Marsh Harbor to Great Guana Cay-April 9-17-2010

We enjoyed our time in Marsh Harbor, Abacos although we feel we are getting closer to land life with ready
availability of tourist shops, grocery stores, barbers, pharmacies, and restaurants. We enjoyed getting to know more
cruisers that we met at the bars during Happy Hour. The weather was in the 60's and windy but it gave us a chance
to do laundry and other boat chores. We also enjoyed a few games of dominoes. It is such a slower pace of life.

It has been fun to reunite with our sailing friends on Star Shot, Penny and George and Never Bored, Chris and Sheila
that we spent time with last year. We enjoyed some happy hours together, dominoes and enjoyed attending the Agricultural
Fair in Marsh Harbor with crafts, food and demos of filleting lion fish which are a species that have few predators and
eat the grouper which is quite popular here.

Sat, April 17 we sailed over to Great Guana Cay. Immediately upon arrival Ed got the opportunity to enjoy the refreshing water so
that our anchor could be properly set; after 3 tries he decided it needed to be hand set. The grass here is not conducive to a sure set like sand is.
We enjoyed the local bands at Grabbers and the dancing. Nippers is a colorful bar not just the building which overlooks the beach but in the
local dancing action among the college aged group and some boaters that think they are still college age. We enjoyed the Sunday buffet and
the people watching was fun and speculating on the marvels of plastic surgery. Bocce ball was a highlight of the weekend along with beach combing.
We miss our friends but certainly enjoy this pace of life.

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Water Cay to Thompson Bay and Calabash Bay, Long Island

Snorkeling at Water Cay was interesting but with only a few hours we found one great reef with the best corals we have seen but nothing to eat. There is a blue hole nearby but it was too late in the day to spot it and we did not have the GPS in the dinghy. Oh well, maybe next time.

The run is about 40 miles; north for about 1/3 and east for about 2/3. This year we had east winds going south about half way thru the day which was just about perfect for our run and as the weather guru, Chris Parker, had predicted. Ken on Duet and I on Windswept Dreams could just sail at 38 degrees of apparent wind. Actually, when we turned the corner to go east both at the same time, we both started our engines because we did not know if we could sail it and we wanted to make sure that we did not drift off in the rather narrow Comer Channel. I had to move the blocks for the jib sheets back so I could flatten out the genoa plus I put up the staysail, a small sail that flys inside the head sail and channels air next to the main on a close reach. Otherwise, the staysail is pretty useless except as a storm-sail. Anyway, Duet and Windswept Dreams sail very closely together though with perfect sails the longer Tayana should be slightly faster. But enough about that.

I have talked about Thompson Bay before but once again we had a very nice time going to dinner at Trafina's, walking the ocean beaches, doing laundry, eating pizza (lunch) and using the internet at the Long Island Breeze club. It is a laid back island with nice people and you can also get fuel, water and groceries at the two good stores. There are two seafood companies where you can buy crayfish (lobster) and fish. We met one of the fisherman, Wayne Harding, in the Jumentos, his family owns stakes in the local petroleum company, hardware store, gas station, one seafood company and who knows what else? Ann enjoyed visiting island friends from last year.

On March 25th we went north about 20 miles to Calabash Bay, also on Long Island. We took several extended beach walks; Ann and Belinda on Duet love the walks. There ccertainly have not been enough large shells to collect this year. This resort sits on a perfect white sand beach of about two miles. The bungalos and town-houses surround a club-house restaurant. They are cruiser friendly and offer internet access by the day for $10 which we took advantage of. We meant to stay only overnight but it was too nice to leave so quickly. I would heartily recommend this place to anyone.

We had drinks outside the bar the second night and were joined by two German men which was interesting.

March 27th was goodbye Long Island and moving north.

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Ragged Island to Water Cay

Our stay in the Raggeds and Jumentos has been all too short. We love this area but need to head north because of our schedule to be back in April. Ken and Belinda on Duet have the same constraint. So, we left the southern most of the Ragged Islands for the southern most of the Jumentos: Jamaica Cay. It is a small Cay with a little beach and plenty of swell. The 35 mile sail up to it was at 7K on a broad reach, the fastest angle of sail.

Sunday, we left at 8:30 AM for Water Cay. The wind angle was not so favorable: the second half of the trip from Flamingo Cay to Water Cay was at 35 degrees to the wind. We motor-sailed, Duet was able to sail it. Perhaps if we had used our cutter sail we would have been able to but I did not feel like going on the foredeck with 3-6 foot waves. We need to put it on a roller-furling like the jib so we can easily put it up and down from the cockpit.

It was a nice day anyway, not too long. Ken and I snorkeled with me taking a small grouper and he a triggerfish. The corals were the best I have seen on this trip.

We hope to go to Long Island tomorrow, hopefully we will have the SSE winds we need. If they shift as forecasted we will sail all the way to Salt Pond in Thompson Bay.

Good night for now, dinner is almost ready.

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Long Island to Duncantown, Ragged Islands

Long Island was as usual a delight to visit. We enjoyed an adventure into a cave that was quite well used by the bats and termites. We enjoyed a beach walk to the ocean and a dinner at Club Thompson Bay with a friend/owner Traphina who we were happy to reconnect with. We utilized the laundry facilities as it is the last chance we have to use an actual machine for the several weeks we will be in the Ragged Islands and Jumento Cays. We took a long walk on the eastern shore of the island enjoying its rugged beauty and the beautiful weather.

On Monday, March 8th, we headed for Water Cay, our traditional first stop in the Jumentos. We stop there because it is the closest cay, any others are at least 2 more hours. The sail was mainly a motor today although we sailed with the light air spinnaker for a couple of hours. Ed was pretty frustrated that he did not rig it quite right and that he was an "idiot" thinking he could adjust the spinnaker halyard by hand in light winds resulting in the sail going in the water and the halyard way up the mast. He blames his stupidity on lack of any breakfast. Considering that we have power bars, cereal bars and cereal, he blames that on himself. Anyway, once in Water Cay up the mast he went to retrieve the halyard. He then snorkeled around the little bay and found a large lobster but was unable to get him in the deep recesses of his hole. Dang!

On Tuesday we headed to Racoon Cay going across the deep waters of the sound. The cays and islands are spaced along a curve (like a bow) with Water Cay at one end and Ragged Island at the south end. We cut across to save time and hopefully catch fish but in the latter were disappointed. Anyway, it was a beautiful sail with winds 15K on a broad reach, seas 3-5 feet. We averaged over 6 knots thru Nurse Channel into the Ragged Islands. Once thru the channel we had a bit of a closer reach into Racoon Cay on flat seas, turning on the engine only at the very last minute to anchor as we no longer had enough momentum to move in close. It was a wonderful sail.

Ken and Ed went fishing Wednesday with Ed spearing a lobster and hogfish plus they found 10 conch. For four hours of work they were pretty disappointed but happy to come back with something. On Thursday, because of the coming west winds we moved down to Double Breasted Cay and stayed for three days. Once again, Ken and Ed hunted with Ed getting a decent hog fish and nothing else. We found out that our neighbor hunting in a different spot got 9 lobsters in two days which he shared with other cruisers. He probably should have taken only what he could use given that he had no freezer but some people think nothing of taking everything and leaving nothing.

After the west winds come north winds. We stayed one more night than was really comfortable at Double Breasted but did enjoy a nice walk along the ocean. We moved to the southern-most island of the chain which has great north and east wind protection. It was a very light air sail of about 12 miles so we let the wind move us south at a slow pace enjoying the day.

Duncantown on Ragged Island has about 70 residents plus workers doing several government improvement projects on the roads and airport. The walk from Southside Bay in 1.5 miles. In town they have free internet (one of the only places in the Bahamas), a grocery shop with very few items, a restaurant, bar and bakery. Most of the time they are closed until you find the owner and let them know you want something. Most people order their groceries from Nassau and they arrive on the weekly mail-boat.

We have been here for a few days and are planning to start heading north towards home as soon as the winds go east tomorrow. Besides walking to Duncantown, we walked along the ocean side of Little Ragged Island to high cliffs of limestone named Lovers Leap. We actually saw several small sharks come into the shallows for feeding on something late in the day.

Ed has been sanding the starboard rails in preparation for new varnish. Moisture that got into the varnish several years ago has made the old look bad with yellow spots as the moisture heated and cooled inside the polyurethane. He needs to be more patient with the weather in Georgia to make sure it is absolutely dry and will remain that way while the varnish dries. Live and learn. Today he will put on the first of seven coats.

Ed has been swimming each day and has located about 10 nice conch grazing in the area around our boat. We may take a few but he enjoys surveying the area and seeing how his little friends are doing. Cleaning conch is a lot of work but so is preparing it because you have to dice it small or beat it thin because they are tough.

A little milestone here: we have caught up on writing the blog! This is the first time we are not weeks behind.

We are aiming for returning to Portland in mid-April because Rachel will be doing a final presentation of her PHD thesis April 26th. We do not want to leave the Bahamas so soon but this is a once in a lifetime event.

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Samson Cay to Georgetown

Not too much to report about these places in the Exumas so I will stick to the highlights.

Samson Cay has a nice marina with a decent bar, restaurant and laundry. Although we anchored outside our patronage was welcomed just as if we stayed in the marina. From our anchorage we had easy access to Pipe Creek to the north and Staniel Cay to the south. We dinghied several times to Staniel Cay to refill our propane tanks once, enjoy lunch and visit the swimming pigs at Big Major Spot (another cay). One day while Ed and Ken went after elusive prey (which they did not find), Ann and Belinda went snorkeling on their own to Thunderball cave where one of the final scenes of Thunderball, the James Bond movie, was filmed. It is very scenic and filled with fish.

At Samson Cay we ran into our first non-sailing sailboaters/cruisers. They have been on their boat for years always motoring or sometimes motorsailing with the mainsail only for stabalization. They do not go out in waves over 2 feet which means winds under about 12 knots. I am sure their are more boaters like them. We often hear questions on our radio when we listed to the subscribers question Chris Parker, the weather guru.

We left Samson Cay for Blackpoint on a close reach with light winds. We did not care, it was only about 10 miles so we were in no hurry. At BP we ate dinner at Lorraines cafe and then visited the Garden of Eden the next day. It is a rock and wood garden with pieces that you resemble human and animal shapes. They also have many fruit trees that grow out of small holes in the rock. He and his wife have carefully nurtured them. We cruisers visit and give them a small tip.

Our next stop was Galliot Cay prior to exiting the Exuma Banks for Exuma Sound. Ed speared his first lobster of the year, woohoo! Fishing was disappointing on the way to Lee Stocking Island. It is a nice anchorage with good protection. We stayed for 2 nights enjoying a tour of the marine research facility and hike to the highest hill in the Exumas (137 feet). We learned about corals, lobsters and grouper. Unfortunately, the facility is underfunded currently, both private and US federal dollars are going elsewhere.

Our next stop was Georgetown, site of the Cruisers' Regatta held on Stocking Island directly across for GT. We attended Chris Parker's weather presentation on Saturday, shopped on Sunday and attended the opening of the regatta which featured the "No Talent Show" plus dancing. The show was humorous and well done but a cold front came in so they delayed the Tuesday and Wednesday events.

We are not the type to stay in GT all winter so we left as soon as the weather calmed down. Meanwhile we enjoyed a rocky anchorage not wanting to venture out in the dinghy to get wet. Cabin fever set in so we put on our rain gear and went to Stocking Island where we ate lunch and hiked with friends we had not seen in a year. That was a great tonic and use of our foulies! Next stop: Thompson Bay, Long Island

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Rose Island to Cambridge Cay

Rose Island is always exciting for us because our friends on Dancing With Dolphins most often are there. We hunt for lobster and conch, play dominoes, walk the beach with their dog and generally have a great time. This year we introduced Ken and Belinda from Duet to them. Unfortunately, the weather cut our time with them because the anchorage would not be protected from the clocking winds of the cold front so we left February 4th for Allans Cay.

Before we left Ed went up the mast to put on a new tri-color/anchor light. He found out several things while up there: He tied his lifting point a little high so could not be hoisted high enough to work atop the mast comfortably. His single foot strap made it difficult to stand and work while up there so he needs to make another foot strap. The black cup that fell off in the Northwest Channel was the tri-color light so we now have only the running lights (legal but less visible). The job is going to be more difficult and he needs a perfect day with single digit winds. At least the anchor light still works and the tri-color pulled off cleanly without breaking any wires because off the connector versus hard wiring. Another day perhaps.

We sailed to Allans with northeast winds allowing for apparent winds from 50 to 35 degrees, a doable close reach for full keel boats. Our spot in Allans was kind of exposed to the SW because there were so many boats but we had a day or so before the surge started. We found out that we do not like the anchorage unless in very settled conditions and anchored centrally over the sandy patch. Anyway, we enjoyed seeing the iguanas and visiting the islands until things got rough. Plus we moved spots twice, we went to the third spot after dragging and feeling the beach under the keel. After two rough nights we decided to run the sound side to Normans Cay. It was a splendid slow sail and the channel at Normans offered great protection with no surge and great holding and a lot more room.

We arrived at Normans on Superbowl Sunday. Ed likes playoff football and we both enjoy Superbowl parties so we went into the beach club for all you can eat appetizers (conch fritters, chicken, salsa, salad, fruits and more). The game was close, the beer cold and the company interesting. There were lots of dogs running around and one piglet that a guy living on a nearby island brought over for amusement. We also had a chance to see a small plane take off. The difficulty is that with a single strip and cross winds the pilot has to be very carefull as he clears the tree-line and hits the full cross wind. Ken and Belinda joined us on Monday and we did more beach walking, attempted to find some good reef but did not, went up into Normans Pond to see if we had any chance of entering it but concluded that we would need a super high tide for Duet which draws nearly 6 feet (WSD draws 5). The cove is very well protected, you could weather a severe storm there with no worries.

Our next stop was Cambridge Cay in the Exuma Land and Sea Park on 2-10. The winds were 15-20 out of the NNW so we flew down there (boat talk for going a wee bit faster in a slow boat) averaging 6.5K. The wind was right behind us so we went of jib alone. The day was partly cloudy. Duet had left before us so they went into the entrance first with the light in their eyes and partly cloudy. They were trying to go to Bell Island but went a little too far before turning north and ended up on the rocky bottom. Within 10 minutes there were 10 dinghys out of Cambridge Cay pushing Duet east while one dinghy took a halyard out tipping Duet thereby reducing Duet's draft. We came in while this was going on. Ann refused to try the approach to Bell no matter what I said so we turned back to the cut entrance to go into Cambridge which requires going right next to the islands headland. We then took the last available mooring ball. We did not know what Duet wanted to do at that point. Anyway, they came into Cambridge too and anchored near us. That night there was a cruiser party on the sand spit. Ken made rum punch as a thank you to all that helped. We had quite a front come thru with winds to 34 knots sustained 20-30 (multiply by 1.15 to convert to mph). Cambridge Cay offered great protection so there were no worries and we all slept well partially because we were on a mooring ball but mainly because the waves were small and the boats road well in the wind.

We snorkeled the Aquarium and plane wreck at Cambridge. All the land and water is protected in the park. We saw many beautiful fish and several lobster but the weather was kind of cool (70). We also swam into several caves at Rocky Dundas marveling at the Stalagtites, coral and formations. We then headed to Samson Cay on the 14th of February.

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Nassau

Some people love it, some hate it and some people put up with it. I am one of the latter, Ann is one of the former. I enjoy myself while there for there is lots to do and see plus access to internet, stores and other entertainment plus sightseeing. After six days this year we have probably seen more of the island than 90 percent of the cruisers.

The island is New Providence. Besides Nassau there are many small towns and areas on the island. Across from Nassau is the Atlantis casino and hotel on Paradise Island. The island has a rich history due to its central location in the Bahamas, deep water port and natural resources. Nassau is the capital of the Bahamas and has the government buildings dating back to the 1800s.

We learned many things about the history of Nassau and New Providence this year. We rented a van with four of our friends. Several times I had to be reminded to drive on the left but for the most part I drove successfully. We saw where the rich live, the slaves had worked, monuments to slavery, old plantations and many small towns. New Providence is so much more than Nassau!

During our stay in Nassau we visited the attraction known as the Queen's Staircase, supposedly originally dug out as an escape tunnel by slaves but rebuilt by descendants of the slaves as a tribute to Queen Victoria who emancipated them. The 66 steps commemorate the number of years she ruled. We also visited the Historical Society museum where we learned about the history of the island.

We left Nassau after six nights in the marina. We prefer not to worry about our boat dragging as many do in the harbour. I helped our friend re-anchor after he became concerned about his location then fouled his engine with the second anchors line. It was quite dramatic with the ending humorous as they re-anchored in the same location.

As usual, we made new friends in Nassau almost all of whom we will see in the Exumas. (Since I am writing this weeks later I know this is true).

So finally on February 1st we headed to Rose Island late in the day with 15k on the nose and 4 foot seas but endurable for the 45 minutes until we turned north towards Rose Island. For the first time in about 10 trips in and out Ed managed to hit rocks by going too close into the island, probably because things looked different from this route and the visibility was bad due to the seas. Other than sounding awful we had no damage except for Ed's pride. We anchored in a patch of sand and were joined by our friends Ken and Belinda off of Duet whom we had not seen since the boat yard in St. Marys. Ken has been our friend for over two years. Belinda is a new friend.

Next installment: Rose Island and our trip down the Northern Exumas.

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Gulf Crossing to Morgans Bluff to Nassau

We left Fort Lauderdale at 3PM, January 22 under mostly sunny skies temperatures in the mid 60s. Most people get fairly uptight about gulf stream crossings but we have been very fortunate. They congregate in places like Marathon and wait for perfect weather windows of three days so they can only travel during daylight hours. We, on the other hand, look for a 32 hour window of decent weather that allows us to get across the stream, across the shallow waters of the Bahama Bank and into a harbor traveling non-stop for 24 or more hours. This year was no exception and we arrived at Morgans Bluff, Andros Island mid-afternoon on the 23rd of January. Our leaving had been planned based on a good forecast; you do not want to cross the gulf stream when the wind opposes the current which flows northerly nor do you want to go against strong easterlies. We had light westerly winds which meant a motor sail but the trip was uneventful until we crossed the banks and the wind picked up for the last 20 miles. It was then a brisk sail and Ed noticed a black plastic cap drop next to the boat from the sky which meant we lost something from the mast. After anchoring we found that the topping lift which holds the boom up when the sail is down had come undone and wrapped itself around the radar. He had to ascent the mast, unwind the line and replace a pin. Due to the 20 knot winds he only went far enough for this task; the mystery of the black plastic cap would be solved later under calmer conditions.

Ed chose Morgans Bluff so that we could more easily sail to Nassau later in the week. We expected more southerly winds so we went as far south as possible rather than going up to the northern Berry Islands where our friends, Ken and Belinda, on Duet were anchored.

We arrived on a Saturday with only one customs official at the airport so we ended up taking a ride with a gentleman who volunteered his services only to find out later that it cost $40 for the 26 mile round trip. Oh well. We checked in and our stay was approved until our expected departure time. Time to hoist the Bahamas flag.

Andros is the largest island of the Bahamas but one of the least visited because the reefs on the east side offer little protection and the west side is mostly mangrove and shallow water. They export fresh water to Nassau via a freighter that comes and goes from Morgans Bluff on the northern end every 26 hours.

Our stay was interesting but cut short. We hitch-hiked to Pineville on Sunday and visited a small motel/convention center/dormitory/bar. The owner showed us a video about the efforts to preserve the west coast from development. We also learned about the agriculture grown on the island which includes pineapples and a variety of other products.

There was one other cruising boat there: Boto (fresh water dolphin) with Ed and Vicky plus two spaniels who we went to the "marina" bar with for dancing, refreshments and pool. In the weeks to come we would see quite often and become good friends. The marina was simply a small lagoon with boats tied up in various ways including a collection of boat bums who leave very infrequently judging by the condition of their boats.

Tuesday morning we learned of a fairly strong norther approaching which would make the harbor very uncomfortable because the protection from the north was non-existent. We decided to cut our visit short and head for Nassau. It was a fairly tight sail with winds around 40 degrees apparent, 5-7 foot seas and 25-35 knot winds. We double reefed the main and had a nice day of sailing arriving about 5PM. We anchored at dusk, fed ourselves and went to bed. The next morning we had dragged anchor past several boats with no damage done. The current races and reverses through the Harbor which is really the channel between two islands soouring the bottom of sand. We relocated to a marina for the rest of our stay so that we would not have to worry.

Next: the week in Nassau

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We Launched!

Prescript: the previous entry should have been for December 2009 not 2010.

Ahh, the moment of truth when the boat goes in the water. The diesel fires up for the first time in six months, we check all thru-hulls for leaking plus water output from the engine and pull away from St. Marys Boat Services and head down to the marina in St. Marys. The boat was "on the hard" on the North River, a tributary of the St. Marys river. All was well and now it was time to finish provisioning and other jobs not done in the yard.

We have been borrowing cars to go to Walmart, Lowes, Total Wine and Liquour, Costco and West Marine. The boat is overly full of provisions but fortunately the upgrade refrigerator and freezer are working well. That is not much of a challenge because it is about 35-65 degrees out. We have found that our boat air conditioning/reverse cycle heating is not working, probably due to a freon problem. That means that when we leave the dock we will not have heat, oh well we will be in Florida soon.

We have Christmas in St. Marys, Ed attends Catholic Mass completing his religious duties for 2009. Sharon and Reggie from Pea Soup, Ken from Duet join us for a salt-crusted prime rib roast with gravy, garlic mashed potatoes and vegatables. Earlier in the day we attend a luncheon on Steel Away, a 70 foot schooner built by the owner.

December 28th we set sail for Florida opting to go on the ocean for several days to Port Canaveral. We arrive without problems at Cape Marina on the 29th. We enjoy nice weather before Ann forgets that she opened a hatch in the floor, steps thru the opening and impales her foot on a wing nut below the floor. I am on the dock cleaning the tray that goes in the hatch when I hear a long stream of cussing. My thoughts are to stay away, if she needs my help she knows my name. Next thing I hear is "Ed, I've hurt myself". I take one look at her foot and call over a doctor (Rhett and wife Melissa Cooper) that we just met who were on their boat next to us. He advises Ann to run water over it for 1/2 hour, not to seal it but to keep it open, change the bandage often and stay out of the salt water. Plus she has some prescription antibiotic to take. I cart her around piggy-back for a day befoe she can walk on her toes.

On the 31st we go inland to Cocoa from Port Canaveral which involves a bridge opening, lock, bridge opening and several miles down the Intercoastal Waterway. The lock takes over an hour so we miss the 3PM bridge opening and have to wait until 6PM which we miss by 1 minute so we have to wait until six-thirty. We finally get thru and to Cocoa, anchor and go into town for New Years Eve. We dance the night away at the Dog and Bone Pub to kids playing their parents rock'n'roll. Yes Ann realized if she hobbled and danced on the ball of her foot she didn't incur pain. New Years day we get a 24" pizza (traveling fuel) at Ryans Pizza, Ed changes a fuel and oil filters while Ann shops and we are ready to travel south.

The weather is now seriously cold, 35 to 45, we have no heat so we are toughing it out. Feels like we are preparing to go skiing as we dress for the day. We keep thinking that it will be warmer further south but the cold front keeps building all the way to Fort Lauderdale. We have a few nice days which I spend at the dentist.

Ed went to the dentist in Oregon complaining of lower and upper jaw pain on the left side but mainly lower. She could not determine what needed to be done and Ed successfully kept the pain at bay with 1-2 ibuprofen per day. Somewhere near Fort Pierce, Ed said ouch and that he needed a dentist right away. We did the dentist-endodontist thing in Fort Pierce and St. Lucie and Ed felt great after the root canal and we started heading south again. About a day later Ed says "I need another root canal, this time on the top" so in Ft. Lauderdale we find a new dentist and endodontist and Ed feels great. Ann visits the chiropractor and emerg. clinic for a sinus infection and a tetanus booster. We learn that antibiotics are free at Publix in FL-our good luck! After the medical visits we drive to Ft. Lauderdale to visit Ann's brother, wife and son who are vacationing in the "warm" 35 deg weather of FLA; it was a nice visit. Fortunately we put the boat in the marina for the day as the currents at Ft. Pierce are very strong and our boat seemed to have moved too close to others are we were preparing to go to our morning appts.; it was a good decision as we didn't arrive back home till 1:00am

We stayed with our friends Frank and Joanne Finney s/v Fantasy Island in Fort Lauderdale (Pompano Beach actually). They were champs for running us around and such. We owe them big time! We attended two SSCA (south seas cruising association) breakfasts with them. We then moved into Lake Sylvia in Fort Lauderdale where we reunited with friends from St. Marys (Tom and Sybil on Gorilla, Christian and Mary on Iwanda) plus Pea Soup.

It starts to warm up but still we get the heating system fixed plus redo our dodger and have several canvas pieces fixed. Also, we go to the Southport Raw bar several times for food and internet. We meet several of Tom Chalkley's old friends, Rusty and Ned. Rusty helps us out several times with rides. We also see more friends from the boat yard, Dave and Britta from Anna Karam.

Time to leave the states finally on January 22. We plan to leave early but do not actually get out until 3:15 PM but we do leave! It takes a lot of time to get ready but fortunately the weather was decently warm after about January 11th. Bahamas here we come!

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Pre-Launch December 2010

We arrived in St. Marys on December 2nd after spending the Thanksgiving holiday with our kids and Ed's mother in Tubac, Arizona. Quite a contrast from the high desert to the low country of SE Georgia just north of Florida. We then began preparing Windswept Dreams for the water, a process Ed believed would take about a week but actually took almost three, partly due to over-optimism but we also needed to do more work.

The fun part of life in the boat yard is meeting other boaters, discussing plans, sharing meals and helping each other with car rides and technical problems. The downside is that boat yards are dirty, not all the people are your friends and that you are not out cruising yet. We met several couples whom we would spend time with on the water as we moved south. We had discussions about who would launch first, Ed thinking that of the four boats with similar time-frames we would be last by several days.

Working and living on a boat simultaneously is challenging especially when one person is attempting to organize and clean while the other needs access to boat spaces, tools are out constantly and some amount of debris is being made. Also, a boat needs a lot of cleaning to remove mildew after a hot-humid Georgia summer. Practically speaking, this means that the cleaning and organizing has to wait.

The most unexpected job this year was replacing the sewage lines for the toilets. Ed started to install a macerator (a macerator grinds and pumps out sewage from a holding tank out at sea) and found that the toilet lines were nearly plugged with calcium build-up. This added about three days of work and resulted in sore shoulders and bruises as Ed worked to remove the old and install the new.

Ann painted the bottom of the boat this year on December 15th and we launched on December 20th. No more night trips down the ladder to the bathroom and back! Of the four boats, Duet, Pea Soup, Wild Iris and us we ended up being the first because they mostly ended up with more unexpected jobs than us. Ed sold 10 feet of unused septic hose ($8 per foot) to Wild Iris because they had a problem. It is great to go in the water and leave the boat yard behind, at least physically.

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