Bahamas and Back Again

     We are back in Florida (Fort Pierce) again. We cut our time in the Bahamas a little short (by about 10 days) because we are having trouble with our batteries holding a charge.

     We were at some remote locations and not getting an engine started could be a disaster. We struggled to get started one day at Man-O-War Cay which is a populated island but even that would have been a bad situation expense and service skills wise.

     We started our cruise at Old Bahama Bay Marina after crossing the Gulf Stream. From there we went to Great Sale Cay. That's an uninhabited island with some decent wind protection. Nowhere to go ashore and nothing to see except dense mangrove. Next stop was Strangers Cay. Even more isolated. We did not see a boat or any people for more that two days. Crystal clear water. Electric colors. Stunningly beautiful. Got on the island easily to walk the Atlantic side and Sea of Abaco side beaches. Swimming, bathing, re-enacting a movie scene, all fun activities.

     After two nights there we went to Allens-Pensacola Cay. Two cays joined by a hurricane 10 or 20 years ago. Also uninhabited but plenty of people on boats around. At least 6. This island features a covered platform the natives occasionally use for shelter when they are on a fishing trip. There is also a sign tree. This is where cruisers hang signs or other stuff with their vessels name, crew, date there info, etc. We didn't contribute to the litter.

     Next stop... Green Turtle Cay. Civilization. Big city. Okay, may be 200 people. But it had shops and groceries and museums and more. All crammed into an area about the size of a Wal-Mart. Friendly people, too.

     From here we went over to Manjack Cay. This island has a good number of private homes owned by foreign nationals. Mostly from the US or Canada. But other countries were represented. Very friendly people who let cruisers wander their trails. A couple of them also host a party on the beach every full moon. Cruisers bring food, drink and musical instruments and the party goes on. A good time for all.

     Then onto Great Guana Cay after a passage through the 'Whale'. To get into the Hub of Abaco you have to briefly go out into the Atlantic. These passes are subject to 'Rages' that can make them impassable and very dangerous. Like crossing the 'Stream' you have to wait for the proper window. Guana Cay is a small island that has one famous spot. Nippers. A beach bar overlooking the Atlantic Ocean. Very popular. It was very nice but I'm not really into bars no matter how nice the location.

     Only one night there due to incoming weather so we went to Marsh Harbor. That's a large but totally protected harbor. Third most populatd area in the Bahamas. It has lots of choices for groceries and booze and parties. We stayed there for four days as a nasty storm blew. Met some people we knew previously and also made new friends. Other than that, not much to recommend. Too big to be friendly or personal.

     Next stop was Man-O-War Cay. A nice mix of natives and foreigners with two protected harbors. Here our battery problems got worse and we were lucky to get an engine started. This made us consider our options. The weather forecast four days away was not looking good. We decided to cut short our trip. We headed back to Green Turtle. Then to Great Sale (a very long trip) and from there, a very, very very, long trip across the Stream to Fort Pierce, FL.

     This was not as easy as our passage to the Bahamas but not awful. Middle two or three hours, while in the Gulf Stream) were a little bouncy but, again, not terrible or dangerous.

     Now were back  in the US to spend big bucks on 9 batteries. Big bucks but maybe a third of what it would have cost in the Bahamas. Here is an example: Diesel price in Marathon, a high price area: about $4 a gallon. Diesel price in the Bahamas: about $6 a gallon. In the US we paid as little as $3.50 and as much as $3.90.

     So this cruise was a 'check it out' crusie. Learned a lot for future trips over there. May be next year we'll skip the Florida Keys and spend more time in the Bahamian Cays. By the way... Keys and Cays are pronounced the same way. Go figure.

Bahamas

     Wow! We are in the Bahamas!

     After much worrying about the passage from Key Biscayne to West End, Grand Bahama Island we had an easy passage. The worry was whether we should go because the weather window was so small. The wind shifted to the NE much earlier than forecast but it was so light it did not kick up seas in the Gulf Stream. Of course small seas is nice. No wind isn't. But, we are used to motoring. I do not like going on deck to raise the mainsail at night in open ocean. Chicken or prudent? Not sure.
Going around Cape Florida from No Name Harbor, Key Biscayne, FL at midnight was an adventure but after that it was easy going.

     The wind, when it came up, was from the NE and it brought some showers but it wasn't too bad. We couldn't sail into the wind because.... sailboats don't do that. Even if we were good sailors.

     The Old Bahama Bay Marina where we cleared Customs is a fancy resort. Expensive but a nice place to relax one night before moving on. The blue of the water is just stunning. We have been in the Virgin Islands as well as the Florida Keys and the Galapagos Islands so we know the comparisons.

     Next stop: Great Sale Key and then the rest of the Abacos.

Departing Marathon

     It's been five weeks of great weather in Marathon but we're ready to leave, at last. We had two days of 60 degree weather and two HOURS of daytime rain. Otherwise mostly perfect. 70s and several 80 degree days.

     The only bummer has been the repeated failure of our generator. $1800. in October that lasted 2 1/2 months. $1000. in January that lasted two DAYS. Grrrr. We received a new generator from the company for free but installation and wiring and monitoring upgrades cost us an additional $1300. Ouch! We're hoping we will not have further failures.

     Since Carol was done with her working/travelling interval we've been doing maintenance, restocking and touring. We've been out to Pigeon Key by way of the Old Seven Mile Bridge a couple of times. Lots of sealife in the water below the old bridge and during an openhouse on Pigeon Key I saw the underneath structure of the original railroad supports and a number of exhibits with wildlife including sea turtles, a gator, a croc, several snakes and a lionfish.

     We are headed up to Miami tomorrow to wait there for a weather window to cross the Gulf Stream and explore the Abacos, part of the Bahamas. Excited, nervous but, we think, prepared. It's about a 60nm trip and we've been about that far offshore before but crossing the Stream can be an adventure. We don't like adventures.

   We'll be somewhat out of touch because phone and email is expensive so only contact us if it's urgent. We'll have use of our phone but it will be off when not in use.

Marathon

     We've been in Marathon about a week now. Christmas has just passed and the weather has been phenomenal!

     But...

     The first Norther went through last night and it's cooler now. It was a weak one so the daytime temps have dropped from the high 70s to high 60s. Until today the nighttime low temps have been about 75. Awesome. BTW: a Norther is a winter cold front in Florida. Or the Bahamas.

     The Bahamas is our next, but at this point only hoped for, destination. We are planning but know a weather window for crossing the Gulf Stream may never happen safely. Should happen but there have been years one didn't. The current weather pattern had strong easterly winds but this first norther may change all that and set up a winter weather cycle that gives some crossing windows nearly weekly. We'll see.

     Heather arrived here the day after we did (20th) and is staying until the day before New Year's Eve. Unlike last year she caught great weather while here. We have been doing a lot of biking and dinghying looking for wildlife. Interesting creatures sighted, including 5 foot lizards. The other wildlife sighted was in Key West. We took the bus down to there for shopping and weirdo watching. Not many weirdos this year but we did see a few 6 foot Tarpon waiting for a tourist to fall into the water.

      So far the only breakdown is the failure again of our generator. It's been producing electricity, heating and cooling since October but has suddenly quit putting out enough electrons. Grrrrrr

In the Keys

     We're in the Florida Keys again. Just barely.

     At Dinner Key, across from Key Biscayne, just down from Virginia Key. Keys, right? Welllll, more like Miami.
    
In the Florida Keys technically, maybe. But really at a real big city. In fact as I write this we're in a hotel in the city. Not even on the boat. We left the boat on a mooring and came to a Hampton Inn to watch the UConn women's basketball team play Baylor.

     This feels weird. Leaving the boat, and Cleo, and going to a hotel!

     How did we get here?

     We stayed about three weeks in Fort Pierce visiting with Mike and Carol and resupplying the boat. Oh, and Carol went off to work for a week and a half to get us the money that keeps me in the lifestyle I've become accustomed to.

     Thanks M & C Guay for the use of the car, the meals and the friendship!

     While in Ft Pierce we saw our first manatee and the first blue-bottle of the season, too. Blue-bottle? Portuguese Man-of-War jellyfish. Potentially fatal if encounterd while swimming. Especially if as big as this one.

     Anchored off the City Marina wasn't too comfortable most days, this season. Very persistant easterly winds made for a little discomfort. Not terrible, just a little uncomfortable. Those winds also meant we were not going outside to sail from there south. Motored from Ft Pierce to Lake Worth (Palm Beach) on the ICW. An hour of bridge delays make for a long day. From there we went offshore to Fort Lauderdale. The wind had died and the seas were down but the current was against us. We had to get very close to shore to get any speed over the ground. The last hour gave us some sailing wind and a little bit of favorable current. We anchored in Lake Sylvia, Ft Lauderdale. A very nice spot but a little crowded this time.

     From Lauderdale we have to go outside to Miami. They got away with building a 56 foot bridge over the ICW in Miami instead of the required 65 feet. We need every inch of those 65 feet. The conditions were forecast to be pretty rough but we started early when there was no wind. When the breeze and seas came up they were behind us and we had no troubles. 8.8 knots was our highest clocked speed over the ground. We only realized how rough it was when we turned for the Miami channel and the seas were on our beam. 20 minutes. Not hard to take. Government Cut, Dodge Island bypass and back to the ICW and starting down the Keys. Again, just barely.

     Tomorrow we head for Marathon. Probably stopping around Key Largo the first night and trying for Marathon the second. Weather permitting. Forecast again is not too great. Easterlies. If they keep up, the Bahamas passage may be in jeopardy. Of course, patterns can change in the month or so until our hoped for departure.

Photo from last years visit to the Turtle Hospital in Marathon.

Florida again

     Back in Florida again. Finally.

     It's a little breezy and uncomfortable anchored in front of the City Marina but it gives us easy access to town. The wind will fade eventually.

     But it's warm!

     There were a few cool days in Charleston with some pretty cold nights but it wasn't too bad. Mostly 60s with plenty of 70s. Since we've been in Florida it's been mostly 70s with some 80s. And nothing lower than the mid-60s at night. We can handle that... until the first winter norther comes through. Last year it was the second week of December but it's still November (25th) right now. Black Friday as a matter of fact. We arrived in Fort Pierce Thanksgiving afternoon and had a scrumptious dinner, without killing any poor bird or pig.

     We had a very quick trip here. Much shorter than last year timewise. That's because we went offshore from Charleston to St Augustine bypassing Georgia (yay!) and the northern part of Florida (boo!). I like the ICW in the northern part of Florida but not any of Georgia. 31 hours of very blue water with an amazing encounter with a very playful pod of dolphin. The overnight was reasonably warm, okay cool, not like last year when it was very cold. No sailing was involved even though we had the mainsail up. There was a fairly big swell from the east because of several days of windy weather before we departed. But no waves on top of the swell due to little wind. You wait for good weather to go offshore if you do not want to deal with big seas but you end up not sailing. Oh well.

     We stayed only one night in St Augustine. Watched the UConn women beat Stanford (YAY!!!) at a local bar. WE were at the local bar not the basketball players.

     From St Auggie went went back to the ICW and went to New Smyrna Beach for one night. Don't have any idea where the old smyrna is. From New Smyrna we headed down my least favorite stretch of the Florida ICW. This goes inside of Merritt Island and the Kennedy Space Center area. They are preparing for a launch (today, the 25th) of the mission to explore Mars again. We believe we could see the launch vehicle but when we went by it was sheathed in the gantry. We stopped at the mouth of the Banana River in a nice protected spot in front of some very expensive homes. The one we parked in front of had nice friendly owners who said hello and liked our boat. From there we headed to Ft. Pierce, and here we are.

     One interesting event on the last passage was encountering a small (10ft) skiff right next to the ICW near the Sebastian area that said it was disabled as we went by. Carol was on the helm and didn't quite understand what they wanted. We realized they said they were in trouble and we furled the genoa and turned around and called the Coast Guard. They had never stopped fishing so it wasn't apparent they were in trouble. They weren't, they were out of fuel. Wanted some of ours. We saw another small powerboat coming and signalled them to come over and tow these idiots. We couldn't have brought them where they wanted to go due to shallow water. They only downside to all this nonsense, besides a few minutes of time wasted, was we had started the distress process with the USCG and had to finish filling out their forms over the VHF and cell phone even though we had left the scene to the other vessel who was towing the Floridiots to shore. Oh well. It was good practice if we ever encounter a real distress situation.

     I don't know if I just coined that term 'Floridiots' or heard it somewhere before. Maybe from a Carl Hiaasen novel, or James Hall. Probably Dave Barry. We've encountered plenty of Florida boaters. Probably the standard percentage are idiots, same as at home, but when you meet up with them you just have to wonder.

     Anyway, we're here. It took the end of September to the end of November but we're here. Ready to spend some time in southern Florida. Then the Keys. And maybe even get over to the Bahamas early next year. We can hope.

Charleston

     Here we are in Charleston again. This is a nice place to be. The anchorage isn't too great but there's access to shore and the town is just a short bike ride away. Lots of shops and restaurants and it's really a pretty town. It's also a spot Carol can fly out of for work. We've been here more than a week with nearly two more to go. Eating our way through some of the restaurants, cupcake shops, donut shops and more!

     We left Great Bridge more than two weeks ago and skipped by Coinjock. We anchored just outside Broad Creek off North River a little short of Albemarle Sound after just squeaking under the Pungo Ferry fixed bridge. Water levels were very high due to the wind direction for the last 3 or 4 days. Closest clearance since we've been going up and down the ICW (all three trips). The fixed bridge near Great Bridge was pretty close, too.

     Crossing Albemarle Sound wasn't too bad because it was fairly early in the day. Able to sail, well motorsail, part way. It got a little choppy on the south side but not as bad as it can get. We ended up at Belhaven but didn't go ashore. It was pretty late after a 10 hour day. The next day we were in Adams Creek again. Our usual spot. Strange to say we have a usual spot in only our second year.

     From Adams Creek we went by Beaufort (Bo-fert) and went all the way to Mile Hammock, a USMC basin. There's been some dredging before this spot and where we went aground earlier this year was deeper this time. YAY!!!! We also had a number of Harrier passes as they do their practice STOL, short takeoff and landings, very close to the ICW. Very neat, and loud. There were also a number of nearby explosions. Marines playing with their toys.

     Our next stop was Wrightsville Beach. It would have been a short day but our total bridge waiting time was more than 1 3/4 hours. Yuck. Boring. Then we went to Calabash Creek right near the NC - SC border. Another repeat anchorage as was Cow House Creek the next night.

     Our next stop was a new one to us, Dewee's Creek. It's just a few miles from Charleston but a 10 hour, 71 mile day is long enough. It's also very windy and the next passage to Charleston was rough also, with a foggy crossing of Charleston Harbor. Not a fun day but it was only 3 hours long.

     As I write this I'm at the City Marina. Just for one night so we could have our new refrigerator delivered. Hopefully Carol has learned how not to put a hole in this one.

     Another expensive mistake to add to the list we've both created.