Update Friday December 23, 2011

Left Miami at 0615 for the Bahamas, heading to North Rock just north of Bimini. I hooked a nice Dorado and got him within 20 feet of the boat. I could see him just below us when he started to dive, getting too anxious I tightened the drag too much and he broke the 50 pound test line… We got to the banks about at 1630 and headed east to Mackie Shoal and then to the Tongue of the Ocean. It was a pretty uneventful crossing, with one sailboat coming at us and turning across our bow about 0100. We passed the shoal buoy seeing it only on radar as it hasn’t been lit in years. We stopped to assist another boat with engine trouble and offered to tow him, he elected to wait for another boat that was coming back with a tool that he could use to repair the fuel system. We continued on when the other boat got close and all was well. We passed into the ocean again and continued on to Frazer Hog where we planned to take a mooring. We anchored up near a beach using the moon and starlight to see the bottom behind a point and got some sleep and waited for dawn. We woke about 0930 and headed up the channel to the moorings. We took one close to shore and near our friends around 1100. The men took a couple of dinghies and went around to Chub to check in. All was going well and we socialized and went to bed about 2000. I could see the chain of the mooring wrapped around the 2 ton concrete block and thought all was well though I didn’t dive on the mooring due to the depth and the strong current.

The Day After

We are on a good mooring now at the Berry Islands Club. Starting to sleep a little easier now after the mooring broke that first night. We have been here almost a week waiting for a decent window to cross to Nassau. The club is actually closed but the manager has the water system and generator going for the boats that are here.

We had an easy crossing from Miami where we had spent almost two weeks waiting to cross. Then we sailed and motor-sailed across the stream and the banks. We got in to anchor at about 0400 and dropped the hook and slept for a few hours after the 22 hour run from the Miami. About 1100 that morning we had taken a mooring on what looked like a good one. I could see that the chain was around the 2 ton concrete block and looked to be secure. We took the dingy over to Chub Cay and went to the airport to check in. All seemed well when we went to bed about 2100. Then at about 0400 I felt the boat hitting the bottom. The second time it hit I was pulling on clothes and looked out to see the shore a few boat lengths away. I started the engine but we were already in shallow water. Chris helped me get the dingy and the anchor in it and I ran the anchor out till we had all the chain out. We winched it in until it bit and was taught so that we would not run up onto the rocky shoreline.

 The boat stopped about a boat length away from shore and was in maybe 4 feet of water on a falling tide. We were stuck good. I had issued a mayday when I got back and had the anchor set. Then later a securite to ask for assistance; but at 0430 I doubt anyone was awake. I took the dingy out and pounded on Randy’s boat and told him what was happening. He helped me set the second anchor and then a third. The boat was secure but the tide was falling and we had no way to get free before high tide. A couple with a nearby house shone a spotlight on us and later offered help.

By sunrise I had all the boats helping us and had put out a message on the SSB radio and asked that person to relay our situation especially back home. At this point I wasn’t sure if we could save the boat. The radios did bring another boater around and I later found out that Chris Parker had called Jeanne to let her know what was happening. We arranged to get a local boat to pull us off at high tide but that wouldn’t be for several more hours. All I could do now was wait, as the boat kept leaning over as the tide fell, eventually the rail was about 6 inches under water and the depth was about two and a half feet. I kept watch for leaks but only saw a minor amount of water get into the boat. Slowly the tide rose and the winds had abated somewhat during the day. Overnight when the mooring let go the winds were gusting to 27 knots.

When the tide was finally high the depth was still only 4 feet. We tried to pull it out into deep water but couldn’t budge the boat. We had a forth anchor tied to two halyards to keep the boat heeled. Someone on shore, who has sailed these waters for many years, told us to pull off with the halyards. I wasn’t sure that would work or if we’d break the mast, but the only other way was to wait for the higher high tide at 0300. That wasn’t a good option so we attached the power boat to the halyards and he pulled. The boat heeled way over and took off for the deeper water. We had to stop and release the anchors holding us and then pulled again and we were in deep water. I started the engine and slowly motored out as we checked for leaks. I slowly motored to a new looking ball that we were told was recently installed.

Tying off to that buoy, I backed on it several times to see if it would give way. After 4 nights on it hasn’t let go but I am still nervous about it.

Anyways I will be off to Nassau on Saturday with 6 other boats and will have company should anything happen. I have dived on the boat and the only damage I can see is a small split in the bottom off the rudder and missing bottom paint. I plan to see if I can get the boat hauled in Nassau to inspect it better and do any needed repairs and touch up the bottom paint. This must be what they mean by “another day in paradise”.

That night we had a little party to relax and enjoy after the days frenzied efforts to save the boat. This is a picture of some of the many people who helped me save our boat that day. All fellow cruisers and Howard who looks after the Berry Islands Club and used his boat to pull us out by the masthead.

I am now in Nassau at a dock at a dollar a foot with electricity and water and finally got a decent night’s sleep. I was awake often during the nights on the mooring to check that we hadn’t broken another one and were drifting away.

Sailing South 2011 - 2012

I had a good talk with the CBP officer today who explained several things about cruising permits.. He gave me a paper stating info about renewing the permit... basically it comes down to only resident aliens can renew a foreign flagged vessel cruising permit if the boat was made in the states... If you are not a resident alien then the only way you can renew is to have your permit expire while you are out of the country for at least 15 days before you return... you can turn in your permit when you leave and have it cancelled and the reapply when you return... but make sure you are out for the 15 days and they will ask for papers to show you checked into the foreign port as proof

I will be leaving St Augustine in the morning and plan to take 7 to 10 days to get to Ft Pierce.
The batteries were dead this morning and I suspect I left something switch on... it was raining with thunder and lightning till about 9:30 and then with a little sun peeking through the solar recharged the batteries enough so we could start the engine... the refer was finicky about running but by the afternoon it seems to be working again... will need to keep an eye on it and the switches we leave on... I may need to get a third battery and dedicate it to engine starting only

I am now in Vero Beach for US thanksgiving... I plan to make my trademark Jambalaya
After checking in and out tomorrow I will head for Ft Lauderdale and then it will either be south to the keys with a cruising permit or east to the Bahamas without one

Still in Vero Beach Fl. now and will be sailing farther south soon... May stop in Lake Worth and get another battery sized 4D for the boat for additional reserve capacity when I entertain later into the night

So while debating about getting another battery I had to measure up the space... anyways I took of the caps on my 2 year old batteries and find low electrolyte levels... a summer of solar charging took a toll on the liquid levels... now an excursion to find distilled water and to see if they come back to par... To be continued....

My batteries appear to be back up to par after a long day motoring down the ICW
That will save me a few dollars
Had a great sail from St Lucie to Ft Lauderdale left at 07:00 and sailed into the night and arrived here at 20:30.

I am getting tired of Ft Lauderdale and need to get moving... If the winds abate a little I will sail south to Miami in the morning to Coconut Grove. Sailing inside to there are 25 or so bridges and all are on a schedule with the last being only 54 feet... The schedules are such that I will have to wait for each successive opening... Well I am off to get some groceries and rhum and wine for the trip.

I am going to go down to South Miami tomorrow morning. The winds have been blowing hard out of the N to NE for the last few days so unless there is some moderation today we will stay inside and deal with the 20 or so bridges south of here...
Will check in and out to the Bahamas when we arrive... Looks like there may be a 1 - 2 day weather window on Wed/Thurs. to cross to Bimini... Wish me luck...

Heading South

Just arrived in Vero Beach on the way south. Had a long day yesterday motoring down from Cocoa Beach where we'd anchored for the night. Before that it was a night on the dock in Titusville after stopping in the Haulover Canal to watch the Manatee's on the great motor sail down from New Smyrna Beach. I met with Jim whom I'd met last year on the Erie Canal and he drove us for groceries and supplies...
I plan to spend Thanksgiving here before heading out to Ft Lauderdale and the Bahamas...
Still no luck in getting a cruising permit and if that doesn't happen soon I will spend my time cruising the Bahamas and spend my money there...
Will post again and let you know how it goes...

October 1, 2011 update

Late Summer Update

I arrived back home in late April after a side trip to Boston Ma. Brian drove my truck to Florida to pick me up along with the stuff I didn’t want to leave on the boat over the long hot summer. Then we drove up to Boston Ma  along highway #95 Our timing couldn’t have been better, we were along the coast as tornados were blowing through Atlanta Ga. We cut inland south of Washington Dc to avoid that area and spent the night in a small town in the mountains.  We got to Boston the next day and we enjoyed“relaxing” ale with our dinner after the long drive, then we loaded up Brian’s radar arch. That night the weather we avoided all the way here caught up as we slept. It had caused a lot of damage all along the coast but we were safe inside.

The next day we headed out for Albany and Buffalo. After leaving 95 degree heat 2 days ago it was strange to be driving through snow and sleet as we crossed the mountains again. The weather cleared up after the mountains but when we got to Buffalo it started to snow again. As we crossed over to Canada the snow increased and our welcome back consisted of white out conditions for the next 75 Km’s.  Although I cannot complain, after spending a beautiful 3 months sailing in the Bahamas. When we got home, Jeanne and Leslie had made an excellent meal for us, and so my 8 month adventure had come to an end. A little over a week later I was working in a sewage treatment plant.

My summer at home was spent working and making plans for returning to our boat to continue sailing. The summer seemed to pass way to quick; I didn’t have time to see many of the friends I hoped to see while home. I had some extra equipment I wanted to purchase for the boat. High on the list was a GPS/chart plotter, a Lofrans manual windlass, and some modifications to the ice box. I had planned to rebuild it completely but settled in the end to make a couple insulating panels for inside the box. I am basically making an insulated freezer section which would use much less of my valuable space inside the icebox as opposed to rebuilding it with a full 3” of insulation. My icebox project is just about complete, two more pieces of fiberglass sheet to apply and then it will be done. I found the fiberglass sheets in a 4x8 size at our local Home Depot; they are made for wall paneling but work out perfect for boat projects where you want or need a readymade flat sheet of FRP to start off. (My next boat will have a roomy icebox with at least 4” of insulation)

This summer Phil and Lorraine the couple we met on the Erie Canal over year ago on the boat “Changes” came over to Erieau On. And we spent the weekend on their boat. And our other friends Sue and Rob on Mandate that we met in Castleton and sailed together along the Intracoastal are coming this weekend for a visit. Oh and don’t say Mandate 3 times on the VHF as the coastguard may mishear it and think you are saying mayday, that happened twice to me near Charleston and Jacksonville.

Jeanne has me doing house projects that she wants done before I leave again in the fall. Doing things with the kids and grandkids, seeing my mother and all our other relatives occupies a lot of my time.  Jeanne is in a dilemma as to whether to head south with me in October or stay with the new job she started today. She had planned to finish work in the New Year but getting laid off from one job threw a wrench into her plans. Any bets as to what she will do???

We now have an offer to visit with Changes in Cleveland on the way south, and I plan to visit with Island Moon in Georgetown on the way to the boat.

It looks like the two big tropical storms have trashed the Erie Canal and it could be closed for some time. It won’t affect my plans to much but for my friends on Afeica who plan to head down in the summer of 2012 will have to take the Champlain Canal or sail around the Maritimes or truck their boat to the east coast. I hope it is back in operation by the spring of 2013 when I plan to head back north. I understand that 5 locks are severely damaged. In the last notice to mariners the canal should be open or at least partially reopenned. Some sections they plan to have stay open into December, lets hope that those planning to head south can take advantage. Though any boats just departing the canal in December will not just have winter nipping at their heals but have it taking big bites of their transom's if they slow down at all.

Well I better get back to my boat projects, only a couple weeks left till I head south to the boat.

The Boat is Repaired

Well the boat is back in the water now, The new shaft and cutlass bearing are installed and the strut was rebuilt with 8 layers of Bi-axial glass and epoxy. The motor over to a dock went fine with no vibration.

The next test will be on the sail back to Frazer Hog Cay across the Tongue of the Ocean about 45 nautical miles; and then across the banks to Bimini and then on to Florida.

The new bottom paint is Micron 66 and when I get hauled I will repaint the bottom with it, only $460.00 a gallon here

I plan to sail for Florida this week and then up the coast.


Taking a pass on the Abacos this year to get back home a little earlier.

Will stop to visit Jim my friend from the Erie Canal. Then I will be heading up to Green Cove Springs and will try to get home in time for the next grandchilds birth.

What has happened

I am sitting in the airport at Ft Lauderdale waitng for the plane to Nassau

Lets see... I left Galliot and headed up to Staniels Cay for some fuel 

before my planned hop to Eleuthera. Spent a couple nights anchored off Big Maajors to check out the swimming pigs. And yes they do swim out for treats. Bill Karen and I dingied in close and one big one swam out for his handout. We were taking pictures as Bill trtied to bait the pig into climbing into the boat... We'd have had a pig in the boat if we'd let him keep teasing the pig.

Next we sailed for Warderick Wells and got a mooring in the Emerald Cay bay and the next day we moved to the north field. I had made a boat board for the collection on top of the hill.

The next morning asa I was trying to drop the mooring I under estimated the speed of the tidal current and in motoring to avoid the boat behind me I got the line wrapped in the prop and the engine stalled and in doing that it bent the shaft and broke the strut. I managed to anchor in 20+ feet of water with about 150 feet of chain and rode out but the Bruce anchor bit well and I got the boat under control with only a minor chain rope burn and lightly smushed finger. After I calmed down a bit I dove under the boat to cut the painter and free the dingy. There was only a couple inches of line left to the dingy when it was free and the prop must have missed it by inches.

I checked the prop out and all looked ok but at the end of the sail to Eeluthera, as I tried to motor in the last 10 miles, the prop was shaking so bad that I could not go above idle speed. When the weather and water cleared enough I dove under again to discover how bad the strut was broken. I spent two days researching how to fix it and decided to make a brace to hold it in place and sail back to Nassau on my insurance agent advice to get hauled out for repairs.

We were going to wait two days for the seas to settle out in the sound but decided to leave early and it was a good thing we did. The waves were still big and winds gusty to 28 knots. But the sail over to Ship Channel Cay went well and after several tacks I made it up into the lee to anchor without resorting to my hurt drive line. The next morning I sailed out again but 5 miles out the winds died and Bill and Karen on Island Moon towed met the rest of the 30 miles into Nassau wher I very carefully motored into a slip at Nassau Hrabour Club to wait for the boatyard to lift me out.

After I hauled I discovered the bend in the shaft and the extent of the break... So here I am in an airport with a new shaft and with any luck I should be floating by the weekend...
Life is an Adventure
To be continued...

Find me via this link

http://www.winlink.org/dotnet/maps/PositionreportsDetail.aspx?callsign=ve3saz

Black Point, Great Guana; Heading north.... Slowly

Georgetown, Great Exuma

I am anchored off the monument beach in Georgetown. Relaxing and working on the boat and meeting new cruising friends. Graham and Peter are coming in Saturday at 5pm and so is a cold front... it may drop down to 24*C.... Burrr
There is a nice breeze now keeping everything cool. I bought two Papayas and some Tomatoes from a local farmer, and will get some lettuce from the market for tonight’s dinner.
I am now having some issues with the alternator and will try to find one locally or get some parts sent in via a cruisers net friend from Florida.
All is well though as the solar will meet my demands if I don't tax the systems.
Well the beautiful water beckons and I must heed its call...

See you all soon.... I hope

Update

Well my alternator will need rebuilding or replacing when I get to Florida. The outboard is pretty much toast and have borrowed a friend’s motor to get me through and I am now back in Black Point…

On the trip down to Georgetown I found that the temperature sender had been painted during a rebuild and the contacts were not good. After scraping them of the paint the temperature was reading normal, and most likely the thermostat was removed by the previous owner for no good reason. I still will have to install one. The alternator will not charge unless I rev the engine up several times, I am not sure why but someone suggested the brushes may be sticking. I will replace that back in the states unless it dies completely out here.

I spent 13 days in Georgetown and a week of it with Graham and Peter. Even with all the problems we had a good time. The area is a tropical delight even with 350 other boats in the anchorage. And Tracie, I did get some pictures and will get copies of the other guy’s pictures as well but you really should go there yourself.

I found someone to help get the SSB and Pactor and computer all talking and now have radio email. They were a couple from Ontario who got married on the beach here. A very relaxing 2 weeks in all. After the guys left I went up to Emerald Bay Marina, part of Sandals resort and only a $1 a foot for an un-serviced dock. Spent two nights and used the free laundry and internet; enjoyed the pool table and free coffee and shuttle to the grocery store.

I left there about 10:00 and motor sailed up to Galliot Cut on my way back to Black Point. Spent the night anchored there and snorkeled for Conch and Lobster but didn’t find any. After breakfast we took a leisurely motor up to Black Point and are now here until we head up to Warderick Wells and get ready to cross to Eleuthra.

PS: uploading pictures is a pain with the internet connections here

Georgetown, Great Exuma

I am anchored off the monument beach in Georgetown. Relaxing and working on the boat and meeting new cruising friends. Graham and Peter are coming in Saturday at 5pm and so is a cold front... it may drop down to 24*C.... Burrr
There is a nice breeze now keeping everything cool. I bought two Papayas and some Tomatoes from a local farmer, and will get some lettuce from the market for tonights dinner.
I am now having some issues with the alternator and will try to find one locally or get some parts sent in via a cruisers net friend from Florida.
All is well though as the solar will meet my demands if I don't tax the systems.
Well the beautiful water beckons and I must heed it's call...

See you all soon.... I hope

Black point update Feb 7, 2011

I spent 2 nights at Staniel’s Cay after two days wandering the island and snorkeling in the grotto. It was a really nice town but the rum prices were too high for me…

I sailed for Black point with Island Moon and arrived at anchor at 13:15.

Black point has pretty good village and likely the best Laundromat south of Nassau. The next day I sailed down to Farmers Cay for the 5F festival and anchored on the west side near the airport. Some boats were to close and had planes dodging the masts as they took off. The big party was on Friday and I found a great bar where the can of coke was $5 and included a glass of ice and a half pint of rum.

We went hiking to a cave with a clear pool of water in the bottom and later on watched the finish of the C-class races. The next day we sailed back up to Black Point to watch the super bowl and wait for the winds to go north so we can sail down to Georgetown on Great Exuma.

I am having overheating problems and will try to order parts for Graham to bring out with him. As long as I sail it will be fine though. The solar is keeping everything charged up and will run a couple systems as long as I don’t push too much on it. Refrigeration and inverter or refrigeration and instruments and VHF … I think the autopilot and the inverter are the big power demands…

More to follow when I get to Georgetown…

Update from Black Point on Great Iguana

I left Coconut Grove In the early afternoon. I stopped for fuel to top up in the rain and managed to leave my spare gas can on the dock. I didn’t notice it until I reached Bimini. It was a pretty easy crossing to No Name harbor to wait for the morning to leave. I managed to sleep in a little and by the time I headed out at 06:30 all but one boat had left. Cara Mia had left Coconut Grove early and was about an hour ahead of me. At 08:20 I was crossing ahead of one freighter on a course of 120* but my actual path was about 80* as the Gulf Stream pushed me north. The depth sounder had maxed out at 522 feet. At 12:48 I spotted some islands in the distance and I was tied up to a dock in Bimini at 15:45. My only issue was hitting the bottom on the way in, I had to get in closer to shore than I thought the channel was and went in about 100 feet off the beach. I found out later that the channel is about 150 feet off the beach.

Checking in was not a problem, I asked for till May 1^st and they gave me 90 days without an issue and said to simply ask for an extension in Georgetown when it got close to the time.

I met a few new people and had internet intermittently at the Big Game Club with its $6.00 beers. A Florida fisherman enjoyed our sailing stories So much that he gave me a huge fillet of fish enough for 3 meals.

Jan 20 I left Bimini with two other boats to head for Nassau. Just as we rounded North Rock a thick fog closed in. I couldn’t see the lead boat only 200 feet away. After switching on the radar I saw him just as a large power boat came out of the fog and passed me a 100 feet away going in the opposite direction. We traveled the course line for several hours in the dense fog with only our radars and the GPS lines as reference but the last boat had AIS system and was able to see any freighter far ahead of our radars. Other than that first boat the crossing was somewhat uneventful. Island moon was letting us know about big ships long before they got close. We were traveling in the dark along the path the island freighters took. The water never got shallower than 15 feet. About midnight we were crossing out into the deep water but the wind was strong and opposing the tide and I had already  put 5 spare gallons into the tank and with the waves at night I wouldn’t be able to add any more. So I turned around and went 5 miles back in to where 4 other sailboats were anchored and spent the night there. I was exhausted and slept fairly long and when I woke up all the others were gone. I put in five more gallons and had a coffee and light breakfast and left

The winds had gone more south and getting into deep water was easier now. It was a long motor sail across to New Providence, almost 50 miles. The winds were out of the south at 10 to 13 knots and it was tight so I motor sailed all the way. At 14:00 I sighted New Providence and at 17:30 I had called in to harbor control and was at anchor in Nassau Harbor. I was time to cook up a nice piece of that fish for dinner.

Jan. 22, 2011

I am sitting in Nassau Harbour and just finished breakfast. I had pancakes with Quebec maple syrup that I got from Le Caboteur who I helped step his mast back in Castleton so many months ago. Several other boats are anchored here waiting on better weather to cross to the Exumas. Next to me is North Star, a trawler I met with Peter back in Chesapeake City before Thanksgiving. Later today I will put the motor on the dingy and head in to Nassau Town. It will be the first time I motor the dingy in over a month. But first I will relax a bit.

I spent a windy night on the anchor, but didn’t drag. The problem is the tidal current is making the boat sail all over. I went into town again to sightsee and visit friends and get online and do shopping and when I got back to the boat it was getting pretty close to North Star so I moved to the other side and reset. The boat is still sailing around and after two nights I went in to take a dock I spent three nights at two different docks the second one had a pool… NICE.

On Jan 27 with full tanks I left Nassau after clearing out. I departed at 08:30; Passed Athol’s Island at 09:10; entered the Yellow Bank at 11:30 and cleared it at 12:25. At 12:54 I saw islands in the distance and at 15:30 I was setting the anchor in Allen’s Cay harbour. Anchored 100 feet away was My Ty a French Canadienne boat we were moored next to in Annapolis Md. for the boat show back in October. I spent two nights there.

At 06:30 I contacted Nirvana Now on the SSB before the weather net. And by 07:45 I was hoisting the anchor and I departed for Warderick Wells with Island Moon. At 08:45 I was motor-sailing south along 76* 52” west longitude. At 09:30 the vessel Azimuth relayed my request for a mooring to the Exuma Land and Sea Park. That afternoon I was relaxing off another beautiful tropic island

We spent two days there and Jan 31 with ¾ tank of fuel we left for Compass Cay. It was a tricky way in, narrow and shallow but the tide was rising so we made it through and anchored off Pipe Cay, spent a rough night and left the next morning for Staniel’s Cay

By 10:30 I was happy at anchor off SCYC near Thunderball Grotto. I plan to spend a couple nights here before heading to Black Point on Great Guana Cay.

I am now in Black Point, I spent yesterday snorkling In Thunderball Grotto, Feed the reef fish bits of bread as they swarmed around me. I gave some bread to the kids from another boat and they delighted in feeding them as well
We enjoyed some pork chops in Island moon and socialized with a coupkle that bought a boat here and are sailing back to Australia in it. Then looked at a 54 bfoot yacht that is captained by a 30 year old guy from Wisconsin who got into this from an fine arts major.... go figure
My next planned stop is Little Farmers for the Festival if there is any room left to anchor this weekend.
The weather has been great the last few weeks even with hiding out from the fronts.

Enjoy the cold and come join me if you need a warm spell

Leaving Nassau

Looks like Thursday is the day we leave here for the Exumas. Todsay we had heavy rain and thunderstorms. Maybe 4" in about an hour, had to bail out the dingy...
I have stayed here longer than I wanted to, I hope to be in Highbourne or farther down by tomorrow night. I would like to make up some ground while the weather is good. I do plan to take a break at Staniels Cay, then push for Great Exuma. With any luck I will be relaxing in the harbour when my friends arrive on Feb 12.
If I don't update or contact anyone tomorrow then I am on my way.
Time to break free of the docklines again... And say goodbye to the swimming pool and hot spacious showers.....

Nassau Bahamas Sunday Jan 23, 2011

I left Coconut Grove In the early afternoon. I stopped for fuel to top up in the rain and managed to leave my spare gas can on the dock. I didn’t notice it until I reached Bimini. It was a pretty easy crossing to No Name harbor to wait for the morning to leave. I managed to sleep in a little and by the time I headed out at 06:30 all but one boat had left. Cara Mia had left Coconut Grove early and was about an hour ahead of me. At 08:20 I was crossing ahead of one freighter on a course of 120* but my actual path was about 80* as the Gulf Stream pushed me north. The depth sounder had maxed out at 522 feet. At 12:48 I spotted some islands in the distance and I was tied up to a dock in Bimini at 15:45. My only issue was hitting the bottom on the way in, I had to get in closer to shore than I thought the channel was and went in about 100 feet off the beach. I found out later that the channel is about 150 feet off the beach.

Checking in was not a problem, I asked for till May 1^st and they gave me 90 days without an issue and said to simply ask for an extension in Georgetown when it got close to the time.

I met a few new people and had internet intermittently at the Big Game Club with its $6.00 beers. A Florida fisherman enjoyed our sailing stories So much that he gave me a huge fillet of fish enough for 3 meals.

Jan 20 I left Bimini with two other boats to head for Nassau. Just as we rounded North Rock a thick fog closed in. I couldn’t see the lead boat only 200 feet away. After switching on the radar I saw him just as a large power boat came out of the fog and passed me a 100 feet away going in the opposite direction. We traveled the course line for several hours in the dense fog with only our radars and the GPS lines as reference but the last boat had AIS system and was able to see any freighter far ahead of our radars. Other than that first boat the crossing was somewhat uneventful. Island moon was letting us know about big ships long before they got close. We were traveling in the dark along the path the island freighters took. The water never got shallower than 15 feet. About midnight we were crossing out into the deep water but the wind was strong and opposing the tide and I had already  put 5 spare gallons into the tank and with the waves at night I wouldn’t be able to add any more. So I turned around and went 5 miles back in to where 4 other sailboats were anchored and spent the night there. I was exhausted and slept fairly long and when I woke up all the others were gone. I put in five more gallons and had a coffee and light breakfast and left

The winds had gone more south and getting into deep water was easier now. It was a long motor sail across to New Providence, almost 50 miles. The winds were out of the south at 10 to 13 knots and it was tight so I motor sailed all the way. At 14:00 I sighted New Providence and at 17:30 I had called in to harbor control and was at anchor in Nassau Harbor. I was time to cook up a nice piece of that fish for dinner.

Made it to Bimini

I would enjoy this trip much more if I had someone to share it with. The good things in life are meant to be shared.
I crossed from Miami to Bimini today. About 60 miles in total, it was rough and a little windy but it went well. Now safely tied up in the harbour. Only bumped (once) trying to find the entrance. I circled around until someone came out... The channel was a lot closer to the beach than I thought.
I will keep you posted whenever I can.

Arrived in Coconut Grove

I left Ft Lauderdale and had a wild downwind ride to Miami and entered the cut at 15:30, passed the Richenbacher Bridge at 15:55 and arrived in Coconut Grove about 17:00
I took a morring at the Coconut Grove Sail Club for four nights close to Kajon and Glenice, two boats I have been travelling close to since Oriental NC since early November.
I am getting the supplies I think I will need and waiting on a weather window. The forecast looks good for crossing to Bimini on Tuesday morning and with luck will be in the Bahamas Tuesday night.
I am anxious to start this new part of the trip, it is what I have been planning for, for last few years.
Once I leave here I will not have a phone or internet for a while. I will look for internet cafes along the way but don't count on getting any coverage unless I get lucky or desperate.
My plan is to check in in Bimini, cross the banks to Chub and then to Nassau. Then it is off to the Exumas and points south. Wish me luck and I will update when I can

Titusville is far astern now

Sunday Jan 9, 2011

Well I finally got out of Titusville. I was feeling stuck there, it was getting to comfortable to be there and another week and I would have never left. Made some friends and left a few behind. Most of the friends I had made are farther south or in the Bahamas now. My only regret is I have no one to share this with; special times are truly special when they are shared with a friend.

I started the engine at 07:10 and after carefully untying and maneuvering out of the dock I requested an opening and I passed through the Max Brewer Bridge at 08:00. It was a long uneventful motor down the waterway. The Canaveral Canal had closed for maintenance while I sat in Titusville. The next outlet to the ocean was Fort Pierce. I motored for the entire day and arrived at Jones’ Fruit Dock at 17:30 about 15 minutes before sunset. No one was around and there were no services. I tied up for the night after motoring 71.91 NM in 10 hours and left at 07:10 the next morning.

I motored for 4 hours and stopped for fuel at Fort Pierce. They allowed me to stay on the fuel dock and I took a shower and had lunch at a waterfront restaurant. By 12:15 I was on my way. I was losing focus and almost hit a channel marker; it was hard to see ahead with the dingy on the foredeck. I was heading to Manatee Pocket but when I saw a couple boats anchored north of the Jensen Beach Bridge I decided to stop at 14:40 and 39.51 NM

The morning dawned with thick fog and even with the radar the channel marks don’t show up and the channel is quite narrow. By 08:15 the fog was lifting a little and by 08:30 I headed out. I followed a couple boats a way but one turned off and the other didn’t show on radar. After leaving the channel a few times the fog lifted and at 09:30 I turned out to enter the ocean at St Lucie inlet. On the way out I had a CBP boat checking me out. After a few minutes they sped of around me and hooked around a red buoy I thought was out of place but marked a dogleg in the cut. Thank you CBP. The shallowest spot was about 6.5 feet beside the breakwater but it was a rising tide and a few minutes later I was out in the ocean.
The winds were light and forecast out of the west all day but as usual the forecast was wrong. The one thing I was worried about was the hard freeze forecast so my plan was to get as far south as I could before the 15-20 and gust to 30 started. As usual the wind was anywhere but west and I had about a hundred miles to Fort Lauderdale. It would be another long day of motoring. I was doing about 7.3 knots through the water but had a contrary current of 1.5 to 2 knots.
Around lunch a pod of dolphins came to play beside me, enjoying the wake and breaching beside me. I took several pictures, one dolphin wanted more attention and slapped the water with his tail 3 times until he managed to splash me. That was something new to me, has anyone ever experienced that before?
At 14:20 I was about 1020 miles south of Norfolk VA. The moon would be a half tonight and the sky was lightly overcast. My ETA for Ft Lauderdale was after 21:00. It was a long day but I was finally in the channel and I tied to a mooring at 22:30. Today I did 99.35NM.

I think I will stay here an extra night. The mooring is only $30.00 a night and it is cold out now, the cold forecast finally arriving.

I feel I am stuck in the mud

This may be my last posting for a while. I had hoped to get out of here today or tomorrow but now it looks like early Sunday. My package hasn't arrived yet. I can't wait any longer though. If it doesn't arrive in tomorrow I will not worry about it. Have it shipped by courrier if it ever does show up.
I waited too long and they closed the canaveral canal thatr I planned to get out into the ocean from. Instead of 30 hours sailing it will be three or four days to Fort Pierce the next outlet. It is over 200 miles to Miami and inside I can only do 30 to 50 mile days... such is life
It has gotten cold here again. I want warmth and sun and island breezes

Update Jan 3/11

Monday Jan. 3, 2011

I am doing small chores on the boat as I wait for a course manual that I need for my water license renewal to arrive. I called California and got them to ship it directly here in three days. Shipping to Canada and back would have taken two weeks or more.

It took a while but I finally got the GPS to sync with the new net book computer, now I will have a backup to the laptop, just in case. So I guess I will enjoy the comfort of shore power and hot showers for a few more days. I will then make tracks south. 

Unless something comes up I will just stop for the night on my way south and leave the dingy lashed on the foredeck. I have a few friends that will cross the stream this month and it will be better to go as a group. So now I must prepare myself for a night time crossing of the Gulf Stream, 60 miles or more across the open ocean.

Time to start again

It’s Thursday morning and I am sitting in the airport waiting on the plane that will take me back to the boat. It was freezing rain last night but the weather in Titusville will be in the 70’s. Jackie and Dave will be meeting me at the airport in Orlando, then off to the boat. Friends of ours are in Vero on a mooring and I may try to catch up to them.

The next phase of my adventure starts now.

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Sunday Jan 2/11 I am going to traveling alone, our friends that we travelled with for several hundred miles, her mother broke a hip so they have cancelled their journey to stay with mom till she is a little better. I feel I am wasting enough time here, the barnacles will be moving it. My dock expires in two days and I need to get a couple tasks done so I can leave. My new little computer runs the Fugawi software but won’t recognize the multiplexer. I may need software from New Zealand to correct it and a course for work needs to be sent to me, but where???

The new dodger looks great and covers the entire cockpit. The refrigeration is working well, motor is harder to start than when I left but runs good for a 25 y/o engine. I may order a windlass but not today…. Not sure what else to check on or upgrade and the only thing standing in my way now will be my own reluctance to head out.

The one thing I wish I had on the boat is a traveling companion to share this with, it is going to be a very subdued trip now when there is no one you care about to share it with.