ATLANTIS!!!

5.20.13 After leaving Warderick Wells, we stopped at Hawksbill Cay for two days as it is hands down our favorite beach in the Bahamas. We relaxed, swam with the mutt and had a bonfire. It was a great way to bring our trip to the Bahamas to a close. We have since been moving quickly up the island chain with few stops. We made it to Nassau last night and anchored off of Rose Island in a "protected" cove - HA! We had no protection. The wind was coming from the East and we were facing into the wind, however we were getting strange waves from the South that were slamming into the beam of the boat and rocking us side to side. This continued all through the night and since the wind was strong and the cove was shallow, we alternated anchor alarm watch and neither of us got much sleep due to the bouncing around. This morning, as soon as we could see outside, we hauled up anchor and headed in to Atlantis. This is our one splurge of the trip that we both look forward to. It is filled with days at the water park, laundry, hot, long showers, lightening fast internet, and of course, nights at the casino. We will sit here for a few days while these winds blow and then hopefully we will be able to head back stateside within the week. We have had a blast here in the Bahamas, despite the mishaps, but are looking forward to the comforts of being dockside in the U.S. See everyone soon!

Warderick Wells

5.16.13 We arrived in Warderick Wells, the park headquarters, on Sunday and dropped the hook in calm waters. We knew the wind was going to pick up in a day or two, so we opted to go snorkeling while the wind was still calm. We found some beautiful coral on the ocean side of the park and caught some video of a large spotted eagle ray swimming beneath us, as well as encountering several sharks nurse sharks. The coral heads were beautiful and because of the swift current, the water was crystal clear. We snorkeled a few other spots and then took Koa to shore in the afternoon for a swim. When the winds picked up, we spent the days hiking around the island. There are trails all over the island and you can walk from one end to the other pretty easily. While we didn't do that, we did hike many of the winding trails back and forth across the island and captured some beautiful scenery. And of course, we visited Boo Boo Hill where cruisers leave driftwood pieces with their boat names on them - either painted or carved. We spent time sorting through them to see how many of our friends' boats we could spot. Our second night at anchor, our friends on Voyager showed up and invited us over for dinner. They are just completing their 14 year circumnavigation and are heading back to Cape Canaveral so we spent an evening being regaled with tales of their journey. It seems we will be traveling at the same pace, so will likely be seeing more of them. We have also across several problem since being here in the park. We realized that we are low on water and on food - none of which can be found in the park. We are in super water conservation mode and are having to get creative with our canned food to make dinners. And last night, our camping stove connector broke and we can no longer us it. Luckily, we have a half tank of CNG left. So, we are also cooking very frugally in hopes that we have enough fuel to get us home. It will definitely be interesting to see how the remainder of the trip pans out. We will at least be able to restock food and water in Nassau. We are just holding our breaths about the stove fuel.

Snorkeling at Cambridge Cay

5.11.13 We left Staniel Cay yesterday afternoon after provisioning and headed back into the Exuam Land and Sea Park. We anchored off of Bell Island, a private island right inside the park. We did not reach our anchorage until the early evening, so we just spent a relaxing evening on the boat. The following morning, we were up early to catch the slack tides. We headed out to the site of the plane wreck that Brad and Shane had discovered earlier in the week. We tied up to the dinghy mooring there and spent a good half hour checking out the wreck. Once we had loaded out camera with pictures, we untied ourselves from the mooring and did a drift dive with the dinghy over beautiful corals lots of brightly colored fish. We saw a mammoth grouper and were escorted by several large barracuda during our snorkel. Once we reached the other side of the coral heads, we hopped back in the dinghy and moved up to another snorkel site. This one was just as beautiful with a school of amberjack, some lobsters, a lionfish, and many small colorful fish. We headed back to the boat for lunch and to wait for the next tide shift so that we could snorkel Rocky Dundas caves. We heard some friends of ours on the radio and we decided we would all get together at a local marina for sundowners. At low tide, we headed over to the caves and tied up to a mooring and snorkeled in to the cave. It was cavernous inside with stalactites growing all along the walls and a hole in the ceiling lighting the whole cave. At low tide, we were able to stand up on the bottom so we could snap some pictures. We noticed some dinghies pull up outside the cave and since there wasn't much room getting in and out, we opted to head out before they started coming in. We snorkeled some of the beautiful corals around the mouth of the cave until suddenly, off to my right, I saw a shark disappearing into the gloom. Brad was ahead of me a ways and I told myself not to panic and since he was leaving the area, to continue snorkeling. But I couldn't get my mind off of him, so I waved Brad back over and waited until we were safely in the dinghy before telling him what I had seen. Although I wasn't as concerned as I thought I would be when I saw my first shark, we were both hesitant to get back in the water, so we headed over for sundowners. We had an enjoyable evening with our friends from "Mattina" and "Voyager" and will head up to Warderick Wells tomorrow to tuck in for an upcoming blow.

Visitors!!

5.8.13 Warning - this is a long post, but worth the read! We just finished loading Kathleen and Shane onto their planes to head back to real life. What a great four days we had with them! Shane arrived first and was just in time to snorkel Thunderball grotto. The day was perfect and there was no one else in the cave so we had time to swim around and enjoy the fish and coral without anyone running into or over us. Kathleen arrived a few hours later and once we had everyone safely loaded into the boat, we pulled up anchor and headed up to Big Major Spot. Unfortunately, the first day they were there, the wind was steady out of the west and we were wide open and vulnerable. We spent the evening at the beach just to get off the rocking boat. We met up with our friends on Kanaloa again and they generously gave us some of their mahi in exchange for some of our beer. After avoiding the bouncing boat for as long as we could, we finally headed back for a delicious fish dinner. We all turned in early as the hours in the sun had worn everyone out. The following day, the west winds remained so we all got off the boat for some reprieve from the waves. We dinghied around the back side of the islands into some calmer waters and to enjoy the beaches. At lunch, we returned to the boat to find that the wind had finally backed off and we were rocking comfortably. In celebration of Cinco de Drinko, we opted to move the mothership back over near Staniel Cay to attend their happy hour and Mexican buffet night. We headed in that evening and all enjoyed some cervecas and a delicious buffet of tacos and key lime pie. We all ate our weight in tacos and then crawled back to the boat. We woke everyone up early the following morning and headed North into the Exuma Land and Sea Park. Unfortunately, the wind had died down to nothing, which, while comfortable for sitting at anchor, does not bode well for a traveling sailboat. We tacked for a good two hours and when we had only gotten three miles from Staniel Cay, opted to turn on the motor. We made it just South of the park and so after lunch, dinghied over into the park for some snorkeling. We had heard that Cambridge Cay was one of the best snorkeling spots in the park, so we were excited to show our guests some of the beautiful coral and fish. After scouting out some of the coral spots, we realized they were in strong current, so we decided to go two at a time, leaving two people to man the dinghy while the other two drift snorkeled the sights. Shane and I were first in, and after about 10 minutes of floating along with the current, we realized the corals there a lot to be desired. They were mostly soft corals and the almost no fish. We climbed back into the dinghy to search out other spots. Brad and Shane were next in at the next site and found the current to be even stronger and the coral to be small. Kathleen and I had had enough of dinghying around, so the boys dropped us off at the beach and they continued the hunt for snorkel spots. While the girls were working on their tans, the boys found a few decent snorkel sites and also a plane wreck to snorkel. We were all hoping to snorkel Rocky Dundas, which is supposed to be a neat cave with stalactites and stalagmites, but the current was running too swiftly to allow us entrance. The following day, we hauled up anchor around 0800 and headed out into the Exuma Sound to try our hand at fishing. It was a beautiful morning, and despite having to motor the whole way since there was no wind, everyone was relaxed and enjoyed the cruise. Unfortunately, we were not successful in our fish catching venture. Once inside the Staniel Cay Cut, we anchored right in front of Thunderball Grotto to go again and show Kathleen. We took some fish food (corns bits) and headed over. The day was perfect to snorkel, so of course the grotto was crowded. We waited until there was a lull, then headed inside. Everyone got a chance to feed the fish and we took lots of pictures before another group of tourons descended onto the cave. After some lady crawled up my back because she couldn't swim in the current, I took that as a sign to head back to the boat. We upped anchor again and headed back to Big Major Spot and took them over to visit the notorious swimming pigs. When we dinghied over and showed them we had some carrots to offer, two of them swam out to our dinghy. Shane, the country boy, easily lead them close enough to the dinghy for some good pictures and then fed them the carrots and we dinghied out of the way and circled around the go in again. This time, Kathleen tried to feed the pig, but she was holding the carrot out with one hand and trying to take pictures with the other. She was so focused on taking the pictures, that she was neglecting to give the pig the carrot and he got his head very far in before she quickly dropped the carrot and we sped out of his way. We went in one more time, this time with Brad holding the carrot. He was even worse than Kathleen. When the pig approached, he wanted him to get as close as possible, but when he opened his mouth right next Brad, he panicked and stood up. The pig was not leaving without that carrot and launched himself out of the water and put one of his hooves on the dinghy in pursuit of the carrot, we all screamed and Brad held the carrot higher for fear of losing a finger. Finally, he dropped the carrot for the pig and the pig dropped back into the water. If he had waited another minute, we might have had a pig in the dinghy and I have a feeling the four of us would have been in the water. We were all laughing hysterically and the other boat watching us said we were more entertaining than the pigs. We considered that a succesful pig feeding and headed back to the boat before the pigs approached again. We spent the remainder of the day swimming with Koa off the back of the boat and then ended the night with a bonfire on the beach. It was a relaxing end to their vacation.

Mermaid Dive

5.1.13 This morning we got up and at slack tide, we dinghied down to Rudder Cut Cay to snorkel. We had been told that there was a sculpture that someone had made of a mermaid sitting at the bench of a grand piano. This person had welded this sculpture and then sunk it in the middle of a sandy area and secured it to the ground. So, we donned our mask and fins to check it out. Sure enough, in the middle of the sandy spot just off the beach, in about 20 feet of water was this beautiful piece of art. The mermaid sits on the ground with her arm on the bench and her tail has even been designed to glitter in the sunlight. It was fabulous and definitely worth the journey. After we had snorkeled, we headed up to Black Point to catch up on some laundry and pick up some groceries. There was little to no wind, but we opted to sail anyway since we were in no rush. Along the way, many of the friends we had made down in Georgetown passed us by and we all agreed to meet up for drinks the following night.

Leaving Gtown

4/29/13 Our last few weeks in Georgetown have been filled with activities. Since we've gotten our "in" with the volleyball guys, we have been playing almost everyday. Brad plays poker Tuesday and Thursday and I have been joining everyone up at the bar while he plays. He has also started playing a more competitive cash game on Sundays. The local Family Island Regatta was last week. Boats from all of the islands are raced in this national event. And people from all over the islands come down to watch and cheer for their island's boats. There are shacks built at the government dock just for this occassion - they sell food and drinks and souvenirs 24 hours a day. And there are always people there. All three classes (A,B and C) of boats race for four days. The winner is the one with the lowest cumulative score. One day we joined a group of people on our friend's boat - Kanaloa - and we chased the race boats around while they went around all the buoys. It was great being in the middle of all the action and we met some fun new boater friends while we were out too! Another day, we took our dinghy out and followed them around. We saw two boats collide, miss the buoy and lose the lead because they had to go back around. We also saw one boat sink! It is quite an adventure and we were glad we stuck around. We have also been spending a lot of time with our cruising friends who we know we will soon have to part ways from. Our friends on Necesse are leaving about the same time we are to head South. We have known them since our first trip down to Georgetown and will be sad to see them go. But we wish them luck on their trip down! Here are some pictures of Eben and Koa swimming with the dolphins off the beach! Tomorrow we head North towards Staniel Cay where we will pick up some visitors for a few days. Hopefully the weather gods will treat them nicely!

Anchor Upheaval

A few days ago, we had just arrived at a bonfire on the beach and were standing around chatting with a few of our friends when our boat neighbors pulled up in their dinghy, yelling for us. As they were getting in their dinghy to head to the bonfire, they witnessed a boat anchor in front of us, back down until they were practically on top of us and then pull their anchor back up - only their anchor had hooked onto our roll bar and they had pulled up our anchor simultaneously! We jumped back in the dinghy and rushed back to our boat. As it turns out, there was a small boat that had anchored right off our bow, and in the process of anchoring, his engine had given out. He was drifting right towards our boat, so he just threw the anchor overboard to stop himself. When he got the engine back up and running, he was going to reanchor and had hauled in his anchor. Only, to his surprise and all the boats around us, I am sure, our anchors had become entangled and he had brought up ours as well! He did the only thing he could and quickly threw our anchor back in the water. One of our other neighbors quickly came over to make sure that he got his anchor set and that our boat wasn't dragging. By the time we made it back to the boat, the situation was under control and we only had to back down on our anchor to insure that it was, in fact, dug in and secure. We spoke to both neighbors and the situation was explained, apologies doled out and then we headed back to the bonfire. It was quite an experience and certainly not one I want to repeat! Thank goodness for our awesome new Rocna anchor that held the boat steady even while sitting on top of the sand - the situation could definitely have been worse!

Georgetown Synopsis

4.9.13 Since it has been awhile since I've updated this, here is a synopsis of our stay in Georgetown thus far. We have been playing fun volleyball on the beach everyday at 2pm with about 20 other folks. It is an easy game, nine people on the court, hit it as many times as is needed to get it over. We have met lots of new people there and are enjoying our days in the sun. We hike Koa over to the ocean side of the island every day or so and let him run free - he loves it! We had our friend, Eben on Necesse, repair our mainsail and aso do a few small repairs on our bimini. He did an outstanding job and went above and beyond for practically nothing but the price of friendship. Brad has been playing poker twice a week and although he has made it to the final table multiple times, the win has been eluding him. We tend to spend our evenings at home, as cruisers midnight is right around 9pm. But we did attend a night of drinking and music across the harbour at one of the local bars. It was mostly cruisers and mostly people we knew so we had a blast. There have also been a few bonfires just up the beach from us that have been a great time - one of which was organized for Brad's birthday. We had a cake and everyone sang to him and made a big deal about him turning 30 - it was a blast! We moved the boat across the harbour this week to get protection from a strong front coming through, with possible 50 knot squalls. But, thankfully, the squalls never happened and we only got a bit of rain. We provisioned in town and then reanchored our boat right off of Chat and Chill Beach. Chat and Chill is a little bar with the worst service in town, but it has a huge beach and everyone gathers there everyday around 2pm to socialize, drink, swim, and play volleyball. We had anchored farther away before and just dinghied over, but we wanted to be right there for all the action. We finally got an invite to play regulation volleyball this week. This is for the more competitive people around and we play real volleyball (with rules) and only have 2-4 people on the court. We played for three hours yesterday and we were exhausted! We were the youngest on the court, but we were the most out of shape! It was fun and we held our own and got a great workout! For competitive people like us, it is much more rewarding than fun volleyball! The harbour is getting thin here with anywhere from 5-10 boats leaving daily. We are sad that we missed the regatta and all the madness that it brings, but we have had so much fun with the few cruisers that are here and we practically have the run of the place. We are having a transmission issue so we will have to use our engine sparingly when we head back home. Unfortunately, this means that we will not make it any farther and will leave in the next week or two to head back North. This trip has definitely been trying on our soul and our pockets and we are frustrated to not have made it any farther. But it has fueled us to head back, get jobs again for the summer and come back and do it right next year! We are looking forward to another week or so of entertainment here and then we will head back up the Exuma chain for a few weeks before finally plodding home.

Georgetown -- finally!

3.11.13 Yesterday, we pulled up anchor before dawn and motored out towards Little Farmers. The wind was supposed to be nonexistent that day, but had decided that after the many mishaps we had been having, an uneventful day of motoring was just fine with us. We made good time and had hit the cut out into the Ocean by 0900. We had a very boring day of motoring ahead of us - it would take about 11 hours to get there. We were both anxious to get there, and the motoring proved more boring than we had anticipated. Luckily, around 1100, we had a fish hit one of our poles! It was a mad scramble to get to the pole, get the dog downstairs and get everything cleared out of the cockpit so that we could bring the fish on board. While I was taking care of all that, Brad was reeling the fish in. In our excitement, we had stopped communicating and suddenly, we were spinning in circles because neither one of us was at the helm! Luckily, we made a quick recovery and Brad made short work of bringing the fish to the boat. I took over the pole and Brad gaffed the fish and brought him in to the cockpit. It was a beautiful 3 foot mahi! We were so excited! We have been dying to catch a mahi since we first started fishing on our boat. I took over the helm while Brad filleted him and and then I was on cleanup duty - somehow I think I got the worse end of that deal. We had so much fish! We decided not to even put more lines back in because we didn't even know how we were going to eat what we already had! The rest of the day was slow going and uneventful, but we made it to Georgetown before nightfall and had the anchor down in our favorite anchorage off Monument Beach just in time to head over to St Francis for drinks with friends! We had a great night and were so excited to be back with friends. Today, we met up with our friends on Necesse, who have two young daughters. We had agreed that we would bring the fish if they would cook. We had a great dinner together and then the boys went to poker night while the girls stayed home and hung out on the boat. Brad came in second in the tournament! He was so excited! It has been a great start to our Georgetown time and we are glad to finally be back.

Sailing the Bank

3.10.13 We left Warderick Wells early this morning to head South along the Exuma bank. We realized this morning that the sail had torn below the first reef, so as long as we kept the first reef in, we could still use the mainsail. So, with the wind on our beam we made a speedy passage down to Black Point. It was an enjoyable day and we made great time. We were so relieved to be in Black Point that we opted to stay there for a few days and relax and enjoy the town. We unloaded the dinghy and enjoyed a day tooling around the town. We dinghied over to some nearby islands and enjoyed the pristine beaches all to ourselves. We planned to head South to Little Farmers one day, but the wind was on the nose and we were slamming in to waves. We opted to stay and enjoy one more day in Black Point and make a long day of it and go all the way to Georgetown the following day.

Warderick Wells, Exuma

3.9.13 We left early this morning to head to Warderick Wells, Exuma - FINALLY! The wind was strong, but it was on our stern so we barely felt it. The waves were relatively calm and were also on our stern so we were anticipating a great day! The first part of the day was just that - we enjoyed an easy sail and were making good headway towards Exuma. When the wind died down halfway through the day, we raised the mainsail to increase our speed a bit. Things started to go downhill from there. We snagged a fish on one of our poles, but by the time I made it to the pole, he was gone. We had also put a preventer line on our mainsail to prevent it from jibing and slamming across our boat to the other side. When the wind shifted, Brad went to remove the preventer line with a boat hook. It proved easy enough, but while he was untying the line, the boat hook slipped right off his lap into the water. By this time, the waves were more than we had bargained for and we were not up for turning around the retrieve it. That makes boat hook number 2, lost to the sea this trip. By now, the wind and waves had piped up considerably and we were within sight of land, about 5 miles from the cut. We were jibing in to try to make it there under sail, meaning we were crossing with the wind on our stern, which is a bit tricky, as you have to make sure that when the wind catches the sail, you don't allow it to slam across the boat, possibly tearing the sail. We had done a few controlled jibes and were steadily making our way to the cut. We did another, normal jibe but on this one, the sail protested and tore almost completely down the seam - from bow to stern. We both just started at it for a good minute, not seeming to comprehend what had happened. We had done everything correctly, controlled jibes, easy turns - but in the end, the old sails sealed our fate. We had yet another ripped sail on our hands. So, 3 miles from shore in 3-5 foot seas, we had to turn in to the wind and try to get the sail down. It was a bit bouncy and set us back about 2 miles, but we finally got it all hauled down. We were both extremely disheartened and loped in to Warderick Wells just before sunset. We got the anchor down and both collapsed. Tomorrow we will figure out the sail issue and hopefully head South towards Georgetown.

Great Sail and a Sick Pup

3.6.13 Today was a great sailing day! We left early this morning at first light and headed South. With the dinghy still turtled on deck and the wind directly off our beam, we sliced through the water at a speedy 7 knots. We had to cover 40 miles today and at this rate, we would be there by lunchtime. Luck was on our side today and we held firm at 5-6 knots all day, making excellent time and having a smooth sail, with the waves off our stern. We made it to Rock Sound by 1pm and had the anchor in by 1:30. We were tucked up close to the western shore, along with about a dozen other boats. We were planning on heading in to town, but the waves from the west wind changed our mind. Hopefully it will lay down tonight and we will be able to go in tomorrow to stretch our legs. On a side note, Koa spiked a sudden fever of 104.0 degrees last night for no apparents reason. We didn't even suspect he was sick until he suddenly wouldn't eat - an emergency situation for our mutt! With some fluids and close monitoring, he is back to normal today with what we believe to be a case of kennel cough (like a cold for dogs) possibly obtained from the stray dogs on these islands.

Hatchet Bay

3.5.13 Much to our chagrin, we sat in Royal Island for three days waiting out a blow from the North. We were very concerned about dragging anchor in such a confined space, but were relieved when our new Rocna anchor held tight through the whole thing. We finally crawled out of Royal Island when the wind died and motored our way SouthEast towards Current Cut. Here the water rushes through a narrow 50 yard cut in the land, all the water from the bank draining and flowing from the ocean through this cut. The cut is usually only passable when the current is going with you and even then should be taken when the current is slack. We made it there earlier than the tide shift, with the current on our stern. Fortunately, the current that day was weak due to the tides and we were pushed through with a modest 2 knot addition to our stern. We were quickly sucked in and pushed through the other side with any drama. We made it a few hours later to Hatchet Bay, another narrow cut through high cliffs (this one only about 20 yards wide) and into a small bay on the inside. We had hoped to pick up on of the free city moorings, but that was not to be as they were all taken. We were bummed, but loped over to the shallows and dropped anchor for the night.

The Neverending Day

3.1.13 After a week of tooling around the Abacos, we are more than ready to head South. The weather has been great this week and we have trekked around to Lubbers Quarters, Hopetown , Man O War and Marsh Harbour enjoying the sailing, sunny skies and beautiful waters. But, finally, after a ten day wait we got a phone call yesterday saying that our sail was ready. And it couldn't have come at a better time as a window for the crossing is in our sights. We hauled anchor early this morning, eager to collect our sail as soon as possible. Unforunately, the day was grey, rainy and cold. We made it to Man O War under motor and pulled into the protected, albeit overcrowded harbour and picked up a mooring. We excitedly dinghied over to Jay Manni's dock to retrieve our headsail. It was a beautiful sight to see, folded and corded neatly at the entrance to his workshop. We couldn't have been happier! We ferried the sail home, I mean back to the mothership, and immediately set about hauling her back into position. Once up, and inspected, we rolled her back up, released the mooring lines and headed back out into the sea of Abaco. It seemed as if everything was going our way - finally! We were heading South to stage at Lynyard Cay and tomorrow was looking like the perfect day to cross. The day, although cold and rainy was a great sailing day and gave us a chance to check the jib and make sure it was performing well before the crossing. We made it to Lynyard Cay by early afternoon and dropped the hook. We hauled the dinghy and outboard up on deck and stowed everything in preparation for the crossing. As is our habit, we checked the weather once we were anchored and saw that, much to our chagrin, conditions for tomorrow seemed to be deteriorating. The wind was going to be stronger than we had anticipated and out in the open ocean, that was the last thing we wanted. After much discussion and hemming and hawing amongst ourselves, we decided that the best time to go would in fact be right now. Although we were tired, we didn't want to miss this window! So, we had a quick dinner and took off for Eleuthra an hour before sundown. The crossing was great! We had perfect conditions and great wind, sending us at a brisk 6-7 knots towards Eleuthra. We would be there before dawn and the trip would only take about 10 hours. We were ecstatic! Of course, as this trip had proven, the good can only last so long. About 3 in the morning, the wind shifted and then died and brought with it a barrage of freezing cold rain. Of course, I was at the helm at this point, as always seems to be the case when it is pouring down rain in the pitch black dark. I told Brad to stay below - no sense in both of us being miserable. We arrived at the bank around 4am and motored in to anchor just outside of Royal Island. Royal Island is an encloed anchorage, protected from all sides and was perfect for the upcoming blow. Unfortunately you have to pass through a narrow channel and without light, that was not something we were up for. We anchored just outside in the lee of a hill and took a three hour nap. Despite being freezing cold and utterly exhausted, we hauled up the anchor and headed in to Royal Island where we dropped hook and lazed around for the rest of the day. Finally, after weeks of waiting, we had finally left the Abacos! Although the end of the crossing hadn't gone smashingly and we were utterly exhausted from the day that never seemed to end, we were happy to be in Eleuthra.

Murphy's Law

2.19.13 Well it seems that if something bad can happen on this boat, it will. We were so excited to be finally leaving Marsh Harbour for the last time. We left this morning to head to Lynyard Cay to stage for our crossing on Thursday. The winds were good, coming from the South, but we had no problem tacking as the day was beautiful. Clear water, now waves, and never ending beautiful blue skies above. We had just rounded the tip of Matt Loew's Cay and were making excellent time with the wind abeam. We were both sitting back enjoying the sun when there was suddenly a loud ripping sound on the bow of the boat accompanied by something slapping the deck. When we stuck our head out to see what the heck had happened, we were both agape. The headsail had completely ripped in half! The lower half was hanging in the water and the upper half was slapping in the wind. When we finally got our wits about us, we immediately decided to lower the sail and just get it inside. Unfortunately, we have to turn away from the wind to do this and we were quite close to shore. While I was manning the helm and the lines from the cockpit, Brad ran to the bow to pull the sail in. It didn't take us long, but we were perilously close to shore by the time we got the sail down. After a quick turnaround, we headed over to Hopetown, which was just to our west. While Brad took care of the sail, I immediately hit the VHF to see if anyone in the area could tell us where to repair our sails. As is usually the case in the sailing community, we were not short of knowledge and were soon directed to Man O War Cay. It was a short sail (with only the main sail up) over to Man O War and we headed inside the narrow channel to pick up a mooring ball. We had been told that Jay Munney was the sailmaker to go see, so we loaded the sail into the dinghy and headed over. He met us down on the dock and helped us take the sail up the hill to his "workshop". And by workshop, I mean downstairs workshop in a beautiful mansion of a house sitting atop a hill overlooking the Sea of Abaco. Sail Repair must be a good gig.... Anyway, much to our chagrin and utter disappointment, it looks like the sail won't be ready until the end of next week. All our hopes to leave Abaco and make it to Georgetown for the Regatta are completely dashed. So tomorrow we will have a beach day and snorkel the Fowl Cay Preserve and then figure out how to entertain ourselves for another week. Here are a few pictures where you can see the two parts of the sail.

Take 2

2.19.13 We are leaving Marsh Harbour today, hopefully for the last time. The winds look like they will finally cooperate this week and we hope to make the crossing on Thursday. Sean went home on Saturday; he was a fun addition and we will miss him here on All In. He made a good decision though, as the winds were predicted to pipe up to 30-40 knots on Saturday night. We decided that instead of bouncing around all night, we would go back into Mangoes Marina where we would be more protected. Unfortunately, most of the other boats in the harbour had the same idea. By the time we got in that morning, all of the slips were full. The dockmaster managed to wedge us into a small slip as a last minute addition and we were very grateful! After seeing Sean off, we stopped at the local bakery to get some fresh baked cinnamon rolls, then on to Batelco (the local phone company) to get our cell phone and internet straightened out for the fourth time. That evening, since we were tied up to the dock and not worried about dragging anchor, we were able to go in the Snappas and watch the Maryland Terps defeat No.2 Duke!!!! It is a great year to be a Maryland Sports fan for sure! The winds did meet the predictions overnight that night, gusting into the high 30s. We slept soundly being tucked in against the shore. Unfortunately, for the next two days, that cold front brought more wind, rain and very cold temperatures. We spent most of the next two days holed up on the boat trying to stay warm and dry. We finally left the marina yesterday, ran some errands to stock up on supplies for the trip south and we hope to make it to our staging point at Lynyard Cay tonight. We are praying for the weather to cooperate and the waves to lay down a bit so we can finally make it south!

The Waiting Game

2.13.13 Well, one week later and here we still sit, waiting on the winds to change in our favor. It is frustrating since this area usually has prevailing Easterlies (which would be perfect for our trip) that we have seen nothing but South wind for the whole week. Hopefully we can ride the beginning on the front coming through this weekend down to Eleuthra. The Abacos have been good to us, but we are ready to move on! We have been keeping somewhat busy since our last attempt to cross. We have explored the town a little more, visited Snappas (our favorite local bar) quite frequently and gotten a Bahamian phone so that our internet will work (hence all the recent blog posts). The boys played in a Bocce ball tournament on Sunday where they came in third place. And then we attended a dinner party with our friends on Corsair, whom we had met in the marina in Fort Pierce. On Tuesday, we opted to come in to a marina since we were out of water. It was nice to be able to take long hot showers and do all our laundry for the first time in over two weeks. And it is nice to be on land so that everyone can come and go as they please instead of piling into the dinghy for the daily trip to town. We will probably head back out and anchor today, although we may go out in the ocean for a few hours to fish since the weather is so settled. Anything to keep ourselves amused for another few days!

No Fair Winds or Following Waves For This Crew

2.8.13 We woke up early this morning, encouraged by the low winds and headed back out to the cut. Although the waves were still large as we made our way through, they were not breakers and were spaced quite evenly which made the rolling a bit more tolerable. We made it safely through the cut and then headed South to Eleuthra, with Brad at the helm and Sean on the fishing poles, we were prepared for a long day of travel. An hour into the trip, however, Brad and I were rethinking out decision. The waves appeared to be building and the wind had not shifted as far to the West as we needed it to. We were not able to maintain our heading and keep good speed. When we travel 60 miles in a day, we need to maintain 5 knots to make it there in daylight hours. With the wind and waves on our nose, we were barely making 3 knots. We went about 7 miles before we both admitted what we were thinking and we started to discuss turning around and heading back to Marsh Harbour. We have heard many an experienced sailor say that he has turned around multiple times in his years at sea, and we have always said that we would do that if the conditions were not correct. But now, when we both so ready to head to the Exumas, we were having a hard time actually turning around. We had invested an hour into the trip already, but with our current rate of speed, it would have been another 10-12 hours until we arrived in Eleuthra. And bashing into waves was quickly draining us both. We finally conceded, Neptune had gotten the best of us today. We turned her around and headed back for calmer waters. Of course, once we turned around, the wind and waves were on our stern and where we had previously been going only 3 knots, we were now flying through the water at 7-9 knots! The rest of the sail was quite enjoyable and we made record time getting back to Marsh Harbour. The day seemed to have turned around a bit and we were all happy enter back into the Sea of Abaco and calmer water. It looked like we would have the anchor down and drinks in hand by 3pm. Of course, the way our day had been going we should have known better. We were less than a mile to the entrance to Marsh so we started rolling in the jib, only the jib wouldn't roll up. We frequently have trouble with our roller furling binding up so Brad went up to try to unbind it. Nothing he did worked. Finally, he glanced up and realized that the line that goes into the back of the sale to give it additional support had come out of the sail, gotten knotted on itselt and was not stuck in the standing rigging. And, on top of that, our continued pulling on the sail had actually caused it to rip about two feet along the back of the sail. Once we figured out the problem, Brad retrieved a boat hook, untangled the line and we rolled in the jib. In addition to this problem however, the boat hook became ensnared in the jib and was snatched out of Brad's hands and thrown into the water, never to be seen again. ugh. Good thing we have an extra. So, even though we did not catch any fish, we did not make it to Eleuthra and we were still in Marsh Harbour, we were all exhausted but in relatively good spirits considering the events of the day and we were happy to be back in calmer waters. With no foreseeable weather window in sight, we will hunker down here for another week and find things to do while we wait for the winds to shift.

Unforeseen Weather

2.7.13 Brad and I were up before the sun this morning, listening as the rain began to pound and the wind picked up around 4:00am. We stayed in bed until 6:00am and then looked outside to see what the day had in store. The wind, which was supposed to be a mild 10-15knots had piped up quite a bit and we could see that in the cut to the ocean, there were breaking waves. And there was of course the rain. None of this had been predicted and we both knew almost immediately that we weren't going to be leaving that day. We watched as another boat from our anchorage hauled up anchor and headed out through the cut. He was tossed around mightily and we just weren't up to that. So, we went back to bed and spent the morning being lazy, hoping the weather would clear up that night or tomorrow. Around noon, while I was laying in bed reading, I noticed a shift in the waves - they were coming in from the stern of the boat and hitting pretty hard. In a sailboat, this is nearly impossible at anchor since the boat always points into the wind (unless current is an issue) and therefore, the waves are always on the bow. Brad and I went outside to have a look and realized that the strong current in the area had flipped us around our anchor the anchor had gotten stuck under the boat and was now wrapped around our keel. We decided we needed to move anchorages anyway since the wind was shifting to the west and we were unprotected from the west. So we carefully put the mothership in reverse and slowly backed out of the anchor wrapping. After wrestling with the anchor for 15-20 minutes, we were finally free and headed to protected waters. To get there, however, we had to pass directly by one of the ocean cuts. A "cut" is a break in the land and reef that allows boats to pass through the ocean side from the shallower, protected waters. We saw the breaking waves just beyond where we were and noticed the building waves, but would not have predicted the large waves that assaulted us as we went by. The 7-8 foot waves were close together and hitting us directly on our beam (our side). We were reaffirmed in our decision not to leave that day, as these waves would have made the trip quite uncomfortable! They made us quite uncomfortable just for the 30 minutes it took us to pass the cut!! We finally made it to safer waters, anchored for the night and hoped for calmer, more favorable weather the following day.

Just Another Day in Paradise

2.6.13 This morning we left our anchorage and headed South to stage for the crossing to Eleuthra. The wind was perfect and we were able to sail the 10 miles to the next anchorage. We had just rounded a shallow sand bank when suddenly we had a fish on the line! I grabbed the wheel and tried to turn into the wind to slow us down while Sean reeled in the fish and Brad netted him when he got to the boat. We had another 2 foot long Snapper! Dinner is served....for the next three days!! Once we landed the fish, we headed back on course and later that afternoon, anchored behind Lynyard Cay. Koa needed some exercise before the long crossing and the boys were eager to check out the rocky ledges for lobster, so we all headed in to the beach. While Koa and I played fetch in the water, Brad and Sean scouted out the rocks. By the time I had sufficiently tired out the dog, taken him back to the boat and dinghied over to bring the boys back, they had discovered a few lobster gold mines and had acquired some large spiny lobsters for dinner. What a day!

We all headed back to the boat and in the excitement of the fruitful catches of the day, we continued to fish off the back of the boat. Not long after we returned, we caught another fish! We were all excited and couldn't believe our luck! But were soon let down to realize it was only a Remora and would need to be tossed back. A Remora is a flat headed sucker fish, a shark cleaner really. They sometimes attach themselves to boats and he must have been under ours when we tossed the bait in. Although we couldn't eat him, Sean taught us a really cool trick. These Remoras will stick to anything!

After a delicious dinner of steamed lobster tails, we hauled the dinghy and outboard on deck and all tucked in early in preparation for the long trip to Eleuthra tomorrow.

GO RAVENS!!!!

2.4.13 GO RAVENS!!! We cheered the Ravens to a victory with a few other Baltimorons last night at our favorite bar - Snappas. What a game! We were sad that we weren't celebrating in New Orleans or even in Baltimore with more fans, but were glad we were able to watch it. After recovering from our night out, we hauled up anchor and headed over to Hopetown. It is a short 7 mile sail and we were there in a couple hours. After securing the boat, we headed in to check out the town. The Hopetown lighthouse is one of the few remaining functioning Fresnel Lens lighthouses in the world, so it is always fun to see. And the view of course is amazing! (Pictures will have to come later as our internet is still dodgy). After the lighthouse, we headed over to town to see if we could sign Sean up for a dive trip. We found Froggy's, the local diving tour and thankfully Sean was able to sign up for the following day. Hopefully this one won't be cancelled! Hopetown is one of the cutest towns in the Bahamas so we spent the remainder of the afternoon touring around and poking in and out of the little shops. We even treated ourselves to some ice cream! The following morning, we got Sean into town for his dive trip - he was excited to finally being able to get out! Brad and I headed back to the boat to get some work done. We checked a few things off the long, never ending list of to dos, including hauling me up the mast to check on our anemometer - our wind direction and speed thingie. Unfortunately everything was in good working order, which means that we have a wiring issue - awesome. We headed back in to pick up Sean and then stocked up on groceries in town since the weather predicted a decent wind window for us to head to Eleuthra on Thursday. Once back on the boat, we decided to take advantage of the high tide and slowly make our way through the shallows farther south. Although it was dicey (at one point we have less than a foot under our keel!!!), we made it through safely and anchored on the other side in preparation to head farther south tomorrow.

Guana Cay - Nippers and Grabbers

2.3.13 GO RAVENS!!!! Today is Super Bowl Day and we are in Marsh Harbour to make sure we can go somewhere to watch the big game! But I digress, let me start back at Green Turtle. We left Green Turtle and had a good sail down to Marsh Harbour. We were hoping to catch some fish, but again it was not meant to be. We spent a few days tucked snugly in Marsh Harbour while the winds raged out on the sea. There is a wonderful grocery store here and we visited it regularly, restocking our shelves with fresh fruits and vegetables and getting some snacks for the upcoming trek to the Exumas. Mermaid Reef is a beautiful protected reef just North of Marsh Harbour, so we walked over and snorkeled that one of the calmer days. This reef is very obviously protected as there are lots of yummy things to eat there that would surely have been snatched up had the opportunity been allowed. There were large Snapper and a Nassau Grouper and lots and lots of lobster. We enjoyed the beautiful sights but oh how glorious it would have been to have taken some of those things home for dinner!! Reflecting back to our last trip, we had lots of trouble with the Verizon phone that they had told us would work. So this time, we put more research into the matter, spoke to a few representatives, both on the phone and in the stores and found the correct global phone that would allow us to have internet in the countries we were visiting as well as being unlocked in case we wanted to use another country's SIM card. HA...fool me once..... We are, again, having lots of trouble with our Verizon phone and, once again, cannot get internet. You would think we had learned our lesson, but apparently we are slow learners. So the battle rages on..... After being cooped up on one place for a few days, we were happy when the winds changed favorably and we were able to head over to Guana Cay and the world famous Nippers bar. We had told Sean about this place from the beginning and were excited to take him there. After dropping anchor, Sean and Brad snorkeled the anchor and then moved to a small coral head that was marked on the chart. Although they reported that there wasn't much to see, they did spot two small sea turtles in the grass beds. We all dinghied in the Nippers, ready to be wowed. Although the bar was beautiful as always, perched high atop a hill overlooking the beach with brilliant colors and two waterfall pools, we were disappointed to find we were practically the only patrons there. Both times I had been previously, the place had been packed. Oh well, we made the best of it. We ordered lunch, took pictures of the view, and sat around the pool drinking Kaliks and soaking up the sun. Once we were bored with ourselves, we headed back down the hill the Grabbers, another beach front bar with a pool, horseshoes, corn hole and stand up paddleboards. The bartender gave us paddles and Sean and I headed out to try them out, both of us being novices. The trip was relatively uneventful as the water was shallow and there was nothing to see. We instead turned around and raced back to shore. I, of course, dominated the race and came steaming back to shore with Sean in my wake, and then we all had another round of drinks and met a few of the other bargoers. It was a wonderful day and the evening was a perfect nightcap - picturesque clear sky with millions of stars and a bright moon that allowed us to see straight down to the bottom of the water. It seemed as if the boat was floating on air it was so serene. Absolutely wonderful! Brad and I were aawakened alarmingly the following morning when the boat began to bounce around quite a bit more than we had anticipated. The wind had made a shift early and was piping up quickly at 6:00am. We were soon being pinned in to the shore by wind and waves and we were not happy with the situation at all. We readied the boat and before first light even hit, we hauled up the anchor and got out of there. We were back in Marsh Harbour within 2 hours. So, here we sit, waiting for the Super Bowl to start. We are heading to a bar called Snappas for their gameday specials. We are heading in early to insure the best seats and to cheer on our Ravens to a victory!!! GO RAVENS!!!

Green Turtle Cay

1.28.13 We have spent the last few days enjoying Green Turtle Cay, one of the favorite spots of Abaco cruisers. We arrived on the night of a full moon and were hoping to catch a full moon party at one of the local spots. We headed in to town in the afternoon to explore the little town and to buy some groceries. We found a bar that was advertising for the Full Moon Party, so we went back to the boat and lazed around then. Unfortunately, the "Party" was not much to talk about. We headed in just before sundown and watched the sunset with a few other cruisers. While everyone else rushed back to their boats in the waning sunlight, we stuck around waiting for the party to begin. Well, we waited a while.... We did make friends with some of the locals and played a few games of pool and talked about island life with them. They kept assuring us that people would show up, but there were never more than 10 people there by 9:30pm. It was way past our bedtime by then, so we decided to head back to the boat. Maybe we will catch a full moon party next month. The next day, we dinghied in and walked over to the ocean beach. We were lucky to stumble upon a beautiful cove with reef right in the middle. Sean struck out immediately with our new hawaiin sling, intent on getting us some dinner. Brad and I sat on the beach for awhile soaking in the rays. The water was cold and I was hoping to get hot before I jumped in. No such luck; while the weather was beautiful, it was certainly not hot enough out to make that water feel refreshing. We took the plunge anyway and joined Sean out of the reef. The reef was fun, although mostly uneventful. There were many fish, but most of them were too small to spear. The reef was pretty, although it was mostly live rock. All in all, a good snorkel day, but nothing awe-inspiring. The following day, we had arranged a dive for Sean and the weather was supposed to really pipe up, so we headed in early in the morning to the marina for some protection. We arrived right at 9am and pulled safely in the marina. We sent Sean on his way to the dive shop and Brad and I went to check out the marina. The Bluff House Marina is one of the most beautiful marinas we have seen. There is a gorgeous pool, a bar and wonderful dining area, and most importantly, hot showers and laundry facilities! We were in heaven! Unfortunately, my wonderful plans to sit by the pool with drink in hand were ruined by the fact that it was overcast and cold and also that it was a voting day so the bar wasn't allowed to serve alcohol until 6pm. And Sean's plans were also ruined by the weather as the dive was cancelled due to strong winds and rough seas. We still soaked in the marina life and took the time to clean the boat, inside and out, and to catch up on laundry and take extra long, hot showers. We had a delicious dinner and drinks at the marina house that evening and tucked in early so we could get a head start the following day.

Checking in, Spanish Cay

1.25.13 This morning we pulled into Spanish Cay Marina to check in to Bahamas customs and to weather a strong blow. We pulled in early to maximize our marina time and were greeted warmly by the staff and customs agent. Brad was able to easily check us all in and within 30 minutes, we were legal and heading out to explore the island. We started for the beach, accompanied by our guide, a dog aptly named Hurricane (he was pulled out of the water as a puppy during one of the hurricanes). We explored some of the beautiful white sand beaches of the Cay, and Sean picked up a few cool shells to take back to his sister. He also found the first Heart Bean. If you remember reading our posts from our last trip here, we explained that these beans float over from Africa and are considered a lucky omen to the sailors who find them. We were lucky enough to find one soon after, so hopefully our boat and crew are now blessed with good weather and great sailing! The island is small and mostly uninhabited so it didn't take us long to walk the whole thing. We came back, had burgers for lunch and decided to spend the rest of the afternoon at the pool. While the pool was a bit chilly, we enjoyed the afternoon sun and the boys played horseshoes. It was a great, relaxing day after all the traveling we had been doing.

Allen's Pensacola

1.24.13 This morning we woke up, excited to get to shore for the first time in 4 days. We thought we would have the whole day to dinghy around and explore the island. But a quick check of the wind changed our plans. We needed to head to Spanish Cay today before the wind changed. We opted to dinghy in to shore anyway and spend at least a few hours with our feet on dry land. We took Koa (who was even more excited than us to be on land!) and dinghied in to Allens Pensacola. We found lots of sand dollars and lots of already harevested conch shells. Koa played fetch for a little while and then we all loaded back in the dinghy to go to a small neighboring island. We got very close to the next island and the beach looked pristine when suddenly, the outboard hit bottom. Sean offered to get out and pull us in the rest of the way. When we got to shore, we found most of the same on this island as on Allens Pensacola - lots of sand dollars. But we did find a few medium sized conch. We decided to take three of them back to the boat and see if we could figure out how to remove them and cook them. We headed back to the mothership around noon, put the conch in a bucket of water and started sailing to Spanish Cay. It was an easy jib sail, going 4 knots with the wind on our stern. We trolled, but came up empty handed. We anchored around 3 pm and started working on the conch. Sean took the first crack at it, using a flathead screwdriver and a hammer to bang a hole in the shell and then a knife to cut the muscle attaching it to the shell. It was harder than the book made it seem, but finally we got all three out. The next step was even harder as we then had to peel the skin on the animal to get to the meat. Only problem - the skin didn't want to peel. After about an hour and a very frustrated Sean, we finally had our conch meat. Since the conch weren't really large, we decided to make some fritters. We fried them up and had them as an appetizer to our meal. They were delicious! Better than most in restaurants for sure! Although we had big plans to finish off the snapper for dinner, we all fell asleep by 6:30. I guess the sun really takes it out of you! We will head in to the Spanish Cay marina tomorrow for a night and also to check in to customs.

Great first Bahamian Day!

1.23.13 I finally drug myself out of bed this morning at 0900 and Sean informed me that all the other boats that had been in our anchorage had left. I always get a funny feeling in my stomach when that happens, like we are either getting ready to get caught in some bad wind coming from a bad direction or we are missing some great sailing wind. In this case, it was the latter. I checked the wind and then the charts and saw that this wind was perfect for where we wanted to go. I quickly woke Brad and explained the plan and we were on our way within 30 minutes. We motored the first hour directly into the wind and we weren't sure that we had made the best decision, but when we finally turned the corner and hoisted the sails, I don't think the conditions could have been more ideal! We were making 6 to 7 knots all day and the waves were small so the sailing was comfortable. We were no sooner twenty minutes into our sail that Sean caught a fish! A very large, unexpected Snappper had caught on one of our lines. Sean reeled him in and Brad netted him - he was 25 inches and looked delicious! Our first Bahamian fish!

The rest of the day was uneventful, just wonderful sailing and good company. We covered 40 miles in 8 hours. We would have been there sooner but for a minor incident with the jib. We were right where we wanted to anchor and when we tried to roll the jib in, it wouldn't come! We had to turn away from the wind and go the wrong way for almost two miles before Brad finally got frustrated and just took the whole thing down. We motored back to our anchorage, got the hook down and Brad and Sean fixed the sail issue. We had delicious Snapper for dinner and cannot wait to get the dinghy in the water and go in to explore Allens Pensacola tomorrow!

Crossing the Stream

1.22.13 We left West Palm around 0900 yesterday morning, filled our diesel and water tanks and headed out through the cut. The ocean was relatively polite with only small waves, although it was relatively choppy. We opted to head out three miles right away to check out the Gulf Stream and see if it was passable. We had discussed our options on Sunday and decided that even though there was no wind in the forecast, we would go out to the Stream and if the waves were calm, we would go ahead and cross to the Bahamas. If the Stream was churned up at all and looked questionable from the North winds we had been having, we would head South to Miami. I think we all thought we were heading to Miami that day.... But, the weather cooperated and we started our crossing. The day went well, although as predicted there was no wind so we motored the whole way. The only bad weather we had came right after dark (of course) while I was on watch. Brad and Sean had gone below to get some rest while I took the first shift. Suddenly a downpour hit, sheets and sheets of rain for thirty minutes, being blown in one me from all directions. Brad offered to come out and keep me company but there was no point in both of us being miserable, so I stayed put. Luckily, the rain didn't bring wind so the Stream didn't get too angry, although the waves picked up a bit. We hit the edge of the Bahama Bank around 10 pm, just North of Freeport. We had always planned on going in by Bimini which is much farther south after crossing over from Miami. It wasn't until Sunday that we suddenly decided to just cross from West Palm and head to the Abacos. For those of you who had previously read our blog, you will remember that we didn't enjoy the Abacos very much and had quite a bit of trouble anchoring there. We were, in fact, not planning on ever going to the Abacos again, but with North wind in the forecast for the next week, they were our only hope of crossing. Everything was going great until the wind picked up around 2 am. Brad and I sat in the cockpit while the waves built and the wind got colder. By the time the sun came up, our destination was in sight, but the it seemed that it was going to be quite the motor bash to get there. Sure enough, as soon as we turned towards Grand Cay, we were going nowhere...literally less than 1 knot. After a few minutes of this, we decided we weren't going to make it and turned around, raised the sails and headed to a different island south of us. Once we raised the sails, we were flying! The wind was so strong, the waves were large and we were being pushed at right around 7 knots directly towards our new destination. We made it there in no time at all, got the sails down and the anchor set by 11:00am. We had breakfast, made sure the anchor was holding and then left Sean to anchor watch while Brad and I passed out cold.

First of Many

1.18.13 We made it safely to West Palm Beach yesterday afternoon before the sun set and had the anchor safely down in one of our favorite anchorages, along with about 30 other boats. Sean caught a spanish mackerel yesterday while we were motoring so he made up some ceviche and we dug in for some celebratory appetizers and sundowners. We knew that there was an impending storm coming our way with strong winds and rain and as we settled in for the night, we could see the front rolling in.

With so many boats in our anchorage and not having anchored much on our new anchor, we were starting to get a little nervous. Brad let out a bit more anchor line and we sat back and waited. As the wind piped up, we went below decks to stay dry and warm but kept a close eye on the GPS and the boats around us. With winds gusting into the twenties, we knew we wouldn't be getting much sleep. We each took a turn overnight, staring at the GPS and making sure the anchor held. Sean had the last shift and by the time Brad and I were awake this morning, he was outside fishing and had already caught a fresh snapper and a catfish! It is pretty chilly this morning and the wind is supposed to stay strong for the next few days, so I think we will hunker down here for a few days, get some things accomplished and wait to head farther south.

And so it begins...

1.17.13 We are finally underway!! It took us two weeks longer than we expected to finally leave the marina, due to unforeseen engine problems and dinghy troubles. We left Harbortown Marina in Fort Pierce on Tuesday, 1/15 and anchored just outside of the marina for two nights. We were waiting on a few parts for our engine but didn't want to continue to pay marina fees. With our new dinghy outboard ready to roll, we figured we could just dinghy in to land to pick up the parts as they came in. The first night started out a bit bumpier than we had expected, but we were happy to see that our new anchor dug right in and held tight through the blow. Halfway through the evening, the wind died down, but at least our wind generator had had time to run and keep the batteries fully charged through the night. Our newest crew member, Sean has made it his personal mission to make sure we are stocked in fresh seafood for this trip. We have been fully outfitted with poles, gaffs, lures and various other equipment that I have no idea how to use in the hopes of landing enough fish on this trip to not have to buy much at the grocery store. So far he has caught five small catfish and an eel. None of these were large enough to keep so we threw them all back and hope for bigger and better in the future. After a last minute run into town for groceries and a stop at West Marine and with the engine parts in hand, Brad and Sean left town and headed back to the boat in the dinghy...only it wouldn't start. After making a few calls and imploring the advice of some other boaters, Brad finally got the outboard started and made it back to the boat. We think it was just some bad fuel and after we filter it hopefully the problem will clear up, but we weren't happy that our new used outboard was already having trouble. Once safely back on the boat, we hoisted the outboard and readied the boat for the start of our voyage. Which brings us to today. We pulled anchor this morning before sunrise and were well on our way down the ICW when the sun finally peeked through the clouds. We were hoping to sail offshore but with the wind coming in from the SW, it would have been right on our nose. We hope to make it to West Palm Beach tonight and recheck the winds from there. Hopefully we will be able to make it outside from West Palm down to Miami sailing on the outside by the end of the weekend. Now that we are underway, spirits are high and we are looking forward to being in the Bahamas! PS - Sean just caught a Spanish Mackerel! We have our first fish meal ahead of us!

Finally.....

1.10.13 Happy New Year and welcome back! I know we are glad to be back up and running; it has been a long and winding road for us to be able to get back out on the water, but we have finally made it! Since it has been quite some time since our last blog, I will keep this as brief as possible, but we are very excited about some of the new updates to the boat so we want to share everything with you! We have spent the last year and a half working towards refilling our cruising kitty, both in West Palm and then in Corolla, NC. Although it took longer than we had planned, we finally saved enough money to be able to make the necessary repairs to "All In" and get her back on the water. We spent the summer in Corolla, NC bar-tending and while we were gone, we hauled "All In" out of the water and left her on the hard for hurricane season. This was our first time being off the boat in two years and definitely our first time leaving her on the hard for an extended period of time. We thought we had sealed her up nice and tight and taken care of all the necessary things, but when we returned, she was a hot mess! Mildew had taken over the boat completely and the two cushions we had left on had mildewed as well. We spent the next week using various cleaning products and lots of elbow grease to clear out all the lockers and scrub away all the mildew. Although it took some time, we soon had her back in shape - unfortunately, we couldn't say the same for our cushions. New upholstery was something that had really needed to be done since we bought her, but we had put off due to monetary restrictions. Even though we weren't equipped for the large sum it cost us to have the salon reupholstered, it was now a matter of necessity so we bit the bullet and now have brand new cushions!

We put in lots of work while she was on the hard including: - Removing all the sole (the floor panels), sanding them down and applying coats of polyurethane - Applying teak oil to all the wood belowdecks - Sanding, Priming, and Painting the Hull - Epoxy repair to gashes in the stern - Installing new batteries - Replacing our entire head system - new hoses, new holding tank, new macerator - Rewire the running lights Here are a few before and after pictures:

We also gave our dinghy a much needed makeover with some fiberglass repair work, some patches and a coat of bottom paint. We also purchased a used 15hp Honda outboard, not as powerful as our last one, but also not as heavy - which is important since we will be removing frequently with the multiple deep water crossings we have coming up. Although the list may not seem impressive to you non-boaters, let me just tell you that we put in lots of hours and lots of heavy labor to get these things accomplished. It is all very tedious, especially when you have no idea exactly what you are doing! I will give credit where credit is due and say that Brad undertook the new head system project and did an excellent job! It was a lot of hard work and a lot of him standing on his head to get into the tiny crevices. We finally were able to put her back in the water and into a slip. We were so excited just to have her back in the water and we could almost see the Bahamas materializing before us....until we realized how much work we still had left to do. We spent the month of December making last minute changes, stocking the boat, and making minor repairs. We were in West Marine at least once a day and everyone knew us on sight. We did buy a brand new GPS which we are super excited about and also a new Rocna ancor, arguably on of the best on the market at this time. After a week trip to spend Christmas with my family in VA, we were finishing up the last of our To Do's and finally invited our friend Sean (the best man in our wedding) to join us aboard. He will be traveling with us a for a month or so and helping us with our deep water crossings. It seems everything is finally falling into place and we cannot wait for the voyage to begin!