Time at sea…
Ah, Friday… or is it Thursday or Saturday? Time has a new meaning these days. We are no longer pushed by the clock, controlled by meetings and appointments. While watching “The Gods Must Be Crazy” the other night, I couldn’t help but wonder how we as a society became so lost… Lost in time, lost in meetings, lost in appointments and lost in traffic. What makes and keeps us so busy? Are we missing something? Where is life within this vastness of lostness?
Sitting in the middle of an ocean, OK so the Caribbean is not quite the middle, but work with me for a minute… time is of no significance. We don’t to need to shoot the sun at noon for navigational purposes, though it would be a good exercise. We move according to weather and sea state. We have no appointments, no meetings and no traffic. I can’t help but wonder if this is life as God intended. Don’t get me wrong, we work and we have a routine but we do not have the pressure of time. The element of chasing time that makes us forget that we are human, that our neighbors are human, that the guy we pass on the street is human, and that the man begging for food is human, is not after us in this place.
We have to live within the parameters of the culture we choose to live in, or are wedged in, but do we have to succumb to the control that time so adamantly demands? It raises it head to control us, if we are not being productive with our time, time tells us we are to get up and hurry up, so its wicked hand can once again control us. The hands of time reach far into our minds twisting our thoughts and priorities.
Escape to the sea where time has no hold.
Monday, March 29, 2010
Thursday, October 15, 2009
Mates Log 10.15.2009
Yes, it has been some time since you have heard from us. We are still in St Augustine, FL, sweltering in the heat and humidity. It’s October, a time when our expectations lean towards cooler nights and breezier days. Not so this year. Even locals are getting tired of the heat and wondering where the cooler weather is. In the meantime other parts of the nation are experiencing early snows with temperatures in the, too cold to want to know range. I can’t help but wonder if this will be a year of extremes.
We have put SongBird up for sale, so it’s with a degree of sadness that I write. As you may or may not know Carey has designed and developed two, three wheeled vehicles, the Rocketship (RKTSHP) and the SoLo. Both projects seem to be taking off at the same time, requiring us to return to California. We are quite excited about the possibilities regarding these two projects and will keep you informed of the progress and our plans as they unfold.
As I take a moment to think about the past year and a half I am overwhelmed with memories, fun, hard, happy, and sad times, incredible beauty, and incredible people. Life on SongBird has been a great experience, as well as a great home, as she has so faithfully served us. I can’t believe we are going to have to pass her on to somebody else already. It will be a sad day when the time comes but we are so thankful for all the tremendous experiences and the opportunity to do such a thing.
We are also thankful we took this time out of our lives to pursue a longtime dream, and would not change anything. It is ending sooner than we planned but then when do things work out according to our exact plan? Life is too short not to go for the gusto and adventure when the opportunity arises.
It’s with great fondness we recall all the new friends we made, the places we saw that we could not have seen otherwise, and all the experiences we could have never dreamed of, that will stay with us forever. The ideal of sailing is true. Sitting on the bow of your boat with the one you love, the wind in your hair, the ocean spray in your face, dolphins jumping in the bow wave, counting huge starfish that you can see 20 feet down below. You can’t help but consider the beauty, the peace and the privilege. The autopilot steers the boat while the sails catch the wind, allowing you to relax and soak it all in. The air is warm, fresh and clean, it is hard to imagine anything else other than that one moment in time. These times may be few, or short lived, because the wind may shift requiring you to leave your place of wonder to trim a sail or two… the dolphins will move on to another adventure and more than likely a wave will come up splashing you back to reality, forcing you to face your tasks at hand. But the thing is, it’s all true, the wonder, the adventure, the beauty, the joy, the peace. You can’t escape it, and you sure don’t want to.
The ideal of a simpler life, consuming fewer resources, facing life challenges that do not include traffic and air pollution, awaits those who cruise. You learn how to take care of everything yourself and find innovation in areas you never considered imaginable. You learn to make friends quickly with those who are not always like you, but who would give you the shirt off their backs in a minute, because you all share one thing in common… you live on a very small boat in a very large ocean.
It is cheaper to cruise then to live on land, your lifestyle is much simpler, your footprint much smaller and your needs and desires much different. Laundry is expensive to do but you don’t wear all that many clothes, and when you do, you wear the same item often. Your wardrobe is simple, can easily be washed in a bucket and hung in the rigging. Gas costs more, but you rarely need any when you sail. Food is expensive but the ocean provides many meals and if you eat like a local you keep your costs down. You don’t have a mortgage or rent… anchoring is free. Communication is not as easy, but then, is it worth fast internet speed to be stuck in a cubicle? A doctor’s appointment will cost you less, as will a dentist. You get a lot of exercise, you walk everywhere. When you need a ride somewhere, someone will help you out and you will have made a new friend. You have time to read books, write, visit with new friends, play cards, learn tournament bocce ball, watch old movies, and pray. You have time to snorkel and dive, watch fish, hunt for seashells, and sea glass, make jewelry, design purses. You can let out all and any creative juices you want to explore but never had time for, unless it requires a garage and power tools! You will meet people of all faiths, including those who share your God. You will find yourself encouraged, challenged and stirred. You will have more of a sense of life and how you want to live it.
The reality of sailing is also true. Such things as seasickness, waves dumping gallons of water on top of your head without notice, losing things overboard, broken parts and the inconvenience of the dying engine are only some of things to be contended with. It’s a hassle being on a boat when you need to use crutches, other then the fact that you never have to go far. You may feel damp and cold at times but if you stay south, not often. You will never shovel snow but you may have to bail the dinghy after a rain.
The things we learned while contending will stay with us for a lifetime… some things will remain useful while other things we may never have to deal with again. One thing is for sure, we never knew there were so many uses for beer cans, 5200 (every cruisers glue solution), and wine corks! No cruiser should leave home without being well stocked in these items.
Life is truly good on a boat, but since all things come to an end, we have to say goodbye to the “good life” and move on to a new adventure. I will miss this life, this adventure, this amazing time. I sing as SongBirds sails sing, in perfect wind, and a perfect sea. Life is good on a boat.
For Carey to have his vehicles put into production is quite an accomplishment and blessing and one we look forward to, and we really miss rides on the RKTSHP.
If you know someone who wants to move forward in their dreams towards the cruising life, SongBird is for sale and ready to cruise the world. She is truly the happiest when out on the ocean sailing her heart out. You can feel it in her sails and hulls.
A few bits of news: SongBird and Carey and I are going to be in a movie. Well who knows what will be edited out, but at least SongBird will make the cut. The movie is Grazia based on the book Grace. While our friends Rich and Else were out visiting, Rich and Carey met the guy who was doing the location scouting and discovered he needed a boat. Carey gave him our card and a week later he showed up to check it out. He said they would be back in a week. Sure enough we got a call that they would arrive in an hour. We met everyone, they did the shoot and then we all went to lunch. It was really fun and everyone was so nice!
In Sept. Carey and Jared spent two and a half weeks in Savannah installing Willow’s new engine. In the meantime Ruthie came down to spend some time with me while we waited for our husbands to return. Ruthie had been in New York with her mom for her grandpa’s funeral, at which time they also discovered one of her brothers has lymphoma. Michael is responding well to treatments but of course it’s a long hard road.
My sister, Lani, and Eddie were out visiting Eddie’s parents in Daytona so were able to come to be with us for a day. It was wonderful seeing them! We all ended up stuck on the boat for the day since it rained most of the time, but we managed to humor ourselves. As I mentioned Rich and Else came out for a visit which was really fun and wonderful. We love having friends come! They made us feel like we were on vacation! My youngest son Jeff will be here next month, and then in Dec. we are headed to CO. Jared and Ruthie will be in VA for Nov before heading to CO in Dec. It is going to be great to see friends and family! We will probably be in CA in Jan. so are very excited about seeing Carey’s kids and grandkids. It’s been too long since we have been with our families, we can’t wait!
We still have our same phone numbers, although Carey does not usually have his phone with him, besides he can’t access his voice mail. It’s still best to call us on my phone number. We can’t receive text messages on our phones so if you try we won’t get it. Well, I think that covers it for now on our end. Please let us know how you are and what you are up to and of course if you are ready for a trip to FL!
We have put SongBird up for sale, so it’s with a degree of sadness that I write. As you may or may not know Carey has designed and developed two, three wheeled vehicles, the Rocketship (RKTSHP) and the SoLo. Both projects seem to be taking off at the same time, requiring us to return to California. We are quite excited about the possibilities regarding these two projects and will keep you informed of the progress and our plans as they unfold.
As I take a moment to think about the past year and a half I am overwhelmed with memories, fun, hard, happy, and sad times, incredible beauty, and incredible people. Life on SongBird has been a great experience, as well as a great home, as she has so faithfully served us. I can’t believe we are going to have to pass her on to somebody else already. It will be a sad day when the time comes but we are so thankful for all the tremendous experiences and the opportunity to do such a thing.
We are also thankful we took this time out of our lives to pursue a longtime dream, and would not change anything. It is ending sooner than we planned but then when do things work out according to our exact plan? Life is too short not to go for the gusto and adventure when the opportunity arises.
It’s with great fondness we recall all the new friends we made, the places we saw that we could not have seen otherwise, and all the experiences we could have never dreamed of, that will stay with us forever. The ideal of sailing is true. Sitting on the bow of your boat with the one you love, the wind in your hair, the ocean spray in your face, dolphins jumping in the bow wave, counting huge starfish that you can see 20 feet down below. You can’t help but consider the beauty, the peace and the privilege. The autopilot steers the boat while the sails catch the wind, allowing you to relax and soak it all in. The air is warm, fresh and clean, it is hard to imagine anything else other than that one moment in time. These times may be few, or short lived, because the wind may shift requiring you to leave your place of wonder to trim a sail or two… the dolphins will move on to another adventure and more than likely a wave will come up splashing you back to reality, forcing you to face your tasks at hand. But the thing is, it’s all true, the wonder, the adventure, the beauty, the joy, the peace. You can’t escape it, and you sure don’t want to.
The ideal of a simpler life, consuming fewer resources, facing life challenges that do not include traffic and air pollution, awaits those who cruise. You learn how to take care of everything yourself and find innovation in areas you never considered imaginable. You learn to make friends quickly with those who are not always like you, but who would give you the shirt off their backs in a minute, because you all share one thing in common… you live on a very small boat in a very large ocean.
It is cheaper to cruise then to live on land, your lifestyle is much simpler, your footprint much smaller and your needs and desires much different. Laundry is expensive to do but you don’t wear all that many clothes, and when you do, you wear the same item often. Your wardrobe is simple, can easily be washed in a bucket and hung in the rigging. Gas costs more, but you rarely need any when you sail. Food is expensive but the ocean provides many meals and if you eat like a local you keep your costs down. You don’t have a mortgage or rent… anchoring is free. Communication is not as easy, but then, is it worth fast internet speed to be stuck in a cubicle? A doctor’s appointment will cost you less, as will a dentist. You get a lot of exercise, you walk everywhere. When you need a ride somewhere, someone will help you out and you will have made a new friend. You have time to read books, write, visit with new friends, play cards, learn tournament bocce ball, watch old movies, and pray. You have time to snorkel and dive, watch fish, hunt for seashells, and sea glass, make jewelry, design purses. You can let out all and any creative juices you want to explore but never had time for, unless it requires a garage and power tools! You will meet people of all faiths, including those who share your God. You will find yourself encouraged, challenged and stirred. You will have more of a sense of life and how you want to live it.
The reality of sailing is also true. Such things as seasickness, waves dumping gallons of water on top of your head without notice, losing things overboard, broken parts and the inconvenience of the dying engine are only some of things to be contended with. It’s a hassle being on a boat when you need to use crutches, other then the fact that you never have to go far. You may feel damp and cold at times but if you stay south, not often. You will never shovel snow but you may have to bail the dinghy after a rain.
The things we learned while contending will stay with us for a lifetime… some things will remain useful while other things we may never have to deal with again. One thing is for sure, we never knew there were so many uses for beer cans, 5200 (every cruisers glue solution), and wine corks! No cruiser should leave home without being well stocked in these items.
Life is truly good on a boat, but since all things come to an end, we have to say goodbye to the “good life” and move on to a new adventure. I will miss this life, this adventure, this amazing time. I sing as SongBirds sails sing, in perfect wind, and a perfect sea. Life is good on a boat.
For Carey to have his vehicles put into production is quite an accomplishment and blessing and one we look forward to, and we really miss rides on the RKTSHP.
If you know someone who wants to move forward in their dreams towards the cruising life, SongBird is for sale and ready to cruise the world. She is truly the happiest when out on the ocean sailing her heart out. You can feel it in her sails and hulls.
A few bits of news: SongBird and Carey and I are going to be in a movie. Well who knows what will be edited out, but at least SongBird will make the cut. The movie is Grazia based on the book Grace. While our friends Rich and Else were out visiting, Rich and Carey met the guy who was doing the location scouting and discovered he needed a boat. Carey gave him our card and a week later he showed up to check it out. He said they would be back in a week. Sure enough we got a call that they would arrive in an hour. We met everyone, they did the shoot and then we all went to lunch. It was really fun and everyone was so nice!
In Sept. Carey and Jared spent two and a half weeks in Savannah installing Willow’s new engine. In the meantime Ruthie came down to spend some time with me while we waited for our husbands to return. Ruthie had been in New York with her mom for her grandpa’s funeral, at which time they also discovered one of her brothers has lymphoma. Michael is responding well to treatments but of course it’s a long hard road.
My sister, Lani, and Eddie were out visiting Eddie’s parents in Daytona so were able to come to be with us for a day. It was wonderful seeing them! We all ended up stuck on the boat for the day since it rained most of the time, but we managed to humor ourselves. As I mentioned Rich and Else came out for a visit which was really fun and wonderful. We love having friends come! They made us feel like we were on vacation! My youngest son Jeff will be here next month, and then in Dec. we are headed to CO. Jared and Ruthie will be in VA for Nov before heading to CO in Dec. It is going to be great to see friends and family! We will probably be in CA in Jan. so are very excited about seeing Carey’s kids and grandkids. It’s been too long since we have been with our families, we can’t wait!
We still have our same phone numbers, although Carey does not usually have his phone with him, besides he can’t access his voice mail. It’s still best to call us on my phone number. We can’t receive text messages on our phones so if you try we won’t get it. Well, I think that covers it for now on our end. Please let us know how you are and what you are up to and of course if you are ready for a trip to FL!
Thursday, July 30, 2009
Mates Land Log 7.30.09
THE LATEST AND GREATEST BREAKING NEWS!!!! JARED AND RUTHIE ARE GOING TO HAVE A BABY!!!
St Augustine is full of old buildings, quaint shops and plenty of history. This being the oldest European settlement in the United States, St Augustine has survived a myriad of wars and battles starting over 50 years before the first pilgrims landed at Plymouth. The oldest house, the oldest schoolhouse and the oldest drug store, all stand here in what is called the Oldest City of God. We have enjoyed staying here with its friendly people and rich history.
We are currently living the marina life which includes showers, laundry, a dock to step out on, so no dinghy-ing to shore, and power for a window air conditioner that sits on a top hatch. We have no anchor to worry about dragging and no limit as to how many friends can come visit, since we no longer have to use the dinghy to get them to the boat. There is a restaurant in front of us with some great live music if we choose to open the door and listen. We have made new friends and have settled into a daily routine… well, that is if falling off the boat is something you call routine.
I had been cleaning the boat and had just started with some cleaning of the lines. I took a large step from the top deck onto the first top swim step. There is a small, foot step to make for an easier step, but I bypassed this so I could step stretching over the lines laid out on the swim step. From this first large step I am not sure exactly what really happened, but when I put my foot down it started to slip, I tried to catch myself but I was by now doing the splits with one leg stuck high on the deck while the other slid out in front of me. I think I tried to grab the raid-arch, but only managed to jam my fingers and slam my back leg, which I think set me on my tush. I’m pretty sure I caught a cleat with my foot while bouncing up and over the side of the boat. I then landed on top of the line hanging from the side of the boat and tied to the dock. I held on thinking for a brief moment I might be able to crawl across the line, without landing in the nasty water, to get to the bottom swim step. What I was thinking... I have no idea, other then the fact that I have watched too many movies where stuntmen do these types of things. Before I could bring myself to reality that this would never work I flipped around the line and fell in the nasty water. Falling in the water in a marina creates a belief that surly one can walk on water and not have to actually swim in the muck. Believing in miracles did not help me this day and I realized I was going to have to find a way out of the water. I swam to the back swim ladder and tried pulling it down so I could climb up and out of the muck, but the line I had landed on caught the ladder when I pulled on it which only caused the ladder to hit me in the head…. You ask, where was Carey during all of this; well, he was sitting in the boat reading, not having any idea what was happening. With no hero in sight to rescue me I had to pull myself up onto an inverted ladder and lay there until I could regain my wits. I saw there was no other way out of this lovely water, so with a quick look around to see who was or was not watching, and with great effort, I ungracefully climbed back on to the boat. Hosing myself down with fresh water and assessing my injuries, I could not figure out what else I had hit on my way overboard. I had bruises all over my legs, arms and other unmentionable places. I had cut and sprained my ankle, and my head was growing a knot the size of Kansas. Life on a boat can be dangerous! I have healed and the bruises have all faded way. I am now on crutches after some minor foot surgery, which is not near as painful as when I fell off the boat.
If you want to see the latest development with Carey’s trike (the SoLo) you can check out the pictures at http://www.motiveind.com/ click on the portfolio tab. There is a picture of the SoLo with “website coming soon” written across it. If you put your cursor over the picture other pictures will show up in the frame to the right. We are excited to see what might come of the project.
My sister and Eddie are coming for a visit in Aug., Else and Richard, friends from Colorado are coming in Sept. and Jared should be back down in a month. Jared and Ruthie have been in Maine living the farming life while their boat is still in Savannah. Jared will be coming down to work on the boat engine and will stop in for a quick visit with us.
As it turned out, Carey and Jared went up to Savanna to put the new engine in, while Ruthie came down to hang out with me. We had a great time together and plan on driving up to Savanna once the guys are done with the engine installation. They seem to be having their own adventures.
I think that wraps it up for now.
St Augustine is full of old buildings, quaint shops and plenty of history. This being the oldest European settlement in the United States, St Augustine has survived a myriad of wars and battles starting over 50 years before the first pilgrims landed at Plymouth. The oldest house, the oldest schoolhouse and the oldest drug store, all stand here in what is called the Oldest City of God. We have enjoyed staying here with its friendly people and rich history.
We are currently living the marina life which includes showers, laundry, a dock to step out on, so no dinghy-ing to shore, and power for a window air conditioner that sits on a top hatch. We have no anchor to worry about dragging and no limit as to how many friends can come visit, since we no longer have to use the dinghy to get them to the boat. There is a restaurant in front of us with some great live music if we choose to open the door and listen. We have made new friends and have settled into a daily routine… well, that is if falling off the boat is something you call routine.
I had been cleaning the boat and had just started with some cleaning of the lines. I took a large step from the top deck onto the first top swim step. There is a small, foot step to make for an easier step, but I bypassed this so I could step stretching over the lines laid out on the swim step. From this first large step I am not sure exactly what really happened, but when I put my foot down it started to slip, I tried to catch myself but I was by now doing the splits with one leg stuck high on the deck while the other slid out in front of me. I think I tried to grab the raid-arch, but only managed to jam my fingers and slam my back leg, which I think set me on my tush. I’m pretty sure I caught a cleat with my foot while bouncing up and over the side of the boat. I then landed on top of the line hanging from the side of the boat and tied to the dock. I held on thinking for a brief moment I might be able to crawl across the line, without landing in the nasty water, to get to the bottom swim step. What I was thinking... I have no idea, other then the fact that I have watched too many movies where stuntmen do these types of things. Before I could bring myself to reality that this would never work I flipped around the line and fell in the nasty water. Falling in the water in a marina creates a belief that surly one can walk on water and not have to actually swim in the muck. Believing in miracles did not help me this day and I realized I was going to have to find a way out of the water. I swam to the back swim ladder and tried pulling it down so I could climb up and out of the muck, but the line I had landed on caught the ladder when I pulled on it which only caused the ladder to hit me in the head…. You ask, where was Carey during all of this; well, he was sitting in the boat reading, not having any idea what was happening. With no hero in sight to rescue me I had to pull myself up onto an inverted ladder and lay there until I could regain my wits. I saw there was no other way out of this lovely water, so with a quick look around to see who was or was not watching, and with great effort, I ungracefully climbed back on to the boat. Hosing myself down with fresh water and assessing my injuries, I could not figure out what else I had hit on my way overboard. I had bruises all over my legs, arms and other unmentionable places. I had cut and sprained my ankle, and my head was growing a knot the size of Kansas. Life on a boat can be dangerous! I have healed and the bruises have all faded way. I am now on crutches after some minor foot surgery, which is not near as painful as when I fell off the boat.
If you want to see the latest development with Carey’s trike (the SoLo) you can check out the pictures at http://www.motiveind.com/ click on the portfolio tab. There is a picture of the SoLo with “website coming soon” written across it. If you put your cursor over the picture other pictures will show up in the frame to the right. We are excited to see what might come of the project.
My sister and Eddie are coming for a visit in Aug., Else and Richard, friends from Colorado are coming in Sept. and Jared should be back down in a month. Jared and Ruthie have been in Maine living the farming life while their boat is still in Savannah. Jared will be coming down to work on the boat engine and will stop in for a quick visit with us.
As it turned out, Carey and Jared went up to Savanna to put the new engine in, while Ruthie came down to hang out with me. We had a great time together and plan on driving up to Savanna once the guys are done with the engine installation. They seem to be having their own adventures.
I think that wraps it up for now.
Thursday, May 28, 2009
Mates Log 5.24.2009
We set anchor at St Augustine at 6pm just as the lightning starts and a front passes by. We are glad to be anchored and wonder about Willow and Diapensia. Jared calls that night... they are having some problems. Two bolts from the engine mounts backed out, one hit the flywheel, was bent and then sheared off… the other went through the crankcase and the engine has blown up!
They were trying to sail up the Intercoastal Waterway, since their engine was dead, to get to Savanna. They didn’t make it… one of the squalls hit them broadside and pushed them onto a sandbar, which grounded them. They had to wait hours for the tide to rise. I’m not sure but I think they had an anchor out to help keep them from getting pushed up on the sand bar any further due to the wind. The rode broke and they lost their anchor. They called for a tow once off the sand bar and were towed all night to Savanna, about 45 miles away. The engine is not salvageable and they are now stuck in Savanna looking for an engine. They are currently anchored but not in a very good place, it’s tight and they are getting beat up from the wind being on their stern… long story but they have to have two anchors out (but left with only one) so they won’t swing with the wind… there is not enough room to swing. (Ben and Jamie left for VA once they landed in Savanna, who could blame them!) We hope to be of some help, somehow.
We are still in St Augustine waiting out weather… today we are sitting in a storm of 35 knots of wind and constant rain. The boat is getting a good, and much needed wash. Jared and Ruthie are hunkered down in Savanna with the same storm system. Diapensia has gone on and should be home soon. In the meantime we have been hanging out with some old friends (the Dill’s) from my Crested Butte days, which has been a great treat.
…. Here is the long and short of it…. we spent almost 2 weeks getting saturated with rain and hammered by wind while we were anchored out. We dug trenches in the muck and the boat produced a huge crop of mold. So we decided, why go all the way up to Annapolis which would take us weeks just to turn around in 5 months to head south to the Caribbean. We are here, we have friends here and it’s cheaper… so we are staying.
Ruthie is with us right now helping Mark and Katie set up a coffee kiosk, Jared is back on their boat in Savanna putting in a new motor that we were able to find, and Carey and I are looking for a car. We are now living in the Oyster Creek Marina, have a new address and are enjoying showers and new friends.
St Augustine is a lovely old town established in the 1600’s. The historical district is full of old buildings, homes and businesses. I don’t have pictures yet since the sun just came out 3 days ago. We plan on being here through hurricane season (the end of Oct.) so come visit! …Or wait until we are in the Caribbean.
You can now call, write or email us and we don’t have to wait out weeks before getting back to you. Also, if we missed any emails during our time out please forgive us. By the time we would get to our email there would be so much junk mail that it was easy to miss “real” emails. We will soon be looking for jobs and settling into “normal” life.
We look forward to hearing from all of you! Ta-ta for now!
They were trying to sail up the Intercoastal Waterway, since their engine was dead, to get to Savanna. They didn’t make it… one of the squalls hit them broadside and pushed them onto a sandbar, which grounded them. They had to wait hours for the tide to rise. I’m not sure but I think they had an anchor out to help keep them from getting pushed up on the sand bar any further due to the wind. The rode broke and they lost their anchor. They called for a tow once off the sand bar and were towed all night to Savanna, about 45 miles away. The engine is not salvageable and they are now stuck in Savanna looking for an engine. They are currently anchored but not in a very good place, it’s tight and they are getting beat up from the wind being on their stern… long story but they have to have two anchors out (but left with only one) so they won’t swing with the wind… there is not enough room to swing. (Ben and Jamie left for VA once they landed in Savanna, who could blame them!) We hope to be of some help, somehow.
We are still in St Augustine waiting out weather… today we are sitting in a storm of 35 knots of wind and constant rain. The boat is getting a good, and much needed wash. Jared and Ruthie are hunkered down in Savanna with the same storm system. Diapensia has gone on and should be home soon. In the meantime we have been hanging out with some old friends (the Dill’s) from my Crested Butte days, which has been a great treat.
…. Here is the long and short of it…. we spent almost 2 weeks getting saturated with rain and hammered by wind while we were anchored out. We dug trenches in the muck and the boat produced a huge crop of mold. So we decided, why go all the way up to Annapolis which would take us weeks just to turn around in 5 months to head south to the Caribbean. We are here, we have friends here and it’s cheaper… so we are staying.
Ruthie is with us right now helping Mark and Katie set up a coffee kiosk, Jared is back on their boat in Savanna putting in a new motor that we were able to find, and Carey and I are looking for a car. We are now living in the Oyster Creek Marina, have a new address and are enjoying showers and new friends.
St Augustine is a lovely old town established in the 1600’s. The historical district is full of old buildings, homes and businesses. I don’t have pictures yet since the sun just came out 3 days ago. We plan on being here through hurricane season (the end of Oct.) so come visit! …Or wait until we are in the Caribbean.
You can now call, write or email us and we don’t have to wait out weeks before getting back to you. Also, if we missed any emails during our time out please forgive us. By the time we would get to our email there would be so much junk mail that it was easy to miss “real” emails. We will soon be looking for jobs and settling into “normal” life.
We look forward to hearing from all of you! Ta-ta for now!
Mates Log 5.15.2009
Greetings from St. Augustine, FL! Yes we are back in the US trying to remember we have cell phones, traffic, dirty sea water we can’t use, radio stations, and mass communication! It’s been an adjustment but we are glad to be “home”… for the most part.
We left Compass Cay April 24; our journey is now taking us back to the US where we will wait out hurricane season. Our plan is to spend the summer in Annapolis, MD working and doing a few more things to the boat. We first head north to Wardrick Wells where we spent my birthday. Jared, Ruthie, Ben and Jamie decorated the boat with homemade streamers, cooked dinner and made a cake while we were out with Jimmy and Renee and their daughter Carman having drinks and pupu’s at the local Tiki bar. When we went back to the dinghies we found a huge, Happy Birthday Lisa, dug out in the sand… it was wonderful! A good time was had by all and once again I enjoyed the feeling of being so well loved by family and friends.
The next day we all got up early to head to New Providence. I have to admit we leave about an hour behind the other two boats. At some point during the day we will pass them, leaving them behind to be only a speck on the horizon. Catamarans are much faster than monohulls. We anchored on the west end of New Providence in a lovely bay surrounded by homes, docks and trees. I could not take in enough of the beautiful water knowing that all too soon we would no longer be enjoying this pristine ocean, no longer able to just jump in when the urge hit, no longer able to wash dishes in sea water and no longer able to see the bottom… all things that are part of our daily lives and routine.
We have a favorable south east winds the day we leave… we finally drag out the spinnaker, a sail we have not yet used. This is a big colorful sail that hangs over the bow of the boat and is used in downwind conditions. We reread our sailing book to refresh our memories and hook the sail up. Poof! She opens up out of her sock and we pick up speed! We love this sail! It’s so colorful and big… we make some sheet adjustments and sit back and relax for hours!
Willow, Diapensia (Jimmy's boat) and SongBird are now so far apart that we can no longer use our handheld VHF to communicate. We turn on the Big Daddy of VHF’s (OK this is just the VHF wired into the boat). We make plans to anchor on the bank where we will wait for the other two boats to catch up. We find a sandy spot where the three boats will comfortably fit. We avoid sea grass, as the holding is not as good as sand. While we are waiting for the other boats a US Coast Guard helicopter shows up and starts circling us… they hail us on our radio wanting to know if we have seen an upside boat with a red hull… they are searching for a boat that has sunk and turned over. Once again we are thankful for our seaworthy boat.
Willow and Diapensia show up, anchor, and head over to our boat for dinner. Jimmy ties a line from his boat to our boat so they can pull themselves over… this allowed him not to have to put his motor on his dinghy (the current was too strong to row over). Some of us girls are sitting outside, enjoying the fresh breeze and stars when we started to think that maybe Willow had moved a little. We asked some of the others to take a look, no one thinks she has really moved. We settle back into our pleasant environment and again relax. Once again, we check on the other boats, we are now convinced that Willow is leaving us all behind and with no crew! We all help Willow’s captain and crew into the dinghy with pots, dishes and cutlery and send them off to chase their rouge boat, but no one thought to offer a flashlight! Fifteen minutes later they call on the VHF letting us know they are all safe and sound and that Willow had dragged almost half a mile. They think they will stay put and get a head start in the morning… sure…
With some difficulty we get Diapensia’s captain and crew in their dinghy (the current and tide was making for some wild water) and on to their boat. We clean up a little and head to bed. I had noticed that Willow had decided to re-anchor near us, so once again we were all snug in our little group. Ten minutes later Jared calls us and says he thinks we are dragging anchor, I of course think he is just trying to play a trick on us since he moved Willow backup with all of us. He finally convinces me to go outside and take a look. Sure enough, we are no longer near Willow and Diapensia! We wonder why our anchor alarm is not working and if we had reset it. The anchor has reset itself, but will it hold? All of us are now wondering if we should just way our anchors and drift… we are after all headed in the right direction and there is nothing in site. I can't bring myself to want to do this. It is nerve racking, no one gets much sleep that night as we are all jumping up checking our anchors. We ended up dragging three times almost ¼ of a mile before we finally settle in. The thing about dragging your anchor is you don’t feel it. The conditions are such that the water is rough, since we are a light boat we easily bounce and move around so there is already a lot of movement going on. It's unnerving. Morning comes and we all head North West to Bimini.
We plan on spending a day in Bimini. We hope to do one last snorkel trip and find conch for dinner. We also hope to use up the last of our Bahamian money at the grocery store before we leave. I don’t feel so well so Carey and I pass on the water activities. We do head to town to see what we can find at the market. The stores are small and really don’t have much in them. You might describe them as an under stocked gas station market, and at half the size. There are three of these markets on Bimini, all on the same road about a mile in length.
The conch hunt is a success!! Nine conchs will be joining us for dinner. We make conch salad and conch fritters… truly a conch feast! The nine of us cram around SongBird’s table and dig in. Hands are flying everywhere, no one is really sure what plate they are using as we are all having to share since there is not enough room for everyone and everything. This is our last night in the Bahamas, we are all a bit sad.
Early Sunday morning we leave heading for Palm Beach, FL. We will be crossing the Gulf Stream so have to plan our course accordingly. The stream runs about 2.5 knots so will push us north. Again we set out the spinnaker and make 8 knots in 12 knots of wind. We end up being too conservative and come out of the stream too soon. We get into Palm Beach around dinner time. Willow and Diapensia show up a couple of hours later and with problems.
Willow has broken two motor mounts. The next day they get towed into the marina and wait for a welder. We stay in Palm Beach for almost a week, waiting for repairs, weather and the re-supplying of the boats. Palm Beach is your typical coastal city full of high rises and boats. The marina has the least expensive laundry we have seen yet… a dollar for a wash and a dollar for a dry. This beats $10 a load in Staniel where someone else does your laundry for you, there are no laundry facilities where you can do your own washing.
Our time in Palm Beach does not start off well. First thing in the morning we notice Diapensia has been boarded by the harbor patrol. Hmmm... not a good sign, but we can't imagine what they are looking for. Generally it's drugs but why Diapensia? We quickly head out in the dinghy to check in at the customs office. On our way back we notice Willow has now been boarded by harbor patrol. We know we must be next since we are all traveling together. Jared dinghys over to tell us they are looking for drugs. They had a tip two boats came in late at night that are smugglers. None of us are happy about the searches. We know we all look rough around the edges, after all we are cruisers, living a life of freedom and unconventionalism. Hair is long and wild, skin is darkly tanned, beards are scruffy and our clothes are rather well used. Jared returns to Willow and finally gets one of the rude harbor patrol guys to listen to his question: why are you searching us since we are a group of 3 boats? They don't believe this long haired, rough around the edges guy, so gruffly ask, where is the other boat you are traveling with? Jared points to us, anchored next to him. Who is that, he demands! My mom... They quickly end making a mess in Willow and leave. They had completely torn apart Diapensia and Willow, and were quite rude as well... based on a random, vague tip. We are all happy to see them leave.
May 9th Willow and Diapensia pull anchor around 9pm headed straight for Charleston. This will be approximately a 52 hour trip. We choose to stay the night in Palm Beach and get up early the next day to leave. We will not be able to make a 52 hour trip with just the two of us; sleeping 2 to 3 hours at a time for more than 2 days is not something we would like to do… anyway we don’t have to be north of Cape Hatteras until June 1st. We do hope to meet up with Willow somewhere along the way.
We leave Palm Beach the next morning at seven. We decide we will go ahead and travel a 24 hour trip so we have a better chance of catching up with Willow and Diapensia. It’s lonely sailing alone, as we have become accustomed to having everyone nearby and within radio distance. The winds are light and the sea is too dark to see anything in the water. This day I am missing the Bahamas tremendously… the water, the fish, the people and the closeness of all the islands. We are going to have to travel over 600 miles to get to our final destination… today it seems so far away.
They say sailing is hours of boredom and moments of sheer terror… the next couple of days are full of boredom. I find I can hardly stay awake on my watches and I only want to sleep when I am not on watch. We don’t have many sails to change as the wind is steady, but still light. Sometime around midnight Carey gets me up to help him take down all the sails, we will have to motor. The wind is all over the place, North East, South West, South, South East and only 5 to 10 knots. At 3:30 am I get back up, Carey is dead tired and needing to sleep. I try and keep myself outside so I don’t fall asleep but it’s freezing cold. I duck inside and decide I will read. This is what a watch looks like when you are inside reading… you read for 10 to 15 minutes then you jump up, go outside, look around for any sign of a boat, check your heading and duck back inside for the next 10 to 15 minutes. You do this for two reasons, one, this is about how long it will take for another boat to show up, and second, this is how you keep yourself awake. You can find yourself on the chart, but there is nothing there but water, and you may become painfully aware of how slow your progress is… I prefer not to participate in this exercise in the middle of the night.
Carey relieves me around 7:30 am and I head down for more sleep. I wake up a few times but nothing in me will allow me to rise or open my eyes, so I keep going back to sleep. I know Carey will wake me if he gets too tired. Finally I drag myself out of bed to find we are still motoring. Well, I knew this before getting out of bed since one of the engines sits right on the other side of hull from our berth. Carey has changed our course and we are headed for St Augustine, FL. We have run out of wind and are running out of fuel. The weather is just not cooperating.
We left Compass Cay April 24; our journey is now taking us back to the US where we will wait out hurricane season. Our plan is to spend the summer in Annapolis, MD working and doing a few more things to the boat. We first head north to Wardrick Wells where we spent my birthday. Jared, Ruthie, Ben and Jamie decorated the boat with homemade streamers, cooked dinner and made a cake while we were out with Jimmy and Renee and their daughter Carman having drinks and pupu’s at the local Tiki bar. When we went back to the dinghies we found a huge, Happy Birthday Lisa, dug out in the sand… it was wonderful! A good time was had by all and once again I enjoyed the feeling of being so well loved by family and friends.
The next day we all got up early to head to New Providence. I have to admit we leave about an hour behind the other two boats. At some point during the day we will pass them, leaving them behind to be only a speck on the horizon. Catamarans are much faster than monohulls. We anchored on the west end of New Providence in a lovely bay surrounded by homes, docks and trees. I could not take in enough of the beautiful water knowing that all too soon we would no longer be enjoying this pristine ocean, no longer able to just jump in when the urge hit, no longer able to wash dishes in sea water and no longer able to see the bottom… all things that are part of our daily lives and routine.
We have a favorable south east winds the day we leave… we finally drag out the spinnaker, a sail we have not yet used. This is a big colorful sail that hangs over the bow of the boat and is used in downwind conditions. We reread our sailing book to refresh our memories and hook the sail up. Poof! She opens up out of her sock and we pick up speed! We love this sail! It’s so colorful and big… we make some sheet adjustments and sit back and relax for hours!
Willow, Diapensia (Jimmy's boat) and SongBird are now so far apart that we can no longer use our handheld VHF to communicate. We turn on the Big Daddy of VHF’s (OK this is just the VHF wired into the boat). We make plans to anchor on the bank where we will wait for the other two boats to catch up. We find a sandy spot where the three boats will comfortably fit. We avoid sea grass, as the holding is not as good as sand. While we are waiting for the other boats a US Coast Guard helicopter shows up and starts circling us… they hail us on our radio wanting to know if we have seen an upside boat with a red hull… they are searching for a boat that has sunk and turned over. Once again we are thankful for our seaworthy boat.
Willow and Diapensia show up, anchor, and head over to our boat for dinner. Jimmy ties a line from his boat to our boat so they can pull themselves over… this allowed him not to have to put his motor on his dinghy (the current was too strong to row over). Some of us girls are sitting outside, enjoying the fresh breeze and stars when we started to think that maybe Willow had moved a little. We asked some of the others to take a look, no one thinks she has really moved. We settle back into our pleasant environment and again relax. Once again, we check on the other boats, we are now convinced that Willow is leaving us all behind and with no crew! We all help Willow’s captain and crew into the dinghy with pots, dishes and cutlery and send them off to chase their rouge boat, but no one thought to offer a flashlight! Fifteen minutes later they call on the VHF letting us know they are all safe and sound and that Willow had dragged almost half a mile. They think they will stay put and get a head start in the morning… sure…
With some difficulty we get Diapensia’s captain and crew in their dinghy (the current and tide was making for some wild water) and on to their boat. We clean up a little and head to bed. I had noticed that Willow had decided to re-anchor near us, so once again we were all snug in our little group. Ten minutes later Jared calls us and says he thinks we are dragging anchor, I of course think he is just trying to play a trick on us since he moved Willow backup with all of us. He finally convinces me to go outside and take a look. Sure enough, we are no longer near Willow and Diapensia! We wonder why our anchor alarm is not working and if we had reset it. The anchor has reset itself, but will it hold? All of us are now wondering if we should just way our anchors and drift… we are after all headed in the right direction and there is nothing in site. I can't bring myself to want to do this. It is nerve racking, no one gets much sleep that night as we are all jumping up checking our anchors. We ended up dragging three times almost ¼ of a mile before we finally settle in. The thing about dragging your anchor is you don’t feel it. The conditions are such that the water is rough, since we are a light boat we easily bounce and move around so there is already a lot of movement going on. It's unnerving. Morning comes and we all head North West to Bimini.
We plan on spending a day in Bimini. We hope to do one last snorkel trip and find conch for dinner. We also hope to use up the last of our Bahamian money at the grocery store before we leave. I don’t feel so well so Carey and I pass on the water activities. We do head to town to see what we can find at the market. The stores are small and really don’t have much in them. You might describe them as an under stocked gas station market, and at half the size. There are three of these markets on Bimini, all on the same road about a mile in length.
The conch hunt is a success!! Nine conchs will be joining us for dinner. We make conch salad and conch fritters… truly a conch feast! The nine of us cram around SongBird’s table and dig in. Hands are flying everywhere, no one is really sure what plate they are using as we are all having to share since there is not enough room for everyone and everything. This is our last night in the Bahamas, we are all a bit sad.
Early Sunday morning we leave heading for Palm Beach, FL. We will be crossing the Gulf Stream so have to plan our course accordingly. The stream runs about 2.5 knots so will push us north. Again we set out the spinnaker and make 8 knots in 12 knots of wind. We end up being too conservative and come out of the stream too soon. We get into Palm Beach around dinner time. Willow and Diapensia show up a couple of hours later and with problems.
Willow has broken two motor mounts. The next day they get towed into the marina and wait for a welder. We stay in Palm Beach for almost a week, waiting for repairs, weather and the re-supplying of the boats. Palm Beach is your typical coastal city full of high rises and boats. The marina has the least expensive laundry we have seen yet… a dollar for a wash and a dollar for a dry. This beats $10 a load in Staniel where someone else does your laundry for you, there are no laundry facilities where you can do your own washing.
Our time in Palm Beach does not start off well. First thing in the morning we notice Diapensia has been boarded by the harbor patrol. Hmmm... not a good sign, but we can't imagine what they are looking for. Generally it's drugs but why Diapensia? We quickly head out in the dinghy to check in at the customs office. On our way back we notice Willow has now been boarded by harbor patrol. We know we must be next since we are all traveling together. Jared dinghys over to tell us they are looking for drugs. They had a tip two boats came in late at night that are smugglers. None of us are happy about the searches. We know we all look rough around the edges, after all we are cruisers, living a life of freedom and unconventionalism. Hair is long and wild, skin is darkly tanned, beards are scruffy and our clothes are rather well used. Jared returns to Willow and finally gets one of the rude harbor patrol guys to listen to his question: why are you searching us since we are a group of 3 boats? They don't believe this long haired, rough around the edges guy, so gruffly ask, where is the other boat you are traveling with? Jared points to us, anchored next to him. Who is that, he demands! My mom... They quickly end making a mess in Willow and leave. They had completely torn apart Diapensia and Willow, and were quite rude as well... based on a random, vague tip. We are all happy to see them leave.
May 9th Willow and Diapensia pull anchor around 9pm headed straight for Charleston. This will be approximately a 52 hour trip. We choose to stay the night in Palm Beach and get up early the next day to leave. We will not be able to make a 52 hour trip with just the two of us; sleeping 2 to 3 hours at a time for more than 2 days is not something we would like to do… anyway we don’t have to be north of Cape Hatteras until June 1st. We do hope to meet up with Willow somewhere along the way.
We leave Palm Beach the next morning at seven. We decide we will go ahead and travel a 24 hour trip so we have a better chance of catching up with Willow and Diapensia. It’s lonely sailing alone, as we have become accustomed to having everyone nearby and within radio distance. The winds are light and the sea is too dark to see anything in the water. This day I am missing the Bahamas tremendously… the water, the fish, the people and the closeness of all the islands. We are going to have to travel over 600 miles to get to our final destination… today it seems so far away.
They say sailing is hours of boredom and moments of sheer terror… the next couple of days are full of boredom. I find I can hardly stay awake on my watches and I only want to sleep when I am not on watch. We don’t have many sails to change as the wind is steady, but still light. Sometime around midnight Carey gets me up to help him take down all the sails, we will have to motor. The wind is all over the place, North East, South West, South, South East and only 5 to 10 knots. At 3:30 am I get back up, Carey is dead tired and needing to sleep. I try and keep myself outside so I don’t fall asleep but it’s freezing cold. I duck inside and decide I will read. This is what a watch looks like when you are inside reading… you read for 10 to 15 minutes then you jump up, go outside, look around for any sign of a boat, check your heading and duck back inside for the next 10 to 15 minutes. You do this for two reasons, one, this is about how long it will take for another boat to show up, and second, this is how you keep yourself awake. You can find yourself on the chart, but there is nothing there but water, and you may become painfully aware of how slow your progress is… I prefer not to participate in this exercise in the middle of the night.
Carey relieves me around 7:30 am and I head down for more sleep. I wake up a few times but nothing in me will allow me to rise or open my eyes, so I keep going back to sleep. I know Carey will wake me if he gets too tired. Finally I drag myself out of bed to find we are still motoring. Well, I knew this before getting out of bed since one of the engines sits right on the other side of hull from our berth. Carey has changed our course and we are headed for St Augustine, FL. We have run out of wind and are running out of fuel. The weather is just not cooperating.
Sunday, April 26, 2009
Mates Long Overdue Update
Mates Log 3.29.2009
Sunday March 29th we left Marsh Harbour heading south to Little Harbour. This will be our staging point for exiting the cut to leave the Abacos heading south down to the Exumas. The weather has not been agreeable for weeks now. The winds have been SSE and we are headed south. We spend 2 days at Little Harbour but are only able to get off the boat one of those days. We are anchored outside of the harbor so have to dinghy into this quaint small berg. Little Harbour consists of one outside bar, a bronze foundry/gallery and maybe 40 homes. There are those who have stopped here on their way south and have never left… we can see why. The roads are sand and only wide enough for one car. The people are friendly and the scenery is lovely. We have pupus’ and drinks at the sandy floored bar and chat up other cruisers. Our dinghy ride back to the boat is a wet and wild one, which has us laughing most of the way!
Tuesday we head south. The weather is lovely although the winds are still not in our favor, unfortunately we will have to motor. It has been an unusual year for cold fronts and winds (so the locals say) so heading south we are looking forward to warmer weather, warmer water and some spectacular snorkeling.
The day is unbelievable and I am on watch! The glistening water, the calm sea, the clear sky, all request that we take pause. I reflect on our time, our trials, our triumphs, the things we have learned and accomplished… the new friends we have made and what is ahead. Pausing brings on heavy eyes with the calm rocking of SongBird, the cool breeze, the warm sun and the, unfortunate, drone of the engines… I fall peacefully asleep. I wake up with the dropping of my head and look over to port side. I am not fully awake as I have not decided that I want to be awake yet, although I am on watch. I see what looks like two large inner tubes or tires floating in the water, and wonder what they are doing out here in the middle of the ocean, and why they are SO large. You know what this is like… you are not fully awake, you are seeing something out of the ordinary, and your mind just cannot put it all together since it is not yet fully functioning.
Well those inner tubes turned out to be whales! Can you believe it! I jump up to get a better look and to confirm what I now felt sure I was seeing. Sure enough it is two whales about 50 feet off our port beam. I couldn’t even figure out how to holler for Carey with any kind of intelligence… I must have managed some kind of sound since he came quickly outside. It was wonderful! During the entire crossing we saw 10 whales, spouting, broaching and cruising. What a great day!
We head into Royal Island Harbour to anchor for the night. This small island is now in the process of being developed, although progress looks slow. Back in the fifties it was owned by a private individual who had built a large home and estate here, from the look of the ruins it must have been quite nice in its day. Unfortunately no one is allowed to come ashore, so no exploring here. It’s a great anchorage though, protected, small, clean and free. We take the dinghy and go into Spanish Wells, just a small berg with lovely scenery and we meet Sarah who has Sarah’s Straw Works and Souvenirs. We chat Sarah up for a spell and learn she makes all the baskets she sells. True beauties.
We are now waiting for the weather to turn so we can continue sailing south to Normans Cay where we will meet up with Jared and Ruthie and friends.
In the meantime we are biding our time with a routine of boat projects, general maintenance, and exercise. The water is warm so we jump in and swim around the boat a few times every day. For projects, Carey has installed outside stereo speakers, drain cups under the cockpit area and daily we make water. I have done laundry (not in a laundry mat), made bread, general mold control and washed down the boat. My favorite project was sanding and polishing our Lexan windows that had crazed so bad that we could hardly see out… they may not be clear as day but you can now see out of them. I never even knew sandpaper came in 2500 grit! After our daily swim we rinse off with fresh water and sit outside to eat our dinner or pupu’s. We watch the sun set and listen as boaters blow the traditional conch shell at sunset.
We feel our bodies are experiencing renewal and regeneration, at the same time we have also been experiencing a spiritual renewal as well. We feel washed and refreshed in many ways and are so thankful for this time… it is a gift we do not take lightly. The market is awful, the economy is a mess, stress is high, taxes are higher and the wave of life feels more like a riptide. We are thankful to be here, doing what we are doing, living as we are living. You are welcome to come for a visit.
4.4.09
The winds have finally changed so we are now able to head south to Normans Cay. Normans Cay used to be owned by the drug runner Carlos Leder, when the Bahamian government was willing to “look the other way” regarding all of the drugs that were brought through here to the states. Once cruisers started turning up dead because they wandered too close to this pristine island the government started to do something about the drug traffic problem in the Bahamas. The island still sports a runway which is used for private planes, a very small beach resort and a dock. There is a ditched DC 3 in the lagoon and still many ruins on the island. The scenery is lovely, the water is incredible and few live here.
We hook up with Jared and Ruthie who had picked up their friends Ben and Jamie in Nassau. We also meet Jimmy and Renee who first met Jared and Ruthie in FL. Yeah, it’s a long story and not necessary…There are now 8 of us hanging out and cruising together. We spend more than a week here, snorkeling, fishing, and beach combing. We collect wood and head to a small spit of land with one lone palm tree and have a bonfire on the beach. I wish I could explain to you exactly what the water looks like here. It is clearer than up north, it's bluer but in some areas greener… no, more clear emerald. You can see a hundred feet under the water. It is quite amazing!
Our first day here, while the tide was going out, we couldn’t believe we had not gone aground or at least close to it. The water looked 3 feet deep and the tide was not fully out… we quickly turned on the depth meter, it read 9 feet… it can’t be right… we jump in and sure enough we couldn’t touch the bottom! We knew we would be fine according to the charts but we still confirm everything with visual aid.
Normans turned into a dream come true, the unreal life, relaxing in the sun, swimming, snorkeling, fishing, and bonfires on the beach…the ideal tropical life. The weather is perfect, the breezes are perfect, the water is incredible, the kids (I know they are adults but they will always be my kids) spear fish every day for dinner, we snorkel and swim every day, explore beaches, play games and have potlucks on our boat. The coral is healthy and colorful and the fish are beautiful… and tasty for that matter.
We are enjoying getting to know all our new friends, and of course are so blessed to be able to be with family as well! We often wish all our family and friends could be here with us in this incredible place. We celebrate Carey’s birthday with a dinner party, maple walnut cake, and ice! It’s a toss up… ice or cake? Both are a rare treat!
4.9.09
We head south to Warderick Wells which is located in part of the Land and Sea Park. All the water and wildlife is protected in this area consisting of 176 square miles. There are marked trails, staff, a bookstore and moorings in the bight. We all anchor out on the south end where you can anchor, as long as you are on the sand. Coral heads pop up everywhere so we have lots to explore. We pick the one that looks like the best spot and all take a dive. The coral, the fish and the plants are all spectacular! We see the most fish here and the healthiest coral yet! Friday night is happy hour at the park headquarters, we all head in to meet other cruisers. I fill Carey up with 2 beers and drive the dinghy home. I will interject here that this is the first time I have actually driven the dinghy… for various reasons that I won’t go into other than to say it really helped my driving having Carey drink 2 beers! After his two beers I was able to drive 'just fine' and was actually 'quite incredible'!!
Sunday is Easter and there is going to be potluck at the same location. The park provides the turkey and ham... the amount of food is amazing! A time of prayer was had and all gave thanks. We met people from all over and really had a great time. This place is lovely and I’m sure you are surprised to hear that! Enjoy all the pictures… they are worth more than a thousand words!
4.13.09
We leave Warderick Wells and head to Staniel Cay, which is about 15 miles from where we are. It’s a two hour sail, the winds are 7 knots and we’re doing 7 knots. Staniel has an airport, three grocery stores and two bars. There is a local woman who makes all the bread; her mom started the business 30 years ago. It is still located in their house. Coconut bread is available at 4:30pm and white bread at 5:30pm. Our second week at Staniel you could only get 3 loaves of day old coconut bread because everyone was down in George Town for the regatta, so it is not made everyday. This is a weeklong event of Bahamian sailboat races and is the Bahamas equivalent of the Olympics… the island that wins the race has bragging rights for the next year. Every local attends this event… they camp on the docks, set up food carts and party for the week. The mail boat picks up some of the boats and hauls them down to Georgetown while others sail down. We are not going that far south this year so will not be attending. :(
At Staniel we snorkel Thunderball where the James Bond movie was filmed. The amount of fish is great! We take canned corn to feed them while we are snorkeling. When Carey started feeding the fish I could only see a frenzy of fish and his fins… it was unbelievable!! I was wishing I had an underwater camera! At Staniel you will also find swimming pigs… they live on the beach near where we are anchored. These pigs swim out to your dinghy and try and crawl in with you, looking for food! They are fed only by the cruisers and eat well! They are big pigs and very clean! See included pictures.
Staniel has a live band which consists of one of the ladies from one of the grocery stores, the dive guy and an assortment of other locals, including special appearances from some of the local kids who sing in the church choir. They are “The” band and call themselves “The Ragged Reef” and play at both of the local bars. I would not describe bars here the same way I would in the states. Here the bar is the social center, the gathering place, the center where you find out where to get water, take your trash and do your laundry. You are free to use their VHF radios to make your calls. There is a good chance you can get a map of town here and find out most anything you need to know. This is the place to meet the locals and other cruisers alike.
Our last day at Staniel we all go bushwhacking to the other side of the island where there is a 35 foot sailboat on the rocks. We think it looks like it has been there for maybe a month. It’s an eerie feeling looking at this boat knowing that it could happen to any of us. The chart shows this as an anchorage but says “poor holding”. We feel certain this is what happened to these people… their anchor didn’t hold. The boat is pretty well stripped and just lying in its watery grave, waiting for the time when all its bits and pieces will be broken up and taken to sea or left on the coral. It’s quite sad. We all continue to diligently dive our anchors and avoid areas with “poor holding”.
4.20.09
We leave Staniel and head north to Compass Cay which is about a 45 minute trip. We are now on our way back north. Jimmy and Renee have family visiting for the rest of the week so did not leave with us. They will call before they start to head north and we will meet somewhere along the way. We are all trying to decide where we want to leave the Bahamas from, so we can go north. Carey and I feel more limited since we do not have any extra crew with us. Renee will be leaving Jimmy but he has 2 or 3 friends coming to help him get back, Jared and Ruthie have Ben and Jamie… this allows for easier watches along the way. Heading north from the Abacos to N Carolina takes about 3 days if you head due north … watches are required this whole time. If any of you want to fly out and crew with us back to the states let us know! Otherwise we will head east to FL and then north so we can take it in steps and anchor along the way to rest.
Compass Cay has a small marina and about 2 houses on it. The attraction for us is the snorkeling and protected waters. It is beautiful here… I’m sure you are sick of hearing that by now… anyway, there are lot s of beaches to explore, coves to check out, coral to dive and water to swim in. We are the only boats anchored here.
This morning we caught rainwater in buckets so we could do some laundry. It’s amazing how many times you can reuse the same water. We continue to learn simpler ways of doing things, conserving water and energy, recycling has a new meaning and leaving as little impact on this planet as possible becomes natural. We didn’t set out with this in mind, it just happens when you live on a sailboat. We had to buy 80 gallons of water and 24 gallons of gas… we spent $100. I thought wow that’s a lot but then I realized we had not gotten gas or water for a month and then it didn’t sound so bad! Jimmy and Renee have only used 28 gallons of water in a month… how do they do it?! I hope to learn.
Today we all took the dinghys to a crescent beach on the ocean side, named one of the most beautiful beaches in the world. Not a person in site. South we see 3 planes doing tricks and wonder what they are, who they are, and where they are from. We don’t have to wait long… they quickly approach and fly right over us. These guys see us waving and jumping up and down so they fly low and at extreme angles so we can see them and they us. There are 3 of them…Yaks, with radial engines and are Russian trainers. They remind me of old war planes from WWll and I half expect bombs to start falling from the sound of things. They are painted perfect and you can tell these guys are having a good time… so are we!! They passed us twice and on the second time around fly REALLY low and right at us!!! We were all so excited to see this display and just for us… we all got goosebumps!
It's April 21st, another lovely day has passed as we get ready to head over to Willow (Jared and Ruthie's boat) for dinner and games. I know these days will end and will not ever be repeated, I want to take in each moment as much as I can… the making of new friends, the spectacular scenery and the simple lifestyle. We are glad to have family here to share it with.
Lessons Learned:
There are many uses for beer cans:
Use as a plate to cover holes in cockpit areas.
Use the bottoms as a holder for a carbon filter (from a used water filter). Cover the vent hole to the toilet so it doesn’t smell when flushing.
Fill with rocks, tape hole, may now be used as a noise maker at Junkanoo.
Keep extras around for future uses that you have not yet discovered.
When you anchor in an area where there is a strong current, there is a good chance that conditions will be such that you will sail up over your anchor when the wind fights the current. When this happens to us our anchor bridle rubs (chafes) our whiskers (low lines that help hold our screecher in place). Chafing is not good… we have tried a variety of things but when the winds are just so the problem reoccurs. Yesterday Carey finally figured out if he puts out a drogue (something that creates drag) it solves the problem. You can buy drogues or you can concoct one… which is what we did. He got out our biggest, thickest rope, tied knots in it and attached a 5 gallon bucket. It worked perfect!
Below is a notice from one of the internet connection websites at a local bar. Kalik (pronounced “click”) is a local Bahamian beer (keep this in mind).
Reminder:
This service uses a satellite uplink for all traffic. On its best day, it will seem slow compared to any land-based service. It is 22 thousand miles to the satellite, which means it is 44 thousand miles before your request hits the Internet, and 44 thousand for the data to come back. No matter how you slice it, 88 thousand miles may take more than a few seconds for a response. So remember, you're in the Central Exumas with the most beautiful water and Cay's anywhere on the planet. Fast Internet is available at most office buildings and cubicles in the states… would you really want to trade where you are for a cubicle?
The secret to happy surfing on a slow network:
1. Click on the link
2. Take a drink of your Kalik
3. Repeat steps 1 and 2 until network appears to have blazing speed.
Sunday March 29th we left Marsh Harbour heading south to Little Harbour. This will be our staging point for exiting the cut to leave the Abacos heading south down to the Exumas. The weather has not been agreeable for weeks now. The winds have been SSE and we are headed south. We spend 2 days at Little Harbour but are only able to get off the boat one of those days. We are anchored outside of the harbor so have to dinghy into this quaint small berg. Little Harbour consists of one outside bar, a bronze foundry/gallery and maybe 40 homes. There are those who have stopped here on their way south and have never left… we can see why. The roads are sand and only wide enough for one car. The people are friendly and the scenery is lovely. We have pupus’ and drinks at the sandy floored bar and chat up other cruisers. Our dinghy ride back to the boat is a wet and wild one, which has us laughing most of the way!
Tuesday we head south. The weather is lovely although the winds are still not in our favor, unfortunately we will have to motor. It has been an unusual year for cold fronts and winds (so the locals say) so heading south we are looking forward to warmer weather, warmer water and some spectacular snorkeling.
The day is unbelievable and I am on watch! The glistening water, the calm sea, the clear sky, all request that we take pause. I reflect on our time, our trials, our triumphs, the things we have learned and accomplished… the new friends we have made and what is ahead. Pausing brings on heavy eyes with the calm rocking of SongBird, the cool breeze, the warm sun and the, unfortunate, drone of the engines… I fall peacefully asleep. I wake up with the dropping of my head and look over to port side. I am not fully awake as I have not decided that I want to be awake yet, although I am on watch. I see what looks like two large inner tubes or tires floating in the water, and wonder what they are doing out here in the middle of the ocean, and why they are SO large. You know what this is like… you are not fully awake, you are seeing something out of the ordinary, and your mind just cannot put it all together since it is not yet fully functioning.
Well those inner tubes turned out to be whales! Can you believe it! I jump up to get a better look and to confirm what I now felt sure I was seeing. Sure enough it is two whales about 50 feet off our port beam. I couldn’t even figure out how to holler for Carey with any kind of intelligence… I must have managed some kind of sound since he came quickly outside. It was wonderful! During the entire crossing we saw 10 whales, spouting, broaching and cruising. What a great day!
We head into Royal Island Harbour to anchor for the night. This small island is now in the process of being developed, although progress looks slow. Back in the fifties it was owned by a private individual who had built a large home and estate here, from the look of the ruins it must have been quite nice in its day. Unfortunately no one is allowed to come ashore, so no exploring here. It’s a great anchorage though, protected, small, clean and free. We take the dinghy and go into Spanish Wells, just a small berg with lovely scenery and we meet Sarah who has Sarah’s Straw Works and Souvenirs. We chat Sarah up for a spell and learn she makes all the baskets she sells. True beauties.
We are now waiting for the weather to turn so we can continue sailing south to Normans Cay where we will meet up with Jared and Ruthie and friends.
In the meantime we are biding our time with a routine of boat projects, general maintenance, and exercise. The water is warm so we jump in and swim around the boat a few times every day. For projects, Carey has installed outside stereo speakers, drain cups under the cockpit area and daily we make water. I have done laundry (not in a laundry mat), made bread, general mold control and washed down the boat. My favorite project was sanding and polishing our Lexan windows that had crazed so bad that we could hardly see out… they may not be clear as day but you can now see out of them. I never even knew sandpaper came in 2500 grit! After our daily swim we rinse off with fresh water and sit outside to eat our dinner or pupu’s. We watch the sun set and listen as boaters blow the traditional conch shell at sunset.
We feel our bodies are experiencing renewal and regeneration, at the same time we have also been experiencing a spiritual renewal as well. We feel washed and refreshed in many ways and are so thankful for this time… it is a gift we do not take lightly. The market is awful, the economy is a mess, stress is high, taxes are higher and the wave of life feels more like a riptide. We are thankful to be here, doing what we are doing, living as we are living. You are welcome to come for a visit.
4.4.09
The winds have finally changed so we are now able to head south to Normans Cay. Normans Cay used to be owned by the drug runner Carlos Leder, when the Bahamian government was willing to “look the other way” regarding all of the drugs that were brought through here to the states. Once cruisers started turning up dead because they wandered too close to this pristine island the government started to do something about the drug traffic problem in the Bahamas. The island still sports a runway which is used for private planes, a very small beach resort and a dock. There is a ditched DC 3 in the lagoon and still many ruins on the island. The scenery is lovely, the water is incredible and few live here.
We hook up with Jared and Ruthie who had picked up their friends Ben and Jamie in Nassau. We also meet Jimmy and Renee who first met Jared and Ruthie in FL. Yeah, it’s a long story and not necessary…There are now 8 of us hanging out and cruising together. We spend more than a week here, snorkeling, fishing, and beach combing. We collect wood and head to a small spit of land with one lone palm tree and have a bonfire on the beach. I wish I could explain to you exactly what the water looks like here. It is clearer than up north, it's bluer but in some areas greener… no, more clear emerald. You can see a hundred feet under the water. It is quite amazing!
Our first day here, while the tide was going out, we couldn’t believe we had not gone aground or at least close to it. The water looked 3 feet deep and the tide was not fully out… we quickly turned on the depth meter, it read 9 feet… it can’t be right… we jump in and sure enough we couldn’t touch the bottom! We knew we would be fine according to the charts but we still confirm everything with visual aid.
Normans turned into a dream come true, the unreal life, relaxing in the sun, swimming, snorkeling, fishing, and bonfires on the beach…the ideal tropical life. The weather is perfect, the breezes are perfect, the water is incredible, the kids (I know they are adults but they will always be my kids) spear fish every day for dinner, we snorkel and swim every day, explore beaches, play games and have potlucks on our boat. The coral is healthy and colorful and the fish are beautiful… and tasty for that matter.
We are enjoying getting to know all our new friends, and of course are so blessed to be able to be with family as well! We often wish all our family and friends could be here with us in this incredible place. We celebrate Carey’s birthday with a dinner party, maple walnut cake, and ice! It’s a toss up… ice or cake? Both are a rare treat!
4.9.09
We head south to Warderick Wells which is located in part of the Land and Sea Park. All the water and wildlife is protected in this area consisting of 176 square miles. There are marked trails, staff, a bookstore and moorings in the bight. We all anchor out on the south end where you can anchor, as long as you are on the sand. Coral heads pop up everywhere so we have lots to explore. We pick the one that looks like the best spot and all take a dive. The coral, the fish and the plants are all spectacular! We see the most fish here and the healthiest coral yet! Friday night is happy hour at the park headquarters, we all head in to meet other cruisers. I fill Carey up with 2 beers and drive the dinghy home. I will interject here that this is the first time I have actually driven the dinghy… for various reasons that I won’t go into other than to say it really helped my driving having Carey drink 2 beers! After his two beers I was able to drive 'just fine' and was actually 'quite incredible'!!
Sunday is Easter and there is going to be potluck at the same location. The park provides the turkey and ham... the amount of food is amazing! A time of prayer was had and all gave thanks. We met people from all over and really had a great time. This place is lovely and I’m sure you are surprised to hear that! Enjoy all the pictures… they are worth more than a thousand words!
4.13.09
We leave Warderick Wells and head to Staniel Cay, which is about 15 miles from where we are. It’s a two hour sail, the winds are 7 knots and we’re doing 7 knots. Staniel has an airport, three grocery stores and two bars. There is a local woman who makes all the bread; her mom started the business 30 years ago. It is still located in their house. Coconut bread is available at 4:30pm and white bread at 5:30pm. Our second week at Staniel you could only get 3 loaves of day old coconut bread because everyone was down in George Town for the regatta, so it is not made everyday. This is a weeklong event of Bahamian sailboat races and is the Bahamas equivalent of the Olympics… the island that wins the race has bragging rights for the next year. Every local attends this event… they camp on the docks, set up food carts and party for the week. The mail boat picks up some of the boats and hauls them down to Georgetown while others sail down. We are not going that far south this year so will not be attending. :(
At Staniel we snorkel Thunderball where the James Bond movie was filmed. The amount of fish is great! We take canned corn to feed them while we are snorkeling. When Carey started feeding the fish I could only see a frenzy of fish and his fins… it was unbelievable!! I was wishing I had an underwater camera! At Staniel you will also find swimming pigs… they live on the beach near where we are anchored. These pigs swim out to your dinghy and try and crawl in with you, looking for food! They are fed only by the cruisers and eat well! They are big pigs and very clean! See included pictures.
Staniel has a live band which consists of one of the ladies from one of the grocery stores, the dive guy and an assortment of other locals, including special appearances from some of the local kids who sing in the church choir. They are “The” band and call themselves “The Ragged Reef” and play at both of the local bars. I would not describe bars here the same way I would in the states. Here the bar is the social center, the gathering place, the center where you find out where to get water, take your trash and do your laundry. You are free to use their VHF radios to make your calls. There is a good chance you can get a map of town here and find out most anything you need to know. This is the place to meet the locals and other cruisers alike.
Our last day at Staniel we all go bushwhacking to the other side of the island where there is a 35 foot sailboat on the rocks. We think it looks like it has been there for maybe a month. It’s an eerie feeling looking at this boat knowing that it could happen to any of us. The chart shows this as an anchorage but says “poor holding”. We feel certain this is what happened to these people… their anchor didn’t hold. The boat is pretty well stripped and just lying in its watery grave, waiting for the time when all its bits and pieces will be broken up and taken to sea or left on the coral. It’s quite sad. We all continue to diligently dive our anchors and avoid areas with “poor holding”.
4.20.09
We leave Staniel and head north to Compass Cay which is about a 45 minute trip. We are now on our way back north. Jimmy and Renee have family visiting for the rest of the week so did not leave with us. They will call before they start to head north and we will meet somewhere along the way. We are all trying to decide where we want to leave the Bahamas from, so we can go north. Carey and I feel more limited since we do not have any extra crew with us. Renee will be leaving Jimmy but he has 2 or 3 friends coming to help him get back, Jared and Ruthie have Ben and Jamie… this allows for easier watches along the way. Heading north from the Abacos to N Carolina takes about 3 days if you head due north … watches are required this whole time. If any of you want to fly out and crew with us back to the states let us know! Otherwise we will head east to FL and then north so we can take it in steps and anchor along the way to rest.
Compass Cay has a small marina and about 2 houses on it. The attraction for us is the snorkeling and protected waters. It is beautiful here… I’m sure you are sick of hearing that by now… anyway, there are lot s of beaches to explore, coves to check out, coral to dive and water to swim in. We are the only boats anchored here.
This morning we caught rainwater in buckets so we could do some laundry. It’s amazing how many times you can reuse the same water. We continue to learn simpler ways of doing things, conserving water and energy, recycling has a new meaning and leaving as little impact on this planet as possible becomes natural. We didn’t set out with this in mind, it just happens when you live on a sailboat. We had to buy 80 gallons of water and 24 gallons of gas… we spent $100. I thought wow that’s a lot but then I realized we had not gotten gas or water for a month and then it didn’t sound so bad! Jimmy and Renee have only used 28 gallons of water in a month… how do they do it?! I hope to learn.
Today we all took the dinghys to a crescent beach on the ocean side, named one of the most beautiful beaches in the world. Not a person in site. South we see 3 planes doing tricks and wonder what they are, who they are, and where they are from. We don’t have to wait long… they quickly approach and fly right over us. These guys see us waving and jumping up and down so they fly low and at extreme angles so we can see them and they us. There are 3 of them…Yaks, with radial engines and are Russian trainers. They remind me of old war planes from WWll and I half expect bombs to start falling from the sound of things. They are painted perfect and you can tell these guys are having a good time… so are we!! They passed us twice and on the second time around fly REALLY low and right at us!!! We were all so excited to see this display and just for us… we all got goosebumps!
It's April 21st, another lovely day has passed as we get ready to head over to Willow (Jared and Ruthie's boat) for dinner and games. I know these days will end and will not ever be repeated, I want to take in each moment as much as I can… the making of new friends, the spectacular scenery and the simple lifestyle. We are glad to have family here to share it with.
Lessons Learned:
There are many uses for beer cans:
Use as a plate to cover holes in cockpit areas.
Use the bottoms as a holder for a carbon filter (from a used water filter). Cover the vent hole to the toilet so it doesn’t smell when flushing.
Fill with rocks, tape hole, may now be used as a noise maker at Junkanoo.
Keep extras around for future uses that you have not yet discovered.
When you anchor in an area where there is a strong current, there is a good chance that conditions will be such that you will sail up over your anchor when the wind fights the current. When this happens to us our anchor bridle rubs (chafes) our whiskers (low lines that help hold our screecher in place). Chafing is not good… we have tried a variety of things but when the winds are just so the problem reoccurs. Yesterday Carey finally figured out if he puts out a drogue (something that creates drag) it solves the problem. You can buy drogues or you can concoct one… which is what we did. He got out our biggest, thickest rope, tied knots in it and attached a 5 gallon bucket. It worked perfect!
Below is a notice from one of the internet connection websites at a local bar. Kalik (pronounced “click”) is a local Bahamian beer (keep this in mind).
Reminder:
This service uses a satellite uplink for all traffic. On its best day, it will seem slow compared to any land-based service. It is 22 thousand miles to the satellite, which means it is 44 thousand miles before your request hits the Internet, and 44 thousand for the data to come back. No matter how you slice it, 88 thousand miles may take more than a few seconds for a response. So remember, you're in the Central Exumas with the most beautiful water and Cay's anywhere on the planet. Fast Internet is available at most office buildings and cubicles in the states… would you really want to trade where you are for a cubicle?
The secret to happy surfing on a slow network:
1. Click on the link
2. Take a drink of your Kalik
3. Repeat steps 1 and 2 until network appears to have blazing speed.
Tuesday, April 14, 2009
Staniel Cay
Today it April 14th. We are in Staniel Cay snorkeling, fishing and enjoying this amazing water! We do not get much internet, groceries or phone service. I have not done an update to even post. So this is to say we are fine, fit and happy. We met up with Jared and Ruthie, their friends Jamie and Ben are with them, and more new friends, Jimmy and Renee (closer to our age) have joined us on their boat. We are all cruising together and having a great time. It’s been fun and we are so happy to be farther south. More will come when we have more time!
Love, Carey and Lisa
Love, Carey and Lisa
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