Huricane season preparations

We are now back in Florida and have the boat hauled and strapped down for hurricane season. We decided not to head North for the Summer and had the boat hauled at Westland Marina in Titusville as I have a lot of work I want to do in the boat, such as replace all the seacocks, repair the exhaust mixing elbow, change hanging lockers into shelf storage, replace the remaining rug that was on inner hull inside storage areas, and install a new marine radio. We are also recovering the cushions in the salon area. We do have a place to stay in Lake Wales Fl about 1 1/2 hrs away and I can stay on the boat while working on it if need be. The dry storage areas here all have water and electric right at the stern of the boat so it is convenient for working, cleaning, and rigging the boat.

Crossing Back to the US.

 We left Marsh Harbour Marina with Michael on Casey Dee Thursday May 3 at 9AM and Sailed all the way to Great Sale Cay. We were going to stop at Spanish Cay, but Chris Parker our Weather adviser said that Sunday afternoon might have squalls so we pressed on. After a quiet night at Great Sale we left at 8 AM and got to White Sand Ridge on the Little Bahama Banks and started looking for the charted 10 to 15 ft water but could find only 24 ft at the shallowest. On the way to White Sand Ridge I did catch and release a small Barracuda.

  We anchored around 9 PM  and planned to sleep there until 4 in the morning and then leave for fort Pierce. Chris was having trouble getting to sleep as it was a little roll and it was a good thing as around 11pm Chris heard water running and when she looked in the floor grate forward of the engine water was running in the boat. When she woke me I opened the engine hatch and saw that the intake hose from the thru hull had come off of the raw water pump. After closing the thru hull valve and cutting off an inch of the hose and reattaching it to the pump we went back to bed. As a side note if you have a 2GMF Yanmar engine the hose fitting on the intake side of the raw water pump does not have any barbs on it, it is smooth and not very long. That will be fixed!! At around 4am we raised anchor and started on our way for Fort Pierce. We were able to Sail for about 20 miles and then the wind began to drop and the waves dropped from about 1 ft to dead calm.

  That lasted until about 15 miles out where the wind picked back up and we were able to raise the sails again. We got to Harbortown Marina around 4:30, tied up had drinks and a meal at the marina restaurant

Good bye to friends.

After a Winter in the Abacos and flying home a couple of times we sadly say good bye to all of our friends at the Jib Room and Marsh Harbour Marina. One of the boats, Blue Caribbean with Sean and Norman left a day earlier than we did. They left for Ireland via Bermuda and the Azores, a trip of over 3400 miles on a Cape Dory 30. We had a wonderful time there and plan to stop there again next year.

Waiting

We flew to Florida for 2 1/2 weeks and had a great time with family but the fast pace back home was overwhelming.We watched tv and had constant reports of crime and traffic accidents and wondered why we should return back home.The Bahamians are so relaxed and accepting of us,we got a hug when one of the workers returned from her vacation,so nice.I had a talk with a few Bahamians this week while relaxing in the outdoor Orchid Lounge here and asked what they feel is the reason for low crime and friendly atmosphere here in the Abacos.They feel that it goes back to loving mothers who have very high expectations of their children,they do not want to shame their mother and also were raised with the church an important part of their youth.
I will have a hard time leaving for hurricane season.Another reason is continued persistent wind,we missed a weather window to cross over while we were flying back and will wait again for possibly several weeks for another.
We meet so many interesting cruisers here and only a rare pompous fool. Last month we had a singlehander next to us who would keep the hatches closed and only surface very briefly for a hose down on the bow once a week,he had a ponytail atop of his head like a samurai.He grunted unintelligible greeting once in the several weeks being here next to us.So glad that he has left.
On the positive side we met a young doctor from Ireland and his wife just getting started in sailing.He is readying his Cape dory 31 for the sail back to Ireland having brought it here single handed from U.S.A.
It was a sad day when his wife flew home,it was nice to have a lively young lady here. I will worry with her as her husband and his friend navigate to Bermuda and to the Azores and then to Ireland.The mother in me today tried to talk him into leaving the boat here as a second home,can`t help but try to adopt these young cruisers.
We purchased a SSB radio in Fla. but will wait to install it this summer as we would have to pay duty to bring it here now.We get our weather via computer for our passage back to Fla.

Season of the Wind

  Sitting here yet in Marsh Harbor at The Marsh Harbor Marina,they make it hard to leave with great rates, entertainment and good old family feeling here. Last night the wind blew over 50 knot gusts for a few hours with lots of lightening and rain,of course Mike slept like a baby until I went on deck and found I couldn`t adjust the lines and we were banging the dock a bit. He woke up briefly and adjusted the lines and no damage. This winter was full of persistant winds of 20-25 knots with cold fronts more frequently than usual bringing strong gusts but no cold weather.
  We had strong wind on the nose going to Guana Cay for the Barefoot Man concert but finally a beautiful sail with no motor for the return trip here.The concert was really fun,we went two nights and had a blast. The Jib Room owners brought their boat too and they put on a yummy fish fry at the dock at Orchid Bay. They do so much for the cruisers here.
 We haven't done as much this winter but are always busy. I love to cook on board and grab new recipes off the internet to try, no spam and ramen noodle soup here. There is always boat maintainence including chasing rust off the deck from the salt water spray and watching for sun damage. Mike had to sew the dodger in places as well as the sacrificial sunbrella edge on the jib. The Sailrite sewing machine was worth the space it takes up. If bored we dingy or walk into town and sometimes pass the heat of the day playing Mexican Train Dominoes with other cruisers. Mike often shoots the breeze at the bar and since we switched this year to a cash only policy has drank more diet cola than rum, poor boy.
  I really miss my family this year so we decided to fly to Florida for my little sister`s wedding next month.We have learned that you can`t count on a good weather window and a deadline means trouble so we will bring the boat back across the Gulf Stream either May or June, we hope to catch some good sailing before then.

Guana Cay, Abaco

We finally loosened the lines and sailed to Guana Cay Yesterday AM. This weekend is the Barefoot Man concert at Nippers Beach Bar here on Guana and we have a group of boaters from Marsh Harbor Marina who are going to get together here on Guana Cay for the weekend and have a great time. We will rent golf carts and explore the Island and do some bar hoping. It usualy gets croweded here when the Barefoot Man plays so we wanted to be here early and be able to get a prime spot to enjoy the concert. We left yesterday before everyone else because the weather was forcasted to have squalls today and tommorow AM. We are now at Orchid Bay Marina and will be here until Sunday and from there who knows.

Sad Day

My Mom passed yesterday after a short fight with cancer, She was at home with my Sister Lu at her side and did not suffer.  Per her wishes we will not be having a funeral or services, please remember her in your own way and celebrate her life. We always had a great time as a family and I know we will all miss her.