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Jan-06

01/01:  Feliz Anos Nuevo, Happy New Year everyone.

Each New Year brings new possibilities.

Sorry Phil we can't make the New Day Lobster boil.  We miss it and your company.  Next year!

3/1:  Final preparations are taking place.  Sharon is getting provisions.  That is a bit hard as all of the money changers are on Holiday and we are out of Bolivars.  She is trying a few sources.  We need cash to eat, refuel, and pay to clear out.  I still need to hunt down extra fuel cans.

We will be out of touch for a few months as we cruise the out islands and start our way north. Please check back and don't be afraid to send an email or two.  We may not answer right away but we will.

Manana!!!

5/1:  We made ready for departure.  Got our clearance papers and said goodbye to everyone.  It was very sad.  We made so many good friends in Venezuela both locals and cruisers it was hard to leave.  We finally cast off to everyone's well wishes and made our way to fuel dock for the last of the 7 cent a gallon diesel and gas.  We headed out to Chimana Segunda to get the finally prep such as loading and stowing the dinghy and raising the screecher.

because we are still in the Christmas holiday the place was jammed with boats and more pouring in every second.  Many were partying and having a grand time.  So we finished and decided to leave early so we wouldn't get blocked in.  We head north after raising the main.  It is good to leave and go to new wonders but it is also sad.  Not only the friends we leave being but this was the first passages without Biff.  We missed him greatly in the cockpit as overnight company while on watch and just his general appearances while underway.

As useful the weather predicted was wrong.  No east winds.  Much of it was light and from the NNE and some from due north.  Not good when we were heading north.  We ended up motor-sailing for 15 hours and were finally able to sail the last 4-5 hours before reaching Blanquilla.  We anchored at 0730 in a cove just north of the coordinates given to us by NoneSuch in a little protested cove that is tight and has wrap around coral reefs.  The bottom is sand and is great holding.  We are anchored near Blue Moon who also came up from PLC and are heading to the Virgins.

14/1:  We went over to Americano Bay to see the beach and the natural bridge.  We also did some metal detecting. I found a 1967 Bolivia coin, but cannot id the face value.  Sharon found someone's garbage that they buried.  We enjoyed the beach and made our way back to the boat for a relaxing afternoon of watching the watermaker make water.  The landlubber equivalent of watching paint dry!

15-13/1:  Our friends on Significant Other decided to head out from Margarita to St Barts.  This is a multi-day trip.  The saw a small weather window and decided to go for it.  We chatted with them on the SSB on 8104 and found that the first day out they had the worst ride ever.  Mike said the waves were 9ish feet and Jan said they were 12.  They had squalls and high winds that pushed them 9 miles of the rhumb line in the first 24 hours. 

It got worse, for a while the winds dropped and they were able to motor sail and made up the 9 miles and adding 15 extra to the east of the rhumb line.  At this point all was well.  We had no evening contact and finally raised them the next morning during the 8AM check.  Horrors.  They were a drift with the mainsail jammed raised and no rudder.  During the night they had winds in excess of 30 knots (some reported 30-45 for 12-18 hours )  during this time they also lost the rudder.  Via the SSB the were able to contact St Kitts CG, but were told they didn't have a boat available but Nevis could come get them, but they would have to abandoned significant Other.  Mike sounded devastated.

Since they had contact with locals we just listened in.  Finally at 1000 we made contact again on 8104 and found that they were all safe and healthy and under tow by a fisherman. It appears that the rudder shaft broke.  This has to be a horrible feeling especially when you are only 1 hour out of an island but you are just drifting by with out help. 

Update.  We spoke with Significant Other and they found they had 2 problems.  The auto pilot failed and something jammed the rudder over hard.  While being towed it came free and appears to be ok.  They are now sitting in St Kitts waiting for a new compass before heading north.

19/1:  Weather has made it hard to travel for more than one day.  The winds have been high and the waves have been 8-12 feet coming from the NNE and some from the east.  Makes it rough.  So here we sit.  Dram Catcher JJ decided to try the south anchorage as the NW swells have been rolling them a bit.  They left yesterday and said it was great so Today we headed over.

Sailing and fishing go hand in hand, so we set the lines.  10 minutes out we hooked something bog and it started to strip the line off the reel.  Sharon slowed the boat and tried to reel it in but it was  bending a rod as thick as a thumb right over.  She wisely said here your try.  Well I grabbed the rod and started to fight. He went from port to starboard and I had to scramble over the dinghy to the other side so he couldn't get tangled.  He fought, down with line stripping at an alarming rate. Then I would fight the reel to bring him back up.  Back and forth for 20 minutes, the rod bending so far over I thought it was going to break in half..  My arms were burning and I was getting tired, this is hard work.  Finally got him on the boat with gaff after he got close.  It was our first Wahoo.  He was still fighting so we drug him a bit until I could get him on the swim platform with the gaff.

Our first Wahoo was 5 feet long. We continued to the southern anchorage and tried to anchor by Dream Catcher and Ocurah.  There is only a small patch of sand surrounded by coral with a hard bottom.  We couldn't get secure so we decided to try anchoring by the Guardia Coastal but the was a boat anchored in the middle of the bay leaving no room for us.  We finally decided that we had better head back to the place we left.  Maybe after the other boats move on we check it out.

Toady's special, Fresh Wahoo Sashimi.

Today was a very special day, besides the Wahoo.  After eating I look out and saw a large blow spout and a very dark large body surface and dive.  Today I spotted my first whale.  Sharon and I watched it for about 5 minutes before he disappeared.  He was pretty far away but there was no mistaking it.

26/1:  It has been a relaxing busy week.  We read, played Scrabble, and dominos, double 6's with the local Piscadors and are preparing to leave for St Lucia and north.  The Guardia costal came by and visited today.  Both visits have been great.  They are all very professional and very polite.  It is fun to chat with them.  We have been invited tot he station but anchoring there is difficult and already had a few boats there.  Next time.

Sharon had spent a few days playing dominos with the fishermen,  piscadors.  During the conversations she found that they travel in their little fishing boat and see their families about 2 months out of the year.  There are 5-6 people and fish on this little ship.  Here we are thinking Makai is to small.  The younger ones are very bored and tried to find Sharon her lobsters but the water was to rough, so the made boiled snails for her.  They are very much like small abalone, mi gusto mucho!

We plan to head our early in the morning tomorrow.  Can't start a trip on a Friday as it is bad luck.  After the Significant Other trip which was Friday the 13th we are taking no chances.  We only have a few day weather window to make Margarita and Los testigos.  But we need to fuel up first.  This will be the last of the 7 cent a gallon fuel and time to start pay 5-7 dollars per gallon.  Yikes! 

29/1:  We departed from Blanquilla just at twilight.  Though it is only a 65 nm trip we wanted to make Cubagua before sunset.  The is no moon and it is dark at night.  A German Privilege cat, Tanoa, left shortly after us and were going straight to Porlamar, about 100 nm.  They would have to motor sail to make it up current and on a close hauled course.

We sailed for few hours almost due south and then the winds died.  We tried to open the screecher for the light winds but we broke a sprit-stay and had to reel it back up. We ended up motor sailing across the brilliant blue water until we reached the west end of Margarita.  There we found the williwaws.  Winds that roll down the mountain passes and change speeds and directions like crazy.  We able to beam reach down the west end of the Isla and then turn up almost ESE and still we were on a beam each.  The land alters the actually winds.  Made it good for us.  We sail much faster than we motor so we always prefer to sail.  We made Cubagua and dropped anchor at 5PM.  It felt great.  Tomorrow Porlamar or it better known name rollymar!!

30/1: We got up and listened to the SSB and chatted with Sapphire and Significant Other before heading out.  This will be a motor sail up.  Since we were running the engines we cranked up the water maker and let it run from the alternators while we traveled at a leisurely 4 knots on another bright blue sunny day.

Our primary computer the Dell crashed for good.  Scrambled to get the HP up and running to replace.  2 1/2 years on a $700 refurb computer.  The only bad thing was we lost all of our music.   We ended up get WIFIMargarita for 6000 bs and downloaded more music and did some email.

Once we anchored we looked around and saw Panache and Twilight anchored not far away.  Jeffery asked if we were going to dominos but we declined as we had work to do.  Our plan was to stay over only to get fuel and then head out to Los testigos.  The fuel boat came by and topped us up.  We had hoped to meet up with Blue Moon as they were coming from PLC with more 4 dollar jerry jugs.  They didn't show and we have not be able to contact them.  We ended up spending the last of our Bs buying fuel cans and getting fuel.  $10 a can plus the fuel thrown in took the rest of money.  This is the last of the cheap fuel.  Every gallon now will cost about $5-7 US per gallon in stead of the 7 cents we have been paying.

We awoke with a start at 2340 and raised anchor and headed out.  There was no moon but Porlamar was lit and it provided us with enough to see our way clear.  Once the main was set we made our way out around the south eastern end of the island.  The winds were light and the swells were on 3-4 feet but 10-12 second intervals.  After about 8 miles that all changed.  The current started to sweep us north at about 2 knots and the waves and seas got very confused, as well as increasing to 7-8 feet.  We spent the whole night bashing east and dodging squalls.  The weather wasn't supposed to be like this.

We made Los Testigos at noon, anchored, ate, and went to sleep!  Now here we are waiting for the weather as we have 2-3 day trip next.

30/1:  Well the weather though clear and beautiful is very windy with high seas.  It looks like we will be here for a while looking for a 2-3day weather window.  Port Reale is a great area.   You can see the waves from the windward side crashing over the beach and slamming into the cut between the islands.  Dreamcatcher JJ was anchored on the southern end of the island so we took the opportunity to visit and swap books.  they are planning a 26 hour trip to Trinidad.  (later during the radio schedules we tracked them and it took and extra day).

Sapphire told us that the dunes on the southern end

Feb-06

5/2: Well Eric, George, and Chris the weather guys agreed that the winds and seas were going to lay down and turn a bit south of east.  that was our cue to go.  We made ready for the trip to St Lucia 204 nm away.  It should be a single tack to the island.  With the north setting current and the favorable winds it should be a fast trip.

We departed around 9AM after chatting with Bob on Sapphire and set an evening radio schedule.  We raised anchor and sail and headed out.  The seas were 5-7 feet but not bad.  Things immediately started going wrong.  The winds didn't switch as predicted and our tack was pointing us to Puerto Rico.  Not good.  Sharon in her optimism said it would shift, so we continued.  The seas stayed rough and the winds didn't turn until, the first of many, squall came by. We were able to take advantage of the wind shift caused by the weather to head back to our rhumb line and make some easting.  Then the storm past and we were back on course for PR.  This is how the trip mostly went. 

By the next morning is was apparent we were not going into St Lucia without some heavy tacking into the current.  We decided to lay in our fallout course which was Dominica.  (we really wanted to go here anyway).  Well over the next 2 days the winds stayed north of east and the squalls kept coming through.  We were bounced around by the 5-7 footers and rocked by the occasional 9 footer.  At night with no moonlight when you sail up the front of one of these all you see is a cliff dropping off in front of you.  You hold on tight knowing there is a bottom, you just can't see it.

8/2: The winds finally shifted a little bit and were able to improve our angle on Dominica.  The waves settled in the morning of the 3rd day 20 miles from the island.  Then the wind went.  We ended up motoring the last 20 miles into the anchorage where we dropped the hook near Cimarron, the big sister to Makai.

Location -Portsmouth, Dominica [13° 45'N, 062° 19W]

On the way in we were talking about how it is small world.  Sharon spending time in the casinos with Sapphire's crew who in another life was here boss's boss.  Me meeting someone who worked with one of my best friends in Michigan last summer.  Low and behold not 2 minutes after the anchor was set Dan and Trish from Eventyr dinghied up to say hi.  As we caught up they asked if we were interested in an inland tour and a trip to Chardair pool.  We agreed and the next morning we were set to go.  First we had to clear in.  Dan showed us where the Customs office was and if he was not there to help I would still be looking.  It is one of the those places you either know what it is or you are lost.  10EC later (2.67EC=$1USD) we cleared Customs, but because we are staying we had to go visit Immigration. 

We made our way downtown and the they had to open the office for us, they do not get much traffic as most come via a cruise ship or the small airport.  We then dropped Dan off and went home.  Harriet on Cimarron showed up a few minutes later to welcome us and we invited her over for sundowners and to catch up.  Though we were beat it was a relaxing evening and hit the bed early.

11/2:  Martin on Providence picked us along with 4 other boats to go tour.  Martin is famous around the Caribe and is recommended in several of the cruising guides.  We were soon to find out why.  As we were sight seeing around the coast he pointed out plants and herbs and told what they were used for.  Dominica is very proud of it use of herbal medicines and he was an amazing wealth of useful knowledge.

We stopped at the overlook where Pirates of the Caribbean 2-3 were filmed.  Can't wait to see it on the big screen.  After the desert islands of Venezuela Dominica is lush.  With 350 inches of rainfall per year, things really grow.  Every inch was covered with something growing.  We made a small hike to some soulter pools.  Dominica is a very active volcanic island and these pools were sulfur gas vents.  They bubble the water and of course smelled like rotten eggs, but were cool to the touch.  We were able to walk through the middle of these pools putting hands in an checking out everything.  These mineral baths are supposed to be good for the skin.   The next stop was Red Rock.  It was a short hike to the hard iron stained clay out cropping and looks like Mars.  the views of the coast were spectacular, you don't see this on the Chesapeake Bay!

Now on the Chardair pool and lunch.  This was a strenuous hike down the 2658 foot mountain side into the ravine and up the river bed to the pool.  It is named because in Creole a Chardair is a boiling pot and it looks like one.  Dan was first up to the cliff some 20-25 feet off the water for a jump.  We all quickly followed.  The water comes from the mountain rains and is pure enough to drink, it is also cold and a shock when jumping in, but it was refreshing!  We had lunch of fresh grapefruit and the rest of our Johnny Cake while martin showed us how to get fresh real cinnamon.  We all got some fresh and we were able to bring the rest of the tree home with us(later I took a try at getting some)

The process is simple.  Find the right tree, cut off a branch and scrape the outer bark.  Then taps all around the branch to loosen the inner bark.  Using a knife peel it away.  Martin made it look easy as strips came off like slicing butter.  Later when I tried it took a while to figure out how much to tap and how to get the bark off with out taking in of the wood.  The strips after peeling are put out to dry and then grated as needed.  The smell and the taste is incredible.  Most of the store bought cinnamon doesn't come from this but another type of tree which is less expensive.  Cinnamon from these tress are very expensive, but the difference is amazing.

After lounging about in the pool it was time to head home this is a very steep trail, part of the group took the longer way but less tortuous, Dan, Martin, and myself did the vertical burn.  It was a tough climb especially after laying about the boat for the last few weeks.  I kept the lead and was happy to hear that martin needed break as his lungs and legs were hurting.  I was burning, but years of hiking and climbing came back.  We moved up again and arrived at the top 15 plus minutes before the other group.  After a walk up the road to the van we piled in and headed home enjoying the scenery. 

To go from walking a distance of 38 feet on the boat to doing several miles of difficult climbing after being bounced around continuously for the last 2 1/2 days, Sharon was hurting in the legs and I was tired.  Since Eventyr was getting ready to leave we invited Dan and Trish along with Harriet over for sundowners.  Now Dan is trying to put together a trip the Boiling lake since he has some company from me.  This is a major hike that takes 7-8 hours and is as rugged as it gets.  Martin refuses to take us, so Dan is looking for other guides.  It is tough.  Can't wait.

15/2:  Eventyr picked me up at a little after 6AM to catch the bus to Russo.  They are Toyota mini vans and cost about 8EC for the 1 hour trip.  The drivers here have no problems with the gas pedals.  They race through the twisty roads and switchbacks passing cars on blind corners and overtaking when it looks like the road is going to run out.  We did make safely but I wasn't  always so sure.

The bus dropped us at the Hotel Fort Young. Where we met our guide and the other hikers.  2 vacationers from CT, were going to cancel because of the weather but were eventually talked into going with Trevor from the UK, and another cruiser.  We met our guide Peter Green who is famous.  He has had several articles written about him in the New York Times.  Short of the weather this was looking to be a great trip.

The hike is 12 miles long with 3 mountains to climb with a max altitude of 3,500 feet.  It is very rough going and definitely not a tourist trail.  Peter related that 1 in 5 hikers turn back.  We were pumped and ready and started up the easy part a Tito Gorge. Peter pointed out the plants and told us about Dominica as we went.  At one point he showed us a swamp tree related to the mangrove, we were at 2,500 feet.  It rains as much as 450 inches a year.  Even in the mountains it is swampy.

We trucked along taking breaks an getting further in.  We finally hit the first scenic overlook that showed us the Valley of Desolation.  It is an active hot water, sulfur, carbon spring in the caldera of a volcano.  Peter related that there were 12 active volcanoes on the island and we were in one.  We worked our way down the almost vertical trail.  When we hit the first gorge the trail disappeared.  The active landslide change the ground often.  You just have to know where to go.  It made it rough at the ground was just clay and rocks and steps had to be taken carefully.

We walked into the Valley and Peter explained the geology and the benefits of a facial which he proceeded to give all of us from the warm sulfur mud.  With the mud packs on we continued on our way following one of the streams from the hot water springs.  The rotten egg smell from the sulfur wasn't as bad as I thought it was going to be, but it still smelled.  We finally washed the mud pack off a hot spring, it did feel good! We continued to tromp our way into the next valley along a vague trail as we worked our way up to the Boiling lake.  We made it about lunch time as sat back to eat and enjoy the sights.

The boiling Lake is on of the 2 largest in the world.  There is one in New Zealand and depending upon who wrote the article will credit one or the other as being the largest.  The water is 145-185 degrees F and actually boils.  The overlook we one is clay and rocks and has been shifting.  Not a stable area but what a view.  After lunch it was time to head back to the hot spring pool for a soak and then the return walk.

My muscles were burning at some of the long climbs. The group moved slowly as we worked our way back home.  the clouds cleared a bit and we took in the view of the valleys in between he pointed mountain ranges.  After Nicole the highest peak we hit it was mostly downhill.  There were a few more climbs but not bad.  We gave Peter a new nick name of the Stairmaster.  A machine climber had nothing on these trails.  around 4:30PM we made it back to Tito Gorge for a dip and a swim into the caves to see the last water fall and then back to the bus for the ride back to town. 

The driver dropped us at the bus stop and we got our ride home.  It must be jam Bil day as the ride there and back the driver had 4-5 people sitting in the seats meant for 3.  Dan borrowed a handheld from one of the guides and called Trish to come pick us up. Sharon and Trish found us delivered us back to the boats at around 7:30PM.  We were exhausted but in a good way. 

What a trip!!  This is not for the weak willed and those out of shape.  It is a hard 12 miles, but the views are worth it.  I would definitely do this again.

18/2:  Today is a day of relaxation.  We did some snorkeling with Eventyr and read and relaxed.

20/2:  Martin the boat boy has been keeping us busy.  Today we are going to head up to the Caribe Indian territory.  The are the Indians that originally comprised the islands along with the Arowaks and others.  Per Martin there are about 400 left.  the live by farming and selling things to the tourists.  We were going to visit the settlement sand Emerald pool today with Itaka III and Selah.

Martin as always picked us up in Providence his workboat and delivered the group to the shore for a trip in his van.  The first part of the trip went through the Red Rock which we had been to previously.  From there we worked our way up the coast and then to the Atlantic side of the ocean.  Here the beaches are black volcanic sand are as fine as talcum powder with little diamond sparkles.  We also took this time for a break of fresh coconut, bananas, and grapefruit.  Once loaded with food we headed up the mountains.

The views are awesome and Martin explains the various plants and a bit of the history of the island.  We stopped after much sightseeing to a restaurant in the mountains owned by a Canadian who married a local.  It was all International food.  We were looking for local eats, but this is where we ended up.  After a our repast we headed out to the Caribe village to look at local arts and crafts and to buy stuff.  The baskets were very nice and amazingly inexpensive so we need up buying a few for the boat. We haven't bought many souvenirs but theses were to nice to pass up.

In between shopping and site seeing we passed by a house with a few men working to make a dugout canoe as they have done for centuries.  Except I saw a chain saw that is probably used to get rid of the big stuff quickly!  We also passed people weaving the baskets just sitting along side the road in the shade.  At one stop we learned that the colors are all natural.  Black is made by burying the reeds in volcanic mud and grey is the inside, reds are dyes of various trees.  It makes for an all natural and very colorful work of art.

Late afternoon we finally made it to the Emerald Falls.  We bought our tickets and hiked back about a quarter mile.  Martin timed it just perfect and all of the cruise ship tourists just left leaving the falls to ourselves.  We dove into the pool and it was brisk, actually @^$&#* COLD!  But fun to swim under the falls.  Jim and Martin took a cold mud bath and the rest of us passed.  After a bit it was time to head back as the sun would be going down and we needed to return home.  The van ride was scenic and very relaxing and soon we made it to the dock. We came back with baskets, custard apples, sop sours, golden bananas, coconuts and memories of another wonderful day with good companions and great food!

25/2:   Today we headed over to Secret beach with David and Harriet from Cimarron.  They have the big sister to Makai.  Along with Chico the Venezuelan mutt-back we going to try some snorkeling.  Here our dinghies are very important and like the cars back home this is our transportation.  We go almost everywhere with them.  To get to the beach we had to travel a few miles and then work our way into shore amidst the boulders.  We landed and got our snorkel stuff and hit the water.  The boulders were fun but the visibility was low as the winds churned up the sandy bottom.  After a lunch on the beach we headed home.

 A few hour later Kokopellie stopped by Cimarron and tried to wake them for dinner.  No Go, We tried to call them on the radio and no go.  A day of sun and exercise seemed to have done them in, oh well off to Tomato's for dinner where they serve Starbucks coffee!!!!

Tomorrow is the start of Carnival here in Domink.  Can't wait.

27-28/2: Carnival starts in Dominik.  This is not the touristy duded up parties they have in Trinidad.  Though in both places the purpose of Carnival is to get really drunk and some get really stoned or both.  Since Makai is anchored off the town pier so we picked up Harriet from Cimarron and went to see the sights.

Here they have a big semi and trailer with several bands playing as loud as they possibly can driving around town at a snails pace.  The locals some dressed most just carrying a bottle or 4 of beer and liquor at 9AM follow it dancing and singing.  They look like they are having a blast.  Sharon and Harriet dance with a couple of locals to the tunes of Dominik Creole music.  This is to much for me so we headed over to grab so salt fish bakes to snack on a take a walking tour of town. 

We are now waiting out the weather so we can head over to the Saints which is part of Guadalupe.  This will be are first French island and we have heard that it is beautiful.

Panda if you are reading this good article in the Compass!

Mar-06

Location as of 9/3/06-Terra-de-Haut, The Saints, Guadeloupe [15 52.266 N  061 35.093 W]

9/3: The Saints, our first French island, is just 20 miles north.  The winds are predicted to be light.  Makai raised anchor at 7Am only to have the windlass stick on an pull the anchor all the way into the chokes before the breaker tripped.  Great!  We left anyway as I can always do it manually and while Sharon enjoyed her coffee and the view I went to work on the windlass. 

We have had this problem before in Puerto Rico.  The relay sticks, it needs to be taken apart and cleaned.  Which is done inside the sail locker.  Off course the cleaning is easy but during reassemble I broke a little fine wire but didn't discover it until it was all back to gather and ready to be tried.  I didn't work, so out it came again.  I tried to resolder the wire but the light roll from the passage made it hard.  So I thought let us just sail and I fix it when we anchor.

We came in the pass and were overtaken by a square rigged tall-ship, under power.  We dodged the fishing floats and made our way to the anchorage near Terra de Haut.  The ledge is small and it is very crowded we cruised in and out and back and fore a few times before dropping in 45 feet of water.  It is a bit rolly but we are secure.  Of course while we have lunch the late risers started pouring in.  This is one jammed anchorage without a lot of protection.  But everyone fits in.  We are  a little nervous because of the depth we are shorter scope on the anchor chain than we normal have out.  As long as the weather stays fair we are ok, otherwise anchor watch.  Eric predicted the winds to start picking up tonight, we'll see.

Back to the trials of boat ownership.  Again, pull the relay out and take it apart to solder the fine wires together with minimal burns to my fingers.  Finally it is done and I put the puzzle back together, it is almost like a Rubik's cube, but it gets done. It works!!!

Location as of 14/3/06-Terra-de-Haut, The Saints, Guadeloupe [15 52.266 N  061 35.093 W]

17/3: We made our way into Pointe Petri from the Saints.  This is a bay between the two main islands and is very sheltered.  It is also a commercial port so there were plenty of Cruise ships and cargo ships cruising by.  We anchored near Cocopellie and proceeded to get checked in.  Immigration was there but customs was not.  So we had to go back the next day, but they are fairly lax and it wasn't a problem.  We also to the time off the boat to walk around the marina and hit a couple Boat chandleries for the usually replacement stuff.

Since it is a commercial port we can not make water as the petrol products in the water can ruin or water maker.  So we are limited to how much time we spend here.  Mostly we are here to provision up and get caught up on our sleep from the very rolly week we spent in the Saints.  This place is like a mill pond, except for the occasional boat wake.  The amazing thing is that the large world girdling cargo ships at slow speed make almost no wake while the port pilot, ferries, and the speedboats rock our socks off

19/3: Location: Deheais, Guadeloupe.

We left early from our overnight anchorage near Pigeon Island and sailed 8.5 knots to the Deheais.  We found a spot and we were lucky we got there early.  As we enjoyed the wonderful sights of the French village, boats kept pouring in.  By the time we settled down for the night there were 38 yachts plus locals boats in the Bay.  many were very close and due to the light winds everyone was swinging differently.  This cause so boats to almost hit as they drifted on the anchor.  The upside of a cat is were able to work our way in closer to shore and anchor by the local's moorings.  This kept most the unwanted neighbors away.

One of the boats that rolled in was our friends on Blue Moon.  We last saw them in Blanquilla heading toward PLC, Venezuela.  It was great to see them and they caught a mahi-mahi which they swam over and presented us with a couple of pounds.

10PM:  A German Catana is enjoying their adult beverages.  They are singing (not very well) at  the top of their lungs.  They are having fun but we aren't.  Luckily the volume of alcohol helps as they eventually wind down.

Location: Little bay, Montserrat [16 48.099 N 062 12.409 W]

19/3: After spending the night in Deaheas bay, Guadeloupe we rose early and made ready for sail.  Eric on 3855 LSB predicted light winds and a small sea.  So out we went heading to Montserrat.  As predicted it was light but perfect.  We had a beautiful sail averaging 6.5 knots in 12-15 knots of wind on a blue ocean.  The trip was expected to take about 9 hours so we had plenty of time to whale watch. Whales are hard to find when they don't want to be seen.  For most of the trip I stayed perched on the bow looking and scanning for them, but nothing.  At least the sail was pleasant.

Montserrat is an active volcano and has been rumbling lately so there is a 10 mile exclusion zone around the southern end of the island.  So we needed to stay more than 10 miles east.  This reduces the odds of volcanic ash and rock thrown by the volcano from landing on the boat.  Also by taking the eastern route we stay out of the fine volcanic pumice that the volcano is spewing and being carried down wind.   It made for an awesome sight.

As Makai came around the North end of the island, I thought I saw a large plume shoot up from the water surface.  As Sharon and I concentrated on the area we were rewarded with a Humpback whale doing a full breach about 1/2 to 3/4 of a NM away.  It jumped up out of the water and rolled so that it crashed on its back.  Soon we spotted 3 more plumes as one whale raised his tail out of the water and started to pound and slap the surface repeatedly.  This went on for 10 or minutes as we excitedly watched.  It was a sight that has to be seen to be believed.  TV doesn't do it justice.  Though I spotted a whale in blanquilla and Margarita those were just glimpses, this was a show!

We anchored in Little bay and it fits.  It is not much of a bay with no protection.  It is more of a small cove in the island.  We cleared in and decided to only stay for a few days so we could continue to work North.

As always cruising is working on your boat in exotic places.  Need to repair the bowsprit stays, lost some navigation lights, computer problems, and anchor windlass.  Sharon has mastered the bread making and has been working on cinnamon rolls and bread.  Good Stuff.

20/3:  Today we thought we would go in and take a walk.  We were meet by George the Taxi Driver and he offered us a trip to see the volcano and Plymouth.  He first offer was $100US for the trip and we replied we don't have that much, he started to work him down and finally agreed on 135 EC or about $50US.  It would cost us that much just to take a taxi to the other side of the island and back, so off we went. 

George related a bit about the island as we went.  population before the 97 eruption was 11,000 and now about 4,500.  Tourism is dead and most of the people are part time residents who have summer homes.  Not many cruising boats visit and the ferry from Antigua no longer comes.  Times are tough, but the island overall was neat and clean.

The exclusion zone has no residents and is abandoned.  The capital city of Plymouth was devastated.  They lost most of their industry and shipping port.  Homes, buildings, and in one case a river was totally covered with ash and debris.  as we drove through some of the flows George pointed out a street light that was only 15-20 from the ground to the top, most streets lights are 40-50 feet tall.  As we drove by he also told us that the light was attached to a bridge that went over a major river.  It is gone!  TV doesn't' do it justice and it doesn't show the changes in the people lives as well.

We got back to the boat tired from this sight and decided to head out early the next day for Nevis.  While we were gone a Privilege 39 Called Aquarius anchored and Carl and Judy invited us over for evening drinks.  We went socialized, swapped boats and met Richard from Robyn.  We finally called it night so we could get off early. 

Location: Charlestown, Nevis 17 08.956 N 062 37.801 W

21/3:  Montserrat was ok, but not a lot to do and the anchorage is rolly so we headed early.  The US Coast Guard Cutter Cushing called us to see who, what, and where we were going.  Friendly.  This is the first active USCG ship we have seen in a couple of years.  We didn't see them in Venezuela or the ABC's.

The winds we from the SEW and it gave us a broad reach so we sailed pretty quickly. The trip was quiet but we did see more humpback whales breaching.  Sharon saw a double breach.  We now need to get them closer and pose so we can get pictures.

We arrived in Nevis and dropped anchor.  The guide book said the customs offices close at 1200, wrong.  We relaxed and decided to clear in tomorrow.  While relaxing and listening to the weather net we heard Aquarius call and check in.  It seems they are on there way in this evening.  Carl and Judy were a fun couple we met in Montserrat.

Alexander Hamilton was born here.  A beach bum Founding Father!

26/3:  The folks from Aquarius said we must eat at the Golden rock resort and see the monkeys.  We had planned on the Botanical gardens but they are closed on the weekend and then you need a very expensive taxi.  So we headed to Aquarius's recommendation to hike the nature trail, see the monkeys and eat lunch.

Apr-06

Location as of 4/4/06-Sint Maarten, Dutch West Indies [18 02.171 N 063 05.867 W]

4/4: We headed out early from Statia and had a great sail.  Though was on 34 NM trip we were worried about the winds holding up.  Guess what they didn't.  About 12 nm out the winds died.  The upside was we caught a blackfin tuna.  We had tossed him in the freezer for later filleting and Sharon noticed another sail boat waving  about a mile, then started waving a red life jacket.  So we ambled over to see what the they needed.

They needed help!  They had been adrift for 4 days.  The lost their engine and the wind went away.  We offered a tow and brought the boat Beule into the harbor by Phillipsburg, Sint Maarten.  Our first at sea rescue.  They were so happy that they brought us 15 gallons of Venezuelan diesel fuel as a reward.  We could have asked for salvage which could be up to 30% of the value of the boat and everything aboard, but we believe in karma and hope if we are ever in the same situation that someone would help us and accepted the fuel as reward

We checked in and met Dick from Spring Moon from Annapolis who we will be seeing a lot of as he is heading north too.  We toured the town.  This is a Nina town, duty free diamonds and expensive name brand clothes with prices that shock a Walmart shopper.  Sint Maarten is one of the most affluent islands in the Caribe because of the perpetual visits from the cruise ships 3-4 different ones every day.  Very touristy

8/4: A few days later Beule was still unable to get around to Simpson Bay so we offered to tow them. It was an easy 4nm so off we went.  Beginning to feel like a tug boat.

 It was kind of like old home week here.  We ran into Magic Dragon of Florida, Mark and Judy, behind them was S'ours of the United Kingdom (UK) Jeff,  Tina and Bessy, and Okura, Wind Witch, and many others that we met via other cruisers.  Cruising is a very social activity and it is great fun to see people you met in other parts of the Caribe.

We had Magic Dragon and S'ours over.  Jeff and Tina brought their guest Cathy, a civil servant from the UK and long time friend.  She is just at the beginning of her holiday and was really enjoying herself.  We had so much fun catching up and trying out the various new drinks that the party didn't end until 12:30 in the morning.  We had not been up that late in ages, it was fun!

14/4:  We heard over the morning net on channel 14 VHF that the US Aircraft carrier George Washington was going to take liberty in Sint Maarten.  So we decided to go over to see it.  This ship is in the same class as the USS Enterprise and carriers 6,000 crew and flight staff.  That is more than 3-4 cruise ships.  Along with the cruise ships in town Phillipsburg is going to be packed!

We decided to stay on for Carnival.  This will shorten our time at other islands, but what the heck.

18/4:  Living in the islands isn't just fun and sun, we work too!  The zincs need to be changed which requires a dive in the beautiful water and the removal of the prop and replacement of the zincs, twice.  Love the catamarans with dual everything.  We also needed to do a scrub and scrape on the bottom.  So the dive was a 5 foot deep dive for and hour plus of work not including prep. 

The evening we had sundowners with Ngoma; Robyn and Sandra, Indigo; Carol and Gus, Cloud 9; Guy, and Sapristi; Trish and Chris.  It was a fun evening and we brought together 2 boats Ngoma and Sapristi.  Each thought the other was somewhere else.

We met Sapristi by inviting ourselves to there boat to look at it.  It is a Parley 40 and was designed by the Siminos, the same guy that designed ours.  You can see his hand all over it and he designs great boats.

19/4:  Carnival starts this evening so we raised anchor and headed over to Great Bay.  On our way our we caught a conversation with an incoming sailboat V'ger, (yes, they are Star Trek fans)  stating the lost their engine.  We spotted them and called and offered them a tow.  The second at sea rescue in St Maarten. It was a short and easy tow.  It appears that they wrapped a fish trap chain around their prop.  They think they will have to haul as it might have damaged the shaft.

We went to the Wee Carnival.  This is a celebration and a parade for the kids.  They dress up and dance their way through town.  They looked tired but most seemed to be having great fun.  We chatted with a local and her daughter and she explained about life on the island.  It may be paradise for vacationers, but the locals can hardly afford to live there.

That evening we thought we get the metal detector out and hunt the tourist beaches.  We were successful.  We found tons of coins, mostly USD, and I found a white gold ring with 3 diamonds!  We hunted only before and after the crowds left so it limited our time.  In all of the time we spent off the beach in Phillipsburg we never saw anyone treasure hunting the beaches.  We only hit about 1-2% and not even the best spots.  We should have stayed to hunt more.  We could have made a living picking change and jewelry! 

Location: Road Harbour, British Virgin Islands

26/4:  After saying goodbye to Sint Maarten we raised anchor and left around 6:30PM for and overnight sail to the BVI's.  The Anegada Passage can be quite the rough trip if the weather is against you.  We were lucky, light winds 15 knots from the NE let us sail until about 3AM.  We then had to add the iron jenny as the winds dropped to about 5 knots.  Running the engines is slower than sailing and at $5 USD per gallon we hate to run them for the fear of having to add fuel later. 

We did take the opportunity to run the water maker and fill the tanks.  This let Sharon do the laundry which we haven't done on over a month.  She started at sunrise while we were underway and finished up early afternoon a few hours after anchoring.  But we have clean clothes again.  Though we live most of the time in swim clothes, we do have to dress up to go into town as the locals frown upon the wearing of swimming clothes around.  Many restaurants and stores will not allow sunbathing clothes in the stores.

30/4:  More treasure hunting on the beach at Marina Cay.  Good exercise and money too!

May-06

1/5:  Cruising is about meeting people and going places.  Yesterday, afternoon while I was forward reading a Nelson Demille book, a couple dinghied up and asked if we were the same boat that has a website.  Of course I said yes and they exclaimed that they have been to our site and recognized Makai from those pages.  We invited them onboard and they introduced themselves as MaryLou and Bill from Naples, FL.  They have been coming down to the BVI's for 6-10 years chartering sailboats. They have been thinking of the cruising lifestyle. We spent an enjoyable evening chatting about cruising, boats, equipment, and all other things.  Of course our final recommendation was, THIS IS A GREAT LIFESTYLE! The evening ended around 8:30PM or so, which is late for a cruiser.  It was great fun to chat with people.  And especially nice to run into people that have visited our website.  Small World!

There are few cruisers here but the BVI's is full of charter boats.  The anchorages (which are mostly filled with $25-30 a night moorings) are incredibly crowded.  Though the BVI's is pretty and has some nice protected sailing this is not a cruiser friendly place.  Most of the anchorages are full of moorings. We had to anchor out in 50feet of water or miles from the beaches.  Marina Cay is nice good protection, free WIFI, and decent anchorages. Bitter End is a high end completely touristy resort area.  All of the cruising magazines talk about this place, but we found this to be a tourist stop with big time tourist prices.  I would not recommend this to cruisers other than a peek.  The prices of T-shirts made me choke $25 for the cheapest and Sharon saw a swimsuit for $230, YIKES!  We do save money in a place like this because the budget does not allow us nor can I imagine paying that much for souvenirs. 

Time to head over the see the Voyage yacht charter base and check out some of the boats.  Since we own one it is always interesting to look at other models.  We were hoping to see the 450 Cabriolet since we almost bought it, but it is out on Charter.  We are thinking of moving up to the 440 so it is a nice opportunity to check it out again.

2/5:  Anchored in Jost Van Dyke (named after, surprise, a pirate) in Great Harbour.  We are flying the pirate flag from Jay and Yu-ting in honor of the pirate namesake.  We are planning our jump back to US territory. Ok, Jump might be a stretch, US virgins are only about 10 miles away...

Location: United States Virgin Islands

3/5:  We are back into the US territories for the first time in a couple of years.  It was an anticlimatic trip.  2 hours of motoring. Check in required both of us to be present, no stamp just ok.  But we are back.  It is sad as it really signals the homeward leg of the trip.

4/5:  Got up early and head over to Culebra.  Tried Calling Moonrise and Silver Sea but we were not able to chat.  Moonrise gave us some great info when we were heading into the USVI's and they were heading to a marina. They saw us but we didn't see them.  So if you are reading this, HI GUYS, sorry we couldn't get together. 

It was a great sail we beam reached as the winds were mostly from the north, light but we managed to average 6.5knots in 13 knots of wind.  It will do.  We initially were going to anchor around the western side with a view of Puerto Rico, but when we arrived the anchorage looked crowded so we made our way back and moored on the other side.  As we were coming in Buddy raised us letting us know that Steve on NoneSuch was heading back to his boat and would call shortly.  He called as we were making the reef break and gave us some tips on getting moored. 

Location: Culebra, Puerto Rico

As we settled down the boat next to us called over and said what a great name Makai was, it is theirs too.  6-7 months ago when Second Lady was trying out their new SSB they called looking for us and actually reached the other Makai, the one we are anchored to now.  Small world!

Steve stopped by and chatted and offered to call the customs office for us.  It seems that the office is only active part time so he trying to find out when see we can clear in from the USVI.  We have to clear again because the USVI are duty free.  We didn't buy anything but we still have to clear.  Oh well.

We will spend a few days here but not many as we need to make it north before hurricane season.  In a straight line we are 1296 nautical miles from the Bay.  We will have to travel 1,500-1,600 NM before we get home.  This is very depressing as I would rather be exploring the islands way south of here!

Location: Sun Bay, Vieques, PR

5/5:  We left Culebra and went to Sun bay Vieques, about 23 NM.  The island of Vieques was a former navy bomb site. On the east end one needs to contact Range control to see if anchoring is allowed.  Though this is not an active bombing range I believe they still use it for military practices.

This is a beautiful island and the bay has a mile long white sand beach.  Since we were out of the Navy zone we just went in and dropped anchor, had lunch and then to the beach to treasure hunt.  We managed to find 30 cents and a silver religious medal. Along with lots of trash!  We only worked a very small part before heading back to the boat and prepared for an early start to Salinas about 50nm away.  Panda always recommended this place so we are going to see what is there.

Chatted with Tony on Side by Side and Ron on Bird of Paradise.  Tony is a few days a head of us and heading into the Turks, Ron is PLC, Ven.  Love the SSB!

Location: Salinas, PR

6/5:  After rising at sunrise we raised anchor and started our trip.  It is not a long trip but the winds are projected to be light and they were.  We motored in 3-4 knots of wind.  I did managed to catch a 4.5 foot Wahoo to make up for.  These are big fighting game fish.  This guy gave us about 20-25 pounds of meat. 

This neat thing about cruising is the people.  As we came in to the bay through the reefs we saw a boat over where we thought we wanted to anchor.  As we got close we saw that it was Carol & Tom on Moonrise.  We met these folks in Venezuela.  It is always great fun to catch with people.  Tom related that Pride was also in the harbor.  They to are heading back to the US, yuk (my view).  We shared some fish and as the rain started we headed back to the boat.  T-storms predicted.

7/5:  Got up and decided to head into town after listening to the weather, Eric 3855 LSB HAM and Chris Parker on 8137USB Marine HF.  While motoring in Sharon saw a boat she thought looked familiar.  It was Reggie and John on Liberty.  We had also met them in PLC, Venezuela.  This is like old home week.

7/5:  One of the locals takes care of about 30 cats and dogs. He has a beautiful tokenize looking kitten of about 3 months.  She looks like fun and was pretty friendly.  If Steve will part with her and Fatty Cat allows her onboard we will have a new crew member. Though Cat is not the friendliest she has been crying and whining allot since we lost Biff to Liver Failure last November.  We are hoping that a new crew member will give her some company.

14/5:  Our new crew is onboard.  Steve and his wife brought her to the cruisers cafe last night and passed to us.  Though everyone in the place took turns holding her and she seemed great.  Cookie is a tokenize and is about 4 months old. 

We finally met Rhapsody from Toronto, Canada in person.  They dropped anchor yesterday near us and Sharon saw them walking around town and called and asked if they were them.  It was.  We had only talked with them previously on the SSB & VHF.  The bought their Sewind 1200 in Australia and sailed here.  They are also on there way north and may cruise the Bay.

Along with Liberty  we all had a great Mexican dinner at Cruiser's Cafe.  Desha takes good care of us.  Good food, AC, and Free internet.  We highly recommend this place. It is self serve and each maintains their own tab.  The honor system.  Definitely not a tourist place. Thanks Desha!!!!!

17/5: We are preparing for our 4-8 day passage from Puerto Rico to Turks & Cacois or the Bahamas.  The weather looks good.  We listen to Marine SSB Chris Parker on 8137 at 0700 and South Bound Herb on 12359 at 1600 and George on HAM 7086 LSB for weather.  It looks like we will have a fair to light wind window for the next 4-6 days as a cold front in the Bahamas blows out.  It is causing 50 knot winds there.  We will be heading out tomorrow afternoon and will skirt the front to the south.  We may get some squall but mostly we will get light winds.

Our new crew is settling in and had the run of the boat last night.  Mostly we heard things being knocked down and crashing for part of the night and then she tired out and slept, finally. Cat pretty much ignored her and laid around as usual. 

Lily from Rhapsody cut my hair.  I was starting to  look like a hippy.  She did an awesome job for a bean counter!  We did sundowners on their boat and had a great time.  Like Sharon they are Chinese. See Mom-in-law other asians cruising!!

We will be out of touch for who knows how long.  But we will update as soon as we can find an internet cafe  so stay tuned

Salinas, Puerto Rico [17 56.893 N 066 17.478 W] to Turks / Bahamas

23/5:  It has been a wicked trip.  We departed from Salinas in late afternoon to avoid the evening thunder storms along the coast as suggested by Rhapsody.  We sailed in a mixture of moderate to light winds across the Mona towards Hispaniola on the way to the Turks.  There have been tons of freighters and the only saw one sailboat.  We later learned via SSB that it was GoodTime Charlie whom we met in Bequia with Mistral.  We have seen or heard of no others.  Most of the boats checking in on the nets are about a week ahead of us.  We are dragging up the end.

The trip has been beautifully sunny but the winds are very light and the predicted SW's never occurred so we sailed down wind most of the way, slowly!  This is going to be our longest offshore ocean trip both time and distance.  We had planned on landing in the Turks by the extra slow speed has caused us to continue on rather that make landfall at night or station keeps.  So we decided to make up miles and keep going.  Mayaguana was the next landfall, it to would have been at night, you got it, we continued on to San Salvador Island, Bahamas.  As I write this we are motoring as the winds have us moving less than 2 knots with 80 NM to go.  You guess right another night landfall. We have it worked out so that we will actual anchor on Cat Island after 7 days of travel.  I would hate to be a slow monohull!!!!

Kat started out sick and we had to tranq her.  The first time in a couple of years.  We think it might have been caused by the motion and the new crew Salina (formerly Cookie).  Both were a little out of sorts but after a few rough days they have their sea legs and are romping around the boat like they were born to it.  Kat mostly ignores Salina while Salina attempts to play.  She hasn't learned that Kat doesn't play!  Salina's name came from Salinas, Puerto Rico where Steve and Yvonne let us adopt her.  (more pics coming soon guys!)

Well time to go back on watch, more later!

Due to the light winds we are not making good time.  We planned on a lay over at the Turks but we would arrive at night.  Rather than hang around offshore and station keep while waiting for the sun we decided to press on to Mayaguna, Bahamas our next fallout.  Again the winds kept getting lighter and lighter and though the sun and the stars were great it made the next landfall ETA at night.  So we looked for our next fallout and decided on the Bight at Cat Island. 

The winds finally died after 6 days and we fired up the iron gennies (sailing parlance for engines, we hate to admit to using them).  The water was calm and flat as we motored towards Cat Island.  We swung around the southern point and headed in the find an anchorage.  The bight is a very large open area.  A bight is really not a bay more of an indentation in an island.  We motored 7 miles in 12-15 feet of water.  Of course the winds came up on the nose along with a thunderstorm.  We motored with little viability relying on the GPS and the radar.  In 10 feet of water we finally decided to drop the anchor and call it a day.  We set the hook and sat back.  As the rain cleared we realized we were 1.6nm offshore.  We had good protection and said what the heck.  Since we were not going to clear in we thought if they can not see us they won't check us and we were left alone!

Location: Cat Island, Bahamas

24/5:  Well after 6 days and 23.5 hours, 623 nm, we have dropped anchor at Cat Island, Bahamas.  Just for the cats of course.

25/5:  Cap Bil has another b-day.   quote 'It is god to keep having them'.  Sharon made chocolate cake with German Chocolate frosting.  My birthday gifts beside my wonderful like were 2 DVD's.  Batman Begins and the Starsky and Hutch video.  These are originals.  It has been a few years since we actually saw a original and not a copy of movie.

26/5:  Moved to Little San Salvador Cay.  This island is owned by Holland America cruise lines.  The beach and the water are very pretty and it is quite nice with out the cruise ships present. The cruise ships come in the morning about 6-8Am and drop anchor and everyone piles off aboard ferries to the island and beach.  They then spent 4-5 hours playing in the water and on the beach.  We saw tons of very pasty white people go on a and tons of very red lobster people go off.  By 4:30 the place is deserted and the cruise ship raises anchors and moves on.  The crew cleans the beach and by 6PM the island is deserted except for the caretakers.

We met a great couple on Independence anchored next to us, Al, Cherri and their dog Bleu.  They spend 3-4 months cruising their Irwin (formally a ketch now a sloop, they lost the mizzen mast crossing from Florida in rough weather) and then fly their Mooney to Colorado and spend the summers.  What a life!  We had a great spaghetti dinner with fresh salad aboard Independence.  The treat was they had the AC running the entire time we were onboard.  What a pleasure.  The company was excellent and this is the part of cruising we will miss.  The varieties of wonderful people-le from ever background conceivable.

Weather on a boat is always first and foremost when preparing to travel or just sit.  Today there were some T-storms moving around us but not really bothering us.  Al from Independence called and pointed us to what looked like a tornado forming (eventually a water spout if it hits the surface).  We got the Bi-noculars and watched.  It was a large swirling formation coming from the clouds and definitely was the beginning of a tornado/water-spout.  We watched for about 20 minutes as the funnel swirled.  It was nerve wracking as the clouds we moving our way.  Then little by little it began to shrink and finally dissipated.  Whew.  In a boat there is no basement to go hide if one comes your way and you can't move fast enough to get away

independence asked if we were interested in snorkeling and a little spear fishing.  Of course we said yes and loaded up the gear and went.  It was great fun though I still was not able to actually get anything with the spear.  Tried but no go.  It is a good thing we are not counting on me for fresh fish.  I did get to see a couple of sharks swimming in the coral heads.  We snorkeled for several hours and then walked along the beach.  Sharon & Cherrie went to go find coconuts and came back with a few.  The pinkish sand and the varying blues made the beach gorgeous.  It is really depressing to think about heading back to the states.

Independence headed over to Stainel Cay and we moved off to Highbourne Cay.  We needed to get fuel without checking in.  It cost $300US plus what ever bribes to get the cats cleared.  So we decided the low profile approach as we are just transiting.  We burned a lot fuel as we had lost the winds coming from Puerto Rico and then motoring to Highbourne Cay.  I was surprised when we fueled up it $4.12 a gallon.  That was cheaper than Puerto Rico's $4.80/gallon.

28/5:  SSB communication has been terrible due to weather.  We finally chatted with Side by Side in the Abacos and Rhapsody in Conception.  All of us are looking for the window to Charleston.  [4/6: Rhapsody is going to try for a crossing to Miami and then look north.  They need some shopping].  The weather is looking very helpful, It looks like we missed the best windows a week ago.  Of course we were in no position to take advantage of them.  Mostly we are getting T-storms and predictions of northerly wind.  Winds which have a north component are terrible in the Gulf Stream.  The stream head north and the winds blows from the north makes short square waves and the winds is also not conducive to and upwind sail.  So here we sit waiting for changes.  We only need 3-4 days to get from here to Charleston.  We will see.

Jun-06

4/6:  Moved to West Bay Lyford Cay on the west end of New Providence Island.  We sailed part of the trip on a wonderful flat wave less beam reach.  Sailing the banks is weird.  You can't see any land yet you a sailing in water that is only 10 feet deep.  We ended up motoring for several hours after the wind died.  

We chatted with Side by Side and Rhapsody who are waiting to head north as well.  The weather doesn't look favorable so we are sitting and they both are waiting as well.  Rhapsody is thinking of heading to Miami, but Side by Side and ourselves are still looking for the same window north.  We will see.  The long range forecast isn't to favorable.  We want to move, but I don't want to motor or get beat-up for the trip!  There have been T-storms and BASRA (Bahamas Area Sea Rescue) is warning about possible waterspouts.  Great!  In Little San Salvador we watched one startup and it wasn't fun, now BASRA say it is possible over the next few days to see more.

5/6: Another day of movement ahead.  We raised anchor and headed for the cut near Chub Cay.  We had hoped to sail.  Right.  So we motor-sailed to the cut that will allow us onto the Bahamas Banks.  Once on the banks we will go to Great Isaac and then when the weather and timing is right we will head out to the Gulf Stream.  We motored about 10 miles onto the Banks and when night fall hits we just drop the anchor in 10 feet of water.  It is weird dropping anchor out of the sight of land.

We enjoyed another dinner and watched the boats and freighters go by.  Here and anchor light is important.  Little did we realize that this is a major traffic corridor.  All night freighters we passing by, some less than a half a mile.  We had a few surprise awakening at night.  We really hoping that they saw us.  Normally anchor watch involves making sure you don't drag in heavy weather on in questionable a questionable anchorage. This time I was up watching for other ships.  It can be difficult to determine the course of a ship on open water.  A few times I saw both the red and green lights which in the boating worlds means the ship is coming straight on (and these are big inter island freighters), luckily the captains were paying attention and adjusted course around us.  It is hard to sleep when you want to keep and eye open for traffic.

We got up early in the morn and listened to the weather on the SSB.  The weather forecast wasn't favorable to jump off immediately for the leg to Charleston so we headed to South Cat Cay.  We anchored here a couple of years ago with Trilite when we first crossed the Gulf Stream from FL.  Even though the winds were strong out of the east there was a big storm far south of us that made for some huge choppy swells that made it impossible to sleep. 

The morning the weather forecasted some good weather so we decided that we would leave a day early and 30 minutes after getting up we jumped out and headed north.  Later when we chatted with Side by Side who was a 112 nm north of us they we surprised.  This leg is 434 nm about 2 1/2 - 3 days. We had a good window and it proved to be a great beam reach trip for the first 24 hours.  With the 3 knot Gulf stream and the winds we really hauled.

We did radio check ins with Side by Side 7:30 am on 4036 and 8PM.  It is good to have someone listening for problems.  Winds went from light to 15-20.  We motored a bit and sailed a lot.  Chris Parker predicted light winds and we were worried we would have to motor a lot.  We were not carrying enough fuel to motor the whole way.  The wind gods took care of and overall we had a pleasant sail.  Side by Side started out with good winds and ended up motoring a fair amount due to light winds.  Amazing what a 100 nm difference in location can do for the weather.

We were actually making good time but the light wind time through off our ETA.  We ended up having to slow down and make landfall on Sunday morning instead of Saturday afternoon as originally planned.  This added 10 hours to the trip.  As the sun came up so did the winds.  Winds started to build to 20-25 knots forcing the seas up as well.  We hit the entrance to the harbor and the breakwater dodging the fishing boats working all over the area.  We got in and tied up at City marina luckily making the marina at slack high tide.  There can be 3-5 knots of current and with the winds can make for a tough docking.

Location as of 11/6/06-City Marina; Charleston, South Carolina

11/6: Side by Side called via SSB saying that they were having engine problems and were down to motoring in light winds with on engine.  We kept monitoring in case they needed help dispatched. But working down in an engine room in rough and bouncing seas is a sure way to loose your lunch.  He dropped a cover to the water pump and spent extra time digging it out.  Tony was eventually able to get it sorted and made it in after a delay.

Rhapsody called and we chatted with them.  They asked if we could check with the marina if they had space and would be in late.  Sharon checked and the marina said they could tie up anytime.  Alberto is creating a lot of stormy weather and they ended up staying out in deep water and riding out in heavy winds and waves.

12/6: Hurricane Alberto is giving us rain and wind and we just had a water spout go through the marina.  A sail boat in the anchorage dragging toward the bridge.  The high winds forced our screetcher to open up.  Sharon and I piled out to drop it in the rain and wind and get control of the flapping sail, got wrapped and tied to the trampoline.  The brunt of the storm is not here yet.  The Coast Guard has been reporting tornados all over the area and it is making us nervous.  We have no place to go and hide.  Boats don't have basements.  We are constantly checking lines and the fenders and have added extra docklines. Our slip is actually pretty exposed. The marina is not bringing transients inside.

Rhapsody talked the marina into letting them move to the inside of the mega dock for a bit more protection.  The wind died down and the cast off and then the problems started.  The winds piped up, the currents were flowing 3-5 knots, a dockline wrapped in the prop, and the water spout came through the marina.  the winds went from very little to very high in seconds and spun them into a concert dock.  Ken tried to get the boat tied down but was blown into the water.  He made it back on the boat as the wind spun the boat around and carried them into another boat which they holed and bounced off another  coming to rest against a sport fisher.  Lilly grabbed a handy reefing line and tied up to lock the boat into place.

When things settled they started to inspect the damage and it was considerable.  Beside the hole in a 50 foot yacht that ended up costing 10 grand for repairs, they hit a trawler that is probably going to cost $1,500 -2,500 to repair, a $1,000 or so on the sport fisher, and finally the hull on their boat was gouged to the fiberglass and a mangled stanchion.  They are lucky as Ken had fallen in the water, he could have easily been crushed by the boat or drug away in the currents.  beyond that no body was injured

Makai it through without any damage, whew.  Now start to look for the weather window for a trip around Cape Hetteras into the Bay.

17/6: Rhapsody asked us to stay an extra day to help fix their boat after the tornado incident.  So our departure will be delayed by one day.  We will be leaving Sunday around lunch to take the last leg of 400 nm to the Bay around Cape Hetaeras.

18/6: We were not impressed with the Dock hands at Charleston City Marina.  We have not seen any that really know how to help a boat in and out.  Most grab for the wrong lines or on departure let the lines fall into the water rather than tossing them onto the boat.   Because of this we decided to jerry jug the fuel rather than pull up into the fuel dock.  I made two trips and put in 40 gallon to top the tank off.  The winds are predicted to be light so it may be a motor sail part of the next leg.

Went to Rhapsody with my long piece of wood and a 2 lbs hammer to bend the bow pulpit back into shape.  The pulpit took most of the damage when the tornado that came through the marina while they were trying to move the other day.  Using a block and tackle and  the lever we worked pulpit back into shape.  We then removed it and I started using the hammer to tweak the tubes and to flatten the feet.  After many times off and on  we got it 85% back to the original shape.  Can't bend it  too much as the some of tubes are partially crushed and I didn't want to collapse them.  Finally we were satisfied with the shape and it was time for lunch.  I haven't worked that hard in a long time.  Swinging a hammer and climbing on and off the boat is quite the work out.

Ken and Lilly took us to Melvin's BBQ as a reward for the work. Emirl says this is the best burger he has ever eaten.  The food was very good and very plentiful.  All through the Caribbean we ate the local food when and where we could, Charleston is no different.  We are back in the land of plenty.

Next is the final 400nm leg around Cape Hetteras to the Bay.  We will leave around lunch time from Charleston and make our way north.  This is really depressing

19/6:  Time to depart from Charleston has arrived.  Side by Side headed out the day before via the ICW and Rhapsody still had a little more work on their boat before departing.  We waited until slack at high tide and headed out.  Ken & Lilly came by to help us off cast off and the final leg began at 1300.  We planning a 2.5 day 400 nm trip.  The winds were predicted to out of the east for the first day at 12-15 knots and then switch to SW at 10-15.  perfect sailing!

Leaving on a weekend from Charleston was a mistake.  Everyone was out, there were boats, yachts, an optimist, laser, and flying Scot regatta (through the middle of the channel), ski boats, fishing boats, etc going in every possible direction.  IT was mass confusion, but we finally made it out and raised sails and headed up on course for the Bay.  The East winds allowed us to sail close hauled and we started off making good time.

Watch was a little more active as we were following a shipping route coming out of a major shipping port.  There were a lot of big cargo ships to keep an eye on.  The winds died in the evening so we motored sailed.  While Sharon was on the Dog Watch the starboard engine started to overhead so she shut it down.  Since we had two engines and were sailing a bit it was an immediate problem so she let me sleep.  Upon awakening for my shift she explained the problem and the first thing I thought was the impeller failed.  Just like Side by Side a few days before. 

Working in the engine room underway can be upsetting to the stomach, but it had to be done.  So after a short nap for Sharon she took over the watch and I got the tools and parts and climbed down in the engine.  I pulled everything apart but the impellor looked fine, but I replaced it anyway hoping it was a problem I didn't see.  We fired the engine back up and it started to overheat.

The next thought was we sucked something up through the raw water pick up in the sail drive and it was plugging up the intake.  Back into the hold and start pulling hoses looking for the problem.  After a few hours of cleaning lines I figured the plug was in the sail drive.  We ran the salt water hose in the engine room and started to back flush.  We buttoned up everything and started the engine and it seemed to run fine and it did for about and hour and then started to over heat.  I guess I didn't get the blockage cleared.  Back to the engine room.  It took several tries of blowing and back flushing.  After 6 HOURS of cleaning and reassembling it finally cleared!  Good thing as the winds died and we spent some time motoring.

Day 2 and 3.  We were motor sailing and sailing as the wind allowed.  We finally made our turn around Hetteras and the winds were on the beam and seas light.  The engine off the sailing was awesome.  Cutting through the water and watching the stars.  This is what cruising is about.  the miles ticked away and we were getting closer to the end of the trip and the entrance to the Bay.  We sailed until about 15 miles from the entrance as the sun came up and the winds died, for good.

While getting ready to enter the Bay across the Chesapeake bridge tunnel we saw a sail boat just rolling so we motored over to see if they needed help.  They did.  They were on their way to Bermuda and they were unable to restart (battery failed) the yachts engine when the winds died.  The were adrift for so long all of their food went bad and with no wind they couldn't make it back in.  We offered a tow which they gladly accepted and commented on how many boats went by them without checking them out.  No battery meant no radio so they couldn't even call for help. 

We towed them in an a friend came out to meet us with a battery and they were able to restart and motor in the rest of the way under their own power.  Good thing as the tide was ebbing and we were fighting a 3 knot current while towing, we were going very slow.  They offered us money but we declined. 

A side point on the tow.  We offered a tow and they gladly tossed us a line without asking if we were going to charge them or claim salvage.  We believe in good karma so we were only there to help without thought of remuneration.  We could have claimed salvage or demanded large payment based on the claim of the tow operator.  This is an ongoing issue and problem with a lot of questionable towing services.  Where a simple tow becomes a large expense of salvage when dealing with some towboat operators with maritime law blurring the lines and making it difficult to defend against.  A salvage tow can net the towboat operator up 30% of the value of the boat and all of its contents.  On a $100,000 boat which is inexpensive could cost the owner $30,000 when they just need a simple tow.  The papers and cruising magazines are full of these lawsuits and problems. 

Moral.  Get a contract even verbal with witnesses before accepting a tow even if the boat and your lives are at risk or it is just a simple assist from a soft grounding.  If you are not in immediate danger of death or injury it can save you pain in the long run.

26/6:  Sharon's cousins Mike & Marty along with his mom and sister came via thier high speed fishing boat called Sea Hunt.  Cool fishing boat with a 225 hp 4 cycle outboard.  It would make a great dinghy!!  Just kidding.  We visited and chatted for the afternoon but they had to depart as t here were T-storms predicted and they didn't want to be caught.

The Storm came in and the winds were 35 knots with heavy downpour.  Boats started to drag towards us.  One boat came so close we thought we were hit.  Another boat who yelled at us the first day for anchoring to close ( we were 240 feet away) and claimed he had 150 feet of chain out in 10 feet of water drug at us as well.  So HA!  Boats were getting close so we raised anchor and moved to the other side of Rhapsody.  The storm and the winds lasted several hours.  It was cold and wet and not much fun.  It is great to be back in the Bay, yeah right!

27/6: We may be anchored in the Bay but the work and problems continue.  The anchor windlass failed.  It can be operated manually but that is very slow and I believe an electric windlass can be a safety device.  Being able to retrieve and redeploy an anchor in an emergency or just to improve a questionable deployment just because the amount of work a manual requires in raising and resetting many people will ride it in hopes it will hold.

The relay failed, it had given us problems in the past.  Getting a replacement was not much of a worry as there is a West Marine close.  The problem is we are under Thunderstorm warnings.  If we start to drag we will have to raise anchor manually, in the dark, and rain.  So Ken from Rhapsody made some calls while I tackled another problem, the dinghy outboard.  This allowed me to get things done while he made the calls.  The replacement was found at West Marine and Willy Mac offered us a ride and Theresa offered her marine discount.  We drove over and Heidi had the part set aside and low and behold it was the one.  The discount saved us a ton of money and being able to get it and return quickly to install it made me feel better. 

As with any simple job they always expand.  The relay worked perfectly it just didn't find in the box.  So the box had to be removed and rotated so the relay would fit.  This entailed removing wires, cutting frozen screws, and drilling new holes in the electrical box.  Nothing ever takes 5 minutes.  But it has been re-assembled and works great.  Push the button the anchor goes up and push the other button the anchor goes down!

Theresa was great. Where ever we go we like to try local food so she took us out to one of the local pizza joints. There met her family and had a great time.  Fran tried to talk us into going to Karaoke.  Unfortunately, we had to move the boat to our new anchorage in the Hampton River.

Jul-06

1/7:  Happy Canadian Independence Day to our Canadian Friends! 

Moved into the Hampton river and anchored bow/stern.  Free WIFI!! 

2/7:  It has been like a homecoming.  We chatted on the VHF this morning with Wombat of Sydney and then Side by Side.  We have been trying to raise Side by Side via SSB but it has been terrible propagation.  Then while sitting on the stern reading and up pops Cliff and Orma on Skylark.  A great pleasure and a surprise.

We got together with Rhapsody, Sea Otter, and Skylark for dinner.  We were all chatting and discovered that George and Jackie on Sea Otter are friends with Rick and Carolyn on Wind Bourne III.  Wind Bourne is still in the Caribe.  It is a small world!

Life is starting to wind down from the fun of travel and reality is starting to intrude and we re-acclimate to the US.  It is amazing.  We will right more on our impressions of returning to the US after being out for a few years.  We have it good here!

6/7:  We had great fun in Hampton seeing family we haven't seen for years since we left and meeting up with cruisers we met in the last few years.  It is a small world.  But it is time to raise anchor and move north.  Up comes the anchor at sunrise and off we head to Sandy Point.  According to the Gunkholers guide tot he Chesapeake it is supposed to be one of the most popular anchorages. 

As with anytime you travels things are always against you.  this time, again, no wind so we motor sailed.  AS we were coming in a Hunter 420 hailed us and welcomed us back to the bay.  They were former slip-mates at Shipwright Harbor.  He was having engine trouble and we offered a tow.  Luckily the winds were favorable and they were able to sail into their slip.  We dropped the hook in Sandy Point.  It is a nice pleasant and very empty anchorage.

9/9: Another sail. pleasant and relaxing we made our way to Solomons Island, Maryland to drop the hook and look for a new home.  We anchored Makai off Zanhiser's and started to visit the various marinas.  While checking out Hospitality harbor we ran into Cliff and Orma on Skylark.  They will be dropping the mast and hauling their boat back to Vancouver, Canada in the next couple of weeks.

This is a tough time to look for a slip.  Peak season.  Most people have contracted for the year in the spring. We called and visited many marinas by dinghy and car.  Hospitality harbor and Calvert marina had a space. Barry and Louise from Louise B wanted us to come to their marina, but we were not able to fit the available slip.  Being a cat is tough as the space required is enormous.  We take two spots and since most are already filled it took some time to find a place that had space to accommodate us.  Gloria and Nissa from Calvert Marina were very helpful and got us set up for 2 months until trawler fest.  We will spend the next few months in here and then move to Herrington Harbor south on a t-dock.

20/7: The job hunt begins!