Lonesome Dove or Passenger Pigeon?

April 2nd, 2007 through April 19th, 2007

Back in the USA

Once we arrived in Lake Worth, we had to call Homeland Security to announce our arrival by sea. The next morning we appeared in person at the Customs and Immigration office with our passports and boat documentation. Fortunately for us, we arrived early and were able to check in and get back on board by 9:00 a.m. It was a bright sunny morning so Dave donned his diving gear and spent the remainder of the morning cleaning the bottom of the hull and checking on the zincs.

With good weather and calm seas forecast for overnight, it was time to move on. We tucked in early and arose at 1:00 a.m. to catch the Ebb tide out the Lake Worth Inlet for an overnight run to Ft. Pierce. It was a good run under a full moon but we did encounter some trouble with the Chart Plotter along the way. We believe it was caused by a corrupted route file. We arrived at Ft. Pierce early the next morning and with a favorable tide continued north up the ICW to a delightful fair-weather anchorage at Rock Point in Melbourne.

Our next stop was Titusville Municipal Marina. As Dave had a number of maintenance tasks to attend to, we booked a 3-day stay. In preparation for our return trip, Dave changed the engine and generator fuel filters, raw-water impeller, transmission fluid, antifreeze, and thermostat. All the while, I stood by and played go-fer (Go-fer this and Go-fer that). Several manatees gathered around our boat and entertained us with their endless quest for fresh water.

The morning after our arrival, I happened to stop by the laundry room to drop off some reading material for the book exchange and much to my absolute surprise and delight, I ran into one of our very good cruising friends, Sandy Schaeffer. She and husband Bob were also staying at the marina aboard their new boat NightWind. That night we enjoyed a nice dinner out with the Schaeffers along with their friends Merle and Susan at Dixie Crossroads. Since they were headed south and we were headed north, our visit was short-lived. Still, it was terrific to see them and finally get a tour of their beautiful boat. We wish them all the best.

The next day being Easter Sunday, we made a quick trip up to Daytona. Upon our arrival, Dave prepared a wonderful Roast Beef dinner. From there it was on St. Augustine where we stayed at the Oyster Creek Marina for a few days, this time to catch up on some administrative tasks. My driver’s license is due to expire so I had to schedule an eye exam and fill out some Registry forms in order to request an out-of-state renewal. And, of course there is always the IRS to deal with this time of year. Yuck!

For the next few nights we anchored out, first at Pine Island and then on to our favorite anchorage at Cumberland Island, GA. From there we headed back offshore for a run from St. Mary’s Inlet to St. Simon’s Inlet. This run is actually a bit longer on the outside than it is on the ICW, but the tide was not favorable for a daytime run in this shallow stretch of the ICW. We had a good offshore run and then continued up the Brunswick River to Brunswick Landing Marina. We booked another 3-4 night stay here because a very strong cold front was predicted over the weekend. Indeed a strong storm it was, causing severe wind damage and flooding all the way up the East Coast. We were happy to be in such a nice, well protected marina. We also hooked up with Greg and Martha from Southerly and enjoyed a wonderful dinner at Christie’s together.

After waiting out 4 days of high winds, we finally got underway from Brunswick on Tuesday, the 17th, and went offshore again for a nice run up to St. Catherine’s Sound. There we enjoyed a peaceful evening at anchor (another favorite anchorage of ours). Wednesday’s forecast called for N/NE winds but they weren’t expected to be strong so we headed offshore for a run up to Port Royal Sound and on to Beaufort. Unfortunately, the winds were stronger than expected and we spent a long slogging day beating into the wind, current, and waves. Needless to say, it wasn’t a pleasant day but we arrived safely in Beaufort and anchored out for the night.

From here on out, we’ll likely remain on the ICW. The trek through the Carolina coast is just too nice to miss. This morning we left Beaufort and headed 40 miles north to an anchorage in Steamboat Creek on the No. Edisto River. We may layover tomorrow since thunderstorms are expected overnight followed by strong NE winds throughout the day tomorrow. In the meantime, Dave is busy in the galley again this time cooking up a big pot of spaghetti and meatballs. There is nothing like a little comfort food to end the day with.

Despite the hold-ups for maintenance and weather, we’re making good time on our return trip. With any luck we’ll be back in Bristol in time for Memorial Day. Till next post, take care and be well.

March 8th, 2007 through April 2, 2007

Our Stay in the Abacos

If memory serves me correctly, our last update had us awaiting a favorable weather window to transit the Whale from Green Turtle Cay. Whale Cay Passage is well known for “Rage” conditions because of it’s exposure to the Atlantic so careful planning is a must.

Needless to say, we really enjoyed our time in Green Turtle. The Green Turtle Club Marina was well worth the stop. The marina just happened to be running a special for the month of March that reduced the cost of our dockage dollar-for-dollar for any amount we spent in the restaurant or at the bar. Basically we got to enjoy a “free” lunch and drinks every day during our 5-day stay.

After a relatively easy run through the Whale, we made our next stop at Great Guana Cay where we stayed at the Orchid Bay Marina in Settlement Harbor. Originally we had planned to anchor or take a mooring in Fisher’s Bay but the forecast called for high winds over the next few days so once again we were tied up at a really nice marina on a wonderful tropical island. Great Guana Cay is best known for its famous seaside bar, Nippers. Every Sunday, Nippers hosts an all-day Pig Roast barbeque with lots of great music, an incredible view of the ocean, and hundreds of fellow cruisers to enjoy the festivities with. Here, we reconnected with several of our cruising buddies that had crossed the Gulf Stream with us and those we had met along the way, including the crews from Southerly, Priority, Magic, El Rio, and Meander. For us, it was just another day in Paradise.

Our next stop was on to the anchorage at Marsh Harbour, the second largest city in the Abacos. Marsh Harbour is a great stop for provisions as it has two large grocery stores, hardware stores, liquor stores, bakeries, and just about anything else you might need. In fact, we were happy to also find a good veternarian on the island since Jupiter had developed a slight bladder infection that required a prescription for antibiotics. Fortunately she responded quickly to the meds with no side affects and was back to her old self in no time. On our third day at anchor, a strong cold front blew through the Abacos with torrential rain and sustained winds of 30+ kts. throughout the night. We knew our anchor was set well but the boat behind us had anchored a little too close for our comfort, which resulted in a long restless night watching our swing room and monitoring the situation in case they should drag anchor during the storm. It was good to see the sunrise the next morning so we could catch up on some much-needed rest.

When we left Marsh Harbour, we had planned to make Hope Town on Elbow Cay our next stop but upon leaving the harbour, the wind speed, direction, and sea state were definitely not favorable for the trip so we altered plans and headed north for Treasure Cay. The entire Abaco Islands were experiencing an unusual, extended period of very high winds from the North/Northeast which seriously kicked up the sea state in the Sea of Abaco. Consequently, island hopping for the next two weeks would be seriously limited.

Treasure Cay’s claim-to-fame is its beautiful 3-mile white sandy beach. The beach is rated one of the top 10 most beautiful beaches in the world and I can believe it. I have never seen water so blue and crystal clear. Jupiter and Tula were in their glory playing ball on the beach and swimming in the ocean during our week-long stay. Another must stop is Florence’s Bakery. Florence bakes the most wonderful fresh breads and pastries. While we were there, we had the great pleasure of running into Steve and Martha from Priority.

On Sunday, March 25th (Tula’s 4th birthday) we headed back to Marsh Harbour to wait for a weather window to go back through the Whale. Due to the continued high-wind conditions, we concluded that we wouldn’t be able to go any further south on this trip. It was time to get ready for our trek back to West End. In Marsh Harbour we reconnected with Martha and Greg on Southerly for our return trip.

Since we had to wait a few days for the right weather conditions to head north, Martha and I decided to take the ferry over to Man-O-War Cay for a day trip of the island. Man-O-War is known for its boat-builders and sailmakers. They also have a wonderful fabric shop on the island where you can purchase yards of Androsia batik-died canvas in an array of spectacular colors and designs. Man-O-War is unique in the Bahamas since it is a dry island where no liquor is sold or served anywhere. As a result, they claim to have no crime whatsoever. Martha and I enjoyed a delightful lunch at Hibiscus Café before wandering through the island shops and taking a short trek around the island before heading back to Marsh Harbour. While waiting for the return ferry, we encountered Lola who runs a bakery on the island and is known for her amazing cinnamon buns. Obviously we had to buy one to make our own judgment. Mmmmm, was it good. Overall we had a fun and relaxing “girls-day-out” away from the boats (notice I didn’t say husbands).

On Thursday, March 29th the day came for us to turn the boat around and start our way back. We had mixed emotions as we hauled anchor since we really enjoyed our time in the Bahamas but we were equally looking forward to returning to the States and back to our own familiar turf. Again we were fortunate to have a lively but manageable trip through the Whale.

We had a good trip from Marsh Harbour to Powell Cay where we dropped the hook for the night off a beautiful deserted beach. The shelling was great and I finally found some really nice sand dollars to bring back home. I would have been truly content if we had spent the entire trip in the Bahamas anchored off this uninhabited island. The next morning, the winds were kicking up so we decided to remain another night to enjoy this delightful anchorage. Later that afternoon, Southerly caught up with us and anchored alongside. We enjoyed a typical New England style hotdog, beans, and brown bread dinner on board their boat.

The next day we headed out just after 7:00 a.m. bound for an anchorage at Mangrove Cay. Along the way, we caught up with two more of our buddy boats, Bum’s Rest and Sea Dreamer. After a quiet night at anchor, we all departed Mangrove early and headed toward Memory Rock and then back to Old Bahama Bay Marina at West End. It felt good to end our time in the Bahamas in the same location where we first arrived. As good fortune would have it, the next day we had good conditions for crossing the Gulf Stream back to Lake Worth. We arrived back in the States around 3:00 p.m. after a fair and uneventful crossing with just some big ocean swells to deal with along the way.

Stillwaters Heading out Through Whale Cay Passage, Abaco

Staying Cool!

Hunting for Dinner

Cruising Buds at Nippers

View from Nippers

Great Guana Beach