[photo: a rare treat in the islands!]
Answer to kitty litter question: We use Fresh Step and carried two full buckets. Diane believes that will get us through all, or most of the 3 months. We have not looked for any yet. It would almost certainly be available in Nassau, Gerogetown, and somewhere in the Abacos.
He does track it throughout the boat, but that is nothing compared to the hairs he leaves. To be frank, I shed just as much as he does, maybe more.
Good luck with your cat. I was surprised how nice it is to have him with us and not worrying about him back home and lonely.
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Comments [3]
LOL
[photo: anchored at Black Point settlement on Great Guana Cay]
Day 38: Fri 18 Apr 08
We had a very restful night in this anchorage, so I slept in until slightly after 0600. This morning was one for many chores. First, straightened up the interior of the boat. Then I cut Diane's hair. I was trying hard to remember the techniques Diane's friend and stylist taught me, and eventually it came back to me. I did manage to cut it a bit shorter than her usual, but it doesn't look bad at all. She was grateful, but not overwhelmed with my efforts.
Then we used the solar shower to clean her up. I started cleaning and polishing more at the transom of the boat, which took a few hours. Then we got ready to go ashore. The goals were to: call Diane's credit card company (collect) again and straighten out a late payment mix-up, connect to the FREE Internet Wi-Fi at Staniel Cay Yacht Club to check email and post to the blog, and meet John and Marilyn at the Thunderball Grotto for snorkeling at 1310.
We made the long dinghy ride and just as we got within 100 feet, the engine died. I checked the fuel tank and saw that it was a lot emptier than my previous check had indicated. The fuel pick-up was on the side sloping up, so I reversed the tank and we got going right away. The problem was that I did not know if we had enough fuel to get to the Grotto and back to the boat.
I do know enough to check fuel before starting out. In this case, my check was faulty. I usually lift the handle of the tank and can tell by the weight if it is near full or near empty. In this case, I suspect something was causing the tank to feel heavier than it really was. Not good, and another lessoned learned.
We attended to calling the credit card company and all worked out fine. I took care of the Internet business and that went fine, too. It turns out, though, that they do not sell gasoline at the marina (or maybe they were just out of it), so I tried to hail Blue Goose on the VHF radio to stop by my boat and pick up my full jug lashed to the rail. They did not reply, so I next spied a boater we had met at Warderick Wells who owns a nice boatyard near our Florida home.
He and his wife, Pat, were very helpful and gave me some gas. Since they use a four-stroke engine, it was not mixed with oil as needed for our 2-stroke engine. I just took a small amount of raw gas since without oil to mix in, it would not be very good for my engine. I was counting on the existing oil in my remaining fuel to be enough to get where I needed to go.
I kept the power no higher than half-throttle and we went to the Grotto in just a few minutes. The snorkeling was fabulous! It is a smallish rock with several openings on the sides where you can swim through. In the center is a large dome with a hole large enough to let in a fair amount of light. It not only illuminates the interior, but the light rays play down into the water and make interesting patterns on the sandy bottom.
Along the sides were very nice corals, but the big attraction is the large concentrations of fish. We got close to some people who were feeding them (yes, it is a controversial issue) and it was amazing to see them come so close. One of the things that made it very noteworthy for me is that some species which are gorgeous to view, but are normally shy of swimmers (such as rock beauties, angelfish, and even grouper) would come with just a few feet of you even when no food was offered.
We were not there long at slack tide when the current started to pick up again. You really needed to push hard to get through the openings as the force of the current was magnified. John and Marilyn followed us back to our boat in case our engine developed a problem, but it ran great. Upon reaching Diva Di, I immediately adjusted the fuel-oil mixture in the tank and topped it off with my pre-mix.
Diane got another hot shower and after I finished refueling, I got one, too. Then Diane finally got to use her hammock, which I set up on the foredeck. The air was a bit cool so she didn't stay in it too long.
Antic came into the anchorage in mid-afternoon and anchored very near us and Glue Goose. They dinghied over to our boat to say hi and John came over as well, so we made impromptu plans for happy hour and bones/farkle aboard Diva Di just one hour later.
We had another great night of camaraderie, but the ladies continued to be the big game winners. Fortunately, Tick pulled off one win to save face for the guys. It was quite late before we broke up, and I failed to get on the SSB radio to try for a check-in with John on Invictus in Islamorada.
Day 39: Sat 19 Apr 08
The weather forecast was for fairly light winds out of the ENE, so at anchor I readied the spinnaker a duty. I should have disputed the forecast since the winds were blowing ESE in the anchorage, but I didn't. We got to sail at nice speed for about a half hour before we needed to turn more into the wind and the spinnaker needed to come down. In the meantime, though, Blue Goose got some good photos of our boat under spinnaker.
While we were dousing the spinnaker and removing the gear to allow us to unfurl the Genoa, Blue Goose got way ahead and we would not catch them. We had to tack a few times since the wind was coming from our desired destination, but it was a short sail of less than 3 hours anyway. I decided to get more practice, so we sailed right up to the anchorage, furling the Genoa a few hundred yards before our desired spot and just using the mainsail to get the rest of the way. Turned up into the wind, waited for the boat to stop, and eased out the anchor rode. You never know when these skills will be needed for real, so it's best to not get too rusty.
It is a lovely anchorage, just off the government dock. Blue Goose and we agreed to deliver our school supply boxes right away so as to have accomplished that mission, then do laundry. We started walking in the direction of the church and came upon some lovely children. The girl was a bit shy, but the boy was very intrigued about what was in the boxes. When Marilyn mentioned crayons, markers, notebooks, flash cards, etc., he kindly offered that there was no one at the school today or tomorrow (Sat and Sun), so he would be happy to take them to the school on Monday.
We did not really doubt his sincerity, but we're pretty sure the temptation would have been too great for him not to have availed himself of the more interesting contents. We continued walking just a short bit and John saw a small house with the burgee of the SSCA (Seven Seas Cruising Association - the organization sponsoring the book supply donations and deliveries). Sharon and Charles were delightful people who live next door to the church and who run the after-school learning program teaching remedial academics. We had a long chat over iced tea and then bade farewell, leaving the supply boxes with them.
We next walked up the only road to Deshamons restaurant where each couple ordered a whole vegetarian pizza. It took almost and hour and a half for the meal to come out, and we were quite hungry. The crust was quite different than most anything we had before and they use a bit of yellow cheese on it, but it was quite delicious. We each ate half a pie, so splitting one would have sufficed, but now we have leftovers.
We walked back to the dock where our laundry awaited in our dinghy. I took Diane over to the laundromat's dinghy dock (very convenient) and she was delighted to see how modern, spacious, and clean it was (better than most in the US, too). I am typing this back at the boat and will return for her shortly. We are told we can get free Internet ashore, as well.
Diane thought it was a bit cool for hammock time, so she read in the cockpit with me. It was a lazy late afternoon until just before dusk when the small local boat traffic picked up for reasons unknown. The ones we saw were expert boat handlers, except that there appear to be only two throttle positions: off and full. Being that we anchored in the vicinity of, but not close to, the main dock, I suppose we bore the brunt of the traffic.
After sunset, I was hungry again and ate some of the leftover pizza. Diane was still full from lunch and left hers for breakfast. A few games below, quality time with Clyde after dark, more reading, then bedtime.
Day 40: Sun 20 Apr 08
Last night may have been one of the most peaceful for me, yet Diane had bad dreams and slept poorly. The temperatures are delightful for me: warm in the sun, cool in the shade. The water is slightly cooler than last week; it may be the geography here or the results of the cold front that swept through and chilled the water a bit. At 77F, though, it is refreshing and comfortable for me when you exit the water into a full sun.
I am typing this now after cleaning up to go ashore today. We'll attend a local church (Baptist is the only choice here), stroll to Lorraine's Café and try to connect to the Internet while we await Lorraine to return from church and start preparing to serve meals. We have reservations for six (Antic just anchored here a short bit ago) and it could be late afternoon before we get our meal.
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[Photo: Me navigating the dinghy.]
My servants (I mean, owners), Diane and Duane, said they were going to take me on a grand adventure. Chasing catnip mice, playing with my friends Porsche and Mercedes are adventures, not sailing on the water. As we were preparing for our departure, mom puts this cutsie bandana around my neck, very yachtie. Luckily for me the thing came off very easily on my first try. We head to a place called Pelican Bay. I didn't actually see any pelicans but I did puke on the way down. Got to to love watching them have to clean it up.
Day two I also puke, but am getting my four hairy sea legs now. At home in the morning when dad goes out to get the paper I am allowed out for my morning exercise. I have him trained for the same routine now. When he opens up the companionway in the morning I get to go out and inspect my boat.
On the third day, they decide I might like some exercise on the land. They take me over to a beach where some campers are staying. I immediately run over to them and beg them to take me back to land with them, but alas they are staying there for awhile. I run back to my favorite blue dinghy and hide in the security of my luxury cat carrier.
We have finally arrived in Marathon after sitting for four days on the boat and mom again thinks I might like some exercise. She takes me to the park where there is an enclosed basketball court and makes me do four laps around the court. That's about all the basketball stuff I want to know.
I almost escape again in Key Largo. An island where cat eating lizards live, this being told to me by a person who isn't a cat fancier. Everyone was involved in making preparations for the "great crossing" because of some window that is opening. How many times do I have to tell them there are no windows on boats only ports and hatches. I decide to explore and end up in the dinghy trailing the boat. Mom calls for me but as every cat owner knows, the first rule of cats is not to come when called. Boy, was she finally happy to see me when I meowed pitifully.
After going over the charts carefully with dad we finally leave for Bimini. They tried to prepare me for the crossing by giving me a ¼ tablet of Dramamine. It sure tasted nasty. So I proceeded to salivated for 14 minutes and make a great mess. I looked like I had rabies. I make my first landfall in a foreign country. Mom again thinks I want to get off the boat and exercise. She puts a harness on me and walks me around the marina like they do with those smelly other four legged creatures that are supposed to be man's best friend. How humiliating!
Are we having fun yet? I am put in my carrier and have to spend the next 13 hours bumping and crashing through the waves. They talk about it as a cruise similar to going the Dry Tortugas, whatever that is. It is late when we arrive and they finally let me out, I really have to use the facilities on board. Thinking I am going to get deck time I go up and all I see are waves all around me and no land. We are anchored in the middle of the ocean. I stayed by mom's side all night long. She has my life jacket handy. Hopefully, it would save all nine of my lives. Yeah, tomorrow we are going through the Tongue of the Ocean. Did I tell you it is thousands of feet deep? Another cat carrier day for me. Speaking of life jackets, I need to tell you how I got mine from my friend Dan. Crittersinflatable designed a special PFD just for me. It was one that I, who had become known as Houdini, could not escape from. Third time was the charm for them. Of course now that they know it fits they need to see if it works. I must admit they were very humane about it. Instead of letting it self inflate when I hit the water they inflated it for me and put me in the hot tub to float around. I guess you might have seen the photo where I am looking for my cup holder. Two things I hate, water and the harness, but at least now they will be satisfied that I will be safe on "my adventure."
My metamorphosis to the pirate's life takes another turn today. I was lowered to eating tuna from a can, thanks to another friend, Robin, who gave my mom a survival kit with the tuna inside. Next they will expect me to eat raw fish. Of course that's not going to happen; dad can't catch fish anyway. He lost his $20.00 lure to the big one that got away. At least that's what he says.
We are at a different place now; I can tell by the scents I pick up. When my mom and dad came back from their ride ashore, they smelled like dogs. Mom was also soaking wet, so I decided to hide until I figured out if she was in a bad mood. She ducked into the little room and came out with a towel around her and then poured a glass of wine; that usually seems to help. Fortunately she fell in and not me.
Last night dad left me and mom inside while he stayed outside and closed the hatch boards. I heard him go up to the pointy end, so I climbed up to one spot where there is a hole and sniffed for him. I heard him moving around (he's not very quiet), so I called to him. After a short time, he came over to the hole and petted my paw and nose where I had managed to stick it through. I could get out that hole if I really tried, but they sure could have made it a lot easier. Boat builders really need cats on their payroll to get these details right!
I have finally got mom and dad into a routine. I get on deck about 7am and have them put my harness on. I then jump into my dingy for the ride over to the beach. Once we arrive I like to take my morning jog, roll in the leaves and do other private matters. We jog back to the dingy, I jump in and away we go back to Diva Di, where I jump from the dingy onto her swim platform. Tonight the adults are going out, I am just going to stay here and chill, but I will allow them to take some of my kitty treats to our new friends.
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Nancy s/v Tybee Time
[Photo: feedinng the pigs on Big Majors]
Day 36: Wed 16 Apr 08
The temperature dropped enough that even I used a sheet over me last night. When the predawn came, Clyde made no move to go topside, nor was I interested in greeting the dawn up in the still howling and somewhat cool wind.
By 0900, the wind seemed to moderate a substantial amount, but the clouds kept the sun from warming anything up much. The latest weather forecast showed slightly higher winds for tomorrow through Sunday than yesterday's prediction, but still quite moderate and in a good direction for our travels.
The plan is to move tomorrow to Staniel Cay (anchoring off Big Majors), stay two days, then move to Black Point for delivery of our school supplies. By chance, Blue Goose has several boxes of school supplies for Black Point, too. We plan to make the delivery together; this way they only have to roll out the red carpet once .
Near 1100, we hailed Antic on the VHF radio to see who was up for snorkeling Emerald Rock. Tick wanted to go; Blue Goose did not answer, so I dinghied over and they declined. At noon, the tide was almost low and the current was running very slowly. We picked up Tick and anchored the dinghy at Emerald Rock. The water was cool for Diane, even in her shorty wetsuit, but it was fine for Tick and me.
The coral was quite nice around the rock, and there were some interesting fish. After swimming around the entire rock, we went back into the reef area adjacent the anchorage. I had already drifted it by holding onto the dinghy and moving with the current the other day. I was able to steer us to let Tick see the magnificent coral head that sported the huge lobsters and several interesting fish, as well.
We continued drifting and I saw parts I had missed the other day. We covered quite a bit a ground in short order as the current picked up. Both of us (Diane elected to stay in the dinghy basking in the sun) enjoyed that pass and hopped back into the dinghy for a second pass a little ways over. On that pass, we saw a nurse shark lying on the sandy bottom.
Back at the boat, we used our solar shower to take a brief, but HOT, shower to get the salt off. A nice dinner aboard and a relaxing evening and a great night's sleep followed.
Day 37: Thu 17 Apr 08
We were up early to relative quiet as the promised break from the strong winds was delivered. We elected not to take Clyde ashore today and readied the boat for our passage south. As was predicted by some of our more experienced cruiser friends, we are getting better and faster at doing what works for us on our boat. Each boat is different, so you need to adapt sound principles to your own situation.
The wind strength and direction was wonderful for our entire passage of about 20 nm. First, we motored out the short distance to the channel, then ran wing and wing (mainsail and genoa on different sides of the boat) for a bit. We cot to where we could turn mostly south, and we put up the asymmetrical spinnaker (a large colorful sail which helps going downwind in light winds). All went well with that and we were making good time until we had a few gusts which I feared could overstress the light material, so after just under two hours, we doused it and put out the Genoa again.
The wind stayed strong enough to have made that a good decision and we continued to carry good speed to our next waypoint. Before noon, we were close hauled and
almost at our next anchorage = in the central west shoreline of Big Majors, adjacent to Staniel Cay. The anchoring went well and shortly we had the dinghy ready, swim ladder down, and hammock installed on the foredeck.
Blue Goose came in shortly after (we can beat them only by leaving early) and we shared plans. Diane and I had a bit of lunch and went ashore in the dinghy to feed the "wild" pigs. The guides all tell you it's OK to feed the pigs vegetables and/or bread. We found out later that a family takes piglets to the island until they are fat enough to "take away." Not a bad deal: all the tourists feed the pigs at no expense to the owner, then the owner gets to take home the bacon, so to speak.
Everyone we saw approach the beach stayed in their boats and somewhat away from shore since the pigs are reputed to be aggressive at times. I was not informed, so I landed the dinghy and got out to feed them from my hand. I was mindful that they might be able to bite, so I feed them the way one feeds a horse, with a flat palm so there is nothing for them to sink teeth into.
The three that approached us weighed perhaps 100 pounds each and were not overly aggressive, although they did rear up to put their forelegs on the dinghy tube. Since they do not have sharp hooves I was not too concerned. I distributed the ends of lettuce heads and quite a bit of tortilla wraps that had become to broken up to use. They were glad for what they got and when we were done, they seemed content to be petted and just hung around.
John and Marilyn came by to snap a photo and then we all made the long trek to the Staniel Cay Yacht Club dinghy dock. We deposited about 9 days worth of trash inn their dumpster and paid the fee at the bar. While there, we met another cruiser, Debbie, who is on Diva. We had heard that name on the radio for the first time this morning and wondered. They had heard Diva Di on the radio and wondered, too. When Diane and Debbie gained that knowledge, they both postured humorously, "You can't be the Diva; I'm the Diva!" It was funny.
We then strolled the small downtown area to see the two grocery stores, general store, and a few boutiques where you need to make appointments to find the owner and get access. I can't blame them for not wanting to sit all day waiting for a customer who may or may not come that day, but surely to insist on appointments must limit the amount of business they do.
The grocery stores were interesting. There did not seem to be a lot of logic to some of the inventory (from our perspective). Things we might use in large quantities were only available in small cans. Things you might not normally need a lot of were sold in large containers. You could never go in there expecting to find what you wanted, but you could always find something to replenish your ship's stores, plus some goodies. We split an ice cream bar (haven't had one of those in I can't remember how long) and it was good!
The walk was very pleasant on a gorgeous day and by mid=afternoon we were back at the dock. We had to shoo a five foot long nurse shark from under our dinghy went we went to get in. They like shade, too.
Back at the boat, I made a "morph=meal" chili. I call them "morph=meals" because one leftover leads to another meal, etc. In this case, I sauteed a fresh onion, then browned some thawed ground beef (carried from home in our small boat freezer for five weeks). I added the sautéed tomatoes and vegetables from last night's leftovers, then a can of tomato chunks and simmered. A while later I added the beans leftover from two days ago along with the two cans of kidney beans we bought on our walk today. A few spices and more simmering and it was a large and tasty meal to go with the Bahamian bread we bought. We'll be getting quite a few meals out of that.
You cannot be efficient with a small boat's refrigerator unless you are prepared to be creative and to eat similar foods for a few days in a row. Unlike a home refrigerator, we cannot keep some leftovers for more than two days without them becoming questionable. We know this, so we plan accordingly and it has worked well for us.
After dinner, we had made plans to join John and Marilyn on Blue Goose to discuss tomorrow's activities. We decided the snorkeling at Thunderball Grotto (named after the James Bond film which had some scenes there) should be done near 1300 due to it being near slack low tide. Low tide meant we could more easily get under the arch into the grotto without having to dive very deep, and slack meant the current would be light. Trying to swim or snorkel (or even dive) in a strong current is a difficult and potentially dangerous thing, unless you make special provisions.
Marilyn prepared some delicious post=dinner food (not like we needed it) and we had a drink together. We played a dice game that we were introduced to as "bones," but apparently is also known as "farkle." The ladies won both games. What brought the evening to a close was a discussion and experiment about eggs. Marilyn said an intact raw egg cannot be broken merely by squeezing in one's hand. John and I disputed that, so she brought out two eggs for us "macho" guys to try. We both found it surprisingly difficult, and John wisely gave up. I tried a little harder and 'bam' we had four people and a cockpit splattered with raw egg. I guess the yolk was on me, after all! We left very soon after that and went quickly to sleep.
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Hi, Larry. Thanks for the comment.
Any time I have all chain out, I do use a snubber which is carrying all the load. I let out at least enough chain for it to make a loop down under the waterline a feet feet so its weight holds everything lower.
I suppose the noise comes from the fact that the strong winds and VERY strong tides often oppose each other and the boat rides with the snubber and chain against the hull until one force overcomes the other. The same thing happens with the mooring balls here and everyone experiences it.
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I am very jealous!
Day 35: Tue 15 Apr 08
[Photo: the north anchorage near the park headquarters as seen from Boo Boo Hill.]
We plan to leave tomorrow and may mot have Internet for a few days or more.]
Clyde woke me up early again, which I really don't mind, so I made some coffee and sat up in the cockpit awaiting the sunrise. It was howling a bit, so Clyde wasn't to keen on staying up there after all. Like Diane, he prefers it fairly calm.
After Diane awoke, we decided to all get some exercise on the beach, but when I went to start the dinghy engine, it would not. The gas tank end of the hose had come undone, which explains why it would not start, but even after securing it and priming the engine, still no go. I resorted to a can of starting fluid and it started on the first pull and kept running. I shut it down to replace the air cleaner and engine cover, and it started on its own on the first pull. Hopefully, that will not occur again anytime soon.
Our walk took place after all and it was a good one. Afterwards, I went to shore with the laptop to post to the blog, check email, weather, and news.
[I think here is a good time for an interjection from Di for all you that think Duane might have offed me in the Tongue of the Ocean. I am doing well. I have learned to take a shower with a quart of water, but at least it is hot. I also need a color job and a massage might be nice. See, I was smart enough to hide strategic items from Duane so that I was indispensable to him.]
Today is another familiar day of being stuck on a rockin' and rollin' boat. The wind is so strong that the water in the anchorage is very choppy and any dinghy ride guarantees you will get soaked. Nevertheless, I went ashore in the mid-morning to do the Internet thing.
When I arrived bat at Diva Di, Diane greeted me at the transom and declared that she did something that she hoped was the right thing. Unsurprisingly, I was eagerly awaiting the details. She explained that she heard a frequent noise from the bow and it turned out to be the line from the bow cleat to the mooring ball snagging our primary anchor. She detected a bit of chafe on the line and decided it would be best if we had a second line from the mooring pendant to the other bow cleat. Not knowing when I would be back, she made a plan and executed it: ready the line at the bow, start the engine, motor forward enough to put slack in the mooring pendant, put the transmission back into neutral, then attach the second line to the pendant. When she described what she did, I was incredibly proud of her.
She asked me to check the whole affair, which I did, and it looked just fine. She admitted that her heart was fluttering the whole time she was taking such unilateral action. Her concern was that we are only 40 feet from smashing into the rocks at our stern due to the wind direction. If the line we have to the mooring would part (break), it would be seconds before being in trouble. In my estimation, we would not have had any significant problems with the line for quite a while, but her actions were very commendable.
I spent the next two hours looking at three different cruising guides, three lists of recommendations from other cruisers, all the navigational charts, and the weather forecasts to plan several contingencies for out continued progress south. Diane and I agreed on the two weather contingent plans, and then we had a bit of lunch.
I later dinghied over to Blue Goose (yes, getting wet) to discuss them. As I arrived downwind of their transom, I could small some goodies baking (turned out to be cookies; what lucky timing!). I presented our thoughts for the next week and they matched Blue Goose's independently arrived plan. We acknowledged we were not really "joined at the hip," but happy for the good companionship and mutual assistance available.
When I arrived back at Diva Di, We both read for a while, and then I attempted to polish some stainless steel tubing, The wind was so fierce that I had to hold onto everything I needed to do the job: polish, application rag and toothbrush, and wiping rag an toothbrush. It got too awkward, so I retreated to the cabin to read a bit more.
Dinner was a hodgepodge of leftover vegetables and cubed chicken from the extra I had cooked the other day. With a sprinkling of parmesan cheese on top, we both agreed it was a fabulous and healthy meal.
We elected to sleep in the main saloon instead of the V-berth up forward due to the quieter motion there. The wind howled through the night. Just before bedtime I measured over 24 kts with my anemometer. It wasn't the most restful night we've had, but we did feel secure enough.
Day 36: Wed 16 Apr 08
The temperature dropped enough that even I used a sheet over me last night. When the predawn came, Clyde made no move to go topside, nor was I interested in greeting the dawn up in the still howling and somewhat cool wind.
By 0900, the wind seemed to moderate a substantial amount, but the clouds kept the sun from warming anything up much. The latest weather forecast showed slightly higher winds for tomorrow through Sunday than yesterday's prediction, but still quite moderate and in a good direction for our travels.
The plan is to move tomorrow to Staniel Cay (anchoring off Big Majors), stay two days, then move to Black Point for delivery of our school supplies. By chance, Blue Goose has several boxes of school supplies for Black Point, too. We plan to make the delivery together; this way they only have to roll out the red carpet once .
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PS Clyde is such a good narrator
Oh S_ _ _ I'm late for my appt. Love to you both.
