We have a lot of catching up to do, I'm afraid.
We left Morehead City on Wednesday the 6th. We traveled 101 miles!!!! that day, making into an anchorage in Alligator Creek. This is the place where we fouled our anchor last time, but we were prepared if it happened again. We completed the long day by starting out at 6am and anchoring around 730pm. Whew! We were tired, but felt so accomplished. Since we've been sitting in so many places, we felt we needed to get some distance under our belts. Up early the next morning, we easily pulled up anchor and headed out. The sky was full of dark clouds and we were a little nervous about heading out, but we didn't want to get stuck somewhere again! We managed to get just through the bridge there in Alligator Creek when the sky threatened to open up. We decided to drop anchor and sit it out for a few minutes then head on again. Our anchor dragged though and we didn't have time to pull it up and try again before the storm came. Dad managed to drive the boat around, while Mom and I hid below. In a break in the storm, we pulled the anchor up and circled around some more. By now the visibility was almost nonexistent. Once the rain finally let up, we took off again. We crossed the Neuse and Pamlico Rivers and even managed some sailing! :) We got to Pungo Ferry that night. We planned on anchoring out, instead of risking the abandoned marina again. Unfortunately, we thought there would be more water to anchor in, but getting there we found it was all 7feet. Looking desperately for another place, we realized we were stuck in that area. The other anchorages were miles off either side and we would never make them before dark. I looked up and said, "Look Dad! There's an anvil in the sky!" Haha
With the HUGE anvil shaped cloud coming on, we decided the only safe thing to do was to risk tying up to the dock again. The VHF was saying this coming storm was clocking 60 mph winds, hail, lightning, and flooding. We decided it was worth any risk tying up the dock. No sooner had we tied up to the dock, the sky opened. It was a magnificent storm.
The next day we wound our way through Norfolk and all the Naval ships. I was just as excited seeing them again as I was the first time around. We made it to a little anchorage just outside Rebel Marina, Terry's brother's place in Willoughby Bay. We were going to stay there for the night, then head out for the ride up the Bay the next day. We listened to the weather though and it was turning rough the next day, with gales and the wind direction was all wrong. We did not want to face all that again. The Bay can get very serious. We came to a decision to leave right then and there and spend all night crossing up the bay. We pulled out at 3 that afternoon and headed on.
Having done an overnighter in the ocean, the Bay was completely different. In the ocean, you don't really have to worry about land on either side of you, shallowing waters, and confusing lights. On the ocean, if you see a light, it's another vessel. In the Bay, it could be a vessel or lights on shore, and once it's dark your depth perception goes to zero! We had quite a different experience this time around, but managed it quite well. As Dad said, not many cruisers have pulled overnighters on the Bay. We passed a small midnight regatta with several other sailboats out in the Bay. We saw several freighters and tugs. We even got into a little rain, but we were all too excited at the prospect of getting home.
On Saturday morning, we pulled into Herrington Harbour, just as the winds were beginning to pick up. We easily tied up to the dock, feeling like downright professionals and all hugged for our return. Almost 6 months have gone by since we've last been home. Mom and I couldn't wait any longer. Dad rented a car from Enterprise, we hopped in, leaving the boat as is, and went to pick up the dogs and sleep in our own beds. We were home by the afternoon and all sleeping by 6pm, we were so tired.
It's great being home again, even though we face the dirtiest, dustiest house ever! We also still have to wrap up the boat, collect the mail, and have a million chores to do. We're happy for them though. We made the journey of a lifetime. We accomplished that which we had only dreamed about previously. As a family, we have overcome barriers and crossed mountains together and I'd have to say it's brought us closer. Even though the entire trip wasn't quite what was expected (weather, ahem) it was magnificent. Given the opportunity, I know each of us would jump for it again. This experience has been one of learning, relaxation, healing, and fun. I could not imagine having done anything more exciting.
Thank you everyone who read our blogs and wrote us emails. I am sad to see it come to a close. Thank you to everyone who helped us out with things at home; the Thornhills for taking care of our mail, The Wilsons for taking care of the house and pool (we'll be opening shortly for your revenge), Elaina for taking care of Luigi, Heather for taking care of Jack, and Jeff Urbansky for taking care of the goons. Thank you Mike for allowing us to leave our cars with you. Thank you Jen for saving our gardens from those pesky deer. And thank you to everyone for all your support, love, and friendship. Without all of you, my family and I would never be able to heal and continue on and especially would have never been able to take this trip. With still a long way to go, I feel that we have come quite a way from just 6 months ago. I feel so blessed and so happy.
We are still getting settled back in to the house. We promise to call and to visit people once we've manged to get ourselves organized again.
Love you all! Thank you again! Without you, this would not be possible.
As always, we wish any and everyone Good weather and happy sailing!
The Hilscher Family
Our Weather
Monday, May 11, 2009
Saturday, May 2, 2009
The Saga Continues
Well... it was no hurricane, alien abduction, or anything crazy like that.... and it wasn't anymore fires.... it's a bridge this time around. Oh jeez.
We are staying in Morehead City, NC for a few days because a bridge coming into VA is getting removed and they're closing the ICW. There isn't really a way around it and so we have to wait. Getting home is not easy, but hey! We had a great day with the sails up coming into Morehead City. And we went to a wooden boat show today and the maritime museum. We're planning to find a place with a TV for the Kentucky Derby today. We hope everyone enjoyed Gold Cup. Beautiful weather here, so we hope so there too.
Well... stay tuned for the next in the exciting adventures of the Hilschers. :P
We are staying in Morehead City, NC for a few days because a bridge coming into VA is getting removed and they're closing the ICW. There isn't really a way around it and so we have to wait. Getting home is not easy, but hey! We had a great day with the sails up coming into Morehead City. And we went to a wooden boat show today and the maritime museum. We're planning to find a place with a TV for the Kentucky Derby today. We hope everyone enjoyed Gold Cup. Beautiful weather here, so we hope so there too.
Well... stay tuned for the next in the exciting adventures of the Hilschers. :P
Thursday, April 23, 2009
Blazing a New Trail
Well. Only the Hilschers. Only we would get stopped along the ICW, not allowed to motor any further because of fire. Yep. Fire has stopped us on the water. South Carolina is currently under attack from a wildfire, near Myrtle Beach. They've closed off the ICW all around us and we are trapped in the middle. We have a perfect front row view of all the smoke as it covers a wide expanse, already claiming 40 houses and several miles of woods. Luckily, we were able to find a marina and are stuck here. For the first time ever, we put down in the log... weather: smoke. The sky is filled with varying colors of smoke, from black to white. The wind continues to increase, restarting fires that have been put out and spreading the fire further north and south. We're sitting here, praying the wind doesn't start to blow our way and keeps the smoke across the way. The fire hasn't stopped the golfers today, even though holes 11 and 12 are on fire. We imagine their putting birdy down for those holes and moving right on around them.
So with our good luck, we finally got showers and some decent internet.
Good weather and happy sailing! Pray for rain.
Wednesday, April 22, 2009
Moving North (and it's getting colder)
Hey ya'll!
I'm writing from the depths of the South Carolina swamps!!! You read it right!! We are no longer in Daytona or Florida for that matter! We've hit the road again and are slowly making our way north to home!
We left out of Daytona on the 16th and headed north through St. Augustine and anchored in a little isolated place. It was a beautiful day even though we fought some strong currents. Going through St. Augustine and St. Johns there are some heavy currents because of the outlets to the ocean. Coming down this winter they terrified us. This time around we were prepared. We handled them very well and were proud of ourselves for getting through them just fine. What these strong currents can do is affect your steering immensely. It can spin your boat around on you faster than a blink of the eye if you're not ready. We spent the 17th motoring further up the ICW to Fernandina Beach. We had strong winds all day and were worried about finding a good place to stay. We spent a crazy night in a very popular anchorage just outside a paper factory (Peee ewwww!) where all the boats were swinging in different directions. It was a sight!
We were supposed to leave out for SC on the 18th, but the weather was atrocious, so we spent the day sleeping, reading, and playing Monopoly. Mom kicked our butts!! Dad motored in and found some shrimp right off the boat and found a 6 pack of Kaliks! We had a wonderful meal. The 19th, it was up and adam. We motored out the St. Mary's Inlet and hit the wide open ocean. Once out of the inlet, we heard the now familiar Coast Guard voice on the VHF give warning that a Naval Vessel was incoming on the St. Mary's Inlet. We turned around and there was a submarine coming into port!!! It was so cool! But I wish we could have been a little closer.
The ocean passage went very well! This was our 4th time out in the ocean and we seem to have gotten the hang of it. We were much less worried and more relaxed throughout the day and night. We had fairly good winds and were able to carry some sail. Venture Forth, another boat making the same passage, radioed over every once in awhile to check on us. He had radar and would be warning us if anything came up on it. Of course we appreciated this, but also kept a good eye out for ourselves.
I decided before we left St. Mary's I wanted to see a submarine, a whale, and a turtle. Well, as you know, I got the sub checked off! Along the way we saw several turtles!! They were soo amazing and such graceful swimmers. We also had several dolphin, both bottlenose and spotted, find our boat great fun. We had one do a Flipper style jump out of the water a couple times, while we cheered him on. Another one decided to swim sideways directly on our bow. He was so close I was a little worried, but dolphins are so intelligent, he knew exactly where he was. We also saw several schools (about 20-30) stingrays go past our boat. They would flock together then quickly disperse as the boat got closer. We never did see a whale, but we were so excited to see all the wildlife we did.
Coming into Charleston Inlet was a little blustery, but we managed to turn the corner and get through the Ben Sawyer bridge before she closed it. If we hadn't made it, we would have had to wait 2 hours! And that is no fun! We got very lucky.
We were going to putter up the ICW for the day, but thought the weather was going to be bad again, so we opted to anchor and get some much needed sleep. The weather turned out to be gorgeous (silly weathermen) but at least we were rested. Yesterday, we plunked up the ICW towards Thoroughfare Creek (a place we stayed before with the duck hunters). Along the way we saw 3 alligators!!!! Two were sunning themselves on the banks and the third was swimming alongside the boat! How cool!!!! That had been on my list of things I wanted to see! YAY!!!!!
Today we are once again headed up the ICW. We are stopped in a marina right now refueling, as yesterday we ran out of fuel in the middle of the channel. It was a little crazy at first trying to figure out what went wrong, refilling the tanks with our jerry cans, throwing the anchor down, and letting people know around us that we were ok. It was a little hectic, but we managed just fine. Thank goodness there is a place to refuel so close by. I believe we'll head up somewhere around Myrtle Beach today and continue to Wilmington tomorrow. We hope to get in touch with some friends that live there.
Love you all!
Good weather and happy sailing!
I'm writing from the depths of the South Carolina swamps!!! You read it right!! We are no longer in Daytona or Florida for that matter! We've hit the road again and are slowly making our way north to home!
We left out of Daytona on the 16th and headed north through St. Augustine and anchored in a little isolated place. It was a beautiful day even though we fought some strong currents. Going through St. Augustine and St. Johns there are some heavy currents because of the outlets to the ocean. Coming down this winter they terrified us. This time around we were prepared. We handled them very well and were proud of ourselves for getting through them just fine. What these strong currents can do is affect your steering immensely. It can spin your boat around on you faster than a blink of the eye if you're not ready. We spent the 17th motoring further up the ICW to Fernandina Beach. We had strong winds all day and were worried about finding a good place to stay. We spent a crazy night in a very popular anchorage just outside a paper factory (Peee ewwww!) where all the boats were swinging in different directions. It was a sight!
We were supposed to leave out for SC on the 18th, but the weather was atrocious, so we spent the day sleeping, reading, and playing Monopoly. Mom kicked our butts!! Dad motored in and found some shrimp right off the boat and found a 6 pack of Kaliks! We had a wonderful meal. The 19th, it was up and adam. We motored out the St. Mary's Inlet and hit the wide open ocean. Once out of the inlet, we heard the now familiar Coast Guard voice on the VHF give warning that a Naval Vessel was incoming on the St. Mary's Inlet. We turned around and there was a submarine coming into port!!! It was so cool! But I wish we could have been a little closer.
The ocean passage went very well! This was our 4th time out in the ocean and we seem to have gotten the hang of it. We were much less worried and more relaxed throughout the day and night. We had fairly good winds and were able to carry some sail. Venture Forth, another boat making the same passage, radioed over every once in awhile to check on us. He had radar and would be warning us if anything came up on it. Of course we appreciated this, but also kept a good eye out for ourselves.
I decided before we left St. Mary's I wanted to see a submarine, a whale, and a turtle. Well, as you know, I got the sub checked off! Along the way we saw several turtles!! They were soo amazing and such graceful swimmers. We also had several dolphin, both bottlenose and spotted, find our boat great fun. We had one do a Flipper style jump out of the water a couple times, while we cheered him on. Another one decided to swim sideways directly on our bow. He was so close I was a little worried, but dolphins are so intelligent, he knew exactly where he was. We also saw several schools (about 20-30) stingrays go past our boat. They would flock together then quickly disperse as the boat got closer. We never did see a whale, but we were so excited to see all the wildlife we did.
Coming into Charleston Inlet was a little blustery, but we managed to turn the corner and get through the Ben Sawyer bridge before she closed it. If we hadn't made it, we would have had to wait 2 hours! And that is no fun! We got very lucky.
We were going to putter up the ICW for the day, but thought the weather was going to be bad again, so we opted to anchor and get some much needed sleep. The weather turned out to be gorgeous (silly weathermen) but at least we were rested. Yesterday, we plunked up the ICW towards Thoroughfare Creek (a place we stayed before with the duck hunters). Along the way we saw 3 alligators!!!! Two were sunning themselves on the banks and the third was swimming alongside the boat! How cool!!!! That had been on my list of things I wanted to see! YAY!!!!!
Today we are once again headed up the ICW. We are stopped in a marina right now refueling, as yesterday we ran out of fuel in the middle of the channel. It was a little crazy at first trying to figure out what went wrong, refilling the tanks with our jerry cans, throwing the anchor down, and letting people know around us that we were ok. It was a little hectic, but we managed just fine. Thank goodness there is a place to refuel so close by. I believe we'll head up somewhere around Myrtle Beach today and continue to Wilmington tomorrow. We hope to get in touch with some friends that live there.
Love you all!
Good weather and happy sailing!
Tuesday, April 7, 2009
Taking Up Residency
Hello out there! We're still hanging out in Daytona. The trip isn't officially over yet, but we are getting to a close. At the moment, we are in search of a weather window to leave. We must go out to the Atlantic around Georgia because of too shallow waters, but the weather is not cooperative. The winds today are 25-30 gusting upwards of 50!!! I don't think it would be a good day to leave and unfortunately our next few days look much the same. We may have a window coming up the end of this week. :) VA here we come!
I apologize for lack of photos. The only new ones we have that are not yet posted are from our tour of St. Augustine, but the internet has been most uncooperative as well. Grrrr... it's a sensitive point on this boat. Photos will have to come later. Other than those, we have not been anywhere to take any. Sorry folks!
Hope everyone is doing well!
Good weather and happy sailing!
I apologize for lack of photos. The only new ones we have that are not yet posted are from our tour of St. Augustine, but the internet has been most uncooperative as well. Grrrr... it's a sensitive point on this boat. Photos will have to come later. Other than those, we have not been anywhere to take any. Sorry folks!
Hope everyone is doing well!
Good weather and happy sailing!
Friday, April 3, 2009
St. Augustine
We took a day trip up to St. Augustine and walked the sights. It was a cloudy day but cool. We wandered the main streets and saw all of the old Spanish buildings, the first school house in America, and tons of beautiful architecture. We passed by Flagler College and went to the Fort. It was a wonderful day. We went to this little resutarant that Mom says reminded her of Spain. We ordered tapas and tasted wine.
Other than our little day trip, we've been hanging out in Daytona still. We are looking for a window to leave, but the weathermen keep talking about the dreaded g-word... gale! We are destined for gale storms through Monday. We've visited the beach often, perused all the used books stores and even Barnes and Nobel, visited Wal-Mart, Target, and the flea market (thanks to Kaitlynn). :) It was full of fun stuff.
Other than our little day trip, we've been hanging out in Daytona still. We are looking for a window to leave, but the weathermen keep talking about the dreaded g-word... gale! We are destined for gale storms through Monday. We've visited the beach often, perused all the used books stores and even Barnes and Nobel, visited Wal-Mart, Target, and the flea market (thanks to Kaitlynn). :) It was full of fun stuff.
We are looking forward to coming home.
Good weather and happy sailing to all!
Sunday, March 15, 2009
Space Shuttle Launch!
We had a front row seat. We could see all the NASA buildings and would have seen first hand how the shuttle would have taken off. We were too many days early. What with the constant delays they've had, we feared that if we stayed it would get delayed and we'd run into a problem either with weather or losing our slip at the marina we booked. Sadly, we moved on.
We're in Daytona now and got to see the launch from here. It came up above some nearby apartment buildings and headed our direction in the sky. We saw the boosters leave the shuttle and the shuttle disappear into the sky. It was pretty amazing. The stream left behind it was caught by the setting sun and reflected a rainbow of colors. Unfortunately the camera could not quite capture the exquisite color range. We did not get to hear any sound, but were so happy to get to see it take off.
Good weather and happy sailing!
PS. There is a video of what we could see posted in photos, under the FL section.
Thursday, March 12, 2009
Homeward Bound
Well… we had a wonderful time. The weather wasn't always the most cooperative, but the idea behind the trip was fulfilled. And that was to go to the Bahamas, sail around, see some new places, meet some new people, and spend time together as a family. Accomplished!
We met some wonderful people that we hope we will continue to keep in touch with and would love to see and visit again. The Bahamas, more specifically the Abacos, were a beautiful place. The people were so friendly and welcoming, the views were astonishing, the architecture unique. We of course enjoyed several meals of conch and lobster (different from the Maine lobster) and grouper whenever we got the chance. We will miss that now that we are headed home.
The time came to leave when we realized we had seen most of the Abacos and time would not allow us to go further into the Bahamas. Once the idea of home was mentioned, we all jumped on the bandwagon and began to look for a window to cross the Atlantic. Our window came with a beautiful week of mild winds, clear skies, and warm temperatures. We jumped on it with the knowledge that if we waited we could be there another month easily. Crossing the line between the Bahama bank and the Atlantic ocean, almost brought a tear to my eye. I had such a wonderful time the Bahamas and enjoyed it so much, I almost didn't want to leave. Our crossing went very well. It was so smooth, the winds so light, and the waves so flat, we flew across. We came into Cape Canaveral Inlet this morning. We are now anchored in Titusville, with hopes of moving up the coast a little for a week or so to hang out. We're ready for home, but not sure we want to head back to the cold just yet. So home for now is Florida. :)
Living on the boat has just been a completely life changing experience. We have gotten used to a much more complex system of going to the bathroom, very limited shower ability, small kitchen space and a not so hot burner for cooking, a very tiny fridge, small personal space, and pretty much living outdoors 100% of the time. We joke that going home will be a luxury and realize that now we will be way more appreciative of endless water, good tasting water, hot showers, flushing toilets, laundry abilities, a huge fridge, and Mom's favorite… the AGA. J The boat has provided us an opportunity also to regroup as a family. After losing Emily, things went a little haywire… with work, with school, and in our personal lives. This trip has allowed us to think about things, not think at all, and to spend time together that we may not get in the future. I believe it's been the healthiest and best thing for us… not to mention, we've had a blast! It's sad to see the trip come to an end, but there are exciting prospects for the future. Mom and Dad will be going back to work and I'll be headed off to a new school.
This will not be the last trip for the crew of Thaleïa. :) Thank you everyone for all your love and support and friendship!
Good weather and Happy sailing!
We met some wonderful people that we hope we will continue to keep in touch with and would love to see and visit again. The Bahamas, more specifically the Abacos, were a beautiful place. The people were so friendly and welcoming, the views were astonishing, the architecture unique. We of course enjoyed several meals of conch and lobster (different from the Maine lobster) and grouper whenever we got the chance. We will miss that now that we are headed home.
The time came to leave when we realized we had seen most of the Abacos and time would not allow us to go further into the Bahamas. Once the idea of home was mentioned, we all jumped on the bandwagon and began to look for a window to cross the Atlantic. Our window came with a beautiful week of mild winds, clear skies, and warm temperatures. We jumped on it with the knowledge that if we waited we could be there another month easily. Crossing the line between the Bahama bank and the Atlantic ocean, almost brought a tear to my eye. I had such a wonderful time the Bahamas and enjoyed it so much, I almost didn't want to leave. Our crossing went very well. It was so smooth, the winds so light, and the waves so flat, we flew across. We came into Cape Canaveral Inlet this morning. We are now anchored in Titusville, with hopes of moving up the coast a little for a week or so to hang out. We're ready for home, but not sure we want to head back to the cold just yet. So home for now is Florida. :)
Living on the boat has just been a completely life changing experience. We have gotten used to a much more complex system of going to the bathroom, very limited shower ability, small kitchen space and a not so hot burner for cooking, a very tiny fridge, small personal space, and pretty much living outdoors 100% of the time. We joke that going home will be a luxury and realize that now we will be way more appreciative of endless water, good tasting water, hot showers, flushing toilets, laundry abilities, a huge fridge, and Mom's favorite… the AGA. J The boat has provided us an opportunity also to regroup as a family. After losing Emily, things went a little haywire… with work, with school, and in our personal lives. This trip has allowed us to think about things, not think at all, and to spend time together that we may not get in the future. I believe it's been the healthiest and best thing for us… not to mention, we've had a blast! It's sad to see the trip come to an end, but there are exciting prospects for the future. Mom and Dad will be going back to work and I'll be headed off to a new school.
This will not be the last trip for the crew of Thaleïa. :) Thank you everyone for all your love and support and friendship!
Good weather and Happy sailing!
Tuesday, March 10, 2009
Back to Manjack!
We hung out in Guana Cay for a few days and were joined by our friend Terry Briggs. He rented us a golf cart and we all cruised around the island hoping to check out the new Baker's Bay (a brand new/still in construction) resort and marina. It is very controversial on the island, as it wants to build a golf course. Most of the locals are completely against this idea, because of what it will do to the island and the reef surrounding the island. Unfortunately, we found it gated off and because we weren't "guests" we were not allowed. What riff raff we are. So we went to the other side of the island and found that Orchid Bay Resort and Marina was gated as well. Our trip around the island was cut short, but didn't stop us from cruising the "back roads" one of which I got the golf cart stuck, backed into a poisonwood tree, and then found some hose hanging down. WHOOPS! Thank you Terry! It was a lot of fun.
Barefoot Man was fun. There was a good opening band, Stone McEwan, lots of people and good friends. Our friends from Ripple made it down, the first time in 2 years they've moved their boat. We're kicking them out of the No Sailing Club! But happy to have them on the seas again! J After Barefoot Man, we headed down to Hopetown for the Heritage Festival. It was pretty neat… the town is so small and quaint. It has the classic New England style homes and small narrow roads that you would think impossible to even drive a golf cart down. We got to go up in one of three of the last kerosene hand cranked lighthouses. We saw Thaleia in the anchorage and had a wonderful view.
Yesterday we headed back up around the Whale and spent the night in the beautiful Manjack Cay. Mom caught a fish!!! We believe it was a small amberjack! She was so excited!!!! Of course the camera battery died part way through. Bummer. When we anchored, we were able to swim! And we saw 2 sharks, a baby ray, some cool fish, and 2 dolphin! We saw all the wildlife yesterday! It was so amazing!
Good weather and happy sailing!
Barefoot Man was fun. There was a good opening band, Stone McEwan, lots of people and good friends. Our friends from Ripple made it down, the first time in 2 years they've moved their boat. We're kicking them out of the No Sailing Club! But happy to have them on the seas again! J After Barefoot Man, we headed down to Hopetown for the Heritage Festival. It was pretty neat… the town is so small and quaint. It has the classic New England style homes and small narrow roads that you would think impossible to even drive a golf cart down. We got to go up in one of three of the last kerosene hand cranked lighthouses. We saw Thaleia in the anchorage and had a wonderful view.
Yesterday we headed back up around the Whale and spent the night in the beautiful Manjack Cay. Mom caught a fish!!! We believe it was a small amberjack! She was so excited!!!! Of course the camera battery died part way through. Bummer. When we anchored, we were able to swim! And we saw 2 sharks, a baby ray, some cool fish, and 2 dolphin! We saw all the wildlife yesterday! It was so amazing!
Good weather and happy sailing!
Wednesday, March 4, 2009
Guana Go Back
Well... we just couldn't stay away. We're back at Guana Cay and loving it. We went up yesterday after getting (on our same mooring :) with Troy at Dive Guana) and saw Suzanne, Edner, and Christine at Nippers. We were good though and only had a quick lunch.
This morning we went and tried out Grabbers, another bar and grill. We had a wonderful lunch, probably the best burger in all the Bahamas, and a beautiful view. If the internet were doing better, I would post pictures, but I'm afraid you'll have to wait for those.
We're here and ready for the Barefoot Man concert. We were joking that we couldn't get a spot but came to find we had a pick of the litter. :) Only a few more days!
Also, I would send out personal emails to let people know, but the internet is really really really really slow, so I'm going to post it on here. I just got word today that I have been accepted into VCU's Rehabilitation Counseling program!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :) :) :) :) I now have a choice between social work or rehab counseling and will have to make my decision by April 30th. YAY!!!!!!!!!!
Good weather and happy sailing!
This morning we went and tried out Grabbers, another bar and grill. We had a wonderful lunch, probably the best burger in all the Bahamas, and a beautiful view. If the internet were doing better, I would post pictures, but I'm afraid you'll have to wait for those.
We're here and ready for the Barefoot Man concert. We were joking that we couldn't get a spot but came to find we had a pick of the litter. :) Only a few more days!
Also, I would send out personal emails to let people know, but the internet is really really really really slow, so I'm going to post it on here. I just got word today that I have been accepted into VCU's Rehabilitation Counseling program!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :) :) :) :) I now have a choice between social work or rehab counseling and will have to make my decision by April 30th. YAY!!!!!!!!!!
Good weather and happy sailing!
Friday, February 27, 2009
Man of War Cay
Green Turtle is a wonderful island, truly a place that can be called a home. We spent the past few days collecting food and stocking up on wine and other miscellaneous items.
Last night, we invited all the boats around us for wine and cheese and filled our cockpit with good cheer and friends. We are so blessed to have met so many kind and fun people on this trip. Thank you all for coming! :)
Today we woke up early (earlier than normal that is) and slipped our mooring line. One more time, we left Green Turtle Cay for new ground. We made it around Whale Cay today with ease and even a little fun. We had about 3-4 foot waves with an occasional 5 foot wave. The smooth rocking motion of the boat and my combined sound effects with the bow waves put us into giggles for most of the Whale.
I napped on the deck while the parents drove and we eventually got to Man of War. The entrance, as we have been warned, is very narrow and at times, shallow. It looked downright scary coming into Man of War. Until we got through, we were sucking in on our sides and praying we didn't hit ground. We made it in and with a little aid from a neighbor gathered a mooring line. We already dingied around the harbour this afternoon, but plan to explore the land tomorrow. We hear this place is absolutely beautiful and from what we have already seen, are really happy we got here. Man of War is where the old boats were built, now replaced with fiberglass power boats, and an old sail maker's shop, which now only makes souvenirs out of old sails. We've heard about their products all over the Abacos though and hope to make a stop at their store.
Good weather and happy sailing!
Countdown to Barefoot Man: 7 days! :)
Last night, we invited all the boats around us for wine and cheese and filled our cockpit with good cheer and friends. We are so blessed to have met so many kind and fun people on this trip. Thank you all for coming! :)
Today we woke up early (earlier than normal that is) and slipped our mooring line. One more time, we left Green Turtle Cay for new ground. We made it around Whale Cay today with ease and even a little fun. We had about 3-4 foot waves with an occasional 5 foot wave. The smooth rocking motion of the boat and my combined sound effects with the bow waves put us into giggles for most of the Whale.
I napped on the deck while the parents drove and we eventually got to Man of War. The entrance, as we have been warned, is very narrow and at times, shallow. It looked downright scary coming into Man of War. Until we got through, we were sucking in on our sides and praying we didn't hit ground. We made it in and with a little aid from a neighbor gathered a mooring line. We already dingied around the harbour this afternoon, but plan to explore the land tomorrow. We hear this place is absolutely beautiful and from what we have already seen, are really happy we got here. Man of War is where the old boats were built, now replaced with fiberglass power boats, and an old sail maker's shop, which now only makes souvenirs out of old sails. We've heard about their products all over the Abacos though and hope to make a stop at their store.
Good weather and happy sailing!
Countdown to Barefoot Man: 7 days! :)
Monday, February 23, 2009
Stranded Naked....
Blogging has become a more and more sporadic thing. Since we aren't moving around as frequently as we were before, there haven't been many new things to share and even fewer photos.
Green Turtle has been a lot of fun to come back to. We've really enjoyed running into friends we met the first time around and meeting lots of new people. I feel that I can walk anywhere on the island and at least see 1 person that I've met. Everyone here is so friendly and accommodating, greeting you with a good morning/afternoon every time. On Saturday we went to Stranded Naked's Cheeseburger in Paradise Party. Stranded Naked is that house boat in one of my photo sets that traveled all the way from Florida and now resides in Green Turtle. They sponsor a big party in July every year to kick off the big Abaco regatta. Saturday they threw a party with cheeseburgers and rum punch to raise money for the Green Turtle Fire Department. Mainly tourists came out to enjoy the festivities, but there were a few locals there. Everyone made it a good time. They sold out of all their burgers almost right away, but I am not sure what the total came to be. I hope they raised as much as they were hoping to.
We've been spending the last few days lazing about on the boat. Dad threw his back out again somehow and has been in great pain. Therefore, we've decided to sit quiet until he feels better. I got sick the other day. A friend told us a stomach flu was going around the island. She got it and figures I got it hanging around with all of them somehow. I am feeling better, but we're still working on Dad.
Mom and I are talking about going to the beach today. We need to move around some. Another front is coming through, but we hope to be able to sail on Thursday. Upcoming is the Barefoot Man concert and we couldn't be more excited. It's at our favorite, Nippers, on Guana Cay. We are thinking we will have to get there early to get a mooring.
Good weather and happy sailing!
Green Turtle has been a lot of fun to come back to. We've really enjoyed running into friends we met the first time around and meeting lots of new people. I feel that I can walk anywhere on the island and at least see 1 person that I've met. Everyone here is so friendly and accommodating, greeting you with a good morning/afternoon every time. On Saturday we went to Stranded Naked's Cheeseburger in Paradise Party. Stranded Naked is that house boat in one of my photo sets that traveled all the way from Florida and now resides in Green Turtle. They sponsor a big party in July every year to kick off the big Abaco regatta. Saturday they threw a party with cheeseburgers and rum punch to raise money for the Green Turtle Fire Department. Mainly tourists came out to enjoy the festivities, but there were a few locals there. Everyone made it a good time. They sold out of all their burgers almost right away, but I am not sure what the total came to be. I hope they raised as much as they were hoping to.
We've been spending the last few days lazing about on the boat. Dad threw his back out again somehow and has been in great pain. Therefore, we've decided to sit quiet until he feels better. I got sick the other day. A friend told us a stomach flu was going around the island. She got it and figures I got it hanging around with all of them somehow. I am feeling better, but we're still working on Dad.
Mom and I are talking about going to the beach today. We need to move around some. Another front is coming through, but we hope to be able to sail on Thursday. Upcoming is the Barefoot Man concert and we couldn't be more excited. It's at our favorite, Nippers, on Guana Cay. We are thinking we will have to get there early to get a mooring.
Good weather and happy sailing!
Tuesday, February 17, 2009
Green Turtle Cay
We enjoyed Munjack so much! It was such a beautiful island. Leslie and Bill are a couple who live on the island and have created a Mother Nature wonder. They use solar power, hydroponics, and grow all their own food. They have a created a small paradise there. There are trails all over the island and a "Yes, Trespassers!" sign that begs people to come on their property and look around. We were able to dingy around the island and scope out some excellent snorkeling spots. We saw our first turtle!!! And tried to capture a conch. We all 3 almost went over the edge of the dingy with excitement. Mom finally grabbed it, but after all that, it was too small. We tossed it back. We'll save the conch catching for another day.
We moved back over to Green Turtle on Valentine's. We were welcomed home by Donny, Tom, Jan, and several new friends with a cookout and dancing at the Green Turtle Club. The band, Gully Roosters, are a wonderful local reggae band who had us dancing the night away. Well actually... I danced a lot. :) The next day, everyone was teasing each other as we were all in recovery mode. Poor Donny said that his back was hurting from too much dancing and I have to admit, mine did too.
We've been enjoying the scenes and love that we're back here. Mom and I ventured to the local museum and got a wonderful tour and stories about the island. A hurricane in 1932 devastated the island and ruined most of the historical buildings dating from the Loyalist period. What was left standing have been restored several times and are holding on. There were some relics from the Lucayan Indians. Relics from this culture are rare. The Lucayan Indians were established throughout the Bahamas (pre-Columbus), about 10,000 of them. When Columbus came to the islands he enslaved most of them and those who didn't die from enslavement, died from disease. They were completely wiped out at an alarming rate and are now an extinct people. They were almost completely wiped off the charts as very few relics even remain to say they even existed.
We hope to get back over to Munjack for some snorkeling. We also here there are opportunities for lobster :) and hope to check those out too.
Cold fronts continue to blow through, one as recently as yesterday and another to come on Thursday. The winds, more than anything, are a pain, but we are well protected and use the time to read, write, and relax.
Good weather and happy sailing!
We moved back over to Green Turtle on Valentine's. We were welcomed home by Donny, Tom, Jan, and several new friends with a cookout and dancing at the Green Turtle Club. The band, Gully Roosters, are a wonderful local reggae band who had us dancing the night away. Well actually... I danced a lot. :) The next day, everyone was teasing each other as we were all in recovery mode. Poor Donny said that his back was hurting from too much dancing and I have to admit, mine did too.
We've been enjoying the scenes and love that we're back here. Mom and I ventured to the local museum and got a wonderful tour and stories about the island. A hurricane in 1932 devastated the island and ruined most of the historical buildings dating from the Loyalist period. What was left standing have been restored several times and are holding on. There were some relics from the Lucayan Indians. Relics from this culture are rare. The Lucayan Indians were established throughout the Bahamas (pre-Columbus), about 10,000 of them. When Columbus came to the islands he enslaved most of them and those who didn't die from enslavement, died from disease. They were completely wiped out at an alarming rate and are now an extinct people. They were almost completely wiped off the charts as very few relics even remain to say they even existed.
We hope to get back over to Munjack for some snorkeling. We also here there are opportunities for lobster :) and hope to check those out too.
Cold fronts continue to blow through, one as recently as yesterday and another to come on Thursday. The winds, more than anything, are a pain, but we are well protected and use the time to read, write, and relax.
Good weather and happy sailing!
Friday, February 13, 2009
Running on island time...
Finally we've left Marsh. We enjoyed spending our time there, even though it wasn't our favorite part of the islands. We traveled back to our beloved Guana Cay and visited our friends up at Nippers. Already, we talked about the new bathroom installations and other changes around the place. We will be back, especially for the Barefoot Man concert on March 6th. We're so excited.
We had a wonderful visit, but hopped back out to sail up to Munjack Cay. It was a slow but nice sail yesterday and crossing back around the Whale seemed so easy. Mom and I both had out trolling lines, but to no avail... where are those fish?!
We've had several friends tell us the best snorkeling is at Munjack and we hope to test that out today. We also heard the sea shells here are amazing. I am certainly hoping to collect some more.
Good weather and happy sailing!
We had a wonderful visit, but hopped back out to sail up to Munjack Cay. It was a slow but nice sail yesterday and crossing back around the Whale seemed so easy. Mom and I both had out trolling lines, but to no avail... where are those fish?!
We've had several friends tell us the best snorkeling is at Munjack and we hope to test that out today. We also heard the sea shells here are amazing. I am certainly hoping to collect some more.
Good weather and happy sailing!
Wednesday, February 4, 2009
A long and delayed update!
We spent a couple of days in Guana Cay, home of the famous Nipper’s Bar. The island was beautiful!!! The town, small and quaint, and the beach absolutely gorgeous. We snorkeled for a little bit one day. We walked the long beach, picking up sea shells and spent afternoons enjoying Nipper’s view of the ocean. We left Guana Cay with intentions to go to Hopetown. The wind was all wrong and we ended up coming into Marsh Harbour.
Marsh Harbour is the 3rd largest city in the Bahamas, and we were able to use this to find some brass fittings for our broken water heater and provisions for the boat. We got showers!! And did some laundry. Marsh Harbour is unlike most of the other towns we have been too. It’s dustier, dirtier, and more commercial. The beautiful, classic island homes are replaced by concrete buildings that appear to be falling apart. There are no golf carts and we are back to the land of fast paced cars and even a stop light. It seems a little odd, coming from small little towns where there is hardly even a stop sign and only golf carts whiz by. Still, the area is full of neat little shops and lots of interesting people. Watch out in the grocery store though, they'll run you right over! haha
We attempted to leave after a couple days here. We had a beautiful sail down to Hopetown, came into the harbour and were shocked!!! It was packed with boats, all on moorings, that were so close together that we couldn’t believe people would be comfortable. As long as you are all facing the same direction it’s no problem, but when the wind changes and the boats swing… will you make it? We managed to find one mooring and scooped it up. We had tried to get in somewhere safe for the next upcoming cold front with its gusty winds. Unfortunately, the owner of the mooring ball came out and told us it was reserved (no mark on it whatsoever) and that we needed to get off. Bummer! Being that there were no other mooring balls and you can’t anchor inside, we turned around and had a beautiful sail back to Marsh.
Marsh Harbour! It’s become our new home. We’ve been almost stuck, but enjoying it here for over a week. We have become familiar with the town, the local bars, and even met several other cruisers and locals. We enjoyed the Super Bowl on a huge projector screen at our frequented Snappa’s and cheered along with the other Cardinals fans (rooting for the underdogs). We have had several cold fronts back to back, bringing each heavy winds, choppy waters (even in the Harbour), and even some downpour rains. We’ve been trapped mainly in the boat, it being too cold to sit outside and too windy to walk around. To top it off, the dingy motor has been acting up, either not starting period or cutting off part way. Since none of us like the idea of rowing, we have found a Yamaha dealer and are going to get it fixed. That puts us here for a few more days at least. We have read several books, Dad has polished almost all of the brass (soon to finish as I type this), and I have been making mats, coasters, and hot pads for the boat like crazy. I have cranked several out now and consider myself a professional. HAHA.
Good Weather and Happy Sailing (what little you can do today)!
Marsh Harbour is the 3rd largest city in the Bahamas, and we were able to use this to find some brass fittings for our broken water heater and provisions for the boat. We got showers!! And did some laundry. Marsh Harbour is unlike most of the other towns we have been too. It’s dustier, dirtier, and more commercial. The beautiful, classic island homes are replaced by concrete buildings that appear to be falling apart. There are no golf carts and we are back to the land of fast paced cars and even a stop light. It seems a little odd, coming from small little towns where there is hardly even a stop sign and only golf carts whiz by. Still, the area is full of neat little shops and lots of interesting people. Watch out in the grocery store though, they'll run you right over! haha
We attempted to leave after a couple days here. We had a beautiful sail down to Hopetown, came into the harbour and were shocked!!! It was packed with boats, all on moorings, that were so close together that we couldn’t believe people would be comfortable. As long as you are all facing the same direction it’s no problem, but when the wind changes and the boats swing… will you make it? We managed to find one mooring and scooped it up. We had tried to get in somewhere safe for the next upcoming cold front with its gusty winds. Unfortunately, the owner of the mooring ball came out and told us it was reserved (no mark on it whatsoever) and that we needed to get off. Bummer! Being that there were no other mooring balls and you can’t anchor inside, we turned around and had a beautiful sail back to Marsh.
Marsh Harbour! It’s become our new home. We’ve been almost stuck, but enjoying it here for over a week. We have become familiar with the town, the local bars, and even met several other cruisers and locals. We enjoyed the Super Bowl on a huge projector screen at our frequented Snappa’s and cheered along with the other Cardinals fans (rooting for the underdogs). We have had several cold fronts back to back, bringing each heavy winds, choppy waters (even in the Harbour), and even some downpour rains. We’ve been trapped mainly in the boat, it being too cold to sit outside and too windy to walk around. To top it off, the dingy motor has been acting up, either not starting period or cutting off part way. Since none of us like the idea of rowing, we have found a Yamaha dealer and are going to get it fixed. That puts us here for a few more days at least. We have read several books, Dad has polished almost all of the brass (soon to finish as I type this), and I have been making mats, coasters, and hot pads for the boat like crazy. I have cranked several out now and consider myself a professional. HAHA.
Good Weather and Happy Sailing (what little you can do today)!
Sunday, January 25, 2009
Guana
Whale Cay... we made it! Actually, we had really wonderful weather for it and we were wondering why people get so worried about crossing it. Actually, we could see where if the weather were bad, it would be a little scary. Whale Cay is an island between Green Turtle/No Name Cays and Great Guana Cay. You can't go inside of the Cay because of major shoaling, so you have to go ocean side, out and around. It's not a far distance; only took us a couple of hours, but it can be treacherous in bad weather. We had seas "3-5" feet, that seemed more like 2 feet and calmer winds. We were to Guana Cay before noon. We decided instead of anchoring in Baker's Bay, we would come down to the Settlement Harbour. Settlement has the grocery stores, internet(!), and Nippers!!!! A famous local bar/restaurant, overlooking "the world's 3rd largest barrier reef."
We spent much of yesterday wandering down the beach looking for seashells. We found some sea glass even, mostly greens, some brown and clear, and even an occasional blue. We also saw a Lionfish washed up on shore. The Lionfish is a beautiful creature, not native to the Bahamas. It is from the Asian seas, but was somehow brought here. The Lionfish moves very slow in the water, which makes it a great spectacle if you are snorkeling or diving. But beware! Do not touch this fish, as it is very very poisonous and as our friend says "a guaranteed visit to the hospital." The only predator it has in these waters are the Jewfish. We found it odd that this fish was washed up on shore, seemingly recent too, but was too far up the beach to have been brought in on a tide. hmmmm.... no clue there. Even dead they pack a punch, so we just looked and passed on by.
We passed away the afternoon at Nipper's enjoying a grillled assortment of tuna, grouper, and mahi mahi, and tried their sweet potato fries, of course doused in hot sauce! :)
Today is the famous Nipper's Pig Roast. They roast a pig and put on a huge buffett of local foods. It starts at noon with loud music and tons of people. All you can eat! (Dad likes that part) We hope to go check this out this afternoon. We may have to walk more beach this morning to prepare for all this food.
Good weather and Happy Sailing!
We spent much of yesterday wandering down the beach looking for seashells. We found some sea glass even, mostly greens, some brown and clear, and even an occasional blue. We also saw a Lionfish washed up on shore. The Lionfish is a beautiful creature, not native to the Bahamas. It is from the Asian seas, but was somehow brought here. The Lionfish moves very slow in the water, which makes it a great spectacle if you are snorkeling or diving. But beware! Do not touch this fish, as it is very very poisonous and as our friend says "a guaranteed visit to the hospital." The only predator it has in these waters are the Jewfish. We found it odd that this fish was washed up on shore, seemingly recent too, but was too far up the beach to have been brought in on a tide. hmmmm.... no clue there. Even dead they pack a punch, so we just looked and passed on by.
We passed away the afternoon at Nipper's enjoying a grillled assortment of tuna, grouper, and mahi mahi, and tried their sweet potato fries, of course doused in hot sauce! :)
Today is the famous Nipper's Pig Roast. They roast a pig and put on a huge buffett of local foods. It starts at noon with loud music and tons of people. All you can eat! (Dad likes that part) We hope to go check this out this afternoon. We may have to walk more beach this morning to prepare for all this food.
Good weather and Happy Sailing!
Thursday, January 22, 2009
Time to Go
Well, it's sad, but it's time to move on from Green Turtle Cay to new places. We have been here for almost 2 weeks and have enjoyed every moment. We have met some wonderful people while here and are sad to leave them behind. We felt like we had the daily living groove down around town. We did our last Thursday of produce shopping and will miss the celery tomorrow. We hope to move on around Whale Cay, a tricky part where we have to go ocean side and apparently if the weather isn't juuuust right we could see very nasty waves. We hear that while it is a short passage around the cay and you aren't in the ocean long, it can be the worst. We hope to get to Great Guana. If we don't make Whale Cay, we'll go to Munjack Cay. We'll see how time goes and weather. Hey, island time.
Good weather and Happy Sailing!
Good weather and Happy Sailing!
Thursday, January 15, 2009
Laundry and Showers
YAY! We finally got to do some laundry. You know its bad when even you can't stand the smell of both yourself... and.... your sheets! Hahaha Mom knew it was bad when she caught me avoiding the v-berth. Dad took a couple loads to the one of two places on the island to do laundry. Mom and I "grocery" shopped, which is basically a much smaller scale shopping than in the states. Thursday is delivery day for fresh produce. We quickly learned that celery wasn't considered in this and was delivered on Friday, thus another trip into town to retrieve that item. It is really funny how it works. You go to one store for the tomatoes, one store for the lettuce, another for the bread, and wait until Friday for celery. We get some fruit too, but they again are all imported; apples, grapes, and bananas. We did find an avocado the size of a football (almost) and are waiting in it to get ripe to enjoy it. We are thoroughly enjoying cracked conch, a fried conch delight, and grouper at the moment, eating it every chance we get.
We spent the day today walking the beaches looking for seashells. We found some wonderful sea urchin remains. That was pretty exciting for us. We also found several beautiful shells. I was amazed looking out how many different colors the water is. At first, it is almost white, reflecting the close sandy bottom, then it turns almost green, then turquoise, then a royal navy blue. It's utterly beautiful. I was also amazed at how much trash lined the beach, but I tried to avoid that thought and kept looking for awesome shells and critters. We saw several crabs running along the beach, and even 1 dead Portuguese Man O War, a very very toxic jellyfish. Even dead the Man O War can sting and put you in the hospital. The beaches here are lined in huge clumps of seaweed and grasses and hiding in those are the shells. Hiding in them are also the Man O War. We decided, upon seeing this guy, we would wear our shoes the rest of the walk. It was a beautiful walk, ended with a wonderful afternoon of more cracked conch and grouper at the local bar and grill, Pineapples.
Things are wonderful here. We wish the States would keep their cold weather. We keep getting cold front after cold front. Of course cold here is mid 60's. It's amazing how your body adjusts and suddenly believes that is cold.
Good weather and Happy sailing!
Monday, January 12, 2009
Map of the Abacos
I borrowed this map from the Bahamas Website to show where we are spending most of our time.
Green Turtle Cay
It's a beautiful place to be. We are currently in the Black Sound tied up to a mooring from a guy by the name of Donny. We had the pleasure of meeting him, since we are tied to his mooring. Our first introduction of him was the blaring ZZ Top music. The next was the speedy driving of a golf cart and out popping a skinny man who calls everyone Mama and Papa (I was Sister) and handles all his friends as though they were his children. He truly made us feel welcome and comfortable in his presence. He took us and fellow cruisers aboard Namaste on a sundown cruise, screaming above the 150 HP engine, "Bet your sailboat doesn't go this fast!" He showed us the place where Gilligan's Island was shot before turning us around to head home. He has kindly allowed us to use his mooring for as long as we want it.
We have met a wonderful friend in Terry Briggs, whom we met at Great Sale Cay, and have caught up with again here at Green Turtle. People may recognize the name, as his Dad was the one who founded The Great Chesapeake Bay Schooner Race. Terry has become a welcome friend, stopping by in Great Sale to introduce himself and ask us to please join the schooner race next year. He brought us a Spanish Mackrel that he had caught on his way over here and we are very excited to cook it, though Dad was far from enthused about cleaning it. I think he needed David here to help him. :) Thank you so much Terry!
So far Green Turtle is great. We have managed to walk almost the entire island today, seeing all sorts of interesting plants, fish in the water, and colorful homes. There are a few grocery stores, a couple of restuarants, and souvenier shops. We also ran across.... Longwood University. Turns out Longwood does a study abroad course at Green Turtle Cay. There was a sign with the famous blue rotunda marking. I called for someone and wandered around the garden until someone came out. Unfortunately, I missed all the Longwood students and professors by a day. They left here yesterday to head back to the States for the new semester. Bummer. But really cool!
We think we are in for a bit of a storm and are happy that we are in the safest place, as the lady at the museum told us. The power went out on the island today for most of the day, letting the school out early, and closing up the restaurants. Our hopes of getting some conch today have to be put aside until tomorrow. They must have gotten power back, because I finally got internet again.
Good weather and Happy sailing!
We have met a wonderful friend in Terry Briggs, whom we met at Great Sale Cay, and have caught up with again here at Green Turtle. People may recognize the name, as his Dad was the one who founded The Great Chesapeake Bay Schooner Race. Terry has become a welcome friend, stopping by in Great Sale to introduce himself and ask us to please join the schooner race next year. He brought us a Spanish Mackrel that he had caught on his way over here and we are very excited to cook it, though Dad was far from enthused about cleaning it. I think he needed David here to help him. :) Thank you so much Terry!
So far Green Turtle is great. We have managed to walk almost the entire island today, seeing all sorts of interesting plants, fish in the water, and colorful homes. There are a few grocery stores, a couple of restuarants, and souvenier shops. We also ran across.... Longwood University. Turns out Longwood does a study abroad course at Green Turtle Cay. There was a sign with the famous blue rotunda marking. I called for someone and wandered around the garden until someone came out. Unfortunately, I missed all the Longwood students and professors by a day. They left here yesterday to head back to the States for the new semester. Bummer. But really cool!
We think we are in for a bit of a storm and are happy that we are in the safest place, as the lady at the museum told us. The power went out on the island today for most of the day, letting the school out early, and closing up the restaurants. Our hopes of getting some conch today have to be put aside until tomorrow. They must have gotten power back, because I finally got internet again.
Good weather and Happy sailing!
Sunday, January 11, 2009
Still working out the glitches
Ok, so because the computer is new to me, it doesn't have my programs to fix my website just yet. Give me a few days there. So here's the deal. There are more photos than the website says there are. Click on any of the photo links then exit out of the slideshow. At the top of the page, you'll find something that allows you to look at all of my public photo albums. There are 2 more. One is from Daytona to Fort Pierce and the others compiles what we have so far of the Bahamas. As soon as I can, I'll get proper links on the page.
We’ve made it to the Bahamas!!!!!!!!!!
I know it’s been awhile, ok so an entire week! And we haven’t updated anything or even said that we’re here!
But we just finally got somewhere where we could access the internet though iffy and only for a minute or two. We crossed over last Saturday evening, heading out a day earlier than expected. We had the weather, the energy, and thought, why wait another day? Weather only changes more frequently then and we didn’t want to get stuck in Fort Pierce. Because we had the wind on our nose the whole way, it took us much longer than expected, and was a little bouncier at first. Surprisingly the Gulf wasn’t that bad. We came into the Bahamas the next morning and crossed that beautiful line between navy blue Atlantic to turquoise blue Bahamas! We only made it to Mangrove Cay because of our time delay, which it was fine by us. We’re on island time now!! We spent the night there and then headed over to Great Sale Cay the next day. We tried to sail it, but the winds were way too light, so we decided that we better motor to make some headway. We stayed at Great Sale for an extra day to wait out a cold front that was coming through, bringing with it some substantial winds and light rain. Dad and I even tried swimming a little bit! Fancy that! A bathing suit in January! We told Mom to join us, and she promptly told us that we had lied, the water was cold! Well, we thought it was warm, especially when thinking back to the water back up in VA. We made it over to Hawksbill Cay the next day (near Foxtown) and then tried to clear customs in Spanish Cay. We had a really nice sail today! It felt great to stretch those sails out and cut the motor noise. The customs agent was sick and so we had to backtrack to Allans-Pensacola Cay to stay for the night. Mom was a little disappointed at being in the Bahamas and not being able to fish yet. There were other cruisers who were out and about in their dingies and one brought back fresh caught conch for dinner. We salivated and were extremely jealous. We had a hard time anchoring at Allans-Pensacola in the sand, and Dad had to go handset it (ie swim) but it was beautiful and the water not too cold. Yesterday we have made it to Spanish Cay to check-in! Mom can fish now! And we can step on land for the first time in 7 days. Boy that was a weird experience. Spanish Cay is a privately owned island, but also has a customs check-in. We have not been to an island yet where we can purchase anything, and couldn’t have anyway, since we couldn’t get off the boat until yesterday.
We made it to Green Turtle Cay today after staying at Powell Cay yesterday. We are moored on a ball next to some of our friends we met back at Great Sale Cay and are happy for the company. There are several other boats moored here as well and I am sure we will get a chance to meet some of them. Green Turtle is a great place for protection and we are expecting another big storm in a day or so. It also has a little town that we can wander around, but we haven’t gotten to yet.
It’s beautiful here and we are having a wonderful time so far. Pictures and more descriptions will have to follow later.
Good weather and Happy Sailing!
But we just finally got somewhere where we could access the internet though iffy and only for a minute or two. We crossed over last Saturday evening, heading out a day earlier than expected. We had the weather, the energy, and thought, why wait another day? Weather only changes more frequently then and we didn’t want to get stuck in Fort Pierce. Because we had the wind on our nose the whole way, it took us much longer than expected, and was a little bouncier at first. Surprisingly the Gulf wasn’t that bad. We came into the Bahamas the next morning and crossed that beautiful line between navy blue Atlantic to turquoise blue Bahamas! We only made it to Mangrove Cay because of our time delay, which it was fine by us. We’re on island time now!! We spent the night there and then headed over to Great Sale Cay the next day. We tried to sail it, but the winds were way too light, so we decided that we better motor to make some headway. We stayed at Great Sale for an extra day to wait out a cold front that was coming through, bringing with it some substantial winds and light rain. Dad and I even tried swimming a little bit! Fancy that! A bathing suit in January! We told Mom to join us, and she promptly told us that we had lied, the water was cold! Well, we thought it was warm, especially when thinking back to the water back up in VA. We made it over to Hawksbill Cay the next day (near Foxtown) and then tried to clear customs in Spanish Cay. We had a really nice sail today! It felt great to stretch those sails out and cut the motor noise. The customs agent was sick and so we had to backtrack to Allans-Pensacola Cay to stay for the night. Mom was a little disappointed at being in the Bahamas and not being able to fish yet. There were other cruisers who were out and about in their dingies and one brought back fresh caught conch for dinner. We salivated and were extremely jealous. We had a hard time anchoring at Allans-Pensacola in the sand, and Dad had to go handset it (ie swim) but it was beautiful and the water not too cold. Yesterday we have made it to Spanish Cay to check-in! Mom can fish now! And we can step on land for the first time in 7 days. Boy that was a weird experience. Spanish Cay is a privately owned island, but also has a customs check-in. We have not been to an island yet where we can purchase anything, and couldn’t have anyway, since we couldn’t get off the boat until yesterday.
We made it to Green Turtle Cay today after staying at Powell Cay yesterday. We are moored on a ball next to some of our friends we met back at Great Sale Cay and are happy for the company. There are several other boats moored here as well and I am sure we will get a chance to meet some of them. Green Turtle is a great place for protection and we are expecting another big storm in a day or so. It also has a little town that we can wander around, but we haven’t gotten to yet.
It’s beautiful here and we are having a wonderful time so far. Pictures and more descriptions will have to follow later.
Good weather and Happy Sailing!
Saturday, January 3, 2009
Game Plan
We have made Fort Pierce today (Jan 3rd) and have decided to go ahead and cross tonight. We will hang out here for a couple of hours at anchor and then head out. The weather is looking perfect and we heard from a couple who just came in from the Bahamas, that the Gulf Stream if FLAT! We couldn’t ask for better than that. We do hope to sail some, but the main objective is just to get there. We hope to do just that. So no worries if you don’t hear from us for awhile. We might not have internet regularly. We will let you all know we are there when we can, but again…. Don’t fret! We plan to come into Great Sale Cay, anchor, then head over to Spanish Cay in the Abacos to check-in with customs there. That’s the game plan.
Love you all!
Good weather and happy Sailing!
Love you all!
Good weather and happy Sailing!
On the Road Again!
We left Daytona on January 1, 2009! After being there for 15 days, we decided it was time to keep moving, despite the wonderful friends we made while there. (Watch out Yancey, we got some stories now!)
We spent the past several days working on minor projects around the boat, fighting bad internet, my computer dying (getting sent a new one, thank you Jane!), going to the beach and hanging out with friends. It was so relaxing! It was amazing how easily we slipped into staying one more day here and there. With help from our friend George, we were able to get around to provision our boat and make ready to leave. We spent Mama’s birthday and New Years on the beach! It was a wonderful day. Dad and I threw the Frisbee for a little while, only having to retrieve it out of the water once! Mom sat on the beach and people-watched, one of her favorite things to do. Believe me, if you like watching people, Daytona Beach is THE place to go. There was all matter of people. There were several speedo sightings, some “that ain’t right” sightings, and some awesome awesome collectible car sightings.
Granny! There was a 1967 Chevy Chevelle Super Sport, in perfect, I mean perfect, condition!!! Mom reminisced about that screaming red car from way back.
We traveled down the ICW now for 2 days and are now in Melbourne (actually just south of there) and will head to Fort Pierce tomorrow. Our trip down was fairly calm and quiet, but a little chilly (still not as cold as you all at home though). We saw several dolphin on the way down. I am always excited about seeing them, no matter how often they come around. We even believe we saw 2 manatees this morning!!! I wasn’t able to get a clear picture of them, but we truly believe we saw these magnicificent creatures. They are in severe trouble, as they only really live in Florida. They are slow and therefore suffer terribly from run-ins with powerboats. I believe there are only 4,000 in existence today. So when you do get a chance to see one, it’s a rarity but so cool!
We spent the past several days working on minor projects around the boat, fighting bad internet, my computer dying (getting sent a new one, thank you Jane!), going to the beach and hanging out with friends. It was so relaxing! It was amazing how easily we slipped into staying one more day here and there. With help from our friend George, we were able to get around to provision our boat and make ready to leave. We spent Mama’s birthday and New Years on the beach! It was a wonderful day. Dad and I threw the Frisbee for a little while, only having to retrieve it out of the water once! Mom sat on the beach and people-watched, one of her favorite things to do. Believe me, if you like watching people, Daytona Beach is THE place to go. There was all matter of people. There were several speedo sightings, some “that ain’t right” sightings, and some awesome awesome collectible car sightings.
Granny! There was a 1967 Chevy Chevelle Super Sport, in perfect, I mean perfect, condition!!! Mom reminisced about that screaming red car from way back.
We traveled down the ICW now for 2 days and are now in Melbourne (actually just south of there) and will head to Fort Pierce tomorrow. Our trip down was fairly calm and quiet, but a little chilly (still not as cold as you all at home though). We saw several dolphin on the way down. I am always excited about seeing them, no matter how often they come around. We even believe we saw 2 manatees this morning!!! I wasn’t able to get a clear picture of them, but we truly believe we saw these magnicificent creatures. They are in severe trouble, as they only really live in Florida. They are slow and therefore suffer terribly from run-ins with powerboats. I believe there are only 4,000 in existence today. So when you do get a chance to see one, it’s a rarity but so cool!
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