West End, Grand Abaco to Palm Cay Marina, New Providence

January 6, 2020 - January 9, 2020

By Monday morning the wind had died down considerably and all of the sailboats on our dock were getting ready to head out.  We said our good byes to Adrian and Sam as we headed to the restaurant for breakfast.  Our original plan was to wait until noon to leave, but we had all of our preparations done and left the marina at 10:00 am.  The sea was calm with gentle rollers until we got past Port Lucaya where we were no longer in the lee of Grand Bahama.  The wind picked up and the boat motion increased significantly and continued for the remainder of the trip. By the way, this was not what the weather maps predicted. I had taken dramamine which helped me avoid sea sickness.  During daylight hours Bob and I did two hour shifts at the helm and at night we changed to three hour shifts hoping to allow the off person time to sleep.  Unfortunately, with the rocking of the boat sleep was elusive.  I was even thrown off the cockpit seats onto the floor twice resulting in painful bruising to my left side and upper arm.  We passed through Nassau Harbour at 9:00 am and headed to Palm Cay Marina on the east side of New Providence Island.  I stood on the bow and helped scan the water for coral heads guiding Bob around them.  The water was twenty five feet deep at this point and the coral was probably far enough below us to make hitting it impossible, but better safe than sorry.  I could see all the way to the bottom through the clear turquoise water - beautiful! Once we got settled in our slip we showered and walked to the restaurant for lunch.  In our crazed and exhausted state (24 hours of bouncing around in the boat with little or no sleep) we ordered drinks, hamburgers, and ice cream for a total of $92.00 w/o tip.  It was delicious and the alcohol definitely helped with our much needed nap.  This marina has a residential section connected to it, a restaurant, a cafe, an outdoor bar, two swimming pools, and a beach. Even with all of these facilities it is still laid back and casual.

Villas line the beautiful beach

The porch of the restaurant overlooks
the pool and beach providing a magnificent view.

the pool is not heated, but the water
is a comfortable temperature.

The outside bar and lap pool are popular.

  

On our trip here our boat speed wasn’t as fast as normal.  On Wednesday morning I put on my new shorty wet suit, fins and snorkel mask to dive below the boat to check the prop for debris.  I found a big wad of ocean grass wrapped around the propeller.  Using Bob’s fishing knife I dove repeatedly to cut off the grass. It was great to be in the water. 

    

I placed the black line around the prop to make it easier
to get below the boat. I am quite buoyant.
You can see why the props movement
was hindered by the sea grass.     

We borrowed the marina car to drive to the BTC store to figure out what the problem was with the phone we had just reactivated.  Driving on the left is quite and experience.  

We needed to start happy hour right away after that ride.
Crazy, it just goes against all of your instincts.

Thursday started out as another beautiful day in paradise except for the strong winds.  Until this front moves through the area and the sea state settles down we will be in Palm Cay Marina.  In the morning we completed some chores on the boat, took some photos, and stopped into the Pink Octopus for lunch.  Bob had read a review that they had outstanding pizza and of course that’s what we ordered.  It was very good as was their green salad.  After lunch we had to once again visit the BTC office to get our phone straightened out as we still could not make or receive calls.  After a lot of back and forth between the store clerk and a tech specialist the problem was finally solved.  After our trip to BTC clouds moved in cooling the air down so my idea of laying on the beach for a couple of hours was nixed.  Maybe tomorrow.

 Evidence of the high winds are seen
in the motion of the fronds of the palm tree.

The rock jetties protect the swimming beach
 from the strong waves created by the high winds.

Thank you for reading my blog.

Vero Beach, FL to West End, Bahamas

December 30, 2019 to January, 5, 2020

We were waiting for a package containing light bulbs for our running lights which we will need on our crossing to the Bahamas.  Since they were to arrive by noon we spent the morning showering and finishing up some preparations.  When we made it to the fuel dock to fill up our water tanks the Fed Ex truck arrived and thankfully the light bulbs were there.  We left Vero Beach Marina at noon and proceeded down the ICW toward our anchorage for the night.  It was another gray overcast day with small bits of sunshine.  The wind felt good as we opened up the enclosure to facilitate the breeze.  It was great to be moving again, even Lola seemed happy to be on the move.  We motored down the Indian River until 4:30 pm when we anchored just south of the Jensen Beach Bridge.  We appreciated the sunset, even though it was not spectacular, since the no-seums kept us inside at sunset in Vero.

The sun is setting over the town of Jensen Beach.

On Tuesday we continued south to Lake Worth.  The ICW was crowded with fishing boats, jet skis, runabouts, etc.  It made for a hectic trip.  There were multiple opening bridges to maneuver through, but luckily we were only held up at one bridge waiting for it to open.  At Lake Worth we motored out of the inlet and then turned around and motored back to our anchorage.  Bob wanted us to have a clear track on the chart plotter to follow the next morning when we were leaving the inlet in the dark.

We celebrated the New Year by finally making our crossing over to the Bahamas.  The day started at 4:30 am with a 10 knot wind that caused the boat to rock and roll more than was comfortable. With nine hours of motoring ahead of us these conditions were discouraging. Thank goodness for Dramamine.  Motoring in the dark is always a little scary because all we can do is follow the rhumb line on the chart plotter to stay on course.  By mid morning the winds had quieted and the sea state had improved.  We discovered that about a dozen flying fish had landed on the boat in the dark.  The closer we got to West End, Grand Bahama the more the sea quieted and the better our attitude became.  We arrived at The Old Bahama Bay Marina at 2:00 pm exhausted but happy.

Lola was happy to be out on deck after our long crossing.

Our view from the stern of our boat

The marina also has a small resort connected to it
which provides us with some great amenities.
Since summer is their high season we were
able to enjoy the facilities without the crowds.

The marina is on the left and the
resort condos are on the right.

Thursday was sunny and warm.  Being surrounded by the beautiful water and palm trees of West End was exhilarating. For lunch we ate at Teaser’s Tiki Hut between the beach and the pool.  We were talking to the couple next to us when in the conversation we realized that we had met before.  They were the captain and mate (Adrienne and Sam) on the catamaran cruise we took six years ago in Bocas del Torro, Panama.  What an improbable coincidence.  They were our neighbors in the marina and we spent some time everyday with them during our stay in West End, mostly at Teaser’s Tiki Bar.  One day we had them in for lunch of lobster Mac ’n Cheese which I made using lobster bought from a local fisherman.

 While we sit at Teaser’s bar this is our view.

The beach is narrow, but the water is that beautiful turquoise color.

Relaxing in this hammock could be great 

after a couple of Bushwhackers at Teaser’s

On Saturday a couple stopped by inquiring about our anchor and Bob realized they are a couple with a u-tube channel that we watch. We talked for awhile about our experiences and our plans.  We will probably run into them again when we get to Georgetown, too. It’s great to have other cruisers to discuss ideas and plans with.

All of the cruisers in the marina were stuck in West End for several days because of… you guessed it - the wind. On Saturday night and Sunday we had gusts up to 30 and sustained winds between 20 and 25. Bob and I considered many different plans for continuing our adventure and have settled on an overnight passage to Nassau.  Hopefully, this will help us avoid being anchored out in an exposed bay in the Berry Islands when the next predicted wind event hits.

Thank you for reading my blog.

Vero Beach II

December 24, 2019 - December 30, 2019

Since we were expecting to leave Vero (cruisers call it Velcro Beach which I now understand since we have been “stuck” here waiting for good weather) the day after Christmas we had  much to do.

On Christmas Eve we started the day with grocery shopping and spent almost $500 stocking up on items which we will need in the Bahamas for the next several months.  Because of import duty items imported from the US are at least twice the cost in the Bahamas.  After we got all of the groceries on board I returned the car we had rented for a few days.   Back at the boat I spent much of the afternoon finding places to stow all of the provisions we had bought - not an easy task.  

Very similar to what I would do on previous Christmas days when I was surrounded by my family, I spent the morning cooking for the covered dish get together that was held in the boater’s lounge and for our upcoming trip.  At  2:00 pm we brought our dishes of au gratin potatoes with ham and cranberry sauce to the boater’s lounge and enjoyed the food and fellowship of the many boaters that attended.  There were even funny games planned.  After dinner we returned to the boat which was still in a slip and relaxed.  I heard from all of my children and my sisters that day.  I do miss them all so much during the holidays.  Bob had checked the weather and found out that our weather window had disappeared so we would be staying in Vero for at least four more days.  

The weather while we have been here has been ugly, overcast skies with occasional bursts of sun and rain.  Some days have been completely rainy.  Not what we remember about the Treasure Coast on previous visits.  

On Saturday we had lunch at the Riverside Cafe while we watched the Cotton Bowl Game.  Penn State beat Memphis University 53-39.  It was a close game until the fourth quarter when PSU pulled ahead.

On Sunday our friends, Mike and Vickie, picked us up for breakfast at the Lemon Tree on Ocean Blvd.  It was great catching up with fellow boaters and renewing our friendship.  After breakfast they dropped us off at Publix so we could resupply the foods we had already eaten from our Bahamas stash.  Bob noticed that the weather window had changed again and we would cross to the Bahamas on New Year’s Day which gave us little time to complete our preparations.  I did laundry in the afternoon. Next we brought our bikes back to the boat and stowed them in the quarter berth.  All fun and games of course.  We will leave on Monday to make our way to Lake Worth where we will make our crossing.  Unfortunately, my Aunt Mary Ruth (my dad’s youngest sister) died last week and I won’t be able to manage attending her funeral next Sunday, unless the weather changes and we can’t cross to the Bahamas.

Sorry, no pictures this time.

Thank you for reading my blog.

Vero Beach FL

December 16, 2019 - December 23, 2019

We are on a mooring ball in Vero beach which has its advantages over anchoring out. One advantage is being able to use all of the marina facilities for minimal cost.  Also, grabbing a mooring ball is easier and more secure than anchoring.  Mooring is less convenient than being in a slip though.  Anytime you want to go to land you have to go by dinghy which greatly limits your freedom of movement and sometimes makes you feel trapped on the boat.  Our mooring in Vero is close to the dinghy dock making land more easily accessible.  Weighing the high cost of taking a slip (if one is even available) against some of the disadvantages of taking a mooring - the mooring usually wins out. Unfortunately, in Vero the mooring field is surrounded by mangroves which host millions of no-seeums.  When we have a strong breeze the bugs are not a problem, but lately it has been calm in the evening and Bob and I have numerous bites.  Thank goodness for benadryl.  

Vero Beach is the only place we have encountered
sharing a mooring with another boat, but it works!

Biking around Vero Beach (ocean side) is safe and easy.  We can take quiet neighborhood roads to get to most locations with traffic lights or four way stops at main intersections.  To get to larger shopping areas for provisions and boat supplies we would have to bike over a bridge to a very congested area.  Neither Bob or I want to do that so we take the Vero Beach free shuttle bus across the bridge.  This feature is one of the reasons Vero Beach is so popular with cruisers. 

The weather has been overcast and rainy and with the no-seeum issue we decided to splurge and get a slip at the marina for awhile.  We also needed to get a rental car.  We felt like we were civilized for a change. LOL   At the marina we had shore power and could run our air conditioner to dry out the humidity in the cabin making life more comfortable.  Our first trip in the car was to Petsmart to purchase a soft carrier for Lola to get her to her Vet appointment to get her an international health certificate.  We also got the chance to eat at some of our favorite Vero Beach Restaurants; Fishack and Georgio’s Pizzeria. Both were just a good as we had remembered.  

The weather was windy and overcast for
several days in a row ...

And that is why we took a slip at the marina.

We left the carrier out for Lola to get used to, but she avoided it like the plague.  On Monday morning Bob had to grab her and we both shoved her into the carrier.  Fortunately, this carrier had an opening at the top so Bob was able to open it and comfort Lola on our trip to the vet.  She did remarkably well with the whole procedure considering her issues the last time we took her to the vet. 

Bob and Lola at the vet relaxing.
Notice the aviary in the background,
Lola loved it.

We finally have a weather window for our crossing to the Bahamas.  I’ll write about Christmas and leaving Vero in my next blog post.

Merry Christmas and thank you for reading my blog.

Daytona Beach FL to Vero Beach FL

December 9, 2019 - December 15, 2019

We hadn’t heard from the diver and we needed to drive to St. Augustine (a one hour drive by car) to pick up a package that had been delivered to the marina so I rented a car from Enterprise. While in St. Augustine we had lunch at Pizza Time and bought some pop corn at Kernel Poppers.  Back in Daytona we stopped at a Publix to get a few provisions and the liquor store nearby to replenish our supply of Tito’s and Sailor Jerry’s.  The diver called while we were shopping and Bob arranged for him to come by first thing in the morning to dive below the boat and find the life line gate. Let’s hope he can find it.

Unfortunately Daytona seems like a “has been” beach town.  I know their main season is in the summer, but there were very few shops and restaurants open.  We probably won’t stop here again.  Especially since we got hassled by a police officer for riding our bikes on the deserted sidewalk. You didn’t know Bob and I were such wild characters. :)

We got up early on Tuesday morning to take showers and get ready to leave our slip.  The diver got there around 8:30 and did his best to find our life line gate, but just couldn’t locate it in the two feet of mud under our boat.  We left our slip at 9:30 and had to slowly pass by the fuel dock so we could return our keys by placing them in the net the dock hand extended to us.  Unusual procedure!  After a long boring day motoring mostly in a straight line except for the canal between Mosquito Lagoon and Indian River we anchored just outside of Titusville just before sunset.

We anchored just in time to enjoy the sunset.

We left our Titusville  anchorage early only to run into fog so thick the visibility was down to about ten feet.  We decided to anchor near the J F Kennedy Space Center Bridge and wait for the fog to lift.  We sat there for about an hour but, better that then running into something! We spent the rest of the day motoring in a straight line down the Indian River - boring! We anchored at 3:00PM and braced for a possible thunderstorm.

The rain started during the night and continued throughout Thursday.  Our 28 mile trip to Vero Beach was just plain miserable.  Even with the enclosure we still get a few leaks. On the way into Vero I had to put on my foul weather gear to get the lines and fenders ready for docking at the fuel dock to get fuel, water, and ice before we went to our mooring ball.  I was outside in the pouring rain the whole time and even my foulies couldn’t keep me dry. I was truly soaked to the skin. We shared a mooring ball with another sailboat and were only feet away from the mangroves.  I knew no-seeums would be a problem here and they were.

 Lola stayed nice and dry inside the enclosure
while I ran around on deck getting us docked
 and then on the mooring.

The weather didn’t clear up until Friday and even then rain was still threatening. We did some chores and went out to lunch for the first time in awhile.  The Riverside Cafe is accessible by water so we took the dinghy over (after I bailed it out for the fourth time in 24 hours).  

Saturday morning was still rainy, but by lunch time it cleared up and we had a beautiful clear day.  We took our bikes into land and road to the beach, enjoying the clear air and the sound of the waves.  On our way back we stopped at a park that was having a craft show.  So many beautiful items were displayed.  We bought a harness and leash for Lola at one of the booths.  We’ll see how that works out.  Watch for pictures of Lola in her harness or me with scratches up my arms. LOL

Sunday was a lazy day.  After showers we rode our bikes to Cravings cafe for breakfast and a sweet treat.  Their Christmas cookies are almost as good as mine.  I stopped at the craft show again on my way back to the boat while Bob continued back to the marina. Back at the boat I took Lola out on the cabin top for some play time.  She loves to chase lines that I wave around.  

We will be here in Vero for at least a week looking for some good weather to head further south and then make our crossing to the Bahamas.

Thanks for reading my blog.  Sorry there weren’t many pictures.

St. Augustine, FL to Daytona Beach, FL

December 3, 2019 - December 8, 2019

We opted to stay in St. Augustine two more days so I had some time to enjoy the area.  The weather was chillier than I expected but bright and sunny.  One morning we woke up to 32 degrees, but the sun warmed us up by mid morning.  We had lunch a Pizza Time (voted the 2nd best pizza in the US by Travelocity) a couple of times and I purchased two large bags of popcorn from Kernal Poppers on St. George Street.  I like a mix of cheese and salt and vinegar.  Yum!  St. Augustine is a destination for Christmas lights.  Our last fall here we took the trolley tour one evening.  This year we enjoyed the lights on our excursions into town. Besides fun we had some chores to complete - laundry, grocery shopping, and hauling jugs of water from the fuel dock to the boat.  Our first trip for water (six gallon jug) proved to be too heavy for me to lift up to the deck of the boat from the dinghy and it slipped from my hands into the water.  In my frenzy to save it I almost went in the water too.  Fortunately, I only got my whole arm wet.  

A lovely courtyard in St. Augustine

A friendly egret that I watched
fishing for his meals.

The alter of the Basilica of St. Augustine
built 1793-1797 is located on Cathedral Street.

On Saturday morning we left St. Augustine at 7:00 am.  We were on a mooring ball and all I had to do is pull the line out of the loop on the mooring ball - no anchor muck to clean up and only one line to coil up - easy peasy!  We motored down the water way for seven hours passing through several high bridges and three opening bridges with no hold ups.  We docked at Halifax Harbor Marina in Daytona Beach at 3:00 pm and relaxed until the boat parade at 6:30 pm.  

This small boat was decorated with six trees.

A larger fishing boat decorated to the hilt

And my favorite ... the lights
say "Seas & Greetings".

On Sunday, Bob noticed that our life line gate had come off and fallen in the water.  He tried to locate it and bring it up with a net to no avail.  Our neighbor in the marina offered to drive us into the West Marine to buy the components for making a new one.  Unfortunately West Marine did not have what we needed so Bob decided to have a diver come in on Monday to retrieve the gate.  We’ll see how that goes.

We took a bike ride to Caribbean Jack's for a great seafood lunch.  Daytona Beach's season is from Memorial Day to Labor Day so many restaurants and shops weren't open at this time of year.  

I spent some time decorating the boat for Christmas.

Here's my Christmas galley towel!

Thank you for reading my blog.

St. Augustine, FL to Johnstown, PA and back

November 25, 2019 - December 2, 2019

We got up bright and early on Monday so I could meet the airport shuttle by 5:00 am.  It was cold and dark as we waited in front of the marina.  When the shuttle arrived it had a flat tire. AHHHHH! I quickly called for an Uber and one arrived in fifteen minutes.  I explained my dilemma  and the driver got me to the airport in time to get through security and make it to my gate just as boarding began for my flight to Baltimore. Once in Baltimore I had to exit security find the terminal for Boutique Airlines, go back through security, walk to the end of the terminal to find my gate. Once there I found out my flight was further delayed.  As it turned out the flight to Johnstown that was supposed to leave at 11:05 am left at 2:30 pm.  It was a tiring and frustrating day at the airport to say the least, but I arrived safe a sound at Jessica and Joe’s house around 3:30 pm.  After a quick nap Joe and I met Jessica at a restaurant famous for its wings.  Delicious!

My plan for Tuesday and Wednesday was to make matching sleepwear for everyone coming for Thanksgiving and help with the food preparation.  I got everything cut out on Tuesday and sewn on Wednesday.  Nightgowns for Jessica, Rachel, and me - a tunic and leggings for Lilli - PJ pants for Joe and Juan - it was lots of fun sewing and watching Netflix.  

Here are the ladies modeling their sleepwear!

Rachel, Juan, and Lili arrived Wednesday evening from Oak Park, IL.  What a great reunion and a fun night playing UNO and listening to Lili display her skill on the trumpet.  She started playing in September and is very good for a beginner.  Music has always been a big part of my life and I’m happy Lili is finding joy in music as well.  I wish I had a picture of Lili playing her trumpet.

Rachel and Juan relaxing in the living room

Thanksgiving was fabulous.  We started the day with a long walk/hike through the nearby park which covers many acres of land hoping to stimulate our appetite for the feast planned for later in the day.  The turkey wasn’t done until about 4:00 pm, but Jessica had planned for this with light snacks to stave off hunger.  While the turkey rested we baked corn casserole, mac and cheese, potato filling, and mashed potatoes followed by rolls. I used the drippings from the turkey and the broth from cooking the neck and giblets to make the gravy and made the cucumber salad. The table was set and decorated by Jessica and Lili.  It was a once in a life time feast followed by pumpkin and pecan pie (baked by Joe) topped by homemade vanilla ice cream.

Beautiful Table setting waiting for our turkey.

Snacks in front of the fire

Beautiful turkey resting

On Friday morning Rachel made two of her famous apple pies to add to our wide variety of desserts.  Later in the day we were joined by Becky and Al (my sister and brother-in-law) and Melanie, Joe and their two boys Jack and Mathew (Jess and Joe’s dearest friends). What a wonderful day!!! For dinner Joe made his famous meat sauce over spaghetti noodles with garlic bread and salad.  What could be better.  Everyone had the best time ever.

Becky, Al, and I just before they had to leave.

On Saturday everyone, but Rachel, Juan and Lili had to leave.  We still had the core family members there for a great game of UNO and a fun evening.

Sunday, Rachel, Juan, and Lili had to drive back to Oak Park, IL  after a breakfast of scrapple and scrambled eggs with cheese.  On Monday I returned to St. Augustine where s/v Rainy Days has been moored.  It was such a great week with two of my daughters and their families (Jack and Mathew are Jess and Joe’s god sons) plus my sister and her husband.  I love Thanksgiving with family.

My next blog will be about our stay over in St. Augustine.

Thank you for reading my blog.