Sunday, February 2, 2020

Turks & Caicos
21.45.631N
72.13.429W

Today was a lazy day.  As there was no weather on the radio this morning, we slept in.  I used the marina facilities for my shower and Dale took his on board.  Dale’s was hot; mine was in a garden/grotto type shower carved out of coral rock and not hot but picturesque.  I hate to wax on about bathrooms but I have been totally impressed with how clean all of the facilities are here.    

Gypsy Palace med-moored

 with Motor yacht at fuel pier

About midmorning, a huge motor yacht came in to clear Customs, fuel and take a slip—right next to us.  Remember we’re in here like sardines.  From our angle, its going to be tight but as it turned out, not today, as the wind changed direction, piped up to the point where I had to take our awnings down and the owner wasn’t going to move in tight quarters during the high winds.  We had no problems with his decision.

I hadn’t intended to do laundry today but Dale thought that with a front forecasted to move through tomorrow, it might be prudent to get it done today using the marina facilities in case it rains tomorrow and the laundry wouldn’t have a chance to dry hanging out.  Apparently, someone else had the same idea because every time I went to check the washer, it was being used.  As there is only one washer, this necessitated running up every 30-40 minutes to check on the status.  Finally, one time when I went up to check it, the wash had been completed but it was just sitting there.  I took a seat near the entrance and waited for the owner to retrieve it.  After about 20 minutes, I checked at the office to see if they knew who it belonged to or would it be alright for me to put it into the basket left there.  She instructed me to put it in the drier and start mine in the washer, as the person would be doing laundry all day; I had a funny feeling that it was her wash.  When it came time to rotate the laundry, I put the dry clothes in the basket sitting there and put mine in the drier but now there was a second basket full of clothes.  I elected to not continue doing laundry for someone else as I figured they might already be upset with me moving things around.  Again, the washer and drier were immaculate and worked perfectly.  Its amazing what makes me happy.

In the meantime, today is Superbowl Sunday, so Dale turned on the TV and started looking for stations in hopes of finding one that would carry the game.  No dice!  We couldn’t access a single channel.  Dale figures its because we’re sort of in a hole, surrounded, for the most part, by hillsides.  So, he went up to the marina restaurant to see if they could get something.  They have satellite TV and said that they would look for it when it was game time.  So, guess where we’re having dinner tonight and being former Kansas City residents, you can imagine who we’ll be rooting for? 

Saturday, February 1, 2020

Turks & Caicos
21.45.631N
72.134.429W

Well, we made it to Turks & Caicos.  At 2am!  I really do need to speak to Dale about his calculations in the future.  As I said, we arrived at the Sandbore Channel entrance at 2am.  Just as we arrived, we were hailed on the radio by the Harbor Patrol questioning us as to who we were, where we were going and if we had ever been here before.  They then asked us to relay our coordinates to them.  I now think that was to determine just how exact our GPS coordinates correlated to theirs.  Neither one of us remembered any Patrol the last time we were here.  Once we entered the channel, we learned how important our GPS coordinates were. 

Thank heavens we had read the latest cruising guide and I remembered something about following a heading of 100* and then turning to something else when utilizing this approach.  Ideally, we would have arrived about noon or a little after to enter into an unfamiliar harbor but . . .  Couldn’t do anything about it now, so we slowed to a crawl (about 3 knots) and entered into a mine field of coral heads.  We inched our way across the harbor and finally made our approach to Provo, the main town. 

About 2 hours later we turned to where we thought we had anchored the last time we were here, when a light appeared in front of us that didn’t seem to be coming from shore.  I freely admit, I have a problem with lights at night; no depth perception!  I thought it was getting closer, Dale thought it was too far away to be worried about.  As I was on the helm at the time, I told him he was in charge of keeping the light under surveillance because I was dodging coral heads on the chart and keeping an eye on the depth.  With my face on fire and my heart pounding in my ears, I finally asked him to please shine a light out to see if it was a boat.  Nothing could be seen.  Then another light appeared that we had to keep an eye on.   Again, we had to dodge coral heads depicted on the chart plotter but finally, Dale could see that yes, it was a boat, so he directed me deeper into the coral to go around them.  Finally, we found a place identified as sand and anchored in 10 feet of water.  Dale took the first watch once we were set about 5am and as the sun rose could see that we had dodged a black hulled barge and its tug anchored on the “magenta line” or the guideline into the anchorage. 

As the morning progressed, Dale listened to the weather guru to determine whether we would be able to continue on to Puerto Rico during the coming week.  Unless we were prepared to leave today, the prospect of leaving in the next month looked slim.  A day here.  A day there but not the 3-4 day window we needed.  Dale is not for moving on without insurance, which means we have to stay at least through the weekend.  We decided that we might as well stay in a protected marina for the coming front and we began to hail the one he selected from the cruising guide.  Back comes the Harbor Patrol on the radio who wants all of our boat information now.  Although we told them that we had used the “Sail Clear” internet site, they told us that they didn’t get that information until after Customs and Immigration was through with it.  So, we gave all our particulars over open airwaves.  Then they told us that the marina was having problems with their radio and that we had to be within line of sight for them to hear.  They also volunteered to call them on the phone to ascertain slip space and to let them know we were on our way.  We thanked them for their assistance and began our preps to move. 

We hoisted anchor and started moving in that direction.  Once we were in line of sight, we tried again.  Again, and again.  Nothing.  Nada, Zilch!  Once again there was a “magenta line” leading to the marina location but, of course, it was peppered with coral heads.  After becoming thoroughly frustrated with the lack of communication, Dale tried calling the Harbor Patrol again to see if they could assist.  Once again, they called, got some information about hugging the red buoy on our approach but then hugging the green buoy once we made our turn.  The problem was, we couldn’t see any buoys! 

Again, we slowed to a crawl, dodged the dark areas and crept in until we could see the buoys.  I am not kidding you when I tell you there were places where there were only inches—inches—under our keel!  But, we made it in.  Once we made it to their entrance, the water deepened and I could breath again. 

As the marina was a clearing point, the dock master directed us to a fuel pier and told us that he had to call Customs and Immigration before we could fill up.  So, we cooled our jets on the boat until the agents arrived filling out the necessary paperwork.  The “Sail Clear” site is supposed to negate the constant filling out of paper forms but apparently, that only tells them that you are on your way; you still have to fill out the forms.  In other words (from the agents’ mouths) it’s a waste of time.  Then came another straw that I wasn’t prepared to deal with (particularly on little sleep and after a nerve wracking ordeal), as they’re two separate agencies, they can’t share money i.e., the final total ended in an even number but each agency’s ended in a 5, they couldn’t make change and they couldn’t share.  Here I am searching for single dollars.  They won’t take Bahamian dollars so, I’m emptying out my change purse, going through jars of change from Dale’s pockets, looking to coming up with $10 in change so that each of them has the exact amount.  I was flipping out.  Dale was frustrated too.  With me.  He told me to go to bed.  Somehow, somewhere, one of them found $5 in his pocket and made change for the other. 

Then came more excitement.  We did our first med-moor on this boat.  Not the drop your anchor and back into the dock, instead, they threw lines to us to secure to our stern and pivoted us across the slip and then raised muddy, soaked lines from the bottom of the marina that held your bow from blowing side to side.  We’re in here like sardines.  Muddy sardines.  We have just enough space to put a fender between us and our neighbor.  As we were adjusting the fenders, I told him we’d try not to disturb him with our snoring tonight.  As it turns out, he’s a very experienced delivery captain who is going to help us secure a rigging survey for our insurance and possibly find local repair for the collision damage from when we dragged in George Town.  You just never know who you’re going to be cozied up to and if we’re stuck here for a month, lets put it to use and try to make up some time somewhere else. 

Through all of the excitement today, neither one of us realized that we hadn’t eaten all day.  So we decided to splurge and go out to dinner at the marina restaurant.  Dale had lobster and I had ribs.  We met our neighbor and asked him to join us and then met another couple from Texas who are heading down to Grenada.  We made promises to catch up tomorrow and compare notes as we don’t think we’ll be going anywhere soon. 

So, with all of that, I’m off to bed.  Who knows, maybe my blood pressure is down enough for me to fall asleep now. 

Friday, January 31, 2020

Bahamas – At Sea
22.21.315N
73.11.135W

We’re still at sea but we’re just passing Mayaguana and I wanted to post a quick update while I can.  No wind so we’ve motored all day with the white flappy things up just to be seen.  The only thing worth mentioning is that we may have spotted a right whale in the distance as it crested the surface.  Since it was far away, it could have been a big dolphin.  Other than that, just flying fish and one seagull.  We’ve noted before the lack of birds this time.  Most likely the hurricanes have killed or driven them away. 

We finally gave up and called our insurance adjuster to see what progress has been made.  Apparently, the rigging we replaced in the summer of 2016 is outside of their underwriters’ parameters by 6 months and requires a rigging inspection.  We’re flabbergasted!

As I said we’re just passing Mayaguana.  Originally, we thought we might pull in for a couple of hours and depart again at midnight to arrive at a Turks and Caicos marina we had stayed at previously but a telephone call to them informs us that they aren’t taking any boats as their channel needs to be dredged.  So a quick adjustment and we’ve ditched the few hours respite and are sailing through the night again to reach a farther side of the T&C islands where the commercial customs dock is.  After clearance, we’ll either go to the  “marina” that Gerry and Nicky told us about or to one where we can get the inspection completed.  We do have another insurance carrier possibility but its in England and communication takes time.  We’ll get it figured out.

In the meantime, it looks like nasty weather will be arriving Monday-Wednesday so we need to be tucked in no matter where we end up. 

Until then, all is well here. 

Thursday, January 30, 2020

Bahamas – At Sea
22.57.714N
73.43.419W

I don’t think either one of us slept very well last night.  We were both worried that we’ve not been very lucky on this trip and wondered what else might lie in wait for us.  In any event, we rose early and started preps for the day waiting for the cruisers net at 8am so that we could say our goodbyes to those we’ve met over the past month. 

Once done, we dinghied into town and while Dale topped off our water can, I started our shopping.  Milk, bread, cereal, candy; just the essentials.  With mission accomplished, we headed back to the Palace and while I put groceries away, Dale hopped in the water and cleaned the prop and waterline.  We hoisted our dinghy back into the davits securing it tightly for the trip and then lifted the kellet and anchor. 

We slowly made our way to the fuel pier at the Exuma Yacht Club trying to hail them on 68 (George Town frequency), 16 (International hailing channel) and 14 (local George Town business frequency).  Apparently, they weren’t in the mood to talk but we did see someone by the fuel dock and proceeded to it.  We elected to reverse into the dock as Dale prefers to take on fuel on the port side and with the wind blowing us down onto the dock, we were fortunate in that we looked like we knew what we were doing. 

Calm seas after a night crossing.

We were second in line and while waiting, assisted another boat coming in.  I’ve decided that we need to add pulling into a slip to the spectator sport category too.  Its hard to maneuver in tight spots with a single screw but the poor guy mangled it badly.  There were 5 adults and 1 child trying to help him out.  Finally, he was secured and we returned to our own boat and topped off our fuel. The only drawback being, the earlier you go to town, the more likely their credit card machines aren’t working.  So, Dale had to come back to the Palace and dig out more cash to pay for our purchase.  Ugh!

It was at this time that our insurance adjuster called us to ask for more documentation.  I explained that we had already sent it to her.  She was able to locate it and said that she would get back in touch with us.  We reiterated that we were in the process of leaving for the Turks and Caicos and that we needed an answer soon as we were hoping to just keep going to Puerto Rico.  She didn’t realize that we hadn’t intended to stop, so she said that she would be back in touch quickly.  That was the last we heard from her and we didn’t lose cell service until after 5:30pm.  But, I digress.

About 11:30 am, we finally pulled out and into the channel, turned south and started making our way out to the Exuma Sound.  Before actually turning toward the ocean, we decided to put the main sail up behind the shelter of the islands.  Dale wanted to be up where it feeds into the boom to make sure things were working properly, which left me trying to keep the boat into the wind, cancelling every AIS alert coming across the chart plotter, hoisting the main halyard (which is only pushing a button) put also keeping the reef line straight (a stiff line that tends to kink every 3-4’.  By the time the main was totally deployed, I was cursing like a sailor, red in the face, jibed twice, and furious with the world with a tangled mess of line at my feet.  But the deed was done with no hiccups to the sail itself. 

Sun Rise near Samana Cay, Bahamas

We entered the Sound and started our trip.  We motorsailed for a couple of hours but when the wind began to fill in, we actually cut the engines and sailed alone for a couple more.  When the wind died down, back on came the engines to keep our speed above 4 kts.  We did this a couple of times but by evening, the wind died out completely.  There’s 2 ways of looking at this.  Sailing in low wind saves fuel but costs time; motoring in low wind is usually smoother, saving time but costs fuel.  We made Rum Cay by 8pm and Samana Cay by dawn.  With any kind of luck, we should make Mayaguana by 4pm on 1/31/2020.  Dale had 2 ships during the night (one he saw via AIS but had to call as he couldn’t see lights until it was about a mile away) and I had 4 (actually, the 1^st one was at change of watch and we had spotted it on the horizon.  I didn’t have to call any—but one did give me pause but by this time it was already dawn and I could actually see what he was doing.)

Now its my turn to get some rest, so I’ll put this away and start to look for those WiFi signals that reach out well across the water. 

Wednesday, January 29, 2020

Georgetown, Exuma, Bahamas
23.30.235N
75.45.748W

Tent poles so Dale

 can walk underneath.

Considering I never got off the boat today, I was quite busy.  While Dale was topping off our water tanks, I plotted a route from George Town to Turks and Caicos, fussed around with a new way to deploy the side sun shades we have, wrote an e-mail to our insurance agent reminding her that she was supposed to have a quote to us by last week as we really wanted to leave tomorrow, did dishes, played hide and seek to locate all of my sewing supplies, dug them out and got ready to attack the sail once Dale returned with the replacement parts (and a new water jerry can that should have been made of gold considering its cost). 

I was not looking forward to this as I remembered seeing an inch or two that was damaged but Dale remembered about a 5-6” tear; we were both right.  There was a 5-6” tear along the webbing with about 1” of missing material. 

We started by taking the hoisting halyard off and then rolled the sail off the in-boom furler onto the hard top bimini to the point where we could see the tear—or, almost the whole sail by that point.  Then I studied my options.  We didn’t want to take the sail off the boom and I couldn’t get my machine high enough to get to the tear. 

As the luff line was still intact, I decided to hand stitch the webbing that had torn and then put rip-stop sail tape over the missing piece with a couple of extra pieces over what I had hand stitched.  Then I hand stitched over the sail tape right next to the cording to make sure it was compressed enough to slide up the groove when it was hoisted.  By the time I was done, the adhesive on the tape was beginning to pull away.  We used 5200 to re-glue it to the sail (as suggested by Practical Sailor and the Tinkering Consultant) being careful to keep it under the sail tape.  Lord knows we don’t want to pull it out tomorrow and find that when it was put away, it glued itself in the boom.  Then Dale took over and replaced the broken batten stop. 

We rolled it back into the boom before reattaching the halyard and slowly fed it up the mast.  It appeared to work.  I hope it holds for the next couple of weeks until we can get to Puerto Rico where the entire length will have to be replaced. 

Of course, this took the remainder of the day and by the time we had put everything away and sat down, it was time for dinner.  Since we’re leaving, I cooked two large pots; red beans and rice with ham for the trip and a chicken pot pie casserole for dinner.  Dale wants to depart tomorrow early afternoon, which means I need to get to the grocery store early for some last minute items to tide us over until we can get to Puerto Rico, Dale needs to scrub the prop and maybe the bottom depending upon the amount of growth.  Then we’ll top off our fuel before taking off.  Another busy day I’m afraid. 

It looks like we’ll have to motor sail the remainder of tomorrow as the winds are fairly light (which is what we were hoping for to repair the sail).  Now we need a tad more wind--on the beam--to get anywhere.  We plan on making a direct transit to the Turks and Caicos, so you won’t hear from us for the next couple of days unless I find an errant WiFi signal in the middle of nowhere. 

As always, wish us luck. 

Tuesday, January 28, 2020

Georgetown, Exuma, Bahamas
23.30.235N
75.45.748W

Today has been pretty rough for Dale.  He had put everything together on the water maker yesterday but didn’t try starting it until today.  Unfortunately, he still couldn’t get the required pressure needed to make water.  I don’t think I’ve ever seen him so deflated.  He must have read the manual cover to cover 3 times, learning nothing new, before he was able to get through to the tech guys in California.  They walked him though each step once again while he was on the phone with them.  The final decision was that the regulator on the system is faulty and a new one will be sent to us.  Dale told them there was no way we could sit here another month waiting for the part to clear customs and paying another exorbitant VAT (value added tax).  We made arrangements to wait for shipment until we arrive in Puerto Rico.  There’s even a manufacturer’s representative located there. 

On my side of the equation.  I tested the one load a day theory again and was shot out of the water.  Even Dale tried.  Then I learned that the ice maker was turned on.  Once we turned the ice maker off, shut everything connected with the washing machine completely off, turned it all back on, it started working again. 

By this time it was after noon and there was a talk on the beach about batteries that Dale had wanted to attend.  So, while he attended the ‘seminar,’ I played Dominos.  Once again, I had the most fun. 

After we were both done and walking back to the dinghy, I asked if he learned anything new.  He said “yes, our batteries are on their last leg.”  Apparently, our type of batteries last about 8 years; we bought them about 6 years ago.  Of course, this means that in the next year or so, we’ll get up one day and the batteries will need to be replaced.  At least I can start to budget for them now. 

The one good thing that happened today was that we got the call informing us our sail part had arrived.  We’ll pick it up tomorrow and go from there. 

Monday, January 27, 2020

Georgetown, Exuma, Bahamas
23.30.235N
75.45.748W

Today was one of those days where some things went well and others, well, didn’t.

We started our day listening to weather, apparently, it’s not going to get as blustery on Wednesday and Thursday as first thought of last week.  Which is good for us. 

Looking towards George Town

All is well in the anchorage and we are up to 197 boats now. 

Dale then started prepping the water maker to get it running but held off until he had a chance to speak with the representative.  Once done, he learned that it was OK to drain the remaining oil it was originally shipped with and put in new to run it.  So, we drained the oil out of the original one (since it never worked once the oil had been changed) and put it in the new water maker after it was drained. 

He also tore apart the generator that quit last evening.  He determined that he was getting fuel from the tank to the generator but no further which established that it was not the same problem as we had the first time.  Just to confirm, he turned on one of the engines and ran it for an hour just to make sure nothing clogged it.  Changing the main fuel filter seemed to fix the problem with the generator and we ran it for a couple of hours without issue. 

Since the generator was running, I again tested my theory that the washing machine only works once a day.  At first it balked but I turned everything off and then back on and tried again and that time it did one whole program (wash, drain, spin, rinse, drain, spin, rinse, drain, spin, blink the little red light forever before unlocking the door).  I hung the clothes out to dry and called it a day as far as laundry. 

While I was monitoring the washing progress, Dale went in to town to see if the sail part had arrived.  That’s where our luck ran out.  However, the shop that handles the incoming imports checked their database and said that our part was scheduled to be on a flight out this evening and should be here by tomorrow.  How many times have we been told that?

By the time Dale got back, is was after 1pm and since I had missed my Dominos game yesterday, I convinced him he should take the rest of the day off and go play Dominos with me.  He agreed and proceeded to beat all of us.  However, it was determined that I had the most fun as I had the most points (in the game of Mexican Train Dominos, the idea is to have the least amount of points at the end).  We made it back to the Palace a little after 5pm, foregoing the dinghy raft up at 4:30, and called it a day.

I guess that’s it for today. 

Sunday, January 26, 2020

Georgetown, Exuma, Bahamas

23.30.235N
75.45.748W

Happy Australia Day Gerry and Nicky!  I’m sure you’re celebrating it in style somewhere in the BVI’s!

Looking from town across the channel

Today is Sunday and we spent it doing pretty much what we did last Sunday.  After the net, we went into “Beach Church,” sat around for an hour or so chit chatting with various people.  Ordered the rib dinner from Chat N Chill (which was excellent by the way), then listened to Caldwell Thompson give a talk about “bush medicine”.  We thoroughly enjoyed listening and talking with this man.  In fact, so much so, that I failed to join my Domino friends for our Sunday game.  In any event, we had a great time in our day across the channel. 

When we returned, I tried my theory of ‘once a day the washing machine will work’ and, would you believe it, it did.  Granted, I only put some wet clothes in to spin but it worked; I’m happy.  Unfortunately, shortly after it finished, the generator died; much like it did back in Cave Cay.  It was almost dark by that time, so Dale simply flipped everything back to the inverter and said he’d look at it tomorrow.  I think we have a big booger in the tank somewhere and every so often, it clogs the whole shooting match.  Somehow, we’ve got to get it out.  Just not sure exactly how we’re going to do that. 

So calm, you can see 

the anchor chain

Besides playing in diesel again (which has got to be Dale’s least favorite thing to do on the boat—which includes working on the toilet), we’re hoping our sail part comes in and we can affect a decent repair.  Tomorrow is supposed to be as calm as today was, so it should be a good day to pull the sail out and onto the deck.  If the tear is out of my realm of sewing, we have heard of someone in town that does sail repair, so we do have a back up plan if necessary. 
As always, wish us luck.

Saturday, January 25, 2020

Georgetown, Exuma, Bahamas
23.30.235N
75.45.748W

Well, it’s official; we’ve been here a month.  AND finally progress!  

This morning after listening to the anchorage news, I asked Dale to turn on the generator so that I could do another load of laundry.  Being Dale, if the generator is on, so is everything that it can possibly run; i.e. ice maker, battery charger, and of course, my washer.  I put in a load and lo and behold it started to work.  When it started to hang up, I asked Dale to turn off everything but the washer.  My theory was maybe we were using too much power in everything else causing a “brown out” for my washer.  I was instructed that one thing doesn’t have anything to do with another.  But-it started working again. And, it continued throughout the all the wash cycles.  Wahoo, while I was on a roll, why not do it again?  This time, I couldn’t even get it to fill with water.  The Tinker in Chief took over.  Consult the manual-dodge the lightning strikes-because men don’t read the manual first.  First one thing, then another.  Finally, I suggested that we turn the whole thing off.  Maybe it only works once a day.  I’ll try again tomorrow. 

About mid-morning, Dale got a call from the UPS representative asking where we were located.  We found out that she was the delivery person and if he could make it to town, she had his package.  Dale assured her that although we were on a boat out in the anchorage, he could be there in 10 minutes.  We dropped that dink in the water so fast, it sent out a tidal wave.  Then Dale took off like a shot!  He was back in short order yelling well before he reached the boat that it was Christmastime!  Our watermaker part had arrived. 

When he took it out of the box, it looked exactly like the one we had.  The manufacturer had told us that our part wasn’t available right then but that they would send us one that could be used in its place.  Dale set about measuring, this way, then that, and kept repeating, “it’s the same”.  So he installed it.  The long and short of it is, it appears to be the same unit.  Not just the pump needed but the main guts of the system itself.  He plans on speaking with the representative before trying to start it on Monday as all of the oil leaked out in the shipping process.  As I understand it, many times, the priming oil that it’s sent with is different than the normal oil and is used during a settling in process for a period of hours before you change it to the normal kind.  (I don’t know; it’s just what I was told and you know how he gets when he’s in his teacher mode.)  In any event, he wants to make sure before he tries starting it up that he’s using the right kind of oil. 

Now, if we can just get that sail part in!

Friday, January 24, 2020

Georgetown, Exuma, Bahamas
23.30.235N
75.45.748W

I know, I know, I haven’t written in a couple of days.  BUT, there’s nothing going on!  We’re still anchored in front of George Town.  Dale goes in at least 3 times a day to fill our water can.  We’ve paid almost $600 in VAT taxes for our incoming parts (so we know that they’ve made it to Nassau) but when he checks with where they are supposed to be mailed to; still no parts.  One person told us that they’re on the plane but another said that’s what they tell you to get you off the phone.  So, we’ll try again tomorrow.

Today, Dale had to run by the telephone company because he received a text message saying that his auto renewal was due on Sunday.  That isn’t the plan he just bought.  He was assured that it won’t apply to him but considering what we’ve gone through with the telephone company, we’re not very confident that we won’t be charged. 

Today I tried to use the washer on board; it worked for 3 of the 4 cycles.  Then it seemed to hang up.  Dale thought maybe it was overloaded.  So we found a work-around.  Then I tried a smaller load.  Same thing.  I used the same work-around to get the clothes out and onto the line.   I don’t know what to say about this.  It is what it is. 

We did dinghy over to the other side to listen to a talk about a guy that lost his mast last week.  One of the few nice days we had last week he took his brother and a couple of friends out fishing.  15 knot winds.  3-4’ seas.  Not great but not awful either.  Then snap, he loses his mast.  During the question and answer period, it comes out that it was the original standing rigging on a 30 year old boat.  Regardless of the fact that it had passed a rigging inspection, its suggested that you replace your standing rigging every 10-12 years.  No one was injured.  His boat wasn’t holed.  He told how he cut everything free, was careful not to foul his prop and then limped back here.  The icing on the cake?  No insurance. 

As I’ve said in earlier posts, right when you think things are going bad, we hear of someone who has it worse. 

Wednesday, January 22, 2020

Georgetown, Exuma, Bahamas
23.30.235N
75.45.748W

Believe it or not, we slept last night.  Although the wind did pipe up, it wasn’t howling until after we got up at 6:15 or so.  We did see 27 kts. this morning but after last week, it wasn’t as bad as we were led to believe.  Once the sun was up enough to see around us, we didn’t like how we were swinging near one of the boats we’d anchored between, so we moved to a bit behind them with no one else around.  Much better. 

After the cruisers’ net, the radio was humming with alerts about boats that were dragging.  We’d switched to a west, northwest wind direction last evening and people either didn’t have enough room to swing or other boats were sliding down on them.  One of the ones that caught our attention, was the big 75’ motor yacht that slid very close to where we had been.  The boats that had anchored in next to where we were anchored (which hadn’t allowed for us to re-adjust our position when we were trying to prepare), were left scrambling, due to the motor yacht moving over their anchors which then couldn’t be retrieved.  I'm guessing that would have been us too.  Until I can get in to play Dominos, I won’t be able to find out how that particular issue was resolved as the motor yacht wasn’t answering the radio calls. 

About mid-morning Dale went in to “fix” his phone again.  I told you how he had gone in on Monday to “fix” it, only to be told that he needed to pay a dollar to activate the plan he had purchased.  Today, when he went to call on the status of the missing parts, it happened again.  So, although we hadn’t planned on going anywhere in the dinghy while there were white caps in the anchorage, we lowered the dink and he went into town to “fix” it again. 

Although it took being passed to a supervisor and a couple of extras heads trying to figure out what was going on, he tested it, then returned to the boat.  We hoisted the dink back into the davits so that it wouldn’t be banging all over the place and he sat down to make his call.  By golly, it happened again.  When he dropped the phone that time, I thought he might have broken it. 

So, we lowered the dink again and this time I go too (just to make sure he doesn’t get arrested or at least there, in case bail has to be posted). This time at the telephone company, they see him coming and start with other ideas on how to “fix” the problem.  Basically, they took everything off and reloaded it.  This time, we’re ready.  We walk outside, find a corner where the wind isn’t blowing and try again.  Dale was mid-sentence when once again, the call is dropped and a recording comes on that he needs to add money to his account.  Needless to say, it only took 30 seconds to go back into the store with grim faces.

The customer service person gave a rather telling explanation.  Businesses here have the ability to cut a telephone conversation short when they are busy (or, dare I say it, don’t want to talk with you.  They can even block your number.)  So, this time, she suggests that Dale call from their land line.  This time, the call goes through, Dale gets the information needed (we pay the taxes via credit card, the part is supposed to be here on Friday) and we are sent on our way with assurances that there is nothing wrong with the plan, the problem is somewhere else.   We’ll see; there’s one more part that needs to get here. 

I’m not sure you can tell but this took the better part of the day to complete.  I had my own issues to deal with.  Our mail scan showed where Dale’s Medicare had sent a letter saying that he needed to sign up for Part B.  If he had it last year, why does he have to sign up for it again?  I put it off to the side because one of the things we’ve learned, we can’t make toll free calls to the US from here and those are the only numbers given on the letters sent.  Once again, we’re wondering why our trip is so hard this time. 

On a sad note, we learned that the friends we’ve been trying to catch up with, Gerry and Nicky lost their cat.  Miss Priss has been ill for the last several weeks.  Today’s trip to the vet was her last.  We certainly empathize with what they are going through.  We still miss our dog, Lord Nelson.  Our thoughts and prayers are with them. 

Tuesday, January 21, 2020

Georgetown, Exuma, Bahamas
23.30.282N
75.45.762W

Well, we moved the boat.  Listening to the weather this morning we started the debate over whether to move, or not to move.  There was a west wind component to the forecast and we knew that we were just this shy of not having enough room to swing through the compass.  So, to resolve the issue, we decided to give the anchor a tug in what would be the direction of a west wind.  At first it seemed to be fine, then Dale said to do it again as he thought it was the kellet holding us in place not the anchor.  Sure enough, it dragged and there wasn’t enough room to readjust with all of the new boats that had come in and anchored next to us.  We hoisted anchor and moved to just outside of the town where we would be more protected.  Its much shallower here but we have room to swing if needed. 

When we first approached, we saw What If, a sister ship to the Palace that we met at NAS Jax.  After anchoring, we said our hellos, loaned them our water jerry can (as their water maker is broken too) and then Dale took off to fill our dinghy gas tank as he didn’t want me crossing the channel to play Dominos on a ¼ tank and as long as we’re on this side of the channel, why not?  By the end of the day, they up anchored and moved south; never said why.  Maybe our reputation precedes us and they didn’t want to have any part of it!  Maybe they didn’t want to be down wind of me cooking.  Can’t be that, I haven’t set off the fire alarm once this trip!

By the time I would have left for Dominos, the clouds were gathering and the wind started to pick up.  I called the organizer and bailed as I had already been soaked to the skin once this week and really didn’t want to repeat the feeling.  Of course, as soon as I did, the weather decided to hold off until midnight. 

Why is it the worst weather always comes in at midnight?  Dale checked our weather source again about 5pm to see if there was any change in the update.  Nope!  The worst part will be after midnight and before dawn but it seemed to be less than what we heard this morning.  So another night of clinging to the bed or worse, staying up all night making sure all is right with the world. 

BTW:  Still no parts!

Monday, January 20, 2020

Georgetown, Exuma, Bahamas
23.31.160N
75.45.475W

This morning started as they all do, listening to weather (lamenting the 3 day weather window missed that could have been used to transit to the Turks & Caicos).  Then listening to the net to catch up on what’s going on in the harbor.  Then breakfast before hopping in the dink and making our way across the channel to George Town.  Thank heavens it was calm and we arrived dry for our hike to BTC and topping up our minutes and data.  Then back to town where we picked up a couple of T-shirts commemorating the 40^th George Town Regatta (hopefully we won’t be here when it actually occurs) and running by the grocery store for a couple of items.  We fill a jerry can of water and then back to the boat.  We were even dry when we returned. 

Dale does 2 more trips to fill up the water jerry can and I start to put away the groceries.  Humm.  Now seems to be a good time to defrost the attack freezer.  There’s nothing like standing on your head for an hour to really put things in perspective.  Like glancing over and noticing that the gasket on the refrigerator side isn’t even touching the opposite seal.  Never noticed a problem with the refrigerator but I’ll mention it to Dale when he gets back. 

Once we finally do sit down, first on the list was checking the status of our remaining two shipments.  They seem to be stalled in Nassau.  Dale decided to give a call to the person he had talked with last week to follow up.  He called, was put on hold, and then cut off.  He called back and went through the tree again, only to be cut off again.  The third time’s a charm, right?  Not so fast!  He got a recording telling him that he had run out of money on his phone!  We were dumbfounded.  We had purchased a new plan just this morning, so what’s the problem?  Back in the dink and over to BTC again.  He tells me that he was able to speak with the young man that helped us this morning to explain the situation.  The young man, typed a few keys and said that Dale needed to put a dollar on the account.  Dale explained that he had just purchased the plan this morning.  That’s OK but he needed another dollar.  Dale reminds him that he’s been given 60 already.  He’s told that was for the plan, now he needs a dollar to activate it.  Dale gave him the dollar, checks to make sure he can make a call, and returned with steam starting to build.  There’s nothing like being in another country to make AT&T look good. 

However, when he does return, he makes his call and this time is finally able to speak with a human but not the one he spoke to last week.  Although this person is very friendly, she asks for the same documentation that we sent in last week, to be sent to her.  I send her a copy of the documentation with the email thread asking for it last week, the copy sent back, as well as the confirmation of its receipt.  We again receive a confirmation receipt of the documentation.  That’s it.  No ETA, sorry for the delay, nada!  The steam continues to build.

I show him the gap in the refrigerator door.  Ah Ha!  He can fix that.  A quick trip to his lair and he returns with a length of gasket to place along side the original and the problem is solved.  Plus, he’s in a better mood. 

Today’s activity on the beach was supposed to be not only informational but also a lesson on an easier way of tying a bowline knot.  We stepped outside into the cockpit to leave and saw sprinkles on the water.  We were in the process of debating whether to call it off when the organizer came on the radio and said that he had just checked the weather and it was going to clear up, so the talk was still on.  OK, we’re off.  Into the dink, find a place to beach it, tie it off and over to the picnic tables when it starts sprinkling again; the wind has shifted directions.  The decision was made to do the knot tying demonstration first and I’m just starting to get the hang of it when the skies open up.  Dale and I head into Chat N Chill for a couple of Cokes to wait it out.  45 minutes later, it lightens up enough to slog back to the dink and back to the boat.  However, I now know how to tie 3 knots.  A bowline, a clove hitch, and the good old fashioned girl scout square knot.  I’m good to go.  That clove hitch and square knot have gotten me through 30 years of sailing.  Now I know a new one, I’m good for another 15!

Tonight should be good sleeping.  Calm wind; calm seas; calm husband. 

Sunday, January 19, 2020

Georgetown, Exuma, Bahamas
23.31.160N
75.45.475W

Happy Birthday Kyle!  We love you and miss you. 

Today was a great day.  The word is out about Dale and after the net, he got a medical call. 

We went to “beach church” where we listened to a man who was racing in a California desert motorcycle race 3 years ago and ended up taking a bad fall, breaking his neck in several places, his back in several places and most of his ribs.  Not only did he live to tell about it, he appears to be completely healed although he says he’s ½” shorter than he used to be. He was a very dynamic speaker (although Dale whispered later that he didn’t realize that it was going to be a revival meeting today).  Lots of halleluiahs! throughout; but I’d probably being shouting from the rooftops as well if I had been that injured and came out of it on the other side as well as he did in just 3 years. 

After church, Dale was again sidelined with another medical question but I started speaking with a very nice Bahamian man who ended up being the guest speaker a couple of hours later about the history and culture of the Bahama islands.  Dale joined me a short time later and we talked probably an hour with the man about farming and horticulture in the islands, specifically here in Exuma.  In his talk later, we learned that he used to be the Minister of Agriculture here in the islands so I guess he does know a thing or two about it.  Very forthright and knowledgeable plus he was easy to talk with.  Next week his talk will be about “bush” medicine and he specifically asked Dale if he would be attending, as he thought he’d get a lot out of it.  Absolutely, we’ll be there.

We grabbed a bite to eat at Chat N Chill before the talk and then afterwards, played Mexican Train Dominos for the rest of the day making it back to the boat by 5pm.  So, it was a full day and one not spent on the boat.   

As we returned this evening, we noticed that there were several more boats new to the anchorage.  Right now, it appears to work but I cringe to think what will happen when the wind changes direction next week.  Dale and I turned on the chartplotter this morning to measure our distance to the beach to make sure we had enough clearance to swing; just barely.  We need 270, its 440 to the shallow area less than 10 feet.  We’re going to play it by ear for the time being, in that we have enough distance but if the wind picks up, we won’t have anywhere to go.   That will require a change in location at this point.  Then again, if the winds are predicted to change direction and pick up, everyone will be moving to the other side.  I believe I’ve mentioned this before.  It’s called the George Town Shuffle.  Wish us luck!

Saturday, January 18, 2020

Georgetown, Exuma, Bahamas
23.31.160N
75.45.475W




What a night!  Dale and I elected to stand anchor watch again as the winds picked up as predicted and were blowing 25 kts. by 9pm with the radio periodically hailing those that were dragging.  Thankfully, we didn’t; although we did see 25-30 kts. sustained with gusts as high as 34 kts.    We also kept an eye on a large 75’ motor yacht to the side of us which apparently has a “boat sitter” that was dragging.  As it was moving slowly in a straight line and there was no one behind them, we decided not to wake the entire harbor at 2am by hailing them.  We noticed that by early afternoon, it had moved back closer to its original position. 

We caught up on our sleep mid-morning after the cruisers’ net and set about doing minor household chores in the early afternoon.  Dale thought he heard a dinghy approaching us but then called to me all excited as there was a sea plane landing in our anchorage.  By the time I got outside, there was a second one making its approach as well.  A couple of minutes later, 2 more seaplanes arrived.  The really exciting part was the space to the left of us was their landing zone, so we had an up close and personal view.  As my camera was put away, I was only able to grab shots of them with my cell phone.  Not bad, I’d say.  We can only surmise that they simply stopped in for lunch and then were on their way.  When they left, one “buzzed” the harbor a couple of time.  I was so excited, whoopin’ and hollerin’, I was barely able to catch the photos.  

Tonight, we watched another flyover as the ISS (International Space Station) passed over us.  When it was mentioned earlier on the net, I was afraid that we would have too much cloud cover to see anything but it was perfect!  We haven’t seen it in years and got a kick out of watching it again.  

This evening we learned that we are without internet again, so these posts will have to wait until Monday’s trip into town before we can upload them for everyone to see.  Depending upon the predicted direction of the wind, we may move to the town side of the channel for a short while as any west component to the wind will have us swinging in towards the beach and possibly too close.  We’ll have to see.