Read: Bahamas Shakedown or Refit or Caribbean or en Francais
Hard Aground
Bill
06/07/2007, Boulder, Colorado

Death, taxes, and the end of our cruise: the inevitabilities we hope against logic to never see. We left Nassau with Dream Catcher the morning of June 5th and sailed together onto the Bahama banks. Just North of Macky Shoals, we went West to Ft. Lauderdale while Dream Catcher headed North West toward St. Augustine. We watched in silence as they disappeared into the sunset and their stern light sunk and disappeared under the horizon: such a sad, poignant goodbye. We were going to say our last goodbyes over SSB at our regular 8:00PM chat, but the SSB didn't work well enough from inside the marina to make contact. Perhaps its better that way...

After 30 hours, we pulled into Port Everglades as the log ticked off 2130 nautical miles. Dazed in thought, we didn't talk much while executing our well honed drill of striking sails and preparing Norska for port. The cargo ships, sport fishers, and the rush of people in a hurry to do something or other gave us the feeling of foreigners arriving as strangers in a strange land. With heat of being on land, the uneasiness eating at us, and the chance for the kids to surprise their friends on the last day of school, we were motivated to hurricane prep Norska and fly back to Boulder within a day.

Now in Boulder, we're struggling in the transition zone adapting to the real world. Is it so real, though? What have we learned? How have we changed? We're too confuddled (Shelby's word) at the moment to make sense of it all, but we are also committed to not passively slipping back into the same old game. We're so happy to see old friends, one of them the piano, but we also miss our new friends and a simpler, here-and-now life focused on experiences, places, and people over things. As we sort through our emotions we'll post a few last entries on our reflections. 'til then, we're safe and sound and sorting through all that mail...

Caribbean
Florida-bound
Cath
06/03/2007, Atlantis, Paradise Island

We plan to leave Nassau first thing tomorrow, arriving Fort Lauderdale sometime between Tuesday night (if we have good winds and favorable wind direction) and Thursday night (if we need to stop and wait for better wind direction). Once in Florida, it will take us a couple of days to pack up, ship stuff back home and get Norska ready for the hurricane season at the same marina we used to keep it. Today, we got to enjoy more of the Atlantis slides and more of Jonathan, Linda and Jackson (who is doing much better today). The sun was finally out and the lines got longer quickly. Overall our Atlantis stay with family has been a complete delight.

Caribbean
Drip, drip, ...
Bill
06/02/2007, Atlantis Marina, Nassau, Bahamas

Rain, rain, go away... In fact, Barry PLEASE go away and be quick about, if you will. A couple of days ago we were the only sailboat in the marina, now we have nine as folks fled the anchorage when the gale warning was issued. Dream Catcher gave it up, after dragging three times, and came in just a few slips down. Good thing too, because we're out of beer, they have some, and I can't bear to pay the going brewskie rate here. Seems destiny is keeping us together just a little bit longer, much to our delight.

Turns out we never saw more than 30 (even less in the marina), but its been windy, constantly rainy, and cold. Norska, Dream Catcher, and Asolare (John, Ann, and Kolby (9 years old)) have been terrorizing the water slides and what not. No lines because everyone is inside gambling or drinking, so we had it pretty much to ourselves until they closed the rides :( Despite all, we had a blast together and insist on doing everything that's free with the slip!

We've been spending some time with Bill's brother Jonathan, Linda, little Jackson and their friends. They've had a rough vacation what with arriving a day late and. now, Jackson caught a cold (in Nassau!) while out in the nasty weather yesterday. Hopefully they will end on a better note.

Who knows how and when we're going to get home. After tropical storm Barry (we are thankful it stayed West of us) it seems we'll have no wind and if there is a light wind, it'll come from the West: yuck. We might try to anchor, perhaps in the Berry Islands, and wait for a South or South East wind before heading across. We'll see...

Caribbean
Atlantis, Paradise Island
Cath
06/01/2007, Paradise Island

We finally connected with Jonathan, Linda and baby Jackson yesterday afternoon - they had missed their connection in Miami due to weather. They were pretty pooped but Jackson was holding his own. We went to a buffet dinner together - after months of limited food availability (which shrunk our stomachs) we could not believe the amount of food there was, and were not able to sample as much as our eyes wanted. Food was expensive for the value. We toured Atlantis - what an incredible place - a mix of Las Vegas (casinos) and Disney World (ultra clean and sophisticated). Spencer and Shelby were beside themselves. The aquariums and the lagoons have an incredibly large concentration of fish and sea life (sharks, rays, turtles, moray eels, coral reef fish, jelly fish, ...), some we saw ourselves while snorkeling, others we did not (like reef sharks - thank goodness). We checked out the water slides and today we will actually go on them. The weather is deteriorating quickly and we are hoping marina cancellations will allow us to stay 2 more days, as we have no desire to anchor in Nassau Harbour, which we will need to do otherwise. The funny news is that Dream Catcher decided to turn around after passing Nassau, when they encountered 10 foot seas (forecast was 4-6 foot seas) on Wednesday, so they have been anchored across from the Atlantis marina since we arrived. We can even see their boat from our slip. Last night, they dragged 3 times. We feel so bad for them but today Jan will join us to tour the park while Jim watches the boat. She is so excited! we are so happy that we likely will do our final journey to Florida together. At this time, we won't be leaving Nassau until Monday at the earliest.

Caribbean
Rose Island to Atlantis
spencer
05/30/2007, Location: Guess

Clean up, clean up, everybody every where! Let's polish stainless and repair! We all had to make the boat shine for Atlantis Marina, and we were all anxious to we see Jonathan and Linda and Baby Jackson! At Rose Island, Mommy, Papa and I went snorkeling, but there wasn't much. Shelby and I had sworn an oath the finish math before Atlantis, so we finished our last tests with outstanding results:). The next day we set out for Paradise Island, and everybody was high strung for docking. Except us kids. We were skippin' and hoppin' and saying ooohs and aaahhs. Yup. Docking was a piece of pizza (every says cake, but I like pizza better) and we were helped by a guy in a really spiffy uniform. It was great. We are the only, and very lonely sailboat:(. We did some quick touring and got some smoothies at Jamba Juice, but then Mommy made me do the laundry and write a blog.

Caribbean
Good Sailing at Last!
Bill
05/28/2007, Highborne Cay, Exumas, Bahamas

The winds backed down today to 18-22 for a wonderful upwind sail to Highborne! Dream Catcher left early this morning (they chose to wait out the wind yesterday at Warderick Wells) to catch up and we're enjoying what will likely be our last evening together. So sad. It is said that family are those with whom you have many shared memories. If so, Jim and Jan are definitely family to us and we will miss them something terrible. It looks like another 20 kt. day tomorrow and we're hoping to make the run to Bottom Harbor, just outside Nassau, so we can slip into the marina first thing Wed. and get some chores, like laundry and provisioning, done before J&L&J arrive. Cath and I went for what may be our last snorkel as well:( very nice reef just North of the anchorage, but a lot of current. Snorkeling the Exumas is tough because the best reefs are in and around the cuts and the current is fierce except within an hour either side of the low and high tides. The kiddos decided to stay onboard and get ahead on math homework to make sure they don't have any distractions while we're in Atlantis! Good thing they stayed, it turns out. Dream Catcher's dinghy freed itself and rapidly drifted away. Shelby, as she is justifiable proud to note, coordinated the rescue effort with a local powerboat and all turned out well in the end. I think the kids have arrived at being true cruisers. Not only can they take care of themselves on the boat and water, but they can help others as well.

On a culinary note, we can confirm that MacDuffs on Norman Cay (it's actually rather chic for a burger place) was indeed most excellent and the hosts easy going and friendly. Definitely a must stop for those passing through. There was one other family there: some folks from Atlanta staying at a friend's house on the island.

Caribbean
Haircuts!
Bill
05/26/2007, Warderick Wells, Exumas, Bahamas

We're sooo excited; the winds are down to 22-25 kts. and it looks like sailing tomorrow! The sea buoy reports the waves at twelve feet in the Sound, and I believe it watching them crash into and blow across the barrier islands protecting us from the onslaught. We need to give those bad boys another day to settle down. Nestled in our little cove, the water is just lake chop giving us the impression of watching, through a plate glass window, all hell break loose. The weatherman announced this morning that the only way this month could get worse is if it snowed. After considering that comment a moment, we pulled out the fleece. At least the Sun is out now. Yesterday, rain squalls washed over us one after the other, driven through by the 25-30 kt. winds. Too rough to swim or even get off the boat, confining us within fifteen feet of each other while listening to the splatter of rain on the hatches and the screech of wind through the rigging. So what did we do? I'll tell you, it was pretty exciting. We played board games, baked bread and peach cobbler, and, this was the highlight, cut each other's hair. Oh yeah, we each took a cold shower. Pretty cool, huh? Obviously, we're rapidly losing our minds...

We're rubbing our lucky fish tails that the forecasted break in the weather Monday and Tuesday will be enough to get us to Nassau. Of course, it just isn't as easy as it should be. The water's a bit thin in these parts. We need six feet plus a margin so we don't bump the bottom while rocking around. Unfortunately, all this wind has literally blown the ocean off the banks and the tides are running 6 to 12 inches below the charted values. That's just enough to make some of the islands we wanted to visit a bit too shallow. Still, we think we'll make Nassau on the 30th, as planned, to visit Jon, Linda, and Jackson. It sure would have been easier and quicker to have just walked from there...

Nassau is the next goal, but, of course, its not the end of the road for us. We still need a window precisely on the 2nd to high tail it out of Nassau. We can't stay because there are no slips available and the anchorage is dangerous, as poor Charlie on Island Star reports to us each night. Boats dragging with every squall where your only hope is hooking into a refrigerator or some other heavy trash that litters the bottom in Nassau Harbor. So wish us well and rub your lucky fish tails for us!

Caribbean
No move this week
Cath
05/22/2007, Wardrick Wells, Exumas

Looks like we will be staying here until the week-end. The forecast is just not improving here. Locals are saying this is February weather, although we had a gorgious day yesterday and did some hiking (picture). We have not had one 24 hr period without rain for over a week now. More boats are trying to go to Nassau to make their passage to Florida, but the only anchorage in Nassau has very poor holding, so the scene is not better there. We are hearing from Charlie (Island Star), now in Nassau for the past 5 days, that everyday boats dragged and have to re-anchored. Joy... We decided to stick around the Park HQs as we get hiking trails (even if under the rain), great snorkeling, Internet and DVD rental access :).. We relocated to a mooring closer to Dream Catcher, so w can shout at one another. We'll be great progress on the math curriculum this week. Tonite is movie night on Dream Catcher.

Caribbean

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