Back to the grindstone, for some of us anyway

Zingaro and Sweet Tides are not in the Bahamas anymore so I will need to end this blog, or maybe transform it to reflect our summer long parties in the Chesapeake with the Sexy Sailors and Sailorettes. I will have to think about it, I am sure that with the Spooner reunion planned for June, plus our extreme dancers we will have very nice pictures for the slide show.
Zingaro is sleeping tonight 15 miles north of Georgetown, SC (some place called Waca Maca or something like that) while Sweet Tides is doing its second overnight from St. Augustine to Beaufort, N.C. They have become fearless sailors!
Hopefully if all goes well, Juan and Tom will be in Herrington Harbor by Saturday and Idette and Mike will be meeting up with their children in Charleston.
I abandoned ship in Miami, my last trip was from the marina at the Marriott to the MIami River yard where Zingaro was taken out of the water to have its cutlass bearings replaced and the shaft aligned. It must have worked because I have heard no complaints about the vibration. Sweet Tides came out of the water in Ft. Lauderdale to replace its prop. Its Autoprop had a loose blade and another blade was stuck. So much for Autoprops, they really, really suck.
As to my fantasy of getting to work by boat, it's a good thing I did it, so I know not to do it again. Fantasy and work don't really go together. Too much stress.

Back in Miami!

After the wonderful crossing (Idette gave herself a manicure and pedicure on the way) we arrived in No Name Harbor, in Key Biscayne - which during the week is an idyllic place - but during the weekends it becames a noisy inferno. And although it was a Friday it was the last day od Spring Break. So between children screaming, power boats anchoring in every nook and cranny and the singer at the Boater's Grill who sang loud and off key - it was very Miami. There is a sign by the restaurant that says that "all vessels arriving from foreing(sic) must call customs" and they give a number, which of course we knew we had to do it, that was all the cruisers talked about on the radio since they couldn't complain about the weather. The problem is you call and they keep you on hold literally for hours. I ran down Juan's battery and Idette did the same with hers. Mike finally got through at midnight. When you get through they give you an arrival number that you have to take with you to the port of miami with your passports
Juan's cousin kindly lent us a car and yesterday we set off for the custom's office. Luckily as we were driving there I managed to get through and get our arrival number because they will not see you before that.
There was poor guy with a cell phone on speakephone waiting for somebody to pick up while listening to their recording.
At the window they had one of those old fashioned bells with a button you push down on and Mike promptly proceded to ring it. A customs officer came out, gave him a dirty look, removed the bell and went back to his desk!
But in spite of this we managed to check in.
I am now in a plane to San Francisco. Vacations are over.
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Just a few more hours....

We are about 5 or 6 boats ready to go. There's nothing to do in Bimini so we are just sitting in our boats, cleaning the fridge, listening to music, reading, looking at the weather forecasts, doing internet. Just waiting. But tomorrow is it, all forecasts show we should have a decent crossing so fingers crossed.
Tonight it's Sweet Tides' anniversary so we are having champagne and ice cream, we don't have a freezer so we put the ice cream in ice. Hopefully it won't melt!!
Tomorrow night we hope to be celebrating in No Name Harbor, in Key Biscayne!!!

Bimini

Our last stop before Miami. We could have stayed at Cat Cay - which would have been better to cross to Miami and is much nicer, but the marina was outrageously expensive, so we sailed a couple of hours to the north, and docked in Bimini to wait for weather. According to the forecasts we might be able to cross on Thursday or Friday, the closer to Saturday the better but since I fly to San Francisco on Sunday morning I don't think we are going to cut it so short.

Bimini is not very nice, the town is only marginally better than Georgetown and a lot dirtier. Our last adventure in the Bahamas will be crossing the Gulf, after that Miami and then it will be Juan's task to take Zingaro back with a little help from our friends.

Although it was great, when it was great, we had a lot of bad weather, I would have to go back to the blog and count how many days we had to hide in marinas and stay put just waiting for the wind to die down. All in all we are happy to be going home.

Cat Cay on to bimini

We left the cursed anchorage in Nassau and had a pleasant ride to Chubb Cay. The original intention was to continue on to the banks and spend the night there but the forecast called for heavy squalls so we stayed put in the marina.

Yesterday we left at 6:30 because we knew we had a very long ride. The plan was to go to Bimini but there were awful storms to the north of us, we manage to skirt them by heading further South to Cat Cay. We had planned to turn North from the Cat Cay waypoint, but the Sweet Tides saw a big storm coming on their Sirius and in spite of my protests at the outrageous price of the marina here we came in. Just in time too, because as soon as we had tied up it poured and gusted to 30 knots.

The approach to Cat Cay was also awful because it was dead low tide and we showed nothing under our keel quite often. It looks as if we will be able to cross on Wednesday, so we will move to Bimini where the marina costs a dollar a foot rather than the 4.50 they charge here!

High Drama in the Anchorage

Nassau Harbor has been atwitter for a few days: must be the boredom of having to wait for weather anchored here.

Two nights ago, a catamaran anchored very close to shore reported an intruder: somebody naked swam to their boat, they flashed the light at him and he quickly dove in the water and disappeared. The following night another catamaran anchored too close to Sweet Tides and in the middle of the night they had a collision. No harm done except for the fright and the aggravation. The catamaran re-anchored a little further away.

Last night, the wind blew from the North and swung all the boats 180 degrees. Suddenly many of us starting having close ups of boats we had not seen before. A ketch which had anchored last night at an uncomfortable distance when the wind changed became really close. The skipper was arrogant and rude and although they were the ones to anchor near us, we decided that it was too dark and windy to discuss anchoring etiquette and re-anchored a little further up to avoid damaging our boat.

A couple of hours later the same boat became too close to another boat whose skipper was not half as nice (or sleepy) as us and screamed at them, so they moved. We discovered then they had no windlass, that is why they did not want to have to re-anchor by hand in the dark. 

In the meantime, the same catamaran that had hit Sweet Tides the night before started approaching them again and touched them. We overheard on the radio that their cat had warned them of the danger, so they weighed their anchor and anchored well away. In the meantime another small boat dragged and became very close friends with Sweet Tides, but he continued dragging and left them. While all of this was happening, Sweet Tides' crew were peacefully asleep!!!

The wind has turned again and hopefully there will be no more close encounters!!

Stuck, stuck, stuck

We were hoping to leave today, and we didn't, it was windy in the morning, we might have made it had we decided to go in the afternoon, but we didn't. Tomorrow was going to be better, it's not. It will be very windy again. The worst part is leaving Nassau to the Berries, where we have to cross the Tongue of the Ocean, which is open sea. Once we are in Chubb we have about 80 miles on the banks which can be done even if it's windy. And then we have the Gulf Stream. If we do not leave tomorrow, and it seems very unlikely, then our window is being slammed on our faces and we might have to stay stuck even longer. Not good.

As it is, we will leave Saturday very early and do as much as we can, overnights and all and see what happens. However if the weather gets too nasty we may have to stay stuck and I will fly to Miami on the 29th.

Hopefully it will not come to that!

Stuck in Nassau

On Sunday, given the weather forecast was dire, we decided to forego one more day in paradise and have a smooth run to Nassau. And we did. Sweet Tides' auto pilot is not working so they have to be at the helm all the time. We caught a fish, about a foot long, but have not eaten it yet. By now it will be used as bait.
Since we arrived the wind has been blowing over 20 knots non stop. We couldn't even go to a marina because they are all full so we are anchored in front of the restaurant that has the dinghy dock and internet connection (Green Parrot).
Our friends left this morning so now we are just waiting for the weather to clear. If we get a window on Friday we might make a run and try to be in Miami by Monday.
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Retracing our steps

We are back in Warderick Wells, hence the chance to upload pictures and update the web albums. We had a wonderful time in Cambridge. the Seaquarium lived up to our expectations and the Rocky Dundas this morning exceeded them. The water was transparent and the visibility superb. The elkhorn corals looked wonderful and we had all sorts of fish. We sailed the Exuma Sound to the cut in Warderick Wells, had our lines out but no bites.

Tomorrow we will do some more snorkeling and hiking and the day after will probably head to Shroud. Ana and Armando are really enjoying their stay and we are enjoying their company. 

Staniel

My friends finally made it to Staniel. They arrived on Tuesday at around one thirty just as we were weighing anchor from Black Point where we had spent a peaceful night. We made our way to the marina where we docked to get fill up our tanks, picked them up, anchored off Big Major and immediately dinghied to Thunderball cave. We were exactly at low tide and showed off the cave in all its glory! We stayed for over an hour until it began to flood and the current becane too strong.
The forecast was for a wonderfully calm week which of course did not come true. The wind blew from the West, it became very rolly (and we were on the "dreaded lee shore" Bobbi). Sweet Tides arrived in the anchorage just as we were getting ready to go to the beach. They stayed in Black Point. They said it was so rolly they could not get back on the boat from the transom, Mike had to tie the dinghy to the side, pull himself up and then pull Idette in. But we all went off to the beach in the afternoon and had a great time snorkeling off the rocks. When we came back we reanchored further west closer to Sweet Tides and Spartina, hoping it would be more protected. And it was until the tide changed again and the effect of the tide kicked in and we stared rolling. So we weighed anchors yet again to make sure we were far from the cut from where the tide was running. It was a good move because we had a good night.
Today we sail to Cambridge Cay and we are taking Spartina with us. His wife went back to the US for the birth of a grandchild and he is sad and lonely!
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Another doable but not agreable

The forecast was sunny, 10 to 15 knot winds, 2 to 4 ft waves. The only thing they got more or less right was the wind. The sky was overcast, it rained and the waves were 7 to 9 at a ninety degree angle so really uncomfortable. But seven hours later we made it through the cut and anchored in Black Point.
We had our fishing lines out in spite of the waves. The fish bit the tails of two of our lures and Mike caught a three foot wahoo - which we saw- but it got away. Too bad it would have been dinner!
Tomorrow morning Zingaro will make its way to Staniel because my friend was able to get away and will arrive there, while Sweet Tides does its laundry here in Black Point.
The anchorage is peaceful and the water awsome!
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Back on the boat!

Joanna took this photo of me and I loved it!! We had a lovely time while she was here, took her for walks, to the beach and she went snorkeling with her father after I left.
I left on Wednesday for Santo Domingo to return on Saturday, but the return trip was a nightmare, flights were cancelled and delayed and I had to overnight in Miami so I only arrived this afternoon. It was good to be back!
Georgetown looked sunny and colorful, everybody is getting ready for the cruiser's regatta tomorrow flying all sorts of colorful flags.
Zingaro and Sweet Tides however, are weighing anchors at 9 or thereabouts, to head back to Staniel.
Mike went diving under his boat today and he says his propeller is full of growth! That means we have been here too long. Both Mike and Juan went to a fishing seminar on Volleyball beach and then shopping for lures, lines and hooks, so we are ready to catch all the tuna and mahi mahi that will be waiting for us in the Exuma Sound.
We are all looking forward to leaving Georgetown at last!

Biding our time in George Town

Zingaro and Sweet Tides are anchored in George Town waiting for my return from Santo Domingo for us to start on our way back. 

Joanna is safely home, she had some days of bad weather but in the end she was even able to go snorkeling with her dad. Our next visitors have cancelled their visit because of work so we are now at loose ends, winding up our tour. 

While I am here waiting for my conference to start I keep thinking we might as well trying to go to Conception before we leave, or the Jumentos, but the best of plans have all been shot down by the weather. 

The picture is one of the best from our Spooner reunion! 

Wind and rain and wind and more rain

Poor Joanna, the weather hasn't helped but she has been a great sport. The first day, Tom and Bobbi's last, was windy and cloudy but we walked on the beach for a couple of hours and she managed to get sunburnt on her shoulders. Yesterday was another gray and windy day but at 11:30 we went out for a hike, climbed the monument hill, walked on the beach to the end of the island and back and managed to hurt her feet. At 2:30, no sooner had we got into the boat than the slies opened and it rained and rained all day. The winds gusted up to 35 knots.
Thankfully today the sun came out and although it's still very windy it at least looks better.
In the meantime Sweet Tides was trapped at the marina. They had a very rolly and noisy night. Juan went over to help them out (plus several others on deck) and they are now anchored just beside us. We missed them!
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Reconnected

The wind has been howling in Georgetown, so bad that it was hard to take Val and Tom back to their hotel. Yesterday we were all going to have dinner together and couldn't. Sweet Tides moved to the marina in Georgetown to be able to spend the evening with them but Zingaro stayed put. Juan picked up Joanna in the dinghy and it was a very very wet ride.

This morning we went for a walk on the beach with her and Tom and Bobbi and at around 11 we docked at the marina to fill up with water and do laundry, go to the market and allow Tom and Bobbi to take their taxi to the airport. We almost got trapped again in the marina because the wind was pushing us against the dock. Mike and another couple helped us with the lines and we managed to get out. We were lucky, we saw two other sailboats being towed out from their slips.

Sweet Tides will attempt to leave tomorrow. The winds will continue to blow so we will do the best we can to make sure Joanna has a good time.

  

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Back in Georgetown

Between Batelco and T-mobile they managed to blind me and mute me. I will not go into the gory details but a new sim card later, my blackberry will not be recognized by the Batelco towers so I am incommunicado. I have been going to town to try and resolve the issue but I will have to wait for the new sim card Joanna will bring today.
In spite of the lack of communications we have had a busy week. Tom and Bobbi were waiting for us on our boat when we arrived on Sunday afternoon, and Idette's sister, Val and her husband were already settled in their hotel in town.
Georgetown provided us with a rare gift, a windless day on Monday which allowed us to go snorkeling and it was a treat. The Spooner sisters performed on Monday night. Bobbi brought us costumes especially designed in Atlanta and Val was our special guest. The party went on until almost midnight so the next morning very early we left the anchorage so we would not get the evil eye from our neighbors.
On Wednesday, while the men went fishing in Zingaro in the Exuma, we went to the spa in Emerald Bay, at the Four Seasons there and had a great time. We all arrived just in time to prepare for a storm that had all the cruisers nervous, the net was abuzz with rumors that the wind would gust to 50mph. The storm did not get too close, there was a lot of lightning and thunder but not over where we were and we got very little rain. The wind picked up but never much over 20, but nobody slept too well.
Yesterday we reanchored again because I managed to convince Juan to bring me to Gaviota Bay anchorage where the hotel provides pay per use wifi. Going to town wiht the dinghy in high winds is a very, very wet exercise so the only option to have some connection is this. He obliged and made me happy.
The week went by very quickly and we are getting ready to say goodbye to our guests and receive Joanna who arrives tomorrow!

More here and there

The ice storm they predicted did not happen, another forecasting error for which we are happy, so we were able to pick up our passports yesterday.

We met with the Sexy Sailors (those who are here) at Miguel and Carmen´s and had a lovely time. It was great that they allowed us to party at their home. We making plans for a flotilla in the near future. Bahamas beware!

Now we are getting ready to join Sweet Tides. Apparently Sweet Tides wanted to grab the headlines in our absence. They had a couple of wonderful days in Lee Stocking Island but on the third day the wind picked up and their trip back to Georgetown was no picnic with strong head winds and 8ft waves. They made it but yesterday when they were coming into the anchorage in front of the marina, two boats were blocking the channel they went around and went aground. All efforts to get them out were in vain, so they had to wait a couple of hours for the tide, while looking at the rocks in front of them and hoping not to be thrown against them. But all ended well. However the Georgetown Net the following morning recorded the incident and efforts are being made to mark the channel and prevent people from anchoring there. Sweet Tides wanted the limelight and got it. Big time!

Zingaro and Sweet Tides are now reunited in the marina so hopefully they will behave until we make it there tomorrow. The next few weeks will be very active, we have Tom and Bobbie who must be on the boat already and Idette's sister and her husband, then Joanna and my friends Ana and Armando all the way from Brazil!

PS: I have just discovered that if you click on the question mark at the beginning of the post you get to see the pictures from last night!

Here and there

So Sweet Tides is alone on a deserted island, with pink sands, turquoise waters, and tomorrow they are going snorkeling  to try and catch lobster. Zingaro is neatly tied in Georgetown. Spartina who had met Sweet Tides in Lee Stocking island, left to run errand in Georgetown. They checked on Zingaro and said the lines were fine but it looked lonely. 

Meanwhile, we are here in DC. The weather is really bad but we went to Baltimore for our interviews and tests and are now US citizens. Tomorrow morning we are going to the passport office to see if we can get our passports to be able to go back and rejoin Zingaro and Sweet Tides this weekend!

But cold or no cold, snow or no snow it was good to come home and see our daughters and hopefully see some of our friends. The house feels enormous after three months on a boat and very, very comfortable!! 

Sweet Tides´s photograph was taken with her blackberry, it was the only way we could get it to the blog, and it does not do justice to the beauty of the place, but shows well next to the bleak picture taken from our car on the way back from Baltimore!

Sweet Tides soloes

The wind has died down and all weather forecasts say this will be a perfect week, so Sweet Tides is getting ready to sail into the Exuma Sound and visit Lee Stocking Island which is about 18 miles to the North. Spartina is sailing South from Staniel to meet them there and Gordon and Deborah are also going.
In the meantime we brought Zingaro to the Exuma Docking in Georgetown, even more derelict than before, although they say they are "renovating". We tied it as safely as possible and got it ready for Tom and Bobbie who will arrive before we do. Sweet Tides will come into the marina on Friday night.
While he prepares the boat, Juan tries to learn the words of the pledge of allegiance and the Star Spangled Banner for tomorrow.

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Georgetown

Hundreds and hundreds of boats in Elizabeth Harbor! We arrived on Valentine's day and after we anchored, and napped, we got our dinghies down and went to Volley Ball beach - we anchored nearby - and walked into the Chat'n Chill. I have to preface this story by saying that the first time we came to the Bahamas, six years ago, when we sailed into Allan Cay the boat that was anchored right in front of us was our neighbor of several years in Herrington Harbor, Gordon. We had never talked about coming to the Bahamas so seeing them was a complete surprise. After that we cruised together most of the time. They moved out of Herrington Harbor to Galesville and we have not kept in contact. Well, the first people we see as we walk into the bar are Gordon and Debbie!!

They have been coming every year so we are going to pick their brains tonight about traveling to the Jumentos Cays.

Since it was Valentine's day there was a DJ and all the cruisers were there shaking and bumping. Mike said it looked a lot like parties in assisted living! Not quite true, there were three or four under forty!

Yesterday we went around Georgetown, got a new battery, bought lures - we are hopeful now - visited the Exuma Market but did not go the Batelco!

Today we are going to move further South to the Sand Dollar anchorage to see if it's less rolly. 

For some obscure reason we have found this wonderful connection and will spend the morning hooked to it!!

Fish, fish, fish

Well only one really, but Mike finally caught a fish. A two foot barracuda that Idette hopefully photographed! It went back in the sea because you don't really eat barracuda. We are on our way to Georgetown through the Exuma sound. The best ocean passage so far.
The shocking news was that our conference in Santo Domingo got cancelled last night so we are having to review our plans. Once we get to Georgetown we will see. I might go back home with Juan to give him my moral support as he becomes American.
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On the move again

So the storm blew over and we spent it comfortably at Sampson Cay Marina. We didn't do much these last two days but rest is also good. Yesterday was Idette's birthday so Juan and I went over with our guitar to serenade her early in the morning. Not too early though, she was already having breakfast. At night Mike invited us, the Phungs and Spartina to dinner at the club's restaurant and it was really nice. We sang happy birthday at least ten times! I made her a special wet suit as a present but I don't think I will be able to get a picture of her in it for the blog!
The most frustrating thing about the marina was the internet. It was more off than on most of the time.
Today by midday we let go of the lines, said goodbye to Spartina who is staying on at Staniel and started our next leg to Georgetown. We will probably sleep in Little farmer's Cay tonight and tomorrow morning tiptoe into the ocean to make the passage. The weather forecast says there is a window tomorrow morning but we'll see.
Right now it's rough on the banks, wind on our nose and rolly.
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Swimming with sharks or fishing for credit cards

We have had great snorkeling these last few days, in Cambridge Cay, in Thunderball Cave, and we have seen a great many sharks, nurse sharks mostly but also a few reef sharks. 

We arrived yesterday in Sampson Cay to hide from the windstorm. The anchorage in front of the marina is small so Sweet Tides went into the marina while we anchored outside. 

When we went into the marina to visit Sweet Tides and make reservations for today, some fisherman were cleaning their fish at the dock and throwing the pieces to the sharks and rays that had collected below. There were easily 15 sharks and 5 or 6 rays. Once they had eaten their full they just slept under the docks or went over to visit the boats. 

The fishermen also brought lobster and Chung not only negotiated a good price for three big lobsters, but also grilled them for us. We have been talking about eating the lobster we were going to catch since we left last November. We have not caught any, yet, but yesterday we had wonderful grilled lobster. Thank you Dominique and Chung!!

This morning we moved into the marina. As I was getting off the boat to go register at the office, I passed the credit cards to Juan but with such bad luck that they all fell in the shark infested water! I do not need to say how happy Juan was to have to dive for them. And dive he did since we had no option, quickly so that the sharks had no time to realize what was going on. Of course I have been hearing about this all day.

Spartina also moved into the marina and we all went to the beach and then went snorkeling in Thunderball Cave where we had a great time. It has already started to blow so tomorrow we will do laundry, and clean the boat, and maybe go hiking somewhere.

Cambridge Cay

The best snorkelling! We went to the southernmost end to a place aptly called Seaquarium. Hundreds of fish and wonderful coral. Then we had lunch on the beach and dinghhied to the northernmost end, to two rocks called Rocky Dundas that had beautiful grottoes, open at the top. Differently from Thunderball the fish and coral are not inside but out. Again beautiful coral, tall elkhorn coral and we saw an enormous, really enourmous and graceful sea ray swimming by us.
Today we are moving to Samson Cay because there is another storm brewing. The best thing about Samson is that it has Internet, so pictures will follow!
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Bye bye Vicente, hello Dominique and Chung

Punctually at three Flamingo Air landed in Staniel with Dominique and Chung aboard. Sweet Tides with me aboard sailed into the marina, to the fuel dock, to pick them up. Howard (Spartina) borrowed a golf cart and took Idette to the airport. Meanwhile I and fifteen other boaters huddled in the yatch club bar trying to connect to the Internet. Impossible for most of us. Idette managed to connect and do what she had to do. We all came back to the boat and had another wonderful evening.

This morning at seven thirty Zingaro went to the fuel dock, with Mike on board to take Vicente who flew off this morning.

I tried the internet again and managed after almost two hours to get connected. Just as I had managed to connect the messenger and talk to my mother and Sophia, we had to leave because somebody else was coming to the fuel dock (the nerve!). Anyway I cut my lifeline and came back. Now we are getting ready to weigh anchors and go to Cambridge Cay where for a couple of days not even my blackberry will work. I hope to survive!!

(We snorkeled in Thunderball cave yesterday, outstanding, I had forgotten how beautiful it was, hundreds and hundreds of fish and incredible coral)

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On to Staniel

We raced back from Nassau, but raced is a deceiving word in this case because the wind, as always was not quite according to forecast, weaker and on our nose, so we had to deviate quite a bit from the rhumb line to be able to continue sailing. By 3pm, seven hours into the "race" Sweet Tides conceded and we turned on the motors and headed for Norman.
We had a wonderful day, managed to go out into the Exuma Sound and in again into the nothernmost pond. It's the second time I leave Norman thinking I could have stayed longer.
We crossed over to Shroud in the afternoon and had a rolly, rolly night. We are going out on a quick dinghy ride and then at midday it's off to Staniel.
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Repair, reprovision, recharge, reconnect in Nassau

I was most careful in my description of Idette's allergy yesterday because I know her children read the blog and did not want to worry them. But what started as a rash on her forehead slowly transformed her into a monster - well not quite. But her face was swollen, the forehead looked like she was about to become a unicorn, and the third day she could hardly open her eyes and her cheeks were swollen. So we did race to Nassau. 

The doctor gave her a series of antihistaminics and said it had been caused by the straw hat she had bought here and  had been wearing everyday. Of course they threw it away. She already looks much, much better. The rash is still there but the swelling has subsided. 

So now that we are all better, we have to invite them to dinner since they won the race.

In the meantime we are cleaning and washing (some are) while others are hooked to the Internet. We need intra venous wi fi.

Racing back to Nassau

Shroud Cay is probably the loveliest in the Exumas. We had a great day. The weather was perfect.
For three days now Idette has had a rash on her forehead that has been getting worse every day.
We had decided to race to Nassau: the loser pays for dinner at the Poop Deck restaurant.
The wind is helping and we are probably going to get there by three, in time for Idette to be seen by a doctor.
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Keeping up with the Joneses

I can't get over the image of zingaro looking at us, while it tried either to join us at the second anchorage or escape to Nassau without us.

Zingaro might have been onto something because contrary to the forecast it blew 19 knots from the SW , the side from which we were totally unprotected in that anchorage. To make matters worse there swells coming from the cut were at least three feet, so we rock and rolled all night long. Juan must have got up at least ten times to tie lines and try to stop the banging.

This morning, Sweet Tides smarting with envy and dying to get on the blog, since it couldn't untie itself, it let go of the dinghy. Luckily again the wind at night blew against the shore so it landed on the beach rather than in Nassau, so Juan and Mike were able to retrieve it, full of water and sand but intact.

Now we are on our way to Shroud Cay, closer to the Batelco tower so hopefully I won't need to hoist the Blackberry to the mast. I must confess that as we saw Zingaro loose yesterday my first concern was the Blackberry hanging from the mast. Talk about prorities, right?

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Zingaro on the loose

We finally cut our ties with the wifi in Warderick Wells and started moving north again. We stopped in Hawksbill Cay which is absolutely gorgeous. The weather ia helping too. After we tied to the moorings we went exploring in our dinghies. We had lunch at a lovely beach further north from our anchorage and as we were preparing to go further to see some caves we see the boat that was tied next to us, with its captain waving frantically at us. When we got closer they told us one of our boats was dragging. We sped back to the anchorage to see Zingaro completely loose and luckily drifting into the ocean rather than against the rocks. Somehow the knot had slipped and it got loose. What a fright.

Once we were sure it was secure we went out again.

Ths blackberries only work when we hoist them top the mast. So I am writing this and replying to emails and then up it goes again. Idette took hers to the beach and climbed a hill from where she also made it work. All this while our husbands complain. The latest slideshow shows Mike and me with our hands us holding the blackberries.

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Still in the Park!

We are tied down to the park, not because of its beauty, and it is beautiful, or the great many things you can do here. The reason of course is its wifi. Since the last Batelco tower was in Highborne and the next is in Staniel, our wonderful Blackberries are not working (except if we climb Boo Boo Hill, the highest elevation on the island). The truth is we have had  many decisions to make and tickets to buy so we did need the internet.

Tomorrow we will cut off our umbilical cord and be gone

The best laid plans...

Between the weather that has been very unstable, one day good and two bad and the need (mine and Idette's as our husbands constantly remind us) to find spots where we either have coverage for our blackberries or a hotspot for the internet, planning hasn't been easy. Especially if we add to that the need to be in places where we can pick up visitors and a job Idette and I were offered in the Dominican Republic,  and another job I was offered a job which more or less coincided with it so I couldn't accept and one of my friends who was coming over took it, so then her visit was postponed, too many balls up in the air.  So finally after going back and forth for a few days thinking where are we going to be to pick up Idette's friends and then be back in Georgetown to catch our planes, we managed to get it all squared away.

And then I called my daughter Joanna and asked her if we had received any mail - my daughter Sophia who normally takes care of our mail was away on holidays - and lo and behold we received a letter from the INS saying we had to be back in Washington on February 20 for our interview!! The worst part is in reality only Juan's letter arrived, and it had been re-mailed, (our mail is being forwarded so all sorts of things happen to it). I have to believe since we filed together that I also will have to be there for the interview. This means of course that tomorrow we will have to call to make sure and go back to the drawing board!!!!!

So with these news and Sweet Tides also worried about their son's choice of residency program and the weather which was gray and drab our exploration efforts were really half-hearted. We dinghied all the way to the Pirate's Lair, where we hadn't managed to get to the day before, and it was very beautiful. We just were too preoccupied to fully appreciate it.

We do have a plan for the next few days, we'll go back north first to Hawksbill, then Shroud, then Nassau again. The rest will depend on our phone call tomorrow. 

The best laid plans...

Between the weather that has been very unstable, one day good and two bad and the need (mine and Idette's as our husbands constantly remind us) to find spots where we either have coverage for our blackberries or a hotspot for the internet, planning hasn't been easy. Especially if we add to that the need to be in places where we can pick up visitors and a job Idette and I were offered in the Dominican Republic,  and another job I was offered a job which more or less coincided with it so I couldn't accept and one of my friends who was coming over took it, so then her visit was postponed, too many balls up in the air.  So finally after going back and forth for a few days thinking where are we going to be to pick up Idette's friends and then be back in Georgetown to catch our planes, we managed to get it all squared away.

And then I called my daughter Joanna and asked her if we had received any mail - my daughter Sophia who normally takes care of our mail was away on holidays - and lo and behold we received a letter from the INS saying we had to be back in Washington on February 20 for our interview!! The worst part is in reality only Juan's letter arrived, and it had been re-mailed, (our mail is being forwarded so all sorts of things happen to it). I have to believe since we filed together that I also will have to be there for the interview. This means of course that tomorrow we will have to call to make sure and go back to the drawing board!!!!!

So with these news and Sweet Tides also worried about their son's choice of residency program and the weather which was gray and drab our exploration efforts were really half-hearted. We dinghied all the way to the Pirate's Lair, where we hadn't managed to get to the day before, and it was very beautiful. We just were too preoccupied to fully appreciate it.

We do have a plan for the next few days, we'll go back north first to Hawksbill, then Shroud, then Nassau again. The rest will depend on our phone call tomorrow. 

Blustery, blistery day

True to the forecast, for once, it started blowing very early today, over 20 knots. So we decided it was the perfect weather for a hike. We packed a picnic and by 10:30 we had left our dinghies in the dinghy dock and hit the trails. Hiking trails are well marked on the island and there are several options. Of course as is always the case we started full of energy and ambitiously decided to go all the way to the southern end to a place called Pirate's Lair. It's a long hike and you climb up and down shaggy rocks. The island is made of coral and the stones are really jagged so you have to make sure where you put your foot. The views were magnificent and in fact it was perfect for hiking because otherwise we would have melted. Three hours into the walk we were still miles away from the Pirate's Lair so in a wise and executive decision lead by Idette and me we decided to go back. Of course we had walked three hours, se we knew we had to walk another three. By then our energy was definitely half full. 

We had our picnic lunch on Beryl Beach, on the protected side of the island so we went in the water and then ate. Eating made the energy level go to half empty. But the weather was beginning to change for the worse and it looked as it might rain. So we dragged ourselves up and marched back. We managed to find a shortcut through the beach and going around the rocks in the water where it was shallow. My feet were already sore when we sat down for lunch but the sand and the water made it much worse. I don't think I will ever be able to walk again!

The forecast tomorrow is for calm weather so dinghy rides and snorkeling

Exuma Park

I was sad to leave Norman Cay, I could have stayed several days, but the weather forecast for tomorrow again talks of high winds from the North so we decided to play it safe and come to the Exuma Park where there are mooring balls and we would be more protected. The park has grown and now there are mooring balls in other cays, not just Warderick Wells. It is as beautiful as we remembered and the added bonus is that is has wi fi. Not a minor enticement given that the Blackberry does not work here. We left the Batelco tower in Highborne and the next is only in Staniel Cay.
Today the weather is perfect, we went snorkeling for a while, but the water is so transparent you don't need to get off the boat to see the fish.

Dolphin, dinghy ladder and great day

The only thing I don't like about snorkeling is having to climb back into the dinghy. I have no strength in my arms or I don't have knack of how to do it or whatever it is but the truth is it always ends up with Juan having to pull me in anyway he can and not only is it not a pretty sight but one of these days I could end up with a dislocated shoulder. The steps we have tried to improvise never work because the dinghy is round and they end up underneath and useless.
But while we were on Allan cay we saw a dinghy ladder which Spartina had that juts out and works perfectly.
I thought of ordering one but it would have been a certain hassle to have it delivered here, somewhere and plus and it has to go through customs so we need to send our cruising permits. Also it cost 250 dollars which is not a minor consideration. So ever since I have been bugging Juan for him to build me something similar
Yesterday we arrived in Norman Cay at midday. The weather is not quite settled, there were still a few showers but as soon as the sun came out we went for a walk on the island. Its claim to fame is that it used to belong to a Colombian drug dealer so it has a landing strip, a plane that obviously missed it and is now in the middle of its inner pond and a dump with stuff that used to be in the housing complex. Among all the engines and refrigerators and even another small plane wreck was an aluminun recliner which Juan recognized as the skeleton for my dinghy ladder. And today he went over in the dinghy, sawed off what we didn't need and brought it back. We sanded it and put some padding on the areas it touches the dinghy and on the steps and it worked!!
We went snorkeling by the plane wreck and when Idette and I chickened out when we saw a big barracuda we were able to swim back, climb onto the dinghy and wait for Juan and Mike to return. Then we went exploring in our dinghies. We saw turtles, a nurse shark and tons of conch. At times it was so shallow we had to walk the dinghies. A great day.
The dolphin was yesterday. After our walk as we were dinghying back to our boat we saw a dolphin right in front of us which jumped out of the water with a pirouette. Awesome!!


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Storm over, for the time being...

 It blew and it blew and then it blew itself away. So now we are getting ready to move again. Only the weather forecast is predicting another storm for the weekend so we are already trying to see where we are going to hide. Probably the Exuma Park in Warderick Wells, if we manage to secure to mooring balls. 

Yesterday was mostly a gray day se we just did things around the boat, clean, organize. But at night it was nice enough that we managed to barbacue in the the marina's grill and dine in their gazebo. 

Today we are off to Norman Cay which is about an hour or so away, we will probably leave by midday.

Like Lazarus he's back!

My computer came back to life and it has made me extremely happy. As it died when I was uploading photos, I won't even try now.
We are in Highborne Cay, at a marina because the forecast was ominous:30 knot winds and rain. It did rain and it has been blowing but the marina is extremely protected and we haven't really felt it. Also as always, the forecast was off, it should have started blowing on Saturday, but did not start till late last night. The good part was that we got to take a long walk on the island, the beach on the Atlantic is gorgeous, as nice as Harbor Island's, and then came back bathed in the beach that overlooks the banks - with a lot of trepidation because we also saw the sharks swimming off the docks and when we looked out at the water some of the "rocks" we saw out in the water around us. moved. Of course these are all nurse sharks and everybody says they are harmless, but they are really big and there are a lot of them. Pictures will follow - from another computer.
The bad part is we have to stay one more day at the marina because it is still blowing today, but if all that is bad was like this...

Hiding from a storm in Highborne Cay Marina

We had a wonderful day yesterday in Allen Cay but this morning it already started to blow over 20 knots so we weighed anchors and left to hide in a marina for the next two days when the forecast says it will blow up to 30 knots. 

Highborne is right next to Allen Cay, because of the corals you have to go out and around before entering the marina so it took us about 45 minutes to arrive. We were glad that we had made the reservation before we left Nassau because the marina is full and boats are still calling in asking for a slip. 

Everything here is atrociously expensive, you have to pay 4 dollars if you want to shower, water costs 50 cents a gallon, laundry 10 dollars and the beach is full of sharks, nurse sharks which apparently are harmless, but they are big enough to put you off swimming. The marina brochure says they are "pets"  and most of them are tagged so that they can be studies, but I am not so sure I want to be food for pets.

The cold front will have passed by Monday night, by then we should have left the marina and will go back to blackberry postings.

We made it!!

We are finally in the Exumas, in Allan Cay where almost exactly seven years ago we sailed in with Zingaro in its maiden voyage. And it's everything we remembered and more. The abacos are not for sailboats, too shallow. If you don't have a boat and want to spend a week in the Bahamas, don't choose Nassau, go to Marsh Harbor find a place in any of the islands and go island hopping on the ferries. Harbour Island in the Eleutheras was really special but again you reach it by ferry because it is surrounded by a reef called the devil's backbone.
The exumas on the other hand you can only really see if you come in a boat. The water is crystal clear, the snorkelling exceptional. But of course no internet (except for my blackberry) or hardly anything else. The new guidebooks say things have improved in the last eight years. But ypu know guidebooks! See to believe.
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Propane delay

Nothing truer than the saying that the only animal to hit the same obstacle twice (and thrice) is man. The last time we were in Nassau we bought our propane at a marina. You leave the bottle in the morning and the next day you pick it up. That much we rembered, what we hadn't remembered but has come back very clearly now, is that the next morning is a very broad concept. We had planned to leave by ten, as soon as we had picked up the propane and fueled. Well the propane arrived at two so we stayed one more day. While we waited Idette and I spent 4 hours at the starbucks using the internet. I couldn't stand so much coffee after a while. In the afternoon Idette and Mike went downtown with the other couple that crossed with us while we slept, read, and then Juan fixed a few things around the boat.
Now we are waiting for the Swetyes who are coming over for dinner (last night it was at their boat) and hopefully tomorrow at 8 we'll take off.
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Nassau

After reading the guidebook carefully and because we were worried about a cold front that was looming in the horizon we changed our plans and decided to come to Nassau and travel to the Exumas from here. Everywhere south of Spanish Wells in the Eleutheras was described as not cruiser friendly, either the holding was poor in the anchorage, or it was not protected so we decided after a lot of debating to sail into Nassau. It was a good crossing, the first calm ocean passage of the trip, but we made it just in time with rain pouring in as we sailed into the harbor. Nassau is always interesting, the anchorage is crowded and there is always a lot of traffic so you rock all the time but the weather is more settled today so we'll go across to the Atlantis to look at the aquarium and then tomorrow we head to the Exumas. My other computer died so I am here trying to get organized with this one, no more slide shows for the time being.

Serious Paradise

Guidebooks can be very deceiving, they talk about pristine beaches, pink sands, turquoise waters, "picturesque" towns and you end up looking at shacks by the water. Harbour Island on North Eleuthera however has outdone all our expectations. The town is indeed picturesque and full of character and the beach is UNBELIEVABLE!!! If you ever have money to spare and maybe a long weekend the Pink Sands resort in Harbour Island is the best investment. We went with two other couples in the high speed ferry that comes from Nassau and spent the day there: walked around town, had drinks at 11 am on the terrace of the Pink Sands, overlooking the sea and pretending we were staying there (we figured if we got a room we could have two hours per couple like the watches on the boat during overnights that's all we could afford). Then we walked on the beach and had lunch at a lovely place on the other side of the island overlooking the sound. On the way back we hired a water taxi.

Unfortunately the only internet connection here in Spanish Wells where we are, is my blackberry so I cannot post photos but I will as soon as I can. Tomorrow morning we leave for Hatchet Bay. Judging from what the guide says I doubt we'll have internet but we' ll see.

Apparently the weather is going to turn on the next few days, especially Thursday, if anybody finds any information we would appreciate it!

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Wonderful Royal Island

The weather is wonderful, we are in a secluded anchorage with five other boats and the snorkeling on the reefs on the north side of the island is spectacular. The night before last, we got together with the other cruisers aboard a Catamaran and decided to go snorkeling together, which is always better, the reefs are a mile or so out and the more we are the safer. We are always looking out for each other. We spent over two hours in the water which was absolutely transparent. At night we got together again and sang our hearts out. We even managed to stay awake until 10:30! Quite a feat. Today we will go snorkelling again and in the afternoon we'll head off for Spanish Wells where we will probably stay a couple of days. We need to get rid of our trash, get water, diesel and prepare for the next leg to the Exumas. Hopefully we'll also have internet.
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Redefining "doable"

When talking about the ocean passages we often heard them called doable by cruisers who obviously didn't want to say they did it but they wish they hadn't. Today was doable. We left with ten or twelve other boats who were anchored off Lanyard Cay ready to cross the cut in Little Harbor. This morning since 6:30 there was a lot of traffic on the radio, people exchanging weather information, because as always it was blowing much harder than what been forecast. In the end after many doubts and discussion we weighed anchor and left. All the boats left. When asked by the cruiser's net about the conditions on the passage one of the boats said doable. Yeah, right. It was very, very rough. Marcos was right on the button. 8 to 11 feet rollers from the side. Barfy, idettes ginger cookies came back to haunt her. Twice.
But after seven and a half hours of suffering (though four hours into the trip the waves came down a bit: seven to nine) we are back in parqadise: Royal Isalnd in the Eleutheras. No internet just the blackberry. So sorry for the typos its hard in this little keyboard!!!
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Aborted departure

We left Man o War calmly, headed south to Tiloo Cay when ten minutes into the trip, Sweet Tides called us to tell us they were burping the stuffing box yet again. A few minutes later they called again to say they had A LOT of water coming into the boat. So much that Mike asked us to call Tow Boat US, I did but they did not answer. Idette drove the boat while Mike tried to stop the water, getting all scratched in the process and bleeding all over the shaft. They had to stop the engine, open a sail and slowly make their way to Marsh Harbor. Juan remembered that Tow Boat US had told us - when they thought we had a problem in our stuffing box, to put a plastic bag around it with duck tape to hold the water. Mike did that and it helped. Water started trickling instead of pouring. Luckily Man o War is only an hour away from Marsh Harbor and the wind helped so jiving and jiving they made it to Marsh Harbor. Once inside they turned on the engine and tied in Harbor View Marina, again...
A mechanic from a boat yard on the other side of the island came over and apparently fixed the problem. The shaft had moved so no amount of burping would fix it. We will see tomorrow whether in fact it's fixed: see to believe. So no plans until we know. Juan is saying that cruising is stressing him too much, this is the last time we are doing this. Again, see to believe...
The mechanic's helper talked to Idette while the other guy was doing the work and told her the Abacos are infested with sharks!! and that his father had almost lost his leg to a barracuda!! I am glad we did not have the courage to make it to the mooring balls in Fowl Cay.

What a difference the sun makes!

Sunshine and calm winds made all the difference in the world. We explored the island on foot, dinghied from one end to the other and dinghied all the way to the Fowl Cays. We did not dare go out all the way to the mooring balls because it was very low tide and the only passage through the reef was through the inlet into the ocean which was rough or all the way to the other end, which would have meant at least two more miles. But we landed on the deserted cays, walked on the beach and saw hundreds of hermit crabs.
Today we are leaving Man o War. Pretty but a bit weird. The local population seem to be all members of the same family. All businesses belong to some Albury, Tom or Peter or Steven... This morning at 7 the ferry brought in Bahamian workers who leave the island at 4, none of them live on the island.

Man'o war Cay

Finally we managed to uproot ourselves from Marsh Harbor. The wind is still blowing over 20 knots but yesterday afternoon we left the marina and anchored in the harbor. Sweet Tides decided to stay one more night in the marina charging their batteries. Only last night there was a power outage in town and they did not notice their charger had stopped charging. Today we were all set to leave at two from Marsh Harbor when they realized their batteries were down to sixty four percent. So they stayed an extra half hour charging their batteries and we left at two forty five. Just so we could add some excitement to the blog their stuffing box needed burping, big time burping because a lot of water was coming in, but after some TLC it stopped and we managed to make it to Man'o war, barely. The entrance was really, really narrow and shallow, but once inside it is very protected. We grabbed some mooring balls and went for a walk in town where we took the pictures in the slideshow. Then we we came back, got our dinner ready and had another gourmet feast aboard Sweet Tides.
Tomorrow we will spend the day walking around the island, it is really very pretty, and then we will sail to Tiloo Cut and Little Harbor to get ready to make the passage to Eleuthera on Thursday when the winds and waves will hopefully be much better.

Man'o war Cay

Finally we managed to uproot ourselves from Marsh Harbor. The wind is still blowing over 20 knots but yesterday afternoon we left the marina and anchored in the harbor. Sweet Tides decided to stay one more night in the marina charging their batteries. Only last night there was a power outage in town and they did not notice their charger had stopped charging. Today we were all set to leave at two from Marsh Harbor when they realized their batteries were down to sixty four percent. So they stayed an extra half hour charging their batteries and we left at two forty five. Just to we could add some excitement to the blog their stuffing box needed burping, big time burping because a lot of water was coming in, but after some TLC it stopped and we managed to make it to Man'o war, barely. The entrance was really, really narrow and shallow, but once inside it is very protected. We grabbed some mooring balls and went for a walk in town where we took the pictures in the slideshow. Then we we came back, got our dinner ready and had another gourmet feast aboard Sweet Tides.
Tomorrow we will spend the day walking around the island, it is really very pretty, and then we will sail to Tiloo Cut and Little Harbor to get ready to make the passage to Eleuthera on Thursday when the winds and waves will hopefully be much better.

Still put in Marsh Harbor

The wind continued to blow hard today but luckily it has been veering and now the waves stopped knocking on our bedroom wall. Last night we slept in the front cabin but the noise of the lines kept waking Juan up, so he kept going out to ease the pressure. Mike and Idette had the same problem. With the wind change we managed a great nap. Maybe, just maybe we might be able to leave the marina tomorrow and start crawling out. Maybe to Man'o war Cay and then Little Harbor to wait for weather to cross to Eleuthera. It's an almost 60 mile stretch of open ocean so we have to make sure the weather helps.
In the meantime we walk to town. I have been in more hardware stores in a few days than in my whole life, and the worst is that given the lack of options I even relish it!! (well, not quite). In the evening we continue having wonderful meals. Since we slept in the afternoon we might even make it through a movie. Our last movie viewing experience was not too successful. It was the Sound of Music, with commercials. Juan went to bed halfway through, but he has seen it many, many times: my children and I love it. Mike said he had only seen it once when it first came out in the theater and dared claim it was corny! He did not see it this time either because he slept through it and only woke up during commercials to continue claiming it was corny!! (You know now what DVD he needs to get as a present) Idette and I saw it through. Idette hadn't seen it for a long time, but I even know the script by heart! - but with the commercials it went on forever, only for hardcore fans.

Revisionist History and Junkanoo

Come New Year and it seems nobody was sleeping through midnight but me! I heard the band play Auld Lang Syne when I was already in bed and remember nothing else, but all blog readers will be witnesses to the fact that at 11 pm I was awake writing. Juan says he woke up at 12:20, and Idette and Mike say they woke up at 11:58 and watched the revelers in the bar through the binoculars. I just record what they say, I cannot attest to anything but snoring. 

On the 1st however we made up for not popping the champagne to see the old year off, by celebrating the new with mimosas and a wonderful breakfast. Then we went off to Green Turtle Cay to see their Carnival which takes place on New Year and is called Junkanoo. We went in a bus rented by the cruisers in the marina and then took the ferry. The parking lot where we left the bus was packed. The Junkanoo is popular with the Bahamians themselves. There were food stands in the streets and after the carnival parade was over we went for a walk on the island and people watched. 

The forecast was for the weather to turn last night and it did, it started blowing really hard and it was hard to sleep with with the water hitting the hull. It blew the whole day today and is likely to continue tomorrow. The boat rocks and heels and it has cooled considerably. Not fun. Hopefully it will be over in a couple of days. In the meantime we continue to do things around the boat and add lines to make sure we don't take off like Peter Pan's boat and end up in Neverland!