2012-01-21

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Bohemian Sunshine is warm!

Grand Bahama Island is a beautiful place. There are miles and miles of white sandy beaches and blue water. If you're looking for a place to get away from it all for a week or so this would be a great place to do it. The island is not a typical tourist trap kind of place although there are a few places to buy T-shirts and Rum if you like. The world of economic struggles has hit Grand Bahama quite hard. We see more empty lots and partial structures than finished ones. As we understand it, the banks don't lend much money, if any, so the homes are built from one paycheck to the next. There are houses with one block wall completed and it's been that way for many years. The government is also somewhat resistant to foreign investors creating long waiting periods and lots of disapproved plans. There are more than a few time-shares here and we see their reps out every day trying to sell them. In spite of their struggles, the local residents are very friendly and live what we might considered rather slow, layed back life styles. “Bohemian time” takes some adjustment when you get here.

There a few pictures attached this week including JUNKANOO, the southern coastline outside the inlet we're in, a sunset at the beach, and a jellyfish of sorts that pulsed past the boat slip. We've enjoyed some bike riding, bus rides to the grocery store, dinghy rides to the beach, and we even took a free beginner SCUBA class here in the club pool. Oh, and don't forget BINGO on Tuesdays and Thursdays! We're still doing some small maintenance jobs to the boat but that list is finally dwindling.

Time is passing quickly. We'll be underway again before you know it. So for now we gonna sit back and smell the flowers, and relax in the hot tub, and eat free Monday night dinners. We've meet some great people on the other boats and will look forward to crossing paths with them again somewhere in the Islands!

Cruising in the Bahamas

1.11.12 Wednesday 2am, rechecking the weather, stowing all loose gear. At 220a we pulled away from the wall and headed out of Ft. Lauderdale. Winds are light so far. By 3a we're well outside the channel markers and the wind is now 12 from the south! We raised a full main and set our course. At about 5 miles off shore we are starting to feel the effects of the Gulf Stream against our course heading. We are aiming for Grand Bahama with a course of around 90 degrees. The current is pushing is north so we're actually traveling to about 70 degrees. We have to keep turning towards the south to counteract the current and reach for 109 or more before settling in. Average SOG (speed over ground via the GPS) is 7 knots. This is how the day went, and went and went. The winds increased to more than 20 with gusts as high as 27 knots. The wind direction from the south makes it easier to stay on course and keep the sails full without effort.  By 1230p or so we can see land and the high profile of freighters all around Freeport Harbour. At 3p we enter the Bell Channel and tied up to the Port Lucaya Marina for our customs and immigration check in at about 330p. It's 13 hours later, there are no broken bones, no issues with the boat, and no problems when paying the $300 fee. Life is good.

The water here is absolutely amazing. Beautiful clear blue water that you can see through to the bottom at 15 feet or more. We'll be definitely be pulling out the snorkels this week and hunting for lobsters! We're staying in Ocean Reef Marina for a month or so. Come on down!

2012-01-10

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Bahamas - here we come!

We pulled up our stakes in Stuart FL, and we're on the move again.  We had an easy day from there to Lake Worth from inlet to inlet and anchored for a night.  We attempted the easterly course on Monday morning @ 4am, but the 10 knot east wind wouldn't let us leave florida's shoreline.  By 6a we made the decision to abort the plan and turn south.  We're enjoying the sun and warmth of Fort Lauderdale right now with another Float Plan scheduled on Wednesday morning.  At 2AM we're going to try to head east again.  This time with a south wind! 

Had to share the one picture of our provisioning, and a pic of the megayacht that just pulled in here.  It's 260 or 280 feet long, and the sailboat in front of it is 80 feet with a 25-30 foot tender for towing it in and out of ports.  These make our yacht look like a little toy in comparison.

We'll write about the crossing as soon as we can. 

Happy 2012!

We're back on the move!! After a wonderful lay over in Stuart/Port St. Lucie we're ready to get moving again. We've spent the past week restocking the galley and finishing a few projects and now we're finally loaded and ready to go. We've finally completed the secondary alternator to the engine for the house batteries as a back up to the solar panels. This will ensure that we have enough power to keep the refrigerator and our newest addition, a small freezer, running 24/7. The outboard motor and dinghy are back on board and secured for “the crossing”. Our next destination - The Bahamas!

Due to the extremely high roaming charges, etc. we will not have the cell phones on except for emergencies. We will also need to find some free WiFi to stay current with email and the BLOG. Send us your own news and keep us in your loops! We'll keep you updated as often as possible so don't forget to check us out every once in a while.

Until next time,

Jim and Linda