Hot and sunny.... 30C
03/12/2009, Hope Town ahamas`

Well, it's been a great three weeks since last I updated this blog, due to our complete absence of internet access.

Much has happened, all of it very positive!

Where to begin?

The attached photo shows the result of our unexpected meeting with a post.... not a great amount of damage, but enough to result in water pouring into the boat, and the need to immediately fix things so that we can continue our adventure.

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sunny and cool
02/21/2009, marsh harbour boat yard

wow! sailing is lots of fun!

After filling up with water and groceries, we await high tide so we can sail over to Hope Town where we can show Pamela the beautiful beaches and search for glass (and relax away from the music).

It's blowing 20 mph+ so we have several new friends assist on our elegant departure as the wind is blowing us straight back onto the dock.

An elegant reversal with the assist of the bow thruster finds us perfectly placed for departure in a VERY crowded harbour with boats all around us.

i shift from reverse into forward and nothing happens.

I push down to increase speed and find myself accelerating backwards. Cut all power, strong winds, we crash into boats and posts.

Lots of excitement, no one hurt, bills to pay, water pouring into the new openings of the boat, pumps to organize, a 20 mile tow to the closest haul-out dockyard to assess the damage and fix things.

Pamela will not be able to experience the soft wind through her hair o n this trip!

I find out more on Monday when the marina repair crew arrives!

Louise is exhausted and happy to be away from the music. We don't have to worry about anchors, but it's a long climb down the ladder to land, and a long walk over to the washroom.

Never a dull moment!

glen

ps. Transmission cables can fail, and when they do, all hell breaks out! (I'll post a photo later)

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Cool and windy... 65F
02/19/2009, Marsh Harbour

Well we waited for the high tide to arrive in Hope Town, and at 3pm left the harbour and sailed north to Marsh Harbour, the third largest town in the Bahamas (pop. 5000).

We arrived at quite a nice marina before dark (Mangoes Marina) where we'll spend a couple of days washing the boat, and re-stocking the pantry thanks to the better selection of groceries available.

Pamela arrived at 7pm via Nassau, and after a late (and slow) dinner at Snappas, we spent our first evening tied to a dock in over two months (the first time since leaving Stuart, Florida.
The easy access to fresh water and electricity is undoubtedly convenient, but the noise and lack of privacy has Louise hoping to leave tomorrow to return to the simplier life of floating away from land with no immediate neighbours.

The music in the local bar goes on until midnight so our simple life of retiring at 9pm isn't possible at the moment.

The wind is blowing at 30+ mph from the west, so we'll hope it swings around to the North and head back down south when possible.

Still no definite plans concerning destination, but we're both really enjoying meeting lots of friendly and relaxed sailers, comparing boats and equipment, and sharing good anchorages and grocery stores, etc.

Pamela is only here for a week, so we'll probably spend alot of time on the beach with a couple of days of sailing as well.

Hope the weather in Ottawa is improving and that Winterlude is having good weather!
All the best.....

glen

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