Some days you wake up and you just know it is not going to be a good day. Well today is one of those days…
It started when I drew water for coffee this morning. The water ran then stopped. The pump would not come on. A quick investigation showed a fuse had blown… I replaced the fuse and it worked okay then. Wonder what happened??
It was a restless sleep last night. After dark the wind increased and it got kind of bouncy in the anchorage -- more a surge than waves. Not terrible just irritating. The wind finally seemed to lay down after midnight and it wasn’t too bad. Just glad we didn’t try one of our alternative anchorages down south – it would have been bad.
Once I got moving this morning and did the BASRA weather net I realized there is going to be more wind than previously forecast – thus plans needed to be changed. We decided to head back to Marsh Harbour where it would be protected and we could do some provisioning in case we go north of Whale Cay this weekend.
I had trouble getting the anchor up. First the chain wrapped on the stub of the CQR that I had hanging and I had to clear that. Then I pulled the Delta in using the windlass until I reached the chain and then had to go hand over hand with the help from the helm. It did not go well and at one point I pulled the chain from the bow roller into the space between the 2 bow rollers and the chain jammed. I couldn’t free it so I just bypassed and pulled the chain up without the bow roller. Once underway I still couldn’t clear the jammed chain and had to resort to a hammer!!
AS we passed by Matt Lowe Cay the water was calm but once facing South MOW cut we saw 20 – 22 kts of wind and 2 –3 foot seas nearly on the bow. We were splashing a lot of water on the enclosure – this was unexpected.
We continued on and it was rough to Point Set Rock then we turned for Marsh and had it all on the stern and it was just a bit rolly. Once in the harbour it was relatively calm.
The anchorage was not crowded because several boats had already left for Great Guana Cay to anchor for the Barefootman concert on Friday – good luck it would have been rough today and more wind is expected tonight and tomorrow now.
We anchored with no difficulty and the big ol CQR stuck the first time here in Marsh. Good thing because I did not want that headache.
I tried to get my conch salad but the conch man had taken the day off. For some reason he doesn’t like working when it blows hard or is cold.
We relaxed and had a leisurely lunch. Then Karen noticed the water flow in the aft head sink was no go. Hmmm worked everywhere else – I’ll investigate later. Also the fresh water pump was not pumping like it used to and the foot pump was acting strange.
We went to the grocery and picked up a few things. On the way Karen stepped in a depression along the road and hurt her foot!! Not terrible and she walked it off.
Back on the boat I troubleshot the water system – made no sense. Would not pump now at all, even the foot pump would not pump, and the aft head sink faucet was clogged with fine sediment… I disconnected hoses and blew into them and verified a clear path and put it all back together and it works fine.. What’s going on??? Time will tell.
Now that Karen relaxed her foot hurts – what’s wrong with that?? I told you it is just not a good day.. That and on the radio we here the alert going up at Great Guana Cay for a boat already dragging anchor up there and it is not crowded yet!!
I suspect our plans are changing again now.
Friday, February 27, 2009
Just Blowing in the Wind
Ahhhh it is that time of the month and time to display another Miss Kalik – March – enjoy..
This is an interesting cold front passage. The day started calm and the wind has built steadily from 5 knots to 25 kts then back to 15 kts right now. The squalls and actually frontal passage is not expected for another 6 hours. Currently everyone here in the anchorage is just hunkered down. Most boats have folks in the cockpits relaxing and reading and watching other boats – looking for that first sign of a boat dragging. Unbelievably – because the holding is so good here – one boat did drag early on this afternoon but re-anchored with no difficulty. We all keep our VHFs on and on channel 68 so if something happens we are all alerted early.;
I’ve also posted a picture of a great example of a “Stacked Pack Sail” enjoy Craig.. This is probably the type of sail system I’ll go to on this boat. I really dislike the Dutchman system that is on here now.
Other than that we are just doing odds and ends today – repairing hems on flags, light cleaning and a lot of reading. In advance of forecast strong rain squalls we have already stored the dinghy in the davits and will just stay aboard tonight however it does seem to be quieting down right now – probably the calm before the storm. One thing I have learned is that if the wind is blowing strong and then suddenly lightens up - it is because there is a wind shift occurring and it will be back in a vengeance post haste.
Tomorrow is forecast to be quite windy then calm in the late afternoon. We expect if the forecast holds that we will leave Tuesday and head down to Tillo Cay to do some shell/sea glass hunting.
Great Beach Combing
First off HAPPY BIRTHDAY to our daughter Kourtney. We miss you and owe you cake. We will celebrate in June.
Finally the wind died down for a bit. As sailors we like wind but too much too long really takes it out of you. The wind died shortly after dark last night and we had a delightful rock and roll free night to sleep through. Really enjoyed it. Should be another nice one tonight then all hell breaks loose tomorrow afternoon and evening. Strong cold front coming through late tomorrow with some 40 kt rain squalls. This will be a good place to weather it provided it does not get too crowded. This morning we had 21 boats on anchor here and tonight we have 14. I suspect more will join us during the early part of the day tomorrow.
This looks like a Canadian Jamboree here tonight. All but 3 boats are flying Canadian flags. Amazing how many Canadians are able to bring their boats here to enjoy winter in the Bahamas.
We had an easy day – did little to no work. Used Born to Cruises “looky bucket” to check my anchor and all I see is chain going into the sandy bottom. Anchor completely pulled in – that’s a good thing.
This afternoon near low tide we walked the entire length of the beach hunting for whatever we could find. Found several very nice sand dollars and some corkscrew shells – very small but very pretty.
We had a pleasant walk back and then DISASTER nearly struck!! We had climbed into the dinghy which was difficult given near low tide and climbing 8 feet down a straight ladder. Karen was getting in after me and releasing the dinghy painter while I was prepping the outboard when I hear “help me!!”.. The dinghy had slide away from the ladder and she was hanging on to the ladder and feet in the dinghy and just about laid out horizontally over the water. My first thought was “She’s going in!!”. I grabbed the edge of the ladder in one hand and grab her with the other and pulled the boat back under her and she dropped in – whew. Boy she will be sore and black and blue tomorrow. Fortunately no splinters.
Well I’ll upload some pictures tomorrow. We have to get ready for “Game night” over on Born to Cruise tonight.
Finally the wind died down for a bit. As sailors we like wind but too much too long really takes it out of you. The wind died shortly after dark last night and we had a delightful rock and roll free night to sleep through. Really enjoyed it. Should be another nice one tonight then all hell breaks loose tomorrow afternoon and evening. Strong cold front coming through late tomorrow with some 40 kt rain squalls. This will be a good place to weather it provided it does not get too crowded. This morning we had 21 boats on anchor here and tonight we have 14. I suspect more will join us during the early part of the day tomorrow.
This looks like a Canadian Jamboree here tonight. All but 3 boats are flying Canadian flags. Amazing how many Canadians are able to bring their boats here to enjoy winter in the Bahamas.
We had an easy day – did little to no work. Used Born to Cruises “looky bucket” to check my anchor and all I see is chain going into the sandy bottom. Anchor completely pulled in – that’s a good thing.
This afternoon near low tide we walked the entire length of the beach hunting for whatever we could find. Found several very nice sand dollars and some corkscrew shells – very small but very pretty.
We had a pleasant walk back and then DISASTER nearly struck!! We had climbed into the dinghy which was difficult given near low tide and climbing 8 feet down a straight ladder. Karen was getting in after me and releasing the dinghy painter while I was prepping the outboard when I hear “help me!!”.. The dinghy had slide away from the ladder and she was hanging on to the ladder and feet in the dinghy and just about laid out horizontally over the water. My first thought was “She’s going in!!”. I grabbed the edge of the ladder in one hand and grab her with the other and pulled the boat back under her and she dropped in – whew. Boy she will be sore and black and blue tomorrow. Fortunately no splinters.
Well I’ll upload some pictures tomorrow. We have to get ready for “Game night” over on Born to Cruise tonight.
JoJo has got his GROOVE back!!
Yep -- got my “groove” back.. Once one has problems with a sailing skill it takes time and effort to regain the confidence. I had so much trouble with that CQR at Fishers Bay the other day I was beginning to wonder if it would ever set again..
Well we have some nasty weather coming in Sunday and Monday and the wind direction will be uncomfortable in Marsh Harbour so we decided Treasure cay is our place and we can have fun on the beach and just relax there for a few days. Plus we need some more books and their library is GREAT..
Thus we pulled up anchor this morning and the Delta was not too bad to retrieve and store – first time I had done that with that anchor and we had a nice easy motor sail to Treasure Cay across the Sea of Abaco. We hit the entrance just 1.5 hours after high tide and had plenty of water to get in. Anchorage was not too crowded when we got here – only nine boats so I picked an easy spot and dropped the CQR. We backed up and I tested it a couple of times while laying out 70 feet of chain. Then the chain stiffened –-- moment of truth – and damn – nearly jerked me off my feet it set so quickly and so firmly. Even Wayne on Born to Cruise was surprised to see me have to catch my balance when it set. We slowly pulled back on it and ran the engine up to 1800 RPM in reverse and it held just fine. Ahhhh I feel better now.,
We just plan a couple of lazy days here, weather the next strong cold front then head possible down to Tiloo Cay for shelling and glass hunting. Rumor has it that at low tide the sand dollars and curly shells are plentiful here so we will check that out tomorrow.
Time to relax in the cockpit with my all chain rode out.. Ohh yes my rope to chain splice worked fine on the Delta. No signs of stretch or chafe and it was tested pretty well with those 20 kt winds at Fishers Bay.
Two other successes. The dinghy leak is now fixed – no air needed after 2 days and the errant current readings on house battery 2 are gone. It is behaving very well after cleaning and tightening the cables and monitor sense lines to the battery. I love these no cost fixes.
Well we have some nasty weather coming in Sunday and Monday and the wind direction will be uncomfortable in Marsh Harbour so we decided Treasure cay is our place and we can have fun on the beach and just relax there for a few days. Plus we need some more books and their library is GREAT..
Thus we pulled up anchor this morning and the Delta was not too bad to retrieve and store – first time I had done that with that anchor and we had a nice easy motor sail to Treasure Cay across the Sea of Abaco. We hit the entrance just 1.5 hours after high tide and had plenty of water to get in. Anchorage was not too crowded when we got here – only nine boats so I picked an easy spot and dropped the CQR. We backed up and I tested it a couple of times while laying out 70 feet of chain. Then the chain stiffened –-- moment of truth – and damn – nearly jerked me off my feet it set so quickly and so firmly. Even Wayne on Born to Cruise was surprised to see me have to catch my balance when it set. We slowly pulled back on it and ran the engine up to 1800 RPM in reverse and it held just fine. Ahhhh I feel better now.,
We just plan a couple of lazy days here, weather the next strong cold front then head possible down to Tiloo Cay for shelling and glass hunting. Rumor has it that at low tide the sand dollars and curly shells are plentiful here so we will check that out tomorrow.
Time to relax in the cockpit with my all chain rode out.. Ohh yes my rope to chain splice worked fine on the Delta. No signs of stretch or chafe and it was tested pretty well with those 20 kt winds at Fishers Bay.
Two other successes. The dinghy leak is now fixed – no air needed after 2 days and the errant current readings on house battery 2 are gone. It is behaving very well after cleaning and tightening the cables and monitor sense lines to the battery. I love these no cost fixes.
Thursday, February 26, 2009
Back in Cruising Mode
MMMM mmmm good. As I write this I'm munching on a handful of coconut meats I extracted from my first coconut the other day.. boy they are GOOD!!
Boy the wind blew hard last night but the lil 22lb Delta and my chain-rope splice seems to have held well. I’m still in the same place. I wasn’t comfortable but I did get some sleep.
Today has been pretty windy and again no problems. Didn’t do much – just hunkered down for the blow.
I adjusted the cables on the steering quadrature to quiet a clanging sound in the pedestal and cleaned and retightened the battery connections to House Battery 2 – it has been recording some wild current draws lately.
Overall the batteries behaved very well overnight and obviously like being equalized in the marina the other day.
The rest of the day was spent reading and relaxing and a long beach walk over at Nipper’s. Gosh during the week the place is quiet. There were only 2 people at the bar and we did NOT join them. Sea glass hunting was the pits at low tide – only one pretty shell offered itself.
The Pot Luck last night was not so good. Obviously the professional eaters have discovered and use and abuse the occasion. When they rang the bell to line up it had already been formed by the “professionals” and we were way back near the end. There was a lot of food offered. It looked promising until we saw little ol ladies leaving the tables with 2 and 3 plates heaping high in food. The early birds obviously loaded up on the “worms”. When we got to the table it was only vegetarian pickings. Still good but a disappointment for a meat eater. I’ll doubt we will be back.. Ohhh yes – all my deviled eggs were gone (20 of them) before we got there so we enjoyed NONE.
We ate with the crews of Born to Cruise, Celtic Cross, and Cyprea and agreed to meet on Born to Cruise tonight after dinner for a night of games – Farkle and Mexican train Dominoes and maybe some other games
Should be an enjoyable night now that the wind is dying done and will be a pleasant ride in the dinghy over there.
Ohhh the dinghy ride last night. When we first left the dinghy dock in the deep dark we only went about 20 yards and the motor quit.. Grrrr what was wrong?? Wouldn’t start then under a flashlight Karen noticed the fuel line had popped off the motor. Reconnected and we were on our way but not before Ian and Sharon came by and offered us a tow. Great folks. There were 35 boats here last night and it was DARK when we came back from the Pot No Luck. I was worried about trying to find Temptation then Karen noticed a catamaran all lit up like an airport runway – Born to Cruise. We knew where we were then. Successful find.
Boy the wind blew hard last night but the lil 22lb Delta and my chain-rope splice seems to have held well. I’m still in the same place. I wasn’t comfortable but I did get some sleep.
Today has been pretty windy and again no problems. Didn’t do much – just hunkered down for the blow.
I adjusted the cables on the steering quadrature to quiet a clanging sound in the pedestal and cleaned and retightened the battery connections to House Battery 2 – it has been recording some wild current draws lately.
Overall the batteries behaved very well overnight and obviously like being equalized in the marina the other day.
The rest of the day was spent reading and relaxing and a long beach walk over at Nipper’s. Gosh during the week the place is quiet. There were only 2 people at the bar and we did NOT join them. Sea glass hunting was the pits at low tide – only one pretty shell offered itself.
The Pot Luck last night was not so good. Obviously the professional eaters have discovered and use and abuse the occasion. When they rang the bell to line up it had already been formed by the “professionals” and we were way back near the end. There was a lot of food offered. It looked promising until we saw little ol ladies leaving the tables with 2 and 3 plates heaping high in food. The early birds obviously loaded up on the “worms”. When we got to the table it was only vegetarian pickings. Still good but a disappointment for a meat eater. I’ll doubt we will be back.. Ohhh yes – all my deviled eggs were gone (20 of them) before we got there so we enjoyed NONE.
We ate with the crews of Born to Cruise, Celtic Cross, and Cyprea and agreed to meet on Born to Cruise tonight after dinner for a night of games – Farkle and Mexican train Dominoes and maybe some other games
Should be an enjoyable night now that the wind is dying done and will be a pleasant ride in the dinghy over there.
Ohhh the dinghy ride last night. When we first left the dinghy dock in the deep dark we only went about 20 yards and the motor quit.. Grrrr what was wrong?? Wouldn’t start then under a flashlight Karen noticed the fuel line had popped off the motor. Reconnected and we were on our way but not before Ian and Sharon came by and offered us a tow. Great folks. There were 35 boats here last night and it was DARK when we came back from the Pot No Luck. I was worried about trying to find Temptation then Karen noticed a catamaran all lit up like an airport runway – Born to Cruise. We knew where we were then. Successful find.
Wednesday, February 25, 2009
Anchoring INSANITY!!
Today my CQR FAILED me!! It was anchoring insanity here at Fishers Bay on Great Guana Cay. Insanity is defined as doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different outcome!
I talked Celtic Cross and Born to Cruise to join us here tonight for the Wednesday cruisers pot luck at Grabbers. In the past it was great and we have heard good things about it this year so – we need to try it.
We left Mangoes Marina this morning – easily and had a bit of a lumpy motor sail to Great Guana Cay. Not too bad wind 10 –15. Then just as we rounded the point to head in and bring the Genoa down it gusted up to 22 kts and held. Ohhh it was not nice bringing that Genoa in all that wind. It did not let up either – mayb down to 18.
Finally the sail was stored and I went to one of my favorite (just used it twice) anchor spots and dropped the CQR. Hmmm didn’t hold. Pulled it and tried again. Still no luck. Then again – no dice. We moved to another location and tried again – no luck. Ian on Celtic Cross came over in the dinghy and found a sandy spot – twice no luck. Ohhh it had been nearly an hour of attempts now!!! One more time – no good!!.
Hmmm what to do. I’ve never seen it this bad before. Hell everyone else got it to stick on one try!!! Ian insisted I use my 22 lb Delta anchor. I’ve never used it and it has a rope to chain splice I did and never tested under conditions. Dropped it – held right away!! I laid down 60 feet of chain and 30 feet of line. Looks amateurish with all that scope out but I want to sleep tonight – fat chance ehhh. When you have a failure like this it will be awhile before the confidence returns.
Well after a couple of therapeutic beers and some lunch I made my world famous deviled eggs for the pot luck tonight. Hopefully it will be GREAT. The wind is laying down and the tide will work with us to get us on and off the dock here at Fisher’s Bay.
Not sure about the Internet since I anchored far away from my usual spot but if I have it I’ll include a picture of the CQR – still in the bow roller tonight – with the sand blasted polished edges.
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
COCONUTS!!!
I opened my first coconut today. It was not pretty.. Fortunately I did not hurt myself although the potential was there..
Ian and Sharon came by early this afternoon and Sharon mentioned that she had found a coconut that she wanted to open later today. I told her I had bought a machete for that purpose but had not tried it yet and I would be happy to try and open her coconut. It was not pretty. The first blow bounced off the husk. The second missed the first whack area by a good inch. Then the jokes came about how lightning never hits twice in the same spot. Well I wailed away and slowly loosened the husk but no nut was yet visible when they asked that I stop and they would finish the job with a hammer and screwdriver. Grrrr.
Well I have 2 husks I have been saving so I wailed away on one of mine. Not pretty. The I busted the nut and lost the juice. Grrrr. Well then 2 full strength blows had the husk and nut in two halves. Hmmm I wonder how the store is able to just offer the nuts??? Mine would not come out of the husk.
Well not to be deterred I hacked the meat out of the 2 halves with a paring knife – again not pretty. I apparently have a lot to learn about opening coconuts. However – the meat was delicious.
I spent the day working on the boat some more. I have a new patch applied to the dinghy and replaced an oar holder and installed a mounting base to the bow for attaching a red/green navigation light which is required in Florida but no where else when running at night.
We did a provisioning run to the grocery and drug store and did a couple of loads of laundry. I went next dolor to Harbor View Marina and filled my diesel deck cans (12 gallons) and topped off the dinghy gas. We are ready to leave in the morning and enjoy life on the hook again. Life is better on the hook rather than the marina.
The air is better, it is not as noisy, and the SSB works a lot better. A lot of static on the radio when in a marina and the WiFi is better on the hook.
Tentative plans are to head to Great Guana Cay tomorrow for the Wednesday Cruisers pot luck dinner there, then down to Lynyard Cay Thursday or Friday to do some sea glass hunting on the ocean side beach. Possibly Born to Cruise and Celtic Cross will accompany us to either one or both places.
Hmmm might find another coconut to open too!!
Sorry – again lousy Internet connection so no pics tonight.
Ian and Sharon came by early this afternoon and Sharon mentioned that she had found a coconut that she wanted to open later today. I told her I had bought a machete for that purpose but had not tried it yet and I would be happy to try and open her coconut. It was not pretty. The first blow bounced off the husk. The second missed the first whack area by a good inch. Then the jokes came about how lightning never hits twice in the same spot. Well I wailed away and slowly loosened the husk but no nut was yet visible when they asked that I stop and they would finish the job with a hammer and screwdriver. Grrrr.
Well I have 2 husks I have been saving so I wailed away on one of mine. Not pretty. The I busted the nut and lost the juice. Grrrr. Well then 2 full strength blows had the husk and nut in two halves. Hmmm I wonder how the store is able to just offer the nuts??? Mine would not come out of the husk.
Well not to be deterred I hacked the meat out of the 2 halves with a paring knife – again not pretty. I apparently have a lot to learn about opening coconuts. However – the meat was delicious.
I spent the day working on the boat some more. I have a new patch applied to the dinghy and replaced an oar holder and installed a mounting base to the bow for attaching a red/green navigation light which is required in Florida but no where else when running at night.
We did a provisioning run to the grocery and drug store and did a couple of loads of laundry. I went next dolor to Harbor View Marina and filled my diesel deck cans (12 gallons) and topped off the dinghy gas. We are ready to leave in the morning and enjoy life on the hook again. Life is better on the hook rather than the marina.
The air is better, it is not as noisy, and the SSB works a lot better. A lot of static on the radio when in a marina and the WiFi is better on the hook.
Tentative plans are to head to Great Guana Cay tomorrow for the Wednesday Cruisers pot luck dinner there, then down to Lynyard Cay Thursday or Friday to do some sea glass hunting on the ocean side beach. Possibly Born to Cruise and Celtic Cross will accompany us to either one or both places.
Hmmm might find another coconut to open too!!
Sorry – again lousy Internet connection so no pics tonight.
Monday, February 23, 2009
Just Work Work Work
Just another day of work – cruising on hold for a couple of days. I really felt I had dropped out of cruising mode when a dinghy with a couple from an Endeavour 33 came by and asked me to go play pickle ball with them and I declined – had stainless to polish!!
Work was easy since the internet was just crap today – not sure where the problem is but we expected much better once tied up in the marina.
The weather is unusual as usual. Another cold front came through today – a little late and the temps dropped from 73 to 65 but with overcast skies it felt a lot cooler today.
Thus no pictures from the Junkanoo exhibition yet – maybe tomorrow.
Karen found an excellent book on Sea Glass and has determined that she has already found some real “jewels”. She is tickled by that.
Me I’m just in work mode. Boat is cleaned and problem areas have been waxed. The dinghy is cleaned and ready for a couple of patches but waiting till tomorrow with a less chance of rain. Tonight I’ll set the battery charger up for Equalization and that should breathe new life into the batteries.
That’s it – a pretty lackluster day but a day nevertheless.
Work was easy since the internet was just crap today – not sure where the problem is but we expected much better once tied up in the marina.
The weather is unusual as usual. Another cold front came through today – a little late and the temps dropped from 73 to 65 but with overcast skies it felt a lot cooler today.
Thus no pictures from the Junkanoo exhibition yet – maybe tomorrow.
Karen found an excellent book on Sea Glass and has determined that she has already found some real “jewels”. She is tickled by that.
Me I’m just in work mode. Boat is cleaned and problem areas have been waxed. The dinghy is cleaned and ready for a couple of patches but waiting till tomorrow with a less chance of rain. Tonight I’ll set the battery charger up for Equalization and that should breathe new life into the batteries.
That’s it – a pretty lackluster day but a day nevertheless.
Sunday, February 22, 2009
Working like a Dog Today!!
Work Work Work!!! Gosh is today really Sunday??
We headed into Mangoes Marina this morning early - 7:45. It was just an hour after high tide but we need the depth to make the approach. Conditions were ideal - nearly calm wind and bright and sunny. Ray was on the dock just like he said he would be - they are usually closed on Sundays. HE took our lines and we made an okay arrival but I did need to adjust the Magna Grill after a brush with a piling. Hey it has been weeks since I was in a slip. Wayne from Born to Cruise was also on the dock
giving us a hand.
Once checked in I hooked up the power cord and the hose and proceeded to wash the boat down and really charge the batteries up. I don't know why the difference but the charger works harder from shore power than the generator. I could hear the cooling fans running hard.
We were supposed to get a little rain today but that didn't happen. I concentrated on cleaning the windlass area and bow pulpit. The pulpit was nearly brown from rust stains and the windlass wasn't far behind. The deck was stained like from Neuse Juice so I had to do an Oxalic acid treatment to make it white again.
Then spent the afternoon cleaning decks, and polishing some of the stainless steel. Karen did some laundry and we have fresh bedding tonight. Boy won't know how to behave now!!
Then polished off the afternoon with a LONG HOT shower in a large shower stall. Ohhh the little things feel so good.
We will have a quiet evening tonight. We were up way past cruisers midnight last night. Went to the Junkanoo Exhibition and watched 3 of 5 groups perform. It was pretty good but just not the electricity in the air as with a real Junkanoo parade.
Unfortunately there are internet problems so I'll send pictures hopefully tomorrow. This post is via the SSB tonight.
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