Abacos video

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QXGgF3H4yGY&feature=SeriesPlayList&p=2554BD1E2A9C655E

This is a short utube video of the Abacos

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FW: For the Blog?

What Capt Lew does on his days "off".

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RE: arrived home

Em,

      After you left, the fog came in so we decided to stay another night at Annapolis.  The next morning was rainy but no fog so we left.  We motored up the Chesapeake and, when we got a little wind, I put up the jib.  It soon ripped at the attachment to the halyard.  Luckily, I was able to furl it, as it had started to slip down.  Now it is stuck and won't come down or up or out.  It unfurls a little then won't budge.  Time to climb the mast.  Anyway, we got as far as Summit North Marine...1/2 way through the C&D Canal...for the night.  Off again early the next morning to catch the tides.  While going down the Delaware River, I got several weather reports which suggested that we go directly home rather than do an overnight the following night.  We rounded Cape May with two other boats.  They went into Cape May and we kept going.  Scattered showers and cold accompanied us but no thunderstorms and no high wind (we had a reefed main up for the night just in case).    We got to Keyport about 3 the next afternoon (20 hours from Cape May) to find that the launch service hadn't started yet.  Brought the boat to the dock and offloaded into Florrie's car.  Took a rowboat behind us to the mooring, found that the chain painter was not installed yet so we made up a bridal, and rowed back to the dock.  Came home and spent an awful long time in a hot shower.  I guess there are certain advantages to a home on land.  

  Florrie left at 6 AM the next day for Maine and I slept most of the next day.  Now the sun is out...not in our Delaware forecasts at all.  I am putting off going back out to the boat for a few days. 

  Oh, I almost forgot.   The refrigeration has been working really well since we are in colder waters.  
Lew
S/V Harmony
http://CatamaranHarmony.blogspot.com

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From: mcgrawp@nb.sympatico.ca
To: lew_hill@hotmail.com
Subject: arrived home
Date: Tue, 5 May 2009 21:57:13 -0300

Hi Lew

,Just arrived home everything OK, wondering how you guys are doing and your progress?

 

 

Emery

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Norfolk to Charleston

Click on the title to see us. Use the "satelite" function.
We left Norfolk on Saturday and went outside around Cape Hateras. On the nose for the first night with a bang bang here and a bang bang there.... The waves would go between the hulls and up hitting the underside of the boat and slaming under the table in the salon. Cleared the papers, etc off the table quite quickly. Not a fun night but then it swung around some and we had some pleasant motor sailing. Had some enging problems on Friday night so we hove to and rested for a few hours to regroup just off Cape Fear. I figured it out while asleep and during my 12-3 watch fixed the engine and we were on our way. Winds on the quarter and speeds down the waves up to 11 knots. Got into Charleston about 7PM, after dark trying to find the correct lights among the hunbdreds of distracting lights. Finally a good nights sleep.

Look what we missed by going outside

SC: Myrtle Beach - ICW Closure - Mile 347.3 to Mile 365.4


Due to the wildfires we reported on earlier this morning, the Coast Guard is shutting down the ICW between Miles 347.3 and 365.4.

The Captain of the Port of Charleston is establishing a Safety Zone between the U.S. Highway 501 Bridge (Mile 365.4, 65-foot fixed vertical clearance) and the Little River Swing Bridge (Mile 347.3, 7-foot closed vertical clearance).

No vessels my enter this area without permission of the Captain of the Port of Charleston, but vessels already on the water are allowed to exit this zone.

We will publish more updates as they become available.


Gary Reich, Managing Editor

catamaran Harmony update

When last we left our intrepid adventurers they were at anchor at Treasure Cay, Abacos, Bahamas. They moved onto a dock at the marina to stage the next event. That night a thundersotrm came through with the most spactacular display of lightning ever seen. This lasted for about an hour. The boats still at anchor did a few deck dances with boats dragging and resetting anchors in the middle of the night. We slept soundly at the dock. The next day we got supplies and had our last Grouper sandwiches. Florrie left the next morning as did Patty McGraw so Emery McGraw joined me to bring Harmony home. We left on Thursday and motor sailed 5 hours to Allan/Pensicola Cays where we found a totally deserted island with a large anchorage protected from the north. That night we did the deck dance as our anchor dragged. Nextg morning we sailed to Great Sail Cay with anothe large anchorage. Lots of people there going different places in Florida. We left about 7AM and went along the northern banks. While on the way we joined two other boats: Kokamo and Los Gatos, also cats who were going where we were going...Cape Canaveral. We left the banks about 7PM and headed across for the Gulf Stream. Seas were confused with NE and SE Rollers. About midnight, we were in the GulF Stream when the wind swung to the South and built to 25knots. At one point we were surfing down the small (2 to 3 feet) at 13 knots. For those who don't know boats, that is really moving...our cruising speed is about 7. We brought in the jib and slowed ourselves down. When I came on watch, the wind had died and we were down to below 4 knots. We motor sailed into Cape Canaveral where we went to a dock for $10, I called custome and checked in, Emery got a cab and check himself into the country/ He is a Canadian so he couldn't use the Boater's Option (a must for all US cruisers leaving and entering from Florida. After getting checked in and becoming legal, we motored across the lock to the Indian River and up to Titusville before the thunderstorm came thrugh. Just befor it hit, we anchored on the South side of the Titusville Bridge and decided not to push any farther. So we are hear for the night with stuffed Spanish Mackeral (caught yesterday)for dinner. Gotta eat something with our dark and stormies (rum and ginger beer) then quick to bed cause I only got 3 hours sleep last night.

An Urgent Message from Theresa and Rai

Rai and Theresa,
   Thanks for your concern.  My wife will be flying back on Thursday and I will be joined by a friend who is an excellent sailor for the trip north.  It looks like a front will pass over us Thursday night and there will be a weather window on Friday afternoon (at least that is what 3 out of 4 weather models predict).  If so we will go across the banks between Treasure Cay to a spot (Memory Rock) about 15 miles north of West End, Abacos and ride the Gulf Stream as far north as possible.  Sat and Sun are predicted to be mild winds from the right direction so we will continues sailing until it looks like we should get into port for a frontal passage.  Once we are within 8 miles of shore, we will have internet for weather.  Within 20 miles, or so, we can pick up the NOAA weather predictions. 
  All these places can be found on Google Earth, if you have it.  If not they are probably on Mapquest.
  If you want to see the kind of weather information we rely on check out  http://weatherpassage.com , http://weatherunderground.com or Http://NOAA.gov.  In addition, we have XM radio and can get the local weather reports from all the major cities in the US and we can listen to Chris Parker (4045), weather guru and Herb (12359) on the Single Sideband (short wave)radio. Both of them provide weather information for cruisers.  We will also check in daily with the Cruisheimers net on the SSB (6227). In case anyone else is worried, I am putting a copy of this email on the blog.
Lew
S/V Harmony

Dragging the anchor

So there we were...(this is the way boaters start a story)...talking with some friends on their boat at the dock when Gary, whom we had met two days ago, saw me and called: "Lew, your boat is dragging." The boat was out in the anchor field. He assured me that two other boats had dinghyed over and had reset the anchor. (A really good reason to have the motor controls in the cockpit) Anyway, we called on the VHF and all was ok so we got some ice and left for the boat. We thanked the other boats while a very large turtle swam around us, and checked the anchor. They had reset one anchor and set a second which had been accessible on the deck. Then along came Siggi 2, a trawler that we haven't seen since the Dismal Canal in Virginia. They recognized our boat and are now anchored nearby. We are all getting together later this afternoon for cocktails on Harmony. Such is the way of cruisers.

A day out on Catamaran Harmony.

Today we went for a dinghy ride about two miles south to a small cove. While there we fished for Grunts...got about a dozen for dinner..and watched the hammerhead sharks and rays. Went ashore to clean the fish and back for a nap. It is a tough life.

Great Guana to Treasure Cay

It was Friday and the first front had come and gone.  We went up to the dock for fuel and water and then went off to Great Guana (home of Nippers beach bar) for Saturday and Sunday lunch.  Brown tip was playing at Grabbers. We left and went to the dock at Treasure Cay to sit out another frontal boundry.  It came on Monday night.  First the wind came out of the South at 30+knots.  Then, about 3AM it switched to the West with rain.  It is now 10 to 15 degrees colder with the wind still out of the West at 30.  AND, we are in one of the most protected harbors in the Abacos.

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Harmony in Marsh Harbour

We are at anchor in Marsh Harbour waiting for another front to come through. Here it is blowing 5 to 10. Outside the harbor it is 20 to 25.
Shelling at Tahati Beach.
Tahiti Beach on Elbow Cay.

Catamaran Harmony back in Great Guana

View Larger Map
We left Elbow Cay yesterday and had a slow sail, jib only, to Great Guana. The map is interactive so feel free to manipulate it.

Finally back again

Not a good beach for swimming but...

This is the trail of the shuttle shot as seen from Elbow Cay about 150 miles east of the launch. The bright cloud was produced when the first stage separated.

We haven't had internet for a while so it is time to recap. After hurting my back, took off anyway and went down to Cracker Ps on Lubbers Cay for lunch then over to Tilloo Bank for a dinner with Honeywind and Talley Ho on the beach. Next day was resting my back at anchor then on to Pete's Pub where there is also a foundry for brass, bronze and gold casting (but his gold had been stolen a few weeks ago). Rum is really good for my back! It still hurts but who cares. Anyway, back to Elbow Cay and Sea Spray marina to wait out the first of two front's coming close together. Rain all day yesterday and some more expected today. All just a part of boating.

You can look up all these places on Google Earth.

Seaspray Resort at Elbow Cay

Cold Front - what it means …

First there are a couple of days of clear skies and sunny weather. The sunlit ocean glitters like turquoise fabric. It feels like it's going to be lovely forever. Then the winds begin to kick up. Sand gets into your eyes and teeth if you walk the beach. The palm trees, instead of being full and round on top all make fans far to one side. The gentle rustling of their fronds takes on a more frantic sound. The boat creaks on her lines and we check for chafing before we go to bed. The east wind has picked up from about 20 knots to 40 and has clocked around to the south and west. Along the horizon, lightening punctuates the starry night. Half asleep, we check the lines again, hoping none of the dozen ropes that tie us securely to the dock will let go. Maybe it is the rain coming through the hatch over the bed that wakes us and we make a circuit inside the boat, closing anything that is open and putting towels under the old hatches that leak.
Daylight comes. The sky has turned gray with occasional patches of blue. The front is passing but it drags behind it the cold. The temperature has dropped about 20 degrees. Yesterday's sleeveless t-shirt is traded for long sleeves with a sweatshirt over that. Only Lew still wears shorts, Florrie is back in blue jeans. Today is for staying snug and warm inside, at least until the front passes and the post card weather returns.

Only yesterday we walked the beach under the cliffs and found many of nature's treasures. Limpets almost as big as the palm of your hand chew their way into the rugged limestone rocks. The surprise was that limpets have "feet", hundreds of them, making a fringe like a feather boa all around their single shell. Small gray crabs scurry along the rocks as the tide brings in new morsels to eat. Snails scatter all over the rocks and in the tide pools, looking like marbles from a distance.

Most of the rocks are jagged and treacherous. No boater wants to run aground on that. Over the decades and centuries, the tides wear the rocks into washboard-like ripples. One area of the beach has been worn down into that kind of hard pan which is also treacherous because it is so slippery. The tide washes around the rocks, making pools that flow back and forth with the current. Bubbly seaweed with little leaves breaks off from somewhere in the deep and floats in the shallows. Sunlight glitters on the droplets of water carried by the weeds, making tiny prisms that focus brilliant "stars" on the sandy bottom. The small ripples of the current make a pattern of light like the texture of the eroded hardpan. Everywhere there is a soft pink cast to the sand, evidence of the crushed red coral that the relentless waves bring to the shore.
 

Elbow Cay, Abacos
Sea Spray Marina
Hello from Harmony
We are now at a new marina and might be able to put an update on the blog. Everything changes with location and the weather. However, if we pay extra for it, we might get the internet now and then.
We left Marsh Harbour about 10 AM Friday morning and had a lovely but slow sail down the Sea of Abaco. We took a little side trip, motoring into Man O War Cay, just to see that lovely harbor. It is considered the least changed of the islands or cays around here. It was well worth the visit. Instead of the hustle and bustle of "city" life in Marsh Harbour, everything seemed so peaceful and simple.
Then we put the jib back up and sailed to Sea Spray Marina in White Sound on Elbow Cay, which is the next island east of our old dock, only five miles as the crow flies. However it took us four hours to get here because we were doing only two knots and had to go around the point that protects Marsh Harbour from the east. Coming in at low tide was fine but Florrie was nervous because the depth was only six inches under the keel. She'd prefer at least three feet of water. Getting our 21.5 foot wide boat into the slip that is only about four inches wider was another minor adventure but we did really well. No bumps or scrapes. Amazing.
What a spectacular place this is. We're in a very protected harbor, waiting out the next cold front that is supposed to be a doozie. But for now all is calm and gorgeous. The sky is clear, the air crisp and we hear the constant roar of the Atlantic Ocean about 200 yards away - on the other side of the cliffs. Yesterday afternoon we went to the top of the cliff and marveled at the crashing waves. It is a dramatic scene that Florrie hopes to capture in paint before we leave.
Today we've had a chance to do a little exploring. There was a fund raiser for the Volunteer Fire Department in Hope Town. That's a town filled with colorful homes. The architecture is similar to Cape Cod but without all the gray. Imagine such houses in soft pastels with contrasting trim. The yards are full of bouganvilla and other brilliant flowering shrubs. We watched as a hummingbird kept chasing large butterflies off of "her" flowers. Of course there were a few curly tail lizards scurrying out of our way.

Our "plan" to go to the Exumas changed with the weather. There are just too many cold fronts coming through every few days to be able to make the four day trip comfortably. There are harbors along the way to spend the night but not any we'd want to have to hole up in as different fronts come through. This has been the coldest winter in the Bahamas, we hear from those who come every year. That's too bad because we would have liked to see friends in Staniel Cay. Maybe next year. Being here is not really a hardship though. Tahiti Beach is a reasonable walk to our south. Delightful Hope Town is a short golf cart ride to the north. The restaurant here is well recommended. The marina is well run by very accommodating people so how

Lew
S/V Harmony
http://CatamaranHarmony.blogspot.com

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FW: Marsh Harbour

We're finally on the move south.  We left Treasure Cay dock yesterday about 8:30 Am and were here at HarborView Marina by noon.  We even got to SAIL - what a concept.  Of course the wind was from the wrong direction so we were heading for Great Guana Cay... Finally we took down the jib and motored west to this marina but it was really nice for a couple of hours.
 
Lew and Emery McGraw have decided that Em will help Lew get the boat home startin April 18 or so.  The McGraws are leaving Honeywind here for the summer season.  The guys will both enjoy the trip I'm sure.  Em will help get the boat as far up the ICW or coast as possible then fly to Canada by April 30.  We may need some help after that.
 
I will fly home the end of April.  Earlier, Patty will fly from Nassau to Canada so she doesn't have to go through customs and immigration twice.  Makes sense to me.  That is all a long way off but it is good to have it figured out.  For now we're just enjoying sometimes crummy weather in one of the most beautifuul places on earth.
 
We're 12 miles south of our last marina.  Harbourview Marina is where we spent the first part of my trip last winter.  It is so much calmer now - no Christmas hubub.  We'll be here for a week.  It is hard to get emails because to get them on the boat is an extra expense.  (no cable either but we do have electricity which is lovely.)  So we wait until the office is open and their emails are up and running to do this.  
 
We are in "Paradise" but every time the weather changes or we change marinas, all the simple things like emails and showers have to be done in a new way!  It keeps us on our toes, literally!  Tee Hee.  Someday we might actually get a photo of the ordeal of getting off the boat when it is low tide.  Lew's legs are longer than mine so he can navigate the dock and its ladder a lot easier than I.  So far I haven't fallen in.  So far!  :-)

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Catamaran Harmony Reacher

The "Jamacan Afterburner", a lightweight reaching sail.

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curly tails

Now that the winds have died and the clouds have gone, the lizards are sunning themselves everywhere!  They are as small as your little finger up to sizes that would fit from finger tip to wrist, with some tail left over.  As far as I know, the Bahama Islands are the only place that has this kind of lizards.

FISH! on S/V Harmony

On Saturday our charter boat dock neighbor, "Low Profile", went out fishing.  They came back with such a haul there were critters all over the dock.  Because their customers could not take everything home in their suitcases, we were given our first fresh-caught fish of the season, already filleted.  Thank you fishing guys!
 
Sunday evening we invited Honeywind over for one of the most superb dinners Florrie has ever cooked.   The pointy nosed fish are Wahoo - very nasty teeth on those.  The snubbed nosed, colorful fish are Mahi Mahi, also known as Dorado or Dolphin.  Clearly they are not related to the mammal "Flipper".  The chubby little fish is a Tuna, the only one they caught so we didn't get any of that. 

For you recipe lovers here is how four of the fillets were prepared:  In a 9x9" glass dish; less than a cup of light olive oil, the juice of one lemon, 4 crushed cloves of garlic, 2 Tbsp of thyme and salt & pepper.  Marinate the fillets for 2 - 3 hours.  Saute in 2-3 Tbsp butter in a large skillet, using some of the marinade if needed.  The trick was to time the fillets because they were of different sizes.  Served with curried rice and waldorf salad.  Oreos for dessert.
 
This recipe would work for any fairly dense meat fish like swordfish, maybe even salmon steaks.
 
 

Treasure Cay Tree Trimming

Palm Tree Trimming
Along the dock the coconut palms are at least 40 - 50 feet tall. The marina yard crew wheeled a large wheel barrow and brought a very long ladder for this project. However, only one man climbed the ladder then shinnied up the rest of the tree trunk, with a machete, to trim off the lower fronds. When he chopped off the clusters of coconuts they hit the ground like cannon shot. Then he carefully tossed his machete to the ground and came down. It took about 20 minutes to trim each tree and cart the debris to a pile for pick up.

Green Trutle Mini Vacation

Green Turtle Cay
On Wednesday morning we took a taxi to the Treasure Cay Ferry over to Green Turtle Cay where Loyalist settlers arrived around the time of the Civil War. New Plymouth is a typical Bahamian town, well worth the cold, choppy, windy half-hour ferry ride. Here's a mini-vacation for you. The pictures include the colorful houses as well as sculptures of a couple of the settlers' family members. Our ferry came at 3 PM to take us back to "the mainland".

Florrie &
Lew

Marine shipping traffic

This site lets you trace shipping in many areas of the world.
http://www.marinetraffic.com/ais/default.aspx?level0=100