It is a respect that you develop with the ocean and deep waters as you travel by boat from continents to islands in the manner we have. We have been in waters so deep our depth sounder doesn’t compute (fathoms it says, on the Raymarine screen) crossing the Gulf Stream and making our way off the banks of the Turks and Caicos islands to within a mile of the Dominican Republic shoreline. And we have unfortunately been in waters so shallow that the muck below grabs onto the keel like an octopus until we overcome the suction force with engine power (happened on our way into Bahia de Luperon, briefly, no damage, and quite humbling). We have swam in waters at 60 ft that with each kick of the fins you gain 3 – 5 ft against the current and relax when propelled by the same, and then float in surface waters that are so warm and silent and relaxing to the inner soul. In our travels, there are waters so crystal you can see the ripples of the sand 10-15 ft below. Therefore I am watch person in these waters for coral heads that sneak up on us from the depths and threaten to catch the keel. They are not as gentle as the muck and sand, we have no first hand experience, but have heard and read that they stretch like stalagmites with claws that take out sections of fiberglass when encountered.
We are smart on the water, watching the course of the water for direction and surface current as to not be caught off guard, whether entering from the beach or the boat. Balancing our moves on deck whether the boat is moving or anchored is important. Most of the waters we have encountered are clear and refreshing until this week in Luperon Harbor. However a safety location as well as a town with wonderfully helpful inhabitants, the harbor waters themselves are well, filthy. The outer beaches of open ocean are beautiful, but we have been warned about the constrained waters of the harbor as being contaminated with garbage and waste. As one enters the harbor, the color of the water changes from blue to green blue. In all my reading, I expected a deeper brown color and odor. None of that exists. So we are no longer in waters where a brief dip off the boat in the afternoon or evening are luxury. Showers are done on the transom or in the cockpit or shower aboard. That is fine….we have an incredibly safe location with the most awesome view of the mountains and hills of the DR into the tropical waters of the Caribbean.
UNTIL……
Our second day in Luperon Harbor and we had made our trip to customs , immigration, agriculture and port authority. We paid out our pesos at each stop. Following which, we ventured into town for a look and to get a few fresh vegetables from the small individual markets along the streetside. We had run into a local fellow selling the services of the local talent: divers, laundry, taxi services, boat cleaners, car and scooter rentals. He wanted us to use him as a type of middle man for our needs. We walked with him in the pouring rain a few blocks to get a map, (he had an umbrella, we did not, he was not sharing) which he didn’t produce, but were introduced to his sister selling jewelry, and he wanted us to buy hand painted t-shirts done by his cousin. The pressure was on. We were savvy sailors and had read all about this tactic. We kindly declined and left with smiles and thanks for the opportunity. We made a bee-line for the dinghy to return to the boat for dinner as we had seen dark clouds approaching. We were within a quarter mile of the dock when a squall hit. We were immediately pelted by rain and 20 knot winds. We took on our adversary faces down with each step. The initial blow steadily weakened to a downpour. All we could think of was getting out of the wet clothes back on the boat.
I approached the dinghy to unlock the line. As I was proceeding to put the key in the lock, and over the heavy patter of the rain and whipping wind I heard a sound of a person to my back that wasn’t normal….then a slight splash. As I turned ,I saw Mike slipping into the water ( almost in slow motion) off the hurricane damaged dock. You see, the dock lay twisted half in and half out of the water along the one side. We had not had a problem with footing on a dry dock upon arrival. My first instinct was to try to retrieve the wet bag with our computer and phones, but as I took an initial step from unlocking the dinghy, I found myself literally upended and off my feet sliding as well into the dark waters. I think my bum hit the greasy edge of the green algae laden dock before I was fully submerged. There was initial moment of panic (or was it more disbelief that I had also befallen into the water!?), as there was no holding on the inclined slimy surface. I made one or two grasps of the flooded docking and couldn’t obtain a hold. The only way out I saw was to work my way toward shore where there was more of a horizontal holding, as I saw Mike scraping for some holding on the slimy surface of dock before us. My thoughts raced…how did this happen?….how did I make the mistake of slipping in as well? As I pulled myself onto the dock like a seal,(quite un-lady like, but life-savingly effective) sopping wet, grabbing the wet bag with our possessions. As Mike hoisted himself out just as wet, we were careful with our footing now…I realized we didn’t lose a shoe. What a crazy thought ! How do you hold on to 2 crocs and 2 flip flops sliding off a 45 degree incline? It was then that the hilarious nature of the event set in. Of all the waters on our voyage we had made special effort to avoid, we had now entered. What made this worse was the day before we had been returning to the boat by dinghy and the motor gave out. We found an oil laden shirt wrapped around the prop..giving us first hand knowledge of the filth in the harbor. Laughter ensued, mine. We had slipped into the abyss of filth in the most comical manner. I was sure we could have wont the “un mil” on funniest home videos for this. As we motored away, watching the skewed dangerous dock, I wanted to warn others. I had no way. Would they take care? Would they avoid the slimy side of the dock? Had this happened before? Were we the first ones?
We wanted fresh water. Returning to the boat, we were again laden with fresh water rain….a godsend… but quickly secured the dinghy and had the transom shower ready. We were relieved after stripping of the soaked clothing, washing our faces and scrubbing hands. My thoughts reflected the decontamination procedures at the hospital I had learned in the event of a chemical exposure. We had sustained a few abrasions and mild lacerations to the hands scraping for survival, but we cleaned those very well. We continued to replay the event and laughed to tears throughout the night. Two eager Midwest born sailors finding themselves IN foreign waters.
Christmas in the Bahamas
Christmas in the Bahamas….
(I’m catching up)
Sitting on the boat at Sapodilla Bay in the Turks And Caicos…found a free WIFI signal…cant post pics, but will get some ASAP!!!
It has crept up on us here. We are not spending our weekends decorating, going to parties, picking out a Christmas tree, or trudging through the snow or slush to get the right Christmas gifts. We are only slightly aware of the holiday because of the calendar and when we go into town, there are a few decorations about Georgetown. What is very strange is walking into a store or passing one that is playing Christmas music. My brain has made a very solid connection with that music and all the activities we are not doing. We instead are fixing a broken outboard, cleaning the anchor windlass, polishing chrome stanchions, and trying to dry clothing in the wind that got soaked from yesterdays downpour. We throw in a beach excursion, hike to Stocking Island Monument (163 verticle feet!), and a swim ashore to round out the day, but none of the typical Christmas fare we have been so used to for the last 50 some years. There are no big department stores having sales on Keurigs or Christmas wrap. There is no waiting for a parking space at the mall. There is no worry about the Christmas Eve menu. (Ok, I will admit that before leaving Wisconsin I secretly stashed away 2 strings of white twinkle lights that I managed to get strung on the bow of the boat!). There are no regrets, it is just SO different. Christmas has just come very simply this year.
We met a couple of friends a couple of weeks back at an anchorage north of here. Diego and Marina. He is an experienced sailor from his home near Lake Como in Italy and she if from Brazil and has joined him for a trip to the Pacific as a journalist. We kept in touch on our travels south and find ourselves anchored right next to each other here in Georgetown. We have decided that we should have Christmas together, and after they kindly made us dinner, Mike and I will reciprocate. There is somewhat of a tradition of making homemade ravioli for Christmas dinner in our family and that is our plan. It means finding the key ingredients at a couple different markets (via scooter excursion) on these islands, but we were successful.
By 3 PM on Christmas Eve, outboard motor parts were put away and we were full of flour and dough creating our little ravioli pillows! With sauce completed and a fresh loaf of bread we had a great meal with good sailing friends.
Christmas Day. Well, there are no presents to open. We have decided that our gift is this awesome experience we wake to daily. We hiked back up to the monument in the early morning (where we secretly found out that the WIFI signal is awesome and the view incredibly spectacular, to make a few WIFI calls to our family!) We spent the afternoon at a cruisers potluck on volleyball beach where met some of our neighbors in the anchorage and new sailing friends from all parts of the US and Canada. We played in the water with the stingrays, relaxed, shared stories of sailing adventures, discussed the latest broken equipment and thoroughly enjoyed each others company.
It is a different life, but one we have imagined and planned for over the last few years. We feel incredibly fortunate to have this opportunity to explore our dreams. I would also say to anyone with a dream …nuture it, save for it, visualize it and continually to plan for it. Don’t give up on dreams, for they keep us young and focused in life.
Merry (Belated ) Christmas!
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The Catch-up
The catch up.. so this will be long
I have some catching up to do on my blog. I have resorted to dating our travels and hope to get you up to speed on where we have come and where we are now…..Georgetown, Exumas!!! (and where we may be put for about a week).
9 December , 2016 Great Guana Cay, Black Point Settlement
We are sitting in boat’s cabin listening to the wind blow at 20-23 knots. It whistles through the halyards (ropes for all the sails), whirs with the wind generator (J), and hums around the mast. The boat rocks a bit to starboard and port. This is the first “norther” we are experiencing. That is, a very strong cold front, that has dipped far south from the Great Lakes to the Bahamas, which only occurs in the Winter.
It is cause to stay put, waves and wind in open water could prove to be quite large and challenging. Oh, I must say that “winter” is relative as we sit in shorts and t-shirts with the relative temp at 75. We have listened to weather on SSB (single side band/HAM) every morning for the last 5 days predicting this and have positioned ourselves in an anchorage where we hope to have less effect from the east-northeast strong winds. We do expect this to last for 48-72 hours. This will prevent us from moving on further South, as our departure would be on the ocean side of the island exposing us to high winds and some predictably high swells. (This will be come a pattern now for us, waiting for weather…in paradise). And this is why we made a point to download and save movies onto our computers, brought 60# of novels and guidebooks.
Two days ago we were at Highborne Cay. A beautiful location for the day. There was a beach to the East and of course endless water to the West…. We were accompanied by other sail and motor yachts of extremely varying sizes (some quite enormous, from all ports of call: Canada, St Louis, MO, and UK). After anchoring that afternoon, we had enough time to venture offshore snorkeling a bit and find a great reef filled with fishes and corals in all forms. It was delightful to spend an hour swimming and enjoying the underwater scenery. Mike did find a grouper that could have been dinner, but he was also being eye-up by a few barracuda (the grouper not Mike!), so he left him alone.
PIGS
On our travels further southeast, we were in an anchorage just about 7 miles north of here yesterday, Big Majors Spot where the water was just as turquoise and the beaches as white. ( I have commented on several occasions that it is like sailing in a swimming pool..until you see the waters of the Bahamas you can’t imagine the clarity and color!) We were aware of the fact that on one of the beaches there are pigs roaming. (we had seen YouTube videos of this ) They come out of the bush when they know there are visitors who will feed them. We happened to find the right beach about 4pm and many cruisers and tourists were there feeding the pigs: fruits and beer. Yes, BEER. And Yes, PIGS! Those pigs held up their snouts and guzzled from the bottle like some college freshman! One guy told me he was here the day before and got his foot stepped on, pretty painful. I didn’t let them get that close. We watched as a group of piglets came out of the bush, grunting and squealing. How surreal! We are how many thousands of miles from continental farmland and find pigs on the beach???!!!
Not to mention the rooster, which incidentally decided that at sunset he would crow until dark…along with the mornings. We had a quiet night, as we had for 2 nights in anticipation of the approaching cold front.
We have settled into somewhat of a routine on board. I have an alarm set for 6:25 so I can listen to the 6:30 weather report for the Bahamas. I transcribe the info so we can evaluate for our days sailing or motoring. Coffee is a priority every morning. Following which we proceed to weigh anchor. For the longest time, Mike was at the wheel and I picked up anchor, and then had to get him to hoist the anchor to its bedding on deck. We have since found out that I can navigate to the anchor, and have him hoist much easier and we are more efficient that way. We usually decide our destination that morning after the weather report and mark waypoints on the electronic maps. The decision to raise sails is dependent on the wind velocity and direction. There is also the possibility to use the sails to enhance our speed with the motor, should we encounter light winds. During the travel one of us is responsible for navigating and watching for other vessels while the other may undertake a task. Today we spent time polishing the chrome, and reorganizing the freezer. We look forward to anchoring, which today was early. Once we know we have a good hold in the sand, one of us usually heads in the water to check the anchor( followed by the other who is just as warm on deck, and ready to jump in). Today we spent more time than usually checking our anchor scope to make sure that we have a good hold in the sand and that we have enough anchor chain out to hold us if we get expected gale force gusts.
10 December
We anchored off of Great Guana Cay, in the middle Exumas. As we needed gasoline for the dinghy we headed into the little town of Black Point. We found none. We did get drinking water, to top off our gallon jugs and found a bit if WIFI at Lorraines Café (the first in a week) and dropped off our laundry with Lorraine’s mother , who lives behind the café. She bakes bread and does laundry. It is a bit cheaper to have it done than to pay the coin-operated machines, plus it adds to the economy of the little community. We download weather maps and make quick contact with some family!
As the days get shorter, we try to get back to the boat by sunset and then have a simple dinner (tonight ceviche from walleye we brought from Lake Vermilion), clean up, read or work on the next days navigation plan, and with dark coming at 5: 45 we are usually ready for bed by 9 pm. We recheck the anchor holding and lights out.
The wind is still whistling ….wind velocity: sustained 23 kn. (It will prove to be a noisy night, but we are thankful for no squalls/thunderstorms) …yet.
We have come farther and sailed more days on Lost Loon than we have done before (day 12…seems like forever ago when we left Amery!). We are comforted in her ability and look forward to many more days ahead.
11 December …..Training Day
The winds are moderate and skies are clear. We decide to try to anchor further south in possibly a secluded anchorage along Great Guana, but find that the protection from winds is not as adequate as at Black Point. We did anchor briefly, explore a beautiful beach and relax a bit alone. On our return, we were determined to teach ourselves a sailing lesson. We were headed downwind with both the main and the jib flying nicely until the wind shifted and we had our jib so messed up around the furler . It was crazy for several minutes as the wind continued to build. We successfully got the thing wrapped correctly (without tearing anything) and quietly sailed under reefed main into the harbor to our previous anchor spot like nothing had happened. We did finish our hike off the opposite side of the island and watched huge waves break on beautiful cliffs
It is Sunday and that is as we recall in our land life, football day. We returned to Lorraine’s Café for more WIFI and found that the locals were watching the Green Bay Packers. The bartender says “I like Aaron Rodgers, “with a big smile and we go on to discuss the fate of some of the NFL teams for the year with the other patrons. It was good to get a taste of home. We also received photos from Chris and Jenni of the snow fall in Minnesota. Not really missing that.
12 December 2016
We are at anchor tonight off Cave Cay with nearly a full moon. This is in position for us to leave the Bahama Banks and head to more Atlantic waters of Exuma Sound. Our next major location, hopefully in 2 days will be Georgetown, on Great Exuma Cay. We continue to island hop our way as far East and south as we go. We have had a few days of winds out of the north and now the southeast that have slowed us down a bit.
We left this morning from Black Point after the bread was baked and travelled in choppy seas, but manageable winds still on the nose a bit. We found an anchorage that is empty and head out to explore another close beach. We find turtles feeding in shallow grassy spots and a cool grotto that overhangs the water.
GROTTO PHOTO
13 December ……Seafood!
After our morning chores, (cleaning the salt and the task of taking apart and cleaning the Windlass, the winch that deploys and retrieves our 25 KG anchor) we decide to venture out for spearfishing and snorkeling. I had made a long swim to shore before lunch and was comfortable operating the dinghy while Mike fished. We found some random coral heads with a small fish population. Against a 1-2 knot current, Mike successfully found and retrieved a lobster and small grouper! We were excited for our surf and turf dinner that night. We had a very well stocked freezer and needed to continue to work our way through that food but excited to be able to live off (or at least taste from) the sea. We had brought venison, chickens, and some beef knowing that the prices would be expensive.
14 December …On to Georgetown!
The morning is cloudy, winds are light and variable. We head out the Galliot Cut for Exuma Sound, deeper waters and destination Georgetown about 35 miles. As soond as we lose depth on the instruments, Mike knows its time to fish. He puts out one rod and a handline. We set out the sails to assist in our motoring effort.
We watch as the seas begin to fill with sail and motorboats headed in the same direction. ..
Long about 935 there is a whining of the fishing rod.. FISH ON! The boat is put in neutral and the reel spins off a quick mile of line. Mike comments…”we have a good one” as he takes hold of the rod it surges and there is more line taken. Did our fish just get eaten by a bigger one? Moby? It takes everything Mike has to hang onto the rod, there is little reeling that takes place for 5 minutes and then the work begins. I begin filming and we are there 35 minutes as we think the fish is closer to the bottom of the boat, the rod jerks and the fish is GONE! With the successful purple lure as well! Just not fair! We put the boat in gear and continue our travels, dejected, and a bit exhausted (Mike). We are lucky to watch dolphin ( the edible ones, Mahi) skipping across the water for their lunch, but cannot intercept even one.
We follow the prescribed course for entering Elizabeth Harbor , Georgetown by mid afternoon and take anchor as other boats as well take their spots for the evening and possibly the week. We anticipate being here more than just a couple of days as the winds will be in the high 20s and gusting 30-35 kn. over 3-4 days. This is a lively community with lots of other cruisers who get together for different events on the island. There are folks who just make it here for the winter and stay.
Hopeful to do some hiking, snorkeling, and of course catch up on boat maintenance while we are here. As I write the last of this VERY LONG blog, we have cruisers coming in by the 2’s setting anchor to brace for the forthcoming prolonged cold front. No we won’t have snow, maybe showers, but we will manage with a bit of wind for a few days. We are in no hurry. We enjoy each day, make plans , change them with the weather.
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Arrival in Spanish Wells, Eleuthera!!!!
We made arrival and landfall at Meeks Patch, outside Spanish Wells, an anchorage in the northern part of Eleuthera of the Bahamas. We had intended on making a stop in the Berry islands, but we had such excellent weather we continued on another 70 miles or so (after our first 24) to position ourselves a bit further east. They say in order to get south in the Caribbean you must continue East in “good weather”. This is because the trade winds (known as “the trades” and the prevailing winds in this part of the Atlantic) typically come out of the east or southeast. And if that is the direction you are sailing, the wind is on the nose and it becomes most difficult to fill the sails. So to get East sailing you need to have a south or north wind. Well we actually had both, a south wind for a while and as a new weather system approached during the day we found some nice northeast wind to fill the sails for a while.
All the cruising guidebooks explain that one should make landfall during the daytime hours with some light overhead to watch for shifting sands and coral. What fun is that? Were here for the adventure right? We knew when we made our decision to head past the Berrys that we would not make a daylight landfall. We, of course, arrived by 8 pm with the only light from stars millions of miles away. I positioned myself at the bow with our high-powered light shining for shoaling or obstacles. We followed the deep-water channels and found our anchorage. This lie just outside of Spanish Wells, where we needed to clear customs. Anchoring in the dark can be a challenge: you can’t see more than the surface usually, and communication from the bow person to the captain is more difficult as visuals are dimished. After spending a few minutes untangling the anchor that had managed to tie itself in a few knots in the locker, we were anchoredWe had now cruised for over 36 hours. We had slept on and off in shifts, but you usually don’t get the good sleep in 2-3 hour shifts.
At 9:30 pm, we found the ocean water a refreshing 85 degrees, perfect way to end a passage.
We were so fortunate to have some excellent weather since leaving Port Everglades in Fort Lauderdale on Wednesday morning. We woke early to get the first weather reports, make the coffee, and hoist the anchor. We left Santa Rosa in Pompano at 0700 as the light was filling in from the East. We had 4 bridges to traverse before we were out to open ocean, the first 3 were easy and the fourth we missed by just 5 minutes. We were greeted at this bridge by some incredibly enormous yachts, other sailboats, and sportfishing outfits all headed out to the big water. There are navigation rules as to what type of vessel has precedence or the right-of way on the water, it is usually based on size and whether you are running a motor or if you are actually performing some type of work on the waterway (like fishing or dredging). We are a 40 ft sailboat, motoring, so just about every other boat took precedence over us at the SE 17th Street Bridge, our last to conquer. We were not only outsized but outnumbered as well. So, at about 9:25 on this Wednesday morning we had several 100 ft cruisers, some sailboats in our size range some larger and even smaller, and numerous fishing boats waiting for the 9:30 bridge opening. It was like the geldings preparing at the gates for the Kentucky Derby. Boats were jockeying here and there. The VHF radio was active with boats calling the bridge tender to claim their stake on this opening.
We made it through easily, letting the big boys head out for their trophies and we cruised of out of US territory excited to sail.
Our first job at hand was to get through the Gulf Stream. The trick is to position one’s boat with southeast heading hoping to land just at the right spot east and work the current heading North. We did just that! With a 60 mile crossing we made it motoring in 12 hours. That put us on the Banks of the Bahamas, where the ocean rises from several thousand feet to just nearly 60 or less. We arrived here at about dusk and watched the sun set on day one of our offshore voyage. By this time we were ready to shut off the motor as the winds were I made radio contact with the maritime mobile ham network 14.300 to give a position and safety report (anyone can find us by checking out 14.300.net. There is menu item for vessel locations or check-ins and I do plan to call in when we are offshore and report a position), and we made dinner.
Since then we have had an awesome stay. We moved from out anchorage to a dock in town. Probably not an idea or the most quiet situation, but FREE! Situated by the local coffee spot and close to WIFI. We checked into customs on Saturday. The local T-shirt shop had to call the customs officer to clear us in. The gentleman was nice and after about 6 pages and $300. we were legal in the Bahamas. We ventured out to find a GOPRO SD card and walk the most beautiful beach. We stopped at the Snack Bar for conch chowder and a Wahoo wrap. We had been almost 24 hours with only a sandwich, so starved. Since then we moved the boat to a quiet anchorage with a private beach. We hiked and swam for the first time.
Today is December 5th, really 20 days until Christmas? The locals are playing Christmas songs at the grocery and passing the auto shop. It is very strange to not have snow…cold weather, or to be considering a Christmas Tree.
We fueled up and filled our water tanks back at the docks this morning. Spent the afternoon anchoring the boat off shore again, snorkeling about a mile off shore (videos to come once I figure out how to download them from the GOPRO). I did think I was going to get laundry done, but at the price of $6. Wash and $6. Dry, I can do this by hand. Were using WIFI at the Buddha bar having some conch salad. Heading back to the boat soon, days are short and were busy most of the day, bedtime comes early.
Until we find the next WIFI……keep us in your thoughts and intentions!
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The Night Before
It is the night before our departure for the Bahamas and Caribbean. The anchorage here in Pompano is quiet, the sound of voices echo across the bay. Yes! There are Christmas lights that twinkle across the water. …I think back on Christmases and think of what we might be doing to prepare. The wind is calm (so far…we had 20-25 knot winds last night in West Palm Beach) . We have had some evening showers tonight with a temp of 77 degrees. There are amazingly….NO BUGS! I am, however, ready with the mosquito spray at the first sign.
We have had a beautiful 2 days traveling down the Intercoastal Waterway, making our trip South from Stuart , FL to position ourselves for a Gulf Stream Crossing tomorrow. We passed through 16 lift bridges today! (the whole ICW from Norfolk VA to Miami has about 80 opening/manned bridges!) As you travel this way, each bridge requires a radio call to request an opening. Most bridges plan to open on the hour or the half to best manage the city traffic. There were many boats travelling our way and passing at the same time through the bridges. It was like getting to Oz and having to make the great request to the bridge tender for him (or her!) to stop traffic and grant us passage.
At one point we were soooo close and yet due to the time the bridge closed as we arrived. This causes anywhere from a 15- 30 minute delay. It also irritates the Captain (Mike) who must now “hold” the boat in the wind and current in while we wait. For the most part we made good time covering 50 miles in about 8 hours. We made our 4:30 arrival just north of the Ft. Lauderdale exit in time to catch a good anchoring spot just off the ICW main thoroughfare.
We enjoyed Thanksgiving with some good friends in Punta Gorda this last weekend. We rented a car and headed from Stuart, where we left the boat in a marina. We spent part of the weekend looking at homes with our friends, did some biking, shopping at the local farmers market, and cooking turkey. Quite different from 90% of the Thanksgivings we have spent in the last 34 yrs together. We do miss being with our close family.
Upon return to Lost Loon on Sunday, we had planned on making our departure Monday morning, we had found however that our DC inverter was not working. We also realized that we needed some internet time to finalize a few things that we might not get to for several weeks. Mike worked on the inverter and called several reputable resources about how this might be set up on our boat. He was expecting a call back from someone that would have extensive knowledge about the unit, but never received the call. We decided that we would just have to manage without this and punt. Meanwhile, I had spent the day working with the Iridium Go satellite unit we have to download weather, contacted banks, and finished some emails. I am up every morning at 6:30 AM to listen to the SSB radio broadcast for weather daily, this lasts about 1 hour and through all the static try to transcribe the information we need to make decisions on sailing. By 6:15 pm, I was finished.
We decided (since we had turned in the rental car) to walk 2.5 miles to AutoZone for an inverter. We needed a way other than by USB to charge computers. (Such a problem Christopher Columbus DID NOT have!!!) 2.5 miles to return and one brief rain shower later we were exhausted. We made a quick dash to the marina showers and short dinner and by 9:30 we were lights out!
A very fast forward to Tuesday morning and we are ready to leave. We needed fuel and water. The dockmaster at the marina heard we had some “electrical problems” and had “just the guy”. He would send him over in a minute. (well 30-45 minutes later, we are organized and ready. Mike greeted the “chap” from New Zealand and began to describe the problem. He had a huge tool case, but asked first where the unit was. Mike opened the port side lazarette (storage compartment in the cockpit) , Mr. New Zealand reached down, pushed a tiny button and said, “there now go ahead and check it.” Oh man sure enough this was the 30 amp fuse that had blown, likely 4-5 days ago in St Marys when the power went off briefly. It was such a small thing…sitting right there,, didn’t even look like a fuse that had blown , right under our noses ( we had looked at that several times, but never put a finger on it). We apologized for our stupidity, laughed at ourselves, as did he and went about the task of leaving. We were at least happy that we gave the fella a funny story to tell at captains hour that evening.
So, it may be a while until we have WIFI to be able to post.
Our plans are to head through the Bahamas, Turk and Caicos, on to the Dominican Republic and then Puerto Rico before we hit the Windward and Leeward islands of the Caribbean. Continue to check back and keep us in your thoughts and yoga intentions!
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We’re on the way!
So it’s finally time to write!!!!
It has been a crazy 6 weeks. (or more) We have had the estate sale, moved out our remaining possessions to a meager 10 x 24 storage unit, had a successful closing on our house, closed our 3 -season cabin in Minnesota, moved in with some awesome friends, vicariously lived through Hurricane Matthew, completed our last day of work, put a vehicle in storage (and still have one for sale), reorganized the items going to the boat (multiple times), hunted the last hunt on the Amery property, and said goodbye to friends and family our Golden Retriever, Riley, (who lived a long and happy 14 ½ year life). We have moved from complete chaos to somewhat organized chaos.
I would say that we have been busier in this time frame than ever before in our married lives. We have come to appreciate just a few minutes of quiet and time to think (about next steps).
Following the estate sale, we successfully paired down our belongings to a couple of beds, kitchen table, coffee table, a couple lamps, winter clothing, some bedding, fishing, hunting, sports gear, and some remaining keepsakes. With about a 5-week closing date hanging over our heads we proceeded to get these goods into some semblance of order and stored. So, every few days more stuff went into containers and boxes and these were labeled and toted to the storage unit. We worked on this evenings after work and the few remaining weekends we had. We simultaneously were setting aside all the goods to go to Lost Loon for our next life aboard Lost Loon, and put these in boxes and cartons. As the “last day in the house” approached we realized there were many more things to get in boxes. I think at one point we were sure someone was secretly bringing stuff into the house as it seemed to be endless. We systematically cleared the upper levels and basement, trying to corral everything to it’s final destination on the main level. I really have no idea how much stuff we donated and gave away those last days. I am thankful to a few family members (Chris and Dave) who drove away numerous times with “new” possessions. (I am certain many items also found their way distributed to other donation facilities).
Closing the house
However difficult it was to get all our possessions out of that house after 21 years, we were relieved by the final sight of cleanliness and felt an eagerness to soon move onto a new life comforted that this house would be secure with a good family. Following the walk-thru, the night before the closing, we moved in with some very good friends in Amery. Since we had 2 ½ weeks to work yet we needed to stay in the area, we were blessed to have friends that opened their house and their lives to us.
We attended the “closing ceremonies” on the house on a beautiful bright sunny Friday. We left with a little money in hand to take us to our next adventure. How different it was to realize we didn’t have a home, or even more so exciting to realize that a 40-ft, 400 or less square foot sailboat would be our home for the next 6-8 months!
We our last few days in Amery, having dinner and get-togethers with friends, family and co-workers. I must say that my liver is surely glad that we were moving on.
We could begin the final project of weeding out what we had put aside for the Lost Loon journey. We had quite frankly just planned on taking too much. On that last morning of our departure, we left with our Suburban completely full of supplies and possessions we thought we couldn’t do without for the next 6 or so months afloat.
We left on our pilgrimage to see the family before our voyage on a cool bright Saturday morning.
We were headed for Illinois where Mike’s sisters and mother reside. We would then drive onto North Carolina to see my mom, brother and sister-in-law and our daughter , Kelsey. We spent almost a week with family as we headed to our Georgia destination. We enjoyed family dinners and spent time doing some final internet shopping for the boat on those stops. We truly didn’t think we had any more room for supplies and managed to eek out a few more inches of some favorite local foods from some incredible markets in the Rockford area.
Our destination was still ahead as we left the last family member in Fayetteville, but not without absolutely stuffing that Suburban even further with some loaned fishing equipment!! (Thank you , David)
Upon our arrival that late afternoon, Lost Loon was sitting pretty well. We had seen pictures of the boat after Hurricane Matthew, and all seemed well, butut it wasn’t until we opened her up and realized that she was in perfect condition….relief. We knew what we had to do now to get this vessel ready for Winter travel….
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Exciting News….We’re Almost There!!!
It’s been a long Summer , but the last several weeks have been busy. We have sold our house, quit our jobs, had the estate sale, and essentially managed to reduce our footprint to minimal belongings in order to move onto Lost Loon. The boat awaits or return in Georgia. Getting her bottom painted and hull polished for the intended journey through the Caribbean this winter.
There is an echo as we move through the house these last few weeks. There is more light, literally and figuratively.
There are remnants of the estate sale as we begin to package these things up for storage or donation. There is a new game we play trying to organize our present belongings into items for the boat, the storage or to take to the Minnesota cabin. We find a part or piece that is in a drawer or box and match it with its mate or like piece. The key is remembering where we last put it. There is also the difficulty with staying on task when so much needs organizing. I have spent 2-3 hours going through boxes of photos and elementary keepsakes, reading stories and poems written years ago about family trips, dogs and sports. I have laughed to tears on several occasions, as well as shed a few heartfelt ones.
There are more than 30 years of collectibles, clothing and just stuff. I have never considered myself a hoarder, as I am the one to purge the unnecessary quite often. But in the last several weeks have come to appreciate the lightness of eliminating the excess. How fun it was to buy crystal in Ireland 28 yrs ago, but however a remembrance, we have not used the glassware much. We have a chopper and blender of all sorts, because it was nice to have. Going forth, I just need something to grind my coffee.
Baskets. Ok, since Mike is keeping all his musky lures I’m keeping most of my basket collection. Holiday collectibles. When you have children there is a delight in decorating for the event. OK I will admit that I have attained quite the Christmas collection. I collected Santas, ornaments , and all sorts of dish ware. That was then….I have saved some precious items but the rest will go. Cookbooks. With the incredible data available on the internet I have relied less on cookbooks but, I thank all my friends and family for sustaining my desire to cook. I will now have to manage with a limited pantry on the sailboat and will have to invent my own recipes.
Finally , we have gone thru our wardrobes and eliminated those pieces of clothing we haven’t worn and probably won’t wear in the future. The shorts that looked good 2-3 yrs ago are no longer in style nor sensible for sailing. One should not need 8 pairs of sweatpants. The shirts and sweatshirts from all sorts of events and trips were fun, but I have gotten their use. I am hopeful that someone will enjoy one of the numerous Amery, Colorado, Methodist University, and BVI t-shirts and hats.
Since we are uncertain as to our disposition in 9 months so we have decided to limit the furniture we keep. We presently have a kitchen table and chairs, a couch, a few chairs, a bed, and couple of side tables. Of course we have lamps and other extraneous household items, but it limited. I can usually open the cabinet and grab for a teacup, I now have to remember which ones I’ve kept and where they now reside, temporarily. Many of the antiques are gone. They now have a new life. The dining room table that has hosted first birthday parties, “high school dinner parties”, anniversary dinners, many Christmases and Thanksgivings has a new home with a new family. The house we have called home for 20 yrs has witnessed many years of happiness: first day of kindergarten, first drivers licenses, first deer, many sports celebrations, prom, high school and and college graduations, and wedding preparations. We have experienced some very cold and snowy winters.
There have been some excellent vegetable gardens and successful local hunting. I think as we look back on the grand plan in bringing up the family in appreciation of living in the country when we bought the house in 1995, I would say we have managed to succeed in those intentions. So looking back, there are no misgivings about leaving now.
I finish this driving home from now closing the seasonal cabin in Minnesota, on Lake Vermilion. We were blessed with beautiful Fall colors and weather, a gorgeous sunset, and mirror calm waters. We even caught our last walleye of the season to have for dinner. The winter shutters are in place and the dock is up and out of the water. As we motor away the leaves are falling gently into the water as another season is well underway.
And so we return to Wisconsin to complete the final tasks of moving out of the Amery house, say goodbyes to patients and co-workers and friends, and family to move onto the boat in November. Which in itself will require a bit of clever organizing and work when we arrive back in Georgia.
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Midnight Express
25 June 2016
The light is a waning moon to the East, casting a beautiful glow on the water with scattered lightening to the North as we cruise out of Brunswick. It’s 12:45 AM. The building cumulonimbus clouds are visible with each flash. They are not threatening. Since we are in cell phone range, (and we hope to maintain that as long as possible) we can still call up the weather radar and see we are safe for the next several hours.
We had spent the last 36 hours making some repairs and preparations for a brief voyage to get our sailboat Lost Loon to St Mary’s Boat Services for the off-season. And so we are underway. We navigate the zig-zag route toward the inlet, watching for unlit channel markers with precision. The docking hardware is stowed and we begin to ready the safety equipment. We are anticipating an uneventful ride, but will always be prepared. As this is Kelsey’s first overnight passage, we quickly run through some basic safety guidelines (one sentence…you wear a life jacket on deck at all times). She will keep watch with one of us, or sleep (if possible).
The heavy air lightens as we reach the ocean and there is relief from the heat of the city we have left behind. Once we are at St Simon’s sound we travel out another 5 or so miles before we begin our coastal voyage South. The seas are easy at 1-3 feet and the breeze is light. As our eyes adjust to the night surroundings, we approach the final marker and begin to reckon our position with lights ashore. The travel is slow at 6 knots. We need to maintain this average speed to arrive at the St. Mary’s inlet at dawn and not before. However well marked, it is usually unadvisable to make an entrance you haven’t experienced before in the dark.
Mike and I decide that he would take the first watch as I attempt to get comfortable on the cockpit bench for a nap. We are motoring and not sailing so there is no heeling except when we take on a wave of more considerable height and the boat rocks a bit more to one side, so sleep is marginal, but adequate knowing we are finally underway. As my shift begins, it is 0300 am and we have gone beyond the limits of cell service and can no longer obtain cellular radar so I watch the sky for any signs of storms approaching and continue to identify landmarks along the coast. The sky to the South shows signs of electrical activity and continues to move off in that same direction (thankfully). St. Mary’s inlet shows up quickly, but at our speed it looms in the distance. The next few hours pass quickly and as the first signs of morning show in the Northeast we are on schedule for a 7 am arrival at the inlet.
We appreciate full daylight at 0715 and watch the South passing storms resolving. We begin to make our turn West toward the Georgia coast.
Much to our consternation we also observe a darkening in the sky to the Northwest (the direction from which all of the storms have been approaching in the last 24 hours). The radar confirms this. It shows a very large and deep cell coming toward us.
The first wave of light rain and wind hits just as we slip out of the ocean into the inlet. It was just before this that nature provides Kelsey with a semi-promised dolphin sighting.
(Recall that was the one incentive I had mentioned to entice her to make the trip that night). Mike takes the helm from Kelsey. We close up the hatches and go below.
As the thunder and lightening arrive we are making our approach to the intracoastal creek that leads us up to the marina. What is funny is that this creek winds some 2 miles to the marina, but you can actually see it off to starboard about ½ mile. These next 2 miles are supposedly fraught with shallow waters and shoaling /sandbars that MUST be avoided, lest we want to make our first call to Boat US for a tow. Mike determines he has to stay in a confined lagoon where the water is nearly 30 ft deep until the storm passes.
The next harrowing 30 -45 minutes seem like an eternity.(not unlike an episode from The Twilight Zone). He maintains the helm and the boats position through incredibly close lightening strikes and near 30 knot winds. He is doing tight 20 yard circles to maintain position.
At one point, he can only see as far as 15 ft from the boat due to amazingly heavy rainfall. He suddenly sees a blip on the radar, like an approaching vessel. It becomes clear that this is no small boat and a 30-some-foot cruiser that blasts right by amidst the weather chaos. We wonder if he even knew we were there? By this time, with the continuous electrical activity, Kelsey and I have stowed all the electronics (cellphones, ipads, computers, radios) in the stove to act as protection from lightening strike. (I could see the headlines: The electronics survive! 3 souls are lost to lightening strike in Georgia). Every 5 minutes I take the phone out of the oven to check the storm cell position and find that for almost a solid 20 minutes this thing is building right over us! I suppose that as the storm came closer to the warm ocean waters it took on a new life. I am also watching the wind speed indicator down below in amazement and see gusts over 30 knots.
Right next this is a chartplotter (the one that doesn’t want to be the slave) and I can see Mike’s nice tight circles forming in the basin. (No I didn’t get the phone out for that pic). We wait, and as slowly as this squall approached it finally left us. Mike was drenched. We studied the weather radar and to our disbelief began to appraise another storm approaching. This was hitting Brunswick at the current time, and unfortunately we couldn’t figure out how fast it was approaching. It was 10:00 presently and we had at least a 45-minute slow run up the winding creek to the marina to our final dockage. We contacted the owner and he was ready for us whenever we arrived. We needed to go.
I begin readying the bowlines and fenders as well as releasing the lock on the anchor and checking the windlass (If we had another storm out here, we would end up on the shore without a doubt, unless we somehow anchored ourselves in the middle until it passed…we would be ready like a boy scout).With Kelsey watching port and myself to starboard we began the final leg of this short journey to dry storage.
The chart plotter maps are good (no …they are really indispensible), but one must depend on visual reckoning under these situations. That would prove to be impossible however, for after the storm this shallow body of moving water was now deeply brown, there was no indication as to depth. So, my job became watching for floating obstructions (logs).
Maneuvering the boat in a bit of a current, trying to avoid sand and shallow depths, was challenging. After our first or second negotiated turn, we felt a very slow and quite identifiable surge to a halt. The keel hit bottom. It was very temporary as with Mike’s quick action at the wheel and reversal of the prop we were off. (Uncharted shoaling is quickly humbling). We all regain our breath. Around the next bend, we are rewarded by the sighting of a small flock of pink flamingos along the shoreline. (We take that as a good sign). Our final approach to the marina is made and in Lost Loon-style, Kelsey and I make docking the boat (however on a rusty steel barge) “look easy”. I think that Mike’s first words, as we made the final figure eights on the cleats, were “holy s— where’s the bourbon?”
The radar was showing a continued approach of the next thunderstorm. Rocky, the marina owner indicated that he would have his team ready to put us in the slings quickly to pull the sailboat out of the water. This would mean we would have to remove our belongings down a ladder once the boat was secure out of the water.
Mike was instructed to motor into the slings, which did require him to work against a current, but as he made the approach and pulled into the slings, they realized that we would need to come in stern first. With the size of the boat, and specific placement of the slings to avoid the keel, they noticed the forward jib forestay would not fit. I wasn’t on the boat, but I could hear Mike’s thoughts….”this boat doesn’t have good reverse propulsion ….&^%$ # #@#%… and against a current it could be difficult, if not near impossible”. Once back out of the sling, Mike made an initial attempt at holding the wheel over hard in reverse and there was little position change. I could see the frustration in his face, he tried with as much engine power as he could. from where Kelsey and I were it appeared just plain stuck! So, for the next 25 minutes, those marina boys on the mechanical sling wrestled Lost Loon like a wayward calf. With ropes pulling the stern, boat hooks pushing the bow and the strength of a prizefighter, they were able to turn that boat right around and allow Mike to back into the sling stern first.
Finally in correct position Lost Loon was lifted out of the brackish water, dripping wet, but no worse for wear, ready for respite. The mechanical sling moved her over the hard concrete as the first sound of thunder approached. (It brought to memory a trip Mike and I attempted to make from Grand Portage MN to Isle Royale, 2 yrs previous ,when we had to return to shore to spend almost 3 hours trying to de-rig our Precision 23 in the middle of a gale….ok terrible lightening rainstorm.)
With a ladder in place, we were able to again access to the boat and I can’t recall if it were Mike or Kelsey that opened the first beer. We began the process of unloading our gear, having lunch, and re-organizing (have I mentioned that is a never ending process? ) The final tasks were underway to close the boat in light showers, a bit of thunder, no wind or lightening. We closed hatches and placed the canvas cover sadly and systematically….for the 3rd time this year. We had somehow become attached to this new/temporary home. Moving her from port to port as we continued to dream of a time when we can spend more than a week or so traveling.
We needed to get back to Brunswick to retrieve Kelsey’s car and the marina offered a car for use. The only problem was that the marina owners had loaned it to someone else. We would wait…..and took our time getting everything in place on the boat for the summer storage ….and we waited…..
We completed all our work, had another “cool one ” and were still waiting…it was just as we made a call to a local cab that they returned with the loaner. We made a 60-minute round-trip to Brunswick and back before we were off for Cape Canaveral. The next event on the agenda was to deliver our Platismo 6-person life raft for re-certification the following morning.
We arrived at that night’s hotel tired and ready for rest! We had found a reasonable rate near Cape Canaveral, so we would be close and on time for our appointment to discuss and deploy our life raft the next morning. Every 5-7 years if unused a life raft should be taken out of its valise and checked for small tears or deterioration, as well as inspection of the CO2 canister to inflate said raft.
We had previously discussed with Gator, the owner of Lifeline Marine Safety Services, that we would review what we had on the raft and what we would need as well in emergency. He would also inflate it so we could appreciate the process, with hope that we would never have to do that again. We were greeted and escorted to a warehouse type room accompanied by our life raft. After a great in depth discussion of safety, when to deploy and board the raft, as well as options for safety equipment to stow, we eventually did inflate the rescue vehicle. As this had never been re-certified or deployed before, we found it was in excellent condition.
It was a great experience, however foreboding, to think of our precious Lost Loon sinking and having to abandon her for the safety of our lives.
We finalized options for our survival tent and were quickly on our way again, heading much further South, but now on vacation for SCUBA diving, snorkeling, fishing and relaxing!
Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the thing you didn’t do than by the ones you did do.
So throw off the bowlines.
Sail away from the safe harbor.
Catch the trade winds in your sails.
Explore. Dream. Discover. Mark Twain
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Making a move…again.. headed for dry storage….
June 2016
A ship in harbor is safe, but that’s not what ships are built for. John Shedd.
We needed to move the boat out of the water and to a place where we can get bottom work done. (In boating terms..). We had made a decision after the Bahamas trip that we would need to get the boat out of the water for cleaning and painting. Now there are several schools of thought on storing a boat in the water vs. out of the water. There is a definite advantage in keeping a new bottom paint away from the critters that chose to make their residence within the fertile growth that occurs on a boat that sits inactive at the dock. These sea creatures can eat away at the bottom paint over time.(This is actually what marine paints are formulated to defeat this growth. From the origin of sailing and boating, mariners have tried to discourage the barnacles, and aquatic growth by adding all kinds of coatings to the hull of said boats. Before “we” were environmentally conscious (as well as safety aware for health reasons) boats kept in saltwater endured applications of arsenic, tar, sulfur, tin and pesticides! As time and awareness have evolved they have found newer compounds of copper that work as a biocide to prevent heavy marine growth. (OK…boring I know, just one more thing…there are so many paints for the hulls of saltwater boats its incredible. So what’s different? The concentration of copper mainly and how fast the paint wears away to reveal “another layer” of copper to work. And you don’t have to pain the bottom every year!) Just so you know that we don’t needlessly spend hundreds of dollars just to have a “nice looking bottom”.
In hauling Lost Loon out of the water, we would also realize a benefit on our insurance. Additionally she needs to stay above or close to the 31st parallel to stay within the provisions of our insurance policy. So, the closest location to Brunswick Harbor Marina would be St Mary’s Boat Services, a marina that would allow us to have the boat “on the hard” (a nautical term use when you don’t have the boat in the water) in order get some work done and be safe for the summer. The location is just about 40 nautical miles south of where we were currently located. But before we just loose the dock lines and motor off to St Mary’s, we were obliged to get permission from the insurance company as this was at 30 .44 degrees north latitude (every so slightly south of the 31 degree line in the sand we are held to). It took a few days of emails, phone calls, and of course an additional $50. added to our policy (there’s always a hand waiting for money) to get the insurance company to “OK “ the new location just south of 31N.
Once we knew we were clear to make the move we had to decide on a route. We would have 2 choices : #1- intercoastal waterway all the way: full day of motoring basically down a “riverway”, this would require us to leave early in the morning and anchor close to the marina overnight to make the final approach up the creek early morning so we have good light in narrow waters navigating to the marina. (This could also prove to be a VERY LONG HOT trip) and #2- an overnight ocean passage out St Simons inlet south along the Atlantic coast about 20 miles and back into St Mary’s Inlet with arrival early AM at the St Marys inlet for a daylight creek approach early AM for a mid day hauling. Technically, either way this is a 2-day event. We made the decision early on to take the outside journey.
We knew we needed to leave by 12AM to arrive at St Mary’s by 7or 8 AM , (given good weather). As usual we watched the weather for days prior to our arrival in Brunswick, with the hope we had that 7 or 8 hour window to make the run. We had noted a very clear weather window to St. Mary’s on Friday night and that our chances of running into storms increased Saturday and Sunday.
To add to (or complicate, depending on your view of the yin and yang of things) the decision making process, we had reservations to meet up with friends in Marathon for some snorkeling, spearfishing and diving Monday night .
We planned our arrival in Jacksonville early afternoon Friday, and we would drive to Brunswick , replace a fuel filter (critical), uncover Lost Loon, obtain some meager provisions and head off into the night. Sounds good on paper (or the Excel spreadsheet) but in reality flights get delayed, it takes 2+ hours to replace the fuel filter, and we find that some of our navigations lights are not working.
Yes, we arrive in Charlotte, NC and our flight is delayed by almost 2 hours. We have our sweet daughter, Kelsey, now waiting patiently at the airport in Jacksonville for us. She has kindly driven down from NC to help us with transportation, join us on this overnight journey and the rest of the week in “the Keys”.
A Plan in Action
We retrieve our baggage on arrival at the Jacksonville airport, head out with haste in a very full vehicle (with just enough room left for people), and make our first stop in St Mary’s to inspect the marina. We quickly depart after meeting the owner finding this marina very sufficient for storing Lost Loon for the Summer, making tracks north to Brunswick Landing as planned to begin our ship preparations. After removing the trusty canvas that has protected Lost Loon from tons of bird doo-doo in the last 2 months, we debated about who might jump overboard and check the prop. (This wasn’t the Bahamas, Dorothy, it was late in the day with sun approaching the horizon and water that is brackish..i.e., salt and freshwater combined that moves very slowly through the marina.)….Luckily (for me and Kelsey), Mike made a quick decision to snorkel down 3-4 ft from the surface to check on the aquatic growth. We knew this was of primary importance as on a previous trip we had tried to maneuver with a prop that was so full of growth we were moving out of control. That was before we realized the amount of growth that can accumulate on a boat sitting at the dock. We had tried to get our “dive-guy” to make a visit, but in all the preparations to get away we had not called him in enough time to get it done. But…Viola! The report came back with very few barnacles and little to no cleaning needed! Job 1….check!
Next, I begin to reorganize and Mike started on the fuel pump. We had last left her after the Bahamas we had removed and folded the sails, stored the life raft, removed the solar panels, and stowed the Bimini canvas. So the salon , forward and aft cabins along with the galley were quite full of equipment, in addition to being quite near 100 degrees upon my arrival. The goal that evening was to make enough room for 24 hours of living and resting to make the trip. That process went well (however very warm) and I was able to secure some items on deck and along the starboard and port walkways to make room. We sent Kelsey off for some provisions and cold beverages, enough to help us get through a night while we continued the work. Later in the evening as the sun was actually setting the light available to Mike in the port lazarette, where the fuel pump resides, was getting dark. Like a surgical assistant, I provided light, towels, and precise tools for completing the job. It was hot down there and any hint of a breeze had disappeared with the sun. With the new pump in correct position and all the lines connected…Jobs 2 and 3 were done.
It was dark when we started the engine and found it wouldn’t keep idling. Air. Of course, there was air in the lines..a quick bleeding from the engine side and it was back running like it should. It was after 9 PM and Mike connected the instruments as I made a check of fuel and navigation lights. I found no stern lights and the deck floodlight flashed and wouldn’t come back on. Now, there is a moment in time when you realize that your said plan needs revising or scraping, this was that time. So at roughly 9:30 PM after we had sweat to the bone trying to get the boat in order to leave…we had to scrub Plan A.
Moving on to Plan B
The air hung like the moss from the stately oaks and cypress down the street, it was heavy and still. We were in no position to combat that all night without a bit of air conditioning and so we quickly connected to Hotels.com for a cool and refreshing nights sleep. We knew we had another 24 hours or so before another attempt at leaving Brunswick for Lost Loon’s summer home. If the weather changes…well, there is no Plan C, we would exhaust our window and have to leave the boat at Dock 15, slip 23.
We broke one of the first rules of sailing and that is leave enough time for weather window. We would have to suffer the financial consequences with the insurance company, but knowing safety is first and foremost, that would have to be.
Saturday morning arrived bright and as hot and humid as we left it Friday night. Plan B was hatched before retiring: leave Kelsey in the comforts of the hotel (no use everyone of us baking in the summer sun), shop for replacement lights, attend to a few other small jobs and hopefully spend some time relaxing near a refreshing body of water. By noon we had retrieved Kelsey, stopped for more provisions and lunch and soon found ourselves sitting by a local Jekyll Island resort pool. No harm we borrowed a swim as an escape from the very hot near 100 degree day again, might have shared a cocktail, and checked the weather radar at frequent intervals (like a football coach getting ready for game night we reviewed the game plan, confirming with each other that we were ready to go.)
We had dinner at a very nice Brunswick establishment The Southern Table, where they touted the true southern atmosphere. The waiters and servers wore bowlers and black suits. The crab cake, salads, and blue crab mac and cheese dinner were original and delicious. And the sweet tea was wonderful and obviously brewed to perfection. We sat in conversation about the days events and continued to monitor the radar. The offshore prediction center had increased the possibility of storms from scattered to about 20%. We returned to Lost Loon about 10 PM. We arranged the car that we would have to retrieve the following day via UBER and set to rest an hour or so. We found ourselves lying in the cockpit and across the deck for a whiff of cool air. We watched lightening move from the northwest to the east just north of us. At one point we decided that we would take respite in the community room, where there was AC. In anticipation we couldn’t sleep, but even for the 30 minutes we were still and cool. By 11: 30 PM we were ready to move. We had seen storms pop up on radar and dissipate quickly as they approached the coast.
We eventually were able to confirm that there was nothing approaching on radar that was ominous and decided that since it would be about 1 ½ hours to reach the coastal waters, we had time to watch for “ominous” and turn back. We cast off the lines, had the fenders stowed and were motoring out under the stars and light of a near full moon in leave of Brunswick at 12:15AM.
Up next…..the approach to St Mary’s….the first storm.
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Returning Home….and What We Learned
April 27
We finished dinner underway and discuss night watch assignments. As usual, we also went thru safety measures, set up our jacklines (heavy duty straps that we can clam into if we need to go forward in the night or in rough weather) and retrieved all the safety tethers and life jackets from below. It was dark quickly, and we lost our partially full moon a few days before. It was amazing that once our eyes adjusted to the darkness…there is some light. You can actually make out the waves and some of the horizon in general. It is comforting to be able to see that there you are not headed for any unlit obstructions. Again the hours pass on watch. This time is consumed monitoring the AIS (ship identification program) , radar and visual check of 360 degrees around the boat for other vessels in the area. We also monitor the engine and direction of the wind and speed. So we keep busy enough for a few hours.
As we approach the middle of the Gulf Stream, about 2:00 or 3:00 am in the morning we find that our speed with the wind and the Gulf Stream current reaches 8 or 9 knots! This is almost twice as fast as we usually travel and we are clicking off miles like a teenager with an allowance to spend at the mall. The previous watch can’t wait to tell the oncoming watch of the ship events and speed record.
Morning mid ocean awakens us with a few more waves and action. This is nothing Lost Loon can’t handle, just a little more caution required going below. We are thankful for all the handholds that make transit forward and back non-traumatic. Hot coffee is welcome in the morning along with whatever breakfast food we are able to manage in the current seas. And at some time during late morning of fishing, reading, or resting we realize, that with the acceptable time we have made thru the Gulf Stream current, we may manage to arrive 24 hours early! Of course this also depends on the weather holding in the direction of our heading this could be possible.
That afternoon we celebrate the Abacos trip with one last Captains hour before our last night at sea, we are about 16 hours from landfall at St Simon’s Lighthouse and we discuss the educational aspects as well as highlights of the voyage.
In no particular order…..
When pulling the fresh Mahi out of the water, slit the gills over the water, this prevents a blood bath on board and 2 hours of scrubbing and cleaning the bright work, canvas, lines and decking
A week in the Bahamas on a sailboat is not enough. The island chain is enormous.
Two Raymarine electronics that are SUPPOSED to work together, sometimes done….Neither wants to be the repeater, they both want to be the Master…as in life.
You cant depend on the wind, you need a diesel much of the time.
Navigation by GPS is awesome, AIS is the cat’s meow to navigating at night. (When the Master and Repeater decide to work together).
How liberating it is to live on a sailboat for a week!! Yet how nice it is to set foot on a deserted beach, explore the reef and ruins left behind by so many others whose footprints have since washed away.
Captains of 1000 ft cargo ships will re-route their ship so as not to run you over. However much trouble that may be, makes me feel safer they’re watching and not napping.
The painter on the dinghy need to STAY OUT of the dinghy Mercury prop in order to maintain forward propulsion.
Night shift sailing can be the most relaxing or the most nerve wracking.
Rubber protector tips on spear guns protect you, your gear as well as the fish , if you fail to remove before shooting. Just gives the fish a headache and provides fodder for jokes months to come.
Trust your instincts, as well as the professional opinion of the paid weather routers when making the decision to cross the Gulf Stream after days of delay.
Conch bites are better than conch fritters, but never as good as lobster bites in the Bahamas.
Unfortunately small birds don’t fair too well taking a bath in soapy dishwater, the do however provide hours of entertainment when they decide to catch a ride with on your sailboat across the ocean.
You can take all the picture in the world of sunsets on the ocean, but to capture the true beauty you have to be there and experience the changing intensity of color, the taste of salt in the air and the sounds of a light breeze passing through the halyards as night begins to take hold.
Stealing a quick swim at the marina pool or in 2000 ft of ocean water after a long day of sailing can feel like heaven.
Putting up the sails and turning off the engine is …priceless.
Ham radio operators are the kindest and sweetest when you are in the middle of the ocean trying to connect with family across the miles or obtain weather information.
At 545 AM in the middle of the Atlantic Gulf Stream you can have a night sky to port with a full moon and daybreak to starboard with a sunrise. Never imagined I would ever see that.
Returning home stirs mixed emotions…Like any vacation it wouldn’t be a vacation if you weren’t returning home. We look forward to this being our routine…someday.
The night is fraught with thunderstorms surrounding us noted on radar, that luckily never come close enough to affect our travel. We follow a few cruise ships across the Stream, then realize they We arrive at St Simon’s Inlet in Georgia at daybreak.
We are welcomed by shrimpers and fishermen heading out to sea for a days work. We pass container ships waiting in the high seas for daylight to head into their dockage in daylight.
It is about an hour and a half trek from open ocean to Brunswick Landing and our slip on dock 15. We arrive by 9 am as the fog and clouds are lifting. We hear calls on the radio about the unfortunate loss of life the night before during the storm we watched from a distance out at sea. It is a small fishing boat that is turned over and 3 persons are missing. It is a strange feeling to know that we have come hundreds of miles in some of the deepest ocean and lives can be lost in local shallower waters on a whim.
Our final task on arrival, aside from cleaning out the boat and making preparations to close for the season, is to contact US customs. We make a call to the local authorities who indicate that they will arrive before noon. We begin clearing off the deck, taking down sails and organizing equipment. Customs arrives in triplicate. We have the cruising paperwork and passports ready for them. They inspect the vessel and aside from giving us a lecture on not bringing back fruits and vegetables (which we originally purchased in Jupiter FL) as well as opened cheese meats, we are cleared….back in the USA
Thanks for visiting! I love your comments! Come back soon…Lost Loon adventures continue!
Apparently Sailing 