learn more.
Thursday, March 6, 2008
Black Point, Great Guana Cay
It's 6:15 on Thursday morning. We motor sailed for about 8-9 hours yesterday from Georgetown on Grand Exuma (Great ? Exuma) up to Great Guana Cay and are anchored at Black Point. There are about 30 boats here and I'll bet most of them "escaped" from G'town as soon as the weather permitted! It was quite a lovely flotilla coming north all day. It was a beautiful day and the deep blue seas were comfortable for us but the monohulls were rolling quite a bit. I am SO glad we're on Harmony and not on Mighty Melissa. Even at that, I was queasy for quite awhile. Wrist bands and ginger helped. Toward mid-day the seas got even flatter so I got a lot better. Once we came through Cave Cay Cut from Exuma Sound where it is very deep, onto the Exuma Banks where the turquoise water is more shallow, I was fine. Lew was able to read the whole trip if he wanted to. I had to just sit but that was ok. We got the hard part of this trip over with in one day. We have about two more full days of good weather before we have to be somewhere protected for the next Front that is supposed to be yet ANOTHER humdinger!
We've never been to Black Point but hear it is a nice settlement with internet, a good laundry and even groceries. We'll stay here for today and probably tonight then go to Big Majors, next to Staniel Cay where there is a very protected harbor. We'll wait out the front there.
Connect and share in new ways with Windows Live. Get it now!
