Our Lives are Changing!

A view of the new house

After I returned from crewing aboard Celerity, Chris received a call from a recruiter about a position with Rybovich in W. Palm Beach. He went for the interview and returned excited so....

HERE WE ARE!

We packed up some belongings in Chris' car and drove it down to West Palm to leave it at the plant site and flew home a few days later. We stayed at the Holiday Inn Airport and spent most of the next 3 days looking for a house to buy. We found one that "fit the bill" in Tequesta and made an offer. They verbally accepted, but by the time that they received Chris' signed agreement which was sent overnight delivery, they had unethically accepted another buyer's offer for more money. Our realtor asked us if we wanted to outbid the "new" buyer, but Chris declined. He was justifiably upset! Everything happens for a reason is what we told ourselves.

Chris began his new position as Director of HR for Rybovich on August 10 so we left New Bern on August 8 in my car. Rybovich owns the Four Fish Inn and Marina in Jensen Beach and graciously put us up in a "Key West" cottage on their property. It's adorable, painted sky blue with a tin roof. The best part is living directly across the street from the marina so we can obtain our "boat fix" by walking across the street which is what we do nightly. We pour a glass of wine when Chris arrives home and walk the docks. On the first night of this "ritual" we spotted 3 manatees and I was SO excited!!!! I just wish I had our camera with us!

We spent the entire weekend looking at houses in Jupiter and Tequesta and nothing seemed to fit the bill and we were becoming discouraged. The prices were high and none of them felt "right" and like home.

On Saturday, August 8, we decided to ditch our realtor and struck out on our own. We turned on the trusty GPS and headed for water. We ended up in Sewall's Point and found a house across the street from the water with its own dock. We called the realtor who was the listing agent and she agreed to meet us on Sunday, August 9. She showed us the Sewall's Point house first and it was nice but still didn't feel "right" even though the dock was "calling to us". The second house she took us to was in Stuart, FL and near the I95 exchange (a big plus). We walked into the house and it felt PERFECT. Honestly, we just "knew". We looked at a few other houses, went back to the "perfect" house and ended up back in her office making an offer 2 hours later.

Our offer was accepted and the owners (Ji & Dennis) are sailors too. We bonded immediately and Dennis drug out his sailing photos of when he used to crew for Neil Young (yes, THAT Neil Young). Dennis & Ji are rennovating a house so we cannot close until October 29 but it is definitely worth the wait. We are excited!

Now...if I could just find a job, all would really be perfect!!!!

Yeocomico River

June 26, 2009
The "race" was on! "Outrageous", "Polaris" and "Celerity" all vying for anchoring first! All 3 boats took different routes to our destination. We tended to take the route closest to land, but ended up tacking lots to try and keep our sails filled. In the end, all 3 vessels took down the sails and motored into the Yeocomico River. The rudder stuffing box was really giving us fits so Dennis (Polaris) and Thom (Outrageous) kindly offered to take a look. While they couldn't see the rudder stuffing box, they were able to "feel" it and gave it two plus turns. Wa-la...they are brilliant. We now have a dry bilge and no more pumping. Melinda was SOOOO happy! While under way we kept checking, but every time we pumped, we came up empty. One problem solved anyway. Polaris hosted dinner aboard tonight, but unfortunately Melinda was just too wiped out to attend. She had been working all day fixing this and that and needed a night to crawl in bed with Molly and veg. The Polaris taxi graciously picked me up and took me to their boat for a night of wine, food and story swapping.

June 27, 2009
Anchor up at 9 am and all 3 boats motored across the Potomac to the St. Mary's River to anchor in Horseshoe Bend. St. Mary's is a really historical little town with lots of charm. Unfortunately this day brought nearly 100 degree temps and high humidity. We were miserable. We did stop for fuel and water at a marina that had a pool. Their Boat US Discounted rate was $1.50/ft. and we almost bit the bullet and took a slip, but we decided to rough it and go to the anchorage. Melinda put up the forward sunshade and that helped a bit, but it was just so hot and miserable that we didn't even feel like making dinner. We settled on sandwiches and potato chips. We did meet some nice folks aboard a Bristol Channel Cutter, an absolutely gorgeous boat in the anchorage. St. Mary's College had a very nice dock so we used that to take Molly ashore for her morning and evening romp of 15 minutes on dry land.

Fishing Bay (near Deltaville)

We spent an additional night in the Severn River since the weather wasn't cooperating. I did the laundry and babysat for Molly (Melinda's Schnauzer) while Melinda went with Teri and Denise to Walmart. We needed provisions for the rest of the trip.

June 24, 2009 - We left the Severn River and crossed Mobjack Bay (which is HUGE), around Stingray Point to Fishing Bay. I had never anchored there before as Chris and I went up the Rappahanock River instead to the opposite side of Deltaville. We were fortunate enough to have a small marina nearby where we could "land" and take Molly to shore. We also wanted to take on some fuel and water which we did the next morning. We learned a valuable lesson though--fill up the boat in the afternoon when you arrive! The next morning there were 3 sailboats all waiting for nearly an hour as 2 small power boats filled their tanks (not simultaneously). The first was a 16 ft. center console and he parked in the middle of the entire dock (big enough for two 40' vessels), the second boat zipped in right after the first even though it was obvious that three sailboats were circling to get onto the fuel dock. A Catalina 38 named "Almost" was really upset and ended up calling the marina, but it really did no good. We finally did get in, filled up with diesel and water and were on our way. Our destination was Sandy Point on the Great Wicomico River.

June 25, 2009
We motorsailed up to Sandy Point with "Polaris" and "Outrageous" and anchored in a cove that had a small beach. Celerity has a leak and Melinda and I started to count and time our bilge pump outs. Melinda was pretty convinced that it was a rudder stuffing box leak. I didn't even realize that the rudder HAD a stuffing box! In any event, the leak was obviously getting worse and it was on Melinda's mind A LOT! Also...the outboard was a big problem on the trip as it took 10-11 pulls before the motor would cough...and perhaps 11 more before it started. Dennis on Polaris came aboard with a can of STP gas treatment thinking that it may help. Melinda is convinced that the dinghy motor has a personal grudge against her!

Tracy crewing on Celerity

June 17, 2009 -
I drove to Norfolk to meet Melinda at Hospital Point. Her crew, Ed, had to return to Raleigh to meet some previously made commitments. He drove my car back to the River Rat Yacht Club and I will pick it up later. Our cruising "buddy boat" is Polaris with Denise and Dennis aboard. We all had dinner aboard Celerity and a great time ensued with lots of wine drunk, of course.

June 18, 2009 -
We cruised up to Hampton to pick up a whisker pole which Melinda purchased online. After a brief wait, we then cruised across to Willoughby Bay for the night. A HORRIFIC lightning storm hit us about 7 pm and it was the most dangerous lightning that I had ever seen. Melinda and I took turns getting up to peer out of the companionway in hopes that we could see the other 4 boats anchored with us to insure that we (or them) were not dragging. All told, we had over 5" of rain in a few hours and the dinghy looked like a swimming pool the next morning. A sleepless night to say the least with no hatches open. Yuk!

June 19, 2009 -
We left the anchorage and cruised up to the Severn River off Mobjack Bay to meet our 3rd cruising buddy boat with Terri and Tom on "Outrageous" (a Mason 43, beautiful boat). It's a LONG way off the beaten path to the Severn River Marina but the facility is nice with showers and lots of places to sit under an umbrella and enjoy the breeze.

June 20-22, 2009
We are still sitting at anchor in the Severn River and awaiting decent wind/weather. There have been thunderstorms nearly every day and the wind has been from the NW, which of course, is the direction we intend to go. The plan is to leave tomorrow morning and go up to Fishing Bay (near Deltaville) and anchor for the evening. Hopefully the cool breezes will continue and the 100 degree temps are gone until we reach DC.

Memorial Day 2009 - Ocracoke Trip

An impromptu "concert" aboard Long Gone with Lee Bettis & Zeke

Thursday, May 22, 2009 -
We left New Bern about 7:30 am and hoped to make it the whole way to Ocracoke but the winds were on the nose so we couldn't sail and the choppy water didn't allow for lots of headway. We made the decision to anchor out in South River and continue to Ocracoke the next morning. The weather was perfect with a nice cool breeze for sleeping. We were visited by a pod of dolphins with their babies which was just WONDERFUL. Vickie and Donnie from "Charisma" joined us in the anchorage about 6 pm and rafted up to Long Gone. We all turned in early with the hope that we would get a very early start.

Friday, May 23, 2009
We left South River about 6:15 am and arrived in Silver Lake at Ocracoke about noon. Luckily "Charisma" and "Long Gone" procured the last 2 slips at the Government Docks. As we were sailing down the channel, we heard a call to "Tally Ho". We met Andrew and Vanessa in Marsh Harbour and they were just on their way home to Maryland from the Bahamas. They too went into Ocracoke and anchored in Silver Lake. They dinghied over for a visit and we all made plans to go for Pizza the following day. On Friday evening Lee Bettis (an attorney from New Bern) came aboard and brought his guitar and we had an impomptu jam session. SO fun!

Saturday, May 24, 2009
Chris and I took a long morning walk to the hardware store and back stopping at several little shops along the way. Vickie, Donnie, Vanessa, Andrew, Chris and I all met at the Pizza place at 2pm for a late lunch/early dinner and we all ordered one topping (an Ocracoke custom). So....it was a pepperoni, sausage, sun dried tomato, mushroom, artichoke and garlic pizza. YUMMY! We ordered one to make sure it all worked together and quickly ordered another to go with all the Coronas!

On Saturday night we probably had the biggest group of musicians on the boat ever. We had 3 guitarists, a bongo player and about 30 folks showed up to sing along. At 10 pm we were visited by the Hyde County Sheriff's Department to ask when we might be "wrapping it up". That certainly killed the sing-a-long! It could not have been any boaters at the docks who complained since they were all part of the party!

Sunday, May 25, 2009
We left early on Sunday morning bound for River Dunes to meet up with "Alchemy" (Dave and Mia), "Picasso" (Faye & Phil) and "Three Sheets" (Vinnie & Sandy). It was a great sail over with just the right amount of wind. We did have to finally roll in all the sails as we neared Broad Creek as a rain squall hit with some heavy wind. We arrived at Grace Harbor about 1 pm and the guys promptly got into Dave's Dinghy to ride over to a new little bar at Paradise Shores. They claimed that the rays were spawning in the river and were everywhere! The girls stayed behind to enjoy the pool and multiple hot tubs. For dinner that night, we all grilled steaks by the pool, brought some potluck side dishes to share and had a great time. Dave drug out his boat guitar and we went down below on "Three Sheets" as the mosquitoes drove us indoors.

Monday, May 26, 2009
We left about 8:30 am and had a gorgeous sail all the way back to New Bern. The wind was perfect and we had a beam reach all the way up the river. It was glorious! We were back in the slip by 3 pm and waited for Vickie and Donnie to arrive about 5 pm. Back to the real world of job hunting.

Our Crewing Opportunity with "Enchantment"

Tuesday, May 12, 2009
We left Lew & Teresa’s in Virginia Beach this morning at 9:30 am. We stopped at a pancake place called “Pier 23” on the way out and treated ourselves to omelets before making the drive. It took us about 4 hrs. to get home but we piddled in Elizabeth City as we had never been there before and wanted to take in some sights. It’s nice to be home, I suppose, but I’m ready for the next adventure!!! Sorry for forgetting our camera on this trip - I was so upset that I left it at home!!!

Monday, May 11, 2009
We locked through the Deep Canal Lock at 8:30 am, their first opening and continued down the Dismal Canal. So much history! To think that George Washington first started dredging this canal in the 1700’s is pretty darned impressive. We met up with “Catharsis”, the catamaran in Oriental and another beautiful trawler named “Sea Flat”. When we asked if they were musicians, the captain said “no, my wife likes the seas to be flat” henceforth their name. Cindy and Merrill were first in line in the lock and when the spillway opened, it was a darned tidal wave. They had a very rough time trying to fend “Ambition” from the sides of the lock and we christened Cindy, “The human fender”. Seriously, it was pretty awful for them and the lockmaster should have forewarned them of the velocity of the incoming water.

We made it to the 2nd lock on the canal for the 1:30 pm opening and the lockmaster there was full of personality. He entertained us by claiming that he was “the world’s greatest conch horn player” and you know what….he was! His dog also greeted each boat knowing he was going to get some attention.

Merrill and Cindy left us at Portsmouth (sniff) and it was hard waving goodbye across the water. We’ve had such a great time with them but hopefully we’ll go up to Montreal for the jazz festival in July which they claim is absolutely the best anywhere.

Lew, Chris and I pressed onward to Norfolk where Lew was leaving the boat to get hauled on Tuesday morning. The last 2 hours of the trip weren’t pleasant – very rough and pitching seas with rain and chilly temps. We were happy to get tied up and ride over to Lew’s house.

Teresa, Lew’s wife, made mac & cheese, chicken and of course, we all drank lots of wine. Lew hadn’t seen her in 10 days so it was a happy reunion for those 2. Their home in Virginia Beach was lovely and very unique. Their hospitality was certainly appreciated! They even had “Lucy”, their tabby kitty for me to pet and get my kitty fix.

Sunday, May 10, 2009
We left the anchorage on schedule and decided after the Alligator River Bridge to go through the Dismal Swamp Canal. Chris & I had never been through it and it was just beautiful. It was neither dismal or swampy! Unfortunately we didn’t make it to the Deep Lock by the last 3:30 pm opening so both boats tied up together at the entrance to the lock. Cindy made killer chili and I contributed the cornbread and wine. Again, lots of wine, Dark & Stormy’s, laughter and friendship ensued. The weather was brisk and perfect for sleeping with open hatches!

Saturday, May 9, 2009
It was a GREAT day today as we made a record 83 miles. We traveled up the Neuse, through the cut, across the Bay River, up the Pungo River and went through the Alligator-Pungo Canal. We managed to get in a bit of motor sailing and anchored just after the Alligator-Pungo Canal. Unfortunately “Ambition” drug a bit that night and because of the winds gusting to 25, we were unable to raft together. Lew had some fresh Mahi in the freezer which Chris grilled and it was EXCELLENT. Lots of Dark & Stormy’s made with Goslings Rum & Ginger Beer brought back from the Bahamas was consumed and Lew even had COFFEE ice cream (my very favorite). We turned in early in anticipation for a 7 am departure from the anchorage.

Friday, May 8, 2009
We’ve agreed to be crew for “Enchantment”. Back in November as we proceeded south, we met up with Lew and Joe (the crew that cooked!) somewhere south of Wrightsville Beach and both boats stayed together all the way to Florida. We had a great time with them and met up with them again at Boat Harbour in the Bahamas. Lew & Joe again brought the boat back north, but Joe had to get back to Virginia Beach as his baby girl was turning 1 so Lew needed crew. We quickly volunteered to go. Even better was that Cindy & Merrill from “Ambition” had come down to New Bern for a quick visit and were also heading north so the two boats traveled up to Norfolk together. It was GREAT to be back aboard a boat again – even though it wasn’t Long Gone. We all went to dinner at M&M’s on Friday evening and agreed to depart Oriental at 7:30 am on Saturday.

Long Gone is HOME

Well.....it's been a WONDERFUL year indeed. It's bittersweet being home. We missed our friends and our families while we were away, but it's difficult being home too. The first night sleeping at home was strange for both of us without the boat's gentle rocking motion to relax us. We miss feeding our wanderlust, planning our route, the anticipation of seeing something new nearly every day. We also are back into the "real" world of realizing just how awful our economy has become, worrying about getting jobs and with land-based living, coming to grips on how to curb our spending. When we were on the boat in the Islands, there was nothing to spend money on (besides food of course)! No malls, no large supersized grocery stores, no fast food Burger King's around every corner, no fuel for our automobiles, no delivery of Dominoes Pizza! It was an idyllic life indeed and we are going to miss it, but we feel so grateful for this year. Not many folks get to realize their dreams and we did....and it was better than we had hoped! Thanks to all of you that wrote to say that they enjoyed this blog. I had a wonderful time sharing our adventure with you.

Thursday, March 26, 2009 - We're in Wrightsville Beach, NC

Almost home! The weather has taken a turn for the worse and we stopped into Seapath Marina in Wrightsville Beach. It's gray and dreary, chilly and damp. Ugh. Seapath has a courtesy car which we used to visit the local Harris Teeter store to buy a few things for the few remaining days. It's great to shop in a BIG grocery store again! Even better are the prices! In the Bahamas, for instance, flavored coffee creamer was $7 and today it was TWO BOTTLES for $7!!! And....I found Snyder's pretzels! That might not seem like a big deal, but it's something that I've really missed!!!

Our friends Bob and Debbie Cowen have graciously invited us for dinner and we're looking forward to seeing them tonight and catching up.

I sent my resume to a company that is servicing the Cherry Point base. Back to the REAL world soon. My feet will NOT be happy as I've not worn real shoes in over a year!!!!!!!

Wednesday, March 25, 2009 - Southport

We're in Southport Marina and will check weather to see if we can move on tomorrow. When I checked yesterday, it appeared that there was bad weather moving in and we may have to delay our northern progress for a day or two. Probably just as well as we have been moving EVERY day for over a week.

We were boarded by the Coast Guard today coming into Southport Marina - a quick visit to see if we had weapons aboard (we do), check documentation, safety gear, etc. It wasn't a biggie.

We're looking at the descending rain cloud and it is COLD!!!

Tuesday, March 24, 2009 - We're in Myrtle Beach, SC

We left Georgetown this morning and were lucky to get a tidal push all the way to Myrtle Beach. Weather Underground predicted 10-15 kts. from the NE. The NE was correct, but it was a steady 20 with gusts to 27....and it was COLD! We meandered our way through the Waccamaw and I just love that area! We'll check the weather tonight, but we're trying to get as close to home before the crappy weather predicted for Thursday and Friday hits. If we get stuck in Southport for a few days, that would be fine as we really love that area. Beaufort would be even better but that's being a bit optimistic.

We're at Barefoot Landing tonight so we'll get off the boat for a bit of retail therapy. See all of you soon.

March 23, 2009 - Long Gone in Georgetown, SC

Well folks, we're definitely bound for home.

It was our "intention" to anchor or take a mooring tonight. We scored a mooring on the first try, only to be told from a trawler anchored next to that mooring that we were too close. I ended up dropping the boat hook while listening to this guy yell at us so it was NOT a good time. We tried to find a spot to anchor in this crowded anchorage but none seemed suitable so we ended up coming into Hazzard Marine - a small price to pay for a good night's sleep with no worries. We're catching up with laundry, we'll have a nice dinner aboard and will most likely stay an additional day. We love this quaint little town, we're a bit "ICW road weary" so would like to actually sit in the cockpit, read a book, walk around (on dry land) and gaze at the historic homes and perhaps grab a glass of wine (or two) at Buzzard's Roost, our favorite watering hole here in Georgetown.

See all of you in New Bern in about 5-6 days or so (weather dependent). Pray for reasonable east or southeast winds!!!!! We're tired of nor'easters!!!!

Sunday, March 22, 2009 - We’re in Isle of Palms Marina

Change of plans. We had intended to anchor tonight in Dewees Creek, but we have 30 kts. of wind at the moment (on the nose of course). We had an almost hour delay at the Ben Sawyer Bridge after just missing their on-the-hour opening so that was nerve fraying as keeping Long Gone in the center channel was a chore in the current and wind. Chris made the decision to stop here since there was no protection from this wind at the anchorage and it's cold! Morgan’s Grill is right up the dock from us and they have Happy Hour from 4-7 plus live entertainment--too tempting for us to pass up.

Saturday, March 21, 2009 - Steamboat Creek Anchorage

Position: N 32° .36’.365, W 080° .17’.012
We arrived at the anchorage about 5:30 pm after fighting the wind on the nose all day. After grilling some steaks and playing gin rummy, this crew turned in early.

Friday, March 20, 2009 - We're in Hilton Head, SC

We left the Isle of Hope Marina today about 10 am so that we could time our transit time through Fields Cut on a rising tide. We made it through with no problem and no less than 6.5 ft. of water. We had intended to anchor out tonight but with lows in the 30's, it's nice to be plugged into the dock at Skull Creek Marina. Since we had a "light" day today with only 35 miles logged, we're hoping to make some miles tomorrow and possibly get to Steamboat Creek on the North Edisto River, my very favorite anchorage of all times! It's 58 miles though so that's pretty ambitious for us. See you in a week or so!

March 18 and 19, 2009 Updates

Wednesday, March 18, 2009 - Wahoo River Anchorage

Position: N 31° .36’.077, W 081° .12’.789

We fought 22 - 25 kt. winds all day today on the nose and the current was against us too. We stopped about 5:40 pm in this anchorage after transiting Creighton Narrows in skinny waters. The Canadian boat that we have been following off/on named Isabelle, a Tayana 38, ran hard aground today. We could not help as it was such skinny water and we didn’t think we had enough power. She called SeaTow and later joined us in the anchorage.

Thursday, March 19, 2009 - Isle of Hope Marina
We transited through the Florida Passage today as well as Hell’s Gate with no problems, thank goodness. We’re tucked in for the night at Isle of Hope Marina where we borrowed their courtesy car for a Walmart run. We had planned to take the bus to Savannah but the last bus returned at 3:30 pm and it was an expensive cab ride for the return. This crew is tired anyway so it will be an early night so we can be up and at ’em tomorrow.

Photos of Cumberland Island

The wild horses of Cumberland Island grazing behind the ruins.


We were lucky enough to get several shots of the wild horses at Cumberland Island.

The ruins of Dungeness, the mansion built by Thomas Carnegie in 1882 which burned in 1959.

The Greyfield Inn was down the road a bit, but by the time we hiked the trail to the ruins and to the beach, the sun was setting and it was time to dinghy back to the boat.

Oh...by the way, Ivory Lady, the Hatteras from New Bern is in the Golden Isles Marina at St. Simon where we are now.....

Tuesday, March 17, 2009 - We're in St. Simons

We stopped at the Golden Isles Marina in St. Simons. We needed fuel since it's 50 miles to the next fuel stop on the ICW at Isle of Hope. It rained most of the morning and was generally dismal but the sun is coming out now. We ran aground once today in 4.8 ft. of water, but it was a rising tide so we gave it a few moments and she floated off. We transited the dreaded Jekyll Creek today, one of the waterway's infamous shallow spots with no issues. We hope to go play tourist in a bit to explore historic St. Simon's Island. I would love to hear that the wind has changed directions since we're right here at the Inlet and it looked to be a really wide and safe inlet. If it's predicted to blow NE still though, it makes no sense for us to go "outside".

Happy St. Patrick's Day everyone!!!

Earlier pix that I didn't get to post

Chris caught his first fish - a Mackeral. He was sort of "bent" a bit from being crammed into our bucket, but he served as our appetizer that night - lightly floured and pan fried in butter/olive oil.


This photo was taken of the trail we took on Manjack Cay. It was about 2 miles long and went from the Sea of Abaco side of the island to the Atlantic side.

March 16, 2009 – Dungeness Anchorage

Position: N30º 46’.266 W081º 28’233

We are currently anchored in the Dungeness-Greyfield Channel

We wanted to go outside at Cumberland Sound but the wind has turned NE so we continued up the ICW. Claiborne Young’s Cruising Guide recommended this spot so we dropped the hook, lowered the dink and went ashore to tour the ruins of the Dungeness Mansion built in 1882 by Thomas Carnegie. It burned down in 1959 but the ruins are still spectacular. We hiked through the forest to the beach and saw many of the wild Cumberland Island horses. We took lots of photos, but can’t post them tonight as we’re using my cell as modem and it is SLOW! We’re planning to travel north on the ICW tomorrow through as much as Georgia as we can tolerate. It has just started to rain here. See all of you in a few weeks! We’ll post photos as soon as we have a fast internet connection.

March 10 to 14, 2009 Updates - Leaving St. Augustine

Tuesday, March 10, 2009 - A BAD Navigation Day and almost Jail Time!
We left Port Marina around 10 am figuring we had an easy day up to the anchorage near the Space Shuttle Launch. WRONG!!!! I did some laundry, hung it out on the rail, we went through the bascule bridge right by the marina and into the lock. The Waterway Guide claimed that there were line handlers at the lock but that wasn’t the case so I was hopping around quickly trying to set lines in the place to get through the lock. Then I was worried about the laundry hanging on the rail getting dirty in the lock so it was a busy time! After we came through the lock, there was an “intersection” and I (as the navigator) told Chris that we should turn “right” (north). HOWEVER….and this is a BIG however, we were to go straight another 6 or so miles before turning “right”. We actually turned up the Banana River, a NASA restricted area and also an area where NO motor vessels of any kind are allowed. We went up the river to the first bridge and we called, but there was no reply. Now, I knew that the marker numbers were not matching the marker numbers on my chart but I attributed that to us having an old chart. When we called the McAuliffe Bridge and told them we wanted an opening, we were informed that they couldn’t “see” us. Duh…..that’s because we weren’t in the Indian River, but instead the BANANA River. Once I realized our mistake (an hour too late), I also realized that we were in the restricted zone. We hightailed it back to unrestricted water, but as our luck would have it, we got stopped by a FL Law Enforcement boat. He informed us to drop the anchor which we then asked if we could do in deeper waters, we apologized over and over. He told us that being in that restricted area was a $132,500 fine, impoundment of the vessel, and 6 years imprisonment. OH LORDY!!!! About that time, a Fountain go fast boat with triple engines went speeding by us and the Officer ended up going after that boat. I told him that we were going to Harbourtown Canaveral on the Barge Canal so I figured he would meet us there later. He didn’t show….WHEW!!!!!!!!!!!!! The ONLY cool thing about the day is that we had an EXCELLENT view of the shuttle sitting on the launch pad. Kind of is a scary thing though that we actually got as close as we did before getting stopped. Oh….and we saw our first wild pink flamingos!

Wednesday, March 11, 2009 - Space Shuttle Day
Position: N 28° .32’.437, W 080° .45’.164
We got to the anchorage about 1:15 pm along with a dozen or so other boats. We were SO excited. Our excitement was dashed when at 4:00 pm they announced that the launch was postponed until Sunday - BUMMER! By that time, the bridges were closed for the 5 pm traffic so we turned on a great XM radio station, grilled some burgers, drank some wine and just chilled in a beautiful spot.

Thursday, March 12, 2009 - Daytona Beach
We motored the 52 miles to Daytona Beach (boring) and treated ourselves to a Pizza at Stavros and walked around the downtown area a bit. The Halifax Marina was a very nice marina with great facilities.

Friday, March 13, 2009 - St. Augustine Anchorage
Position: N 29° .53’.758, W 081° .18’.549
We anchored in a TIGHT anchorage north of the Bridge of Lions and it was so foggy that visibility was only about 50 ft. It was not a restful night as we were afraid that since Long Gone swings so much at anchor, we may swing into another boat.

Saturday, March 14, 2009 - St. Augustine - Camanchee Cove Marina
We’re out of groceries so we took a slip at Camanchee Cove so that we could use their courtesy car. Chris and I went to Walmart and the liquor store (we were almost out of wine - horrors!). We were wowed by the prices and probably bought two of everything. In the Bahamas, the groceries were so expensive. Like a bag of Tyson frozen chicken breasts in the Bahamas was $32 (no lie) and at Walmart it was $8! Tom and Linda from Tomlin Too came over for the last time (sniff) as they are going to their home in Arizona and leaving their Hunter 450 in St. Augustine on the hard. We’ve been traveling with them for well over a week. We grilled some steaks, they brought some wonderful shrimp which we grilled and of course, drank some wine!

Sunday, March 15, 2009 - Leaving St. Augustine
We’re leaving here as soon as Chris finishes changing the oil so if you don’t see an update for a few days, you’ll know that we are traveling and don’t have internet!

March 6 to March 9 Updates - Sorry no internet until now!!!!!

The beach at Powell Cay on the Sea of Abaco


The coral banks at Manjack Cay



Friday, March 6 - Powell Cay Anchorage
Position: N 26° .53’.999, W 077° .29’.051
We sailed the mere 10.5 nm to the Powell Cay Anchorage where secluded beautiful white beaches were waiting. Oh…we caught our very first FISH!!!! We were SO excited. Thanks to Joe and Roxy who brought us the lucky lure and fishing pole! We were trolling along using a yellow skirted lure and a 2 ft. long Ceral (spelling?) Mackeral caught the line and Chris reeled him in. We weren’t sure exactly what he was so we took him over to Tomlin Too who helped Chris clean him and later we all got together for some Chili and Cornbread on the Long Gone with the fish for appetizers. Tom dredged him in flour, salt and pepper and fried him up and he was DELICIOUS!!!

Saturday, March 7 - Great Sale Anchorage
Position: N 26° .58’.713, W 078° .12’.912
It was 42.8 nm from Powell Cay to Great Sale. We had anchored here before on the way to Marsh Harbour so we knew the holding was excellent. Tomlin Too, a Hunter 450 traveled the southern route and we went over the top as we had on the previous trip. We arrived basically at the same time and another couple from Boat Harbour, Toucan II was also in the anchorage. Linda again cooked us a wonderful meal of lasagna, I brought the salad, Toucan brought the appetizers and much wine was consumed and stories swapped.

Sunday, March 8 to Monday, March 9 - The Crossing
We left Great Sale about 10 am in ROLLING and confused seas and no wind. Yuck. Fortunately about midnight the seas calmed a bit and the wind picked up a bit. Then we hit the Gulf Stream and that definitely changed our outlook. We were making 9.9 kts in only 7 kts of wind. WOW! What a ride. We are currently in Cape Canaveral at Cape Marina, right off the barge canal and about 6 miles from the ocean. Chris and I were actually here about 10 years ago because the Royal Caribbean Ship, Majesty of the Seas is directly across the canal from us. Lots of boating activity around here so it’s kind of rolling in the slip, but it was great to have a long hot shower after 5 days of anchoring out and worrying about running out of water. NEXT time we will definitely have a water maker!

We called Customs upon arrival and our presence was required at the Homeland Security Office so we started the 2 mile trek and were offered a ride by a commercial fisherman who was sitting in the marina parking lot. It was much appreciated because we are really TIRED. These all night sails are not good for sleeping but with the full moon last night, it was really gorgeous! I think Chris got in about ½ hr and me about the same. The auto pilot gave up the ghost AGAIN last night so it was hand steering all the way over. Yuck!!! Originally we had planned to go into Ft. Pierce Inlet but we were making such great time with the stream’s push that we would have arrived in Ft. Pierce before daybreak so decided to alter course and come in here. There’s a space shuttle launch (we are SO lucky) that Chris is dying to see so we’ll leave the marina tomorrow and go find a suitable viewing spot for watching. It’s a night launch and should be spectacular!

March 5, 2009 - Still in Manjack!

The winds have been fierce and we thought it prudent to stay anchored in this protected anchorage (with internet!). We had a WONDERFUL dinner last night aboard Tomlin Too with Linda and Tom. We're hoping that the winds calm a bit today and we'll be on the way to Powell Cay. It's our intention to stay there a night, go to Great Sale and then do the big overnight crossing from Great Sale to Ft. Pierce Inlet, but.....as you know all is weather dependent. We'll keep you posted when we can!

March 3, 2009- Manjack Cay Anchorage

Manjack Bay Anchorage

Position: N26º 48’.595 W077º 21’849

We are currently anchored in Manjack Cay, north of Green Turtle Cay. Winds were forecasted to be from the NE tonight, but instead they are from the west and we are bouncing and surfing in the anchorage. There is one house here on Crab Cay with an open router so we have internet! Who would have thought. We tried our hand at fishing today for the first time but nary a nibble. The passage through the Whale Cay today was bouncy but thankfully non-eventful. We followed Tomlin Too from Marsh Harbour to here and are planning to stay put for another day to explore the beautiful beaches here. We were treated to a magnificent sunset tonight and the crew from Tomlin Too came over to enjoy 5:00 pm happy hour aboard Long Gone.

The weather looks great for the remainder of the week (quite unusual) so we may cross over Saturday or Sunday into the States. If it’s cold, we’ll stay in FL, if it’s mild, we’ll start the trek back to NC. We miss you!!!!

Long Gone leaving Marsh Harbour March 3, 2009

We'll be out of range for a few days, but when we can, we'll update the blog to tell you all where we are. The weather looks favorable (although right on the nose, of course) to make the passage north. Stay tuned and stay warm!!!!!!!!

Feb. 28 - Trip to Hopetown Fair

The "Ambition" crew - Cindy and Merrill


The Hopetown Burial Society!


One of the colorful homes on Elbow Cay


The beach at Hopetown and notice the doggy! This was right before he came up the path and jumped up on us with sandy, dirty and wet paws!

The Sea of Abaco was finally calm enough for us to dinghy over to Hopetown on Elbow Cay. Their Fire & Rescue Department was having a fair to raise money for new equipment. There were hamburgers, hotdogs, a silent auction and even a demonstration by the US Coast Guard! It was weird to hear the Coastie’s helicopter because you just don’t see or hear those at all here in the Bahamas! We walked around Hopetown looking at all the beautiful houses there - it’s just so colorful! Every time I find a house that I think is my favorite, another more colorful one pops up around the corner.

Last night we said our goodbyes to Merrill and Cindy aboard ‘Ambition’, a Beneteau 411. They are leaving later today to go down to the Exumas (although the weather is crappy today so they may be delayed). We all tried to convince the Long Gone captain to follow along, but we’re trying to get back to the States in time for him to fly to OH for Easter break to see the girls. Our plan is to leave on Tuesday morning with another Hunter (a 450) named Tomlin II. They too would like to leisurely sail north taking in the sights that they missed on the way south. Our tentative plan is to go to Treasure Cay first, perhaps over to Great Guana, onto Manjack, Spanish Cay, Great Sale and then onto West End to wait for a window to cross the Gulf Stream. After that it will depend on weather - we can choose West Palm or if the Stream is really pushing us, we may try for Ft. Pierce or even points further north. It’s just hard to plan with cold fronts coming down every 3 days or so.

As we were saying goodbye to Cindy and Merrill, Lew and Teresa came into town from Norfolk. They are on 'Enchantment' - the Cabo Rico motor sailor that we were with for about 4-5 days coming south. It was great to see them again and the plan is for them to follow along to Treasure and Great Guana before coming back here to Boat Harbour. They will leave their boat here until May and then take her back to Norfolk. Because of the comings and goings, we thought that was reason enough for a party aboard Long Gone so Chris threw on a pork tenderloin and some chicken and the girls and I cooked green beans and mashed potatoes and kept the wine flowing. We definitely won the prize last night for the most bottles consumed in this marina!

It’s going to be hard to say goodbye to the Bahamas as we’ve just had such a wonderful time. The water here is unbelievably blue and even though we’ve had cold fronts one after the other (and the locals declare this the coldest winter ever), it has been great. We’ve learned a LOT on this trip! It’s even harder to say goodbye to the great folks we’ve met along the way, but we’re still keeping in touch with the cruisers that we’ve met on the way to the Chesapeake so good friends truly never lose touch. We're also looking forward to being back in New Bern and hanging out with all of our friends at home whom we've really missed! Wish all of you could have come too!

Pete's Pub and Great Guana Cay Update

A small Nurse Shark cruising around the dinghy

The Canadian Schooner that we admired so much!

A view of the beach at Nipper's - my favorite spot thus far.

Merrill and Chris on the beach at Great Guana Cay

Feb. 20, 2009 - Pete’s Pub
We finally backed Long Gone out of the slip and headed down to Little Harbour to Pete’s Pub which is located south of Marsh Harbour. It was a windy day and Long Gone surfed her way down to Pete’s. The harbor there has a SHALLOW bar at its entrance (3 ft. at low tide) so we had to time our arrival for mid to high tide which was 4-5 pm. It’s a small harbor with about 2 dozen mooring balls and not enough room to anchor at all (especially the way that Long Gone dances at anchor). When we arrived unfortunately all the moorings were taken. We cruised around for about an hour trying to find a spot but were unsuccessful. To add insult to injury we ran aground on the bar on the way out. Fortunately we were able to twist off, but there were a few hairy moments as it’s a really narrow spot with big coral heads on both sides of the “channel”. It was too windy to anchor at Lynyard Cay nearby so we made the decision to come all the way back to Boat Harbour. We arrived back in the slip after dark (eek).
Our friends and dock neighbors on Sea Grape, a 40 ft. Pacific Seacraft (Lowell and Cecille) from Oriental left yesterday for the Cayman Islands. We really miss them and hope to catch up with them again at home.

Feb. 21, 2009 - Anchored in Fisher’s Bay, Great Guana Cay
Position: N 26° .39’.813, W 077° .07’.22
We decided to go to Great Guana Cay today since we didn’t get to stay in Little Harbour. We had one of the best sails EVER. In 18 kts. Of wind we hit 7.9 kts! We were just flying and it was one of those perfect sailing days. We even got a chance to test out the whisker pole before the winds picked up. Fisher’s Bay anchorage is just lovely and the temperatures were perfect. We were joined by a 60 ft. Canadian flagged schooner who we just sat and gaped at because her lines were just so gorgeous! Later a 100+ ft. motor yacht flying a Cayman Islands flag came in and anchored. It was unusual to see such a large vessel in an anchorage. Her tender was about a 29 ft. center console with twin engines. Must be nice! The photo is of the beautiful schooner that we enjoyed and we thought of Donnie and Vicky - they would look mighty great sailing this beautiful yacht! After we anchored, we went exploring on the dinghy over to a private island where a HUGE house is built. The water was so clear that you could see forever. I just love the water here - I’ve never seen anything so clear.

Feb. 22, 2009 - Went snorkeling at the reef in Great Guana Cay
Our friends on Indemnity joined us as well as Merrill on Ambition, a 41 ft. Beneteau from Montreal Canada. We all went up to Nippers famous pig roast to enjoy the “all you can eat for $20 buffet” (which is a DEAL for here, trust me). After stuffing ourselves with pork barbecue, mac and cheese with all the accompaniments, we went snorkeling on the reef just outside of Nippers. It was the first time that it was actually warm enough for me to even get in the ocean and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Steve and Chris went to the outer reef but I was content to be right offshore. When we came back to the dinghy, we saw a small Nerf shark and this time I had my camera so here’s a photo of him. There’s also a photo of Merrill and Chris on the beach. It was one of the best days here in Abaco for me which was especially nice today because it was my dad’s birthday! We had a toast of rum for him. We motored all the way home since there was no wind at all and arrived back in the slip around 5:30 or so.

February 14, 2009 - Happy Valentine’s Day Everybody!

The "road" to the beach!!! It's very hilly in Man O' War Cay!

A photo of Chris standing on the Queens Highway in Man O' War Cay

Chris & I at the Commodore's Ball!

Some of the Dock 7 crew going to the Commodore's Ball

A photo of the library on Man O' War Cay

The Commodore’s Ball was last night and it was lovely. Everyone danced the night away and the theme of the Ball was “Mardi Gras” so of course masks were involved. Here’s Chris & I in our “boat finest” duds accompanied by masks!

Today we took the Donnie Ferry over to Man O’ War Cay. There was an island-wide flea market, bake sale, etc. to raise money for the school on the Island. We left Boat Harbour at 9:00 am and came back at 1:30 pm. Man O’ War Cay was wonderful. It was the “cleanest” cay we’ve visited thus far. I mean, there was NO litter whatsoever and once you got away from the crowds downtown, it was so tranquil. Everyone's yard was a picture postcard with colorful flowers. It’s a “dry” cay so no bars at all, but the waterfront is very pretty and there aren’t many cars on the island at all - just golf carts - quite a contrast to the busy streets of Marsh Harbour. Normally Man O' War only has about 320 residents, but today it was packed with folks brought in from all over the Abacos. I’ve enclosed photos of the Library and a photo of the Queens Highway - yup, this is a highway folks and a photo of the street that leads to their beautiful beach. It was a nice day and the weather was perfect!

Tonight none of the women on 7 dock wanted to cook and going out to dinner here is REALLY expensive so we’re ordering pizzas and having our own version of a Valentine’s Day Party - maybe I’ll even drag out the guitar (where are you Dave Hawley).

I hope all of you are having a wonderful Valentine’s Day!!!!

Conch Crawling and Tiloo Cay

A view of Tiloo Cay from the Sea of Abaco.

Sorry guys - tried to upload a video of Browntip and "Rake and Scrape" music, but it wouldn't upload!!!!

On Friday night we went "conch crawling" (aka pub crawling) with most of dock #7. We first went to Mangos and saw "Brown Tip" who does "rake and scrape" by playing saws. I've enclosed a video so you can experience it too! From Mangos it was onto Curly Tails Bar where we saw a really great band and even managed to shake a leg!

Today (Sunday) we backed out of the slip bound for Tiloo Cay where there is a bird sanctuary and supposedly, wild parrots, etc. fly at will. Well......we motored Long Gone up and down the coast of Tiloo looking for a place to dinghy in but after an hour, we gave up. It's a very rocky coast and the only docks that we saw were private. The Island is also very rocky and we were looking for path from the Sea of Abaco side to the Atlantic Ocean side so that we could beachcomb, etc. Unfortunately, we didn't see either so came back to Marsh Harbour and are now docked again. Bummer!

We're hoping that the weather will warm somewhat and we'll be able to once again explore by dinghy. I'm getting hungry for another lobster so it's time for "Team Long Gone" to go find a coral head and hunt!

We hope that you are all staying warm!!!

We're FREEZING here in Marsh Harbour

It's been REALLY cold the past 4 days (record breaking lows) with howling winds so we've not done any exploring whatsoever. We've been holed up in the cockpit with long pants, jackets and horror of all horrors, SOCKS and SHOES! How awful! :-)

Chris and I took ourselves out to lunch today to a small restaurant that is mostly frequented by locals here called "Jamies". We pigged out on cheeseburgers and FRIES (sometimes you just need junk food!). It tasted WONDERFUL!!!!!

Tonight is "talent night" here at the Abaco Beach Resort so we may just hike up the dock for that. We've been experiencing a bit of "cabin fever" from not being able to dink around or back the boat away from the dock and we've heard that the Commodore from the Royal Marsh Harbour Yacht Club does a mean Elvis impersonation.

We hope that you are all staying warm and dry. I heard that even Oriental and New Bern had a dusting of SNOW - unbelievable!

January 30 - Another update

Sorry for the fuzzy photo - must've taken this one after my 2nd glass of wine!


This sign explains EVERYTHING!!!!

A view of Cracker P's on Lubbers Quarter

Tahiti Beach at Sunset

A very small starfish - isn't he cute?

We’re expecting a “big blow” here in Marsh Harbour so the night before last, Steve, Chris and I took the dinghy over to Cracker P’s in Lubbers Quarter. Cracker P’s as you probably guessed is a bar (yup) which is unique to say the least. I thought you might enjoy these pics. The first one is the sign you see on the dock as you pull up and it explains everything! Chris enjoyed a rum drink called “double shot gun” while I stuck to wine. Note the dog inside the bar! Hysterical! We also enjoyed some really wonderful fish dip with crackers before heading back to the dink and over to Tahiti Beach which is just breathtakingly beautiful at sunset so I’ve enclosed a picture of that too. It’s really starting to blow at the moment and we are expecting temps only in the upper 50’s tomorrow which is REALLY cold for here. Time to locate the socks and jackets (bummer). Tonight the entire dock is going to Mangoes, a little bar which has fabulous happy hours and great FREE appetizers to hear “Brown Tip”, a local entertainer so we’re really looking forward to that. I cannot believe that it is already the end of January - time is flying by. We have some decisions to make in mid-February - whether we will head a bit further south or start turning around and head back to the States. Of course, me the gypsy, wants to feel the wind in her hair as long as possible!

January 26 - Update from Marsh Harbour

Tracy & Chris enjoying the beach at Great Guana Cay!

The gang from Dock 7 going to Nippers in style!

This is Shade Mor - the 61' Hatteras that took us to Nippers!

The Harbour Lodge in Hopetown - SOOO pretty - a tropical paradise (and good rum drinks!)

All of us at Nippers enjoying the Sunday festivities

It’s been a busy time for us. Our guests, Roxy and Joe left on Friday morning--just as it was beginning a warm spell. Go figure.

On Saturday we headed over to Elbow Cay and Hopetown on Steve and Berta’s DeFever 49. We anchored and took the dink into White Sound and went to the beach. It was a beautiful day, but the water was still under 70° with a cool wind so none of us braved the ocean for snorkeling. We walked up the beach about a mile and tried a new bar/restaurant called appropriately “On Da Beach”. Chris tried the Jerk Mahi while I opted for a good old burger! On the way back to the Harbour, we must’ve looked mighty tired as a local woman named “Mimi” stopped and offered us a ride on her golf cart. We all hopped aboard but alas, it was too much weight for the small cart and we started to “wobble” so Steve and I got off while Berta and Chris hitched a ride. Moments later Mimi returned for Steve and me. This is the way it is here - everyone is just so friendly.

Yesterday the call went out from Shade Mor, a 61 ft. Hatteras that he was going to Nippers for the Sunday Pig Roast. This is a huge weekly event on Great Guana Cay and many boats take off for the fun. There were probably about 30-40 folks aboard, kids included and everyone had a great time. This is the 2nd week in a row for us. After tasting several “Frozen Nippers”, Chris and I opted for a walk on what I consider to be the most beautiful beach in the Bahamas (but of course I haven’t seen them all yet!). Some of the folks aboard the boat took their snorkel gear and claimed that it was the clearest visibility that they’ve seen in quite some time. The reef is about 25 yds. From the beach so a very easy swim, especially with fins.

In just a few moments, Chris and I will be taking our very first Yoga lesson here in Boat Harbour. It’s held every day M-F in the Tiki Hut which overlooks the Sea of Abaco. You couldn’t ask for a more peaceful or tranquil setting. The lessons are given by Ron on Tiki III, a fellow from Washington, NC. In fact there are LOTS of boats here from NC - we must truly be a traveling bunch!

Here’s some photos for you all to enjoy. We miss all of you, but have discovered “Skype” so have been able to call “sometimes”. The Internet is a bit sketchy here so connections aren’t always clear. We’ll be warm today - highs in the low 70’s but a strong cold front will be coming through on Friday so we’re going to enjoy dinghy riding this week as much as possible. Chris and Steve have promised to brave the cold waters to go in search of Lobster this week and I’m looking forward to some fresh grilled “bugs”!

Team Long Gone

Joe, Chris and Steve went lobster hunting today and this is what they caught!

A Marsh Harbour Update

The beach at Hopetown on Elbow Cay

Lunch at SeaSpray on Elbow Cay

Roxanne and Joe on Great Guana Cay


Well, we have a new President! We were just watching the inaguration aboard the boat with our guests and as Mr. Obama was sworn in, boat horns throughout the marina blew. We are experiencing gale force winds today as a cold front is moving through from Florida. Tomorrow is supposed to bring significantly lower temperatures - highs only in the low 60’s.

Roxanne and Joe from Pennsylvania arrived last Friday and we have been busy indeed! On Sunday we sailed (mostly motored actually) over to Great Guana Cay for Nipper’s famous pig roast. First we stopped at Grabbers for a Guana Grabber, a rum punch concoction that is addictive. Then it was onto Sea Shore Villas for yet another Grabber and then it was a short trek up the hill to Nippers. WHAT a view! We had Roberta and Steve aboard also from “Indemnity”, a DeFever 49 that is also docked here at Boat Harbour. Another boat, a Beneteau 41 named “Ambition” from Canada with Merrill and Cindy aboard joined us as well. We all sat together enjoying our frozen Nippers Rum Drink as well as pork slices, potato salad, coleslaw, green beans, mac and cheese and many other dishes. The music played was right from our era and Rox and I danced a few dances and then met a local woman who was 78 years young (and looked decades younger) joined us! She lives in Great Guana Cay 7 months out of the year and she was inspiring indeed.

We then hit the beach and the Canadians (Merrill & Cindy), the Pennsylvanians (Rox and Joe) and the folks from Detroit, MI (Steve and Roberta) hit the water while us wimps (Chris & me) watched from the beach. After swimming, we all headed back to the dinghies for a sail back to Marsh Harbour.

Barometer Bob was predicting this front today so we realized that yesterday was the day to explore. We rented a 28 ft. power boat from the marina here and took everyone over to Hopetown. We went up the lighthouse, had a drink at the Hopetown Lodge (an absolutely breathtakingly beautiful spot), then it was onto Sea Spray on the other side of Elbow Cay. We had lunch there - cracked conch, grouper burgers and their very famous Pina Coladas (the BEST I’ve ever had ). From there it was onto Lubbers Cay and Cracker P’s (another bar imagine that) but they were closed. By then the wind was starting to pick up substantially but we thought that we had better make use of the day so we crossed the Sea of Abaco to Man of War Cay. It was ROUGH and we were thoroughly soaked by the time we arrived. We briefly got off the boat and looked around for about ½ hr. but made the decision to return to Marsh Harbour as the seas were growing rougher by the minute. It was a BUMPY ride back, made a bit easier by our “guide” from “Indemnity” who knew the short cut ferry routes. Otherwise, it would have been a really miserable ride back.

Today it’s blowing steady 25 kts. With gusts to 35 kts. We are rocking in the slip. Chris & I got up early and walked to the grocery store before the really bad weather which is forecasted for later today hit.

We miss everyone and have installed “Skype” on our computer so hopefully we can get a great connection and call for $.02/minute! Take care everybody!

PS - Joe and Roxanne say hello to Steve and Yvonne - they said that the weather is “terrible” (not really)!

Recent Photos

Chris and I took the dinghy to explore and this is one of the beaches we found! We had to row over a shoal as the dinghy motor was too deep. It's so beautiful, isn't it?


A view of Hopetown Harbour from the top of Hopetown Lighthouse.


This is the famous Hopetown Lighthouse. We dinghied over (about 4 miles) from Marsh Harbour and unfortunately it started to pour on the way home so we were soaked! Hopetown is my favorite spot so far. It's so picturesque and colorful.


This is our starfish photo - he's about 15 ft. down and we took it just to show how clear the water is here.


This is Nippers - a very famous bar on Great Guana Cay. On Sundays they have a pig roast starting at 11:30 am. We didn't go as we left on a Sunday, but we intend to get back over and party very soon. The "Barefoot Man" play here on Sundays as well - steel drums and lots of reggae!



Along to road to Nippers (a famous bar in Great Guana Cay) is this painted tractor! Everything in the Bahamas is so colorful. Pink and purples houses, greens and yellows - I love it!


Great Guana Cay - The bar where we took our laptops to connect to Wi-Fi. Also the place that made the best "Guana Grabbers" - a rum concoction!


Green Turtle Cay - A typical street in New Plymouth. We rode our bikes from the marina to here and it was SO hilly! A beautiful little town which is extremely clean!

Jan. 10 - Long Gone in Marsh Harbour

It was an easy motor (no wind) to Boat Harbour in Marsh Harbour yesterday from Great Guana. The Sea of Abaco was dead calm and you could see everything 15 ft. down--my favorite was seeing huge starfish sitting on the bottom. We arrived in Boat Harbour and are on dock #7, the furthest dock from the facilities (and the internet) but it gets the most breeze and the people on dock 7 are the party crowd.

There's much to do here with the Royal Marsh Harbor Yacht Club. Cocktails are held every night (rain or shine) at 5 pm. Tomorrow is chili cookoff night. It's $10 per person but that includes 28 chili entrees plus all the liquor you can drink! 9 am every day is water aerobics and 10 am is yoga.

Today we took the dink over to Hopetown. It was one of the most beautiful places that I have ever seen and a dream fulfilled for me as I have always wanted to go. We climbed to the top of the Hopetown Lighthouse and had lunch at the Harbor with our boat neighbors. Unfortunately it started to rain and we had left all the hatches open on the boat and all the laundry on the rails. We radioed back to "dock 7" and one of our boat neighbors answered and was nice enough to close the hatches and take in our laundry. This is a fellow that took a bad fall a couple of days ago and ripped two of his nails clean off his toes. The thought gives me the heebie jeebies. He went to the clinic here where they loaded him up with painkillers, antibiotics, cleaned the wound and drove him back to the boat in the ambulance for a whopping fee of $42! Unbelievable, we thought.

We have yet to see the town of Marsh Harbour but tomorrow is provisioning day. We heard that we can get a case of wine with our Royal Marsh Harbour membership card for $66 and they will even deliver it to the boat! Our kind of place.

My cousin and her boyfriend come on Friday afternoon so we're hoping that our current weather (rain) moves out of here and some warmer and drier weather will prevail. Our boat neighbors on a Defever 49 showed us today where to dive for Lobster so we're hoping that we can fill the empty fridge with some "bugs" (what the Bahamians call Lobster).

We hope you are all staying warm up there!!!!

Long Gone in Great Guana Cay

January 7 – Green Turtle Cay Anchorage
Position: N26º 31’.992 W077º 01’628
We spent the night at anchor so that we could take off early on Friday through the Whale and onto Great Guana Cay.

January 8 – Made it through the Great Whale Passage! We’re in Great Guana
Position: N26º 40’.088 W077º 06’974
We were the “guinea pig” boat who left the earliest to make it through the Whale. We called back to our “buddy boat”, Bonnie Lass and gave her the report. Swells were 3-4 ft. but nothing breaking and it was much easier than we anticipated. We were lucky. Once we gave our report, everyone pulled up anchor and left either Manjack Bay or Green Turtle. We are anchored in Fisher’s Bay off Great Guana Cay. Chris and I are “real” cruisers now – we took the dinghy into Orchid Bay and snuck in the marina to use their showers are we are on our last tank. While getting off the dinghy, we saw our first shark. He was a biggie – about 6 ft. long. I wanted so much to get a photo of him but couldn’t get the camera out of the dink fast enough and surely didn’t want to fall in while he was around! We walked over to “Grabbers” for a rum drink and then onto the famous “Nippers”. The beach here in Guana is gorgeous – very wide with lots of white sand. We’re going to stay in the anchorage another night so we can explore Great Guana a little bit more. There are 2 wi-fi spots in town so I’m writing this aboard and will upload when we go to Grabber’s for our afternoon Grabbers Sundowners – a rum drink that has probably the equivalent of ½ rum and ½ pineapple juice with bits of other things thrown in for good measure.

Leaving Green Turtle Cay

Chris and I have decided to leave the marina today at 11:00 am (check out time) and anchor out in White Sound. We'll hopefully be able to transit the Great Whale Passage tomorrow and onto Great Guana Cay. We're only about 30 miles from Marsh Harbour now! Keep your fingers crossed for CALM seas through the Whale. They have 8-11 ft. rollers today. Ugh!!!! We'll spend this afternoon battening down the hatches literally! We're hoping to catch up with another sailboat named "Bonnie Lass" whom we met in the Great Sale Anchorage. The plan is to transit the Whale together, anchor out in Baker's Bay and open a bottle of wine or 3 to celebrate our successful crossing!

I have photos to post of Plymouth in Green Turtle Cay but the internet is awfully slow here so I will post when I get to Boat Harbour in Marsh Harbour!

January 7 - BIG BLOW!

Yesterday Chris and I borrowed our boat neighbors' bikes and rode to Plymouth, a small settlement on Black Sound (we are in White Sound - a bit deeper). It was surprisingly hilly and the roads here are a bit "rustic" - some are paved, some are dirt but it's usually a combination of the two. We found Angie's Bakery and bought a brownie goody, went into the local hardware store (actually very well equipped) and into the local marine store (very pricey!). We tried to visit the library to donate our used books, but they were closed yesterday so we'll have to wait until we get to Marsh Harbour.

Today our adventure was a L-O-N-G walk. We started down a dirt road that appeared to be going in the direction of the beach and it wandered up and down hills but eventually we came across this lovely deserted white sandy beach which started out as sand, ended up as rock (and I had on flip-flops). We finally found a house and wandered up their lawn and driveway, ending up on a dirt road and had no idea where we were. We walked a few more miles and finally spotted a gentleman walking so we asked directions. For such a small island, there are lots of little dirt roads!

We had a late lunch at the Green Turtle Club today. Chris had a blackened grouper sandwich and I had grouper fingers and fries and both entrees were excellent! We certainly have taken advantage of our boat dollars here for sure! Happy hour begins here at 4 pm in the Lounge which is decorated with every kind of yacht club flag you could ever imagine!

This morning we listened to our first Marsh Harbour cruisers net at 8:15 am to 9:00 am on VHF channel 68. Patti gives weather, stock prices, headline news, there's an open mike section where all "new" boats into Abaco are to introduce themselves (and we did) and then the "contributors" call in from all the outer cays to report passage conditions that day. Nobody was crossing the Great Whale Cay Passage today as seas were forecasted to be 8-11 ft. Yikes - NO THANKS! We're hoping that this front dies down by Friday so we can again be on the move as there is another front right in back of this one forecasted for Saturday. All the waypoints are in for Marsh Harbour and it's a short jump - only about 30 miles or so. Unfortunately part of that is through the Great Whale - so cross your fingers for us!

Photos as promised - Double click photo to enlarge

Coming in to Green Turtle Cay - VERRRRY shallow! EEK!


Sunset at Great Sale Cay Anchorage over the Bahama Bank


A view of the pool at Old Bahama Bay Marina in West End.

Old Bahama Bay Marina in West End, Bahamas. VERY nice place!!!!

A few of the Jupiter Inlet Light House. We didn't go out here as we just kept on the ICW.