Wednesday, December 31, 2008

Happy New Years EVE!!!


Happy New Years Eve!!!!

Boy this has been a lazy day.. Not much happening till 4 pm today when they had the cruisers Hors oeuvres on the beach this afternoon at 4pm.

We spent the morning reading and refueling… We heard on the cruisers net the price of diesel in Marsh Harbour and it was cheaper here so I refilled my Jerry jugs. I needed gas for the dinghy and the Green Turtle Club was still out. It was $6.50 a gallon at the Bluff House but only $4.11 at the “Other side marina” in Black Sound so I went there. Now as I filled up I asked to verify the counter was reset to zero so I could calculate the oil additive correctly and it was still set to 7 gallons – hmmm. Then once I cleared it I pumped 5.5 gallons and they said it was $30 dollars -- hmmm let’s recalculate that – now $22.66. Well it was right in the end but I had to “dog” the transaction.

Spent the afternoon reading and being perplexed. Another gentle cold front was coming through and the wind had clocked to the west. Unfortunately I was not pointing like the other boats. After some circumspection I realized I was in the outflow of a lagoon and as the tide went out the current was affecting me more than the light wind thus why I was pointed differently then every one else – wheeeeew thought I was dragging…

The cruisers hors douveres was nice but very limited selection. In fact more cruisers than selection for some reason and only half the crowd that was here for xmas. I suspect many have traveled on and only a moderate few have remained for Junkanoo tomorrow – a compromise because the weather will probably keep us from round the Whale until Sunday or later. Ohhh well – I want to see JUNKANOO!!

Supposed to be fireworks and a bon fire on the Green turtle Club beach tonight but I suspect I’ll be sound asleep by 9:30pm. Maybe I’ll wake up for the fireworks..

You all have a GREAT New Years Eve!!!


Tuesday, December 30, 2008

Chicken Souse -- Very GOOOD!!

Not much happening today.

It was an easy morning with an early light rain shower. Then a heaver shower but very brief. There is a mild cold front coming through today but no strong winds.

We headed into town around 10am and headed to the New Plymouth Liquor/café for our date with David's special chicken souse. Ohh it was good as usual. We walked around town trying some avenues we had not tried before to just soak up the atmosphere. It was delightful especially because of the cloudy skies and cool temps. We also picked up some fresh vegetables -- ouch on the prices!!

Back on the boat we just turned it into a library for the better part of the day. Me reading some Clive Cussler - Golden Buddha and Karen knitting and reading Michael Connelly - The Closer.

Just a couple of boats came in today and none left. I suspect more will arrive tomorrow for the Cruisers New Year's hors d'oevres at 4pm and then for the Junkanoo on New Years day.

Because of the mild weather there has been a lot of small boat traffic. That is a bit of annoyance because most boats here will not show any courtesy for the anchored boats and just wake us terribly - even the US visitors who come her for a vacation and know better. Ohhh well just part of the scene here.

Interestingly the Green Turtle Club has run out of gas and still the power boats burn it like there is no end. One could go to the Bluff House but it is $5.50 gallon there!!! I've got half a tank yet so we will just conserve. Ohh I asked the clerk at the little mini market/gas station on Green Turtle Club when more gas was expected and she just shook her head no and smiled. They really don't care.

The Gulley Roosters are featured at the Green Turtle Club tonight "Number one band in the nation (Green Turtle cay)" actually the only band in Green Turtle cay. We will stop over for a listen and push the cruisers midnight tonight - 9pm.

Monday, December 29, 2008

Just another Lazy day in the Abacos

Just another lazy day in Green Turtle Cay.

I was up early - couldn't sleep - I think it was 5:30am and pitch dark outside with a celestial sphere of stars . No moon that I could see and the light pollution was minimal.

I got up and sat in the cockpit to watch the sunrise from the very beginning. Really cool. You first heard the roosters crowing in the distance but no perceptible change in the lighting. Then finally just a slight brightening in the East which grew brighter ever so slowly. Then the stars started to disappear as the brightness increased. Then after awhile a yellow glow appears on the horizon but still no sun and the few clouds all show a brightening red hue on their undersides. Why don't we
watch this more often?? Hmmmm took nearly 80 minutes - I guess that is why.

It was really pleasurable because the wind had finally died and there was just less energy in the atmosphere.

I had a light breakfast and a couple of cups of coffee. I listened to the BASRA weather and position reports at 7am, the WRCC net at 7:45am and the Cruizenheimers net at 8:30. Truly a lazy start to the day.

We went to town around 9:30am to go to the cruisers book exchange at the library - it still wasn't open. The hours are Mon, Wed, Fri 2pm - 5pm and Sat 9-12am except holidays. Ohh we'll - we took the time to wander around town to the housing that is less traveled. You could hear voices coming from the small rather plain homes. I felt like a voyeur so we went back to the main roads. Down to the Liquor store/café and left reservations for "Dave's famous Chicken Souse" for Tuesday - tomorrow. It
is only served on Tuesdays and Saturdays. Then back to the boat to relax.

I went to the Green Turtle club to top off the gas for the dinghy and get another 12 gallons of diesel for the big boat. They were out of gas -- no idea when next shipment would be but had diesel at $3.74 a gallon - damn it was 3.48 a week ago Sunday. I wonder what changed?? Paying with the credit card was a pain. The clerk had to call it in and that took 3 phone calls. Then as they were trying to give her the confirmation number she kept asking to repeat because she couldn't hear well - her
tunes were playing and she wasn't about to turn the volume down - oh well it is their island.

Mid afternoon we went back to the library. Hooo ray it was open. They had a great selection of books to chose from. The exchange is 1 for 1 so we got 5. Then back to the boat. While traveling in White Sound the water was very calm and clear and suddenly we motored over a group of 5 manta rays swimming in formation. Probably 4 -5 foot wing spans - really cool.

Ohh this place cleared out this morning. There was less than 10 boats here by noon. Because of the mild conditions most had left to get around the Whale cut and on to Fisher's bay or Marsh Harbour. There was still a contingent of boats that left on Saturday/Sunday up at Manjack Cay having a great time - we should have went there. many will be returning tomorrow so we will probably just stay put here and enjoy our Chicken Souse and read some of these fine books we picked up today. Plans??? Just
another lazy day in the Abacos.

Sunday, December 28, 2008

Finally - Anchored again

Free Again!!! Damages (costs) were not bad. We actually found our way to eat and drink our entire dockage fee almost to the penny. The only disappointment was the fixed electricity usage of $19 a day for 30 amp service. Over at Green Turtle Club they meter your usage and you pay just for what you use. The other thing was that at the Bluff House you see the entire fetch of the prevailing East winds and it is noisy at night with the waves slapping the boat. The Green Turtle club is under the lee of the prevailing East winds and you do not have that problem. Thus is the $.50 cents per foot ($1.75 at Green Turtle Club) worth it???? Maybe when you factor in the cost of electricity. I’ll find out next trip here when some guests arrive and I bring them here.

We left the dock this morning. I thought about going up to Manjack Cay where several boats went yesterday but the scuttlebutt on the radio sounded like several were returning, We decided just to leave the dock, run about 300yds away, and drop the hook in a primo spot. We want to stay until Friday -- Junkanoo on New Years day – THURSDAY.

Now leaving the dock was not easy. I was on a T-head with pilings on the other side – sort of like a canal. I was deep into it – 3 boat lengths empty behind me and I could not go forward. I was nervous about backing up that far so I got Bill and Brian from the New Bern contingent to handle my dock lines to keep me straight. John on Chanceux had just left to round the Whale --- gutsy on his part.

Well I backed up with no problem and did not need the line handlers. Felt pretty good till I cleared the T-head and tried to turn into the wind – didn’t work. Well I had plenty of room so I went with it and just turned around the long way – no one the wiser but you and me.

We went into the anchorage and turned 3 times like a dog in a couple of places and finally dropped the hook. The new hook -- I’m using a 45lb CQR now. We backed down and I laid about 70 feet in 10 feet of water. She grabbed first time without a blink and nearly jerked me off my feet. I love it when a plan comes together. We set it and it looked fine.

After some relaxing and cleaning up and re-launching the dinghy I decided to try my Anchor Sail rider I had built in North Lake Worth. We were dancing on the anchor and the wind generator kept quitting. It took a bit but we got it up and trimmed. We still dance a bit but not as much as before and the wind generator has run all afternoon. I love it when it works!!!

After lunch we took a long probably 3 mile dinghy ride to Fiddlers Cay and the nice beach there so Karen could do some shell hunting. Found some nice ones. We were there a couple of hours. I was a little nervous about the long dinghy ride to and from because this is a seldom-used path and little help would be available. Ohhh just remember that the camera and handheld are in the dinghy – still. Got to take care of that right NOW. Light rain showers have been coming this afternoon…

Got em.. Still dry too.

We are trying for an internet connection here on anchor but it is not working. Signal strength looks good but no connection. I promised pictures but it will have to await a little longer. I’m sending this blog via the SSB radio.

Saturday, December 27, 2008

Getting ready to move on -- for a little while

Not too much to report today. Sort of a day of “due diligence”.

We have been at the marina for a week and it is time to move on. It has been restful and a time to catch our breath so it has been time well spent.

We don’t want to go too far because we want to be back here by New Years for the Junkanoo. Several of the boats anchored here left this morning and went up to Manjack Cay (about 8 miles) to play up there – walking trails and lobster fishing and happy hour on the beach. I suspect we will join them tomorrow. I understand that an ex cruising couple own it and a very cruiser friendly -- even set up a free WiFi antenna for the favorite anchorage area there.

Today I filled the diesel tank from the 24 gallons in Jerry cans on the deck – that fuel was getting old. I washed the boat sparingly using that .20 cents a gallon water and refilled our water tanks. Then we went to town to the library for the cruisers book exchange. Unfortunately it was not open today. It has Saturday hours 9-12 but I guess they consider this a holiday since it follows so closely with Christmas and Boxing Day.

We spent an hour or so walking the town and picking up some frozen orange juice and fresh bread to tie us over for a few days. Ohhh Fresh bread is $4.50 a loaf and Natures Own is $4.75. Some no name carton of orange juice is $5.55 and a Minute Made Frozen Orange Juice is $3.75 -- just a feeling for food prices here. We toured the local cemetery which is quite different from how they are in the US – pictures to follow and I found a little seafood market where I bought 2 lobster tails – 1lb for $14. That will be New Years dinner.,

Then after lunch it was over to the Green Turtle Club to do laundry. Over here there is only one working washing machine and 2 dryers. Over there it is 4 working washers and dryers and a nice beach that we played bocce ball on while waiting for the laundry.

That pretty much consumed the day for me. Karen wanted to do a little sewing project so that kind of got in the way of an early blog today -- sharing table with computer with fabric cutout and sewing machine.

We had dinner with the New Bern contingent again at the Bluff House. We have been here too – long. The waitress asked if we knew what we wanted without giving us any menus!!

The rest of this short evening will be spent readying the boat to travel tomorrow – not much required since we plan on just 8 miles. BUT it takes some effort to unplug after you have been at the dock awhile.

Friday, December 26, 2008

Just a lazy cruising day

Well after all the BIG days we have had how can we top them?? Can't… Today was just a lazy cruisers day.

The day started as usual trying to get the weather forecast from the SSB. Chris is away for a week and an Ed in Oriental, NC is filling in. Unfortunately we cannot hear him here in the Abacos. I tried all three times and freqs and - nothing. However some cruisers were talking to him I could not hear him.

I couldn't pickup the BASRA net either I was able to pickup the WRCC Net weather at 7:45am on 7268 LSB.

We listened to the Abacos Cruiser net at 8:15am and picked up a bit more weather forecast.

After that I took the dinghy over to a sandy beach near the Green Turtle Club and looked for an air leak in the dinghy. I put some dishwashing soap in a spray bottle and sprayed the tubes while walking around the dinghy in shallow water - damn the leak is coming from around the patch I did last summer. The leak is on a seam!!! I'll simply have to put a larger patch over the existing one and this time use - STABOND adhesive. I'll also install the holder for my XMAS navigation lights too -- probably
tomorrow…

I visited a little with Mark on Rachel and Carl on Diva. Told them plan to get back out of here probably Sunday and continue life on the hook again.

After lunch Karen and I took the dinghy over to the Green Turtle Club and tied up. We took a long walk to the beach and on the beach - about hours worth. Karen found a few very pretty shells, a sea bean, and a few pieces of beach glass.

Back to the boat for showers and a little visit with cocktails with the New Bern contingent of cruisers here. After that it was up to the Bluff House restaurant to eat our daily dockage fee in fine food. Ohhh what a life.

It was funny at dinner - all the guys were nodding off and had big puffy - sleepy eyes. The women where vibrant and ready for more but we guys - it was nap time.

Then it was back to the boat, put some toothpicks in my eyelids and write this blog. I need to stay up a bit yet to talk to Andy on Skype tonight. We have an internet connection tonight but I'm too bushed to post any pictures. I'll send some tomorrow.

Thursday, December 25, 2008

Merry Christmas!!!

Merry Christmas from the Bahamas.

To those expecting a Skype phone call tonight - sorry can't get connected. Sometimes the power goes off, sometimes the internet fails. It all comes back eventually - but not tonight - yet.

We had a great day. The weather was perfect, the wind laid down to 15 or less - tonight it is like 5kts. The day was sunny and warm. Started at 73 degrees this morning and a high off 79 degrees. Doesn't get much better than that.

We had a simple Christmas aboard. I received navigation lights for the dinghy and Karen received gold turtle earrings from here in Green Turtle Cay - real cool.

We splurged and had breakfast at the restaurant this morning - Eggs Benedict. Then we went for a walk on the beach. Back on the boat I dug out my dress flags for the boat and we fully dressed the boat - the only one here in White Sound. Other boats had a lot of flags but we were the only fully dressed boat.

While digging out the flags I had emptied most of the space under the V-berth so I went ahead and pulled out the 45 lb CQR anchor and swapped it with the 66 lb Bruce. The CQRs do very well in the Bahamas where the Bruce is questionable. It certainly served us well down the ICW - just slipped a bit in North Lake Worth.

At 1pm we went to the Cruisers pot luck over near Brendle's Dive Shop. It was very nice. Big crowd of cruisers and lots of food but little meet. No Turkey but had dressing and cranberries, and later someone brought a HUGE ham which was very good. A good time was had by all. Around 3pm we went back to the boat, dropped stuff off, and another walk on the beach near low tide. Karen finally found some nice shells.

Then it was back to the boat for some homemade Pecan Pie - which we did not share and some light reading.

Just before dark we undressed the boats and put the flags away till News Years.

For doing very little work - we are tired tonight.

I'll send pictures tomorrow if I have an internet connection.

Wednesday, December 24, 2008

Christmas Eve -- Green Turtle Cay Abaco Bahamas


Merry Christmas..

We are just enjoying Christmas Eve here in Green Turtle Cay. It is windy as all get out but comfortable at the dock. Most of the sailboats have settled the drags and too close approaches and everyone is becoming relaxed. Tomorrow will be a medium wind day. The Chris Parker forecast has the wind rebuilding for Friday and Saturday then settling to 15kts on Sunday then light and variable Mon – Wed. We will probably scrub this decadent dock living and go on the hook then – especially since several anchored boats plan to head to marsh Harbour for New Years. We should have the pick of the anchorage then – plan to head to Marsh after New years.

We took the dinghy to town to find some Vanilla Extract for a pie Karen wants to bake. It was not a wet ride as long as I kept the dinghy in the shadow of the land. We had a nice walk around town and enjoyed the 75 degree sunny weather. We headed back to the boat for lunch -- going to blow the entire “dockage for dollars” tonight on dinner at the Bluff House. Tomorrow afternoon the cruisers are planning a huge pot luck over near Brendel’s Dive Shop so we are looking forward to that. I’ll get some pictures there too to share.

After lunch I took a dinghy ride to Green Turtle Club then walked to the community dump site. They burn their trash here on the Island and I expected a huge pileup sine there hasn’t been a burn while we have been here. Surprisingly the piles are not large. Wonder what’s different. I expected some pictures but nothing interesting there.

Tonight they plan Choral singing on the catamaran “PEACE” and DIVA is planning some kind of light show. They are both anchored out front of White sound in the lee of the Bluff that the Bluff House sits on.

Ohh we had a nice chat with Andy this morning via Skype. Works great on the wireless internet connection from OII (Out Island Internet).

You all have a great Christmas Eve..



Tuesday, December 23, 2008

FINALLY --- Cleared Customs!!!


Now it’s time for “Island Time”!!

Finally made it through customs this morning. It was an ordeal but it is past us now. Still have not met Bridgett..

I went with my new dock buddies from New Bern – Northwest Creek Marina -- had to come here to meet them!!. There was Bill from Margareta, John from Chanceux, and Brian from Flash II. We arrived at the Customs house just before 9am. There was a trainee waiting to help but the Bridgett was not back on the Island yet. She was now expected in on the 10:30am Ferry from Treasure Cay. She gave instructions to the trainee to open the office with a butter knife – slip the latch. From the looks of the door jamb this has been done before – often.

Well we finally got in around 9:45am -- Bill was able to slip the latch. The trainee passed out the paper work and we filled out all the forms. By this time there were 15 people waiting to check in. She checked our forms and stacked them. She could not complete the process without the big official there. Now she was expected in around 10:45am. We killed time till 11am but no official. The trainee called the official and she had suddenly been promoted and could now complete the process. We all got back in line and she now rubber stamped all the forms, passports, signed the copies, and collected the money – entry fee. By 11:30am we were finally cleared into the country and could conduct ourselves as we pleased for 90 days. Yaaahooo.

We celebrated by going to Pineapples for Lunch and a couple of beers. There is a new Bahamian Beer called Sands now. Pretty good but not the Gold – Kalik gold that is.

Since we had the golf cart I bought a case of the Gold to take back to the boat.. It’s going to be fine.

The wind blew very strong last night. The angle was such that the wavelets were slamming into the upturn Stern of the boat and made a loud popping sound occasionally. I didn’t fight it – I slept in the main salon .

Ohh tonight is “GAME” night at the Bluff House bar/restaurant. They have set up a WII on a large screen to play games tonight. Little do they know what aces Karen and I “used to be” on her WII. We will kill them.



Monday, December 22, 2008

Bahamas Crossing Pictures

Hey all -- I've got an internet connection tonight.

Here are some pictures from our crossing to Green Turtle Cay Abaco Bahamas. Enjoy...













Officalsome Blues...

Today the cold front came through - not too bad. Apparently most of it dissipated before arriving so was not a real show as Chris had suggested. He is good but still it's the weather.

Today we tried to clear customs but unfortunately things don't work as expected in the Bahamas. Even serious government matters are treated very lightly as the mood of the individual officials vary. Fortunately you have to go through this just once on your visit.

Let me explain in detail. Green Turtle Cay is a recognized port of entry with a resident customs official. The hours are 9 - 5 Mon through Saturday. We arrived at the office just before 4pm Saturday and it was closed. We asked around and a friendly person at Sid's grocery called Bridgett's house - the customs official. She told her to tell us to return Monday between 10 and 11 am. We explained that no one is allowed off the boat for the rest of the weekend until we clear. She said it was okay.

Well yesterday 3 more boats arrived at the marina. The dock master told us that Bridgett would come here Monday and clear us in. She gave us paperwork to pre-fill out. Well this morning we are told by the dock master that Bridgett will not come here and we needed to go to her office --- 3 miles by road. Well the 4 of us rented a golf cart and go to town - a bone jarring white knuckle adventure in itself. Well the office is still closed…

We inquired at the post office next door and were told she had missed a flight in Nassau and would not be here until this afternoon. She would make an announcement on VHF 68 when she was in the office and if we heard nothing to return tomorrow morning at 9am.

Well now there are at least 20 boats here waiting to clear customs. There is only one chair in the 8X10 foot customs office.

It wouldn't be so bad if we hadn't been told to appear at the office this morning when Bridgett was still in Nassau. I asked about that and was treated with the ol "How can you be so stupid look". The Bahamas are great just don't expect smooth operations.

Hopefully my mood will be better tomorrow. It is an adjustment when melding into another culture.

Sunday, December 21, 2008

First Full day in the BAHAMAS!!! G R E A T!!

Welcome to the Bahamas!!! Ohh it was a great night on the hook. When I went to bed I don't remember my head even hitting the pillow - I was asleep instantly. This morning - what a sweet sound the crowing of a rooster in the distance was.

HEY - today is the first day of winter and the high here was 75 degrees and the low 70 degrees -- eat your hearts out!! Sorry just couldn't resist that tidbit.

After dropping the hook and trying to check in with customs we went to Pineapples for a drink to celebrate our arrival with the rest of the flotilla. I had hurriedly prepared the dink and did not install my bag with lights and stuff in it - more on that later.

It was happy hour so we all had a round or two of rum punches and some fried grouper fingers - they have some really HOT hot sauce - I need to find the brand - couldn't read the label in the dark. I think it was because of the dark.

After awhile we all left and headed back the boats. I looked out at the anchorage of about 7 boats and I told Karen - I don't know which one is ours and I don't really care - she said ditto.. I guess the rum punches here are 99% rum and 1% punch.

Well we did find Temptation and that was good.

Today we listened to the familiar cruisers net on VHF 68 at 8am and the BASRA weather net at 7am. Going to be a rip snorting cold front coming in tonight. We then took the dink and sounded out the channel into white sound near low tide. The shallowest I found was 5' 3". That is what I draw so I said we would wait an hour then enter the sound. We checked out the anchorage and there was plenty of room to anchor but a lot of boats are expected today. I checked out the specials on dockage at Green
Turtle Club and Bluff House Marina and decided on the Bluff House but not for their fuel. They were charging $6.75 a gallon for diesel while it was $3.48 at the Green Turtle Club.

After a late morning snack we entered White Sound and went to the Bluff House Marina that currently had 2 boats at the dock. They put me on the end T-dock which was cool but the lady dock master missed tied a bow line and while throwing the stern line the bow line pulled off the piling and the wind was blowing us away from the dock - not cool but nothing hurt.

A lot of our cruising friends made fun of us being the only sail boat at the dock but we will see who laughs tonight when the wind pipes up to 25kts with gusts to 30 tomorrow. Especially now that late today several very large sailboats came in and anchored in this crowded anchorage with a reputation of marginal holding. Note that 3 other sail boats came in late to the dock 2 from New Bern and one from Beaufort, NC. One is called Flash II and the other is Margarita and the third >??

Well the deal here at the dock is anything that we spend in the Bar/restaurant will be subtracted from the dockage charge so we need to go to dinner tonight and eat today's dockage fee. Karen points out at the price of food here this is probably a good deal.. I think it is a good deal in that I won't be on anchor watch tonight when that cold front comes through.

Saturday, December 20, 2008

FINALLY IN THE BAHAMAS -- the real Bahamas

Good Evening all from Green Turtle Cay Great Abacos Bahamas.. Ohh I love this place.

The water is gin clear off the settlement where we are anchored. There is a local bar blaring Bahamian music over the water front, the sky is clear, and the stars are bright and oh yes - the water is flat calm. I will sleep tonight!!!

Yesterday we left Lake Worth Inlet a little before 2pm and we arrived here at 3:45 pm today - NONSTOP. I slept an accumulation of maybe 1 hour.. I'm beat but so happy to be here in sheltered waters before another cold front roars in tomorrow night.

We arrived too late to make While Sound - need the high tide to get in. Tried to clear customs but the local agent was gone. We contacted her and she said it was fine if we cleared in Monday and in the meantime - we had the run of the town. Great folks here in GTC.

The crossing was SCARY!! We were mid stream in the gulf stream by dark and hit the Banks around midnight then ran the entire banks to Great Sale Cay in the DARK - a bit intimidating. Fortunately I used all the tools (Toys) available like my 24 mile Radar and my AIS receiver to track the boats around me and the commercial traffic traversing the gulf stream at night. All worked fine.

We had a nice flotilla and Diva and Rachel stayed close all night long. The most awe inspiring moment was when the ½ moon rose about 12:30am - what was it at first?? A cruise ship? A Christmas decoration?? A huge ship what?? It was just the moon. It made the water sparkle. It was great.

Overall the crossing was fine except for the dark parts. Gentle conditions and mild winds - it doesn't get better than this then to have these conditions over a 3 day daylight crossing. As it was - we did great.

Tonight Diva and Rachel and Temptations crews partied at PINEAPPLES (reason for late BLOG) in the Green Turtle Settlement to celebrate - we partied on a yellow table to appease the customs folks in that we had not yet officially cleared into the Bahamas.

Tomorrow we plan to use High Tide to enter White sound and stay a few days at the Bluff House marina -- At least Christmas -- then move to an anchorage and stay here through New Years for JUNKANOO!!!

You all have a Very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year because we plan to here in Green Turtle Cay Abacos Bahamas. WE ARE FINALLY HERE!!!!

Friday, December 19, 2008

Night Crossing to Bahamas

We are underway!!! We had a meeting with Diva and Rachel this morning after the weather forecast and decided to leave earlier today - 2pm and possibly go all the way to Green Turtle Cay non stop.

The seas were a little lumpy when we started but got better - never expect really smooth but not too bad. Tonight we are in Flotilla formation. First Edition a Hylas 46 is in the lead followed by Cocopella, Then Rachel, Diva, and us in a line, followed by Sand Castle and way back Merlin and Rubyatt.

Good company on nearly the longest night of the year. We expect to make the banks at Memory Rock around 2am then push on to Great Sale Cay. The only dicey part is the first mile or 2 near Memory Rocks.

I'll send another report if the mood and conditions allow.

Thursday, December 18, 2008

Rarin' to GO!!


We are now staged for a departure to the Bahamas. We went and fueled up, watered up and pumped out in anticipation of leaving for the Bahamas either tomorrow or Saturday morning. Since I began preparations for this trip today – I think that will satisfy the Friday superstitious folks – me included.

The departure was not how you say – smooth. A sailboat had anchored near me yesterday and as we pulled the hook up today I was rushed in my cleaning of the chain because we were drifting near that boat – unfortunately several feet of mud incased links went into the chain locker – more about that later.

Fuel price was a nice surprise -- $2.40 a gallon at Old Cove Marina. I took on 33 gallons. That is what I burned in 16 days of generator operation at Vero Beach mooring field, a day and half trip to North Lake Worth, then 8 days at North Lake Worth running the generator from 2 – 3 hours a day. What is that? -- 33 gallons for 24 days – not bad.

The anchorage south of the Inlet is very nice. Large and very clear water. When I dropped the hook here as usual the chain played out quickly. When that patch of mud in-cased links was reached it just sprayed mud straight up between my legs – I was straddling the chain winch – and drew a line up my shirt and right across my face depositing a BIG dollop of mud on the tip of my nose. Ohh YUCK!! Karen got a laugh after that. After setting the hoop I dropped another 40 feet of chain into the clear water just to clean them. The bottom here is nice sand.

The anchorage here just south of the Lake Worth Inlet has seen a steady stream of boats coming in and staging. Both Rachel and Diva are here. I spoke with them. Diva wants to leave at midnight tomorrow night and Rachel wants to leave at noon till 4pm tomorrow. I was in the 4pm crowd but now I’m considering Diva’s plan – decisions decisions. How to best use this weather window and maximize the calmest times of crossing. Then again I don’t really want to run non-stop for 30 hours – I get a little cranky when I miss my sleep!!

Today is another fine weather day. Just blowing 10 - 15 kts form the East. Partly cloudy and warm – high 79 degrees low 67 this morning.

The boat seemed a little sluggish on the 6 mile run here today so once the hook was down I dove in and examined the propeller – clean as a whistle. The rudder has some grass like substance growing out if its hinge so I scrapped that out. The basic hull looked pretty good with just a bit of slime on it. I guess I just want to go fast!!

Ohhh the water here near the inlet is quite clean and clear with maybe 15 feet visibility. Out of curiosity I swam over the anchor and I could see that the old claw had pulled completely into the sand with just the barest of shank visible at 1800 RPMs in reverse.

Tonight we will relax and put a few more things away in case of some rough water tomorrow and we will reconnoiter the lights near shore in case we do leave in the dark from here.

This could be the last BLOG update via the Verizon broadband card.

The pictures tonight are a wide-angle via of the anchorage here and the big ol gambling ship that comes in and leaves about every 6 hours. What a waste of resources!!! To be legal they have to out 3 miles then they can gamble. I don’t understand it.

Wednesday, December 17, 2008

BAHAMAS FEVER!!



Got the fever -- probably a little early though.

The crossing window looks very good for Friday late, Saturday, and Sunday. Decisions decisions though – go just to West End and hold a couple of days or go with the crowd non-stop to Green Turtle Cay (that’s about 30 hours). It will depend on the latest weather forecast.

I started preparations today. Found the Jack lines and tethers and the Inflatable jackets and harnesses are already at the ready. I made up a new anchor snubber line today – featured in the picture gallery – note that fine eye splice – I did that – not purchased.

The boats keep coming in to anchor here too – currently 61 boats. It will be terrible at the dinghy landing tomorrow. Probably very crowded at the local marinas on Friday as everyone fuels and waters up for a crossing.

I think we will do a final provisioning run in the morning and then head to a local marina for fuel water and pump out. Then down to the staging area in Lake Worth just South of the Inlet.

Tomorrow will be busy so blog may be late. The decision for a Friday vs. Saturday crossing won’t be made until late Friday morning. Thus a couple of good blog entries yet.

Once we cross I will have to provide updates via the SSB radio. Unfortunately it is limited to text only so no pictures until I find an internet connection.

There might be an issue with the SSB update so if the Blog page does not update then drop me an email to ejquick@nc.rr.com and I’ll add you to a list of recipients that can receive the updates via an email via SSB. Hopefully that won’t be necessary.

Today has been a day of focusing on the crossing. Checking charts, refreshing my memory on possible tracks, verifying the SSB, Airmail, and voice contacts are fine – checked into the Maritime Service Net this afternoon. Did some experimenting to determine the best freqs and times to send position reports.

Ohhh while we cross, and I’ll let you know when that will be – check our position reports. I’ll send intermediate reports as we cross the Gulf Stream into the Bahamas.


Tuesday, December 16, 2008

A little bit of rain falling today


Ahhh another nice but slightly rainy day today. The forecast was for Partly Sunny and 10% chance of rain. We have had drizzle style showers off an on all day today beginning about 5:30am. No biggie because it is nearly 78 degrees. Thus kind of humid… AND no wind today. A little would have been nice but none today.

I have had to run the genset today because both the Solar Collector and Wind Generator have had little to no output.

We did some provisioning runs today and a long walk to West Marine to get some Coax connectors for the Marine VHF. Karen bought some fancy Crocks and an early Xmas present for me – a red/green light for the bow of the dinghy. Here in Florida you need all the lights on the dinghy not just a stern light. Don’t argue just equip the dinghy.

After a lunch of leftovers I “Attacked” the VHF. I cutoff the old connector and checked it with a VOM – sure enough it had a high resistance intermittent short in it. I installed the new connector and tested with the S/V Rachel and they gave me a great signal report. They are about 7 miles from here right now near Peanut Island.

Another provisioning run this afternoon and then stowed it all.

Tonight we are watching a parade of new boats come in and anchor and watched several others leave. There is currently a good weather window to Miami and they are taking it.

Not much else to report.

I’ve included a couple of pictures tonight. The cutie pie (Sailboat) came in an anchored near us tonight. The one with the young man trying a sail kite on his cool little wooden dinghy was taken 2 days ago when it was blowing like stink here. Most people were fretting over too much wind and motion and he was having a blast.. Different folks – different strokes.


Monday, December 15, 2008

Should have stayed in bed today

Some days should be spent in bed all day for what gets accomplished.

Last night the wind blew hard again – 25kts with higher gusts (forecast was for 10 - 15).. It started around 10:30pm so I moved back into the salon. Fortunately it died away by 4am and has been a mild calm day all day today. The forecast is for 10 – 15 or less the rest of the week. In fact there is talk of a fairly nice weather window this Saturday and Sunday so we just might be on our way…

The weather will be pretty good for running down the coast to Miami so several boats left today. Then again several more came in so it is still very crowded here. Boy if this weather window hold for the weekend it will be like a freeway leaving here then.

We heard from Vic and Gigi as they past North Lake Worth. They decided to continue on to Fort Lauderdale so I guess we won’t see them for a while again.

Vic was fairly close and gave me a poor signal report so when we were done I tore into my Marine VHF. I determined that the connector under the floor that selects between the old and new radio is bad – unfortunately I installed it so no one to blame but me!! I do not have a large enough soldering iron on board to replace it so I need to go to WM tomorrow to get one of those fancy no solder, no strip connectors.

Let me back up to why I should have stayed in bed today. Karen insisted I accompany her on a bus trip this morning to a craft shop. We made the dinghy landing but it was high tide and only about 2 feet of the beach was exposed. Now that is a circle 2 feet in diameter mind you. We locked the dinghy up with some difficulty then headed to the bus site. The bus schedule says 9:45am. At 9:35 am we are approaching the bus stop and the bus just blows by us… It will be an hour now!!! Grrrrrr. We went and did some provisioning at the grocery store and our hearts weren’t in it. I made a run back to the boat to dump it off and Karen went to wait on the bus. Freeing the dinghy and unloading the groceries took longer than expected. That and with only one lane at the grocery store open and the guy in front of us – cook on the Mega Yacht Reno buying $400 dollars of groceries I missed the bus. That is why I was working on the radio..

Later in the afternoon when Karen called for a pickup at the dinghy landing I was heading in when a cruiser on Jocks Lodge flagged me down and asked if I had an SWR meter since he was having radio problems. I thought how fortuitous since my equipment was still out. I said I would return in a few minutes. After dropping Karen at the boat I took my gear to Jocks Lodge. Damn if my MFJ (More something Junk) SWR meter would not work. Ohhh I was embarrassed. After wasting some time I apologized and returned to Temptation and played with my radio. -- probably the needle was stuck since it hadn’t been used in a year or more. At first it did not work then it did.. I went back to Jocks Lodge and still it would not work -- must be in the Bermuda triangle or something. While there I noticed there was a loose screw in my Dummy Load.

Packing my crap back up and returning to Temptation I tried this stuff again and finally got it all working. I then went to put the stuff away and I heard that loose screw in the dummy load. I tore the dummy load down and found were the screw had vibrated loose from. I tore more down to reattach it and now I can’t get the other screws back in – GRRRRR.

I’ m calling it quits today. Produce this blog and then just enjoy the sunset for the rest of the evening and maybe take a census of all the new boats that arrived today – sans GiGi’s Island.

Sunday, December 14, 2008

Just a breezy day in Lake Worth

Just another VERY breezy day in paradise. Well the paradise part not completely. Last night it was blowing 20 – 25 with gusts to 35 so I did sleep, sort of, in the salon. I need to get up several times to assure myself that I’m not dragging anchor or another is dragging down on me.. Winds 0 – 15kts are not a problem since the anchor chain is never stretched all the way. Now when you get around 20 kts the anchor rode does get stretched out and could move the anchor – thus the anxiety.

Well it was fine last night. Stayed put all night and all day today. Tonight it is back to 10 – 15 kts so I can sleep in my bed tonight.

Not much done today. Finished the riding sail but this afternoon it was blowing 20 – 25 kts and things could happen fast so I’ll test it another day.

Diva called and asked us to join them and Rachel at 4pm today at the Sports bar next to the Publix Grocery store – Duffeys. It was nice and the drinks and the appetizers which served as dinner were fine. I could care less about the sporting events but enjoyed the conversation – mainly political stuff that got very heated but we all blamed the rum punches and left as friends still. There was also a lot of good cruising stories told too.

The ride back was a little wet but Temptation proved easy to find tonight in the dark -- I think she is finally really warming to us now.

Not much else to report. Just cooling our heels for a weather window to the Abacos and so here we will stay for awhile.

Saturday, December 13, 2008

Still Relaxing in Lake Worth

Ahhh just an easy cruis’n day in Lake Worth. The weather forecast has strong winds coming in tonight and tomorrow and continuing through Monday so here we will sit for awhile. No Bahamas crossing this week.

Mid morning we had a visit from Mark and Julie on S/V Rachel. They were seeking information on bus routes which Karen is now the resident expert on and they shared information about Miami and the best ways to get there beyond the ditch run – ICW. The ICW between here in Fort Lauderdale is no picnic because of the numerous bridge schedules and all the inconsiderate boaters. Then we can not go inside between Ft Lauderdale and Miami because of a 56 foot bridge in Miami just before the inlet!! Thus that leg would always have to be done outside.

They also shared a little tidbit which will save us some money when we go to the Bahamas. Verizon Wireless has no service there so our phones and my broadband card become useless for 3 months. Now Verizon has a vacation plan where for $5 a month you can suspend service for up to 90 days – the suspended time being added to any contract. Thus we do not have to pay the usually plan charges during that period -- Yahoo a way to save money – that doesn’t happen too often in the cruising world. Be advised you cruisers of this plan is you so want to choose..

Late morning we did some postal chores and a “Pak and Send” shop nearby and went to “Bella Pizza” for lunch. They are across the road from the Publix here. After that – well we had to visit the Publix and just bought a few odds and ends – mostly odds.

The afternoon was spent sewing up the “riding sail” I cut out yesterday and well not to work too hard – I’ll put the grommets in it tomorrow and test.

Just a realxin evening planned unless it gets too windy then I’ll be sleeping in the main salon again..

Friday, December 12, 2008

Moon Set over Lake Worth


It was a peaceful night since the wind died down. I slept like a rock. Ohhh check out the cool moon picture I took this morning right at sunrise. Wow it was BIG>>

Today was cooler and a bit breezy but with the wind mainly NW and limited fetch it was comfortable here. Karen left early on a big bus adventure. She got an all day pass for $3.50 and was going to work a couple of bus routes to find a JoAnn Fabrics. She needs more yarn for more knitting projects.

I cruised by in the dinghy and visited with Carl on Diva and Mark on Rachel. We discussed the forecast and all agreed that we will be here till at least Tuesday. Tomorrow the wind will be 20 with gusts to 30 from the N and NE. Again with the limited fetch should not be a problem here. The only “fly in the ointment” is that a couple of new boats came in today and anchored near me. Well if we get to close they have to move – anchor etiquette. First one in gets the spot.

I cut out some Sunbrella to make a riding sail for the boat and hopefully eliminate or minimize this anchor dancing. Good thing I talked to Carl though. He said he had one but never uses it because it constantly blankets his KISS wind generator and it stops. I think I’ll make a smaller one and build it so it goes up past the KISS on the backstay. I’m just using 3 yds of fabric.

Ohhhh got bitten by the Previous owner (might be the first owner) notations in a manual. The front cover of the engine manual showed the NAPA filter number to use for oil and says 1 gallon 1qt. When I changed oil that is what I use it seemed a little low on the dip stick. The dip stick is very poorly engineered and difficult to read. Well I was looking at the Endeavour Owners manual last night to get some info on the propeller and on the same page was a statement to use 9 qts of oil in the engine. Well 1 gallon and a quart is only 5 quarts!! I checked the Yanmar manual and it said to use 6.5 liters which is 7.7 quarts. Aaaaack – I’ve been using too little oil…. I added another quart today and it is at the full mark now. I also made up my mind to ignore any previous owner notations in any manual for future references. Grrrr..

Thursday, December 11, 2008

Sleepless in Palm Beach


It was an uncomfortable night all right. Once an anchor doesn’t completely hold then you are anxious about it for sometime until the confidence rebuilds. What is that saying?? “One oh sh-t wipes out 1000 at a boys!”

I don’t think the problem yesterday was just short scope. Another boat came in late and anchored near where we were yesterday morning. First thing this morning they moved to another spot – could be holding is just poor there.


It blew strong all night and this boat wants to “dance” around the anchor. In other words the boat will swing to one side of the anchor and catch the wind broad side until the anchor pulls back, then it swings to the other side and repeats and this oscillates at about a 4 –5 minute period thus putting a lot of stress on the anchor.

Well the holding and scope worked well and we had no problem over night or through the even stronger winds that came late morning into early afternoon 25 – 30 kts. Once the cold front passed at around 2:30pm the wind clocked to the west and dropped to about 10 kts along with a 30 minute shower. It is quite comfortable here now and should remain that way until Sunday. Unfortunately no good window to cross to the Bahamas until maybe middle of next week.

I had one problem today – the wind generator. It was working just fine and gen’ing a lot of amps when suddenly it got noisy and more vibration. I realized it was spinning faster but only outputting a couple of amps. I turned it off at the switch which usually stops it but it just kept spinning at HIGH revolutions. I had to carefully reach behind it and grab a control line and spin it so its back was facing the wind. The blade slowed down to a near stop and I could grab it and put a line on it. Apparently the high winds caused the internal coil to get so hot that it tripped some thermostats that allowed it to go free wheeling – not a good design.. Anyway once it cooled down it worked fine again .

The other things that worked well last night was stowing the dinghy and motor. No worries about the painter separating and it wasn’t bumping into the stern or ladder all night – pretty quiet back there. Unfortunately I spent the night on a couch in the main salon to listen for strange sounds and make numerous checks on our position throughout the night. Well that new mattress pad is working because my back ached today. I should be back in the main bed tonight with these mild conditions. Putting dual snubbers on also made a difference. The boat did not rock fore and aft as much as it did the previous night so the sloshing of the partial 120 gallon water tank was not as noticeable.

Somethings work – somethings don’t.

Wednesday, December 10, 2008

Cruising is not always a bed of Roses

Cruising is great but there are times that challenge you. Most of the time those challenges are around anchoring situations. Either you are worried your anchor won’t hold or someone near by anchor won’t hold. Reasons for not holding are many fold – some you control – some you don’t.

Last night just before bedtime the wind picked up to 20 kts. It blew between 20 –25 with frequent gusts to 30kts for about 6 hours. The boat was right in the center of the fetch. It wasn’t too uncomfortable but with the boat swinging to one side then the other side of the anchor there were shock loads on it. I got up several times and did not see anything amiss. Then this morning when the sun came up I saw where I was a bit closer to the boat directly behind me – yesterday when we dropped the hook I was about 150 feet from the bow of that boat. This morning I was about 90 feet or about 20 yds closer. I use a handheld range finder to measure these distances.

Now it was decision time?? Do I just set another anchor?? Has the first anchor really dug in strong?? I’m too close to increase scope -- I had 80 feet out in 15 feet of water which is a bit short..

The wind was strong and I didn’t want to set the second anchor from the dinghy. I thought about it awhile then fortunately a sailboat left the anchorage. Ohhh he had a nice spot. We pulled anchor fairly quickly and repositioned over that spot. I now have 120 feet of chain down in 14 feet of water.

This is a concern because the winds are forecast to go to 20 – 25 after midnight tonight and maybe 30 knots tomorrow and numerous thunderstorms as the latest cold front passes through. Thus it is not all fun and games and here I worry about tonight but I have more room to work with now. Unfortunately the strong winds yesterday and today have given Karen the impression that this is not a good anchorage. But when it goes lighter on Friday maybe she will change her mind. At any rate there will be no Bahamas crossing for at least a week.

Today was okay. I went to my favorite Chinese Buffet near the anchorage and the food was good but it was not very crowded. Afterwards we walked past all the shops in this rather new mall and were aghast to see most of the spaces were empty!! Probably only 6 shops here out of maybe 50.. Looks like the economy is not all roses here in West Palm Beach.. Gosh I wonder how long this Chinese Buffet will remain??

Now on the plus side today I heard from my ol cruising buddy Ralph Chapman aboard Luna C formerly of Matthews Point Marina. He has located in the Wilmington (NC) maritime center and is thoroughly enjoying himself. He has some ambitious cruising plans for this winter and is planning on having some great fun. If anyone needs his email here it is: captrechappell@yahoo.com

With the weather forecast being so “not so good” for tonight and tomorrow we stowed the dinghy and the motor. In all that wind last night it kept banging into the stern of the boat making noise and the ladder made a lot of noise too. So all that is put away for this storm a coming and I’ve got more chain out and 2 snubber lines on instead of one. We still swing to either side of the wind. I think we need to make a riding sail for the anchorage. This is good practice for the Bahamas where these conditions can be expected once or twice a week in the winter.

Hey anyone know of any good anchor watch software that works with the GPS??? I think it will be a long night tonight.

Tuesday, December 9, 2008

Rock and Roll!!


Wow what a day of wind.. The wind really came up last night 15 – 20 with gusts to 25kts. We rocked a bit in that Hobe Sound Anchorage. This morning when we left the sky was very hazy. Hobe Sound is just a stones throw from the Atlantic and the wind was blowing beach sand and spray from the ocean. The boat handled well but some gusts did heel us a bit and we had NO sail out. We were also the only boat moving for about 2 hours..

Once w turned at the Jupiter Inlet and went inland a bit the wind and haze settled down.

But boy bridges!! We only had to go 14 miles today but had to negotiate 6 bridges – 2 on demand and the rest on schedule. It took nearly 4 hours to go 14 miles.

The anchorage here at North Lake Worth is very crowded today. It took us about 30 minutes of riding around before I set the hook and it is ok – but?? We will see when the wind changes direction which shouldn’t be until Friday. Now some storms on Thursday may also have a say in the wind direction. I might have to set a second anchor to control my swing.

Several boats from Vero are here – my Guru Diva for one. We will probably just follow their lead over to the Abacos or down to Miami. Carl is a very conservative cruiser and his wife Debbie has very specific conditions for a crossing. For instance I asked Carl the other day what conditions he preferred for a crossing and Debbie jumped in and said FF is the only way – F—king Flat!!

It has been blowing here all day 15 - 20 SE which is the longest fetch for our position but it is not too uncomfortable – just a bit of Rock and Roll. It may lay down some tonight but will be back tomorrow.

We made one quick trip to the Publix here today and Karen was not impressed with the hill climb and the sand spit to land the dinghy at – but hey it is free to anchor here.. Because of the wind I did not want to leave the boat too long so we will do Chinese Buffet here tomorrow. Then I’ll cut Karen loose to browses the shops here – more than you shake a stick at.

Ohhh the last picture of the anchorage is supposedly Jack Nicholas’ home and boat(s).



Monday, December 8, 2008

FREE at last!! Free at last!!


Finally underway again. Maybe I exaggerated a little about being "Free at last". Vero Beach is really very nice.

The old sailor axiom “Men and ships soon rot in port” is so true. Now Karen and I show no signs of rot but poor Temptation did this morning. When we motored on down the ICW my no current cruise speed was only 5.7 knots where it had been 6.2 kts. The knot log meter (paddle wheel) reported 0kts all day!! Must be caked in slime or barnacles or both. I kept hoping a big wake would wake it up but it didn’t. The wind speed did not work at first but after a good shaking by a passing boat it started to work. Our cruising speed eventually rose to 6.0 kts but still the slime – or is it “Velcro” – is slowing us down a bit.

We had a nice motor down the ICW today – did something like 40 + NMS. We are just 12 nm from North Lake Worth. I want to get in early and take my time to find a nice spot to anchor because we will probably be there awhile. The weather here will deteriorate tomorrow night and be stormy Wednesday and Thursday with wind over the weekend. But hey – a new location and food and stuff still convenient. That and we can stage for the Bahamas in just 4 hours from there.

When we passed through Vero Beach this morning we passed the canal that was the home for Temptation for so many years. The boat did not pull in that direction or just stop so we believe she must like her new home.

We are anchored here tonight in Hobe Sound, FL. The home of multimillion dollar homes – I mean like 10 million each. And we are just hanging out in their back yards – nanny nanny boo boo

Well I shouldn’t get too worked up or I’m sure they will have the jack booted FWC come visit us.

Ohhh anchoring here was interesting… We pulled into the first of 4 nice depressions along the ICW where you can anchor. Each can hold several boats. We had a view of all of them and no boat was here at 3pm. Well shortly after we had our hook down 2 other sailboats and a trawler came in and they anchored all around us… All this room but they had to be close to what was already here. What do they call that syndrome?? I know Mark Haskell knows it!! He reported it before too.

Sunday, December 7, 2008

Vic and I just Cruis'n

Vic and I had a nice cruisers day. It is a shame to think we will part company so soon but we will meet up againg soon I expect.

The ladies went to an Art Show at Humiston Park today leaving us to our beer and imaginations. They took our bikes. Karen got to use her new “Bike Trunk” from Downtube.com and Gigi road my Dahon Mariner 26 which she really enjoyed..

Vic worked on his noise problem with his solar collectors and I supervised. We determined that the BZ Controller folks are full of sh--. The filter they sent did not make a bit of difference.

I spent the day – actually just part of it – topping off the water tanks with jerry jugs of water and filled the dinghy tank with gas and carry 2 gallons spare, (boy I hope I did that in the right order) and did what little laundry we had collected -- hopefully next laundry day will be in the Bahamas!!

I also settled our account with the marina here and we are now ready to leave. I think I have thought of a dozen reasons to stay another day or two – but NO we will leave tomorrow. It is time to get out from the grasp of this Velcro!!

The plan is to make a partial trip to North Lake Worth tomorrow and stop at either Peck Lake or along the ICW in Hobe Sound then boogie a short day into North Lake Worth. Wednesday and Thursday are forecast to be poor weather days but after that --- maybe the window we are looking for. If not, there is a great Publix grocery just a ½ block away from the dinghy landing and a GREAT Chinese Buffet which I will make use of a couple of days a week if we stay for any length of time. Did you know?? In the Abacos, I never found a Chinese restaurant there in a previous trip so I’ll need to load up on Chinese before going.

Saturday, December 6, 2008

I'm a Beach Bunny


Like a bear to honey I have to go to the beach.

We went to the farmer’s market this morning at Humiston Park across from the beach. After visiting all the booths which took me about 10 minutes I was ready to go walk the beach. I didn’t need any stinkn’ farmers stuff. I just wanted to get wet in the sand.

Now look at the ocean behind me -- That is why so many cruisers are making their crossing today. It doesn’t get any calmer than that. I hope the stream looks that flat when we cross – which should be soon!!

Now the Farmer’s market is actually very nice. You got your organic this or that and holistic food stand and then you have just plain good fresh vegetables that look and taste better than store bought at a fraction of the cost. We bought some veggies then went to the beach.

We discovered today that the abbreviated Saturday schedule actually starts later and ends earlier than we knew. The bus does not show here till around 9:10am and comes from Humiston Park so we had to go all the way around before arriving at Humiston Park.

Vic and Gigi really enjoyed the market. On the way back we offered to take their purchases to the boat and they stayed on for a run to the grocery store – still took the lions part of the day.

It’s a beautiful warm day today – just shorts and no shirt for me. Cold front coming through tonight but not expected to be strong – high tomorrow is forecast to be only 68 degrees.

That will be fine weather to take the bikes back to Humiston park for the Art show (no bus service on Sundays) – Karen will do the art thing but I’ll be back in the water at the beach.



Friday, December 5, 2008

YAHOO Vic and Gigi have ARRIVED!!!


LOOKOUT --- Vic and Gigi have arrived!!!

Vic and Gigi popped in just a little after noon. They were able to raft up with us. Just a great mild weather day for them to arrive. Unfortunately I have been finishing up a work project and have not had much of an opportunity to visit this afternoon but that ends after I post this BLOG.

Not much else to report today. Karen made another provisioning run to the Publix and we are getting ready to move on probably Monday.

BUT this weekend will be spent playing with Vic and Gigi.

Hey check out this picture – somebody LOVES Pepsi!!

Thursday, December 4, 2008

Ahhhh Sweet Dreams!


Ahhh now you know why we have really delayed our departure – a memory foam topper for the bed!! The picture is of the topper fresh from the packaging and expanding to its full thickness -- 3". Gosh -- today marks 2 full weeks here at Vero..

Both of us have experienced morning back aches on this bed. I actually attribute it to the long hours spent in bed. When at home I usually sleep about 7 hours. Here with it getting dark so early, no TV, and the anxiety of travel along the ICW (although not lately since at Vero) I spend about 9+ hours in bed and I’m still getting up at 6:15am. Hopefully this topper will cure the ache..


For me today was another full day of work work – nearly done. Karen had appointments to keep and the mattress topper was the last shipment we were waiting on. We are now free to go --- except Vic and Gigi arrive tomorrow and we have to remain for that and the wind is really supposed to come up on Sunday.

Thus we will pass on the latest weather window to the Bahamas which began today and ends Saturday night, stay till Monday, and leave either then or Tuesday and head south to stage for trip across the gulf stream.

I am ready!! Oh yeah there are several boats from New Bern here now. Several will use the Saturday wx window to go to the Bahamas but a get together at a local watering hole is planned for tomorrow afternoon. I’ll get pictures.

Wednesday, December 3, 2008

Changes Expected in the weather

Today dawned cold as the proverbial witches tit. It was 41 degrees this morning. I had to run the heat pump while charging batteries this morning. I make no apologies anymore.
I figured something had to be done. So while making a quick grocery run this morning I stopped next door at TJ Max and bought a new sweatshirt. My one and only is looking very threadbare. In fact I chucked it there just outside the store. Now I’ve gone from dowdy to IZOD. But it is still the same old me inside. Anyway --- I expect this purchase should have an affect on the weather and there will be no more cold weather here this winter – I can hope.

Getting closer to leaving. Most of the shipments we were waiting on arrived today. Just one more parcel due tomorrow and some appointments tomorrow for Karen and we will be free to go. Now the weather looks finicky and Vic and Gigi expect to be here Friday soooo (can you here the Velcro tightening?)) We will certainly stay to see them – for awhile.

Most of the day once again was spent work working. Looking forward to get back to cruising -- soon I hope.

Some of the stuff we ordered where some accessories for Karen’s Bike. We ordered them from a place called www.downtube.com. George and Carol on Traumerie showed us their bikes. If I could do it over I would have ordered one of those folding bikes for Karen.. Check em out – they are way cool and just a little more expensive then a WM bike. AND – all their accessories fit the WM bike.

Just as several boats left to take advantage of a small weather window Thur – Sat several new boats arrived today. Most are Canadian flagged. How do so many Canadians know the formula to go cruising??? Note most are from Quebec too!! I love their French accent.

We got a new neighbor today – Rainbows End with Pat and Steve aboard. A Maryland boat. They are heading to the Bahamas too this winter.

Got to cut this short -- time to start cleaning and getting ready to visit with Vic and Gigi this weekend!!

Got to do it tonight since it will be Work Work again tomorrow – nearly done.

Tuesday, December 2, 2008

Just Cooling our Heels in Vero

Still cooling our heels (literally) here in Vero.

Again a day taken up mostly with work work – not cruising work. Still waiting on some shipments to arrive.

I did take time to go to a Chinese Restaurant for lunch. I split to come back to the boat but Karen went on a bus transfer to find the K-mart – looking for yarns. Evidently the hunting is good because she has been gone all afternoon.


The waiting is becoming difficult now because Chris has called for gentle crossing conditions this Saturday. Several boats including our raft up neighbors left today to stage for a crossing this weekend. We can still make it if we leave on Friday.

Not much else to report except it has been a long pants, sweatshirt, and jacket day. The temps were a high of 62 and with the 15+ kt north wind I suspect the wind-chill is in the 50s!!! Don’t worry – should be back above 70 degrees tomorrow.

Monday, December 1, 2008

Just Sitting Tight

WOW that cold front yesterday was really weird. It hit like most do with strong winds preceding it, a bit of rain – actually a lot of rain, and then just disappeared.. No wind.. The forecast was for strong winds last night and today and – nothing. It was a mill pond here this morning and winds less than 10 kts all day!! However it has been cooling down all day and the high tomorrow is only expected to hit 65 degrees – Brrrr.


Not much happening today. I’ve been “recalled” to do some consulting work for a Telco in NY City so that has occupied most of the day. Got to love that wireless internet.

Karen did the laundry and I did put in an hour polishing some stainless on the boat. Very little Teak on this boat but lots of Stainless.

We did hear on the VHF an episode of cruisers at their best. A boat hailed the marina here for a mooring assignment. Explained that their boat had lost its engine – oil pressure alarm – and they were pulling it with their dinghy. They wanted an easy raft-up since only one person was onboard and the other in a dinghy.

One of the boats here Lady Galadriel called the other boat and offered to help with their dinghy. That is cruising at its best – helping and expecting nothing in return.

Sunday, November 30, 2008

A Cold Front Passage


`NOTE:: The primary position reporter is offline. To find our position click on one of the alternates and enter my Ham Radio Call Sign WD0ETL that is Whiskey Delta Zero Echo Tango Lima. Note that the alternate reporters are not as accurate then the primary. They do NOT use the seconds of the position and thus we might appear over land.



Like a slow moving train a cold front approaches. It has been forecast for a couple of days but it just doesn’t seem real with all the nice weather we have had over the last week. This is one to be reckoned with too – Chris called it probably the strongest of the season this year!!

I look at the internet weather radar and can see it coming the wind has picked up but it is still so nice out here -- about 80 degrees and partly sunny.

The water is getting rough in here so I busy myself with some on board tasks that I wouldn’t normally do – like polish and wax the stainless steel tube pulpits and stanchions, and windlass.

Around 11am we get the first real blast of rain. Interestingly the wind dies down during the heaviest rain. It lets up and I decide I need another line on the mooring hook. My line is only ½ inch as well as my mooring partner. They are predicting severe thunderstorms possible this afternoon. I try to put another line on it but it is too deep in the water to reach. A strong current and wind have it underwater by probably 18 inches. I’ll wait till the current switches.

We have another big rain around noon and finally the wind dies – this is usually due to a wind shift coming. I scrambled and put the third 5/8 inch line on for insurance. Ohh it doesn’t go well – the current is still running g and I have to reach for the hook. I finally get the line on and try to motor away but I get one of the lines wrapped around the dinghy propeller. The motor stops and I’m, stuck. I can’t reach the boat and I can’t free the line. I yell for Karen to grab the new line to relieve the pressure but she is below listening to a book on the IPOD with headphones on. Should have told her what I was doing -- I yelled a couple of times and tried to not bring “too much” attention to myself -- fortunately she hears me and we free the line from the dinghy.

Ahh then another lesson learned. I thought I would take the trash in to throw away – don’t put coffee grounds in the top of the trash bag. Sure enough it fell over in the dinghy spilling some coffee grounds. Well when I got back I decided to pull the dinghy out of the water and put in the davits for the approaching storm. That and with the plug pulled the coffee grounds would be washed away!!

Good thing because 20 minutes later the strong wind is back.

Around 3:30pm the main storm line hits. Not too much wind but blinding rain. I couldn’t see beyond 2 boats in front of me!! A large sailboat had just come in – Australia 31 and they were assigned a mooring clear in the back of the field. I wondered how he was fairing in this rain and wind.. When it let up so I could see I found him at the beginning of the mooring field – real heads up seamanship on his part. When the wind and rain hit he turned into the rain and held position until it let up. I was impressed. He was very patient. I think he waited nearly 30 minutes before heading into the dense portion of the mooring field to find his assigned mooring. That takes real level headed thinking and cool nerves to wait that long.

More rain came but fortunately no hail or micro burst (yet). There is still more of this cold front coming over tonight.

I’m just glad I’m not on the hook tonight.

Enjoy the pics of the cold front coming and hitting.. This is good practice for the Bahamas. In the Bahamas they come even slower and then they continue to blow strong winds for 30 – 48 hours which is not what happens here.




Saturday, November 29, 2008

The end of the Kluges -- I hope.


Feels like a Saturday -- ohh it is Saturday!! Ahh just rubbing it in.

Today was a work day. The dinghy has a dual hull and there is water trapped between them. I finally found a plug on the rear transom that will allow me to drain the water. The problem is it is so corroded it will take work to remove and I need a new one to replace it. I actually believed it was a barnacle for a long time!! Hopefully this is the last of the kluges to correct/repair on this boat. The boat was in excellent condition when we bought it and the survey was very good but there has just been a whole host of nickel and dime kluges that were done that when taken together has been -- frustrating. The worst being the nylon washers shimmed up the forward head toilet seat that came loose the first time some one used it in a seaway -- correction $20 for a new seat. Then the broken fuel fitting on the fuel tank for the outboard that was tied on because the clip was broken -- fixed for $3.49 but lost $5 worth of gas and the accompanying mess. There were many more -- just time and money but should have been repaired properly the first time.


I had to strip the dinghy of motor and fuel and then lift it with the davits onto the swim platform to get access to the old bug. Actually it was so deteriorated that it came out easily. I then re-suspended the dinghy and drained the water. Boy there was a LOT trapped in there. I suspect it is going to run better now that it will not have that unnecessary weight in the rear.

Once it was back together I hauled a couple of hundred pounds of water to the boat. Then I visited Wayne and Jill on ‘Born to cruise’ to view his 1000 watts of solar panel. Very impressive and a very neat installation. The controllers he has set up give you the true state of the charge at a glance. While viewing the controller at 11:15am he was charging with 30 AMPS!! That’s huge.

We went off on the noon bus to get some Pizza at a Pizza Hut near the Publix Grocery – once again disappointed. It is a delivery/carryout only!! I thought Chinese but no we went to a Deli Restaurant for Deli sandwiches. It was fine but not Pizza or Chinese.

Picked up a few groceries then beat it back to the boat. The bus service ends at 3pm on Saturdays.

Just relaxed for awhile then I took a bike ride to the top of the high rise bridge which overlooks the marina/mooring field here and took the cool pictures here tonight.

Back on Temptation I remembered I missed a sked with Jim Thompson to connect via SSB on the ham bands. I called Jim and apologized for missing and we tried it immediately. We could not connect on 20 meters but were able to connect on 40 meters – pretty good with just an occasional fade.

Quiet evening planned tonight – leftovers for dinner and maybe a game of pickup sticks. Hey it’s more difficult then you would think on a moving boat.


Friday, November 28, 2008

Thanksgiving -- Do Over

Yesterday’s Thanksgiving feast was very nice but in discussions today with Karen – we are still missing something. The Turkey was okay but kind of cool and picked over. So tonight we are fixing a Turkey Breast in the boat oven – wish us luck because it has proven cantankerous the few times we have used it. I attribute that to “just not being used”.

I looked for a Pecan Pie at the grocery today – but none to be had. They probably had 2 dozen pumpkin pies for a $1 each but I don’t need that.

Today overall has been a light day. It started cold – 44 degrees!! Sunny and warmed up but with the breeze it felt cool all day. Again no shorts.

Tomorrow I plan some dinghy work. I found a drain plug I didn’t know it had because it was so badly corroded. It plugs the inner hull which has water in it. I had to locate a new plug today (at West Marine) and will tackle that job tomorrow. It should run better with nicer trim once that excess water is drained out of there.

I had to attend to some personal business today and I took a little while to try and locate a bag of O-rings I bought last fall. I know they have been in 3 different drawers and 2 cabinets but I cannot find them now. Ohhh it is exasperating to lose something that you know is here but just can’t locate – lost in the clutter I guess.

And Yes Yes I have a very detailed inventory sheet (actually about 12 pages) but they did not make it on the list. Grrrrr

Thursday, November 27, 2008

Happy Thanksgiving!!


Happy Thanksgiving All!!

The cruisers put on quite a Thanksgiving Feast here today. My tummy is still a little sore and I exercise moderation!!

The weather was great although too cool for shorts, and the company equally fine. We dined with the crews from Diva, Rachel, and Fredonia. We also finally met the crew from “Born to Cruise” Wayne and Jill. They are from New Bern too. Percentage wise I’d say New Bern had more folks here than any other area.

What can I say the choices were magnificent – Anti Pasta, Pasta, more salads than you shake a stick at – plenty of Turkey and ham for those who wanted that. Not me – JUST TURKEY!!

I did miss sweet potatoes and Pecan Pie.. Can you believe about 10 pumpkin pies and only one pecan pie which was long gone by the time I got there. I just shot the ready whip directly in my mouth – just kidding – put it on a spoon then the mouth.

I think it will just be broth for dinner tonight.

Enjoy the pics. I especially like the shot of the Dinghy parking lot.