by Jen
05/12/2010, Oriental, NC

Marsh Harbour --> Beaufort, NC Photos

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by Jen
05/12/2010, Oriental, NC

A photo is worth a thousand words. Need I say more. Another thing on the list of "must haves"...unlimited towing with either Tow Boat US or SeaTow.

Upon our exit of Beaufort Harbor we found an area that has been shoaling in the middle of the channel. Picture it: We were cruising along chatting about how nice it had been in Beaufort and Wah-Bam! We are aground! And worse, on a falling tide. We wasted no time and quickly called Tow Boat US to come to our aid. It took the fella about 20 minutes to work us off and we were on our way. It was pretty quick and painless but could have been much worse if we did not have the insurance. The bill would have been over $700!

We are glad that this happened in the soft mud and in the US where we have resources to help. It could have been much worse. Instead, it is a great photo and memorable story.

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by Jen
05/10/2010, Beaufort, NC

Our last full week in Marsh Harbour was great fun. We entertained Maxwell's sister and her boyfriend aboard Anastasia, sailing around the different islands in the Sea of Aboco. The week was packed with a visit to Hope Town, offshore fishing, and snorkeling. It was great to spend time with them since we had not seen them in about five months. We were sad to see them go but knew we'd see them soon as we were near the time of heading home.

Our buds on Elizabeth and Daphne arrived in Marsh Harbour right around the time Maxwell's sister and boyfriend were leaving. Our focus quickly changed from sun, sand and snorkeling to weather forecasts and routing for our biggest offshore jump yet. Ben & Teresa on Elizabeth and Daphne were joining us for the trip. It turned out that a great weather window was already upon us leaving no time for sentimental goodbyes to the Bahamas. Before we knew it, Anastasia was packed up and ready for a week at sea. At sunrise on Monday morning, all three boats weighed anchor and were bound for Beaufort, NC.

Day 1 & 2 brought nice winds, broad reaching toward the Northwest. These days we worked on getting in the "at sea" groove. Up until this point, we have done short jumps of only 20-30 hours or so where you never settle into the at sea schedule with land not too far off. This was very different. When we left Marsh Harbour, we left all sights of land for what would prove to be five days.

Position Report:
5/3/10 1200hrs
N 27 12.3'
W 77 13.0'

5/4/10 0030hrs
N 28 43.0'
W 78 10.4'

Surprisingly, on day two we were still in VHF contact with Elizabeth and Daphne, which was nice. We keept up with each other's positions and headings often. It is nice to know we were not all alone out there.

Position Report:
5/4/10 1200hrs
N 28 45.0'
W 78 30.0'

Overnight on Tuesday we had a 20kt squall with thunder, lightning and heavy rain. We sailed with a reefed main and full jib chugging along at 6kts. The Coast Guard had been announcing security calls about an Air Force C130 performing search and rescue training exercises in our area. They were off of our starboard side most of the night and it was very entertaining.

The watch schedule that worked for us was three hours on, three hours off. We really only stuck to this at night, starting at 9PM. I always took the first watch of the night. Off watch, we could be found in the sea berth we converted in the main salon. This turned out to be an oasis of pillows and blankets calling our name after each shift. It was an extremely cozy place even in the most rolly sea state.



Position Report:
5/5/10 0630hrs
N 29 55.0'
W 79 32.0'

On Wednesday the winds had slacked but we had already made it to the Gulf Stream and were making 7kts, motoring at 1700rpms. The waves were only about 1' and the water was smooth. It was very sunny and warm.

We were pleasantly surprised when a small yellow bird landed on Anastasia for a morning visit. We happily nicknamed him "Scrub" and he stayed aboard for over an hour. So far offshore we thought he was just looking for a break but he was pretty spunky and jumped all over the cockpit. He even sat in our hands and on our laps. When he finally flew away we were sad to say goodbye to our new friend.



Later in the day we had a fly-by inspection by a U.S. NAVY P-3 Orion so close and so low that I am sure the pilots could read the heading on our compass. Very Cool!

Pretty much the entire time that we were underway, we had a line in the water. Once an afternoon squall (complete with waterspouts) had passed we quickly put the lines back in. Right away the starboard line was hit by a bull Mahi Mahi. He fought hard but we managed to get him alongside the boat. Just as I passed Maxwell the gaff the fish let out one last life-saving struggle and broke the line. We looked at each other in shock as we watched our beautiful catch swim away. The lines went back in the water, but the spirit onboard was low. To have such a prize so close and then so quickly lost really sucks.

Position Report:
5/5/10 1330hrs
N 30 38.0'
W 79 37.0'

5/6/10 0315hrs
N 31 54.8'
W 78 46.2'

On Thursday the winds were light from the Northwest. We continued to motor to maintain our speed. We took advantage of the smooth ride to fill our diesel tanks with the spare jugs we keep on deck. Elizabeth and Daphne were still with us approximately 16 miles Southwest of us. We were all heading for Cape Fear, aiming to hit it around daybreak on Friday.

Around lunchtime we caught a 24" Skipjack Tuna. This time we landed it into the boat and tried the "alcohol" method of subduing the fish. This worked extremely well...Maxwell held the fish and I poured rubbing alcohol into it's gills and after a few seconds it was over. No more flapping or bouncing about. Easy as pie. We enjoyed fresh sushi with wasabi and soy sauce for lunch.



Position Report:
5/6/10 1230hrs
N 32 32.0'
W 78 15.4'

1600hrs
N 32 45.1'
W 78 06.3'

Overnight we made it around Frying Pan Shoals uneventfully with the exception of high ship traffic coming and going from Charleston and Wilmington. AIS proved to be invaluable! On my watch I was able to see ships and know their headings and speed and in turn confidently call them on the radio to announce our presence. I was even hit on by one of the ship captains! He told me that I had a beautiful voice and asked if I was all alone on my boat. Strange way to find a girlfriend! I told him that I was flattered but a little busy navigating my vessel amongst cargo ships and hadn't the time for chit chat.

Position Report:
5/7/10 0030hrs
N 33 16.3'
W 77 34.3'

Friday morning brought almost no wind at all. We found ourselves moving at 1.6kts so we waited for Elizabeth and Daphne to catch up and we all sailed together enjoying the last full day of our journey. We used our spinnaker and both Elizabeth and Daphne used their light air drifters. The colors of the sails were beautiful. Ben made cookies and tossed a bag over in a fly-by mission. Also, Teresa was experiencing a fuel leak on Daphne and was concerned about her diesel levels so we did an at sea jug transfer on a tight line between boats. It went flawless! And the jug never touched the water! Great job! The set up took more time than the transfer itself but preparation makes execution easier.



Position Report:
5/7/10 1620hrs
N 33 51.2'
W 77 17.7'

Beaufort Inlet was now on the radar screen. We remembered the inlet to have a strong current with the flowing tides so we had to plan our approach. We also had strong winds upcoming in the forecast. So we decided to slow down and make our approach at dawn on Saturday.

Friday night I took the first watch as usual. There was nothing out of the ordinary about my shift and at midnight Maxwell came up to relieve me. I went down below to sleep and that was the last time I was on deck until sunrise. Maxwell let me sleep for the rest of the night while he sailed Anastasia in the building winds. When I finally roused and realized what time it was, I donned my foulies and joined him in the cockpit for our approach into Beaufort. I cannot even begin to explain the sense of accomplishment we both were feeling. It was overwhelming how far we had come. We had done it, together.

Hook down, engine off at 0730hrs on 5/8/10.
Total Miles: 586
Total Hours: 121

Check out the photos! SmugMug

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by Jen
05/08/2010, Beaufort, NC

We made it! We are in Beaufort, NC after a 5 day & 5 night passage from Marsh Harbour, Aboco. I will write more later about our journey!

The lead photo is from Monday morning when we left Marsh Harbour. The two sailboats ahead of us are Daphne & Elizabeth.

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by Jen
04/22/2010, Marsh Harbour, Aboco

Wow! Are we still in the Bahamas? I thought Florida was much farther to the West! This place is unreal. It is rumored that they even have a SubWay here! We were not mentally prepared for this level of development so quickly. We needed a gentle transition before seeing Land Rovers rolling down the street and jewelers advertising the Rolex brand. It is ok, we can handle this, just walk normal and you won't stand out. Geez Louise! There is a KFC too!!!!! Instinctively we creep back into our little floating oasis and take a few breaths from a paper bag while processing our new environment.

In all reality these amenities are nice and it has been a while since we have seen an environment so well cared for. The bougainvillea is in full bloom in a rainbow of color. It is really a nice place and I can see how cruisers spend a chunk of time here. We have been here in Marsh Harbour for an unplanned week and a half. We were hoping to hop in and hop right back out but our refrigeration had other plans...

In an earlier entry I mentioned that our refrigeration was under the weather. It was running all of the time and draining our batteries. It was still cooling but not like it should. So, since it is still under warranty, we called Dometic and they referred us to a guy here in Marsh Harbour. On Wednesday of last week Sean came out to our boat. I felt bad...it was blowing 25-30kts but he insisted on still coming out...in our dinghy. Needless to say, when he got onboard, he was soaked.

He checked the Freon levels and there was a negative psi...that is bad. So he charged the system and checked for leaks. He could not find anything and the new charge appeared to be working. So he left. Almost immediately we knew this was not the fix we were looking for and after a few hours of the compressor continuously running, we knew there was more to the problem. After another call to Dometic and then to Sean, we were scheduled for another appointment...this time in a m a r i n a.

On this entire trip, Anastasia has been in only one marina and that was in Nassau. We try to live frugally so, for us marinas are unnecessary. Until now. I have to admit that I was excited. My thoughts immediately went to the laundry facilities, the pool, the free water and the showers!

Monday was the day. It just so happened that Monday was a rainy day. It rained all day...and it was blowing 20kts. Not the type of weather you want for a first-time-in-three-months-marina-approach. So we waited through the squalls until there was a short break and we went for it. All I have to say is "Hand in a Glove." Flawless. What were we so worried about?

Later that afternoon Sean came out and checked for leaks once more. This time he found one on the evaporator plate inside of the box. This was bad turning into good! So we did indeed have a leak! We emailed Dometic and they are sending us a new evaporator plate, all under warranty. Sean recharged our machine after he vacuumed tested it and this time it worked. So we have a semi-functioning unit until the new part arrives and is hopefully installed sometime next week.

Until then, we are SUPER excited about Maxwell's sister Lindsay and her boyfriend Ben coming for a visit this weekend. They are staying for a week aboard Anastasia. Once they get here we are going to take them out to some of the other islands near Marsh Harbour. It is going to be a great week!

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by Jen
04/19/2010, Marsh Harbour, Aboco

I have made a Movie! Check it out on our SmugMug page. Click HERE!

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