On Our Way - 2nd Try!

We made it – we’re off! After a day of laundry, provisioning and (successful!) macerator repairs yesterday, we celebrated with a bar-b-que on the boat off our beloved Monument Beach. For our non-sailing friends, the macerator is essential to the sewage system on the boat – without it, we need to be pumped out, and there are very few opportunities for that in these remotes cays. So it was a must-do repair – thanks to my captain for his persistence and problem-solving skill!

Today we sailed (well really, motored) in 5 knot winds to the Bahama Sound area through Rat Cut. We’re now cruising in Paradise – just meandering our way through the 365 cays (one for each day of the year) – for the next two weeks. As we get more remote from George Town, our internet connection may get weaker, so don’t be surprised if there are fewer posts. But for now, the cell booster on the mast is working (yay!), so I’m taking advantage of it while I can.

We’re currently anchored off Rat Cay, surrounded by turquoise water and little sandy beaches flanked by corral heads and dense greenery – and that’s all we can see for miles, except for the occasional sailboat. I imagine the pink iguanas that inhabit these cays are watching us – but we haven’t seen any sign of them, yet. Maybe a dinghy trip to the beach tomorrow will turn up a few. Here are some pics from our trip today, including a watercolour painting inspired by the surrounding scenery …

A Boat Care Day

January 16, 2015

We woke up this morning to a beautiful day with lots of wind – “shall we sail today?” I ask my captain.  “Maybe after I fix the macerator”, he responds.

Well, here it is – 5:00 pm – and he’s been working on it all day unsuccessfully, though he’s tried everything except changing the pump. That’s next …

Meanwhile, I spent the day removing endless rust L. But we’re sitting here looking out at the gorgeous turquoise water and powdery beach, and I’m thinking, it could be worse - though it doesn’t feel much like a sailing vacation yet! Maybe tomorrow …

Here are pics of a hike we took yesterday to the monument this beach is named after, and the ocean on the other side of the hill – gorgeous! In case you can't make it out, that's a bald-headed eagle in the nest on top of the monument.

And We're Off ...

January 14, 2015

And we’re off ….

Oh man – it’s moments like these that we live for! After three days of boat repairs and set-up, and provisioning in George Town, we left at 4:30 for Monument Beach – a gorgeous anchorage on Stocking Island – about as distant as you can get from the town before heading away from Great Exuma. Our plan is to sit here sipping our coconut water and gin, and listening to the conch shells blowing at the breathlessly beautiful sunset, until the spirit moves us to head further north. The only sound I hear right now is the gentle lapping of water on the hull. Jeff is below shelling lobster tails bought fresh today from the local hairdresser – whose husband fishes and supplies the cooler in her salon. Purple clouds are scudding across the sky, and the water is like a mirror. This is heaven …

Dare I say it? Everything on the boat is ship-shape and working (for now). There’s always stuff to attend to – but nothing pressing. We keep appreciating how lucky we are to be able to do this, though we miss our family and friends. Please come and join us here if you can – we’re ready to entertain you.

January 11, 2015

From Frigidity to Liquidity

Yay! We’re back on Sea Change in Hurricane Hole 3, Exuma, Bahamas, waiting to have her bottom scraped clean of all the wildlife that has taken up residence there since we left the boat last Spring.

We arrived at the end of a cold front passing through – with high winds and periodic rain, as well as glorious full-arc rainbows – a dramatic beginning to what we hope will be another wonderful sailing adventure.

This place now feels like a third home – people recognize us and greet us warmly. The water taxi driver, Elvis (really) said: “Ah yes, Hurricane Hole 3, right? Here have a cold Kalik” (the local, very good beer) – as he transported us from Georgetown to our boat on huge waves, even in the protected harbour.

So we’re now unpacked and mostly settled in – though, of course, tomorrow is a national holiday, so no groceries until Tuesday. Ah well, we could probably live a month on the canned stores in our pantry. So here’s to turquoise water, 27 degree temperatures, Bahamian hospitality and Kalik – cheers!

January 12

The Adventures Begin!

We thought it would be a pretty calm day – we’re still at the mooring trying to sort out various small issues left over from Jeff’s “Mr. Fix-it” visit in November. I spent the morning cleaning below and settling us in, while Jeff mostly dealt with getting the dinghy motor hitched up. After I had scrubbed rust off all the “stainless” steel (yes, indeed L) on the deck, we both felt like a break was in order, so we took the dinghy (“Small Change”) out for a spin. The engine ran perfectly, and Jeff suggested we dinghy over to Chat n’ Chill on Stocking Island beach for dinner, since we had no fresh food or drinking water on the boat.

It seemed like a great idea until we puttered up to the beach, and the engine died! Oh-oh – how were we going to get home? After a great meal of Mahi Mahi (dolphin fish, not “Flipper”) we cautiously started the dinghy motor, and it ran – just. The only way we could keep it going was for Jeff to hand pump gas through the gas line, while I managed the tiller. We sauntered along at the speed of a fast walk, and managed to get back to Sea Change just before dark – whew!

We’ll sort out the engine problem tomorrow – for tonight, “Call the Midwife” beckons us.  Just another day of life on the boat.

A Dramatic Ending

Wow - that was a dramatic way to end our trip! After struggling to reinstate our data plan on Tuesday night so we could check the weather, we determined that Wednesday morning was the time to head back. The wind was right, the weather was decent, and Thursday was predicted to be much more turbulent. Besides, we had run out of food, drinking and wash water and propane - so it was definitely time to go.

We left at 8:00 a.m. in what looked to be a heavyish wind from the Northeast ("small craft warning" on our weather data). What they didn't tell us is that, once we crossed Adderley Cut into the open water, we would be surfing on 15-foot waves (no kidding), in 25-30 knot winds - whew!! Fortunately the wind and waves were mostly behind us, or on the beam, so it turned out to be a lovely, exciting 4-hour sail, right up to the dock in George Town.

The rest of the day was spent in washing the salt off the boat, filling with water and provisioning. Now we're happily at anchor in our favourite spot at Monument Beach, off Stocking Island, anticipating help from a fellow cruiser who has offered to climb our mast to deal with the few remaining issues up top (anchor light, etc.). So it looks like we'll leave with pretty much everything working - awaiting our next visit. We had a pasta dinner last night with our new friends on Anju - Christine and Phil, who helped us fix the solar panels, and that was our "good-bye to the Bahamas for this year" party :(. Now back to closing up the boat - the good news is, we'll see some of you very soon! So long for now ...