Sold!

We went to settlement on the boat yesterday and woke up this morning to find ourselves boatless!   GULP!    Actually, it is a good feeling.   Short Walk has a great new home on the other side of the bay and will soon have a new name.  

Truly, we are ready to move on to the next chapter of our lives.   We plan to spend some much needed time at home, reconnecting with family and friends here.   Later this year, we'll start planning some land based travel.    The only hard part of the sale was knowing we won't be seeing our boating friends as often as we used to.   However, we are not saying goodbye as we plan to visit Rock Hall/North Point every summer and as we travel, we hope to keep in touch with those of you in other parts of the country.   You can run (or sail) but you can not hide! 

Back in Rock Hall!

We finished the Dismal Swamp route on Monday April 23 docking in Portsmouth, VA for the night.   As we went through the final lock in the Dismal Swamp, Joe presented the lock tender, Robert, with a conch shell from the Bahamas and a bottle of Hole in the Wall Rum.   Robert tuned Joe's conch horn (does that sound funny to anyone else?) on the way south and we wanted to pay him back for the kind service.  Robert clearly loves his job and always has good musical advice and a smile on his face.   When we went through the lock, it was raining so I couldn't get pictures but suffice it to say that the gift of Rum made his day.   Portsmouth has always been a favorite stop because of the Bier Garden Restaurant and we all enjoyed the extensive beer menu.   We also took the ferry to Norfolk and revisited the Nauticus Museum and the toured the USS Wisconsin.   They are constantly opening up new parts of the ship so we did actually get to see a bit more than last time.   Robert also recommended the Commodore Theater to Big Run.   The Commodore shows first run movies in a theater that has been restored to Art Deco divine.   They replaced all the movie seats with dinner tables and comfy chairs on wheels.   You order and eat right before the movie.   Only dessert and drink refills are provided during the movie.   It was a great experience and something we wish more theaters would try.  Very civilized.

We stayed in Portsmouth an extra day because of high winds and then did an overnight motor trip home to Rock Hall, arriving early Thursday morning.   Lots of ship and barge traffic on the Chesapeake this time but we made it safely through it all.   Can't tell you how happy we are to be home!    We have some weekend committments in PA and then we will be working on the boat to get it ready for sale (see Sail or Sale?  below).   We had a great trip but as Dorothy says, "There's no place like home!"

What's in a name?

When we meet other boaters, they almost always ask us why we named the boat Short Walk (see "About Us" for the details).  A boat name can say a lot about the owners.   Hmmmmm...I think we just confessed to being sarcastic, irreverent and ready to laugh at ourselves.   At least that's what we think Short Walk says.   The "walk" definitely gets shorter every year for both of us.  However, sometimes when we say "Short Walk" on the radio, people don't understand what we are saying.   So far, we have been hailed as Short Love (let's hope not!), Short Luck and Long Walk (off a short pier maybe?). 
During our travels the last two years, we have seen a couple thousand boats and the names have sometimes amused, sometimes puzzled and sometimes well, we just don't know what to think.   We tend to categorize them as clever, cute, too cute or what the heck were they thinking?    The list below is just a sample and we won't reveal our thoughts on the individual names as we wouldn't want to hurt any feelings.   In general, we did not include boats named for stars, birds, fish, animals, women's names or combination of names (although some are very clever).  If we do know the explanation, we tried to include it.   And of course, if you find your boat name in here, it is DEFINITELY in the "clever" category.   And if you think we forgot your boat name, consider yourself lucky and enjoy the anonymity.   We haven't grouped them by category so you can decide for yourself:

Scat                                                          Jupiter Smiles                               Different Drummer
Snafu                                                       Cry Baby                                       Rip your float
Peaceful Warrior                                     Wind Warrior                                Oz
Lost Marbles                                           Just Ducky                                     This Old House
Breaking Wind                                        Hairball                                          It's All Good
The Answer My Friend                           Not Love                                        Love Club
Love Boat                                                Afternoon Delight                         Touch Me Not
Steadfast                                                  Hold Fast                                       Alchemy
Dues Paid Again                                     Subway Tammy                             Brown Beaver
Hoser Canuck                                          Bobby Land                                   Dharma (dinghy is Gregg?)
Pattycakes                                                Cupcake                                        Hun Buns III
Why Worry                                              Slow Gin                                       One White Tree
Smiles                                                      Sunspot Baby                                Not So Interim
Cutting Class (2 retired teachers)            Contagious                                    Interim
Karaya (Native American word)             Wicked Witch                               Caesar's Ghost
Octopussy                                                Tautaug (an extinct fish)               Knot Home         
1/4 Impulse power (small Whaler)          Salty Paws                                     Cara Mia
Adanaco (read backwards-O Canada)      N-Aimless                                     Bella Sera
More Mischief                                         Sea Return                                     Aquarelle
Zivelli                                                      Plan B                                            Plan Sea
O Sea D                                                   Fiscal Stray
Local Knowledge (when boats call for local knowledge in a strange port-does this boat answer?)
Hurrah (the owner has a very upperclass British accent-a riot!)                                           
Dopey (We really want to hear them call for help...."Mayday, Mayday, Mayday, this is Dopey" Ok....and where are the rest of the dwarfs?????)
Dicky Licky (I want to hear him call the Coast Guard and ask for help!)
Retired Sailor (a beautiful power yacht)
Sam the Skull (said in a great Scottish accent)
One Eyed Parrots (their last name is Parrot and they both have only one eye)
And our all time favorite:  Big Run (Short Walk-get it?)

Almost Home

Cruising friends on Big Run caught up with us just north of Charleston and we have been cruising on and off with them as we both head back to the Chesapeake Bay.   We made side trips to Southport (to see friends Maggie and Jim from PA who relocated) and then to Beaufort (one of our favorite towns).  We cruised the Waccamaw River with Big Run and agree it is one of the most beautiful rivers on entire ICW.  Just south of Alligator River in S. Carolina, Joe spotted an alligator, a first for all of us while cruising.   Big Run was behind us and was able to get the great pictures below.  

We also made a stop in Elizabeth City to see Jeanne who now lives in the Outer Banks.   Elizabeth City calls itself the Harbor of Hospitality, has free docks and throws a wine, beer and cheese party whenever 5 or more boats come in.   Friday night when we were there was the first party of the season.   The visitor's center does a great job and although you can see clear signs of the town struggling to stay economically viable, you can also see and feel the efforts of good-hearted people who are proud to live there.   A tradition of giving roses to the women at the happy hour was started by one resident in the 1980s and even though he has died, the rose tradition continues.   Several of the retired men in town also hang around the docks and help you tie up and cast off and fill the time in between with lots of stories.   A very charming town.

Elizabeth City is the southern most point in the Dismal Swamp route back to Norfolk.   Every time I write the words Dismal Swamp I think it sounds creepy and wonder why we go there.   However, it easily competes with the Waccamaw River in S. Carolina for raw beauty.   The winding Pasquotank River starts the route north into the swamp and you traverse through 2 locks before you get to Norfolk.   We made it through the first lock yesterday and are staying at the Visitor's Center tonight to wait out the 2-3 inches of rain expected today.   We try not to travel in crummy weather and this is as good a place to hide as any.   Highway Route 17 runs parallel to the ICW and at the back of one of the rest stops along the highway there is a dock that holds 3-4 boats.   Other boats raft to the first 3-4 boats and we have been here with as many as 12 boats tied together.   Last night there were 8 of us and only one left this morning.   With more coming through the locks today, it should make for an interesting happy hour.   The first lock requires the water to rise about 7-8 feet.   Going north you enter the lock at the lower end, the lock tender closes the doors behind you and then slowly (theoretically) he lets the water in the lock to raise you up.   The boat rises along the seawall as the water comes in and then the tender opens the doors and you motor out.   Obviously, this is a centuries old engineering feat but it still amazes me every time.   This time, he let the water in faster than we've ever seen and the boat bounced around a bit with the bubbling water trying to move the bow off the wall.   We adjust the lines holding us to the wall as the water bubbles us up and trying to hold the line and snap pictures is interesting at times.   We have one more lock to go through tomorrow and then we'll make it to Portsmouth, VA.   After that, we hope to do one last overnight motor trip up the Bay to Rock Hall, getting there by the end of the week.   Almost home!!!!

Alligator cruising the ICW

The beauty of the Dismal Swamp

Approaching the first lock

Short Walk and Big Run in the lock.  Notice how far down the wall the boats are here

Water bubbling into the lock to raise the boats

Exiting the lock

The long route north

We left Fernandina Beach on Saturday, April 7 and worked our way to the northwest end of Cumberland Island on the ICW.   Cumberland Island is one of our favorite spots so it was hard not to stop to sight see especially with the ponies visible along the shore.   We anchored for the night near the St. Andrews Inlet and went out into the ocean headed for Beaufort, NC on Easter Sunday around 7 am.   We figured this was about a 50 hour trip, depending on the wind and waves.   When we are offshore, we take 3-hour shifts at the helm.   We had winds varying between 15-23 on the port quarter and a 6' following sea.   I don't know who coined the term "Fair winds and a following sea" but for the most part a following sea is not fun.  Although most of the time it felt like we were surfing the waves, the drop off from a  6' wave tended to rock the boat from side to side, making cooking and sleeping a little challenging.   We were flying along between 7-8 knots but definitely holding carefully on to the handrails as we moved around in the boat.  At 3:30 am on Monday morning, Ann was at the helm and we were near the sea buoys off of Charleston when we heard a very loud BANG and the boom separated from the gooseneck attachment and the mast.   For the non-sailors, the mast is the big vertical stick in the sky and the boom is the big horizontal aluminum piece that controls the bottom edge of the sail.   We had 18 knots of wind at the time and the boom was secured off to starboard with the preventer.   It didn't feel like and the wind did not indicate a jibe and the only thing we can figure is that the rivets holding gooseneck attachment to the boom failed under stress.   Maybe the rolling seas contributed to the failure but we have sailed in far more challenging seas than this without an issue.   The real question is WHY, WHY, WHY does this stuff always happen out at sea in the middle of the night (not to mention on Ann's watch!)?   The loud bang woke Joe up and he put on a lifejacket, strapped himself to the port jackline and went out on deck in 6' seas to drop the sail and secure the boom.   Meanwhile, Ann reviewed man overboard drills and financial beneficiary status in her head.   Just another day on Short Walk.  

Without a mainsail, being at sea in 20 knots of wind and building seas is no picnic, so we turned into Charleston (taking the 6' waves on the beam for 2+ hours) and anchored just off the ICW to access the damage.   Of course, we initially assumed the worse and were looking into buying a new boom (cha-ching!) but talking with good friends on Big Run, we realized the boom can most likely be repaired (the boom is much longer than the sail and can be trimmed and re-riveted).   We decided not to attempt repairs along the way but will research this back in Rock Hall.   Therefore, we are staying on the calmer waters of the ICW all the way from Charleston to Norfolk.   We can still use the jib to sail when it makes sense but the boom is now lashed to the deck of the boat and we curse at it daily as we stub our toes on the way to the bow.  

The good news is, we got to skip the section of the ICW that goes through Georgia which is gorgeous but VERY tedious.   We re-entered the ICW quite a bit below our original destination of Beaufort but cruising for the past couple years has definitely taught us to slow down and enjoy the journey.   What happens, happens.   No one got hurt and it is easily repairable.   Not necessarily in the budget but who drafted that stupid budget anyway?  FYI, this event had nothing to do with our decision to sell the boat.  

We hope to be back to Rock Hall by the end of April or early May.

Sail or Sale?

They say the happiest days of a boater's life are the day the boat is purchased and the day the boat is sold.   Not sure about that because we are having some fabulous days in between.   However, we have come to the momentous decision to put Short Walk up for sale when we get back to Rock Hall in the spring.
 
Joe says he has been in the Navy or had access to the water or owned a boat for over 50 years.  We started sailing together on Lake Nockamixon in his Flying Scott and then bought a Beneteau 23' together.  We've owned Short Walk for 11 years and we had the prior boat (Vixen - 32' ketch), for 7 years.  All told that is many years of lake sailing, 18 years on the Chesapeake and 2 trips along the coast from Maine to the Bahamas.   Lots of sailing and lots of fun.   This winter, we began to discuss what the next phase in our lives should look like.  Kind of a "what we want to do when we grow up" discussion.   Initially, we are looking forward to a bit of reconnecting with family and friends at home.   We downsized in 2008 and haven't really spent much time in the townhouse since then.   We have been traveling for 16 of the last 24 months and although we have made many wonderful and lifelong (we hope!) new friends through cruising, we miss everyone at home and long to reconnect.  After the boat sells, we plan to take shorter journeys to see all 50 states, Canada, Europe, Africa and other far away places.   The bucket list is pretty long.  Heck, we may even charter a boat sometime.   Think about it, we could sail for 1-2 weeks per year without all the endless boat maintenance and expense.   A novel concept.
The hardest part about the decision has actually been accepting that we won't be seeing all our cruising friends on the ICW or Bahamas again (well, we hope to see them on land sometime) and that we won't be spending most of our summer weekends at North Point Marina in Rock Hall.   North Point has been our summer home for 18 years and we love the owners and the slipholders there.   Meeting for coffee under the pavilion, happy hours watching the sunset, hanging at the pool, Fourth of July fireworks from the boat and so many more great memories.   North Point will always have a place in our hearts.   We hope to rent us a motel room a couple times a season so we can stay in touch.  We definitely can't say goodbye to North Point.
As when we sold our home, our timing for the market couldn't be worse.  So to our friends at North Point, you will probably have us to kick around for a bit longer while we try to sell the boat.   If anyone knows of a prospective buyer, just let us know.   We are working on the logistics for selling the boat and will keep you posted.   We consider the Island Packet 40 to be a great cruising boat, lots of room, lots of amenities and we have always tried to keep her in good shape.   We hope she finds a good new home.

Starting the journey home

After leaving Hopetown, we spent several days in Marsh Harbor (the largest town in the Abacos) taking care of boat chores and reconnecting with friends.   One evening, we hosted a Happy Hour and all the guys celebrated the sunset in the traditional Bahamian way by blowing horns made out of conch or Triton Trumpet shells.   Joe made a conch shell into a horn last year and on the way south, the lock tender in the Dismal Swamp, Robert, tuned it for him.   To make a horn, you cut off the pointy end of the shell creating a whole to blow through.  Robert thought the whole was too small so while we were tied to the lock with the water filling in around the boat, Robert ran into his office, grabbed a screwdriver and a pipe wrench and banged on the shell to make the whole larger.   I think both of us looked at him with those rough tools and were sure the shell was going to fall apart in his hands.   But he knew what he was doing and proved it by playing "When the Saints come Marching In" after he tuned the shell.   A very talented guy.   In Vero Beach, Joe on Kajon, another expert horn blower further refined the shell and coached Joe on the finer points of horn music.   So now there is a  sunset tradition on Short Walk of blowing the conch horn and Joe tells me he is going to continue this at home.   That ought to make us popular in the townhouse community.  On the other hand, maybe we can finally get even with our really noisy next door neighbors!

After enjoying all that Marsh Harbor has to offer, we moved on to Man of War Cay.   Man of War is famous for their boat building and although most of the boats are now made of fiberglass instead of wood, they do have beautiful traditional lines and would look as much at home on the Bahamian waters as on the Chesapeake Bay.   Some of the racing boats remind us of log canoes.

We anchored for a night in Treasure Cay which claims the most beautiful beach in the Abacos.  Indeed, the gentle sandy slope of the beach is great for swimming and is very beautiful.   But listening to the weather we decided we needed to move on after one night and stage ourselves further north in preparation for the gulf stream crossing back to the US.   We anchored off of Spanish Cay one night and Great Sale Cay another night waiting for the weather window to leave the Bahamas.   On our way to Great Sale, we had perfect wind and were flying along between 6 and 7 knots slowly catching up to the boat in front of us when we heard a boat calling on the VHF "To the Island Packet sailing west, this is the Island Packet 40' Barefoot sailing east".   We answered at the same time as the boat in front of us did.  To make a long story short, the boat in front of us was Lark, another Island Packet 40 so there were 3 identical boats passing, all under full sail.  Later on in the same day, another identical boat, Tim Ton, called both Lark and us making 4 IP 40s (2 sailing east and 2 sailing west) withing 20 miles!    Unfortunately we were too far apart to get a really good picture but I got Lark and Barefoot. 

We left Great Sale headed to the US at about 4 pm on Sunday, April 1.   We had an uneventful crossing with a combination of sailing (7-8 knots) and motor sailing.   We had a Bahamian Mockingbird land on the boat and travel with us for about 6 hours and the Navy was conducting exercises off the Florida coast with Aircraft carrier 69 and Warship 42 asking everyone to stay at least 3 miles away.   At one point an F18 buzzed us.   Guess which one of us was jumping around on deck waving to the Navy guys?  We arrived at our destination in Fernandina Beach, Florida Tuesday around 3:30 pm.   Clearing customs this year was a snap.   The usual routine is to raise a yellow quarantine flag upon arrival into US waters and then call into customs when you dock.   You have 24 hours from the time you call in (they give you an accession # that logs your call to the second) until you actually have to show up at a customs office.   This time, Joe called in, the officer asked only a few questions and we were good to go.   No personal appearance to the customs office required.   Love it!

This is our first visit to Fernandina and we are finding it to be a lovely, hospitable town.   The only adjustment is that walking the town the first day, we seemed to have forgotten that not everyone in the US says good morning/afternoon or even acknowledges your presence.   We even get some glares as in "what the heck do these people want?".   We really miss the friendliness and openness of the Bahamas and hope to ignore the less than polite people here in the US and keep the friendly Bahamas feeling going as we travel north.   Anybody want to take bets on how long that will actually last?  

One of our last Bahamian sunsets

A bunch of crazy guys blowing horns at sunset!

One of the boats under construction on Man of War Cay

Beach at Treasure Cay

Lark and Barefoot:  2 Island Packet 40s sailing near Great Sale Cay

Bahamian Mockingbird joined us in the Gulf Stream

F18 (we think) that buzzed us in the Gulf Stream

Up close and personal with a lighthouse

Hopetown has one of the 3 remaining manned lighthouses in the world.   It is open for self guided tours during the day and if you show up at dusk, the keeper will let you go up to watch him light the torch.   The mechanism that rotates the light has to be wound every 90 minutes so two men share the care for the lighthouse and split each nightly shift.   The live in small octagonal shaped homes at the base of the light.  To get to the top you climb 101 steps so they definitely earn their keep (OK, no more puns but I couldn't resist that one).   The keeper we met, Sam, said both his father and grandfather had the job before him.   The first thing he does every night is to take down the curtains that surround the light during the day. The curtains are there so that the sunlight refracted through the lens won't start a fire. He tell us this as we are climbing the last ladder and the sun is still visible in the sky. Yikes!  Sam is about 6'6'' and probably tips the scales near 280 lbs.   To start the light, he actually walks around a tiny walkway that surrounds the lens and then he climbs through a small opening inside the Fresnel lens, no small feat for a big guy.   The lens is about 8 feet tall but only 5 feet in diameter and the torch takes up a fair amount of room in the middle.   The mantels are supplied by Coleman free of charge.   Sam also has to keep the lens clean which he said is his least favorite aspect of the job (imagine keeping something like venetian blinds made out of glass dust free).   Sam let us climb that skinny ladder and sit on the tiny walkway while he lights the torch.   The mantel needs to heat up for about 10-15 minutes because if it isn't the perfect temperature, it spits kerosene, burning him and making his lens cleaning job even worse.  OSHA has definitely never taken this tour.   Once the mantel was good and hot, Sam lit the torch and we watched as he cranked the turning mechanism for another 10 minutes.   His arms definitely get a good workout rewinding this every 90 minutes (think of the grinders on America's cup yachts).   The views from the lighthouse are spectacular day or night and we had a magical experience watching the light come to life.  

Hopetown Lighthouse view from across the harbor

Up close and personal

Window to Hopetown

Joe blowing the conch horn at sunset

We were so close, I couldn't get the whole lens!

Sam sitting inside the lens watching the mantel warm up

Descending after the lighting

On the move again

Since we last updated the blog, we’ve moved approximately 200 miles north which puts us back in the Abaco Islands (northern Bahamas).   The weather at Emerald Bay kept us in the marina for 8 days (ka-ching!) and was predicted to continue to be squally for the next 5-8 days.   The marina did it’s best to keep the stranded boaters happy by setting up two happy hours in the clubhouse.   The marina is owned by Sandals so they stocked the bar, sent bar tenders over from the resort and you could either buy sandwiches or bring your own food.   It really a great place to be stranded.   However, eight days is a really long time to sit in one place so when  the wind dropped down to 18 knots on March 10 (and the waves were NOT breaking in the channel) we cast off the lines and bogeyed about 30 miles north to White Point.  At least a dozen other boats left the marina that same morning.  

White Point is a pretty anchorage on the Exuma Banks side and is protected for the North and East which is where the squalls were coming from.    We didn’t get to go ashore because the winds blew between 20-30 knots and we had squalls for 3 days.  

Once that weather system cleared (see a pattern yet?) we hauled the anchor and headed out Dotham Cut to Rock Sound on the island of Eleuthra (about 42 miles).   We had great wind but only at about 40 degrees off the bow so it was a close hauled sail at best.   We love Eleuthra and we got one beautiful sunny day there before the rain came again.   Last year, we didn’t have hardly any rain so Mother Nature is apparently making up for it this year.

From Rock Sound, we had a great sail to Royal Island (about 60 miles).   To get there, you have to pass through Current Cut (aptly named) so we actually had to slow the boat down so we wouldn’t get to the cut too early and have 4-6 knots of current running against us.   Talk about torture, we were flying along when we did the calculation and realized we had to sail slower.   Royal Harbor is one of several natural harbors in the Bahamas where Americans came in and started a marina development and then abandoned it when the recession hit (just imagine how popular that is with the locals).   Dolphins (2 adults, 1 baby) were swimming around the boat while we were trying to anchor.    I actually had to wait for them to stop playing below the bow before I could drop the anchor (insert smile here).

We just did a quick overnight in Royal Island and made one more long haul across the Northeast Providence channel to Little Harbor in the Abacos (54 nm).   This time we were even closer to the wind and had to motor-sail to make time.   Little Harbor has a very shallow entrance (6 feet MLW) that we can only enter on a mid-rising tide but the timing worked out perfectly.   We had 2.1 feet of water under us as we entered the harbor and picked up one of the last moorings.   The harbor is protected from the ocean surge and wind from almost all directions.  In the 1950’s an artist named Randolph Johnston moved there with his family.   Initially, they lived and set up a workshop in one of the caves.   Subsequently, they built a home, foundry, gallery and a pub.    Bronze sculptures done by both the father and son are scattered throughout the property and the foundry and gallery are open for tours.   Today, the harbor is lined with Bahamian cottages but it still has a laid back feeling (the roads are sand, not macadam!) and we are adding the Pub to our list of best beach bars anywhere.  Several turtles and rays live in the harbor and kept us entertained.    The rays and possibly a bull shark leaped completely out of the water while chasing smaller fish.   Now there’s a picture I would love to have caught!

Since Eleuthra, the weather has continued to be squally with rain showers almost every day.   We have seen 4 rainbows in the past 5 days and the showers were short and didn’t stop us from any activities.   Besides, when you live on the hook, rain is the only wash down the boat gets so we welcome the rain to rinse the salt off!  

This morning (March 20) we made a short motor-sail to Hopetown, one of our favorite places in the Abacos.   This is another small and very protected harbor.   Because of the size of the harbor, no anchoring is allowed inside the harbor; you either take a mooring or a slip at one of the marinas.   For the past several days, we’ve been listening to the chatter on the VHF that indicated all the moorings were filled.   We were prepared to anchor outside the harbor and wait for an opening but there were 2 open moorings when we arrived.   No dolphins to greet us but the guy running the moorings happened to be out in his skiff so he met us at the mooring and handed us the lines.   It doesn’t get much easier than that!  In Hopetown, there are many beautiful Bahamian rental cottages, several good restaurants, a manned lighthouse to tour and enough knick-knack shops to be cute but not too touristy.  I only know of one coffee house in all of the Exumas (Southern Bahamas that we just came from) and I never made it there so I will be definitely indulging my java habit a bit here.   All part of easing back into life at home!   We plan to be here for several days, hit a couple more spots in the Abacos to meet up with some friends from home and that we met along the way and then point the boat into the gulf stream towards home.   We’ve been gone for 5 months at this point and really miss friends and family back at North Point and at home!

Little Harbor-view from Pete's Pub.  Short Walk is behind the blue power boat.

Little Harbor-like the "pot" at the end of this rainbow?

Little Harbor-rainbow #2

Little Harbor-view from abandoned lighthouse

Little Harbor-summer kitchen at lighthouse

Curly Tail lizard

Cave in Little Harbor

Did I mention the weather?

Last year, the steepest part of the Bahamas learning curve for me was the wind.  On the Chesapeake or Maine, we are used to convective wind that is affected by the difference between the air and water temperatures.  In the Bahamas, the wind is triggered by cold fronts, troughs and ridges coming down the east coast of the US or across the Gulf of Mexico and Florida.   When the wind decides to blow, it usually blows for days at a time.   In fact, the dominant easterly trade winds are one of the factors that make this such a great sailing area.   However, the first month last year, this kept me up at night wondering if the anchor would hold when the wind piped up at night.   After a while I gained confidence in the boat and the anchor (already had confidence in the Captain) and began to sleep again.

This year the weather has either been glorious or treacherous.   We had warmer weather sooner, more fabulous sailing days than last year and many calm days which are a pleasure at anchor.  However, the cold front I already blogged about (Is it a sailboat or a hobby horse?) and the cold front we are experiencing now are lessons in the extreme.  

We came back into Emerald Bay Marina so Donna and Sterling could catch a plane home.   Listening to the weather, the forecast indicated that the next cold front was going to be the biggest of the season and the high winds and seas were predicted to last for a full week.   This is unusually long, most cold fronts blow through in 24-48 hours.  We had to make a choice to make a run north (where the storm was coming from) or to sit tight in the marina and wait it out.   We love this marina but it can have a bad surge if the ocean swells are from the N or NE.   With 7 days of winds, we were worried.   However, running through the storm north (it was predicted to be less severe and of a shorter duration in the northern Bahamas) didn't sound like fun either.   So we talked to the marina and moved the boat to the south side of the facility to lessen the effect of any surge.   The winds came as expected and blew 25 30 knots sustained with gale force gusts (over 35 knots) for much of Sunday, Monday and Tuesday.   We turned the electronics on sporadically to check the wind velocity and the highest we saw was 39 knots.    The boat was being pushed up against the docks (we have double lines trying to hold us off) and we popped one fender.   However, we haven't had any damage and there hasn't been any surge so bottom line, we are thrilled to be snug and secure here where we can get off the boat and stagger through the wind each day.   If we were at anchor, we probably would be stuck on the boat everyday as it can be tricky getting in and out of the dinghy (not to mention getting wet!).   The marina arranged for rides into the market and set up happy hours for us.  Going to the beach was out of the question unless you wanted to get your tan sand blasted off.

The winds settled down to 20-23 Thursday and Friday (yeahhhh!!!) but the issue now is the sea state.   The weather service has reported 11-15 foot seas in the sound and there were breaking 8-10 foot waves in the channel coming into the marina.  At the height of the windshe the waves were actually coming over the concrete wall in the picture below but I couldn't stand in the wind and hold the camera still to get a picture   Two of the red and green markers broke loose and washed up on the beach.  We are definitely not leaving until the waves subside.   Wherever we go, we would have to go through a cut between islands or out in the open ocean and we will wait until the seas are 5 feet or less to be safe.

So for now, it is reading, cribbage, crosswords and billiards in the marina.   Guess we had to pay for all those glorious days sometime!

The channel into Emerald Bay on a calm day

The channel at Emerald Bay in gale force winds

Passing the time in Georgetown

As of our last blog, we had ducked into the Marina at Emerald Bay a few days prior to Donna and Sterling's arrival in anticipation of nasty weather stirring up the inlet.   The weather was a false alarm but we hung out anyway and enjoyed the amenities of this lovely spot.   When our guest's arrived, we did a quick exit and short motor trip south to Georgetown.   The anchorage off of Stocking Island was jammed with boats and we anchored off Hamburger Beach (to the left of the powerboats in the picture below).   At last count that week there were close to 300 boats in the anchorage.  Yikes!   However, the hiking and views are always good there and everyone has to experience Volleyball beach and see the hurricane holes at least once.   A night or 2 there is more than enough for us and we moved the boat over to the Georgetown side of the anchorage to reprovision and see the town.   Georgetown is the largest town in the Exuma chain and the probably the fourth or fifth largest town in the Bahamas.   However, is still is a small town and clearly it is the gathering places for boats in the Exumas.  

Our biggest surprises in Georgetown were the dolphins swimming around the boat a couple days, a sea-plane doing what appeared to be training take-offs and landings right in front of us in the anchorage and a small octopus that was attached to the anchor when we were leaving to pick Donna and Sterling up.   We also got a not so fun surprise one night when another boat anchored too close for comfort.   In the picture below, we anchored an appropriate distance from the other sailboat and the very large powerboat decided to anchor between us while we were in town.   On the Georgetown side of the water where we were, there was plenty of room and other choices for this boater.   The powerboat was even closer to the other sailboat that it appears in the picture.  This is not a comment on powerboats; we've had plenty of sailboats snuggle up to close too!   Don't know what some people are thinking at times.   This may not be our favorite stop because of the crowds but it is always entertaining!

Right around the corner from Georgetown is one of our favorite anchorages, Red Shanks.   The water is a bit shallow at low tide going in (5 ft mean low water) but Joe motored the boat in with no problem and we shared the anchorage with only 5-6 boats each night and had a great time exploring the shore by dinghy and on foot.   For me, the highlight of this anchorage is always the giant starfish.   The picture below is actually from last year but the giant red/orange critters were still there this year.   Truly spectacular to see.  

All in all we had a great week catching up with friends from home and swimming, snorkeling, eating, drinking......What else have we got to do?

Sea plane flying over the anchorage - Georgetown

We are anchored right behind the catamaran-Yikes!

1/4 of the anchorage off Stocking Island Georgetown

Dinghy dock behind Exuma Market-at least 50 dinghies

Exiting from the dinghy dock Georgetown

Dolphins swimming around the boat in Georgetown

Starfish larger than Joe's hand

Starfish in Red Shanks

Powerboat anchored between us and the other sailboat-why????

Little Bay to Emerald Bay

We had a great week (except for the stormy days!) enjoying Big Run's company in Little Bay.   They taught us the fine points of beach combing for sea glass and we shared many happy hours, strangely never running out of things to talk about.   We are especially grateful that they spotted us 20 gallons of water.   Very gracious and a life-saver.   What are the chances that we would meet a boat with a name that is the polar opposite of ours (Big Run/Short Walk) and become such good friends!

After a week, we left Little Bay and anchored just a few miles south off of Little Farmer's Cay for one night.   Last year we explored Little Farmer's completely during the Five F festival (First Friday in February at Little Farmer's Cay Festival).  We skipped the festival this year and didn't even go ashore when we anchored.   Too many islands/cays still to explore!   The next morning we rode the tide through the cut into the sound and then down to Lee Stocking Island.   Lee Stocking is the site of the Caribbean Marine Research Center.   We had hoped to get a tour of the site but they really don't start work or tours until March.   Students from various universities spend time there studying the local fisheries, water and reef quality.   They provide several free moorings so we had a secure anchorage for a few nights and spent some time exploring the trails and beaches on the island.

From Lee Stocking, it is a quick trip down to Georgetown on Great Exuma.   Many boats make Georgetown their anchorage for the entire season.   When we pulled in there were about 250-275 boats in the anchorage.   The Cruiser's Regatta (a 2 week program of parties, activities, lectures and races) began this week so the census will probably go up from there.  For our taste, it is a bit crowded but it is an easy spot to reprovision, get free water and catch up with cruising friends.   We finally caught up with Ken on Sail Away just as he was preparing to leave - headed for Cuba - we're jealous!

As predicted, another cold front rolled through last night and the wind, seas and ocean swell are expected to build over the next few days.    We are having friends from home (Donna and Sterling) down for a week staring on Saturday so in anticipation, we headed back north a bit to the marina at Emerald Bay.   We don't stay at marinas (the last one was Charleston in November) while we travel but this one is one of our favorites and well worth the $1 foot (no electric at the dock, water @ $.40/gallon, showers that are North Point clean and free laundry and internet!).   The marina and a nearby resort was originally built by Four Seasons but they declared bankruptcy and in 2010 the facilities were bought by Sandals.   The marina is beautiful and there are a couple beaches to enjoy within walking distance.    The cut coming into the marina is one of the trickiest if there is much of an ocean swell.   Last year we almost broached in the inlet with Ami, Ken and the grandkids.    The grandkids probably thought it was just another cool adventure courtesy of Gram and G-Daddy but the adults were shaken to say the least.   This year, we made sure to enter on a day with negligible ocean swell.   You do learn your lessons quickly sailing out here.   We are enjoying the luxury here for a few more days and then will head out with Donna and Sterling.   As usual, the next destination depends on wind and weather.   Stay tuned.

Emerald Bay Marina-looking back at the cut

A sailboat or a hobby horse?

So far we’ve done a fair bit of blogging about the weather.   It governs everything decision we make and living on a boat you just get used to being truly “in” the weather.   Recently we were catching up with friends on Big Run (a beautiful Katy Krogen 42) and were anchored in Little Bay (Great Guana Cay in the Exumas).   We anchored there on Monday and had 4 calm sunny days filled with snorkeling, beach combing, happy hours (i.e. perfect Bahama Days).    But we all know there is no free lunch.   The weather forecast predicted a big front to move through the entire Bahamas over the weekend.     Usually these storms come down the East Coast of the US (when you get snow and rain, it comes to the Bahamas as wind and waves as the front blows through).  However, the weather gurus indicate the tropical jet stream is unusually active this year sending big storms through Florida towards the Bahamas and the rest of the Carribean.   This front was powered by the tropical jet stream (originated in the Gulf of Mexico) and was huge.

All the anchorages on Great Guana are open to the Great Bahama Banks and as such many have beautiful beaches on the west (the lee side) of the island.   During this time of year, the easterly trade winds are dominant and the anchorages are perfect for that.  During the front, the winds were predicted to clock around going from E to SE clockwise to NE over a 24-48 hour period with winds predicted to peak around 25 kts.    A few squalls were predicted with winds to 30 but most of those were predicted to be far north of us.   Big Run and Short Walk both strategized to snuggle in as close to the land as possible and ride out the storm.   There are very few perfect hidey holes in this area when the winds are predicted to clock around so quickly.

Exactly as predicted, the winds increased to 15-18 kts and moved from the E to S to SW on Friday.   Not so bad but we all checked our anchors frequently.   We had 100 feet of chain out in 8-10 feet of water.   Luckily, there were only about ½ dozen boats in the harbor so there was plenty of swing room.   The fun really began on Saturday as the wind moved SW-W-NW and peaked at 24.4 kts.   The problem was that the anchorage is open to the west and the wind driven waves coming in off the Great Bahama Banks were 3-5’ in the anchorage for approximately 12-18 hours.   We’ve actually had Gulf Stream crossings that were easier and calmer than that.   This boat will usually ride 3-5’ waves easily (depending on where the wind and current are) but when you drop anchor and try to hold the boat still in those waves, she behaves like a hobby horse.   For the majority of the time, the boat was facing right into the waves and the bow was riding up and down.   The dinghy was tied behind the boat (two ropes for security) and standing below in the safety of the boat, we could see the dinghy ride the waves ABOVE the stern of the boat.   We had the cockpit enclosure zipped up except for the back panel (in case we needed to adjust the dinghy lines quickly) and the waves actually splashed into the cockpit providing a nice crusty salt coating to everything.   If you have any inclination towards sea sickness, this would be a nightmare.   I did start to feel a little dizzy and took a preventative Bonnine but neither of us was sick.   However, there was not much cooking or eating going on during that time either.  We had to stow everything below like we typically do to make an ocean passage because the boat just rocked and rocked (picture a sugared up 5 year old on that hobby horse).   Basically, we had to lie down most of the day and read books or try to sleep.    Our berth is in the front of the boat so we abandoned that (the bow moves the most in that steep of a sea) and huddled in the middle and back of the boat.    Sleep only came in fits and starts as the swim platform on the back of the boat makes a phenomenal amount of noise as it slams into the water and goes underwater.   The brake that holds the rudder in a fixed position was loose to begin with and Joe had to lash the wheel down with ropes to keep the rudder from slamming from side to side.   Sunday morning, the wind finally moved to N and to NE.   Initially, the boats stopped the hobby horse action and began to rock side to side as the waves hit us broadside but eventually, the wind dropped back down below 20 kts and moved N-NE enough to give us some protection from the land again.  During the storm, Big Run said they could see our rudder and hull (and we were admiring their bottom paint job) as our stern lifted out of the water on waves.   They tried to take pictures but as you can imagine the action on their boat made the photography challenging.   The picture below is well before the waves peaked.   With the front came cooler temperatures (cloudy and a daytime high of 72) so snorkeling is canceled until the sunny 80 degree days return.    Just in case you’re sick of hearing about all the fun we have, the long-range predictions are for another strong front to come through this weekend.    Oh goodie!

Short Walk just beginning to act like a hobby horse

Dinghy Rescue

As we prepared to leave Eleuthra, we knew another weather system was coming in with winds in the 25-30 knot range so we looked for a destination that would have protection as the wind clocked around from the north to the east/southeast.   We chose Cambridge Cay in the Exumas as our destination and set out with our friends on the  boat (Plumpuppet) on Saturday, January 28^th.    To make Cambridge Cay we sailed west across the Exuma Sound in deep blue water (around 5000 feet).   We were a little too close to the wind and had to motorsail but it was a pleasant 35 mile run.  About 2/3 of the way across the sound, Plumpuppet called on the radio to say that while watching a pod of dolphins, they spotted a dinghy floating off to starboard behind them.   We diverted to check it out and found a brand new 10’ Zodiac rigid bottom with a 15 horse Yamaha motor just floating along.   There was some water in the boat and the gas can and a pair of flip-flops were floating in the water.   No owner in site.    We announced the find on the radio several times but never heard a reply.   We picked up a mooring in the Exumas Land and Sea Park in Cambridge Cay and continued to make radio announcements that evening.   A boat on another mooring in Cambridge indicated they had heard of a boat missing a dinghy down in Rum Cay (about 100 miles away).   Since VHF radio won’t usually transmit that far, Joe waited until the next morning and made an announcement on the single-sideband radio on the Cruisenheimer’s Net.   Low and behold, we got a reply and the dinghy was lost from Rum Cay.    To make a long story short, the owner, a single-hander, arrived in Cambridge Cay on Monday and claimed his prize.   We made a ceremony of him trying on the floating flip-flops to prove ownership.   The dinghy had been missing for 5 days and he was VERY relieved to get it back.   He was just about to file an insurance claim when we found it.   It was brand-new, not a scratch on it and didn’t take any damage when it broke loose from his boat anchored in Rum Cay.   It would have been hard to replace down here.   We hear you can get dinghies in Nassau for about 40% more than you would pay in the states.     To tell you the truth, we were just glad to help out and even happier when there was not an injured person in the dinghy.   We had to motor about a mile to catch it and as we were doing that, we were both a little worried about what we might find.   Luckily it all worked out.