West End, Grand Bahama

December 21, 2017- December  24, 2017

Getting the transmission cable shipped to Freeport turned out to be more difficult than expected.  Bob made numerous phone calls to FedEx, first to establish an account and then to create the shipping label necessary for Advantage Marine Supplies (AMS) to ship the part.  Then, of course, it took several phone calls to AMS to convey the correct procedure for the shipment and finally to get the tracking number.  We later discovered that Bob had racked up over $100 in phone calls.  The rest of that day was spent wishing and hoping that the part would make it to Freeport the next day.  

Here is a view of the marina restaurant
and shop where we 1st discovered we
needed a new sim card to activate our phone.

On the 22nd Bob received an email that the part was on the plane in Miami and would be in Freeport that afternoon.  Before lunch we took the resort shuttle to the BTC office to reactivate our phone only to discover that they were out of minutes and couldn’t help us.  After lunch we rented a car to drive to Freeport, hopefully, to pick up the cable.  Yes, we are optimists.  Bob was navigating while I was driving (on the left side).  We stopped at another BTC office and were able to activate our Bahamian phone (one important task checked off our list).  When we got to the FedEx office we were told that we needed a printed instead of a hand written receipt to be able to get the cable through customs.  This required another call to AMS and the promise of emailing the receipt to us and the FedEx office.  Just another thing to worry about.  We waited around Freeport for awhile just hoping to hear something positive about the part, but instead we found out the customs office was closing early on Friday (the 23rd) and would not be opening again until 12/27.  This meant that if the part did not clear customs before the office closed we would be stuck in West End until at least 12/28.  We got home safely even with the many crazy roundabouts that were so unnerving when driving on the left.  We both had a good stiff drink for happy hour.

All of our troubles did not reduce the beauty of the area.

After quick showers, we headed to Freeport in the morning with high hopes for successfully obtaining the part.  We arrived even before the FedEx office opened.  In the same shopping center was a cafe that served patties (pastry filled with meat and/or cheese and vegetables) and Starbucks coffee. The perfect place for breakfast while awaiting out our cable’s arrival.  Once the FedEx office opened we were informed that their agent was waiting for all the days deliveries to pass customs and would be back to the office around noon.  Two and a half hours of stress later we returned to the office and were told the agent wasn’t back yet….15 more minutes.  Back at the coffee shop we had another Starbucks and waited.  Waiting is not my forte so I browsed the shops nearby just trying to distract myself from the possibility that the part wouldn't arrive.  When we walked into the FedEx office for about the 5th time the agent left the counter and after a few minutes came back with the cable.  Bob and I both breathed an audible sigh of relief.  

We drove to Silver Beach and a tiki hut restaurant called Bernie’s (highly recommended in Trip Advisor) for a lunch of grilled lobster tail.  Bob had a rum and water but I stuck with plain water as I wanted to be totally alert for driving home on the left side.  The restaurant was constructed of what appeared to be salvaged wood and tree branches for the roof covered by a quickly disintegrating tarp.  It was quaint to say the least, but the food was excellent.  We found a local grocery store and purchased everything we needed for our Christmas dinner then headed back to the marina.  After such a stressful day we decided to wait until the next day to install the cable.

The cable installation went well, two and one half hours as compared to four hours the last time in Vero Beach.  We had lunch at Teasers Tiki Bar on the beach and then completed all of the chores necessary to be ready to leave in the morning.  At happy Hour we decided to go back to the tiki bar and try a Bushwhacker drink which many of the patrons had been drinking at lunch time.  It is a frozen drink consisting of ice, dark rum, kahlua, and Bailey’s.  It was served in a 12 ounce cup and looked like a milk shake…delicious. Almost too easy to drink.

On this sea wall is the customs office,
showers, marina office and the fuel dock which
we visited just before we left West End

On 12/24 we got up early filled our water tanks and headed to the fuel dock to fill up on diesel and settle our bill.  Our stay cost us almost $600.  That blew our mooring budget for the month so we will be anchoring out now, which I prefer anyway.  When we are in a marina we tend to eat out too much and get used to air conditioning and unlimited water.  

My next blog will cover our trip to Marsh Harbour and our stay there.

Thank you for reading my blog.

Crossing the Gulf Stream to West End, Bahamas

December 19, 2017 - December 20, 2017

We got up a 2:30 am and weighed anchor before 3:00 am to start our Gulf Stream crossing.  At first, I was a bit freaked out by barreling ahead at 6 knts/hr into what seemed like a black hole. However, once I got my night vision and could make out the horizon I started to relax.  We had an easterly wind of about 3 knots per hour which made for some rollers.  The rollers were hitting us at an oblique angle causing a bit of rocking and rolling, but I was fine as long as I could see the horizon.  I took the second watch at 4:00 am.  Looking out over the bow to the ocean, watching for other vessels, and guiding our vessel on its course gave me the feeling of a real adventurer.  At that point it seemed as if I could go anywhere.  On my second watch (6:00 am-7:00am) I was blessed with watching the sunrise from the first light tinting the horizon with a reddish hue to the vista of the sun peeking over the horizon in all its range of colors.  I can’t think of any other time in my life that I have observed this phenomenon.  

Once the sun was well up into the sky the deep ocean water (our depth sounder quit registering the depth at 468 feet) became a gorgeous indigo blue.  If you have ever been on a cruise ship you have probably observed this shade of blue.  We watched for flying fish that leap from the water spreading their aerodynamic fins to sail for hundreds of feet above the water. The flying fish use this technique to escape the jaws of the dorado fish that like to eat them. We didn't see any dolphin on this crossing. The crossing was long but uneventful until we motored into the turning basin of the Old Bahama Bay Resort and Marina in West End, Bahama…  

When Bob tried to shift into neutral to slow down and tie up at the fuel dock the shift lever didn’t work.  With some quick decision making he immediately lowered the anchor to prevent us from crashing into the rocks of the break wall.  I went below and tore apart the drawers that give access to the engine compartment.  We experimented a bit with the gear shifting and determined that something was wrong with the control cable.  Bob called the marina to get our slip number, explain our situation, and get some dock hands to help us into our slip.  I was below manually shifting the gears as Bob yelled out the gear he needed the boat to be in as he guided the boat gently into the slip.  As soon as the dock hand grabbed our stern line I was up on deck to help complete the docking.  I was rattled, to say the least, and could not think of how to tie a bowline knot to create a loop at the end of the line.  The dock hand took over and skillfully tied us to the piling.

Okay, major crisis avoided…Bob checked us in through customs and we registered at the marina office.  When we took the pedestal apart to look for the transmission cable problem (foolishly hoping it was something simple) we discovered that the cable we had just replaced was broken.  Bob got on the phone to Advantage Marine Supplies in Vero Beach to locate the cable we needed while I walked back and forth (about a quarter of a mile one way) to the marina office to figure out a way to get the part to Freeport and then to the Marina (FedEx, etc. does not deliver to West End, Bahamas).  By the time we located the part I was ready to go back to Florida for the winter.  I was exhausted, discouraged, and hungry.  Bob nixed that idea even though the shipping  the part was going to be a convoluted process involving a rental car to pick the part up in Freeport. We headed off to Teasers Tiki Bar for lunch and a Kalik (Bahamian beer).  I was feeling a little better, but still stressed about the situation and the uncertainty of the part arriving in Freeport with any kind of promptness.

After a good night’s sleep I was feeling a bit better.  We had breakfast at the Marina restaurant (vowing only to eat one meal out a day, LOL) and then came back to the boat to do some chores.  Bob walked over to the hotel office to use the WIFI and post his blog while I took a relaxing walk to the pool to test the water temperature (it was cool but pleasant) and to explore the beach.  

It’s hard to stay pissed off by the curve balls life throws you when this is the kind of place your “stuck” in waiting for a boat part.  By the time I got back to the boat I had accepted our situation and realized that being flexible is a great part of this cruising lifestyle.  Sure we wanted to spend Christmas in Marsh Harbour, but is West End a bad alternative?  Most cruisers claim that cruising is just boat repair in exotic ports and I am swiftly learning this is a true statement.

Here's the pool...

the beach...

the view from our pier. See what I mean?

My next blog post will chronicle our stay in West End and our boat repair.  In the meantime, have a great holiday!

Thank you for reading my blog.

Vero Beach, FL to West Palm Beach, FL

December 10, 2017 to December 18, 2017

By the time I got back from Sarasota to Vero Beach a cold front had come through and the temperature stayed chilly for four days.  Highs were in the mid 60s and the lows were in the high 30s-low 40s. Quite a change from the high 70s with high humidity. Even so the weather is better than the snow they were getting up north.

Our second week in Vero was a busy one.  We hired a guy to ride in a bosun’s chair to the top of our mast and replace  a connector on the antennae.  This didn’t solve the problem Bob was having with one of our VHF radios and our AIS reception but it eliminated one possibility of the problem.  The cats had to be seen by a veterinarian to get their international papers. We also bought all of the cat food and litter we will need until we return to the states.  Next, we had to provision for ourselves which took a trip to Walmart to get the nonperishable items and then on our last day at Vero we bought the perishable items at Publix.  There was, also, laundry and cleaning to be done. Bob spent a lot of time searching weather apps to find a good weather window for crossing the gulf stream.

All work and no play makes for a dull life. Consequently, we made sure we interspersed some fun in between all of the work.  Most days we ate lunch out, exploring some restaurants we hadn’t been to and returning to some favorites.  We, also, met some friends from our days at Hartge Yacht Yard in Galesville, MD for breakfast at The Lemon Tree.  The food was delicious and the conversation even better.  We visited another cafe, Cravings, for breakfast a couple of times. 

When the days warmed up we were able to enjoy lunch
on Mulligan's deck over looking the beach.
Eating while listening to the surf is a treat. 

Fishack is a funky seafood restaurant with great food
and atmosphere.  It's becoming one of our favorites.

Whenever, I was doing laundry I waited in the boater’s lounge where I met two other cruising couples.  Another boat rafted up with us for the last couple of days of our stay.  They were from Montreal and even though English is not their first language we hit it off right away as all cruisers have so much in common.  They were flying back to Montreal and leaving their boat on the mooring so we had to adjust some lines so we could leave more easily.  On Thursday we gave them a ride into land in our dinghy and a ride to the bus station where they were catching a bus to the airport.  We cruisers always look out for each other and lend a hand when we can.

Here's Rainy Days rafted up with Le Repos,
the French Canadians boat.
As you can see the situation
 promotes camaraderie.

Having the cooler weather made taking a couple of long walks very comfortable.   One was to the park where there was an arts and crafts show going on.  I bought some air plants for the boat.  We’ll see how well they do on the boat.  Captain Jack has already eaten the blossom off one.  The second long walk was to the beach and the beachside shopping district.  Fun, fun, fun.  I don’t need much now days, but I still love to look at all of the merchandise.

What do you think? Will they live?

After taking showers and topping off our fuel and water tanks we left Vero Beach at about 9:30 Saturday morning.  It’s sad to leave Vero, but fun to look forward to arriving in the Bahamas.

Saturday and Sunday were traveling days taking us to West Palm Beach where we anchored out in Lake Worth and waited for a weather window to cross the Gulf Stream which if nothing changes will be Tuesday, December, 19, 2017.

My next blog post will be about our crossing and our first few days in the Bahamas.

Thank you for reading my blog

St. Augustine, Fl to Vero Beach, FL

December 1, 2017 - December 9, 2017

 St. Augustine is a cruiser’s town (it even has a daily cruiser’s net to facilitate communication) and most cruisers stop over there on their way up or down the ICW.  It’s also an easy stop for those who are going outside in the ocean for the trip.  We always seem to run into friends in St. Augustine.  This time we noticed s/v Paperbird just behind us in the mooring field and stopped by to catch up with Greg and Lynn who are also from Annapolis.  Stories of our journey was the topic of choice.  Our neighbors from Anchorage Marina in Baltimore, John and Bobbie on s/v Satisfaction, stopped by our boat to chat, too.  Maybe that’s why it is always hard to leave St. Augustine, but we got up with the sun on Friday 12/1 and were on our way for the three and a half day trip to Vero Beach by sunrise.  When we get up that early we are always treated to a beautiful sunrise.

About two days of the trip were spent on the Indian River.  It’s wide and shallow with a dredged channel for the ICW.  Most of the time we were motoring in a straight line, keeping our eyes out for other vessels, and navigating the many bridges.  During my time at the helm I particularly enjoy watching the habits of the water birds.  The cormorant is a sleek black bird that sits low in the water and ducks under to catch fish.  We often see them atop day marks with their wings spread wide.  They do not have the oils most water birds have to waterproof their feathers so they have to air dry them in this way.  Brown pelicans are fun to watch.  They glide above the water so gracefully until they spot a fish and then they clumsily crash into the water with a loud splash.  Pelicans like to follow fishermen around waiting for a free hand out.  Sea gulls, of course, are plentiful.  I have seen them follow a pelican around and land on its back when it crash lands in the water.  I guess they are looking for an easy meal, too. Another excitement on the trip is dolphin sitings.  Many times they swim in our bow wake for several minutes or surface right next to the cockpit.  We’ve been told that they like to visit with other mammals.

Here is a cormorant drying its wings.

We dropped anchor three nights on our way to Vero Beach and found quiet pleasant spots.  The weather has been absolutely beautiful with lots of sunshine.  The mornings are cool, but we are in shorts and shirt sleeves by noon.  That’s why we make this long trip in the fall - we are looking for “weather that suits our clothes.”

On the last night of our trip to Vero our transmission cable snapped making it impossible to change gears from the cockpit .  Grabbing a mooring in the harbor the next day was quite a project.  Bob and I both wore our communicators and I went below and pushed and pulled on the gear lever as instructed by Bob.  Unbelievably, it only took us two passes to snag the mooring and get tied up.  After picking up our rental car from Enterprise we went straight to the marine store to get the needed cable. Bright and early the next morning we tackled replacing the cable.  After lots of cursing, struggling, and checking out ideas on the internet we got the cable replaced before lunch.  I was sure it would take all day a possibly a few trips to the marine store.

Vero Beach is another cruiser’s town. Our first few days in Vero were hot and humid without enough wind to keep the no-seeums at bay.  Consequently, we were a bit uncomfortable.  Vero is, also, the only marina that I know of that has boats share mooring buoys by rafting up beside each other.  We had neighbors from Virginia the first two nights.  It’s a fun way to make friends and talk about our experiences.

On Thursday-Saturday of the first week in Vero I was able to drive over to Sarasota to visit my children’s grandmother and dear friend, Claire.  She and her husband, Fred, are in the process of finding and moving into an Assisted Living Facility and I was there to lend a hand.  An added bonus was that Fred’s daughter visited at the same time and we reconnected after years of not seeing each other.  

More about Vero Beach in my next blog post…

Thank you for reading my blog.