Sailing with Lala

Vessel Name: Lala
Vessel Make/Model: Tayana 42 Vancouver CC
Hailing Port: Kelowna , Canada
Crew: Ata , Mama , Misiu & Lala
About: Mama,(Mariola) the Admiral "The One Who Must Be Obeyed" , Capt.Ata (Henryk) Two bilge rats , Misiu (13 ) and lala (9)
Extra: We are an average family from Kelowna, British Columbia , on the mission to change our lives ,make them more interesting and funnier . In a few weeks will be departing for southern latitudes to our boat in Florida ,outfitting her , do a crew training and sail away.
05 September 2009 | Luperon, Dominican Republic
24 August 2009 | Luperon Dominican Republic
04 June 2009 | Turks and Caicos
18 April 2009 | Georgetown - Bahamas
24 March 2009 | Staniel Cay - Bahamas
24 March 2009 | Nassau
16 February 2009 | Key West - Florida
20 January 2009 | Florida
21 December 2008 | Palmetto Florida
14 December 2008 | Palmetto Florida
Recent Blog Posts
05 September 2009 | Luperon, Dominican Republic

Not sailing

9/5/2009 Hello Everyone !!!!!

24 August 2009 | Luperon Dominican Republic

Lala on the way to school.

First day of school in Luperon,

04 June 2009 | Turks and Caicos

Providenciales in the Turks and Caicos

Turks and Caicos !

18 April 2009 | Georgetown - Bahamas

Southern Bahamas

We are in Georgetown now, the biggest city in the southern Bahamas. This Place is known to every cruiser as the best, long term anchorage. In full season there can be as much as 500 boats anchor here. It's sort of like a day camp for adults, full of activities of all kinds. Our favorite is beach volleyball [...]

24 March 2009 | Staniel Cay - Bahamas

Bahama Mama !!!!

Bahama Mama !!!!

24 March 2009 | Nassau

Bahamas

Bahama Mama!,Riding on the city bus in Nassau

Bahama Mama !!!!

24 March 2009 | Staniel Cay - Bahamas
Henryk
Bahama Mama !!!!

The captain is getting really lazy this days and writing is no more a priority. My last report was from Key West and we had a wonderful time there. We met lots of cruisers there had suppers with them and learned a lot. After two weeks it was time to move on and of we went to Marathon, a small town in the middle keys. It's a basin, fully protected from all directions and there were about three hundred other boats there. There were also cruising kids there and Lala had a good time there. Every morning at 9 AM there was a cruisers net and Lala was the most popular participant on it. In the marina we had a board that you could put your name on it in search of the "buddy boat".
We hooked up with another boat, "LOON" from Maine. Skipper Kenny and his brother Everett. We decided to cross the Gulf Stream to the Bahamas together. To be able to cross it, the weather has to be just right; otherwise it can be very dangerous.
The day was Saturday, we packed the dinghy, said to our traveling companions "se ya on the other side, and of we went. It started beautifully with good wind and not much wave action, until we got to the centre of the stream. The wind wasn't from the direction like it should be; waves were bigger than in the forecast and as the night started, and they even looked bigger. The whole crew got very sea sick from all the pounding and they wouldn't dare to go down below. That night we saw a dozen cruise ships and countless freighters and tankers. Thanks to our radar, we were able to keep an "eye" on them in the darkness. The current was so strong that we couldn't reach our destination on the Bahamian side and ended up 20 miles further north than planned. We also lost contact with our buddy boat and had no idea where they were. We dropped the hook around 7PM the next day and were very happy to be there. We were so hungry, as we didn't eat for over 24 hours, I can recommend this trip to any one trying to loose some weight. Next day I went to clear in, got our cruising permit and of we went again. Sailing on the banks was unbelievable, we were in 20 feet of water and could clearly see the bottom, corals, fish and turtles. We were heading towards Nassau, the capital of Bahamas. When we got there, our dinghy motor wouldn't work, so on the first day there, we ended up buying a new one, a 15 HP Yamaha. I was looking at one in Florida and thanks God didn't buy one because here there were almost $500 cheaper. We were amazed with the island, the people, and little cars and driving on the 'wrong side". We were anchor right down town and even had the internet on the boat for a few days. Some e-mails were send, including one to LOON, our buddy boat. One morning we were awaken by some noises and shoutning. Somebody was yelling Lala! All hands on deck!.
It was LOON, our buddy boat. We had a happy reunion. In front was one of the fanciest tourist resorts in the world "Atlantis". We were sneaking there in our dinghy through the marina and enjoyed all the thrills at no cost. Aquarium there was one of the best we have ever seen. Full size sharks, manta rays and all sorts of other fish. Lala even gambled at the casino and won $5. To tour the city, we hoped on the regular city buses and travelled across the whole island, north to south and east to west. After two weeks in Nassau we set the sail for our next destination, Exumas, the chain of over 300 islands south east of Nassau. We are still here and waiting out the weather at this moment. It's blowing over 25 knots and we bumping all over. Exumas are so pretty, that I don't even know the words to describe it. We are in Staniel cay now, famous for the Thunderbolt grotto where James Bond movie "Thunderbolt" was made. We went snorkeling there and it was something unreal, especially thousands of those tropical fish that we were surrounded with.
Got to go now. Wish you all the best and Happy Easter.
S/V LALA and her crew (Henryk, Mariola, Misiu and Lala)
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