05/21/2009, Baltimore, MD

It's been almost three weeks since my last post and quite a lot has happened.
As I post this I'm anchored in Baltimore, MD and my winter voyage is now officially over. Just a Memorial Day raft-up with old friends from Kent Narrows and then I sail back to Pax River Naval Air Station where I'll prep Galena for this winter's trip south.


Now, where was I in this narration...


03 May 09
Lake Worth (North Palm Beach), FL

I forgot to include a couple of the pictures I took on the passage over the banks and to here.

As I crossed the Bahama Banks, I was impressed by a few passing squalls. This one passed ahead of me just before sunset.

Evening Squall on the Bahama Banks

After I called in to clear customs I had to actually present myself to the immigrations officials. I'm not sure what they do; I'm certain I don't know why they need to see me and actually touch my passport. But it's a requirement and what the hell. Not much else to do anyway. So I dinghied in and showed them my smiling face.

On the way back to Galena I stopped at the little Tiki bar at the marina where I had tied up my dinghy. I as sitting at the bar when a management type came by and, noticing I had kicked off my shoes, said "Put your shoes back on or leave." So I left. Rules everywhere I turn!

Walking down the dock toward my dink I spot a very nice Nor'Sea 27. While talking with the skipper I pointed out toward the anchorage and said something about Galena being at anchor out there. He pulls out his binoculars and takes a look in Galena's direction.

"Dark hull double-ender?"

"Yep, that's her," I say proudly.

"You've got problems, friend. I see she's really close to another boat; maybe touching. And there's a police boat along side with blue lights flashing," he said with honest concern.

I grab his binoculars out of his hands and quickly scan the anchorage. I don't see Galena! But I do see the police boats... two of them. And there's a dark-hulled boat just beyond the one they are along side. He's right. This doesn't look good.

"Shit!" I say as I run down toward my dinghy.

"Good luck," he calls out after me.

I'm talking to myself and I jump into my dinghy and start the engine: "I've been at anchor for almost 12 hrs. Through two tidal shifts. She couldn't have come adrift. Nothing was close enough to her to swing into. This can't be."

As I speed the mile or so to where I had left Galena the scene becomes more clear. Yes there's the two police boats. They are along side two anchored boats. But where is Galena?

Finally I get the right visual angle on that area of the anchorage and there she is! Exactly where I had left her. Galena is still a hundred yards from anyone. The police boats are at two of my neighbors' boats. Nothing at all is wrong. All the adrenaline was used up for nothing. The police boats look like they're doing the "welcome to Florida; you can't stay here" speech.

I climb aboard and check the anchor and rode. I'm done with this anchorage anyway and follow my plan to head about 4-miles north to the top end of Lake Worth. There's a nice quiet anchorage and it's just a block from a grocery store.

I motor up the ICW to the North Lake Worth anchorage. I immediately remember the two things I hate about motoring down the ICW: shallow water and powerboat wakes.

My route (red line) from the anchorage near the immigrations office just south of the inlet, to the anchorage at the north end of the lake

I get into the anchorage and find it just about deserted. But there is s/v Cassiopeia. Friends from the Bahamas, Isabel and Wayne. They stop by just after I get anchored and we plan on going out for drinks later that night.

While waiting for them at the bar I meet a very nice lady named Joy. Who I make plans with to see the next night at a party at one of the other bars near here. The next day was Cinco de Mayo. And that is reason enough for a party at a bar, right?

Well I have a nice time with Cassiopeia and the talk with Joy again. Finally making it back to Galena just after dark.

Then next day I do some grocery shopping and run a couple of other errands. Then I head out to the bar for the party. Joy and her friend are there and we have a nice evening. I bid them adieu and walk back to my dinghy. The nice evening then goes all to hell.

Well, now, everyone knows (including me) that this place where we tie up our dinghies is a 'High Crime Area.' There's even a sign there saying to lock up your dinks. I know this. However, all but two of my padlocks are rusted to the point of not working. I put one on Galena's main hatch when I left. The other I used to lock my dinghy to the grating at the dinghy landing.

I come back to my dink and there she is.... But without her outboard motor! It's gone! Son of a Bitch! Some jerk stole my outboard! All winter in the Bahamas and I never locked anything. Not my boat, not my dinghy, not my outboard.... Nothing! Two days in the States and I get ripped of!

Now, I didn't throw a tantrum. There was no one around to see it. And as I said, I knew this was a 'bad' place and I knew I should have locked everything. So while I don't think it was my fault that someone stole my motor, I was certainly negligent in my duty to safeguard my stuff. So I took stock of the situation and calmly paddled my negligent butt out to Galena. Fortunately the current and the wind were pushing me in the right direction.

The next morning (06 May 09) I consider my options: I can just say the hell with it and not use the dinghy for the rest of the trip. Not practical. I can row myself around. Not practical with the wind and current in some of the anchorages I plan on visiting. I can buy a new motor. Painful considering the cost. But the most logical.

So I call around and check the internet for prices. The only retailer with motors in stock is, you guessed it, West Marine. The highest priced marine store around. But they are close by. I walk down and drop $1,650 for a new outboard. That really hurt. The salesman listened to my tale of woe and commiserated. He asked, "Do you want to buy a new lock, too." I said that "...sounded a lot like locking the barn door after the horse has run away." He said, "Yes, but you just bought a new horse." So, yeah, I bought a lock, too.

So now I have a shiny new outboard. And I still feel like a fool for letting my other, perfectly good motor get stolen.

The saleslady at West Marine asked if I would like a ride back to my dinghy. I had included a small collapsible hand-truck with my purchase and had planned on just walking back with it (it's only about 60-pounds). But, "Sure," I say. And we load everything up into her car and drive back to my dinghy. I unpack the new motor and the saleslady agrees to take all the packing boxes and material back with her, saving me a trip to the dumpster at the Publix a couple of blocks away. Well, the engine starts right up and in no time at all I'm motoring back toward Galena poorer but (maybe) wiser.

06-09 May 09
(at sea)

I check the weather reports and everything looks good for the next several days. So that very afternoon at about 1230 I decide to head out for an overnight run to St Augustine.

As I'm leaving Lake Worth Inlet, I'm passed by an experimental Navy 'Semi-Submersible Vessel.' I'm not sure what it's for. Someone said it's a drug traffic surveillance tool. I don't know. But it's cool looking. A couple of years ago I was sailing by here when I was called on the radio and asked to alter course so as not to interfere with the tests they were conducting using this vessel.

Navy 'Semi-Submersible Vessel being towed into Lake Worth Inlet'

Once I get out of the Lake Worth inlet at about 1400hrs I again check the weather reports. Everything looks great for the next 5 days. There's a front coming through that might cause some problems up around Hatteras but not for 4 days or so.

So I turn Galena's bow 10 degrees to the east and head up the Gulf Stream toward Beaufort, 550 miles and 4 days away. A couple of days before this I had listened to Chris Parker give one of his paid subscribers the location of the west wall of the Gulf Stream. The west wall is were you want to be when heading north. There's about 2 to 3 knots of current there and if the wind goes northerly you can just move 20-miles west and be out of the rough water that the Stream becomes in a northern wind.

My 566-mile route north from Lake Worth, FL, to Beaufort, NC, following the Gulf Stream

I plot that route into my GPS and find I'm immediately going faster than Galena can go. Galena's hull speed is about 7-kts. That is as fast as she can go. Doesn't mater how much wind is blowing, doesn't matter how big an engine you put in her. 7-kts is her top speed. It has to do with her inability to climb over her own bow wave (which is what a fast powerboat does when it 'gets up on plane.' Sailboats can't plane. The actual speed is a function of waterline length. The longer the boat, the faster it can go.

You can see this when you watch a boat go by.
Look at this picture:

Example of what making "Hull Speed" looks like

See the bow wave at the bow (of course)? And see the trough in the center. And then the stern wave right at the back end of the boat?
This boat is moving at hull-speed. It is not capable of going faster. To do so would require her to climb over that bow wave and she just can not.
If the trough doesn't extend all the way to the stern, then she is not moving at hull-speed.

Anyway, Galena is comfortably moving north at over 9-kts over the ground (5.5-kts through the water)! Sometimes she even hits 10-kts SOG. I settle in for the long passage.

Looking at the map above, I know most of you say, "Hell. I can fly that far in just a couple hours." Or even, "I can drive that far in just over a day." But in a sailboat, especially a slow one like Galena, passages of this length are measured in days, or even weeks. Remember Galena usually only goes about 6 mph. That's just a slow run; or a fast walk.

Unfortunately there is very little to take pictures of when on a long passage. Passages are mostly boring hours of the same thing over and over again, sprinkled with moments of excitement.

I'll spare you the blow-by-blow account of this passage as it was recorded in my deck log. It's in that log that I record most sail changes, most tacks and jibes, most ship sightings, most everything that catches my eye or makes me look up from my book or awakens me with a start.

But there are a couple of notes that I will share.

First of all, I saw at one point a small sailboat, running downwind (and against the Stream). She was heading SW toward Cape Canaveral. She was motoring and towing a dinghy with the outboard motor down! Now that's just not done. I don't even like to do that when I'm just going a half mile across a harbor. This guy was way out on the ocean. Very strange. I almost called him to ask if he was OK. But he was making way and I figured he'd hit port in the next few hours so just ignore it.

By midnight on that first night out the wind came up and it was clear that I had too much sail up. I was still running the 130% Genny, the staysail and the full main. So I dropped the genny. Once I got the other sails properly trimmed we were clipping along nicely and Galena was much more happy with the setup.

I ran like that all through the first night. By the morning of the 7th of May the wind was diminishing but the seas were still big. Up to 6' and confused. So I was having a very lumpy ride. My speed was down to less than 5-kts and half of that was the Gulf Stream current pushing me north. So I fired up the engine. I had been following the weather reports and knew I was passing through a high pressure ridge. Once I got to the other side I would find good SE winds. So I motored through the ridge.

About two hours later (0830 hrs) I picked up the wind on the north side of the ridge. The wind clocked from SE through S and SW and all the way to WSW at 8-kts. The seas were up to 8' but Galena was galloping along again.

During the 8th of May I had several hours where there was just no wind and I ran the engine. But by the evening I had just about perfect sailing. It stayed about perfect until just after midnight when, again, the Genny was just too much sail. I had to get it down, but the seas were way up (well over 8') and I didn't want to turn into the wind to get her down. So I raised the staysail thinking that sail would blanket the Genny. It did... sort of.

But when I dropped the Genny halyard she fell right into the sea. I had to pull it up on deck and get it tied down before it was torn by either the sea or the wind. Picture this: It's dark, but there's a full moon. Galena is making way very nicely through some big seas. I'm on the foredeck, sitting there naked except for my harness with which I'm tethered to the jacklines. I'm on my butt reaching over the lifelines at the bow pulling up hands full of sea-filled sail; hand over hand, with sail ties in my mouth so I can tie off the bundled sail as I go.

10-minutes of this and finally the Genny is on deck and secured.

At this point I'm making the turn to the north and picking up a rhomb line toward Beaufort, NC. Throughout the night the wind and seas continued to build. Finally I'm down to a double-reefed main and a staysail that I would have liked to taken down but I just didn't want to get out there on the deck again.

There were some storms that seemed to just barely miss me. This one, with the wind and seas building, passed me close by on the starboard side just before dark.

Storm passing me close by just before dark

Even though I have an electronic chart plotter I still take the time to mark my position, heading, and speed just about every hour or so on a paper chart. This chart has been used for three of these passages. Since I need a new chart anyway, I decided to highlight the pencil scratches. The orange line is the current passage. The pink was from two years ago, and very faintly you might be able to see a yellow line that marks my maiden voyage in 2003 when I bought Galena in Ft Lauderdale and brought her home to Maryland.

Old chart with three tracks on it

By noon on the 9th the wind is up to 25-30 knots and the waves are 8-10 feet. Galena is not happy with her situation. But I'm just a mile or so from the inlet and I figured I would be in port soon. I forgot that the inlet channel into Beaufort is several miles long. It wasn't until 4PM that I got into calmer waters inside Beaufort harbor.

I was anchor down by 1700 and had Galena put to bed shortly after that. I was anchored in Town Creek just about where I had been anchored back in November when I was passing through here heading south.

I had just completed my longest ever singled-handed passage: 566-nm in 75-hours. That included two days where I covered over 185-nm each day and one day where I covered 163-nm. That's an average of over 7-kts for over about three days. Very impressive and all thanks to the Gulf Stream pushing me along. To put this in perspective, when I plan a passage I plan on about 120-nm per day. When I sailed from Beaufort, NC to the British Virgin Islands there were days when I make as little as 60-nm per day. So sailing in good weather up the Gulf Stream is quite and fast moving experience.

My buddy, Ron (s/v Lastdance), was still in Beaufort where he had spent the winter. But he was out of town until the next day. So I was on my own and decided to simply go to bed.

10 - 11 May 09
Beaufort, NC

I'm greeted this morning by Gail and Bob (s/v Star), friends from Bahamas. They ask about where I've been and where I'm going and we do the 'whatever happened to so-and-so." They are anchored here waiting for an engine part. Once they're all made better they will also run up to Annapolis, MD.

We are joined by s/v Osprey, another Bahamas acquaintance. Osprey stays a night and then heads out.

I talk with Ron (s/v Lastdance) and mention that I thought I heard someone calling the sailboat East Snail. There's only one boat by that name and it's Ky in a Westsail 28. Ron calls around and can't get in touch with Ky so we don't know where he is of if he's running up the ICW right now.

Oh, on the way into Beafort yesterday I also heard Sue and Bill on s/v Nice and Easy, and Mike on s/v Pagan Chant. Both friends from George Town, Exuma. I talked with Sue but couldn't get hold of Mike.

I had the pleasure of meeting Ron's new girlfriend, Teresa. A beautiful and lovely lady. I don't know what she sees in Ron but they are happy so I'm happy for them both.

I did laundry with Ron (first time in months that I actually did laundry in a machine!). While waiting for the machines to do their things we had a couple of beers at Fins and my favorite, the Backsteet Pub.

The forecast 25-kt winds didn't show up until late on the 11th. But the rain arrived right on time.

While hunkered down I finally got around to changing the oil in Galena's engine. Just a little overdue. I also moved the rest of the fuel from the deck jugs to the internal tanks. I have enough fuel to motor all the way to Annapolis. Which I might have to do considering the wind direction that is forecast for the next week or so.

12 May 09
Belhaven, NC
Trip: 61nm, Total: 3063nm, Engine: 2166hrs


Just a boring run down the ditch (ICW). Ron kept me company.

Capt Ron on s/v Lastdance on the ICW

My nice, but old, Nikon Binoculars broke (again). I don't know if I'll send them in to be fixed again or not. I like them, but they are heavy and big. But they provide great viewing during nighttime due to the good optics and large aperture.

Ron anchored a hundred yards off and we decided to just stay on board. The wind was up and the anchorage was very choppy. The wind was from the SSE instead of the projected east. So the wind blue right in off the river and into the anchorage. Not a good night as we bounced around till about midnight when things calmed down a bit.

I thought I was dragging just about nightfall. So I motored ahead and dropped the second anchor. Now, when I have two anchors out in the same direction I usually just pull one up first and then the other, but for some reason I had these tangled or something. Anyway, I had some problem with the rodes and decided to just pull all the chain up and just lay it on the deck thinking I'd clean it up later. Very dumb idea. I've never seen such a mess on Galena's foredeck.

Galena's foredeck with mud from chain rode

I spent well over an hour cleaning up this mess and scrubbing the chain. I'll never just pile the chain on deck again. Yeah, I know the chain is getting rusty. But it still works just fine.

13 May 09
Alligator River, NC (N 35° 50.5 W 075° 58.9)
Trip: 44nm, Total: 3106nm, Engine: 2175hrs


Ron and I anchored at about ICW milepost 89.5 on the east side of the Alligator river, within a quarter mile of the shoreline directly in front of Milltail Creek. The wind was to be east at 20 clocking to southeast at 20 - 25. Highly recommend you put a tripline on your anchor there. I did and so did Ron. But as I was letting out rode, Galena swung and the chain snagged a tree. I tried to pull up but was hooked pretty good. I motored Galena forward and to starboard and it finally broke free. So, short rodes and triplines.

So I dink over to Lastdance for dinner and drinks. We had a calm night and the projected winds didn't materialize until about 10 AM then next day

14 May 09
Coinjock, NC (ICW milepost 50)
Trip: 35nm, Total: 3141nm, Engine: 2181hrs


There was not wind all night. We departed early and still there was no wind. By the time we went through the Alligator River Swing Bridge the wind was just starting to make itself heard.

The wind really piped up just after Lastdance and Galena entered the Albemarle Sound. There the waves built to about 6-ft and the wind blew at 30-kts. Quite an uncomfortable ride, even with the wind nearly on the stern.

So it was a rough, wet ride almost all the way into Coinjock. But we were in Coinjock very early in the day. We were tied up at their bulkhead by 1230. But we would have been unable to make it to the next stop before dark so we stopped here.

Ron and I both had their famous prime rib dinner and it was quite good. Then over to their brand new bar to watch some of the locals do the Karaoke thing. Entertainment at its finest.

15 May 09
Great Bridge Free Dock, VA (ICW milepost 12)
Trip: 32nm, Total: 3173nm, Engine: 2188hrs


We had to stop here. Ron had finally heard from Ky. He's the guy on the Westsail 28 that I've been hearing about for the past six years. So we had to stop and meet. Gota say I love this guy. He was a pilot in the Vietnamese Air Force. He and his family came over with the other boat-people and ended up in Pennsylvania. He got a job as a janitor. Then worked his way up to being a pretty big muckety-muck in coporate America. As in a classic American Success Story, Ky's children are all doctors and lawyers and such. What a fascinating guy! I absolutely enjoyed talking with him. And he really knows how to sail that Westsail. It's a beautifully outfitted 28. In generally he agrees with me, "Boats are for sailing, not for maintaining."

We were sitting around the boats, which were tied up at the 'free dock' between the lock and the bridge. We had just met Dave and Jock (m/v New Freedom, also tied up here) and Tom and Pat (s/v Swan, also tied up here) and were having a sundowner at the picnic tales when Larry came over from the Marine League building and invited us in for a drink.

Dave and Jock with m/v New Freedom at the Free Dock at Great Bridge

We had a fine time there hanging out with all the old jar-heads, swapping tales and drinking inexpensive beers. They let us use their grill to cook and we made enough to invite them to dinner. Ron and I even decided to join as associate member.

Ron, Tom, Pat, Me, Ky, Dave, and Jock at the Marine League bar (or clubhouse, or whatever it's called)

16-18 May 09
Hampton City Marina, Hampton, VA
Trip: 24nm, Total: 3207nm, Engine: 2193hrs


Departed the free dock and locked down to the Elizabeth River. Lastdance, East Snail, and Galena were together on the starboard side of the lock.

Ky on East Snail and Lastdance (in the background) in the locks

Ky and I anchored out in front of the marina while Ron (aka: Marina-Boy) takes a slip. Well, that's not really fair to Ron. He has his girlfriend coming to visit and he wants everything to be just right for her. You know: Easy on-off; showers; restrooms; etc.

Anyway, Ron and Ky and I head downtown to check out the bars and have a bite.

We found the Marker 20 bar to be suitable as was the Tap House Bar.

Ky and Ron at the Tap House, Hampton, VA

A boat near Ky starts to drag down on him so he moves into the marina, too. I'm in a river that has a reversing tidal current. And the holding seems to be just so-so. So I put a second anchor out. Galena is now between two anchors: one up-stream and one down-stream. Of course, by the next morning her anchor rodes are twisted around one another. But she hold position well.

Greg dinghies over from a neighboring boat and we chat a moment. He says the local police boat comes by each day and, if you've swung into the channel tell you you have to move. But I'm just on the edge of the channel and, with two anchors out I shouldn't swing too much. Greg's boat is the only one close to me and he has two out, too.

Dinner and drinks with Ron and Ky, and with Ron's girlfriend, Teresa, and his friends Kevin and Kevin's wife Laura and their daughter, Kaitlin (whew!) at the Tap House here in Hampton. Nice time was had by all... well, at least by me.

Kevin, Laura, Kaitlin, Teresa, Ron, me (hiding), and Ky at the Tap House, Hampton, VA

Ron and I spend the next afternoon at the NASA Space Museum which is right down the street from the marina. Very nice little museum. And they have IMAX! We watched the new Star Trek movie. That movie rocks in iMax! 12,000 watts of sound! A screen than just about wraps around your head. Great afternoon!

Then we had dinner on East Snail with Ky. I really like his boat. Just a smaller version of Galena, but just right for a single-hander.

Dinner on East Snail with Ky

The weather reports called for massive winds from the north which didn't really materialize. At least not down here in the anchorage. We were waiting for the wind not to be out of the north. Tuesday looked like it might be a good day to continue moving north.

I was surprised by a visit from Mike on s/v Pagan Chant. He was my trivial pursuit partner in George Town, Exuma a few times. We even won the main tournament, due mostly to Mike's broad, general knowledge. Mike was heading up to Mobjack Bay for a haulout.

19 May 09
Belle Creek, VA
Trip: nm, Total: nm, Engine: hrs


OK. I'll start by saying that this day officially sucked!

We left Hampton early; about 0630hrs. Once we were out in the river things started getting rough. But the time we were turning east and going around Ft Monroe, things were stupid rough. I mean mostly just 3-ft waves right on the nose. But there were lots and lots of 6- and even a few 8-ft waves thrown in. Many times during that first 3-hours of the trip Galena came to an absolute stop! Zero knots! She would start to get up some speed, motoring at just over cruise RPM. And then she'd hit a set of those monster waves. Not really all that high. Just very very steep. Her bowsprit would launch skyward and a third of her hull would fly out of the water as she launched herself off a wave. Then the bow would plunge down into the trough. The bow would drop a full 15-ft before it stopped it's decent and bound up, scooping a ton of water with it. That water would then rush back along the side decks and into the cockpit. After the third of those, Galena was at a virtual standstill.

I kept asking myself, "What the hell am I doing out here?" The answer was tragic. We all know that the most dangerous thing on a boat is a 'Schedule.' That desire to be somewhere on some date regardless of the weather conditions. But I had no schedule. None at all. Why was I out here? Why didn't I just turn back as I saw a couple of other boats do? Because I wanted to hang with Ron and Ky and it just so happened that Ron had a schedule. Teresa was coming into Baltimore on Friday and so he had to be there. I let my desire to hang out with him, and therefore indirectly I let his schedule drive my departure. I was very angry with myself all morning.

Then about 1500 I noticed that the wind was dying down. I noticed that big waves were fewer in frequency. By that time Lastdance and East Snail were about an hour ahead of me. Galena just can not go to windward into heavy seas. Just will not happen.

Ron called on the VHF and said he was tired of all the pounding and was turning in to Fishing Bay with Ky. I said that since it was moderating I was going on the Belle Creek. Belle Creek, off Indian Creek, is my usual stopping place on my trips north and south on the Bay. It's a quiet little place halfway between Norfolk and Solomons.

Again, the anchorage was very quiet and I was the only boat there. I went to sleep fairly early and was prepared for a long day tomorrow.


20 May 09
Potuxant River Naval Air Station Marina
Trip: 48nm, Total: 3308nm, Engine: 2233hrs


This is going to be my new home for the summer. I've contracted for a slip here and so I was anxious to see what it looked like, having never before been here. Nice little marina. Nothing to do here. But it's secure (it's on Pax River Naval Air Station) and inexpensive. And it's just across the river from Solomons, MD. Lot's to do over there.

I also met Pete from s/v Libertate. It's a beautiful junk-rigged schooner. Very large and roomy with an open interior design that I just loved. And he had a bunch of those deck prisms to light the insides with. I might try to install a few of those in Galena myself.

21 May 09
Inner Harbor, Baltimore, MD
Trip: 67nm, Total: 3375nm, Engine: 2226hrs

We departed Pax River Marina early in the morning. Ron and I are heading to Baltimore while Ky is headed to Harrison Harbor. We may or may not see Ky again.

Ky on s/v East Snail departing Pax River Marina

This is the end of my voyage for the winter. Well, at least it's the furthest north I'm going. Since I'll be staying at PAX River Marina for the summer, maybe I should have called that as the end of the winter trip? This is just a Memorial Day Party Place.

Yeah, OK. Let's call yesterday the end of the voyage. This is just another little trip to visit some friends and party a bit.

We are not going to have as many boats as last year. I think we'll only have about 8 boats rafted up here this year.

The drive up the Bay was boring, boring, boring. Sails up and wind on the stern but very light. Shortly after departing Pax River we picked up a favorable tidal current in the bay. Then by about noon the wind picked up from the south. Soon the Genny was drawing nicely and Galena was moving north at over 6-kts.

Passing under the Chesapeake Bay Bridge at Annapolis really signals the end of the trip from me. Once I'm past this line, well, that's it. The voyage is over.

Passing under the Bay Bridge at Annapolis--- voyage is over

Ron and I were only planning on going as far as the Magothy River. But with the long day (we started at 0600) and the good speed, we saw that we could get to Baltimore's inner harbor by 1800hrs. So we went for it. Ron was low on fuel. So after we passed under the Bay Bridge he just sailed for a couple hours. I continued to motor sail and made it to the harbor just before 1800.

I anchored and started getting Galena put away when a Police Boat pulled up.

"Hey, skipper. If you're gonna anchor here, you have to be inside the designated anchorage," he said, pointing at a buoy just about a hundred yards from shore.

"I have to be inside that mark," I asked? "Officer, I have several boats arriving to raft up tomorrow. I don't know if we can all fit in there."

"Inside the anchorage," he said and started to motor off.

So I hauled up the hook and moved to a spot that I thought might make the man happy. Not much room. In fact, more than just a few boats, rafted together, would not fit. I suppose they are trying to say, "No anchoring" without actually saying it.

Ron showed up and anchored about 60-ft away from me. We'll put a few boats between us and then throw out a stern anchor tomorrow to keep us in place. We should be fine for the weekend. Winds might pick up but they are not expected to clock at all.

OK, tomorrow some of my friends will show up and we'll get this party started!

Comments [0]

05/03/2009, Lake Worth, FL

02 - 22 Apr 09

Sunday, April 12, 2009
7:58 PM

Perhaps this entry should start with something profound like, "Call me Ishmael..." Yes, it's that long.

You just go ahead and flip through the photos for now. Then, when you have a lot of time sit down with your favorite adult beverage and read about these few weeks aboard the good ship Galena.

This entry describes my departure from George Town, Exumas, and my motorsail to Long Island. I then wander through the Jumento Cays. Finally I make the "Big Turn" to the northwest and head back toward the Chesapeake Bay. This Winter's run toward the sun is almost over. But I'll make the voyage back as adventurous as I can.



02 - 11 Apr 09
George Town, Great Exuma Island, Bahamas

The other day I was invited to s/v Moonlight Serenade for 'movie-night.' Moonlight has a monster flat panel tv and we gather around to watch movies and eat popcorn.

Also there was Lee (s/v Krasna) Clark (s/v Seabbatical 1) Wayne and Isabelle (s/v Cassiopeia) and, of course Sarah and Bill of Moonlight Serenade.

I made popcorn a few times during the flick (my modest contribution) and we all had a good time. Except for Clark, who left partway through the movie citing his long day. The movie was "Irreconcilable Cruelty" (I think; the one with George Clooney and Katherine Zeta Jones?).

Being Thursday I dinghied over to the St Francis Resort for Texas Hold 'em. I came in 7th out of 37 players. Not too bad. At least I made it to the final table. But after a good hand or two the blinds eat up my small stack of chips.

For the first time in the Bahamas I bought a case of beer (Kalik) and a bag of ice. The beer was $47 and, along with some crackers, nuts, et al made for quite a little pile of munchies. I knew Tony, Jo, and I wouldn't go trough all of it. I just wanted a little something to munch on. I was planning on only being out for a few hours ("...a three hour tour...") with maybe a stop to anchor and walk a beach or something. Cold beer on board is a very nice change. I have to be careful; I might get hooked on ice.

I picked up Tony and Jo at 0900 and by 1000 we were sailing north through the harbor in brisk 15 kt SE winds. We sailed downwind a bit then, just north of Monument Beach we turned around and started tacking to windward. We tacked back and forth all the way to Fowl Cay. That's over 5 miles through the anchored cruising boats and reefs in the harbor. I let them handle the tiller a bit. At Fowl Cay we dropped the anchor and rested a bit. The wind was still up to 15 kts or more and since we were on the windward side of Fowl Cay, the water was a bit rough. About a 2-ft chop. Galena was dancing up and down a bit. I found it quite comfortable, I don't know about my guests. We drank a few beers, munched on a few munchies. And generally lay about listening to music.

Did I mention that Tony and Jo are British? Not that that has any real bearing. But it changes the flavor of the conversation a bit, what? When it comes to music Jo wanted to listen to Andre Bocelli which I gather Tony didn't like much. We lay about relaxing and chatting and munching for an hour or so.

When Tony finally gets around to relaxing, he goes all out

Then sails up and anchor up and we started the mad dash downwind back to Kidd Cove anchorage. And a mad dash it was. With just main and stay sails up we were making over 6-kts. Jo enjoyed steering Galena and Tony just enjoyed the ride.

Jo at the helm of Galena

We anchored back where we started (more or less) and again just sat around talking and drinking and munching. I offered to make something real to eat for dinner, however all I could offer was my usual fare of cruiser food. Not really the kind of thing that landlubbers enjoy. So I took them back to the dock with a promise to come over their house for supper sometime before I leave.

After returning to Galena I settled back in the cockpit to enjoy more of the cold beer (what a concept!) before the ice melted away. Dennis and Bettye (s/v Son of a Sailor) stopped by. I invited them up for a drink. We all sat in the cockpit and the sun set and I turned up the music to a bit louder that I should have. Between the songs that Dennis and I were singing along with at full volume I could hear some music coming from one of the other boats in the anchorage. I wasn't sure if it was payback or just someone else having a good evening.

Well, Dennis and Bettye left and I was starting to fade away myself. I had the music down low, I had the last of the cold beers in hand. I was looking at the stars and enjoying the night.

Then a couple of dinghies approached.

It was the party from the other boat. They were heading into town and, since I was obviously a party animal, they asked if I wanted to join them. Sure! Why the hell not?

So into my dink I hop and buzz my already drunken butt to town. There to drink myself silly with new and old friends and not get home till about 0100 when the closed the bar.

On the 4th of April I slept very late. I didn't get up until 1030hrs! I was feeling hung over as I have not felt in a long time. A bit of coffee and a bit of food and I was much better.

So I moved Galena over to Volleyball Beach. After a few hello's on friends boats I went over to St Francis for a burger and a beer. While sitting on their deck just enjoying the day George came over to me. George owns the St Francis Resort and is a part owner of the St Francis Yacht Company. Anyway, he came over and started chatting a bit. Turns out they had a special Texas Hold 'em game on Saturdays. An invitation-only event. Mostly locals and a few boaties that they liked. Anyway, with the empty chair he asked if I'd like to sit in. Sure! I was honored!

The game was different in that everyone knew what they were doing. The hands went quickly. No explanations; No reminders of who the blinds were. Just a very nice game.

Of the 10 players I came in 3rd. I won $20. The buy-in was $10. And my bar tab with the lunch and everything was $27. But still, a very nice evening and I felt privileged to be asked to join them. I know it was just because a regular couldn't make it. Nonetheless, I enjoyed the whole thing.

Susan (s/v Rosie) needed a ride home to her boat from St Francis(it's on a mooring in hole two). So I offered to dinghy her over. She invited me in for a drink and to see the boat. She's been working on this boat for several years. She even replaced the engine; by herself! I mean she went to Florida, found a replacement motor, came back on the barge with it. Then installed it. This is one tough broad. And very nice looking, to boot. We got along famously and after a drink or two I excused myself and motored back to Galena.

On the 6th, Poker night at the St Francis. Jo with there with Tony. Jo and I both did lousy and spent a good deal of time at the bar chatting. Well, I was flirting and she was allowing me to. Very polite of her.

My friends, Jeff and Stacy, were there, too. I had met them earlier in the week at the Chat n Chill beach bar. I had told Jeff about the poker games at the St Francis. He and Stacy were staying at the resort so he said he would love to join in the games. And he did. He luck was about as bad as mine. After the game was over he invited me up to his room for a couple more beers and to see the view.

I've never been into the rooms at the St Francis Resort. I was very pleasantly surprised with the appointments. These were some very nice rooms. However, even more impressive was the view! About 100 feet up on a hill overlooking the Atlantic Ocean. Technically the view is of Exuma Sound. But when you head out from the beach the next land you hit would be Europe. So I'd call it the ocean.

There was a full moon and the ocean was fairly calm. Jeff, Bird ("...everyone calls me bird since my maiden name was Wherly," said Stacy) and I sat on the balcony drinking Kalik and swapped stories for a couple of hours. It was quite the pleasant end to another wonderful day in paradise. Oh, these rooms cost about $200 per night. That's about standard in George Town. But out here you have the ocean view and that's worth the inconvenience of having to take a boat to town each day.

7th of April and I lay about and sleep all day. Winds are light, sky was cloudy. Chris Parker, the weather guy, said a cold front would pass through the central Bahamas at 2pm and he was extraordinarily accurate. With the cold front came the predicted 25 kt winds. But Galena is tucked up close to Stocking Island on the northeast side of the harbor and the water is quite calm; just a lot of wind.

Oh, and I've woven a couple of beer bottle coozies and a beer can coozie. I have to add 'beer' so the whole 'basket weaving' thing isn't too girlie. I've even done a couple of coasters and an honest-to-god basket.

My basket weaving projects

My dear friend Jillian called on the radio and asked what I was about for the afternoon. I allowed as how I was thinking about going over to the St Francis for a drink. She asked to join me and for a ride. So I dinked over to her boat and the on to the bar. We met Dennis and Bettye there as well as Jeff and Bird. And a few others. After a few drinks Jillian and I went over to s/v Son of a Sailor for another drink with Dennis and Bettye.

Jillian had been promising to cook me dinner for some time. She offered to do so tonight. Back to her boat we went and had a wonderful fish dinner. And a few more drinks. I didn't get home till well after midnight. Some days are very long with so much to do.

On the 8th of April I went to Moonlight Serenade with Sharon and Jim (s/v Insatiable) where we played guitars and then dominos. Clark stopped by for a while but then left early. He's just not into dominos, I guess. Pretty normal night in a tropical anchorage.

Clark (s/v Seabbatical 1) departing Moonlight Serenade. He's such a tired puppy.

Sharon and Jim are simply fun people to be with. Jim is a retired airline pilot. Sharon is a party animal. I've never seen Sharon without a smile on her face.

Sharon and Jim aboard Moonlight Serenade for sundowners, music, and dominos

When Bill and Sarah get out the instruments we alternate between blues (for Bill) and bluegrass (for Sarah). Oh, and folk music for me. I brought my own guitar over and we sat around jammin'.

Bill and Sarah on their boat, Moonlight Serenade

And of course I, being the gentleman, and not wanting anyone to feel left out of the music experience, gave Sharon some guitar lessons.

Guitar Lessons for Sharon

Except that Jim made popcorn this time. And he wanted real butter. So after he pops it in the pan and pours the popcorn into the big bowl he says something like, "Sarah, now we need to butter it." Sarah, who it seems never made anything but microwave popcorn, got out the butter, a butter knife and started buttering the popcorn one kernel at a time! I kid you not! She was buttering the kernels as one would a slice a bread. We all about fell on the floor laughing.

And Sharon had a new necklace that she had just bought in George Town. She tried showing it to me but I was not quite able to make it out. I think it's in this picture somewhere....

Sharon's necklace is supposedly in this picture somewhere

I'm sailing over to Long Island on Sunday. OK, I know I've said this before however this time I mean it: I'm leaving George Town. A cold front is forecast to come through on Sunday, 12 Apr. There will be no rotation of the wind; the wind will still be out of the southeast. But they will be light and maybe a bit variable. I'm going to go for it. Really. This time I mean it; I think...

11 Apr

Another Westsail entered the harbor the other day. It's s/v Kirian (nee Epinone). They were heading down to Panama to go surfing. I'm never sure how it is that young couples can just drop out and to what took me 55 years to get around to. But these kids are doing it. Maybe I'll bump into them down there next year.

Galena is now ready to depart. Water tanks are full and the fuel tanks are still almost full. I have enough fuel aboard to motor all the way to Charleston, SC, if I wished. Trash is removed and most loose items are secured. I'm heading over to Jo and Tony's for dinner. Jo says she can cook; I'm anxious to see if she has talent to go with that pretty face and sweet disposition.

OK, I'm back from dinner. And I must say that I had an absolutely brilliant visit with Jo and Tony. I took another tour of the development site with Jo playing salesperson. Once again I was blown away by the scope of this project. The home sites are beautifully positioned on the property in harmony with the land and the vegetation. I swear that if I had a spare million bucks lying about I'd have a home built there.

Oh, and, yes, Jo can actually cook! The meal was great as was the company and the conversation and, well, just everything about the evening; except that it eventually had to come to and end. With some folks I simply feel very comfortable and Tony and Jo are two of these kind of people. I hated to say goodbye. But I have an early and busy day tomorrow. So I took my leave. I'm really going to miss these guys. Hopefully I'll see them again sometime soon. Certainly when I next pass through George Town.

12 April 09
Thompson Bay, Long Island, Bahamas (N 23° 21.6' W 075° 08.3')
Trip: 37nm, Total: 1904nm, Engine: 2026 hrs

SEE! I've done it! I've left George Town after only 2 months of being stuck in that harbor! I knew I could do it. OK, obviously I really like George Town; and the Exuma Islands in general. I started to get the urge to move on over month ago. However, every time I started looking to the east I was convinced by either friends, events, or weather to stay put "... for just another week or so." And weeks in the tropics turn rapidly into months.

The 40-mile trip to Long Island from Great Exuma Island was uneventful. Mostly I just sat there and let the autopilot drive Galena along the coast and over the banks. It was sunny, hot, and windless most of the way.

Yours truly relaxing in route to Long Island.

I had to motorsail all the way here. And the last couple hours I just motored. There was absolutely no wind. The water was a glassy smooth.

Arriving at Long Island. Smooth Seas. No wind.
The line of clouds is just convective heat rise due to the sun heating the land

Let me talk about the water again. I wish I had the vocabulary to describe the view from the deck of a boat on the water here in the Bahamas. To say the water is turquoise doesn't come close to capturing the range of shades of blue. The cacophony if colors from the almost-white shallows where the white sand is just a foot or so beneath the surface, through the turquoise water of moderately deep water to the deep blue-black of the sounds is beyond my capability to describe. And just saying the water is clear isn't enough. To all you 'brown-water' sailors out there, the joy of sailing through 15-ft deep water and being able to look down and see the grasses and starfish gliding under Galena's keel is something you must simply experience to understand.

I recommend that everyone, at some time in their life get down here and sail around on the banks; island to island. You'll glide over water that stays 10-15 feet deep for hundreds of miles. Except for a few easy-to-see and easy-to-avoid coral heads there's nothing to interrupt the relaxation brought on my warm tropical breezes, painfully blue skies, and crystal clear water.

Starfish on the sandy bottom (lower right) in 15 feet of water gliding under Galena

The camera can't capture it, either. The picture above is not nearly as vibrant as what I saw looking at the real thing. Fortunately I'll carry the memories with me for a while. And when they fade, I'll just sail right back down here and make new ones.

I left GT at 0700 and was here with anchor down by 1430 hrs. Just a little 40 mile run. In resetting the trip odometer, I noted that I had registered over 200 miles while in that harbor. I usually leave the GPS on all day and night to watch how Galena is swinging at her anchor. Every moment of every day Galena is in motion. It may be only a fraction of a knot. But it all adds up. I was surprised to see that I have 'swung' over 200 miles in two months at anchor. Well, 30 miles was the race around the island. And there were, what? Seven or eight moves between the anchorages and that would add a mile each. But 200 miles while sitting still? Wow! Here's a question: should I count that 200 miles in my total miles for the trip? I will for now but will subtract it at the end of the voyage.

I no sooner get the hook down that I get a radio call from one of the other boats here saying there was a pot-luck on the beach at 5 pm. Still among those souls who feel a need to organize events. But I wanted to see who was here, so I went.

Lined up for food at the pot-luck beach party on Easter Sunday, Long Island, Bahamas

The usual assortment of cruisers, kids, and misfits such as myself. Being Easter Sunday, someone organized an Easter Egg Decorating contest. And then a hunt. And then a smash. At some point one of the cruisers mumbled under his breath something about, "I thought we had left George Town." Referring to the constant 'organized activities' of that regatta.

I was pleasantly surprised to see Jim an Sharon (s/v Insatiable) there. Along with quite a few others from George Town. Rob from s/v Duet was there.

I also met John Sweeny. John's boat was washed up on the beach here during a hurricane in 1996. He and his wife decided to just stay put. They bought a piece of land just down the beach. He used concrete to fill the holes in his boat's hull. Then he had the boat towed down to his beach property. He let the wind and waves push it up on the beach as far as it would go. Then he hired a bulldozer to drag it further up from the surf. He used scaffolding to hold her upright and he and his wife moved back aboard while he built his new house. They lived like that for about a year. Now the continue to use the land-locked boat as a unique guest house for visitors.

John Sweeny, living here since being boat wrecked in 1996

There's some sort of local mini-regatta tomorrow. Then with the Easter holiday most businesses will be closed till Tuesday. So I'll hang around till at least Wednesday when I'll have seen most of what there is to see. Then I'll move on to Water Cay in the Jumento's.

My planned route is from George Town, Great Exuma, over the banks to Thompson Bay on the west side of Long Island. Then west through the shallow Comer Passage to just south of Hog Cay. And finally south through the Jumento Cays before turning northwest (and homeward) across the southern edge of the Great Bahama Banks

The route from George Town, Exuma to Long Islandand then down the Jumento Cays

After the Jumento Cays and Ragged Islands I'll either go directly to Miami (or Lake Worth) or first stop at the Cay Sal Banks. Depends on my mood and the wind. The long run to Miami is over 340 miles and would be my longest singlehanded leg yet. Stopping on the banks is only possible in very light winds and settled weather. I have to be prepared to sail right through, non-stop. Strangely, if it's good sailing wind, it's bad stopping wind. The Bahama Banks are only about 25-ft deep through most of the area shaded blue on the chart below. Sailing through there at night is dangerous in that there are many uncharted coral heads. But they usually rise up only about 10-feet from the bottom so in anything over 15-ft of water I should be OK. And since at night I wouldn't be able to see them anyway I may as well catch a little shut-eye. The route from Ragged Islands to Miami is 350 nm. Going all the way to Lake Worth is only another 40 miles. I may do that, again depending on weather and sea state.

Taking the side trip to the Cay Sal Banks would be fun and would allow me to anchor two-thirds of the way from the Raggeds to Florida. It's a win-win if the wind cooperates and both my mood and sleep-rate allow it. However (there's always a however) I don't have good charts of the area. And I have not been able to find them. So I may just blow that side-trip off for this year.

Planned route back to the States from Jumentos & Raggeds
(Side trip to Cay Sal Banks is optional and weather- and attitude-dependent)

Of course, if the US government opens up Cuba for leisure travel I'm only 30-miles away for the next couple of weeks. And I would swing south in a heartbeat!

13 Apr 09
Thompson Bay, Long Island, Bahamas

Today was the Long Island mini-regatta. About 5 class-C Bahamian sailing skiffs ran three laps around a triangular course in the lower harbor here. I spent the day with Jim and Sharon aboard their cat s/v Insatiable. We motored out onto the course in my little dink and got quite wet. The wind was about 15 kts and the waves were a little high for an overloaded inflatable. But the winds were about perfect for the racers.

There was also the obligatory party on shore with drink and food and good times all around. I had the pleasure of spending some time with Bernard of s/v Ti Matou. He's a Frenchmen transplanted to Canada. Bernard had some interesting things to say about the Quebecqua.

Too much beer and a wet ride back to s/v Insatiable for dinner with Jim and Sharon. Then drinks with them and Brian and Jen, and Mark and Angie, and Lynn and Ken. They were all folks from boats that had been around me at George Town, Exuma.

We watched the sunset from the deck of s/v Insatiable looking for that elusive green flash.
But not today... Too many clouds; too much haze.

On the 14th I finally went to the Long Island Breeze Resort and met Jackie, partner with Mike in the ownership of the resort. Jackie has a bit of a cynical attitude but is sort of fun. Mike, and Jackie, work their asses off at the resort. They've only been open for about a year.

The temporary dinghy dock outside the Long Island Breeze Resort

There's no beach at the Island Breeze. There's just what the local's call an iron shore. But Mike says he's going to build a large platform down there to accommodate dinghies and small fishing boats. It's in the long-range plan.

The shoreline outside the Long Island Breeze Resort

Some things are very difficult in the Bahamas for entrepreneurs. For example, while the Long Island Breeze is 'downtown' the island's water pipes don't reach that far, yet. So Mike has to truck water from the RO (reverse osmosis) plant to the tanks at the resort just about every day. You want to do laundry? Make an appointment and you will be told how many loads you can to. Water rationing is strict.

The 15th was going to be just a quiet evening aboard Galena. Then Jim (s/v Insatiable) called and said he and Sharon were heading over to the Island Breeze for a drink. Asked if I wanted to join them. Sure, why not?

While there we were joined by Allan and Patricia of s/v Nauti-Nauti. Old friends from last year in the Abacos. A few more drinks then dinner aboard Insatiable.

Oh, while at the Island Breeze I twice had a problem with being overcharged. I was in a pay-as-I-drink mode. I was paying for each beer as I received it, rather than running a tab. First beer: no problem. Second beer: Mike says, "This is for both beers, right?" "No, I already paid for the first one." "Oh, yeah," he says. Then the third beer I get from Jackie. She takes my $5 and doesn't even offer me my $1 change. I figure she might have misunderstood the offer of the five as "Keep the change," so I let it go. Then beer four comes along and I had her a ten, she gives me back two. I say, "Expensive beer." She said she took out for the last one and this one. I say I already paid for the last one. She said no, you didn't. She offered to give me back the five bucks but wouldn't believe I had already paid. So I had her keep the money. Sometimes being hot with a nice body isn't enough.

Jackie and Mike, owners of the Long Island Breeze Resort

On the way back to Galena from Insatiable I noticed the bioluminescence in the water. You know the little blue-white sparks that flash in the foam of your bow wave? Well this was happening in the bow wave of my dinghy. I looked astern and saw the prop wake glowing brightly. By the time I found Galena my eyes were well adjusted to the dark, moonless night. I sat in the dinghy after I tied it up to Galena. With my hand in the water, just wriggling my fingers made sparks fly. And whipping my hand about made a bright glow in the water. I had not seen a light show like this since that little bioluminescent pond in Puerto Rico a few years ago. I called Insatiable to let them know about it. Just sticking the point of a boat hook into the water and stirring it around made quiet a light show.

On the 16th I spent the day repairing the dinghy floor again. This air deck is much more trouble than it's worth. Don't get one! I peeled off the old patches; easier than I would like to have been able to do. The spent a couple of hours getting all the glue off the surface. Then sanded and cleaned the areas. Then new patches and had them set under the pressure of a six-gallon jug of fuel for several hours. The next day I gently inflated the floor and loaded the dinghy for transport to Water Cay. When I arrived there and launched the dinghy the floor was flat again! I just can't get this floor fixed! I give up. I'll inflate it each day and just put up with it until I can get my hard dinghy from the Bay.

17 Apr 09 (Friday)
Water Cay, Jumentos, Bahamas

I departed Thompson Bay, Long Island, Bahamas at 0800 hrs this morning. I arrived here at 1630 hrs and dropped the anchor near a local fishing boat that was also trying to hide from the waves in this little cove. Usually the winds are from the east. But today they are from the north-northeast and that allows the waves to wrap around the headland and sweep into this little cove. It's going to be a rough night, I fear. And I won't sleep well with the 'iron shore' of this cove just downwind. If the anchor drags and Galena is swept a mere 300 yards we'll be on the rocks. But during the night the wind is supposed to swing more to the east and the risk will diminish; according to the forecasts.

When I awoke at 0630 the winds were from 030 degrees and blowing 10 to 15 knots. The weather forecast from Chris Parker didn't hold any surprises: Easterly winds about 15 knots for the next several days with moderation to 10-kts on Sunday but clocking more to the southeast. Today was the perfect day to make the run to the Jumentos.

There was a dance party scheduled at the Long Island Breeze Resort on Saturday and I had planned on staying for that. But this morning I just decided to leave. What's one more night of drinking and partying. Besides, I was the only scoundrel left here and my wit and charm would probably not be appreciated. Many of the 10 or so boats here have children, the others are not party people from what I have seen.

I decided to sail off the hook today. Very few boats in this end of the bay so I had plenty of room to get Galena under control and out onto the banks. Everything went well. Once a few hundred yards east of the other boats I raised the 130% Genoa to go along with the full main I had used to sail away from the anchor. Galena was galloping along downwind at over 6-kts on a level keel.

The bay had little wave action but once I was clear of the headland and onto the banks the waves quickly kicked up to 3-4 feet. That made for a bit of a rough ride. But the wind and waves were coming over the starboard quarter so it wasn't too bad. Just a nice downwind romp.

Comer Passage is a wide and shallow swale running west from Salt Pond, Long Island to just south of Great Exuma Island. From there one can continue west into the Tongue of the Ocean or turn north through the very shallow Hog Cay Cut and into the Exuma Sound. Or one can turn south and run down the back side of the Jumento Cays and the Ragged Islands toward Cuba. That's what I did.

I stayed within 300 feet of the route depicted on the Explorer Chart Book for this passage. The chart book shows a minimum depth of 5.5 feet MLW. I was showing +1.1-ft of tide at the time I passed through the shallowest part of the pass. There were a few quite shallow areas of about 6.6-ft but nothing thinner than that. So the charts are correct.

Once I turned south at the West Comer Waypoint the water was 8-ft deep and getting deeper every mile. I called for Moonlight Serenade who was still in George Town but couldn't get them on the VHF. But I was called by Wayne on m/v My Sharona. He had heard me calling and just wanted to say hi and to let me know that everyone missed me at poker. I called Moonlight the next morning on SSB just before Chris Parker's weather report (4045 MHz at 0630 EDT). Sarah answered right away and we switch to 4009 MHz as we had discussed a week ago. Since Galena was only 30 miles away from Moonlight the connection was excellent! We chatted for a couple of minutes and then had to get back to 4045 to hear the weather reports. Good to hear her voice again.

The water was a comforting 30-ft deep for the final 14 miles. But the waves built up to 4-6 feet. However, the wind and waves were directly on my stern so they were not too rough to take. I gybed back and forth for the final few hours of the trip just to make it easier for the auto pilot to steer.

There were a lot of dolphins in the water as I approached the Jumento Cays. They played around Galena's bow for about half an hour. Here's a short video clip of dolphins on my bow (Click here. The video is uploaded to YouTube as: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rxLdDKFRKN4).

By the time I arrived at Water Cay I was down to a double reefed mainsail and a staysail. Still I was making over 5-kts and was quite pleased with Galena's performance.

As I swung around into this little bite of a cove, there was already one commercial fishing boat anchored here. It's name was "Southern Comfort."

Local commercial fishing boat "Southern Comfort" hiding from the waves for the night

Just about sundown a second, larger fishing boat named "Coastal Romper" joined us and anchored for the evening.

A second local commercial fishing boat, Coastal Romper, joined Galena in the little cove

Now if the wind will just clock to the east and the waves die down a bit. Tomorrow I'd like to go conching and see about frying up some cracked conch.

18 Apr 09 (Saturday)
Water Cay, Jumentos, Bahamas
Today I didn't do much of anything important. I put on the sail covers (something I was too tired/lazy to do when I arrived yesterday). And I launched the dinghy. I was very sad to see that the two new patches that I put on didn't hold air and the rigid-air-deck was still a floppy-air-deck. I'll have to pump it up whenever I want to use it until I can get it fixed back in the states.

I had a rough night last night what with all the bouncing around. That and sleeping in the main saloon so I'm closer to the GPS and it's rather faint anchor drag alarm. But the bouncing around was pretty bad most of the night. Finally at about 0300 the wind died enough for Galena to settle down and let me get some sleep. The good news is the anchor held just fine. The bad news is that the waves keep wrapping around the northern point of this little cove. I'll stick around again tomorrow. Then, with the forecast moderation of the wind I'll move down a couple of cays and try my luck at conching and spear fishing there.

Oh! I was playing around with my camera and made a little 1-minute video clip. I noticed that I didn't have any 'documentary' type video's. So here's the first (a little late in this trip, perhaps). I provide it mostly for those who have never actually met me. At least you can see and hear me in my native environment. The video is uploaded to YouTube.com. Just click on this link.

By 2000 hrs the wind was back up with continued squalls. Even though the wind had clocked around to 060° as forecast, the waves still wrapped around the point of this cove. So, again, it's rough. But tonight I have more faith in the anchor being set. And the waves are mostly on the beam. So I'll sleep a lot better.

But with all the wind, I have lot's of power. So I spent the day organizing my music collection on my external hard drive. Dennis (s/v Son of a Sailor) had given me a bunch of new music for me collection. He had just copied from his external hard drive to mine. Now I had to move his albums into the proper folders in my collection. But once I got everything moved and all the duplicates deleted, I ended up with over 65,000 songs; that's 280 GB of mp3's and about 18,000 songs I didn't have before (Thanks, Dennis!). I then ran though my little MP3 player and got rid of a bunch of songs I was tired of or never really liked in the first place. Then I deleted all the duplicates (Jimmy Buffett has Margarittaville on just about every album!). That gave me few free GB of space there.

For my music source aboard Galena I generally run my mp3 player (Creative Labs Zen Vision-M, 30GB) through Galena's (car) stereo's Aux Input. That gives me a lot of my favorite music and, with the player in the cockpit, control of volume and cuts while sailing. But even the 6,000 or so songs on the player get old after a few months. So I swapped them out with others from my main store of music, which is on a 500GB external drive. This whole music organization thing took up a goodly part of my morning.

19 Apr 09 (Sunday)

Before I left George Town I received word that the promised marina slip at Patuxent River Naval Air Station isn't available. And that it wouldn't be available until at least June or even July. Bummer! I was counting on that marina as a home base for this summer. The news made me reconsider the whole 'go north to the Chesapeake' thing. But I have to retrieve my hard dinghy from Mears Point Marina. And I want to see my old friends there. And I have some other things to do in the area. So, yeah, I'll go north one more time. When I get back to the States I'll make some calls to marinas in the Chesapeake Bay area. Specifically I'll call White Sands Marina. I've heard they just rebuilt their docks to go with last year's rebuild of the other on-site facilities. They are about a mile or so up St Leonard Creek, off the Patuxent River, about 8 miles west of the Chesapeake Bay. If they are inexpensive enough I might use them as a home base. Failing that, I'll just anchor out in Back Creek at Solomon's Island. Cozy spots abound and I know people in the area.

I talked with Sarah this morning on SSB. She and Bill are still in George Town and will stay there through the 25th at least. She reminded me that it was Sunday and there was not weather report for the day. So we chatted away for a bit. Her friend, Greg, is coming into George Town for the Family Island Regatta. After the regatta, Greg is flying back home and Sarah and Bill will sail Moonlight Serenade north. Probably the same path we all took last year: Eleuthera then the Abacos.

20 Apr 09 (Monday)

I slept a little later today. I drank a lot of rum last night and just didn't feel my best this morning. That will teach me... or not. I did get up early enough to listen to the weather forecast. Windy today and tomorrow. But the direction is good. I got ready to depart. I pulled off the sail covers and secured the dink to the cabin top. Then I had a cup of coffee and thought about it for a while. The sky was cloudy and the wind was building rather than moderating. I rethought the whole thing. Yeah, I'll stay put another day or so.

I listened to the conversations between three sailboats coming north up the Jumento Cays. They were discussing whether or not to continue north toward Great Exuma or to stop here at Water Cay. But the part that made me shake my head in discuss was that none of them would/could make a decision. It was as if each was afraid to state his desires or intentions. Just a bunch of "...I'll do whatever you guys decide," and no one was willing to decide. Three men on three boats and not one of them the master of his own vessel. Decision by committee is no way to sail a boat. That's my not-so-humble opinion. But it seems to work for them (and others) so I should just let it go.

They ended up stopping here at Water Cay. They arrived about 1000 hrs. The first (s/v Breathless) came right in next to me and anchored a couple of hundred feet away. I thought, "Hey! It's a big island, buddy." The second boat anchored a good 600 yard away. Nice. And the third one somewhere in between. So now I have company along with the two commercial fishing boats that were here for the past couple of days.

By early afternoon the clouds parted and the temperature went up from the chilly 72° to a warm 83°. The wind also moderated as it was directed to by the forecasters. Tomorrow will be a nice day to sail further south along the Jumento Cays. I think I might go all the way to Jamaica Cay; about 20-nm from here (not to be confused with Jamaica, the island south of Cuba, of course). The wind will be a bit ahead of the beam but will be under 15-kts so I should have a nice sail.

The wind is supposed to be even more on the bow tomorrow. But I'll still be able to get where I'm going, I think. Three more sailboats arrived at 1630hrs (including Diva). They had been in GT and were returning for Regatta.

21 Apr 09 (Tuesday)
Flamingo Cay, Jumentos, Bahamas
N 22° 53.047' W 075° 52.164'
Trip: 14nm, Total: 1987nm, Eng: 2127 hrs

Departed Water Cay a late in the morning. But an interesting thing happened on the way to Flamingo Cay: I fell asleep without intending to. I woke up about 20 minutes later (according to the track in the GPS). I was only 1000' from shoals that would have been unfortunate to hit. Even after I woke up it took a full 5 minutes to get my shit together. Fortunately I had just dropped the Genoa (the wind had been picking up and that 130% Gennie was just too much sail) and tucked a reef in the main. Maybe it was all the hard work of dowsing the jib that wore me out. Maybe it was the sudden moderation of the wind that lulled me into a brief slumber. But whatever it was, it was dangerous to do so close to coral heads and islands. I have to be more careful during those times I don't really plan to fall asleep.

Anyway. I decided to stop here at Flamingo Cay to get some rest after only 3-hrs of sailing. There was one other boat here when I arrived but he left shortly thereafter. So I have the place to myself.

Where is Flamingo Cay, you ask? Well it's in the lower-right of this map:

Flamingo Cay Anchorage and track there into

I'm in the northern eastern anchorage:

Flamingo Cay Anchorage and track there into

Oh, and the abandoned light isn't. It works just fine.

After my much-needed nap, I did a little fishing but didn't catch anything. I took a much-needed bath. And generally relaxed aboard Galena. As I write (2030hrs) the wind is less than 5-kts from the west. So it's just a little bumpy here. But not bad. I'm in 12-ft of water but only about 300-ft from shore. I'll be more comfortable when the wind clocks to the northeast. The forecast is for north winds tomorrow (about 5-kts) clocking to ENE and increasing to 10-15kts by evening. If that forecast holds (I'll know by 0700 tomorrow) I might try to make a run south before the winds increase. Once they increase and clock to the east they are supposed to stay over 20-kts with showers and squalls until Monday. I'd like to be a bit further south for that. If I can get 34 nm south (about 7 or 8 hrs travel time) then I'll be able to turn northwest and head for the Cay Sal Banks next week. After that it's Florida and the run up the coast to the Chesapeake Bay.

I talked with Sarah (s/v Moonlight Serenade) this morning before listening to the weather report. She told me that Kendal's (the bartender at Chat 'n Chill) son had been murdered last night. Talk about bad news. Also that some Bahamians in speed boats had been running through the anchorage in George Town and hit one of the anchored sailboats. Elvis, the harbor master, detained them until the police arrived. Sounds as if they had a really bad day in George Town.

Being so close to shore (I had to be this close to be protected from the north) I won't rest well until the wind clocks completely around to north. There will be nothing downwind of me then and I can drag for a mile or so before I hit anything.

22 Apr 09
Raccoon Cay, Ragged Islands, Bahamas
N 22° 21.3' W 075° 48.8'
Trip: 35nm, Total: 2022nm Eng: 2134hrs

Departed Flamingo Cay at 0730hrs and arrived here at 1440hrs. It's hot today: 80° Wind: 7kts 320°.
I had to motorsail all the way here. And I may have to stay here a while. Nothing but high winds forecast for the next week. Even though I'm heading downwind I really don't want to put up with 6-ft seas; even on the stern.

But the trip to Raccoon Cay was delightful! Good sailing all the way. I had all of the sails up and moved along at a nice clip over smooth seas. You can't ask for more than that.

I never tire of looking up at the set of the sails

I also noticed that my Bahamian courtesy flag is about gone. It's been up there at the spreader for three months now. And in some significant winds, I might add. I guess I'll have to buy a new one next year.

The courtesy flag is about frayed away.

I'm all alone here. I think everyone is in George Town for the Family Island Regatta this week. This corner of the cove is a bit rolly. But the wind is supposed to clock around more to the east and then this place will be OK.


23 Apr 09
Rough night what with all the rolling around. Sometimes it was so bad that I about rolled out of my berth!

I'm thinking about moving to the northern end of this cove. It looks a little smoother up there (about 1/4 mile north of where I am).

OK, I no sooner write those words in my log than I see not one, but three boats come around the island and head for that spot I was just thinking about! My quiet little hideaway has just been invaded by... wait a minute. I know that boat. It's s/v Kokopelli with Liz and Allen. I'd met them in GT and partied with them on Son of a Sailor. They call me on the radio and we get together for drinks, walks on the beach and general partying. I meet their new friends George and Suely on m/v Lady Belle and Pete and Dee on s/v Wind Lass.

Later in the day we are joined by yet another boat (it's a damned mini-George Town here!). This boat is s/v JusDreamin' with Denny and Diane. The boat name sounded familiar to me but I couldn't place it. Anyway we all went to the "beach" where introductions were made all around. As part of what was to become, over the next week or so, a daily ritual we gathered on the beach and walked across the to ocean side of the island. It wasn't a long walk, but the 'ground' was just rock; that sharp, pointy rock that one finds all over here.

Once on the ocean side most of us stopped to rest while some of the ladies continued to explore the shoreline
.

This is Diane, Denny, Pete, and Allen on the ocean side of Raccoon Cay
Note the nature of the ground

This picture of an old stone wall shows a bit of the nature of the environment.

The island is covered with old stone walls. I think they were used to mark property lines a long time ago. But no one lives here now.

I put beach in quotes because like many islands down here the beach is mostly just rock. After talking with Denny for a bit (and flirting with his wife, Diane) he and I realized that we had actually met last year. He and I had crossed the Bahama Banks together in January of '08. Then I had had a few beers with him at the Chat 'n Chill in GT.

25-29 Apr 09
Dinner tonight on Kokopelli. This turned into a bit of a ritual. Who would invite whom to dinner, drinks etc. I was pitied and invited to dinner several times

Our little clique of boats is getting very tight. Nice people all, and me. We get along well. We have nice conversations. We have great meals. We learn new card games. We explore each other's boats. We snorkel and hunt fish and conch. We walk the trails and beaches.

All this while we wait for the wind to die down. Which it doesn't! Over 20-kts of wind from the east for over a week! I don't mind the wind since I'd be running with it. But I don't really need the high seas they will build up. And I'm having a good time with my new friends, too.

But I'm also getting a bit bored. Here, look at this. I'm even taking pictures of clouds fer chrissake! Well, they were pretty.

Just a silly picture of clouds...

On the night of 29 Apr, we all gathered on Lady Belle for a final party. Well, final for me. The rest will stay together for the next few weeks. I finally remembered to take my camera and annoyed everyone by snapping photos most of the night. Lady Belle is an Endeavour 48 trawler cat. This is literally a condo on the water. It's huge!

So, here we go. Faces to go with the names.

George (m/v Lady Belle) explaining his cockpit controls

And Denny (s/v JusDreamin') pretending to drive Lady Belle

Denny's wife, Diane (s/v JusDreamin'), heading upstairs in Lady Belle

George's wife, Suely, with her broken finger aboard Lady Belle

The book exchange. Dee and Pete (s/v Wind Lass) with Allen (s/v Kokopelli) looking on

Allen and Liz (s/v Kokopelli)

Smokers on the back deck of Lady Bell with Galena in the background

30 Apr 09
Enroute from Raccoon Cay, Bahama Islands, to Lake Worth, FL.

The winds have died enough with the promise of continued moderation for the next few days. So we're off. The clan will run north and then NW along the bank-side of the Exuma chain. I head directly west to the bottom of Andros Island and then NW to Florida.

Planned route back to the States from Raccoon Cay, Ragged Islands, Bahamas

I've decided not to go to the Cay Sal Banks. The lack of good charts scares me. Maybe next time.

For the first two days on the banks I saw no one and nothing. Just me, 30-ft of water, and a horizon.
The skies were mostly blue. The wind was mostly east or southeast at 15-20 kts. The seas were 6' on day one, down to 3' by late on day two. I saw no coral heads during the daylight hours. That made running along the banks at night a bit less unnerving.

The moon set about 0130hrs. After that there was nothing but stars above and just a hint of the water around me. Mostly visible in the loom of the stern light. But it was a good ride. I stayed below most of the night. Just popping up to look around every 20 minutes or so. My egg timer got quite a workout.

Once I made the turn northwest under Andros Island I started getting concerned again about coral heads. Up to that point the water was over 30-ft deep. Most coral heads don't get much above 10-ft in height. But when you're running in only 15-ft of water an unseen coral head can be a real problem. But, again, nothing to be concerned about.

But I never saw a single coral head on the whole trip (once past the ones marked on the chart near the Raggeds. The first other people I saw was after I had made the exit from the banks to the Gulf Stream. I immediately started seeing ocean traffic. Freighters, Coast Guard cutters, Helicopters. In fact, a Coast Guard helicopter buzzed me early on the 2nd. He came from the north and circled me about 200-ft off the water. I waved (nude, of course). He flew off. Then later in the day he returned. Again he flew around me. But then he stopped and hovered looking right at me. Finally he called me on the radio. He asked the usual Homeland Security questions: Name and registration number of the boat; number of souls on board; last port; destination; citizenship and name of vessel owner. Then he was off. I saw him one last time. Just after sunset before it got dark. He came running right toward me and circled me low. Then off he went toward Miami.

I only saw one ship that I actually changed course for. I probably didn't have to. But the "Constant Bearing, Decreasing Range" rule said to me, "Turn now, Bill!" So I did.

I got a good boost from the Gulf Steam as I ran up the Florida coast. At times I was making over 9-kts in only 10-kts of wind on the stern. About 0230hrs I had to start the engine. The batteries were low and the wind was dropping and coming from an uncomfortable quarter. So I motorsailed the final two hours into Lake Worth (Palm Beach, FL).

I came into the harbor just after moonset (damn!). It was very dark (0400 hrs). I was moving very slowly. I found a spot that looked good. But as soon as I let loose the anchor a neighbor, hearing the chain rattling down, called, "A bit close, isn't it, mate!" So I moved. The wind was coming up. The chop in the harbor was getting to me. The lack of sleep was getting to me. I moved about 300 yards further south and dropped the hook.

I'm back!

03 May 09
Lake Worth,FL
Trip: 383nm, Total: 2442nm, Eng: 2137hrs
Total trip time: 67 hrs.

A quick nap. A call to Michelle, my daughter. A call to Customs. I have to visit immigrations tomorrow. Then I'll move about 4-miles north and spend a day or so reprovisioning. Then it's on to St Augustine

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04/02/2009, George Town, Exumas

And I'm still in George Town. I was going to leave, honestly! But my friend, Clay, of s/v Revel, asked why I was leaving. I didn't have a good reason except that I had been here several weeks. But with the regatta over and 2/3 of the boats gone this is a whole different kind of place. Clay suggested that things here in GT were just getting down to 'normal' and I should experience it for a while. Besides, said he, there's always another cold front coming along every few days.

So I'll stay a bit longer. How long? I have no idea.



16 Mar 09
George Town, Exuma, Bahama Islands

Just another quiet day aboard the good ship Galena. The final event of the George Town Cruiser's Regatta is tonight. At Regatta Park in George Town, proper, is a variety show. Many of the cruising boats have moved over to Kidd Cove and that has left a lot of "good" parking spots over in front of Volleyball Beach. So I moved over to there this afternoon.

The weather looked like it might not cooperate with the planners: we had intermittent showers all day. But just in time for the variety show the sky cleared up.

The variety show was interesting. Many of the same acts that performed at the opening show for the regatta were there. Plus a few nicely done local acts/performances. The only bad act was when Isabelle of s/v Cassiopeia sang a song which turned out to be a 'Hate Bush, Love Obama" political diatribe.

One of the local events was a school group singing the Bahamian National Anthem

I met Margo's mom. Margo is one of the bartenders at the Chat 'n Chill on Volleyball Beach. It's always interesting to meet people out of their normal context.

Leo and Tony (s/v Bimini Dancer) were there. I sold them my copy of Bruce Van Sant's Gentleman's Guide to Passages South. Which, as every cruisers knows, you don't leave home without. Especially when heading South. Later I find out that these two guys started the web-based, virtual reality site named SecondLife.com. Interesting folks you meet out here, huh?

Leo and Tony (s/v Bimini Dancer) and Frank (s/v Local Knowledge) were checking out the festivities

17 Mar 09
s/v Moonlight Serenade finally arrived! Sarah, Bill, and Sheila (Bill's sister) pulled in and anchored nearby. I was actually waiting for them to arrive before I moved on. Now they are here and I'll stay for a while and party with them.

s/v Moonlight Serenade anchored off Volleyball Beach, right next to Galena

I went to the invitation-only St Patrick's Day bash on the Flip-Flop-Shop Beach. Good party put on each year by Toby and Donna of s/v Cariba. Except this year they are 'working' on m/v Duchess.

We had Tammy (s/v Bodett) perform as the lead of the Sweet Potato Queens. My favorite songs were her renditions of: "Don't wear panties to a party," and "I could get over him if I could get under you."

18 Mar 09
Coffee in the morning aboard s/v Moonlight Serenade. It's been a long time since I've done that with these guys. It's nice to have such good friends back in the anchorage. I don't mean to disparage my other friends. Dennis and Bettye on Son of a Sailor are also some of my dearest friends. But Sarah and Bill have been out of my circle for quite a while and it's nice to be back with them.

After a few games of volleyball I ended up on s/v Son of a Sailor for dinner and drinks.

19 Mar 09
Texas Hold' em at the St Francis Resort and I came in 3rd. I won $25 and felt great about it. Sarah joined me there.

24 Mar 09
Not much happening now that the regatta is over. Many, many boats have left. We've gone from a high of about 350 boats a couple of weeks ago to only 150 or so now. The place is really emptying out.

Texas hold' em again and I had rotten luck. But for the first time Jo, Tony's wife played, too. I had been after Tony to bring her along ever since we had met a couple of weeks ago.

Also talked with Paul. He and his friends are on a couple of schooners that are coming down from Alaska and heading way south. I've heard him play guitar and he is very, very good. He says he's been playing since he was 10.

Paul and friend after dropping out of the final table at Texas Hold' em at St Francis Resort, GT

I'm starting to really want to leave. I'm not sure why (especially since I'm actually typing this up on 1 Apr and am still in GT!). But on 24 March I wanted to leave and head down the Jumento's and then over to Miami.

My buddy Lee (s/v Krasna) is talking about heading north soon. He want's crew and is looking for someone who is willing to wait until he gets the urge to leave and then sail with him up through the Abaco's and to St Augustine, FL. With no definite schedule he's having no takers.

My buddy, Lee, of s/v Krasna at the Chat 'n Chill bar

Jillian wants to go but has to be in Georgia in a couple of weeks. Susan would go with him, but also has to be in the States on a date certain.

Jillian watching the volleyball games. She needs a ride back to the States.

Sarah and Bill and Sheila invited me to join them on a climb up Monument Hill. I'd never actually climbed the hill so I gladly went along. The view was excellent! But it didn't really translate well to photos. At least not for me.

Here's a shot of Volleyball Beach from the monument

Sheila, Bill, and Sarah on the bench at the top of monument hill

Oh, the monument itself is impressive. It's just a big concrete marker used to for navigation back in the 'old days' before GPS.

I went to town and tried to call Frank at the Pax River Marina but just left him a voice mail. I guess I'll just give up and when I get there I'll park on the bulkhead and walk into the office asking where my slip is. If there isn't one available for me I'll simply go across the river to Solomon's and anchor in the creek.

27 Mar 09
Been playing a lot of volleyball and have reached a plateau. I'm not getting any better and am probably getting worse compared to everyone else.

While resting at the Chat n Chill Nicki came over to say 'bye.' She's one of the Future Cruisers where were visiting grandparents down here. She said she'll be back next year when she'll actually be 18 years old.

My friend Nicki, the 'future cruiser,' at the Chat n Chill

We had another dance at the Chat n Chill with Rockin' Ron (s/v Sea Dancer) playing DJ. A very nice time with everyone bouncing around to the oldies that we oldies love.

Sarah and Bill of Moonlight Serenade at the dance

At the dance Kendal and Margo were jamming behind the bar

Kendal the bartender at Chat n Chill is getting down to the music

Margo, the other bartender at Chat n Chill was trying not to get down with the music, but failed

Even by buddy, Lee, of s/v Krasna, finally got the courage up to dance... and with a lady, no less!

Lee is... "Dancing"?? He never dances. I guess he was inspired

28 Mar 09
I moved Galena over to Kidd Cove for water, trash, and a few groceries. I also bought another 6 liters of rum. As I was storing the bottles away I found one bottle in a locker that had broken. That explains the strange smell in that locker for the past week or so. I don't know how it broke. Galena has been sitting at anchor and the break was such that the bottom of the bottle just broke away. Strange.

I had gone to the police station to support their luncheon called a 'Steak-out.' For $10 I had ribs, slaw, and the special Mac and Cheese they make here. And a beer, of course.

A bunch of us cruisers were standing in front of the Straw Market talking boat stuff when suddenly Jo walked up. What a very pleasant surprise! She said she was in town and had driven by and noticed me. She parked and came back to say 'hi.' We chatted a bit and she asked if I wanted to see their little project. Sure, said I.

Jo absconding with me (Notice she's driving from the wrong side of the car? They do that here.)

I joked about her spiriting me away to have her way with me. And we drove to her house on the other side of the island. She and Tony are developing an 8-lot residential property named, Sunset Bluff. Tony designed the place and when they had told me about it before I had had no idea what a large project it was. We walked down to the shore and there was Tony working his butt off. Tony was pleased to see me and we all went back to the house for a beer. But Tony was anxious to get back to work so I only stayed a little while. Jo gave me a ride back to town and we had a very nice talk on the way.

See? Tony was happy to see me.

Jo in her 'backyard' showing a bit of the natural 'iron shore' which is what the locals call the rock below the steps in the picture

Looking the other way, the soon-to-be bar and more walkways in what will be the common area of this residential resort setting that Tony is building

What Bahamian home would be complete without a Junkinoo head dress?

30 Mar 09
Again, just another day of reading, basket weaving, volleyball, and poker. I can't believe I get to live like this!

31 Mar 09

I awoke to see s/v Poco Loco anchored behind me. Jerry and his dog Sparky were at Lake Worth, FL, when I went through there in '07. And when I went through there in '08 he was still there. He had spent the entire winter in Florida. Now he was finally in the Bahamas. We had a nice little visit.

Tonight we have 'movie-night' aboard Moonlight Serenade. We squeezed in Wayne and Isabelle (Cassiopeia), Lee (Krasna), Clark (Seabbatical), Me, and of course Sarah and Bill. We had a nice time.

1 Apr 09
I moved Galena to Monument Beach for the grand (re)opening of the Peace and Plenty Hamburger Shop on the beach. Toby (Duchess) had asked the cruisers to support the opening day. And we did. Lot's of cruisers and lots of beer.

I left early to get back to Galena. I moved her across to Kidd Cove so I could attend the Open Mike night at the Peace and Plenty Resort. I'm told that James Taylor's brother, Hugh, often attends. And that the jam sessions are something to write home about. I'm writing this while waiting to go to town. More to follow....

OK, back from the P&P. I bumped into several friends there. Of course Bill and Sarah were there. As were Clark an a couple of ladies who were visiting parents on s/v Cgull Seeker. Wayne (m/v My Sharona) ferried over Sharon and Jim (s/v Insatiable) for dinner and an evening of fun.

Clark (s/v Seabbatical) and the ladies from s/v Cgull Seeker.

Sharon, Wayne and Jim enjoying the music at the Peace and Plenty Jam session

And I was pleasantly surprised to see Constance and Butch there. They thought, as did Jo and Tony, that I had left. But we all had a good time catching up.

Constance was happy to see me again; as was her husband, Butch, who was playing in the band that night.

I promised to take Jo and Tony (Sunset Bluff) for a sail Friday. I need to get some munchies so I can play the proper host. A few beers and sodas and fruit should do. I also need to clean up the boat! Guests!

Poker at St Francis Resort tonight. I came in 7th out of about 37 players. Out of the money by two. But still a good showing and a seat at the final table is always a win in my book.

I'll be leaving here whenever I leave here. We'll see how it goes...

Comments [0]

03/17/2009, George Town, Exumas

Still in George Town, Exuma, Bahama Islands.

The weather has been cooler than past years; and windier, too. But the fun has been just about non-stop. The George Town Regatta is over as of today. Tonight is the final party at, of course, Regatta Point Park in George Town. Tonight is the variety show. Food, drink, and people doing silly things. How can that not be a good time.

But the weather may not cooperate. We've had scattered showers all day.

I'm looking at pointing Galena eastward again. I'll make a run to Long Island (Salt Pond/Thompson Bay) which is about 40 nm east of here. Then south through the 70 mile-long Jumento island chain. That puts me just 50nm north of the eastern tip of Cuba. From there I can make a long, 350nm run east and then north toward Miami. That route takes me along the Bahama Banks south and then west of Andros Island. Last year I went north from here through the Abacos. Heading south through the Jumentos will let me check the block on seeing just about all of the Bahama Island chains.




26 Feb 09
George Town, Exuma, Bahama Islands

The Great Erection

A landmark on Volleyball Beach has always been the sign pole. But the current pole has rotted away and fallen down. So Rocking Ron on s/v Sea Dancer headed up a group of us to rebuild the sign pole. He asked for volunteers to create new arrows pointing to their home ports or favorite places. He also saved some of the better signs from the old pole. KB, the owner of the beach and of Chat 'n chill beach bar supplied the pole.

KB, on the left, and Kendal on the right. KB never, never smiles. KB is the owner of the Chat n Chill bar and Volleyball Beach

Adding the individual signboards to the sign post

For a few days people were adding their signs and the pole was really looking good. Then we had a hole digging party and dug a substantial hole for the new sign pole. As we were standing it up, we realized an oversight: no one had oriented the signs while they were being added. We thought about the problem for a moment or two. But we dicided that since all of them would just be pointing north if they pointed to the towns listed on them, letting them point every which way looked better. So we just put it the way it was.

Yours truly digging the pit for the sign post

The actual erection. Iwo Jima it ain't; but not bad for a bunch of cruisers.

The final product. All the signs point in the wrong direction, but who cares?

Then off to volleyball. I'm actually getting a bit better at this game. My main purpose is still just to be someone that others can say they aren't as bad as. But I'm getting better. And an hour or so of jumping around on the court gives me some much needed exercise.

I met some vacationers on the beach today. Mary and her sister Sharon are visiting friends on a boat here and are just soaking up the sun and rum for a couple of weeks. I volunteered to show them the sights.

My new friends Mary and Sharon on Volleyball beach

27 Feb 09

Fiberglass Lessons

Richard on s/v Hali Kai lost his dinghy. Several days later he found it in the rocks a couple of miles down the harbor. The engine was smashed and the hard bottom was holed in several places. He ordered a new dink and engine.

Then Bernard of s/v Ti' Matou said that he could fix the dinghy with a little fiberglass work. So on the beach Bernard went to work. Richard supplied the material and Bernard supplied the expertise. After two days the dinghy looked just about like new.

The holes in the fiberglass bottom were about a foot across. They patched the holes with a temporary plywood backing. Then they filled them with mat and then roving. Using a polyester resin to wet it all out. The final coat was just Bondo that was sanded smooth. A little no-skid and the bottom looked great.

Bernard was very patient with my continual questions during the process and I was able to learn a great deal. We should have made this project into a seminar. We would have had a big crowd and everyone would have learned something.

Dinner with Jillian and Greg, Frank (s/v Local Knowledge), and Tony and Leo (s/v Bimini Dancer). After a wonderful meal we sat and drank wine till it was way past cruiser's midnight.

Leo, Tony, Frank, Jillian, and Greg onboard s/v Oblix

Jillian is one of the rarest of individuals. she does volunteer work in Mongolia. She goes around the world getting donations for hospitals, schools and the like. Then she goes to Mongolia and actually builds the schools, distributes the medicines, and makes sure that everything is going to the people it was meant for. Really quite extraordinary. And she's also one hell of a nice person.

Back on 8 Jan, my MP3 player started acting up. It worked fine, but the battery wouldn't charge. It acted like there was no battery at all. So I had to use it on AC power only. But suddenly, today, the battery suddenly 'appeared' on the screen as 'charging.' Now it's back to working. I don't understand but it must have been a loose wire or bad connection. Anyway, I now have my portability back on my MP3 player.

28 Feb 09

I moved Galena to Kidd Cove, just outside of town. Chris Parker, the weather guru is giving a seminar on Monday and I almost beat the rush to get a good spot near town. The wind and waves are such that riding the dinghy the mile across the harbor would be a very wet option. After the seminar I'll move her over to Monument or Sand Dollar beach.

Seabbatical 1 has also moved over to Kidd Cove and invited me over for dinner. Michelle can really cook. We even had ice cream!

While over here near town I made a water run and filled my gas can for the dinghy motor.
Also, the main light in the saloon burned out. It's a 15 watt florescent. I have a spare around here somewhere. But I'll procrastinate digging it out. It burns quite a lot of power and not having it available will probably allow me to watch a couple extra DVD's on the computer. [Later Note: two weeks went by before I got around to replacing that bulb.]

I was anchored near s/v Scallywag. I went over and talked with Doug and Pat since they look a bit concerned since I was so close. After talking with them for a bit we decided that we were just fine. Doug and Pat are a great pair. We have since become quite good friends.

Doug and Pat, s/v Scallywag

Doug said to me, after the round-the-island race, that I was the only real sailor out there since I did it alone and in a boat with hanked-on sails and no hope of winning. I'm not sure I liked that last bit, but I thanked him for his sentiment.

02 Mar 09
People are all worked up about the coming Cold Front. Chris is forecasting 25-35 knot winds. People are putting out a second anchor. Some are even taking down biminis! I'm not quite as protected here in Kidd Cove as I would like. At least not from the NW. But it should be alright.

The CF actually hit at 0530. In less than an hour the wind went from 5 kts to over 25 kts! And it clocked from south to northwest in the same time. Now I'm bouncing around in 3-ft breaking wind chop. Galena is galloping around and I'm having quite a ride. But the CQR is holding nicely; that and the 250 pounds of chain on the bottom. I'm in 7-ft of water and I have 150-ft of chain out. I'm not going anywhere!


Oh! I just learned something: the term 'Up-Island' means going up-wind. That is, southeast. So from here, Nassau, which is north of here is considered 'down-island' by the locals since it's downwind. Cool.

Chris Parker's seminar was just like last year. I only went to buy his book. I listen to him every day and I never 'sponsor' him. He wants $200 a year and for that he'll talk to you on the radio and give you personalized routing advice. I just listen to him when he talks to boats near me and get the info for free. But I feel a little bad about it. So I went to the seminar to buy his book and at least sort of pay him. And it's a pretty good book, although probably not worth the $37 he charges for it. But like I said, I think of it as a donation for all the free weather information he's given me in the past few years.

I left at the lunch break. I knew from past seminars that the second half was mostly just an advertisement for his services. And Galena was 'sort of' in the channel. I had heard that the fuel boat was coming in and I wanted to move her out of the way.

I've tucked in nicely by the western end of Sand Dollar Beach. Very close to the shore and well protected. Much nicer here than over at Kidd Cove; at least today.

By 1430 hrs the wind was 15-kts from 330° and the air temp was down to a very chilly 70°.

Texas Hold'em again and again I finish in the middle of the pack. Out of abotu 40 players, I go out at 18. Well at least I'm consistantly mediocre.

03 Mar 09
Finally changed my guitar strings. Well, for me it was a big event!

05 Mar 09
Talked with Moonlight serenade on SSB today. They are heading for Lake Worth today. Actually getting down to where it's warm! Cool!

My buddy, Jim, took Clark and I on a pub-crawl today. We started at 0930 and as we started down the street in his jeep, he handed me a beer saying, "Well, lets get started!"

Jim's been living on Great Exuma Island for about 40 years. He built his own house here. He said the house's name is "Vista Del Mar." I asked why his house had a name. He explained that back then, there were no phones and everyone used VHF radios to communicate. So, like boats, all the homes had names.

After running a couple of errands for his wife, Ronny, we started heading west and stopping at all the local bars enroute. First was Houseman's Outback. There we had a beer and spent some time talking with Lenora the bar tender. She's from Eleuthera originally but had been living in Miami for several years. Something came up about her passport and she found herself here looking for work.

Bartender Lenora at Houseman's Outback Bar, First stop on our pub-crawl.

Jim pointed out the local pizza place named Foxy's. Jim said it's the best pizza on the island; carry-out only.

We also stopped at "The Palms at three sisters." Where I met Erikie, also originally from Rock Sound, Eleuthera. After a beer there and taking in the beach scene a bit we headed over toward Emerald Bay.

Erikie at the Palms resort

The beach outside the Palms. You can see the Three Sisters Rock on the right.

Emerald Bay is a 4-Seasons resort. And it's a very nice place, indeed. Interestingly, as we approached the main entrance, the doorman opened the door and called Jim by name while wishing him a nice morning. Jim seems to know everyone around here.

The main building at Emerald Bay Resort

The backyard at Emerald Bay Resort

We had a nice lunch at Grand Isle resort and talked about the Bahamas from an ex-pat's point of view. I learned a great deal about people and places from Jim.

We stopped by fisherman's Inn, which had recently burned down. This forced Norman Lloyd, the owner, to work out of shack while he rebuilt his bar.

Nelson Lloyd in his temporary bar and grill on the beach at Fisherman's Inn

I found that Roker's point is named after the most prominent resident, Al Roker the NBC Weather guy.

I also found out that that actor from Jag, David James Elliot, lives next-door to Jim. And that Jame's Taylor's brother also lives on the island.

We stopped on an overlook where Jim pointed out some of the major works going on in the area. Some have failed miserably and are now just waiting for someone else with a vision to buy them up and try something new.

Jim and I overlooking Hooper's Bay, just north of George Town

There are always several major developments going on here. Some work out. Some like Oceania Heights have become "the place' to live on the island.

Multi-million dollar home in Oceania Heights. No beach, but 'Location'

Some are still waiting for rich guys to buy up lots so construction can begin.

Empty home sites waiting for buyers

Finally we ended up at Jim's house. When he said he had built it himself, even down to mixing the cement with a shovel, I was expecting some rather modest. That's not how I would describe his house.

Here's a couple of shots of the main room:

And the back yard. His back porch looks out over Elizabeth Harbour. What a view!

The back porch of Jim's house. Clark can be seen heading down to the water.

The view of the harbour from Jim's deck.

After a long day of bar-hopping Jim poured us back into our dinghies and we headed over to St Francis Resort for the twice-weekly poker game.

08 Mar 09
I finally patched the hole in my dinghy.

I have an Air-Deck in my dink. Nice. But I seem to keep getting holes in it. The deck had been leaking air for a couple of weeks. I was having to pump it up every couple of days. A few days ago I had taken it to the beach, I had emptied the dink out. I had removed the Air-Deck (a bunch of screws hold a board at the stern that holds the deck in place). But after re-inflating the deck and holding it under water, I couldn't find a leak. I gave up and put the thing back together thinking that maybe it was just the valve that wasn't seated properly.

But, no. There was a leak. This time I took my time. Again I went to the beach and emptied the dink. I inflated the deck after removing it and very, very carefully I held it under the water looking for bubbles. I still didn't see a leak. Then, I was holding it up and HEARD an air leak. I tracked it down and, sure enough, there was a hole. Small, but a hole none the less. I scrubbed it and patched it and put everything back together. Now I'm all set. No more leak. Nice

The dinghy with all the equipment out on the beach and the deck removed.

We had a report that there were about 350 boats here last week. I'm not sure of that. But there are certainly a lot. And certainly more than last year when we didn't quit make it 300 boats. But I've seen a bunch leave every day and I think the count is off.

I'm using my new basket weaving skill to make a coozy for my beer bottle. My first attempt was not very pretty. And I didn't check the diameter until I was way bigger than the bottom of a beer bottle. Now it's a coaster.

See? I'm really weaving a 'basket'

The second attempt came up too small. I can't fit a bottle into it. Now it's a pencil holder.

Sooner or later I'll get this right. By then I might be able to weave something that dosen't look like a 10-year-old made it.


09 Mar 09

Went to the Rake and Scrape. This is just a Bahamian jam session at one of the local bars here. It starts about sundown and goes till well after midnight. Jim plays wash-tub base in the band.

Rake and Scrape with Jim playing the washtub base

Also there were my friends Mary and Sharon. There will be going home soon so we danced the night away and had a fine time.

Sharon, me, and Mary at the rake and scrape

And of course, Jillian was there, too. Everyone eventually shows up and the drinking and dancing go on and on.

Me and Jillian at the Rake and Scrape

11 Mar 09

Today I harvested my head. A chore even though it's only required every two months. Enough said.

Trivial Pursuit contest today. I'm on a team with Mike (s/v Pagan Chant) and Ken and Leigh (s/v One Eyed Parrot). I don't add much to the mix but Mike is very full of trivia. He wins no matter who he's with.

Mike (s/v Pagan Chant) ready for another win at Trivial Pursuit

Since this is the main event (they have weekly tournaments, but this is the 'big one') we had a huge crowd at St Francis

The patio at St Francis Resort was packed for the event.

And, of course, we won the tournament!

The winning team with burgees and bottles of rum

12 Mar 09

Up early (0400) cuz today is Race Day!

The wind is still about 18kts from the east. So I swap out the 130% Gennoa for the yankee jib.

I started well. I was number 3 across the line and only seconds after the 1000hrs start. Alibi II was ahead of me by a hundred yards as was Ozymandiez. Right behind me was Siggy's Dancer and Revel. I passed Alibi and Ozymendaris and was in the lead for about half an hour. But 3 miles later Revel passed me for the lead. I was doing very well on this downwind leg. As we turned out into the Sound for the beat to windward everything changed. we had 20 kts from the east and 4-ft swells from the NE.

Revel passing me for the lead

On the upwind leg everyone passed me except for 2 boats that gave up (light winds late in the day) and one that didn't pass me until just before the finish.

Jim and Cathy and crew on s/v Miss Alice passing me on the Sound

About the time I was approaching the Dogs and Puppies (small cays on the sound at the south entrance to Elizabeth Harbour) the wind died. I went out on the bow sprit and changed the headsail back to the 130 Gennoa. Even with that I was making only 0.9-kts for a while. But an hour later Galena was back up to 3.5 kts and then, after entering the harbor and being passed by Vesper Light, I was up to 5.5-kts and screaming toward the finish line, just a couple hundred feet behind the second-to-last boat.

Yes, I was last again this year. But unlike last year, I finished at 1600 hrs instead of after dark at 1930hrs. So I considered it a major win for me and Galena.

14 Mar 09
The in-harbor race found me sitting in my dinghy at the start line taking pictures. It's just too tight a course for a single-hander.

The start was very exciting. In her class, s/v Star (Bob and Gail) crossed at full speed and ahead of everyone else.

s/v Star crossing the start line at full speed

This was a twice-around race. As the boats came by for the start of the second lap they came very close to the committee boat and the people in the dinghies bobbing around watching.

s/v Alibi II crossing the line

s/v Siggy's Dance making for the line and the start of the second lap

15 Mar 09
(Happy birthday, Laura)

We had a fine party and dance to close the regatta. At the awards ceremony all the people who made the races possible were called to the front. There were more people than I had imagined.

The awards ceremony for the races

Before they started handing out prizes for the boats that placed in the race, I was surprised to be called to the front. Something like this was being said, "...if one boat in the race epitomizes the true spirit of cruising, it's Galena. Bill, get up here!" I was given a special award named "The Spirit of Cruising" award. How cool is that! I was so jazzed by it.

Me and some of my admiring fans after winning my Major Award

OK, the regatta is over. Now it's time to get over to Long Island and then down to the Raggeds.

Comments [0]

02/25/2009, George Town, Exumas

I'm still in George Town, Exuma, Bahama Islands and have fallen into full "Island Mode." By that I mean while I have things to do, I do nothing. Everything can wait until tomorrow, since, except for the wind speed and direction, very little changes day to day around here.

I'm getting more and more involved with the cruising community here. In the past few visits I have stayed on the edges and just watched most of the activities. I'm playing volleyball just about every day. Good exercise and I'm actually getting a bit better; I don't suck as much as I used to.

I've even tried basket weaving once I confirmed with Sue (s/v Nice 'n Easy) that my testicles would not fall off if I wove a basket. I have not yet completed one, but I did learn how to do it. Now I just need to actually sit down and build a basket.

So, on to my day-by-day journal and a few photos that I've taken to try to document this place a bit better.


06-07 Feb 09
George Town, Exuma, Bahama Islands

The wind has clocked around to the North and is still 10-15 kts. I'm still anchored off Sand Dollar beach and have very good protection from the 2' chop that bounces the boats at Kidd Cove on the south side of the harbor.

Last night on the way back from St Francis Resort I realized that I had forgotten to pay my tab. Not a big deal since I'm rather well known there. Jill, who runs the place knew I'd be back. After loosing badly at Texas Hold 'em, I just walked out and down to my dinghy. So first thing in the morning I headed back to the bar and bought some internet time along with paying by bill. The internet connection there (and everywhere around here) is very slow. But because the connection was extra slow today, Jill gave me a break on the cost (usually it's $2 for 75 min).

There also were George and Lynn (s/v Sunspot Baby) and Len and Isabelle (s/v Nocturne)

Lynn and George of s/v Sunspot Baby at St Francis trying to get on-line.

By evening the winds were up to 30 kts. One of the cats in the anchorage started to drag. They think someone tripped their anchor since they had been there for several days before dragging.

On the morning of the 7th the wind generator (Air-X Marine) was putting out a steady 10 amps which equates to about 18 kts. Since I don't have a masthead mounted anemometer, I use the wind generator output as a measure of the wind speed. Some gusts were pushing the generator up to over 25 amps for sustained periods.

Evening of the 7th I went over to s/v Son of a Sailor for drinks. Also attending were Gary and Lisa of s/v Siya Sinana, Liz and Allan of s/v Kokopelli, and Dan and Chris of s/v Hiya Hoa??. We sat around and drank and munched and had a great time. Gary jammed on his harmonica and the rest of us sat around and told lies.

Dan, Chris, and Gary aboard Son of a Sailor

Gary letting loose with a quick blues riff on the harmonica

Lisa had some interesting repair stories. It seems that on their sailboat, she's the mechanical one.

Dan and Gary and I talked about our Corvettes (interesting that we each have one, huh?). Allan argued with me about how regulators worked in a system containing wind generators. Bettye and Liz talked recipes.

Liz, Chris, Bettye, Lisa, oh, and Dennis, on board Son of a Sailor

Allan, of Kokopelli, on Son of a Sailor

Bettye, Lisa, and Liz on Son of a Sailor. The guys were talking important stuff off camera.

On the morning of the 8th I looked at my journal entries that I'd made the previous evening. I can usually tell how drunk I was by the degree of illegibility. Last night I think I was lucky to find my way back to the boat. Actually the first thing I do is to look outside and see if my dinghy is still there. Sometimes I'm surprised I can tie it properly when I get home. I usually hook up a second line to the main painter just in case my knot comes out.

This was just a quiet day aboard Galena. I slept, ate, read, watched movies, played my guitar. It was so windy that I turned on the refrigerator and made ice. Not because I wanted ice, but just to use some of the extra electricity I was making.

Here's something: Galena's head is growing some sort of mold on the outside. This happened once before and I don't know what causes it. The growth is dry and powdery and seems to creep across the outer surface. I usually just wipe it down with a damp paper towel. This time I'm going to try some chemicals. [25 Feb: I still don't know what it is, but it seems to have gone away. Have not seen any sign of it for a week or so.]

The strange growth on Galena's head

These sit-at-home days are good for my budget. Each day I don't go ashore is a day I can do some payback to my previous financial indiscretions.

On the 9th I decided to do some work on my watermaker. I have a Katadyne 40E. It's about the smallest electric watermaker you can buy. It will make about 1.5 gallons of fresh drinking water out of seawater per hour and burn only 4 amps doing it. Water here costs $.50 per gal. (Well, here in GT you can get it free at the dinghy dock in Lake Victoria behind Exuma Market.)

The problem is that as the pump piston moves back and forth, the water in the intake lines also just moves back and forth. No water is actually pumped into the RO system. I believed that this was because I had mounted it to high in the boat. I had it about 8" above the waterline.

So I disassembled the whole setup: Watermaker, filters, strainers. Then I drilled new holes and remounted everything below the waterline. As usual I procrastinate for an eternity on the tasks that are not quick and simple. In this case, I had to remove everything from the cabinet behind the vanity in the head just to get at the nuts holding the watermaker in place. Removing all the stuff back there was the unpleasant part for some reason.

After repositioning the system, the result was just the same: no water being pumped through the system; just moved back and forth in the intake lines.

Mick on m/v Escargot is a parts supplier and repair tech. He agrees that it sounds like the valve in the pump head needs to be rebuilt. He had a cruiser's pump rebuild kit that I was lucky enough to pick up from him. Someday soon I'll rebuild the pump.

10 Feb 09
French Day at Volleyball Beach

We have a lot of French-Canadian sailors in George Town. So many that radio announcements are often repeated for them in French. We had a little French festival on the beach today. We all dressed with stripped shirts and scarf and had little French flags painted on our faces. Sue of s/v Nice 'n Easy was in charge of painting the faces.

Sue (s/v Nice 'n Easy) doing the face painting thing on the beach

My token French flag on my cheek

I learned how to play Bacci Ball and decided it wasn't really for me. But at least now I understand the game. James and Allison, a couple of Britts who live in France, were my opponents on the Bacci course.

Allison (far left) and James (far right) after our Bacci Ball games

Allison hiding the Bacci Balls

We were all divided up into groups to learn the game. Each group had an official, French-speaking, instructor. Guy (s/v Aftica) got the best-looking instructor of the lot

Guy and his Bacci Ball team

Guy and Silvia (who live in France) were fully engaged in the events. They invited me over to their cat for dinner. The boat's name is Aftica (pronounced: af-TEEK-ah). I once knew a boat named Jaftica (pronounced: JAF-tic-ah) but it's about the same acronym: "Another Fucking Toy I Can't Afford." They love France and think we in the US would be well served to follow the French example toward socialism. "We get everything for free!" says Silvia. "Wouldn't you like that, too?" Ah. Free would be nice, but nothing is free.

Guy and Silvia (s/v Aftica)

The outboard on the dink has been running just fine for the past week or so. It starts every time on the second pull and has not left me stranded with any carb issues lately. But the air deck seems to have a leak.

12 Feb 09
I moved from Sand Dollar beach to Volleyball Beach; right in front of Chat 'n Chill. It's nice here because I'm close to the beach where everything happens. The problem with that is that I'm right here were everything happens. And I'm directly between the town and the Chat 'n Chill. So all the water taxies and work boats zoom around me all day. On the weekends the locals also come roaring through.

KB, the owner of the Chat 'n Chill, heads to the beach with his workers and supplies each morning

The locals have this thing they do: They get going fast. Then, as the boat bounces up and down, they run the throttle full, and then back, in concert with the bouncing boat. It accentuates the leaping of the boat. I think it's a little strange but they find some joy in it.

Today, the 12th, was the first of what I would call a true Bahamian day. The sun was hot, the winds light, the water calm, the beer cold. The air is 77°, the water is 75°, the wind is 8 kts out of the NE. Just a perfect day to be here.

I played Texas Hold'em again and lost... again. Texas Hold'em is put together by Willis and Cathy (s/v Whistling Winds). They handle the setup, the registration, the pay outs, and generally make sure everything runs smoothly so the rest of us just sit there and play.

Cathy (far left) is ignoring Willis (far right)... again

Texas Hold'em starts at six. So by 1730 the bar and patio is filling up with people. Most come just to play and drink. Some come early for dinner. But we all come to chat and have a good time.

The bar at St Francis Resort before Texas Hold'em starts

At the bar at St Francis I was reunited with Rich and Terry (s/v Sea Devil). I had met them last year in Marsh Harbor, Abaco, at the Curly Tails bar. We got drunk and had a grand time. Terry is a hoot! She likes to be a bit crazy and Rich lets her, which is cool. They were heading down to Provo tomorrow.

Also at the bar I met Scott. He was a... I forgot... maybe a financial advisor or something like that. Anyway, he was just on holiday and hanging out at the bar. He had one of the villa's at St Francis and was having a wonderful time. He asked a lot of questions about cruising and said he might like to try that sometime when he gets old... like me... grrrr.

Scott at St Francis

Jill runs the place when her husband, George is away. He is the regional rep for St Francis Yacht Company (see the connection???). He has to take their 50' St Francis Cat to the boat shows and there was one in Miami this month. So he leave Jill and her son, Greg, to run things at the resort.

Jill running things from the bar

As I left St Francis, my pull cord on my outboard motor broke. Willis and Cathy (s/v Whistling Winds) were the only ones left at the dock. They were nice enough to tow me home to Galena.

The next day I disassembled the top of the outboard motor and replaced the pull cord with a hunk of rope I had laying about. It took less than an hour. We'll see how long it lasts.

Len and Isabelle (s/v Nocturne) stopped by. They noticed the Lorain, OH on Galena and wanted to say hello. They were from Gallion, OH. Later in the day I say Len at the trash dumpster in town. He good naturedly gave me shit because I didn't stop by his boat to ask if I could carry their trash to the dump. Then, a couple of days later he stops by Galena and says, "I'm going to make a trash run. Like a good neighbor I'm checking with you... That's what good neighbors do, ya know?" I'll be getting ribbed about that for the rest of the month I'm sure.

Isabelle and Len, from Gallion, OH

On the 14th we had a Valentines Day dance at the Chat 'n Chill. Rockin' Ron (s/v Sea Dancer) played DJ along with his lovely wife, Karen. The place was packed. Many of my old friends were there. George and Penny (s/v Star Shot) and I shared a few stories. I danced my little self crazy with anyone who was standing still. Nancy, Cathy, Sue, Bess, Terry, Gail, Rita, Penny, Sandy (Oh, and their significant other) were all there having a truly rocking time.

On the 15th I was out on the volleyball court when I hear, "Galena!" I look over and it's Toby and Donna from s/v Cariba. I had not seen them since Miami Beach a couple months ago. Since there were weeks ahead of me I figured they had moved on further south. Actually they had had some serious boat problems (engine mounts, shaft and coupler issues) and had to return to Florida. Then they left Cariba there and crewed a big motor yacht down here. But they're here and it's wonderful to see them again.

16 Feb
Again with the batteries! I awoke to the beep-beep-beep of some sort of alarm that I didn't recognize. I jumped up and headed over to the nav station. I finally noticed the VHF radio was flashing: "Low Batt." I checked my Link 20 and, sure enough, the voltage was down to about 10.5 volts. I had been spending electricity like it was going out of style. Even had the fridge on for a while a couple of days ago. But as I shut everything down and gave it some thought I didn't think I'd been that wasteful lately.

I fell into a funk. Me and my batteries have always had a bitter relationship. Sure, I check the water and the connections regularly. Sure, I try to keep them charged up to over 75% capacity. So why to they fail so regularly? I buy batteries that are warranted for 3 years and they last... well... just 3 years! The wind had been light and the sky a bit cloudy for the past couple of days. But still, I didn't expect the batteries to be stressed.

I checked them again, and added just a bit of water to one of them. Less than a cup total. And these are the big 4D batteries. I've sometimes added half a gallon to them after a long hot summer. I ran the engine for a couple of hours to get the batteries up to a working voltage. Then I shut off everything and just let the wind generator and the solar panels do their thing. By the next day they seemed fine. But that's one more thing to worry about. Can I continue south with marginal batteries? I think not! [24 Feb: since then I've had no problems from the batteries. Must have just been a fluke.]

Last week, during the high winds, Galena's starboard flag halyard chafed through. Now back in the States that's no big deal. But here we have to fly the Bahamian courtesy flag from the starboard spreader. I had been flying mine from the port spreader. Now the wind was down and I took the opportunity to go up the mast and replace the starboard flag halyard. Since I now had the required flag where it belonged, I went ahead and put up all my flags for the rest of the day.

I found bugs in my mac and cheese. Last year, near the end of the year, I found that these same little critters had invested all of my pasta stores. This time, I repackaged everything into zip-lock bags. While I had one such bag with a couple of bugs in it, they hadn't spread to the other stores. So they must be from eggs that are in the packages to start with.

I talked with Doug (s/v Scallywag) about my air deck leaking. I had glue but couldn't find my patch material. He gave me a patch. So I took my dink to shore and disassembled it. I cleaned the area under the deck as well as the bottom of the hull. I put the air-deck in the water and looked for a leak. I couldn't find one. I played with that deck for over an hour and still couldn't find a leak. So I put it all back together and will try again some other time. I went back to Galena and saw the patch lying on the nav station. If I had found the leak, I wouldn't have been able to fix it.

On about the 17th I went to St Francis for Internet. It was very, very, slow. I was on just long enough to look at a couple of the 80 e-mails I had piled up. One was from Moonlight Serenade. They are actually en route! Yeah! I can't imagine sailing the Chesapeake in mid February. I was half expecting to hear from them saying they were just blowing off this winter's cruise. But, no. They are on their way. I'll stay here until they show up. Then I'll decide which way I'm going.

While at St Francis we saw a big sailboat leaving hole #1. But she turned north way too soon and came to a sudden stop. About eight of us went down to our dinghies and made like tug boats. We turned her around but the captain decided to turn her back the way she was going. He kept moving into shallow water instead of back the way he had come. Finally with two dinks pulling on her main halyard to tilt her over, and a bunch of us pushing on her sides, she finally moved off the shoal and into the channel. He disappeared without so much as a 'buy you guys a beer' comment.

Here at George Town we have a wide variety of boats. Some are even yachts. Here is one such that dropped by to sit out a bit of bad weather. I think that's why they dropped in. I don't think I'll see them on the beach playing volleyball. But you never know.

m/v Man of Steel anchored off volleyball beach. Probably some poor steel worker, huh?

On the 18th I moved Galena over to Kidd Cove. I needed to get rid of trash and make a few water runs. I also made a few phone calls and got some cash. I've been staying on budget fairly well. My budget will allow me to bank a bit each month for unexpected expenses. And I've been able to do that for the past few weeks.

I stayed at Kidd Cove and while here went over to the Peace and Plenty bar. Glenn the bartender remembered me and welcomed me back to the islands.

Glenn the bartender at the Peace 'n Plenty resort

There I bumped into my poker buddies Jamie and Tony. I finally figured out that Tony is Jamie's dad. I also met Jo, the wife/mother.

Jamie and his mom, Jo, at the Peace 'n Plenty

Also met new friends like Butch and Constance. Butch plays in the band and Constance works as the chef on a big motor yacht. We had a lot in common, including politics! which is a rare thing around here. This island is so full of Obama posters and the other cruisers are so liberal (as a rule) that I find I have to keep my opinions to myself most of the time. Nice to talk with like-minded folks on occasions. And it's especially nice when those folks look a nice an constance.

Me and my new conservative friends, Constance and Butch, at the Peace 'n Plenty

The next day I moved Galena back to the northern side of the harbor. I was going to move over to monument beach. But then I decided to take a swing through the volleyball beach anchorage and, there, right in front, was an opening just my size. So I'm back here in the prime spot. Cool!

Laundry day finally came. I had a 5-gal jug of fresh water left on deck from my water runs while in Kidd Cove. So I got my wash tub out and filled it with salt water and soap. I washed everything; then rinsed it twice in salt water. Then a final rinse in the fresh water. Then everything was pinned up on the lifelines to dry. Didn't' come out too bad. But I think I should have rinsed them a bit more. They feel just a bit salty still. Well, wear them for an hour and they'll be salty anyway.

I talked Bill (s/v Against the Wind) to join me for Texas Hold'em. He said he knew how to play poker, but had never played Texas Hold'em. Well, he won the tournament. Took home $95.

A couple weeks later I convinced Clark (s/v Seabbatical 1) to join me for poker. He came in second and took home $60. OK, it's got to be my turn soon, right?

The final two tables. Clark's face is almost visible at the far left. Next to him is Sharon (m/v My Sharona) with her damaged wing, then Norm who always does well, then someone I don't know, then Terry and then Tony.

Jami and his dad, Tony, at the St Francis

Someone gave a luncheon seminar on VHF communications. They discussed DSC. Of course, the next day I get startled by my VHF alarm going off when someone hits the 'All Ships - Urgent' button. I'm sitting in the cockpit and after jumping down and turning off my alarm, I still hear the alarm coming from a lot of the boats around me. A little bit of knowledge....

22 Feb 09
I took my hand-held depth sounder and sounded the holes around Volleyball beach area. I found that the best way to get into the hole was to hug the dock at St Francis. At low tide I saw nothing less than 6.5-ft. Getting into hole #2 was a bit harder and I saw 5.2-ft at low tide there. But that hole is big enough and has room enough to actually anchor. There's only a few mooring balls in hole #2.

I played Trivial Pursuit at St Francis with Mike (s/v Pagan Chant) and s/v One Eyed Parrot. We came in second! Mike is really good at this game.

Seabbatical 1 is staying in the harbor until after Chris Parker makes his Weather presentation in town next Monday. Then they are heading back south and to the Ragged Islands. The Cruiser's Regatta starts that week (4 Mar) and I'll stay for that. I want to do the race around the island again. Then the music festival, then the Family Island Regatta, then.... I'll get out of here eventually.

Sometime in the next few weeks I want to sail over to Long Island. I have to at least go that far before I head back to the States. For now, I'll just sit here and enjoy the sun and my friends.

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