West End to St. Mary's then home to NH

West End to St. Mary’s then home to NH

Sunday, May 6, 2018. When the fishing boats came in last night, the one opposite us (Perseverance out of Cocoa Beach) gave us the Mahi we had for dinner.  We still have enough for at least one meal in the freezer.  Thanks John.

Hazy sunshine, wind S@10-15, 80 degrees.

6:00am We are out of the slip with no problems.  North Shore Spirit (Gord and Garnet) left also.  Miou (pronounced Meow) (Dave Mayer) left earlier.  As we leave, High Water is lifting anchor and heading west also. The seas are confused. It seems 4 foot waves are coming from every direction.  We try a heading to St. Lucie inlet, but that puts the worst of the waves right on our beam – making us roll a lot.  We tried a course for Fort Pierce, but that would put us at the inlet after dark with the tide against us.  We opted for a course to Lake Worth inlet (Palm Beach).

West End as we depart

8:00am We pass close by a tanker that appears to be drifting – no forward motion and no

anchor down.  We altered course to cross his stern.  No response on the VHF.

9:00am We pass a tanker headed north and a container ship headed south.

10;00am We can see rain showers on the horizon to the south.  The radar shows they are headed our way.

10:30am Rain. The wind has switched to West@20.  We put up the side panels on the cockpit enclosure.

11:00am  Carnival Elation appears out of the rain to our north (heading south).  We were able to reach the ship on the VHF and he told us we would pass on his starboard, which means he would pass to our stern.  They disappeared into another squall to our south.  That was a close as we want to get to a ship that size.

11:30am We talked to North Shore Spirit and they are rolling around in these seas.

12:00noon Wind dies off completely, rain west of us now.  We can see buildings at Palm Beach on the horizon.

2:00pm Squall upon us, winds W@25+.  We head off to the north to a more comfortable course until this passes. We heard Dave Mayer (Miou) call the Coast Guard for assistance.  Miou is a small catamaran and he says he cannot make any headway in this squall.  SeaTow responded and is sending assistance.

3:00pm Rain, wind SW@25+.  Another squall on radar movinf SW-NE directly at us.  Sail in, we are only making 3 knots of headway.  We hear another distress call of a vessel that has capsized.  A sportfish has rescued the two people on board.  Did not hear vessel names.  We hear another distress call, some uninvited people have boarded a vessel and will not leave.  The Coast Guard is sending the Sherriff Marine Patrol. The weather forecast for today is for winds SE@10-15, seas of $ feet from the SE and occasional scattered showers. Not what’s happening. This is a major frontal passing.

4:30pm Mara Lago in sight. The Gulf Stream is very close to the land here, only a mile or two out.  Because we were blown north, we had to battle back south to the inlet.  We could have just headed north to St. Lucie or beyond.

4:40pm Lake Worth inlet.  The tide is against us, but the inlet is not too rough.  Skies begin clearing to the south and east.  Lots of people and boats still swimming and partying at Peanut Island as we pass – in spite of the weather.  There is a new cruise line terminal across from Peanut Island.  Paradise Cruise Lines Grand Celebration is docked there.  This used to be the Carnival Celebration.  The red of Carnival has been replaced with the orange of Paradise.

5:50pm Anchor down, North Lake Worth.  About 20 boats here.  This trip took about 2 ½ hours longer than we planned.

MM1017  69.6NM (not counting the miles we were blown off course). 26°50.18’N  080°03.19’W

Dinner on board.  Lisa made a chicken stew.

We had to call Customs and Border Protection twice to get through to check in.  Finally, after waiting 20 minutes, we got our float plan verified and we were checked in.  We always wonder why you have to check in when you come into the us by boat, because, you do not check out when you leave by private vessel.

We heard from North Shore Spirit.  They made it ok into St. Lucie inlet about an hour after we made the inlet at Lake Worth.  They also missed the squalls.  Their only issue was the huge dredge in the middle of the inlet channel.

Monday, May 7, 2018. Rain showers overnight.

8:00am Hazy sun, 75 degrees, wind N@5-10. Anchor up.

8:45am Parker Bridge (scheduled).

9:00am PGA Bridge (scheduled)

9:30am Donald Ross Bridge (scheduled)

10:35am Indiantown Road Bridge (scheduled) – we were 5 minutes late for this bridge, but he was still open and no automobile traffic was waiting, but he closed the bridge. It seems there is always a surely tender working this bridge.

10:55am Jupiter Federal Bridge (on request) – maintenance being performed, but only had to wait 15 minutes.

The day has turned out lovely. A bit of a cool breeze from the north.

11:05am 707 Bridge (on request)

12:10pm Hobe Sound Bridge (on request)

12:30pm We pass Peck Lake.  There were 6 boats anchored here.

1:00pm St Lucie inlet, very busy today, lots of boat traffic, especially for a Monday.

There are several very shallow spots in the ICW channel north of the St. Lucie inlet.  We saw at less than 8 feet at least 4 times.

2:14pm  MM980

4:30pm  Fort Pierce North Bridge (on request).  Wind NE@15+.  It is probably rougher out in the Gulf Stream today than it was yesterday. It is clouding up, maybe more rain tonight.

6:10pm On mooring 31 at Vero Beach City Marina – next door to Flying Pig (Skip and Lydia), who are gone visiting grandkids. Resolve, Allora here also.  There are only a few empty moorings and slips.  Two moorings have multiple boats rafted together.

8 bridges today, 4 schedlued, 4 on request.

64SM, 51NM today. MM950  27°39.60’N  080°22.27’W

Tuesday, May 8, 2018. Sunny, cool, 75 degrees, dry, wind NE@10-15.  We checked in at the marina office and retrieved our mail that was here.  We sent a fax with the lease agreement for summer storage to St. Mary’s Boat Services and mailed the old oven regulator we replaced while in the Bahamas.  We borrowed Skip and Lydia’s van and went to Home Depot to get sun shade material to cover the boat for the summer, then Publix for groceries and Walmart.

We had an early dinner at Kacey’s (huge BLT and a Reuben).  For dessert, we went to Countryside Citrus for orange ice cream (always a treat).

We called George and Bev (long time friends of ours – longer for Lisa’s parents).  They live here now.  They have a house full of company and we won’t get to see them on this trip.

Wednesday, May 9, 2018. Sunny and cool, 70 degrees, wind N@15+.  We took the shuttle bus over to the Miracle Mile shopping area and both Lisa and I got a haircut at John the Barber.  We had lunch at TooJays Deli.  Lisa had a huge salad and I had potato pancakes with both applesauce and sour cream. The food was good, but the service was not.  When we could not find our waitress to get the check, we asked the manager.  He brought us the check and said our server went home sick.  As we left the restaurant, we saw her delivering food to another table - ??????

Magnolias are in bloom!

5:00pm We went to Reslove (Mike and Deb) for appetizers.  Resolve is also a 1995 Catalina 42, but one of the first Mark II models.  Interesting to see the newer model of the same boat.

7:00pm Back to Rhiannon, we raised the dinghy and the motor in preparation for departure in the morning.

Our oldest, Rachael, called to wish Lisa Happy Birthday (tomorrow).

Thursday, May 10, 2018.  Lisa’s Birthday. Cool, no wind, milky sky, 75 degrees.

7:35am Off the mooring and over to the fuel dock.  We put on 45 gallons of diesel, filled the water tanks, bought some ice, got rid of the trash and paid our bill.  We saw Pete and said goodbye until the fall.

8:15am Off the fuel dock and headed north.

9:30am Wind now NE@10-15.

1:00pm Heavy overcast, wind still NE@10-15.

5:00pm NASA Causeway Bridge (scheduled opening)

5:15pm I told Lisa that I had called Elon Musk and scheduled a launch for her to watch today. We pulled east off the ICW into a deeper area opposite Titusville to watch a SpaceX launch at 5:47pm. At the scheduled time we saw white smoke or steam and then nothing.  On the live internet stream, they said there was a temporary hold.  10 minutes later, they announced that the launch was postponed until tomorrow afternoon and that the rocket and the payload were OK.

No launch for Lisa's Birthday

7:00pm Anchor down just south of the high rise bridge at Titusville.

65SM  52NM today 1 scheduled bridge  MM879  28°37.07’N  080°47.86”W

2 others boats here, one was also in Vero last night.

Titusville Sunset

Lisa made some of the Mahi (from West End) that we had left, rice and fresh green beans for dinner.  Marvelous!

Milky sky, nice sunset.

Friday, May 11, 2018. Sunny, high clouds, wind W@5, 72 degrees.  We changed out the empty propane tank for a full one.

Lots of noisy trains overnight.  The main north-south line is right next to the shore here.

Lots of porpoises here, including very young ones.

8:45am Anchor up – heading north.

9:00am Jay and Jay Railroad Bridge – open (mostly is, but once it was closed for a train).

9:13am MM875

9:30am We saw an injured sea turtle (maybe 3 feet across) swimming on its side (vertical instead of horizontal) right in the channel by G9. We tried the USCG and TowBoatUS to see if there was a turtle rescue group in the area.  TowBoatUS tried to call Happy Days on the VHF, but no response.  Lisa called the turtle hospital in Marathon and they gave us the number of a wildlife rescue group in this area.  We called them and gave them the turtle’s location including GPS position.  A few minutes later we saw a helicopter in the area.  He called us to double check the co-ordinates.  Then said he was trying to get someone out in a boat to get the turtle.  Hopefully, the turtle was rescued and will be ok.

10:00am We pass the two islands that are rookeries, we see lots of birds including the rose spoonbill.

10:30am Haulover Canal Bridge.  We see at least 30 manatees in the canal.

1:00pm We saw a center console tied to adock and on fire.  No house nearby, no people about.  We called the USCG and they said they would send someone local to check it out.  We never did see anyone rushing to the scene, unless they came by land.

1:30pm George Musson Bridge (aka Coronado Beach Bridge) – now every hour and half hour instead of every 20 minutes.

2:00pm The famous corner of the ICW and the Ponce de Leon Inlet. Apparently this has been dredged as we never saw less than 11 feet at one hour past low tide! Yeah!

2:30pm Where the Ponce de Leon inlet splits from the ICW on the north side of the inlet – it looks like this has also been recently dredged.  While there are channel markers that do not match the charts, there was no less then 14 feet of water 1 ½ hours after low tide. Make sure you follow the channel markers, not the charts (electronic or paper).

North of this “split” we did see a couple of 8 foot sections in the ICW channel as we head north to Daytona.

3:30pm Memorial Bridge in Daytona is being removed and a new high rise bridge being built.

3:40pm Main Street Bridge (on request) There is a sunken sail boat half in the channel on the north side of the bridge.  You can clearly see the boat, and someone put a channel marker next to it. This is clearly an impediment to navigation, so why hasn’t it been removed?

4:15pm Anchor down north of the Seabreeze double span bridge.  We tried to anchor south of the bridge, but there were already a few boats there in addition to the ones that look like they haven’t moved in a while and a couple that were under water.  It looks like the two sunken boats that were here last time we anchored in this spot have been removed.

MM831 50SM  40NM  29°14.08’N  081°01.41’W    2 On Request bridges

Today we saw lots of damaged docks, sunken boats, boats driven up into the marshes and a couple of sail boats stranded on top of dock pilings.

Saturday, May 12, 2018. It is amazing how noisy the USA is.  One forgets this in the Bahamas, unless you are in one of the cities, which we are usually no where near. Boats. Jet skis, tugs, airplanes (all sizes and types), helicopters, cars, trucks, motorcycles, some with loud or no mufflers, some with thumpity-thump music, sirens, people yelling, horns, machinery, etc.

8:10am Cloudy, mostly high clouds, cool, 72 degrees, no wind.  The anchor came up very muddy. The current is with us as we head north this morning.

8:30am We passed the spot where we ran aground in the channel two years ago (last time we came this way) and never saw less than 14 feet of water.  Nice!

9:10am MM820

9:45am J B Know Bridge (on request).

9:55am MM815

2:30pm MM780 Rain showers.  We have had the current with us most of the day.

2:45pm Tied to the dock at Rivers Edge Marina.  Paul (dock master) is here to help with the lines.  Great to see him again.  Wind E@10-15.  Looks like rain to the north. 

MM780 50SM  40NM  29°53.12’W  081°19.36’W

The marina is full (as a result of a couple of the other local marinas being heavily damaged by hurricanes last year – including the big city marina by The Bridge of Lyons).  The marina has a fresh look, new pilings, everything repaired, bathrooms refreshed, many of the derelict and uncared for boats are gone.

We had dinner at Hurricane Patty’s.  Probably not the best food, drinks, service or ambiance, but new owners who have spruced the place up a bit and enhanced the menu.  We shared a crab dip and shrimp and grits. Both were good, but the best shrimp and grits we have had is still at Barbara Jeans on St. Simons Island.  However, the key lime pie we had for dessert was at solid 10!  The waitress was new and we know more about the menu and the boaters’ discount than she did.  Hurricane Patty’s overlooks the marina and is a nice spot.

Sunday, May 13, 2018. Mothers’ Day. Showers over night. Cloudy and cool in the morning, 72 degrees, humid, wind S@5.  Paul came by at 8:00am and we moved Rhiannon from the T-head ton A Dock to just inside the T-head on B dock.  He has a big catamaran with one engine out coming in.  We actually managed to back Rhiannon into the slip! Of course, there was no wind, no moving water and 2 people to help with the lines, but still…………….

We spent the rest of the day doing boat chores, re-sealed the boot on the mast and put the new shades over the opening ports.  Lisa and I each made a lanyard for the two new flashlights (mini-mag lites) that fit in the flashlight holder by the companionway.

We met our neighbor, Sandra and her dog Turbo are on I am What I am.  She is from Vancouver.

I made us a steak, baked potato and zucchini for dinner.

Monday, May 14, 2018. Cloudy, cool 72 degrees, showers on and off all day.  The weather forecasters are talking about a potential tropical forming in the Gulf of Mexico – it’s just the middle of May.  There is this big troff that has set up along the Florida east coast and it is funneling moisture all the way up to New England.

Today, we changed the oil and the oil filter on the main engine.  We are only a few hours away from St. Mary’s, where we will have Rhiannon hauled for the summer, so this is on the prep list for summer storage anyway. We talked to the boat yard and confirmed our haul out for noon on Friday (high tide).  Lisa began the task of sorting what is going home, what is staying and what is going to be given away or thrown away.  We still have a lot of food on the boat.  We will leave what is sealed and/or canned.  The rest will be given away.

Lisa made chicken, rice and green beans for dinner.  She also made oatmeal cookies – yummy!

After dinner, Lisa went shopping for storage bins and some other items at Walmart with Sandra.

Tuesday, May 15, 2018. Cloudy, off and on showers, cool 70 degrees.  We walked to the farmer’s market on the corner.  Lots and lots of produce.  We bought lettuce, Brussel sprouts, oranges and peaches.  Heavy rain in the afternoon. Lisa and I did some route planning for the remainder of the trip to St. Mary’s, GA. After filling the fuel tank on Rhiannon from jerry cans, the fuel truck came and we tried to refill the cans.  He had two different nozzles on the truck, both were too large to fit the cans or the trawler waiting for fuel. Paul and I took the company truck, a 1978 Ford Ranchero GT (very cool), and refilled the jerry cans with fuel (22 gallons).

We went to dinner with Paul and Laurie at Creekside.  Very nice.  They also have a great patio and the bar had a tree growing in the middle of it.  The bar was actually built around the tree.  We shared and appetizer of shrimp and grits (very good, but still not as good as Barbara Jean’s).  We also shared a “plank steak” cooked on a piece of oak, which was very good (“it’s what the locals have”).  Nice evening, nice people, good food. Click here for more information on the Creekside Dinery 

Wednesday, May 16, 2018.  My sister Patricia’s birthday. More rain overnight. Partly cloudy and cool in the morning, 70 degrees, wind SE@10.  We paid our bill and left the dock at slack tide (9:40am).  Paul and Lex are there to help us out of the slip (narrow thoroughfare between the main docks).  We said goodbye to Paul until the fall.

10:30am Bridge of Lyons (scheduled).

11:10am Looks like rain closing in.  We are making 7 knots on the Tolomato River with the incoming tide.

We called Hertz and got a one way deal on a rental car to drive home. The good news is that it is only $9.95 a day.  The bad news is that we have to drive to       Fort Pierce to pick it up.  So we got a weekend rental from Enterprise in St. Mary’s so we can drive to Fort Pierce to pick up the Hertz car.

11:50am There is a pod of porpoises feeding along the shore corralling the fish.

1:00pm A brief rain shower and then some sun peeking out and some patches of blue.

2:00pm Clouds and sun, wind E@5.

2:30pm MM745.

2:35pm Pablo Creek Bridge.  We are making 10+ knots as we pass under the bridge – at least

3 ½ knots of current here.

3:15pm We cross the St. John’s River.  We have to slow down and wait for a container barge with 4 tugs heading up stream.  The name on the side is Crowley and it looks just like the one that was in the news after the hurricane in Puerto Rico (the one they could not unload because the trucks to unload it had no fuel).

3:30pm There is no one on the free dock on Sisters Creek.  We think about trying it, but the wind and the current would make it hard to get on, so we continue.

3:55pm dead low tide.  We consider the St. George River and because it is dead low tide and there is plenty of daylight left, we decide to continue on.

4:40pm We are hard aground in Sawpit Creek in what is supposed to be the middle of the channel.  It is a new moon and the tides are running very high and very low.  There is a temporary green can (#49A) way over by the shore – we missed that. Luckily, the tide is on the way in.

5:30pm Still stuck, heavy rain, NE wind keeps pushing us onto this shoal.

6:10pm Finally enough water under the boat to float us off the shoal.  Still very heavy rain.  We are creeping along trying to make sure we stay in the channel.  Through the bend just south of Gunnison Crossing make sure you stay close to the west (red side) shore!

6:40pm Nassau Sound – notes say to give R46 (in the middle of the sound) a wide berth to the east as the shoal continues to grow – we thought we did, but not enough. We are aground again, but we managed to spin off.  We went farther east toward the bridges before turning back to the north and keeping R46 well to port.  It is still raining hard with plenty of thunder or lightening.

Maybe we should have anchored in the St. George River.  Hind sight.

7:00pm Anchor down in Alligator Pass (South Amelia River).  Still raining hard, but plenty of water here and the wind has died off to South@5.  One other boat here. Lisa made meatloaf for dinner, yummy! And it really hit the spot.

We called mysuister and wished her a happy birthday.

7:45pm The rain finally has stopped and it looks like it is clearing to the south.

MM725  57SM  45.6NM  1 scheduled bridge  30°30.51’N  081°28.30’W

Thursday, May 17, 2018. Cloudy and rain showers this morning.  Cool, 70 degrees, wind

S@10-15. Anchor up at 9:40am.

11:00am we pass the skinny water around G1 south of Fernandina at high tide.  The notes on Active Captain say that this area has been dredged (November 2017).  We never say less than 13 feet of water and most of the time it was at least 17 feet.  Maybe they can dredge a bit farther south where we were aground yesterday??

11:30am The marina at Fernandina is still closed, although the web site says that certain docks are open, but not for transients.  The big dock and the fueling facility are still closed.  There are still boats sunk in the mooring field and pushed on shore. There are still quite a few boats up in the marshes waiting on a crane to lift them out. Many have been removed and there is a barge with a crane and another barge full of boats that have been chopped up for salvage.

Salvaged and junk boats at Fernandina

It does not look like the container dock is back in operation yet.  However, the two mills on the harbor front are going full tilt.

11:50am There are two coast guard boats stopping traffic heading north towards the submarine base.  When they find out we are heading up the St. Mary’s River, they allow us to proceed.

Terri, from St. Mary’s Boat Services, called and they may not be able to haul us tomorrow.  The cradle we are supposed to use for the summer is occupied and that boat was supposed to launch today, but it is not ready.  Rocky is working to get them into the water.  He may have to build us a new cradle.  They will let us know status as soon as they do.

12:40pm We are anchored opposite the town of St. Mary’s.  The docks for the shuttle to Cumberland Island show no damage, but the rest of the docks are wrecked.  There are still a couple of boats up in the marsh.

15SM  12NM today.  30°43.07’N  081°32.99’W

Dark, low clouds mixed with patches of blue.  Wind S@10-15 gusting 25.

Friday, May 18, 2018.  7:30am Cloudy, murky drizzle mixed with occasional sun.  Overnight, the aft macerator pump decided not to pump out the aft holding tank.  We took all the stuff out of the aft cabin (which is our storage room) so we could get to the pump, which is under the aft bunk. We were able to get the pump to turn, but not fast enough to actually pump the tank out.  We have a spare, so we change out the pump.  The old one is full of what looks like a plastic bag.  No idea how that got into the holding tank.

9:30am  We lift the anchor and head over to the North River, then up the river to Saint Mary’s Boat Services.  Even with the Garmin Blue Charts, Navionics charts on the Raymarine chart plotter, and Rocky’s marked up paper chart, we manage to find a bump in the bottom (at high tide).

11:00am We talked to Rocky on the phone and he will be ready for us in 20 minutes.

11:30am We are in the lift and up out of the water. The boat came out of the water nice and clean. Once the bottom is pressure washed, we can tell that the bottom paint is still in really good shape.  There were still a couple of blisters (where water intrudes between the fiberglass and the gel coat) that did not get fixed last fall, and those have not grown.  Rocky has to actually build a cradle for Rhiannon, so it is 1:00pm before we are out of the slings.  Rocky builds cradles for the boats (depending on weight) and has a special mover that he designed and built to move the boats around in their cradles, quite ingenious.

Out of the water - first time since November

Rhiannon in her new cradle and being
moved by Rocky's new machine

Turns out there was another boat to be hauled and we were supposed to be hauled tomorrow.  We did not receive any message to that effect, but Terri (the office manager who schedules everything was a bit upset). The “gentleman” who was supposed to be hauled in front of us is German and was also upset.  Rocky was not upset and told both Terri and the other boat owner that the other boat would be out today.  By 2:00pm, the other boat was in the slings of the travel lift.

We met Rhonda, who does cleaning, painting, fiberglass work, etc. in the yard and went over the list of items we would like her to work on over the summer.

We also talked to Rocky about getting someone to check the cutlass bearing and service the maxprop.

We picked up the Enterprise Rental Car (a brand new Nissan Sentra) at 3:00pm, checked in to the Cumberland Inn, which is reasonably priced and looks to be recently renovated.

We had dinner at a Cracker Barrel then drove to the Saint Mary’s waterfront for ice cream at the General Store.  This is a pretty area and Saint Mary’s is a pretty town.  From the land side, it is difficult to see the hurricane damage. For more information on Saint Mary’s click on this link

www.visitstmarys.com

4.8SM today 30°44.71'N  081°30.46'W

Saturday, May 19, 2018. Sunny and humid, 85 degrees, wind S@10-15.  The hotel had a pretty good free breakfast, as far as free breakfasts go.  We drove back to Saint Mary’s Boat Services and found that Rhiannon had been moved to a new area of the yard.  Rocky is clearing land and removing trees to make room for more and more boats.  In fact, he has bought 16 acres just down the road to increase his storage capacity even more.  The town is in the process of granting permits to build a new marina, dry storage, condo and retail complex on the old paper mill property (the mill burned down a few years ago). The property is also on the north river just south of the boat yard.  It looks great on paper. For more information, click on this link https://www.allongeorgia.com/camden-local-news/st-marys-council-votes-to-approve-agreement-to-create-marine-center-district/

We spent the day packing stuff to go home, cleaning out the refrigerator, filling the diesel tank from the jerry cans, removing the headsail, and cleaning.

We had dinner at Saint Mary’s Seafood.  Lisa had shrimp and fish and I had shrimp and deviled crab.  The food was good and the beer was cold.

Sunday, May 20, 2018. Raining, 70 degrees, low dark clouds.  We drove south to Melbourne to visit our friends George and Bev.  George is actually Lisa’s Dad’s best friend and she calls him uncle. We ordered Chinese and had a pleasant evening.  It rained heavily on and off all the way there.  In the afternoon, the rain let up although it was still very humid.

Monday, May 21, 2018. Low clouds and rain threatening.  Cool, 65 degrees. 

8:30am After coffee, we said good-bye for now to George and Bev and drove one more hour south to Fort Pierce where we picked up the Hertz rental car (this one is a new Nissan Pathfinder) that we will drive home to NH on the $10/day special one way deal (to drive the car north out of Florida).

Because of the very heavy rain all day, it took us 5 ½ hours to drive back to St. Mary’s (should have been only four hours). As soon as we crossed the Florida/Georgia line, it stopped raining.

3:30pm We turned in the Enterprise car and took the Pathfinder to Saint Mary’s Boat Services to start loading it for the trip home. The sun is peaking out.

We deflated the dinghy, wrapped it in a tarp and placed it on pallets under Rhiannon.

We got a call from Libby (Nightingale) asking a favor. They left some propane canisters in the propane locker and because they are old and rusty, and they are concerned they may start to leak over the summer. We were able to locate the canisters and remove them.

Nightingale, Noodin, Seeker and Von Yachtski are all stored here. Nice that Rhiannon will have familiar boats in the neighborhood for the summer. For more information on Saint Mary’s Boat Services click on this link  http://www.stmarysboatservices.com/

6:00pm We had dinner at Sonny’s Bar-B-Que, pulled pork, chicken, onion rings, salad and cold beer – all good!

We checked back in to the Cumberland Inn and had a pleasant night after a very busy day.

Tuesday, May 22, 2018. We spent the morning loading the car.at 11:00am we pulled out of the boat yard and headed north.  At 7:00pm, we stopped at a Comfort Inn in Rocky Mount, NC and across the street from a Cracker Barrel.  Always good food at one of those restaurants. The hotel was new, very comfortable and reasonable.

Wednesday, May 23, 2018. Had our last free hotel breakfast for a while and were on the road at 8:00am.  Bright and sunny for a change.  A brisk wind out of the NW. We headed east across Virginia off the interstate, through Norfolk and the tunnel/bridge to the DelMarVa peninsula. We stopped along the way in Onley, VA, at the studio and gallery of David Turner.  He works in bronze, as did his father before him.  Beautiful stuff.  While we were there, he came in and we had a chance to spend a few minutes talking with him.  Lisa had visited another foundry doing lost wax sculpting in New Mexico a few years ago and David knows the artist there. More information on Turner Sculpture clink on this link https://www.turnersculpture.com/

We pulled in to our friends Jerry and Pam’s driveway in Easton, MD, at 3:30pm.

At 6:00pm, we went to the Miles River Yacht Club in Saint Michael's for dinner.  It was a beautiful evening and there was plenty of wind for the Wednesday Night Club Races. We sat on the patio, had dinner and watched the sailboat races.  Very pleasant!
For more information on the Miles River Yacht Club click here

Thursday, May 24, 2018. After coffee, tea and bagels with Pam and Jerry, we headed north to New Hampshire on the last leg of the journey home.  The weather was cool and sunny, with big puff clouds.  By the time we got home, the sky was crystal blue with no clouds.  The trip through New Jersey and around New York City was uneventful, which is always a nice surprise.  The new Tapenzee Bridge is complete and they are now in the process of removing the old one.  We arrived home at 5:00pm.  The dogs were delighted to see us and would not let us out of their sight – a great welcome.  Brett, who house sat for us over the winter had the yard all cleaned up as well as the house. What a nice way to come home.

Click on this link for many more pictures

Nassau, The Berry Islands, Lucaya, West End 2018

Nassau, The Berry Islands, Lucaya, West End 2018

Tuesday, April 17, 2018. Today was a day of boat chores in preparation for our departure. We filled the fuel and water tanks. Lisa did laundry, walked over to the Fresh Market for ice, gave out spiced tea to the ladies in the office and the lady cleaning.  She was really into organic tea and said thanks very much.

We had the stone crabs bought in Spanish Wells for dinner and then I walked over to the Fresh Market and bought some Hagan Daz ice cream for dessert.  Even tho’ we can make ice cubes in the freezer, it is not cold enough to keep ice cream.

Wednesday, April 18, 2018.  Sunny, a few clouds, 75 degrees, wind E@10.  This morning there is a strong smell of diesel in the marina and there is a sheen on the water.  This is the third time we have experienced this here.  There is fuel dock next door and we wonder if they are having an issue there.  We paid the bill.  The electric was only $32 even tho’ we ran the air conditioning almost the entire time we have been here (4 days).  However, the marina charges $8 a day for water, whether you use it or not, so next time we will wash the boat more often!

9:30am We are off the dock with the help of Ron (Kodachrome) and 3 others.  Nice – always easier when you have a lot of help. We head east out of the harbor and then north around the end of Paradise Island.

10:00am We turn north heading 323° toward Little Harbor Cay in the Berry Islands.  The Berrys lie between New Providence and Grand Bahama.  We have never visited there and are looking forward to it.

10:40am Fore sail out, wind E@10,but the apparent wind is right on our nose.  We are making

7+ knots motor sailing.  Lovely.

12:00noon We heard Tackless Too on the VHF.  They are headed to the Berrys also.  We met them in Bimini and have crossed paths with them a couple of times on this trip, last time in Black Point.

We see lots of flying fish and as they came out of the water, there is a flock of terns grabbing them up.  Some of these flying fish a quite large (never seen ones this size before).  Obviously, something is forcing them to fly (big fish below?).  Of course, we do not have any lines in the water!

1:30pm Islands visible on the horizon.

2:40pm These island rise up out of the water, tall bluffs and cliffs on this side.  Wind steady NE 7-10, only a few clouds on the horizon.

3:40pm Anchor down west of Cabbage Cay and Little Harbor Cay.  3 other boats here including Tackless Too (Don and Gwen).

40.8NM today.  25°33.89’N  77°50.10’W

Thursday April 19, 2018. 3:10AM We awoke to the boat “bucking” (forward and aft) and “rolling” (side to side).  Wow! About as uncomfortable as we have ever been at anchor.  By 6:00am All is calm and the anchorage is like a pond.

8:00am Sunny, no clouds, calm, flat water, 75 degrees – lovely.  Water is very clear, lots of grass on a sandy bottom – probably why the water looks green.

10:00am Lisa went to the shore with Don and Gwen (Tackless Too) to walk their dog Ginger.  We tried to call Flo’s Conch Shack on the telephone and the VHF with no answer.  We heard that the mail boat has come into Bullocks Harbor, so they may have gone to pick up supplies.  Lisa and Gwen went for a snorkel.

12:00 Noon We dinghied over to Flo’s, but no one there.  We met Hayden and Raydeen (Island Spirit), who had also come to see if Flo’s was open.  We saw a small blue boat diving for conch earlier, but it is not here.

12:45pm Anchor up, heading north.

2:00pm Anchor down west of Little Gaulding Cay, between Hoffman Cay and Devil’s Cay.  Sunny, wind East@10, 80 degrees, puffy clouds, big thunderheads south on the horizon – over Andros?  5NM  25°36.72’N  077°44.34’W

Two other boats are here.  Tackless Too follows us in. The water is flat, no surge, but there is a strong current running.

3:00PM  We started the dinghy and found the hose from the tank to the motor had popped off.  Somehow the “clip” has decided not to stay attached.  Luckily, we have a brand new spare hose. We picked up Gwen and dinghied over to the south end of Hoffman’s Cay.  We landed at the first small beach on the west side of the island.  After searching for a bit, Lisa found a trail and we followed if up the hill and found the “blue hole”.  These are “holes” that are probably collapsed caves and have some sort of connection to the ocean (cave, fissure).  Some are quite deep.  The one on Long Island is used for “free diving” – seeing how deep you can go holding your breath.  This one is about 100 yards across.  We can see sea turtles in it – rumor is a local put them in here.  The girls want to come back with snorkel gear.  On the way out, we took the wrong trail and wound up at a beach farther north, not where we left the dinghy.  Back up and over the hill – on the correct trail – back to the dinghy.  On the way back, we saw 2 large eagle rays, 2 sting rays and a nurse shark with its head stuck in a hole – obviously chasing some food – an odd sight tho’ – it looked at first like a shark with no head.  As we approached, it backed out of the hole and sped away.

On the way back to the boats, the outboard started to over rev and the dinghy slowed down.  These motors do not have a “shear pin” on the prop (in case you hit something underwater).  Instead, they have a rubber bushing integrated into the prop that over time will wear out.  We managed to get back to the boats going slowly.  We have a new spare prop on board and it only takes about 20 minutes to change out the prop.  Sure enough, that bushing in the old prop is shredded. Two outboard issues in the same afternoon!

As swim and a shower and left over chicken marsala for dinner.  Doesn’t get much better.

Sunset at Hoffman/Devils Anchorage

Friday, April 20, 2018. Wind West@10, high cirrus clouds, partial sun, very humid, 82 degrees. Lisa made Bahama coconut bread French toast for breakfast, yum!

11:00am Don and Gwen stop by.  We plan to move the boats over behind Devil’s Cay.  There is one very skinny spot on the way there, so we will wait for high tide. Some fisherman come by and we bought 2 snappers and 1 grouper.  They are about 3 pounds each. We paid $20 and 3 cold Landsharks for them.  Don volunteered to filet them and Gwen volunteered to cook them for tonight’s dinner.

12:30pm, We move the boats through the skinny water to the weast side of Devil’s Cay.  The least amount of water in the cut was 6.5 feet.  We are supposed to get NE to East winds tonight and tomorrow.  There is very little current here and no surge. 1NM  25°35.87’N  077°43.90’W

2:00pm We loaded up the dinghys and headed back to the blue hole.  This time we landed at the second beach (the one we went to by mistake) and brought cameras and snorkel gear.  Lisa and Gwen went for a swim with the cameras.  Don and I were sitting at the waters’ edge under and overhang when two people jumped into the water from above.  Scarred us because they seemed to fall out of the sky.  There are actually three of them (Mike, Sarah and Justin) and they are off the boat Kai, which is a crewed charter they are taking north to Long Island, NY, for the summer. Kia is a 72’ custom built Wellington originally built for the chairman of Coca-Cola in 1987.  Justin recently bought it as his previous boat was destroyed in the Virgin Islands during this past hurricane season. Justin says they use this hole for free dives also and that is it is over 180 feet deep on the other side.

Lisa and Gwen got some great shots, so check out the pictures and the videos.

We saw a power catamaran anchored when we got back to the beach.  It is a single-hander with 2 black labs aboard (Fire and Ice).  We saw the boat when we were on land at Cracker Boys last fall.

6:00pm  We went to Tackless Too for dinner.  Gwen had baked the fish with tomatoes, olives, capers, onions and peppers.  Lisa made rice and I made a jug of Goombay Smash. Lovely dinner.  We had Kathy’s (Spanish Wells) Carrot Cake for dessert. At sunset, we saw the green flash!  Great evening.

This anchorage seems to be near perfect in this wind (East).  There are beaches on both sides fo us, no surge, very little current and no other boats.

Saturday, April 21, 2018. Wind ESE@10, partly cloudy, 80 degrees.  We called Flo’s again, this time Clarence answered on VHF 68.  He said he had to go to Bullocks Harbor to get diesel island and around the southern tip (the cut between Devil’s Cay and Little Harbor Cay).  We found a few nice shells and Lisa found one round sea bean (Lauralwood).

11:30am We head back south in the dinghys to Little Harbor Cay to Flo’s for lunch.  We met Clarence and had his famous rum punch while waiting for our food. 

Clarence and Don at Flo's

It was served family style (conch and fish) with peas and rice and salad.  A very good meal and there was none left over.  The cost was $15 each and the rum punch was $10 each.  We learned the Flo had passed away 8 years ago and that Clarence’s sister, who carves on the conch shells is now in Palm Beach.

Conch shells at Flo's

Carved conch shell done by Clarence's sister

 We also found out that the house and the dock on the north end of this island is a Boy Scout Camp.  Justin had told us that the trails to the blue hole were all cut and maintained by the Boy Scouts. Coming and going to Flo’s, we saw lots of sea turtles, star fish and rays.

4:00pm  Lisa and I tried to dinghy over to the east side of Devil’s Cay.  What appeared to be beach, turns out to be rock and we cannot get near it.  To got to the beach on the east side, we will have to beach the dinghy on the west side and walk around the south end of the island – maybe tomorrow.

We stopped at Tackless Too to see Ginger’s new haircut.

The boat with the 2 labs stopped here.  He can get very close to the beach and when he does, the labs jump off the boat and swim ashore.  We played with them for a bit and then headed back to the boat.  They then headed off to the east across very shallow water.

Dinner on board.  Oven roasted chicken, pasta alfredo and peas.

Monday, April 22, 2018. 4:00am Lightning on the horizon.  Stored the cockpit cushions under the dodger as well as anything else we did not want wet or to blow away.

5:45am Rain and wind – very heavy.

9:00am More wind and rain.  Small leak around the mast and one of the overhead hatches (we think the hatch cover was caught under the seal allowing the water in.  The mast will have to be resealed.  We had opened one of the water tanks so the rain would refill it.

9:30am Big lightning strike close by.  Always a concern on any boat, but a sailboat is a big lightning rod. 

12:00noon Rain finally passed, clearing sky, wind SE@15+, 82 degrees.  There is a stationary front sitting more or less right over us, which has been the cause of the unstable weather.  It is unclear when that will move or dissipate.

1:00pm We picked up Gwen and headed to the beach.  We landed as far south on the west side of the island as possible and then walked around the south end of the island (on the rocks, mostly) to the other side.  There are lots of the black and white top shells, whole and broken.  We walked about ½ mile on the beach on the east side of the island.  We found a Laurelwood bean, a Machineel bean, and a small helmet conch shell (the first we have found on this trip without a resident).  We spotted a heart bean and showed it to Gwen, who officially “found” it.  Now she knows where to look!

5:30pm Gwen and Don come to dinner on Rhiannon. I made George Barlow’s Chicken Pear Curry and Gwen brought a salad.  No sunset tonight – so no conch horn blowing (this is becoming a tradition at every sunset).  We played Mexican Train until 9:00pm (cruisers’ midnight).  Nice day – great evening.

Monday April 23, 2018. Partly cloudy, 82 degrees, wind SE@15-20. We decide we will leave this anchorage later today at high tide – about 4pm.  The wind is supposed to go SW and that will mean it will be uncomfortable here – and the waves through the cut with the skinny water will mean we would probably tough bottom in that wind.

10:00am Lisa and Gwen went snorkeling at the cut with the shallow water. They saw turtles, a big marble grouper, 2 rough-tailed sting rays, a lot of colorful reef fish, a honeycomb cow fish, and a good sized shark.  Gwen was not sure if it was a reef shark or a silky shark (rare in this area according to the book).  After the third inquiring pass, the girls thought it would be a good idea to get out of the water.

While the girls were snorkeling, Don came over and we fixed the hinges on two of our overhead hatches.  These are held in place with pop-rivets (aluminum) and over time, they corrode and fall apart.

Little Gaulding Cay

3:00pm Don and I dinghied over to the shallow water spot to check the depths.  He has a hand held depth sounder, which is great for this. There was only 6.5feet when we came in (on a high tide) and we need at least 5 feet.  It is an hour before high tide and the shallowest spot we can find is 7.5 feet, so we should be OK as long as there are no big swells. The bottom here is rock and it would not be good to hit bottom.

4:00pm We lift the anchor and head back out of the cut.  Tackless Too leading the way as they only draw 3 feet of water.  Don says he saw one spot that was 5.8’.  The shallowest we saw was 6’3” and our depth meter is off a conservative 1 foot.

4:30pm We are anchored back in the same spot we were in the last time. 

1NM  25°36.72’N  077°44.34’W

Dinner on board.  Overnight wind goes South@15+ and a couple of rain showers.

Tuesday, April 24, 2018.  Partly cloudy, 82 degrees, wind S@15-20.

9:50am Anchor up.  Tackless Too and us head out of the inlet.  Big rollers (6’-8’) coming in through the inlet.  It’s a good thing we negotiated the skinny water yesterday when the waves were very small.

10:20am Outside in the Sound heading north to Hawksnest Cay.  There are still good sized rollers out here (4’-6’).  We are making 6.5 knots under sail.

10:50am We turn to 318° - dead down wind which makes the ride more comfortable.  Making 6 knots.

12:30pm Anchored in the bight east of Bullocks Harbor, west of Hawksnest Cay in 10 feet of water.  13NM today  25°44.50’N  077°50.10’W

4:30pm We went on a dinghy ride with Tackless Too up Shark’s Creek.  Lots of fish and turtles,  We went left at the second fork instead of right and wound up at a dead end.  If we had taken the right fork, we could have gone all the way across the island.

Dinner on board.  Left-over chicken curry – always better the next day.

10:00pm We received Chris Parkers Bahamas email Weather Update (sent out at 8:18pm). It says severe thunderstorms and squalls are possible where we happen to be. The lightning is already here and within 15 minutes the wind builds to 30 out of the east.  This anchorage is open to the east (all the way to Europe).  Big waves coming in from the east, heavy rain.  We managed to leave open an overhead hatch in the salon, but all that got wet was a rug.  By 11:00pm, it was all over.

Wednesday, April 25, 2018. 2:00am Lightning again on the horizon.  We lifted the dinghy so it was out of the water.  During these squalls, it really gets whipped around when tied to the stern.  This way it is out of the water and we pull the plug so it does not fill with water either.  We did this during severe squalls last year in George Town (Exumas), and it works well for us.  The dinghy is also lashed to the stern so it does not swing around.

3:00am The rain has stopped and the wind has died off to nothing.  Like a pond in the anchorage.

8:00am 80 degrees, partly cloudy, wind West@15.

11:00am We went to the shore to “The Beach Club” with Don and Gwen to meet Jay and Karen, who Lisa met on Facebook and who are building a house here.  We had lunch, then a tour of the island from the back of their Daihatsu pickup truck, the marina, the cut (harbor entrance), the town of Bullocks Harbor, the grocery, the marina.  The island was developed by Meyer Lansky and the “Rat Pack” after Cuba threw out all the Americans.  They spent over $42 million in 1960s dollars here. There is a great, well protected marina, good roads, an airport, school and a Jack Nicholson golf course.  In fact, Jack still comes here to play golf on the nine holes still maintained and bone fish.  The island has been gridded and lots are available for sale. The homes are all very nice.  There are 800 residents and there is full employment on the island, and only 3 small restaurants and 2 bars. The original venture went broke, but now the cruise lines are developing the 2 northern most islands as “private get-a-ways” for their guests. 

6:00pm Dinner on Tackless Too.  Gwen made enchiladas and we brought Jeff’s dip (velveta, Rotel tomatoes, fresh onion and peppers) and Tostidos. 

L to r: Lisa, Benny, Gwen, Don

Nice evening, showers, but no storms, overnight.

Thursday, April 26, 2018. Rain showers continue this morning.  Wind S@10, 80 degrees.

11:00am, we dinghy with Tackless Too over to Petit Cay.  We were told that there was an excellent “aquarium” at low tide between three sets of rocks and that at low tide it is only 2 feet deep.  It rained on us on the way there (about 2 miles).  The only place we could find that matched the description of the “aquarium”, was on the south side of the island and with the south wind there are big waves crashing in.  We dinghied around the island and landed on the protected north side and walked the beach as far as we could.  We found lots of shells (some nice conch and lots and lots of sea biscuits).  Afterward, we went back to The Beach Club for a beer.  I also bought a t-shirt and Lisa bought dresses for our friends little girls at The Art Shack (a shop next door to the “Club”).  We met people from four boats from a sailing club in Michigan who arrived late last night.  They are leaving in the morning from Bimini – heading south against a southerly breeze.

Tackless Too dropped off cat food for Jay and Karen, who are feeding 4 cats at the marina (where they are living on their boat until the house is complete). It is food they bought for their cat, but she will not eat it.

Back at the boat, Lisa went for a swim and then cooked lobster (from Spanish Wells), mashed potatoes and carrots to take over to Tackless Too for dinner.

Meanwhile, I cleaned the black soot from the dinghy and the back of Rhiannon.  The dinghy gets dirty sitting tied to the stern where both the engine and generator exhaust are.  I believe the diesel fuel over here is not as clean as in the US (is there “clean diesel fuel?).

6:00pm  Dinner aboard Tackless Too.  We brought the lobster, mashed potatoes and carrots and they had steaks which were grilled to perfection.  All served with a nice cabernet. Quite the feast.

We are headed to Lucaya tomorrow and they are headed south to Bimini, Key West and then home to Tarpon Springs.  We will miss them and hopefully cross paths with them again in the future.

Friday, April 27, 2018. 4:00am  Rain and Lightning.

7:00am Cloudy, wind SE@5-10, 80 degrees, very humid.  We are preparing for departure.  We filled the fuel and water tanks from the jerry cans.  We raise the dinghy on the davits and stow the outboard.

8:00am Tackless Too came by on their way to take Ginger to the beach to say goodbye.  We certainly hope to see them again.

8:30am Anchor up, heading NW toward Lucaya on Grand Bahama Island.  The sun is peaking out.

9:00am We call Port Lucaya to insure we have a place.  They tell us their shower, laundry and boater’s lounge are closed for renovations and suggest we call Grand Bahama Yacht Club.  The price is the same and both marinas are owned by the same company.  There is a shuttle boat around the harbor so you can get to The Marketplace, beach, restaurants, etc.  We called Grand Bahama and are all set.

9:30am We pass the north end of Great Harbor Cay and then Great and Little Stirrup Cays.  There is a cruise ship sitting off Great Stirrup Cay and they are using what look like military landing craft (although probably much more luxuriant) to move guests back and forth to the island.  There is lots of construction on both islands, including a huge pier on each.  We were told that the cruise ship companies are making Great Stirrup into a private amusement park for guests.  There will not be a hotel, but plenty of amusements and restaurants.

10:30am We talk to Tackless Too on the VHF.  They are going to head to Bimini towait on a weather window to cross to Florida.  They are meeting family in Key West and then heading north to Tarpon Springs (home).

11:00am Wind SSW@10-15.  We have the fore sail out and are motor sailing at 7 knots.

1:00pm We are passed by several large ships headed towards Freeport.  We have to keep an eye on the radar as there is a lot of traffic.

We have been fighting a current since we left Great Stirrup Cay – as well as a fairly significant chop added to the swells of 2 – 4 feet from the southeast. The seas just flattened out and our speed picked back up at least a full knot.

2:30pm Motor sailing with the current, making 7.8 knots.  Sun is currently out, it has been in and out all day.  Big puffy cumulus clouds on the horizon.

3:15pm Clouds building and darkening in the east.  2 ½ hours from Lucaya.

4:00pm Wind dies completely, sails down, motoring.  Rain clouds to the east.

6:00pm Rain starts as we enter the harbor.  Fabian (dock master) here to help us with lines.  Bavaria, a large trawler, also just came in and are in the slip next to us.

65NM today, 6.8 knots average speed.  26°31.10’N  078°38.14’W

Lighthouse at Lucaya

Dinner on board, we cleaned out the leftovers.

Quiet night with rain.

Saturday, April 28, 2018.  Rain until 9:00am, then the sun came out, 78 degrees, wind West@16.  We walked over to the office and checked in.  We met Tasha, who works in the office.  There is a large sportfish on the fuel dock with a man who is apparently having a stroke (they think).  The ambulance arrives at the same time we did.  Hopefully, he is OK.  The rates here have gone up.  All the marinas in this basin are npow owned by the same company and they are all the same price $2.20/foot plus $15 a day for water and 75¢/foot for electricity, plus 7.5% VAT.  Makes an effective rate of $3.51 a foot.

We met Walter and Ingrid on Bavaria.  They are just arriving in the Bahamas after spending three months in Fort Lauderdale.  Ingrid had a heart issue in January.  Walter comes here to dive.  Their home is in Nova Scotia.

Lisa did laundry and I worked on our Float Plan for the Small Vessel Reporting System (SVRS) which if for US Customs and Immigration.  This allows us to check in over the telephone when we return to the US.  Although, we never actually check out of the US when we leave, so I do not know that they know we are even out of the country.  We did some other internet work and paid some bills also.

We took the shuttle boat over to Lucaya Market Place. It actually lands at the Pelican Bay Hotel which is the same architecture are the Grand Bahama Yacht Club (condos).  

Pelican Bay Hotel, Lucaya, Grand Bahama Island

The hotel was recently sold by the marina owners.  Pretty place.  The whole basin was originally developed by a Danish company.  The Grand Bahama Port Authority owns all the land along the shore and sells it to companies wanting to develop it.  The port of Freeport was originally developed under this authority.  The port of Freeport is one of the largest ports on the east cost of the US.  Because it is a “free port”, a lot of shipment transfers are done here.  It is also a large cruise ship port.  The airport is next door and is also part of the port authority complex.

Lucaya Market Place would remind you of Barefoot Landing in Myrtle Beach.  There are many shops (especially jewelry), restaurants, bars and a straw market with many local hand made goods. 

Lisa found a guy carving fish, mermaids, turtles, etc. out of wood.  Then we had a late lunch at Molly Malone’s Irish Pub, where Pink Sands were 2 for $5.  We shared a large portion of cracked (fried) conch and then went next door to Santorini Deli for ice cream.

On the return trip, the boat driver dropped us off right on the dock where Rhiannon is berthed.  Nice!

Sunday, April 29, 2018. Wind North@15+, sunny, no clouds, 78 degrees.  We worked on the blog today and did other boat chores.

2:00pm We took the shuttle boat to the opposite end of the harbor from the Marketplace to Tiania Bay Resort.  We walked to the beach, but it has been raked so it is nice and clean, which means no sea beans and very few shells – great fro beach sport tho’.  Very pretty beach.

4:00 We had an early dinner at The Sand Bar.  Pink Sands here are $5 each.  Lisa had shrimp quesadilla and I had a burger.  Both were very good.  As we were leaving, a lot of folks were showing up for the Sunday Night Bonfire and Buffet.

Lisa lost the pendant off her necklace during our adventures today.  We backtracked, but did not find it.

Most of the buildings in this area have slate roofs.  Many of them were damaged by Hurricane Matthew last year and are being replaced with colorful metal roofs.

Monday, April 30, 2018. Sunny, wind NE@10-15, 80 degrees.  We decide to head to West End to wait for a weather window to cross back to the US.

11:00am We are off the dock – Aaron is here to help.

11:20am We are at the end of the entrance channel and turn west.  Wind SE@15+, we are sailing at 7+ knots.

12:00noon Sailing at 6.5 knots, wind back NE@15+.  As we pass Freeport, we have to give way to a tanker and a container ship.  Two cruise ships currently in port here.  The petroleum terminal is actually offshore, so you have to give the harbor a wide berth.  There are several ships anchored waiting for dockage.

3:00pm  As we approach the west end of Grand Bahama, the wind is building, now NE@25+.  We consider trying Bootles Fish Camp Marina, which is 5 miles closer, and is supposed to have 2 42 foot docks.  However, the channel is only 5 feet and it may have been filled in some with Matthew, so we forego that opportunity.

4:10pm We tied to the dock at Old Bahama Bay Marina, West End.  It is very protected, and as soon as we entered the breakwater, the water is flat.  29NM today, average 6+ knots.  26°42.09’N  078°59.50’W

Old Bahama Bay, West End, Grand Bahama Island

4:30pm We walked to the office to check in.  The rates have gone up here too - $2.99/foot, plus $25.99 flat rate for electricity, plus $15 flat rate for water, plus 7.5% VAT.  That makes the effective rate here $4.26/foot. This is a nice well protected spot with a beach, condos, 2 restaurants, houses on the water, real estate for sale, a fuel dock, and a small store.  However, at that price, I don’t know how many people would make this a regular stopover.  We also discover that there is a fishing tournament here starting Wednesday, so we may have to leave on Thursday.  Hopefully, the winds lay down a bit by then.

6:30pm Two sail boats and a trawler come in from Florida.  I can’t imagine that crossing today would have been much fun. The owner of Milky Waves (Vic) is originally from New Orleans (now lives in Jacksonville).  One of the crew is Brad, who grew up in New Orleans 2 blocks from where I grew up – old home week!

Platinum brought by conch for sale.  We bought 6, which he chopped up and made into conch salad.  We also got one still in the shell (a beautiful helmet conch).  Platinum said to put it in the freezer and he will come by tomorrow and take it out of the shell.

Tuesday, May 1, 2018.  May Day.  Heavy rain overnight.  Sunny this morning, wind East@20+.  Brad came over to ask if we could sit down with charts with them as only one of the four of them has been in the Bahamas before.  We plan that for 4:00pm today.

Lisa made omelets for breakfast and washed the boat, then cleaned all the windows. She also waxed half the stainless. We keep hoping for a weather window to cross, but it looks like it may be the week-end before this wind lets up.  We will keep our fingers crossed.

The motor on the Nikon camera is sounding funny when focusing – and “stuttering”.  Hopefully, it will continue to work.

2:30pm  North Shore Spirit moved from the seawall by the gas dock to the slip next to us.  We helped them get tied up in the slip.  As soon as that was done, Brigadoon came into the slip on our other side.

4:00pm The guys from Milky Waves came over to review charts.  Their plan is to head to Great Sale Cay tomorrow, then on the Green Turtle Cay and Marsh Harbour.  They will be fighting this NE wind the whole way.  The Sea of Abaco is only 15 feet deep, so it is going to be extremely rough going.  They have to be in Marsh Harbour by March 7, to meet the wives who are flying in for a week.  They then plan to head for Spanish Wells, Exumas – down to Staniel Cay, then Nassau, The Berry Islands, back here to West End and then back to Jacksonville – all in three weeks.  I remember the saying that the biggest enemy of a cruiser is a schedule.

There is supposed to be a fishing tournament here starting tomorrow, but most of the boats coming in are sailboats.

We had dinner at the restaurant here. Lisa had grilled grouper and I had 

Dry rubbed ribs, then we shared a cheese cake for dessert.  It was all very good.

Several of the big sport fish boats came in while we were having dinner.

Wednesday, May 2, 2018.  Cloudy, 80 degrees, wind NE@20-25. Milky Waves departed at 7:00am for Great Sale. There is a fishing tournament here starting this afternoon.  Boats are coming in all day.  The smallest is a 30 foot center console and the largest is a 90 foot Viking.

A sailboat came in from Great Sale and said he had seen Milky Waves and they were really “taking a pounding”.

Platinum came around selling conch.  We bought 6 and he made it into conch salad for Lisa.  We also bought a helmet conch.  We put it in the freezer and Platinum will remove the animal tomorrow.  The shell is really pretty.  Lisa paid some dollars, 2 beers and my used boat shoes for the conch.

We got a ride in the marina van to the grocery in town, but really did not buy a lot.  Very little produce there.

Dinner was aboard North Shore Spirit.  Garnet make calzones and Lisa made a salad.  Garnet and Gord were neighbors in Vancover.  Gord now lives half the year in Punta Gorda.  They left the wives at home for this adventure to the Bahamas.

Garnet (left) and Gord (right) North Shore Spirit

Thursday, May 3, 2018.  The wind is still howling out of the NE.  Sunny, 80 degrees.  We spent the day first cutting up this bamboo we have been carrying sine the Exumas so Lisa can decorate the pieces to be used to hold tools, small paint brushes, etc.  Garnet and I then worked on a conch shell to make it into a horn.  We have a few here and Garnet did most of the work.  By the end of the day, he had a workable horn, but it still needs some cleaning.

We found that our aft refrigerator has stopped working.  Luckily, the forward unit is still working and we moved everything into it.  Garnet came over to help trouble shoot it, but we could not discover the cause.  The unit is “short cycling” (trying to turn the compressor on).  There is adequate voltage at the unit, so it is not that.

We walked over to the weigh in for the tournament.  There were three large Mahi, the largest being 63 pounds, but the winner for the day was a 99 pound Wahoo.  Imagine how many steaks will come out of that!

99 pounds of Wahoo

Lisa made pork chops for dinner and we fed Garnet also.

Platinum came by and removed the animal from the frozen helmet shell.  Lisa bought more conchs to freeze and Platinum had a couple more (smaller) helmet shells for us.

Friday, May 4, 2018. Not as much wind this morning, but by 10:00am, it has picked back up to 20+ out of the NE.  All the fishing boats are out this morning.  I talked to John (Sea Breeze) about our refrigerator and he thinks it might be the electronic control unit.  I do not have a spare, but may be able to swap the one from the unit still working to see if that solved the problem.

I worked on the blog, especially loading the pictures.  More boats come in for a scuba diving event this weekend. 

Lisa decorated one of the pieces of bamboo.  Then she made a big pot of spaghetti that she hopes to be able to trade for some fish from some of the boats in the tournament.  So, now we have some Mahi in the fridge (the one that’s still working).

We checked out the leader board for the tournament after most of the boats were in for today.  There is 115 pound Black Fin Tuna that is currently the biggest fish.

3:00pm We went with Garnet to the bar at the pool and had a “Gully Washer”, the local specialty drink.  Coconut water, coconut rum, coconut cream, vodka and a splash of spiced rum.  Very tasty, but you would not want too many of these (or maybe you would?).

6:00pm Garnet and Gord (North Shore Spirit) came to eat spaghetti.  Garnet had made some coconut cream pudding for dessert. Nice evening.  Wind is really howling out of the NE still.

Saturday, May 5, 2018.  One of our friends says we should apply for voting status – we have been here long enough.  Seems like it.  We woke up at 6:45am to a strange sound – or lack of it – silence – the wind had stopped.  Turns out it was short lived.  By 8:00am it was blowing 15 again, but now mostly east.  80 degrees, partly cloudy, 50% chance of rain.  Tomorrow looks like it may be a day to cross back to the US.

1:00pm Airborne (Jay and Luisa) left.  They are going to ride the gulf stream north to Fernandina.

Lisa walked the beach and came back with treasures - some nice shells, a sea pearl and some bay beans.  The Bay Beans grow on a vine that is common on the beaches in the Bahamas and Florida, but we have never found any in the pod, but now we have.
We used the big dock cart and bought 4 jerry cans (22 gallons of fuel).

6:00pm We prepare Rhiannon for sea.  The weather looks like it may cooperate, so we plan to leave at 6:00am to make sure we hit slack tide at the inlet in Florida.  We are still not sure whether we will head to Lake Worth (West Palm Beach) or Stewart.

7:00pm Dinner on board North Shore Spirit.  Gord made a pork tenderloin and vegetables and we cooked some Mahi.  Wonderful.
Tonight was the awards dinner for the fishing tournament.  As the last act, there was a Junkanoo band!  Then the band walked the docks serenading each of the boats!  Lots of rocking music!  What a way to spend our last night in the Bahamas!

Click on this link for a sample of Bahamian Junkanoo music

Click here for more info on Junkanoo!

Click on this link for many more pictures.

Click on this link to see where we are at any time.