January 2013_Y-Knot Adventures

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Berry to Exumas 2013

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From Grand Bahama Island to the Berrys and Nassau

It's Thursday December 20 and we take off from Ocean Reef at 4:00am in an attempt to reach the Berry Islands before dark. “I'm always anxious on these legs into new cruising grounds. Once we're there I'm usually pleasantly surprised to find easy access to the anchorages, and even more relieved that we made it safely. But no matter how long we're out here I'm sure those concerns will be a part of me”. LM

As is often the case, winds and waves are not generally in our favor and we motor-sail close hulled for 13 hours and 60 nautical miles. Was it worth it? You better believe it. We had this feeling that we were the first people to have ever landed here as we find another hidden pocket of sandy beaches and palm trees that have been there undisturbed for centuries. In reality, we're anchored in Bullocks Harbour just south and east of the Stirrup Cays. There are two Norwegian Cruise Line ships anchored to the north and thousands of passengers enjoying the same warm day as we are. Great Harbour Cay is also nearby and sparsely populated with a few dozen native Bahamians who fish and cook and bake and repair boats. One of the pamphlets we're reading about the Bahamas placed the total population in the Berry Islands at around 750.

We spent two nights here before moving inside to enjoy the Great Harbour Cay Marina. We rode our bikes over much of the island passing by the local grocery stores and restaurants. Coolie Mae's Sports Bar and Restaurant bakes bread for those who want it and we managed to buy a loaf without having ordered one in advance. Mmmmm, tasty. With the laundry done and boat washed off we're ready to move again. Along with an intermittent escort provided by the local dolphin pods, we sail back out and around the Stirrup Cays to a place called Panton Cove.

This truly is a beautiful part of the world. Close your eyes and imagine sitting on a boat or raft in a clean, clear, blue bottomed swimming pool. That's no exaggeration of how blue and clean and clear the water here really is. So far this is the closest description we've been able to come with for someone that's never been here.

Next stop, Hawksnest Cay where we spend a few days collecting shells on the beach and relaxing in the sun. I managed to prepare a 6lb. Turkey breast and all the fixings for a delicious Christmas dinner. And the leftovers on Coolie Mae's bread were even better! After one more stop along the Berrys and a nice long ride with a tail wind from there, we're anchored behind Rose Cay just outside the busy Nassau harbor. We plan to refuel and fill up on fresh water before moving on again. Next stop, The Exumas!

Winter 2012-13

Merry Christmas everyone!  Early we know, but still very much our wish for all of you.  We're on Grand Bahama Island tonight as well plan our next few steps into new territory for the winter.  Here's out notes from the last few days:

12.17 Finally, our final preparations for departure to the south and then across to the Bahamas. 8a eye appt, quick stop at the store, return the bikes, dinghy out to the boat, raise the outboard and the dinghy, top off water tanks, ride through the bridges and we're off at 1045a. ICW to Lake Worth, set anchor @545p, try to sleep, ha.

12.18 Our Window to Cross

We're underway @245a. Seas are calm, waves are small, winds are light, and the sky is very dark. We motored until sunrise and had the sails up by 7a. With the motor off for the rest of the day, winds stay steady out of the west 10-12kts, 15-19 for a while, then back down to 12-15. If you asked for the best possible conditions for a crossing today you couldn't done any better than this. After the sun started to warm things up we finished opening the enclosure for better visibility and some sunshine. What a surprise it was to find a flying fish that had made his last flight. Poor guy, laying still just inside the toe rail there. Off you go! At 1130-1p we were surrounded by dozens of dolphins that enjoyed playing in our wake, chasing the boat and jumping into the air. What a sight, “Dancing with Waves”.
Our boat speed averaged around 5, then up to 7 for a while, then back down to 4-5 after the Gulf Stream dies out. Being in no real hurry we enjoyed a long overdue sail and landed easily at West End by mid-afternoon. Customs-no problem, top off fuel-no problem, take a slip for the night-no problem. That's the Bahama way, No Problem.  The water is clear and blue and we are already seeing small colorful fish all around the docks. We enjoyed the company of friends Duncan and Cathy all afternoon and evening before hitting the bed hard for some rest! We'll use tomorrow for recovery :)

12.19 After a much needed rest, we're up and out of West End, Old Bahama Bay Resort at 845a and fully under sail @9a. The ride was wonderful from there to the turn towards east at Freeport. Winds died for a bit, and so did the auto pilot. Instead of staying out on an anchor for the night we've pulled into ORYC (our home away from home) to evaluate the repair. If all goes well we're off to the Berry Islands in the AM. Or, we stay here. It's a win-win,really.

Hello Everyone! Happy Fall 2012

Long time no see, or BLOG, eh? We'd like to be able to say we've been to busy to write but that wouldn't be true. The truth is we haven't done much to write home about. We survived our first summer in Florida and not without some very expensive A/C for the boat. Loggerhead-Stuart was our home for 3 months where we enjoyed floating docks, shore power and a pool. Our daily routine including early starts to beat the heat and then shaded projects on the boat until sundown. We made some great friends at Harborage/Loggerhead and will look forward to crossing paths with them again.

September brought a few changes as we relocated to the mooring field at Sunset Bay Marina and no longer had shore power. The heat was still a problem so we solved it by getting off the boat for a few weeks. We had a fabulous 3 week road trip from FL to PA and back. If our count is correct, we slept in 11 different beds as friends and relatives took us in for a night or two. After over a year in the V-berth it was nice to hang a leg over the side of the mattress for a while :) This little vacation from our vacation was a much needed break and we came back feeling renewed and ready for another season.

So we're back on board and the galley is close to being fully restocked. We've upgraded a few things including a 12V freezer and a Propane oven. Isn't it amazing how sometimes the smallest things can make the biggest differences in our comfort and ease of use. Anyway, it's time to head even further south for the winter. By next month the “snow birds” will start pouring into Florida and the sleepy towns will come alive again. We're looking forward to the return of all our “Cruiser” friends and acquaintances, as well as our second season in the Bahamas.

To all our friends and family, please keep in touch via email, facebook, texting, Skype or phone calls. And be sure to call ahead if you're planning a visit to the Bahamas this winter! We'll keep a light on for ya!

Vero Beach Loggerhead_July 2012

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A year ago today...

A year ago, today.....

We've reached another milestone today. It's been a full year since we pulled away from the PIYC in Erie PA. After 10+ years of planning, 6 months of intensely downsizing our personal belongings and also working to complete the major boat projects, we finally started the adventure. “Living the Dream” is not really what either of us expected and the sunshine and roses have been intermixed with some real emotions and difficult times.

We have seen thousands of miles of coastline and more that a few dozens islands both here and in the Bahamas. This really is a dreamlike lifestyle and we pinch ourselves often to refocus on that distant reality that exists on shore. We do make an effort to stay connected with the economic and political news as those still effect us very much. We are also enjoying the blips we see of many of your lives via Facebook and emails.

Oh so many lessons learned about navigation, weather, tides, currents, anchoring, as well as the life lessons that come with the separation and isolation that is a very real part of cruising. While we tend to make new friends everywhere we go, we really miss all our lifelong friends and many relatives.

We've already started to formulate float plans for the next 6 months and look forward to discovering new places. We're heading north today from Stuart to Vero Beach. We have reciprocol dockage with Loggerhead Marinas so we though we'd see some of their other facilities.

2 more months of high humidity and 4 more months of Hurricane Season before we resume our more normal cruising routines.  Can't wait!