A Cross Ocean Experience: SailBlogs

So long Serenade

VC — Sat, 06 Mar 2010 09:55:46 -0600

Cathy and Bruce Goforth have gone forth. Actually they have gone back to the Far Bahamas and then will be going on to Turks and Caicos and Puerto Rico. We met them at Great Inagua when they let us tie up to their boat Serenade in the very surgey boat basin, where space was very tight. Since then we have travelled together and enjoyed their company over many shared dinners, drink sessions, dinghy rides and hikes across various remote islands. They are actually the most travelled people we have ever known as they were teachers all their lives in multitudes of foreign American schools, their daughters grew up in places like Yemen, Pakistan, Nicaragua, Ecuador and Jamaica. It is sad to say goodbye when the time comes, but we hope that as with our lovely friends on Sidewinder, we will meet up again some time in the future. (View Post...)

BCC “Calypso”

RC — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 09:46:51 -0600

Whilst sheltering up from a brisk frontal passage in the well protected Redshanks we anchored right across from fellow BCC "Calypso" with Jeremy, Nica and their two children Maddie and Julian. They are headed south to the Dominican Republic so time was brief but we spent a couple of good evenings with them and look forward to meeting up again when they return to the U.S. later in the year. That's just the second BCC we have seen since we left San Diego. (View Post...)

Georgetown or Lawrence Welk

Tue, 02 Mar 2010 15:43:51 -0600

After some months of lonesome anchorages Georgetown comes as a bit of culture shock. Relatively easily accessible from the U.S. East coast this large, beautiful area has become a terminus, winter hangout and aged baby boomer cruiser holiday camp. There are as many reasons to cruise as there are cruisers and many here do it for the camaraderie and community. Discovering the unknown is not part of the formulae. We have visited a few of these cruiser metropolises: Cartagena, Barra de Navidad and La Cruz and they each offer plenty, but at a price. The radio traffic becomes claustrophobic and despite all resistance, herd mentality creeps in and creates considerable inertia. You need a lot of horsepower to escape the vortex. As a dog's needs are all contained in "Fire, bed and bone," a cruiser's are in anchorage, supplies, water, laundry and e-mail access. Having spent considerable effort to put to sea and escape, as soon as we return to land we go to great length to log on and get connected. (Continued...)