Thursday, December 19, 2019
Cave Cay Marina, Bahamas
25.54.467N
76.16.305W


Well it was one of those two steps forward, three steps back kind of days.  Dale used the air compressor to blow the fuel lines backwards (spraying himself and everything around him with diesel) but he cleared whatever was blocking the lines and then began to run the fuel polisher.  I ran outside and began squirting Dawn all around us to keep the diesel corralled. 


Remember I said that I encouraged him to run it for two days?  Well, he took it to heart and has run it from sun up to sun down ever since, except for the times when he actually got the engines to start and ran them for a couple of hours.  Once he shut them down, he ran the polisher again and will continue to do so until bedtime. 


Also, when I left you yesterday, he had discovered that a line on the hot water heater had shot off and syphoned out more than half of our water tank into the bilge plus covering our newly commissioned watermaker’s oil tank to the high pressure pump with water which contaminated the oil for it.  So, this morning he tore the watermaker apart and dried everything off, changed the oil (twice just to make sure all the water was out) and put it back together.  Unfortunately, it still tripped the breaker and wouldn’t start which necessitated a call to the technical people to ascertain what he could have missed. 


I, on the other hand, resumed my Jill (of Jack and Jill) and started ferrying water back and forth up and down the hill to be syphoned back into the tank as well as putting in a few loads of laundry and squirting more Dawn around us.  I had done this about 5 times when Dale said that the next one was my last trip as we had filled the tank.  So, up the hill I go one last time, fill the jerry can, disconnect my filter, gather my laundry, head back down the hill and squirt some more soap.  Only this time, when I get back to the boat, Dale says well, maybe not my last trip as the line on the hot water heater has fallen off again and syphoned water out again and blown water all over the watermaker—again!  There are no words to describe my frustration at this point, so I start the process over just to get away from the boat.  Up the hill, attach the filter, turn on the water, fill the can, turn off the water, back down the hill, attach the halyard, haul the can up, squirt some soap, gather the can.  Up and down, up and down, the third trip one of my wagon wheels falls off.  I really don’t know how much more of this I can take and tell Dale so.  He’s just as frustrated and takes over the jerry can ferrying as now it has to be carried.  I string lines and hang laundry in the cockpit; and squirt some more soap. 


Our new neighbor, Sonia drops by and tells me about the turtles that live in the marina.  Aw man!  The poor things are probably blowing bubbles everytime they come up for air by now. 


Just before the “big blow” came through this evening, we donned our headsets and once again tried to get the genset to start.  Although it did take a bit of effort (had to get the air out of the lines apparently), it finally started and after a few minutes of sputtering, settled into a hum before Dale turned on various switches to see if it would carry a load.  It did, so we shut it down and put it back to bed. 


As I mentioned, the “big blow” has finally arrived and we are glad we are securely tied up in the natural hurricane hole this marina was built in.  High hillsides protect us from every direction so we’ll stay put until it passes and, if I’m not mistaken, the storm behind it is just as bad.  In any event, it’s blowing a “hooley” and pouring rain.  Since we’ve had to button up the Palace to keep the rain out, we’ll break down and turn on the AC after the polisher turns off and turn on a movie.  I bought the original series of Battlestar Galatica and it’s calling my name. 

Wednesday, December 18, 2019
Cave Cay Marina, Bahamas
25.54.467N
76.16.305W


I don’t know how to tell you about today.  It started like any other day.  I got up about 5:30am and turned on the garden.  Dale got up about 6am and ate breakfast.  He had already checked out the engines the night before, so about 6:15am we hoisted anchor and headed for Cave Cay Cut to leave the protection of the island lees and head out into the ocean to make the final leg to Georgetown. 


We entered the cut without any problems but about half way through, our port engine slowed and then quit.  Dale had gone in to turn on the radio to listen to the weather and ran to the engine to see what was going on.  By the time he was back up, the starboard engine quit.  I immediately started to hoist our main to get us the rest of the way through the cut.  When he returned, we both worked on getting our two sails up and point us away from the islands and breakers on either side of us.  Nerve racking would be an understatement.  As he worked on the engines, first replacing the filters, I tried to keep the sails full of wind and get us as far from the things that would cause us damage.  The wind would blow from 8-11kts from the south (on the nose for where we wanted to go) and we really weren’t going anywhere as the current was trying to take us back into the cut, so I tried to put up the Code Zero and take down the jib.  That didn’t work either as the wind was too far forward for it to fill properly. 


Dale could get first one engine started and then the other but within a minute, they would both shut down again.  Each time, I tried to get us further away.  One thing that we had heard about and had actually practiced in our home waters in the St. John’s River was getting this boat out of “irons.”  It’s almost impossible and today proved no different but I kept trying, as did Dale working on the fuel lines leading to the engines.  We finally made the decision that we could do nothing more where we were, so we radioed Cave Cay Marina to let them know that we were going to try to make it back and into their facility to make repairs.  This meant returning through the cut under sail. 


We decided that the best way would be to lower the dinghy and use what propulsion it could give us to help us along.  However, being in the ocean, even one that is calm, comes with swells that make deploying the dinghy problematic.  We were able to lower it but with the swells, it would cause it to bash into one side of the Palace and then the other.  Dale was finally able to get the plug (that keeps the water out) back in and then the engine started but a line that secures the dinghy to the Palace tangled with others on the Palace, so we’re both attacking it from different directions trying to free it.  Then, one of the pontoons on the dinghy, kept losing air, so he dug out the pump and tried to inflate it.  Talk about everything going south at the same moment!


In the meantime, he’s directed me to turn us back towards the cut, which I’d done.  However, we were getting closer and closer to the reef again and I start screaming bloody murder through the headphones that he’s better get moving as he’s still not ready to tie to the side to help guide us through.  Now that I’ve got the boat beam to the wind and she picks up speed.  Dale said that he had a hard time catching back up to us once he did let go.  Somehow, he catches us, ties on just in time to go through the cut. 


We squirt through the cut doing 8 kts and back into the protected waters.  Now, we have to take down the sails and guide the Palace through a narrow channel into the Marina. Dale climbs back on board and we accomplish this without too much drama.  He scrambles back into the dink and powers up but instead of pushing us along, it now seems to be pulling us to his side.   No matter how much I try to steer differently, so I’m screaming more power to see if it will straighten us out.  It works and we thread the channel and turn to approach the Marina. 


I have us perfectly alined with the slip they are directing us to when Dale tells me to dig out the fenders and lines.  What?  Crap!  So, I go running forward and start digging through the lockers to find said lines and fenders.  Somehow through the grace of God, I get the lines attached and with Dale still powering with the dinghy, return to the helm to turn us back toward the Marina and into a slip.  “Shark” catches our lines, hooks a cleat and slows us down.  “Good Morning” he says, I look down at the time, its 9:15am; it seems like mid-day. 


We’re both drained and I’ll admit it, at the height of all of the excitement, I was ready to throw in the towel.  Now that we’re securely tied to a pier, things don’t seem to be that bad.  Until I start thinking about going through that cut again.  I’m not looking forward to that.  I think I’m gun shy now.   


Dale, of course, is working on finding out why our fuel lines are clogged.  “Shark” the local man working at the marina (and the nicest guy ever) as brought him an air compressor so that he can blow whatever is in there back far enough to start running the fuel polisher; whatever is in there is blocking that too.  I encouraged him that once it’s clear, to run the fuel polisher for the next 2 days as we’ve elected to stay here until the big blow, goes by.  This is not a full service marina, so Dale will have to do all of the work himself.  That’s OK.  We have electricity, fuel if we need it, free laundry, WiFi, and when it works, free water. 


In the meantime, after a quick lunch, Dale digs out the collapsible wagon we have, and I walk up the hill to the shower area to fill our 5 gallon water jerry can and then back down again.  I forget how many times I did this as I lost count after 8; I’m thinking 10 or 11 but at least I was doing something that made me feel useful until about 5pm and the sun started setting.  Each time I’d bring down a jerry can of water, I would connect it to the main halyard and Dale would hoist it back into the cockpit and syphon the water from the can into the tank.  We did this because, bless his heart, when he checked various gauges, we went from ¾ of tank yesterday to ¼ of a tank today.   He found that the hot water hose had fallen off, sprayed into the high pressure pump mixing water into the oil, so now he has to change the oil in that as well.  What else can possibly go wrong?  I don’t even want to think about it!

Tuesday, December 17, 2019
Cave Cay, Bahamas
23.54.111N
76.16.179W


We awoke to rain this morning; just enough to run around closing all of the hatches but not enough to scrub the decks.  So, we listened to the weather and confirmed that tomorrow is the day to make our move to Georgetown.  If the winds died down at all today, it would take an anemometer to tell.  Most of the day it howled through the rigging and rocked the boat just enough to never really let go and walk around. 


The Tweaker in Chief decided that this would be a good time to commission the watermaker so he set about laying out all of the bits and parts and clearing an area in which to work.  I settled another bag that had never been emptied and started cleaning or wiping down various surfaces that had fingerprints or smudges that were starting to drive me crazy.  In the process I found a couple of peppers that were on their last leg, so I sliced an onion and sautéed them before adding them to the freezer. 


Once Dale got the watermaker up and running (with only1 bit left over!) he gave me a bucket of water so that I could wash the salt off the windows and some of the algae starting to form in various nooks and crannies; can’t drink it, might as well use it for something useful. 


We had taken a break to watch some 4-5 boats coming in our direction all heading to Georgetown, when we heard an alarm sound.  Not a “we’re going to die alarm” but more of “something’s not right alarm”.  We found it on the wowy zowy barometer Dale had picked up at the last boat show we attended.  It was telling us that a gale was approaching.  Nice to know if we hadn’t already been listening to the weather for the last 3 days.  So, I started taking notes every couple of hours just to watch as we also heard that there was a low pressure area forming in the Gulf of Mexico, that no one seems to know what it was going to do. 


Although it was sunny and the solar panels were putting “amps in the can” and the wind generator was doing the same, Dale decided he wanted to run the generator as well.  EXCEPT, that once it started, it would die out.  Now mind you, this is the same generator that he and Tinkering Consultant spent the better part of a week tearing down and putting back together and they ran it a good half hour back then.  So, what had happened between then and now?


The Tweaker in Chief has always told me that diesels only need air, oil and fuel to operate and as long as they have that, they will run forever.  Well, apparently this one was missing something; chief suspect was fuel.  Thus, began the digging out of the tools, the headsets, clearing out of the “hole” where the generator lives and the investigation as to what was going on.  I would listen on the headset inside and follow instructions.  Switch the glow plugs, check.  Try to start it, check.  Can you hear the pump running in the main stateroom, check.  Try turning on the engine, check.  No! not turn it on, just turn it to the on position, OK, turn it off and then turn it to the on position, check.  Then he would come in and do something down in the main stateroom and run back out and we’d do the whole thing again. 


Then I hear “so why can’t I get fuel here?”  How would I know?  I can flip switches with the best of anyone; I can enter data into the chart plotter that causes little “x’s” to show up as waypoints; I can line up waypoints to turn into routes; I even know how to work the radar and AIS; its just  button pushing but after that, it’s all MAGIC! 


So, I try as best as I can, could it be air?  You did open the vent.  Maybe you really closed it.  Nope, apparently once you take the lid off the generator, it gets all the air it needs. No, its fuel!   

Well we did go through some pretty bouncy seas a few times, maybe we pinched something.  He considers it; its either that or there is something clogging the fuel line between the main valve and the generator.  As I understand it, this means tearing the head (bathroom) apart to follow the fuel line from under our bed to the forward compartment where the generator lives.  Can’t wait for that to happen!  He decides that we don’t have enough time left to do this today and puts his tools away.  Where is the Tinkering Consultant when I need him?  And believe me, its me that needs him. 

Monday, December 16, 2019
Cave Cay, Bahamas
23.54.111N
76.16.179W


I’ll bet you’re wondering why we moved.  Particularly after I went into great detail to explain why we were looking for a place to tuck into for the 20kt blow expected today.  Well,  . . .  that’s because this morning’s weather indicated that an even stronger front (expecting 30-40kt winds) is behind this one. 


Last night, the winds picked up and started howling through the rigging as expected.  After sundown, even more boats came in and anchored (a couple really, really close).  We noticed that one of the ones that anchored near us was gone when we got up at 6:15. We had watched as they anchored and it appeared that they were having difficulties but considering their size, we figured that they were insured, so we went to sleep.  They were the boat gone this morning, so we’re not sure if they continued to have problems or not. 


As I said, Chris (the weather guru) flat said that the weather in our area was going to be “miserable,” so we consulted our charts and concluded that we could make little hops first thing each morning to make our way further south instead of being pinched in by every boat trying to find a hidey hole to wait out the storm and hoping they anchored securely.  We hoisted anchor about 7:50am and headed here anchoring at 1:30pm in 20-25kt winds under bare pole.  It was sloppy to be sure but no worse than crossing the Bank earlier this month.  We know that tomorrow the winds are expected to die down some but that on Wednesday, they are to be their lowest.  We are now positioned to leave early on Wednesday morning to make Georgetown by mid-afternoon when the showers and winds once again start to play havoc with our plans. 


On the “guess what we saw” side of the equation, we are anchored to the west of Cave Cay and a little to the northeast of Musha Cay.  According to our cruse book, David Copperfied owns Musha Cay and has cabanas that he rents out for $42K per night with a 4 night minimum.  Dale commented that it insures privacy at that rate! 


On Cave Cay itself, although it too is a private island, there is a marina that is open to the public.  Supposedly it offers, slips, fuel, water and WiFi but it is well hidden.  Unless you have a chart or cruising guide, you can’t see it from the water.  We might go exploring there tomorrow just to see what it looks like as we have another night to cool our jets.  (No cleaning the bottom here as the current is too strong.) 

Sunday, December 15, 2019
Staniel Cay, Bahamas
24.11.183N
76.27.520W


We were still where we had set our anchor the night before (always a good thing) in Highbourn Cay, so when we hoisted anchor at 7:15am and made our way back out to the route south, we were happy that the winds were calm.  In fact, they were way calmer than we had anticipated.  We raised our main and had no problem transiting at more than 6 kts. 


It was clear that we had another perfect motorsailing day.  Hardly any wind and absolutely no waves.  When I asked Dale his guestimate as to when we were going to make the Land and Sea Park, he thought perhaps noon or 1pm.  I put the bug in his ear, that it would be a shame to waste a great day of motorsailing by turning off the path with hours of daylight still available. 


Needless to say, when we arrived at Warderick at 11am, he simply called in and canceled our reservations.  We consulted the chart for the next place we could make in daylight hours and still be protected from the anticipated 20 kt winds from the North tomorrow.  We decided Staniel Cay was the next best place as its protected on almost 3 sides by various islands. 


So for the rest of the day we gazed at the crystal clear tourquoise water (Geri G.-you could see your toes at 20 feet!) and did little odd jobs as we didn’t have to hang on for dear life.  I started wiping down the sawdust that I assumed came from the construction site across from Palm Cay Marina.  Dale had been making comments about our sling seat sliding down more and more, so I thought I would see if I could pull the foam core back up and into its original position.  However, when I unzipped the seat, I saw that it was disintegrating and that was the “sawdust” I had found.  This was upsetting as I had only replaced it 5 years ago and I thought that what I replaced had to have been from the original purchase so mine should have lasted more than 5 years.  Mind you, we are the 3^rd owners of this particular boat, so I’m not certain of anything if we haven’t done it ourselves.  When I replaced it, I did so with a type that allowed water to flow through it instead of the seat acting as a giant sponge.  As there was nothing I could do at this point, I simply zipped it back up and started thinking about where I could find substitute material. 


We arrived in Staniel Cay at 2:30pm making incredible progress the entire day.  We curled around and tucked in behind Big Major Cay (famous for the Thunderball Cave from the movie).  We were surprised to see half a dozen boats already anchored as when we where here last, we met Roger and Elaine on Doc-No-More and it was only the 2 of us and possibly a 3^rd boat that spent the night.  The rest of the day, another 6 or more boats joined us, so this must be the right place to ride out the passing front.  Dale acted as “cabana boy” bringing cool drinks to watch the procession. 


Later, Dale consulted his weather forecast and the charts again saying that if tomorrow is like today and decidedly calmer than predicted, it would be better for us to continue traveling south rather then getting stuck somewhere for a couple of days cooling our jets while the weather passes.  I agree, as he has wiping down the bottom of the boat on his “to do list” if we have to wait for awhile and if I remember correctly, this involves getting little brine shrimp all over you; in your hair, inside your bathing suit, in places that don’t require brine shrimp and make you squirm when you find them, YUCK!  I’ll help but I’ve learned the hard way to stay upstream of the cloud that comes off. 

Saturday, December 14, 2019
Highbourn Cay, Bahamas
24.42.209N
76.49.469W


In spite of the fact that we woke to thunder and lightening this morning, the winds were down and we decided that we would leave.  We could see that the worst of the clouds were almost past us, so by the time Dale tracked down the security guard and asked for the submarine net be lowered for us, the rain had stopped and I was able to just let the boat drift away from the dock far enough to gracefully pivot and exit without any embarrassment.  Besides, it was 7:15am and hardly anyone was moving at that time. 


Once we negotiated the winding channel leading back out to the bank, we raised our main and had a rather boisterous romp the first part of the morning.  By mid-morning, the waves had died down, we raised the jib as well and off we went. 


We arrived at Highbourn Cay around 1pm and entered into a more protected area behind Oyster Cay, a small island to the south of Highbourn that Gerry and Nicky referred to in their blog.  The last time we were here, we stayed to the west of Highbourn itself and woke to a huge yacht next to us.  It was definitely Mutt and Jeff time back then. 


Dale always says that anchoring, docking and mooring is a spectator event, so if anyone was looking out their windows today as we approached, they had quite the spectacle. 


The first time we made our attempt, was at 1:15pm.  We approached what looked like a sandy area where the charts indicated 6’.  There were shallows to the left of us, so we cautiously looked for a sandy area half way between the rocks and the island.  The anchor went down, seemed to set well but Dale decided to dive it as our depth sounder would alternate between 19’ and .6’.  He hopped into quite the current I later learned and scouted out where we were.  As the boat would swing on its anchor, we would swing from deep water to over a sand bar and only had a few inches clearance.  As the tide was heading out, Dale climbed back on board and said that we weren’t in a good spot. 


The second time (about 1:40pm), we moved closer to the island and into deeper water between what appeared on the chart to be two routes for boats to take.  This time when the anchor went down, we never got the tug we like to feel that indicates that we are well set.  Once again, Dale jumped in and checked out the anchor.  He’d motion for me to reverse and would watch the anchor.  Then he would dive down and reappear.  Again, he would motion to back down.  After 3 of these exercises, he swam back and said that we were in sand over marl (stone); the anchor was never going to set. 


The third time (about 2pm), we moved further forward and tried again.  This time we got the tug we like and Dale turned and said “Do you want me to dive it?”  Of course, I did!  It took 3 times, lets make sure.  Once over the anchor he motioned to back down and the tug came once more.  He swam back and confirmed that we weren’t going any place tonight. 


Tomorrow we plan to make Warderick Wells Land and Sea Park by early afternoon.  We consulted the charts and weather info downloaded earlier and plan to once again leave early in the morning in order to ensure we arrive with the sun high in the sky.  When we were in Palm Cay Marina, we had telephoned ahead to make reservations for tomorrow, as the winds are supposed to once again pipe up to over 20 kts on Monday.  Its an area well protected and has mooring balls to attach to, so there shouldn’t be anything to worry about there.  I wonder if Dale would be willing to dive down to make sure the mooring balls are secure?

Friday, December 13, 2019
Palm Cay Marina, Bahamas
25.01.205N
77.16.418W


Well, you know the saying of the best laid plans of mice and men . . .  We had full intention of leaving this morning but when we arose, the predicted 15-18kts of wind was blowing 20-24kts. It was howling down the channel and as I was already a little nervous about making a 180* pivot to exit, it didn’t take any convincing when Dale suggested we wait another day as the weather charts were showing a decrease tomorrow.  Plus, with it being Friday the 13^th, why chance it? 


Later in the morning we watched as a 52’ bareboat charter cat came in and unintentionally pivoted 180* when they pulled in for fuel.  Enough said!  We did the right thing.  Also, now I know that I have enough room to turn. 


This also allowed us to tidy up the Palace a bit; I took to cleaning some rust stains that had appeared after our romps across the Bank.  Dale completed 3 little tasks he had on his list:  he cleaned the port bilge pump switch (some construction debris was found that would cause it to occasionally stick); the starboard portlight was allowing drips in when we were in boisterous seas, a little silicone gel took care of that; and the starboard head door wasn’t holding its catch, a couple of spacers in the hinge attachment did the trick there.  After all of that, we popped over to the Café and had a couple of sandwiches for lunch. 


The afternoon was spent catching up on our e-mails, a few more banking tasks and catching up with our buddy boat Opal’s blog site.  They are in Mayaguana waiting for a weather window.  I had to chuckle when I read Nicky’s description of their 300-point turn to exit Palm Cay when they stayed here a few weeks ago. 


We ran into Mike and Valerie again today.  Apparently, the shipment they’ve been waiting for is stuck in Customs and won’t be delivered until possibly Monday.  It reminded me of waiting a month in Grenada back when we did this the first time.  Island time, mon.  Can’t be in a hurry.


So, we’ll try again tomorrow.  Fingers crossed the morning wind will be more manageable in tight quarters than it was today. 

Thursday, December 12, 2019
Palm Cay Marina, Bahamas
25.01.205N
77.16.418W


After checking with the office and told we could stay where we were, we elected to stay another day at the Marina as we could get WiFi (to upload these posts) and we had pretty good cell reception, so that Dale could get in touch with Medicare (again) and I could get some banking done.  Also, because they don’t open until 9am, we were literally locked in – as in there was a chain (much like a submarine net) across the channel - so we couldn’t have left if we had wanted to.

So began our day battling with computers.  Back in Ft. Pierce, the printer we had in place on the boat for many years started acting up with Dale.  The decision was made to donate it to a good home and purchase a new wireless one.  Only when I tried to use it, it wouldn’t connect to my computer.  Trying to download driver software was partially helpful, however, as it only worked when connected to the internet; not helpful when you’re away from land.  Only when I reverted to using an old USB cord that came with the old printer and hardwired the two together was I able to make a lasting connection.  Sometimes you just have to revert to low tech. 

Dale was able to straighten out his dilemma with Medicare and make a few phone calls to marine hardware stores on the island trying to locate a gasket for the heat exchanger on the starboard engine but no joy there.  I was able to connect my computer to the bank and take care of Dad for another month.  I was able to copy over some photos to my computer from my phone and camera to add to these posts and I was able to upload these posts before bedtime.  I would say that was a pretty successful day.  It certainly took all day.

The "Palace" at night.

At dinner tonight, we met Valerie and Mike on Cassandra; two individuals who made a living in computer technology but who are now on their way to competing in 3 multihull races down island.  Of course, we met them after I’ve condemned myself to hell and back for all of the cursing I’ve done today. 

After comparing boats, I’ve got a feeling they’re going to beat us there as I have way too much toilet paper on board.  (inside joke folks!)  We promised to be their personal fan club if we happed to see them compete. 


Dale has shown me the charts and the weather predictions and as I understand it, we may have a boisterous romp but we’ll be leaving bright and early tomorrow morning for Highbourn Cay; or when the submarine net comes down.  On your mark, get set,  . . .

Wednesday, December 11, 2019
Palm Cay Marina, Bahamas
25.01.205N
77.16.418W


We held fast to our one day good, one day bad with today being better than yesterday.  We were underway by 5:45am but with it being darker than the bottom of a well, almost ran into a channel marker on the way out.  The rest of the day was rather unremarkable with the wind veering to south of east and since we were traveling south, was on our nose once again.  However the waves were manageable and once we realized that we were going to make New Providence (where Nassau is located) by 11:30am, we made the decision to continue on to Palm Cay on the southeast end of the island as we could make it before dark to check in. 


We attempted on several occasions to hail them via the VHF radio and by telephone to no avail.  So we waited until we got closer and tried again.  This time, they could hear us but we couldn’t hear them clearly.  The closer we got, the more coral heads we had to maneuver through but Dale was doing a really good job.  When we got close to the entry channel we tried once again, using the inside radio, the outside radio and both portable radios to make arrangements.  This time I was on the helm, when the earth reached up and caught our attention.  The crunch sound made us both wince and I threw the throttle into idle, however, the forward motion continued the chunk, chunk, chunk as we had obviously hit one of the coral heads.  We both looked behind us but could not see the tell tale dark patch. 


Dale immediately went down to check for water intrusion; there was none.  So we rather cautiously returned to entering into the channel and following the circuitous path to the fuel dock as they finally responded by saying that we could clear in, fuel up, take on water but there was no room at the inn. 


Once tied at the fuel dock, Customs and Immigration was called, so Dale fueled up and I went in to start filling out the forms.  Dale jumped in after fueling to take a look at our damage (scrapes in the bottom paint along the keel.)  After about half an hour, the Immigration Officer and another Officer showed up and signed and stamped our documents, the extra Officer drank a beer and said that all we needed now was the Customs Officer to show up and take our money.  Except that he was having car trouble and was running late.  The Immigration Officer bid us farewell and we began the waiting.  We had arrived at 3:30pm, the Immigration Officer left by 4:15 and at 5pm, when the marina closed, they said that the boat that was supposed to be berthed where we were, hadn’t shown up, so we might as well stay where we were as we couldn’t leave until the Customs Officer came in any event. OK, works for us. 


As 6pm rolled around and it was dark, we figured the Customs Officer probably wasn’t coming.  So we left a note on the cockpit enclosure telling the time we left and that we could be found at the marina restaurant.   At 6:30pm the Customs Officer arrived at the restaurant with our note in his hand.  He was very friendly and very professional, although neither one of us can remember him commenting about his tardiness.  I ran back to the boat to get the paperwork and fees and hurried back to our table.  The transaction was completed within 10 minutes and he was on his way.  Our dinner arrived; two cheese burgers in paradise. 


So now we sit under our newly raised Bahamian courtesy flag, contemplating whether to strike out in the morning or sit for perfect weather on Saturday.  We shall see.  The Marina doesn’t open until 9 am in the morning, so that will have an effect on what we do, as it will take 7 hours to get to Highbourn Cay, our next stop. 


Until then, let's see if I can find a WiFi connection so that I can upload these posts. 

Tuesday, December 10, 2019
Chub Cay, Bahamas
25.24.550N
77.54.615 W


We were underway at 5 am this morning after experiencing a rather noisy and somewhat uncomfortable night.  With nothing to protect us, the winds and waves had their way with our little home so it was no problem rousting ourselves up and out.  Unfortunately, it also made for another nasty transit bashing into waves and winds.  We took to “tacking” in an effort to modify the pounding which did help to a degree.  Otherwise it was overcast all day with little to see or comment on. 


We arrived at Chub Cay by 1:30pm and anchored outside their marina where we are tucked behind the island which knocks down the nasty conditions.  Chub is a private island and we heard just how private when the rather large motor yacht anchored behind us asked to make reservations at the club restaurant.  Although they explained that due to issues with their bow thruster they were not able to negotiate the channel, they were turned down unless they were registered at the marina.  Well, alright then.  I guess we better not try either. 

Chub Cay

 Tomorrow, we’ll make our way to Nassau and if the weather stays the same, we’ll actually be able to motorsail if not completely sail as the wind will be on our beam.  We’re looking forward to putting up those white flappy things and actually start sailing!

December 9, 2019
Russel Beacon Light, Bahamas
25.29.146 N
78.29.879 W


Morning came early for me again but today, after making a quick peek outside to make sure we were still where we left ourselves, I went back to bed and fell asleep until Dale turned on the radio to listen to the weather.  I kind of listened with one ear until we decided that we might as well get underway.  We checked our cruising guides and elected to not check in at Cat Cay but instead continue on and check in on Nassau.  Thus began our day long journey across the Bahama Bank. 

The trades were blowing, so the wind was on the nose all day but the bank was tranquil and sunny.  Except for the occasional boat (as in 4 all day) we didn’t see a thing except for the beautiful turquoise Bahamian waters with the sun twinkling in the ripples. 

Although, we did do something we haven’t done in the past, we anchored on the bank tonight.  About 5:15, we pulled off the route we had been following and motored about a mile in.  There was a shallow area depicted on the chart where the old Russel Beacon Light used to be so, we motored to the side and dropped our anchor in 15’ of water.  The light is broken so, we’ll be the light tonight.

Anchored on the bank

Dale wants to get underway by 5 am tomorrow so that we have enough time to get to Nassau before dark and have to anchor in a new harbor, so its lights out now.  See you tomorrow.  

December 8, 2019
Gun Cay, Bahamas
25.34.995 N
79.18.26 W



Our overnight transit from Ft. Pierce to Miami was as calm as any we’ve ever made.  The few “big boys” (cruise ships) were mostly located around Ft. Lauderdale and behaved in an orderly fashion that we could weave through without undue stress; Dale disagrees and says there was plenty of stress.  One of the few sailboats we encountered, hailed us on the VHF and said that we might want to have our AIS antenna checked out as we weren’t putting out a signature until within a mile of another vessel.  I thanked him for the heads up and then thought “Great!, I haven’t worried about anything new in almost 10 minutes”. 


We entered the Port of Miami jetty at 7:40 am and proceeded to Miami Beach Marine for fuel where the manager on duty, Keston Superville, seemed unusually impressed to see a woman at the helm.  I had a nice chat with him about our long range plans and left with his telephone number as he has family in Trinidad that he promised to put us in touch with when we needed to make marina arrangements there. 


Once again we were underway at 8:45am but this time heading due east to Cat/Gun Cay in the Bahamas.  As nice as the transit was yesterday, today was sloppy.  The 12-15 knot winds ended up being 20-24 knots and the 1-1.5’ waves were decidedly taller.  All cats pound regardless of what the salesman may have told you and today, I thought my teeth were going to jar loose.  The occasional misbehaving wave would sneak though the hulls and slap against the bridge between the hulls causing a pounding that would raise the salon table.  I can take a bit but after a couple of hours, it really wears on your nerves. 


The “big boys” we met on this transit were mostly on the east side of the Gulf Stream and were going in both directions at the same time in a relatively narrow path as if they had their own street they were following.  I was on watch when one passed from south to north in front of me but using the AIS, I was able to see that it was going to pass behind us with a couple of miles clearance.  I then saw 2 more approaching from opposite directions and although I could see that they too would pass with plenty of clearance, the one that appeared from behind the one seen heading south, showed that it would only pass with a .5 mile separation.  I start to really watch anything passing within a mile of us.  As luck would have it, this was exactly 4 pm and shift change.  Dale came up and took over.  Then he got excited when the 4 ships became 5!  He kept our course and speed until the ones that were clearly going to pass us did so, then slowed to allow more clearance for the 2 that appeared to be a bit too close for comfort.  Whew! 


Normally we do not like coming into an unfamiliar anchorage after dark but due to the conditions and nightfall descending

at 5pm these days, we were forced to do so this evening.  Dale stood out on the bow with a flashlight and headset directing me in as I concentrated on the chartplotter’s suggested route calling out depths to Dale until we snugged into 13’ on what was supposed to be clear sand.  Dale played out the anchor and we waited for the tug to say that it was set.  What we got was a sound that we interpreted to be a rocky bottom.  After the hurricane this past summer, its possible that it was cleared of sand and this was what was left.  We let the anchor drag a bit and then the familiar tug was felt.  Hopefully tomorrow, we’ll be able to retrieve it without drama as we really don’t know what we set it.  In any event, we’re snugged behind Gun Cay which blocks the easterly trade winds from rocking us too much and as long as it stays quiet, we’ll get a good night sleep before checking in at Cat Cay in the morning. 


Now!  Time for a hot shower!

December 7, 2019
Ft. Pierce, FL 
27.28.016 N
80.19.677 W


We arose early today; me at 5:30 (and the world didn’t come to a screeching halt); Dale at 6:30 and listened to Chris Parker for the weather report.  Dale had been analyzing our weather reports for a couple of days and telling me that when I returned, we’d be leaving the next day before noon to get a good jump on heading south.

I arrived at 8 pm Friday night into Ft. Lauderdale.  Seven thirty am today, Saturday, we took my laundry in to be washed and ate breakfast next door.  He dropped me off at the boat, returned the rental car and finally checked us out of Harbortown Marina where we had left our boat for the past month.  Harbortown has been so very kind to us making adjustments as needed with little warning and often a change of plans on the spur of the moment. 

Nine thirty he put on his scop patch in an abundance of caution as he sometimes suffers from seasickness when newly at sea. I turned on the engines at 10:30 and we pulled away from the pier 10 minutes later, looking like we knew what we were doing in front of the small group of onlookers gathered (tight maneuvering always draws the attention of anyone nearby).  We saw a few dolphins as we left the marina channel and made the turn to head out of the Ft. Pierce inlet; dolphins are a sign of good luck to most sailors; we were looking for all signs of good luck we could find today.  

Although it started off rather brisk, the day was sunny and warming up beautifully.  We passed the Ft. Pierce jetty at 10 minutes after 11 am and turned south into flat calm seas stopping and turning into the slight breeze to put up our sails.  We ended up rolling in the Code Zero (used only in very light winds) as there just wasn’t any wind but left out our main (so we’d at least looked like a sail boat) revved up the engines, put in a waypoint for St. Lucie and motored on. 

November had been a bad month for my family and me.  Telephone calls at 3 in the morning are never good, so when the first one came in on 11/9 telling me that my mother was back in this hospital after having only been released 2 days prior, I knew it wasn’t good.  She had coded, they had revived her but she no longer showed any brain waves.  Although our father had DNR instructions in his medical records, my mother did not.  As I am the oldest, their designated executor and guardian, I told my sister who was with her not to resuscitate again as my mother was vehemently against living in a nursing home and now, that was her only recourse.  The next call was 30 minutes later saying that she had died.  Dale and I were on a plane to Dallas a few hours later. 

As I mentioned earlier, I am the oldest of 5 and it was the first time in years that we had all been together.  We organized the funeral and afterwards, took lots of photos; some serious, some silly.  It was a good thing. 


Dad has Alzheimers and is essentially bedridden, so my sister Marcie who was already helping Mom take care of Dad knew that she was his sole caregiver (besides the various daily nurses that come in to check on him).  Although Dale returned to Florida after a week, I stayed behind another week and set about paying off all their bills, taxes, cancelling credit cards and services no longer needed.  Basically, setting things in motion so that Marcie could continue without having to worry about finances.  I returned to Florida on a Friday. 

Saturday 11/23 was my birthday.   Dale, Gerry and Nicky (Tinkering Consultant and She Who Must Be Obeyed) took me out to a local restaurant for a great dinner.  We were getting underway the following morning at high tide which was at 7:30am and were discussing the various plans.  That night, the second 3am call came in.  This time it was my sister, Marcie.  She had been out with one of her friends, was driving home on a dark, unlit country road and failed to negotiate a curve going off a steep embankment.  We could see from the ruts left behind that she was trying to bring the truck back onto the road but in turning perpendicular to the steepness, she instead rolled the truck onto the drivers’ side and slid into a tree pinning herself inside the vehicle.  It took first responders and hour and a half to find her as she was literally in a cow pasture with no lights still functioning. 

Those in the medical field or those who have experience in these types of accidents can tell you that there is a type of injury that doesn’t show until a person is cut out of the car.  Then they crash.  That was Marcie.  She was conscious the whole time, honking the horn when instructed and, I’m told, that she had a bit of a sense of humor until she was removed from the truck.  She coded in the life flight helicopter and then one last time at the hospital.  She had only a single tiny cut visible on her temple; presumably from glass and a bit of juniper in her hair that showed any indication of what had happened.  Once again, the family gathered. 

In the week that Dale stayed with me this time, he was able to contact Dad’s physicians, straightened out his medicines and helped us gather the various military records I would need to have him placed in a Veteran’s Home.  As he requires round the clock care and no one lives near, there was no other choice. 

My brother and sisters rallied as we knew that early in Dad’s condition, he had taken out a reverse mortgage on their home and both had accumulated 50 years’ worth of stuff on their property that now needed to be sorted out or sold in order to take care of him.  Additionally, Marcie had brought all of her belongings when she moved to Texas which were stored now on the property.  To say that this was a monumental undertaking is an understatement but we divided the tasks and made progress. 

Then, the attorney I had consulted told me that the Court would not approve me to be my mother’s executor as I would be out of the country.  It was either give up the trip, or learn to let go. 

I spent my remaining time concentrating on getting Dad in and settled in his new home and setting up the finances to take care of him.  Marcie’s husband, children and various nieces and nephews helped sort through dividing what was hers from what was theirs.  My brother and sisters helped sort through Mom’s things, dividing what we were going to keep with what would go for sale.  My sister, Carolyn, the only one who actually lives in Texas, will now be the designated executor.  

I agonized over the decision as I’ve never side stepped a responsibility, particularly one involving family.  In some respect, I feel as if I’m giving up my promise to protect them.  However, ultimately it was family that said go.  Dale and I have been planning this trip since before we were first married.  Back then, it was a pipe dream.  Over the years it became a possibility and then, a reality.  As neither one of us is a spring chicken, its now or never. 


So here we are, on a beautiful sunny Florida day heading south.  Not perfect sailing conditions as there is no wind but definitely perfect motoring conditions as there are no waves.  We’re close to shore so we can keep our cell phones active but each time mine rings or a text comes in, my chest tightens and I say a quick prayer that its only to answer a question here or there and nothing more.  And as Scarlett would say, “tomorrow is another day;” we will survive this.  


 

 

November 7, 2019
Ft. Pierce, FL 
27.28.029 N
80.10.591 W



Wow!  What happened?  I didn’t wake up to WWIII this morning.  Apparently, the Pelican Squadron stood down today and I was able to sleep in a bit. 

However, Dale was anxious to get to the liquidator store early and purchase some larger electrical cable to rewire the wind generator.  Evidently, this was the solution to the extra voltage and he was hot on the trail to resolution.  Never a dull moment. 

On our way there, we passed an electrical box that had what looked like a photograph wrapped around it.  I remember Gerry telling us that the City had allowed the local graffiti artists to decorate the downtown electrical boxes.  New York has bulls, Jacksonville has manatees, Chicago has planters, Ft. Pierce has both planters and electrical boxes.  I thought it was a great idea.  Dale thought the locals would probably be annoyed that people were slowing down to photograph the artwork and holding up traffic. 




Back to the liquidator store.  I get a kick out of hardware stores and the like, basically because I see all sorts of gizmos that I think I could use for some totally different purpose other than that for which it was intended.  Today I found 2 right-hand gloves that would have fit the Jolly Green Giant.  They were really warm and furry inside (I think they were a type of lineman’s gloves) but here they were, just waiting for someone to put them on and start singing the muffin man song.  The owner laughed, Dale rolled his eyes and said that any woman that likes a hardware store is dangerous--knowing full well that we were on our way to Home Depot next.  I was left wondering where the left-hand gloves had gone. 



We returned to the boat so that Dale could work his magic and I could fill out insurance forms.  Our current insurance only covers us to the bottom of the Turks and Caicos, then we need another carrier who is willing to cover us not only through the Caribbean but also through the Pacific.  Our current broker told us ahead of time that this would require a new survey (thus the survey last week) and possibly two different underwriters, so now I’m filling out forms.  Forms for the insurance quotes, forms for activation of the satellite phone, you name it, there’s a form for it. 



Including going paperless at my bank.  Get a load of this, in order for me to turn off the paper statement to my grandchildren’s savings accounts that I created, I have to fill out a paper form for each one of them and mail it in.  What?  Let me get this straight!  Every envelope I received from the bank says “Go Paperless” but when I try, I have to file a piece of paper for each account, by mail; it can’t be done online.  There seems to be a disconnect somewhere!  Ugh!!

We ended the day with Dale declaring with pride (but not quite thumping his chest) that not only had he rewired the wind generator, he had made me another shelf after I had come up with a concept of what to do with the ice maker cabinet; and he had made it happen in a single day!