As we made our way down the Intracoastal Waterway back in November and December, we were never far from a marina, a super market, television, and of course we always had internet - if not on the computer, we were getting a link through my smart phone, a Droid.

We never worried about how much water we used, we could always fill up at the next marina, which we did about every third or forth day. If we needed anything, we just pulled over and docked the boat in the next town and got what we needed.

So it was pretty much business as usual for us. Sure, we were making our way down the East Coast of the U.S. on a sailboat, but we were plugged in, in the know, making phone calls to family and friends almost every day, reading the news, and watching our favorite TV shows in the evening. That began to change in a big way on January 7th, 2012 when we made our way in to Old Bahama Bay Yacht Club on Grand Bahama. The first thing I did was to check for text messages and e-mail on my Droid. A total of 2 texts, and 3 e-mails. Verizon then informed me through a text message that my account had just been charged over 25 dollars for that short interface with the outside world. And by the way, would I like to sign up for international service? I promptly turned off the Droid, and it has yet to be turned back on.

When we sailed into Lucaya, we walked about two miles to a small shopping center where there was a Bahamas Telephone Company store or Batelco. We bought a cheap phone and was issued a Bahamas telephone number. So as long as we can see one of the Batelco towers, we're still in touch. Only problem is, on the out islands we have gone over a week without having any cell service. Oh, I try to get a signal. I'll stand on the cabin top with my hand in the air and my head pressed against the mast attempting to cop a connection. About all that happens is me looking like a twit - but hey, it's not the first time that has happened...

After sailing out of Nassau harbor on January 16, things really got primitive. Our romp through the civilized portion of the country was over. In front of us was a cruising itinerary consisting of uninhabited islands, and towns with populations of between a couple of people to a couple of hundred. Little things that you take for granted while living in the good old USA, become a major deal here.

We now pay for water every place we go. It's only between 40 to 60 cents per gallon, but we carry about 90 gallons aboard, so the cost can add up fast if you don't watch it. Television is no more. There are a couple of channels here in the Bahamas, but we can't get the signal because our TV is digital, the Bahamas are still broadcasting in analog. Buying groceries can be a exercise in walking from store to store, attempting to find anything close to what you originally wanted. The three stores here on Staniel Cay in the Exumas, have a combined square footage of less then our home in Maryland. Those of you who have been to our house know it is not large at all. We pay for an internet connection about once a week, it costs ten dollars and is good for 24 hours or 200 MB upload/download whichever comes first.

All of these inconveniences have believe it or not, had a positive effect on our lives. We have lost track of the daily goings on back in the US, the incessant pile of crap from the 24/7 news stations is a distant memory, as are the feelings of angst brought on by daily watching. Many of the local restaurants and bars will have a flat screen up on the wall for the many American and Canadian cruisers, tuned in to CNN or Fox. We do our best to ignore the boob tube on the wall. It's not that we don't care, it's just that for this short time in our lives, it is really nice to be out of the loop.

Our daily lives consist of an overt obsession with the weather. Because we don't have an SSB radio, we listen to the various cruiser net broadcasts on the VHF radio every morning. If the conditions are right, I can sometimes pick up a weather report from Nassau by using our powered antenna on top of Foolish Heart's mast. We then eavesdrop on other cruisers as they talk about the weather reports they get from the SSB, weather fax, or other paid services. As we make more friends in the cruising community, we get more sources for the weather, it all helps. The Bahamas are windy this time of the year, and if you don't know from what direction that wind is coming, at the very least you are going to be uncomfortable. At worst, you could be put in a situation where your boat could be severely damaged or lost completely. Yes, we are having the time of our lives, but a care-free existence it is not.

Now it is true that we could have spent the money and put a satellite TV system on board. For about 4 thousand dollars, Foolish Heart could be outfitted with a water making system. Only 3 or 4 hundred bucks would buy us an SSB receiver. An extra 2 hundred would buy an antenna booster for the internet, making it much easier for us to get on line. I may still try to buy/trade for a SSB receiver when we get to Georgetown, but for now the other stuff is superfluous. We're not exactly living in a cave: we've got refrigeration, hot and cold running water, XM radio, a comfy bed, and we can watch movies at night on the Mac. And yes, we've got a Batelco cell phone. Just call us after 7pm when the rates go down!

It may sound a bit trite, but the lack of these "basic" necessities puts us more in touch with the environment here, ourselves, and the universe. I'm much more relaxed. I think I look younger in the pictures taken now, then only 3 months ago when we were getting ready to cast off our lines. For one thing, I don't look so damn tense. We are more in touch with the ebb and flow of the tides, the phases of the moon, the rising and setting of the sun. These things we were aware of while living in our home in Bel Air, but now they have become part of our lives. This has been a dream of mine over 20 years in the making. I've still had some immensely crappy days on this trip, but a quick reminder of where I am and how lucky I am to be able to live out this scenario usually gets me out of my funk.

If we ever do a trip like this again, we will have a bit more of the trappings of modern life on board - starting with a larger boat. But for now we are happy, living off the grid.