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16 March 2016
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18 February 2016
39 Photos

Spindrift Adventure

Vessel Name: Spindrift
Vessel Make/Model: Jeanneau Sun Odyssey 36.2
Hailing Port: Branford, Connecticut
Crew: Bob Dreyer and Marge Kuhlmann
Extra: We left Connecticut on August 19 for the Bahamas stopping along the way to visit with friends and family, to do some touring, and enjoy the sites. It has been a fabulous trip.
Recent Blog Posts
16 March 2016

Bahamas Found!

[Bob testing the water at Treasure Cay]

19 February 2016

Stuart, Florida - December 1, 2015-February 19, 2016

[Pictures shows us on the fabulous white sand beach in St. Petersburgh, Florida, December 22]

27 November 2015

THANKSGIVING in Vero Beach

[Thanksgiving leftovers on their boat Sea-Deductive with Russ and Melody]

17 November 2015

North Florida

[Bob and I with an astronaut at the Kennedy Space Center]

08 November 2015

Beaufort to Florida

[Preparing to leave Beaufort at dawn]

01 November 2015

Charleston

[Bob and me on the beach at Wild Dunes Resort near Isle of Palms, South Carolina]

Bahamas Found!

16 March 2016
[Bob testing the water at Treasure Cay]

Today it is sunny and warm, about 80 degrees, with winds out of the northwest. We have been stalled in Stuart, Florida, since early December for a weather window that will allow us to cross the gulf stream. Blame it on El Niño, a bad winter, or just plain bad luck but we have been consistently hit with northerly winds and front after front that has impeded our journey.

One thing we know for sure is that if we want to make the crossing we have to wait for the wind to change direction because we don't want to go when winds are coming out of the north. If the sea current is traveling north and the wind is coming out of the north, waves start to pile up against each other ultimately developing into huge standing waves that can be ferocious. It makes for dangerous sea conditions. But today we are in luck. The weather gods tell us that in two days the winds will shift to the east/southeast so the decision is made and it is finally time to go.

Sunday, February 21, 2016: We shoved off from Mariner Cay Marina in Stuart, Florida, at 7:30 am for the 28 mile run to Lake Worth Inlet near Palm Beach, Florida. The weather is sunny and warm and as predicted, winds have shifted coming out of the east/southeast at 10-15 knots. This is the final leg of our journey south where we will be at the point on the Florida Coast that is closest and has most direct access to West End on Great Bahama Island.

Bob decided to travel to Lake Worth on the Atlantic side rather than going inside via the Intracoastal because, he says, we need to get used to blue water sailing for the trip to the Abacos. We need practice? Personally, I think it is because he hates going under bridges and there are five of them between Stuart and Lake Worth...so there you have it.

The winds are blowing pretty much on our nose (again) and for that reason we motor sailed the entire distance. We anchored just south of the Lake Worth Inlet at about 12:30 pm. There was a beautiful full moon and the winds were light and breezy. Perfect sleeping weather.

Monday, February 22: We left Lake Worth at 5:30 am. The winds are out of the east/southeast and blowing 10 to 15 knots with gusts to 20 knots. It is sunny but cool enough to wear a sweatshirt. The distance and direction were calculated on a rhum line drawn between Lake Worth Inlet and West End. A rhum line is a straight line drawn from point of origination to destination. In this case, it shows that we are to travel 54 miles and follow a compass heading of 98 degrees magnetic.

Bob knew that we needed to account for wind speed and current which would affect both speed and direction. He assumed our boat speed average to be about five knots. The wind was blowing nearly directly on our nose at 15 to 20 knots. We anticipated three to six foot high waves with an average gulf stream current on the order of two and half knots flowing north. With these constraints in mind, Bob adjusted the boat's course to 120 degrees magnetic instead of 98 degrees magnetic. This way our trajectory across the gulf stream would be partially south of the rhum line with the gulf stream pushing us north. When we got into the gulf stream, he calculated that it would carry us slightly north of the rhum line. Holding that 120 degree course as the gulf stream speed subsided would eventually bring us back to the rhum line. If you had the ability to float above us, looking down it would appear to you that we completed a large "S" loop by the time we were about five miles from West End rather than a straight line. Bob said he calculated the trajectory using vector addition...whatever that is. Incidentally, you can tell you are in the Gulf Stream because the color changes to a deep inky blue.

We arrived!

We pulled into West End at just past 6 pm. To get there we had to smash through four to six foot waves for thirteen hours with the wind always in the face. When we got into West End the customs inspector was waiting for us. We pulled into a slip and hoisted our yellow quarantine flag. He walked us to his office where we filled out the required paperwork and paid the $300 cash due on entry. When we got back to the boat we took down the quarantine flag and hoisted the Bahamian flag, ate dinner, and went to bed. All in all, it was a pretty exhausting trip.

I find that it is always more interesting to know something about the place you are visiting, so here goes. The Bahamas is an Archipelago consisting of more than 700 islands, cays, and islets. West End, on Great Bahama Island, is located in that part of the Bahamas island chain called the Abacos.

The Bahama Islands were the site of Columbus' first landfall in 1492. The Spanish forced most of the indigenous Lucayan (Taino) population on the islands to labor on plantations on Hispaniola where most died from the harsh conditions or by contracting diseases to which they had no immunity. Later, the islands became a haven for pirates, including the infamous Blackbeard, and to put an end to the piracy the British Crown turned the Bahamas into a colony in 1718.

Prior to and during the American Revolutionary War, the Crown resettled 7,300 American loyalists who established plantations on land grants. They brought their families and slaves with them. Slavery in the Bahamas was abolished in 1804. Eventually the islands became a haven for freed African slaves and for escaping American slaves and African Seminoles from Cape Florida...today 85% of the inhabitants of the Bahamas are descendants of these slaves.

In 1940, after his abdication, the pro-Nazi Duke of Windsor and his wife, the Duchess Wallis Simpson, were sent to the Bahamas where he was made its Governor. The Duke and Duchess were settled in the Bahamas to get him out of England and far from England and the Western Front. Also, here he could be watched by both English and American intelligence. The couple resided in the Bahamas until the War's end after which they moved to relative obscurity in France for the rest of their lives. In 1973 the Bahamas became a parliamentary constitutional monarchy headed by Queen Elizabeth II in her role as Queen of the Bahamas.

Today, the Bahamas economy is based on tourism and finance. According to reports, by the terms of GDP per capita, the Bahamas is one of the richest countries in the Americas.

If you visit the Bahamas for a stay, plan on spending some bucks. As examples, rental cars are $80/day, a loaf of bread could cost you $6.00, and a can of pineapple $4.00. You pay for water at the marinas which is something that you don't do in the states. A taxi can cost you $100 one way and a rental a car can cost $80 for the day.

The infrastructure is not set up to make travel between islands convenient. In the Abacos there are only two ferries: one to/from Hopetown to Marsh Harbor and one to/from Green Tuttle Cay. There is no ferry service from any of the other Abacos islands which means that you have no choice but to move your boat. With that in mind, we recommend that anyone boating in the Bahamas stock up on groceries and especially fresh fruit and vegetables before leaving the mainland and plan your visit accordingly.

The largest and best grocery store with the freshest vegetables and meats and at the best prices is Maxwells in Marsh Harbor on Great Abaco Island. The tiny grocery stores on the outer islands are expensive and vegetables and meats are not as fresh though there is are decent though small grocery stores on Treasure Cay and at West End. Everything is expensive here because most if not all food is imported. If you are on one of the outer islands, Spanish Cay for example, and you want to buy groceries, you need a boat to get you to Treasure Cay or Marsh Harbor. You could probably take a plane from Spanish Cay to Marsh Harbor but I don't know what it costs. Alternatively plan to eat three meals a day at the marina restaurants. Once you get to Marsh Harbor it is about three miles to Maxwells grocery so you will need either a bike or a taxi.

There is an airstrip near Marsh Harbor. If you are staying on one of the outer islands and plan to fly in guests, they can expect to pay $80 (one way) for a taxi ride from the airport to the ferry dock in addition to the plane fare. This only gets them to Hopetown or Green Turtle Cay where you would have to meet them on your boat. If you are at Treasure Cay, also on Great Abacos, the taxi fare from Marsh Harbor to Treasure Cay is around $100. It is cheaper to rent a car but be aware that the locals drive like the British. The steering wheels are on the right side of the car and you need to drive on the left side of the road.

If you decide to travel to more distant islands such as the Exumas or to Eleuthra, be aware that the islands are not inhabited. Stay healthy as you are on your own.

The Bahamian currency has the same exchange rate as the USA so you can use either American or Bahamian money to pay for things. For the most part, this is a cash economy except in the resort, town, and marina areas. Forget about Boat's US if you get into trouble. Here you are on your own and you better have cash as it could cost as much as $1,000 to get the locals to pull you off a sand bar. You may be able to get reimbursed by Boat's US or Towboat US but I wouldn't want to test it.

For your trip to the Bahamas, we have some recommendations. If you need to use your phone expect international roaming charges which can be prohibitive. Our recommendation? Save your old iPhone or Samsung the next time you upgrade and have the phone unlocked (you can get this done at T-Mobile). When you get to the Bahamas go to Freeport and buy a Sim card, or prior to the trip you can go to "mrSimcard" online and order a Bahamas Sim card for your phone. You purchase minutes in advance which is a whole lot cheaper than international roaming. The Sim cards will not work unless the phone is unlocked. I know because we found out the hard way.

Our other suggestion is that you get a jiggle siphon. This device costs about $9.00 and can be ordered on Amazon.com. It allows you to transfer diesel from a five gallon gerry can to your tank without lifting the can. The siphon works with a simple check valve at the end of a piece of fuel resistant tubing in which the siphon can be started by a simple up and down motion of the tube in the can. It is basically a manual pump.

Invest in an Engel refrigerator/freezer. It is 12V and about the size of an ordinary cooler. I have used it since we left Connecticut in August and it has worked as a freezer for us perfectly storing and freezing any number of meats and chopped vegetables. This has made life on board much more comfortable and saved us money in the long run as we do not have to make as many stops at grocery stores for fresh meats.

And last, we recommend that you purchase a filter unit from West Marine that attaches to your hose. When you put water into the boat it goes through the filter so is cleaner. We also have a Brita water pitcher and fill it from the tap in the galley. We use the water that is filtered in this way for all of our cooking and for morning coffee. I have a soda stream and use the filtered water for that purpose as well. This way we do not have to find room for cases and gallon containers of bottled water and soda.

Tuesday, February 23: Today we had a leisurely breakfast and then walked around the marina to get our bearings. The buildings are low, have long shuttered windows, colonnaded front and sometimes rear verandahs, and are colored in shades of rose, yellow, lavender, and lime green with white trim and with contrasting colorfully painted outdoor furniture. The sea water is a beautiful combination of aquamarine and turquoise blue, and the marina has a waterfall pool and beach-side restaurant. The sand is fine-grained and white. It is absolutely beautiful. Bob calls it God's waiting room.

We took the local bus into Freeport and from there, a second bus to Lucaya. Freeport is the second largest town in the Bahamas next to Nassau. It is the business center of the Abacos and quite flat and spread out. Lucaya is the tourist hub. Cruise ships make it a shopping destination stop for people interested in the gift items and homemade goods sold by the local people in the open-air market stalls. On the way to Lucaya we saw many poor dwellings as well as homes and businesses that had been destroyed in hurricanes and then abandoned.

There are also many really nice homes, villas, and mansions. People with means live in homes on or near the beaches. Home values run anywhere from under $100k for a tiny home inland, to well over a million for something on the ocean front. Like everywhere else in the world, housing prices depend on size and location. Anyone have a spare $56 million? We read in the local papers that Treasure Cay is for sale. The sale includes a resort, condominiums, and a golf club. We think it is the nicest place to stay with the best beach in the Abacos.

On a different note, I got a great Bahamian recipe from Kyle the harbormaster for grilled spiny lobster that I can't wait to try. It includes onions, green pepper, tomatoes, plantains, butter, salt, pepper and lime juice squeezed over all. He said to split the lobster down its back and through the tail and stuff with the ingredients. Wrap it in foil and grill till everything looks cooked. I'll let you know how it tastes.

We met a Florida couple, Keith and Lisa, who arrived at West End the same day that we did. They own a 44 foot steel-hulled trawler that they built themselves in a horse pasture somewhere near Tallahassee, Florida, over a twelve year period. Tim is a psychology professor. He told us that he worked with an architect on the drawings and then had the steel plates cut in Holland and transported to Florida where it was assembled like a giant puzzle. He had to buy a crane in order to lift the plates into place and said that he hired a professional welder to help him weld the plates along the bottom of the boat. He did most of the rest of the construction and all of the interior work himself. The boat has two sleeping quarters, two heads (bathrooms) and a large galley (kitchen) with a full sized gas range, refrigerator, and built-in cabinets. There is oak flooring throughout. All of the interior fittings and cabinetry were purchased at Lowe's and/or were salvaged such as the two automobile car seats that he got for free and installed in the pilot house. When asked what he would recommend to anyone contemplating starting such a project, he said, "don't."

Friday, February 26: We left West End today for Great Sale Cay, a distance of 46 miles. The word "Cay" is used a lot in place names here. The definition of a "Cay" is a small, low-elevation sandy island on the surface of a coral reef. One thing I didn't expect to find was the great distances between islands.

Today the weather is calm with light winds out of the northeast (it is ok for northerly winds now because we aren't crossing the gulf stream). It took us nine hours of motor sailing with a 15 knot wind on our nose. (The wind is always on our nose!) All around us is that lovely turquoise green water that is so clear you that can see to the bottom in ten feet or more. Great Sale Cay is located midway between West End and Great Abacos Island further east. It is not inhabited. It is, however, a protected anchorage and popular with boaters. We recognized a number of boats from West End that made the same trip.

Once we settled, I tried Kyle's recipe but used it to stuff flounder fillets since lobster was unavailable. I cooked the stuffing ingredients in butter till soft and the onions were transparent and added a tiny dab of hot sauce (my own addition). I then sautéed the fish in a combination butter and pineapple juice in another pan and topped the fish with the stuffing just before serving it. I can honestly say that it was absolutely delicious. The recipe is easy and one that I will make again. It is great served with grilled pineapple and rice (also boiled in water mixed with pineapple juice). I have never cooked with plantains before this trip. One thing about cooking with plantains...they look a little like bananas but are not eaten like bananas. The vegetable is dense and gets sweeter and softer as it gets older. The better tasting plantains have black skins. If it was a banana we would throw it out.

Saturday, February 27: We left this morning for Spanish Cay Marina which is located on an outer island off Great Abacos Island, and find that we are the only boaters here. Nobody was staying at the resort either. For one thing it is not yet in "season" and for another this is testimony to the bad winter weather that they, and we, have suffered thus far. It took us 7.5 hours to get here. This is a very nice marina and resort though at night we were all alone and it got a little creepy.

The island has a small airstrip, about five private homes and a marina with a pool, a bar, condominiums, a hotel, and a restaurant, all of them vacant. We were charged $2.00/foot at the marina which was annoying as we were the only customer. One of the prettiest of Bahama's beaches is just on the other side of our marina and is one of this island's chief allures. Everything the marina needs is brought in by boat from Marsh Harbor. The marina is open to the elements so would not be our first choice in a blow. We hear that the owner is considering building up the existing breakwater which should make a difference but we won't be around to find out. We are staying for one night and plan to leave in the morning for Green Turtle Cay about 14 miles southeast of Spanish Cay.

Sunday, February 28: We left for Green Turtle Cay around 8:00 am and arrived four hours later. It is part of the Abaco Out Islands chain and was named after the abundant green turtles that once inhabited the area. We rented a golf cart for the day and drove into the tiny town of New Plymouth. The main street is divided in two with shops and homes congregated in the middle. At the fork going into town you follow a one-way street that takes you down the main street to the water and then around to the other side where it becomes a one-way street going back up in the other direction.

Roads are not in great condition here and very narrow. Nearly everyone on the island drives golf carts. Some of the golf carts have been rigged so that instead of additional seating for two in the back, the seats are taken out and a flat bed installed so it can be used for hauling like a little pick-up truck. The architecture of the older homes in the village is unique to the Bahamas with steeply-pitched roofs that originated with settlers from New England. Obviously the early settlers to this area were from Massachusetts, Loyalists fleeing the American Revolution.

There are two very small grocery stores, a church, a house museum, a liquor store/bar, and two or three little restaurants. We had lunch at one of these that also offered take-out and ordered a favorite Bahamas food, a fried fish and conch (pronounced: "conk") sandwich. They use a tempura type of batter which renders the fish crispy and light and serve it with a spicy sauce. They make conch fritters here that remind me of the clam fritters that you can only get in Rhode Island.

Wednesday, March 2: We left Green Turtle Cay for the Orchid Bay Yacht Club and Marina on Great Guana Cay another fourteen to fifteen miles further east. To get here we had to pass through Whale Cay Inlet. Bob was understandably anxious about making the passage. The Inlet is narrow and known for a sea condition called "the rage." This condition happens when the winds blow strongly from the east stirring up the shallow waters at the inlet. The confluence of wind and shallow sea result in ocean swells that pile up with breaking surf that churns like the inside of a washing machine. It is not a place you want to be when conditions are not right. Fortunately, we chose a day when winds were light and from the west at 5-10 knots and seas were flat. We passed through the Inlet on quiet seas and arrived at Orchid Bay in the early afternoon.

At the marina we met up with our boating friends Russ, Melodie, and their dog Bailey whom we had not seen since early December. We got a great special rate at the marina at $.50/foot slip fee that we could not resist (every place has been $1.50 to $2.00/foot.) Great Guana Cay is about seven miles long and in the center of the Abaco Islands. Chickens are allowed to run freely here and we saw and heard quite a number of them. We hear that there is a cove on the island called Kidd's Cove named after the pirate William Kidd but didn't go looking for it. We needed to refill our propane tank and was told that we could get it taken care of at the local lumber yard outside of town. ("Town" is something of a misnomer as it actually consists of a post office, a tiny grocery store, a vegetable stand with about five onions, and a gift shop.)

We rented a golf cart and with some luck found the lumber yard, then drove back and picked up Melodie and Russ for a drive around the island. We decided to stay only for one night because there are three fronts predicted one after the other starting Friday and we want to get somewhere that is more protected.

Thursday, March 3: This morning we left for Treasure Cay on Great Abaco Island. We chose Treasure Cay because it is in a protected location. After checking in, we explored the area in the vicinity of the marina and discovered a great coffee shop selling the famous Bahamian bread, coconut bread, and cinnamon buns. There is a small but well stocked grocery store with fresh-looking and reasonably priced vegetables and meats, and a laundry. We decided to stay at the marina for a week to take advantage of the special low weekly rate and to wait out the fronts. It also gives us a chance to explore the island. Last night a band performed at the bar at the marina until after midnight. Forget about getting any sleep. I must be getting old because I found it annoying.

Friday, March 4: Today we decided to take a leisurely walk on the beach across the street from the marina. It is considered to be one of the most beautiful beaches in the Bahamas and the praise is well placed. The beach sand is like fine, white talcum powder, unbelievably soft and deep. The water is a bright turquoise green and stretches to a horizon bordered by thick fluffy clouds against an azure blue sky. We walked the beach for about three miles and met some students on spring break who were studying for final exams (no books!) and stopped for lunch at a beach-front café before going back to the boat for the evening.

Saturday, March 5: We spent most of the morning in frustrating futility trying to get the internet to work until finally giving up and asking our neighbor Russ for a hand. He was able to give Bob a tutorial on how to connect the marina's WiFi to our Bad Boy WiFi enhancer, advice which I wrote down for future reference. This morning the marina hosted an annual tag sale organized by the local inhabitants, and the rest of the day was spent just doing nothing. We decided to grill out tonight.

On Sunday we took the dingy out into the harbor and brought our look-bucket so that we could look underwater without getting off the boat. A look-bucket looks just like any ordinary bucket except that the bottom has been taken out and replaced with Plexiglas. We saw a few skates, rocks, sea grass, and sand but not much else. It started sprinkling just at about the time that we had decided to make the return trip so hurried back before it started to pour. Of course it stopped as soon as we got on the boat. Bob and I spent the afternoon reading up by the pool and I think I am going to walk over to the bakery to buy some of the traditional Bahama and Coconut breads which are both quite delicious.

Wednesday March 9: It has been a slow week much of it spent reading, going for walks on the beach where we flew our kite, and listening to endless weather reports. We rented a car and drove into Marsh Harbor, a town about twelve miles from Treasure Cay. Marsh Harbor is the third largest town in the Abacos. We restocked our supply of wine, purchased spiny lobster for another night's dining, and stocked up at Maxwell's grocery store with some fresh vegetables. On Friday we will be retracing our steps as the plan is to leave for Green Turtle Cay, then go to Great Sale Cay and then to West End before crossing the gulf stream back to Florida...and then we start for home.

I can honestly say that it's been a blast! We have met many wonderful people who have been incredibly generous with their time and advice and it was so much fun visiting family and friends. Bob and I agree that we were babes in the woods when we began the trip but have grown immeasurably. Regretfully we say goodbye to our endless summer but as is said, in time all good things must come to an end.

In the final analysis...and you may agree...life is infinitely better in flip flops.

Stuart, Florida - December 1, 2015-February 19, 2016

19 February 2016
[Pictures shows us on the fabulous white sand beach in St. Petersburgh, Florida, December 22]

IT'S A BRAND NEW YEAR -

Hey everybody! I'll bet you thought we'd fallen off the face of the earth. We've been staying at the Mariner Cay Marina in Stuart, Florida, since December 1 and using it as a jump off point to visit friends and family while waiting for the weather to change allowing us to move the boat south.

For anyone planning a pleasure cruise or offshore fishing trip in Florida, we strongly recommend the Mariner Cay Marina for a number of reasons. First, its location places it roughly midway down Florida's coastal Atlantic side, situated almost directly opposite the top edge of Lake Okeechobee. This makes it a convenient location to travel anywhere in the state by car. Second, it is only a day sail from West Palm Beach, our jumping off location for the Bahamas. A power boat could make the trip from Mariner Cay to the Bahamas in a day. (It's about a 70 mile trip). Third, while relatively small, the marina does have transient slips for both sail and power, it is clean, has a swimming pool, washers and dryers, and offers cable TV. And fourth, the marina is located within a gated community and is in close proximity to every tradesman and every kind of business having anything whatever to do with boating and fishing.

In Stuart we discovered Nautical Needles, a marine consignment and canvas shop that we frequented quite often, a great outdoor fresh produce stand, and more than one West Marine store. We also discovered Nautical But Nice, a gift shop for all things nautical where we could also purchase propane of all things, and last, American International Marine Lights where we purchased the replacement LEDs for our boat's lighting fixtures. A short dingy ride from our marina is Hinckley Yacht Services, a full service yard that services both sailing and power boats.

Mariner Cay's historic downtown district offers great restaurants and shopping. And, you can find an outdoor craft fair or flea market going on every weekend somewhere in downtown Stuart or its environs. In early February the town plays host to an annual Seafood Festival which is a short drive from Mariner Cay. It is similar to the Branford festival having food booths, live bands, and kids rides except that it is larger and there are a lot of seafood booths.

We also attended boat shows in Stuart and St. Petersburg. At one of them I found a company called Nautical Scout that makes and sells collapsible stove top and oven cookware. I purchased a collapsible teapot and it works perfectly. It is a great find for people living in tiny spaces and short on cabinet space. (I know you are wondering...no, it doesn't collapse on its own.)

Our next door neighbor at the marina is Jim from Alaska. He is a professional nature photographer and bush pilot (though he hates to be called that), and runs three B&Bs in Alaska with his wife Lisa. He purchased a 30' Catalina sailboat sight unseen and traveled from Alaska to Mariner Cay to take ownership. He has been upgrading the interior of the boat since we arrived, and has installed a wind vane and an auto helm. He also moved the traveler forward to accommodate a dodger and had reefing points put in his sail. Jim has been learning to sail the boat since we got here and is doing a pretty good job of it for somebody with little to no sailing experience. Bob is impressed with his courage. If you looked up "chutzpah" in a dictionary you would see Jim's picture. (If you look up "cautious" you would see Bob's picture.) We have enjoyed being with Jim and Lisa and have learned a lot about bears from Jim (think...The Revenant).

We have been renting cars and can now get around easily without using the GPS...I am beginning to think that we have been here too long. If I start growing tomato plants I know I'm in trouble. (This is a little joke based on our experience at Lamb's Marina in Elizabeth City where transients arrive but never leave...a little like Hotel California.)

I can't believe that it has been so long since I last wrote something in the blog. But now that I have my new Bitstorm enhanced WiFi BadBoy gadget installed on the arch, all the struggle is in the past. No more trips to Starbucks or the library to use my computer.

I will make an attempt to condense the Stuart story as I am sure nobody really wants to hear what we did on our winter vacation. Oh what the heck...

In my last blog I mentioned that we participated in the St. Petersburg Jingle Bell Run...a three mile, round trip road race run in the heart of St. Pete. We met up with my cousins Eileen and her sister Louise (both inherited the fun Kuhlmann gene) and had a blast. Finally got to meet Eileen's husband Jeff and Louise's daughter Aimee. Louise (who used to live in St. Pete) took us on a tour of the Tampa/St. Pete area. We went to the Salvatore Dali museum, toured the ruins of Fort DeSoto, and had lunch at the Don Cesar, a beautifully restored 1920s beach-front hotel. Along the way we visited an alligator conservation exhibit where I kissed an alligator (yes! I actually did it...his beady little eyes were staring at my mouth but his mouth was secured or I'm sure I wouldn't have lips. He didn't taste like chicken either despite what you may have heard. I didn't eat him but you can tell.)

We returned to St. Pete on December 21 to enjoy the holidays and Christmas Eve with my cousin Eileen's family. We finally got to meet Louise's other daughter Angie, Aimee and Angie's husbands and Angie's children. My mother and sister joined us at our hotel and they shared the holiday with us. One of the really fun things we did prior to Christmas (other than shopping) was take a painting class where we each painted a Santa face. Eileen made the arrangements for the class and I am really glad she did. Christmas day was spent at the home of my cousin Christina who doesn't live very far from St. Petersburg. Our mother's were sisters. While there we got to meet up again with other family members who I have not seen in years including her son, Mark, and my cousin Bobby and his wife who also live in Florida. We really appreciated our relations opening their homes to us for the holiday. It was really great to see them again and really wish we could get together more often.

New Year's Eve Bob and I spent in Stuart at the Twisted Tuna restaurant and had dinner there with Jim our neighbor. The temperature was in the upper 80's with humidity at over 90%. I know it was warm in Connecticut, too, but this was ridiculous. Bob and I spent New Year's Day in the swimming pool at our marina.

In January I got an email from my friend Stephanie Knoll. She and her boyfriend Jerry live not far from us in North Branford and asked to meet us at the Bonefish Grill in Stuart for dinner. They were in Florida to see a house in Melbourne on the Intracoastal that they are considering purchasing as a second home. He is a veterinarian and owns an animal hospital and she masterfully runs it. It was really great seeing them again! If zoning allows a pool they will most likely get the house which is good for us giving us more friends to visit in Florida in future. Love it!

Most of January was spent getting the boat ready for the trip south. We took the boat to the Hinckley boat yard and had it hauled and the bottom scraped and painted. We took the opportunity to replace our halogen cabin lights with LEDs and installed fans in the main cabin and V-berth. This was also the time that we had the Bad Boy WiFi enhancer installed.
It's amazing how much brighter it is in the boat with the new LEDs. When we hauled the boat we noticed that the prop's zinc was nearly gone and the blades looks pitted. Though it is still serviceable we went ahead and ordered a replacement prop that we are storing until the other prop gets to the point that it needs to be replaced We also purchased a small electric heater to be used in the cabin when we are at a dock when it gets cold here, which it has been recently. And we replaced the Tupperware container that served as a housing for the navigational lights at the bow with the real deal.

We explored the possibility of getting air conditioning installed but learned that to do so would cost a major bundle and take up a lot of cabinet space...so, we ordered a portable air conditioner from West Marine that fits over the salon cabin hatch on the outside. We found that though we can get it into the boat when not using it, it takes up quite a bit of space in the cabin, is too big to store in either v-berth or quarter berth, and is a struggle to get in and out of the boat. We took it back. We haven't entirely given up on the idea and plan to keep our eyes and ears open in case we hear about a system that would work for us. Let's hope the fans will be enough as it can get really hot.
In early February we spent a little over two days with friends John and Nancy Wilson who I have known for at least thirty years. They own a beautiful condominium in a gated golf community in Bonita Springs near Naples on the Gulf Coast and recently sold their home in Connecticut. They also own a condominium in Madison, Connecticut. This way they have a home base when they visit family in Connecticut throughout the year. We were very glad to see them and to finally see their lovely home in Florida. From the Lanai you can watch wild-fowl on the lake and golfers playing the sixth hole. They took us on a tour of Bonita Springs and Naples where we did a little sightseeing, stopped for lunch at a fabulous seafood restaurant, and visited the oldest house in Naples. We were invited to attend an event at their clubhouse on our first evening that included dinner and a really funny comedian. It is a beautiful area with lovely homes where, I understand, Oprah and others own homes. (Oh, I am supposed to say that Bonita Springs is awful - don't move there - shhhhh! keep it to yourself.)

We left Bonita Springs for Orlando to spend a week with my son Mark, his wife Amber, my grandson Logan, and Amber's mother Arlene and her friend Darlene. We stayed at the Caribe Royal Hotel which is about a ten minute car ride from the Disney parks. It is not a Disney resort which means that it is actually affordable. Mark had made advance reservations for us at Discovery Cove, one of Florida's best kept secrets. It is a moderately large outdoor site with shops, a concession building, man-made rivers and natural pools with poolside bars. Mark rented a cabana set into a private grove which was our Christmas present. The cabana was covered with a large awning, had a table, chairs, and a hammock, a small refrigerators, and a lock box for purses or other things you don't want stolen. Because it was cold (mid to low 60s) we were all provided with wet suits and snorkels so we could take advantage of the water, We snorkeled among the tropical fish and sting rays in the lagoons (the sting rays have had the stingers removed). We could have snorkeled with dolphins but this is an extra charge we decided to forego. The fee for the whole day included breakfast and lunch served buffet style plus all you want to drink, including beer, wine, or mixed drinks. We had a great time. During the week we girls had a spa day. All day trips included visits to Animal Kingdom, Disney Hollywood Studios, and the Magic Kingdom where we got a great picture of Logan hugging Mickey Mouse. Bob and I visited Epcot on our own.

Everyone knows that Epcot boasts an international assortment of restaurants. Bob wanted to eat in the German restaurant so off we went...

When we got there I noticed that the sittings were timed, meaning that we needed a reservation. Without breaking stride, Bob went up to the reservation desk and began speaking to the German hostess in German. I think she said she was from Frankfort. Somehow he convinced her that we had reservations because within fifteen minutes we were escorted inside. Nothing like a little BS and knowing the language. Way to go Bob.

We are planning to leave this Sunday for West Palm Beach and from there will make the crossing to the Abacos. We have been hampered from moving south faster by the fact that this has been an El Nino year. The weather has been unusual to say the least....if it isn't raining, it is either stifling hot or it's cold ranging from anywhere from 84 degrees to 52 degrees and blowing 25-30 knots mostly out of the north. The number of fronts passing through in the winter are on the order of 40 to 50. Winds tend to clock around from the north to the east to south to south west and back. Everything is timing and there can be no northerly component to the wind when making the crossing since the Gulf Stream would run counter to the winds creating huge waves known as elephants. If the weather cooperates , we should be Bahamas bound soon! We leave for West Palm on Sunday, or at least that's the plan...






THANKSGIVING in Vero Beach

27 November 2015
[Thanksgiving leftovers on their boat Sea-Deductive with Russ and Melody]

TITUSVILLE TO VERO BEACH AND THANKSGIVING

Wednesday, November 18. We left this morning from Titusville Municipal Marina at 7:30 am for the 19 mile trip to Cocoa Harbor Marina in Cocoa, Florida. The wind was on the nose gusting to 25 knots with chop in the narrow channel. It was a long slog for a short leg. Along the way, we experienced several squalls which is typical for Florida, and arrived at the marina around noon. After tying up, we took a walk into town and I made an appointment for a haircut and pedicure. It is amazing how great it is to get one's hair and nails done. Men do not understand this.

While in town we found a large number of stores selling pink flamingo lawn ornaments, overpriced jewelry, ice cream cones and other such items, but the best find of all was lunch at a fabulous Thai restaurant. We plan to stay here for a couple of days to wait out the anticipated nor' easter which appears to be part of the regular weather pattern for this time of year in Florida. Weather apps anticipate wind speeds of 25-30 knots tomorrow and lightning. We are double lined at the dock and waiting to move on when the time is right.

Thursday, November 19. Today we slept in and had lunch in town before I had to be at my appointment. We saw that there is a power boat at the dock from Branford, Connecticut. I don't think that the owners are living on the boat which makes me think that they are boarding it at this marina and have gone home for the holidays. I would have liked to have met them. It is about 83 degrees with 100% humidity. There is rain and lightning which makes us glad that we are at the marina and not anchored out somewhere. It is supposed to pass through by tomorrow, at least we hope it does, as we are planning to leave tomorrow for Loggerhead Marina at Vero Beach.

Friday, November 20. We left Cocoa Village at 7:30 am. Weather was blowing out of the northeast at 15-20 knots off our stern which gave us a boost down the ICW. We made good time arriving at our destination at around 2:30 pm. Coming into the dock, the wind was blowing us off the short finger slip and we had to lasso a piling which we (Bob) missed. This was a slip for a 50 foot boat which means that the piling was at least ten feet away from our boat's stern. The dockhand held the boat off while Bob struggled with several unsuccessful attempts to lasso the piling before making the decision to lower the dingy and row over to the piling. it still wasn't easy. Bob made every attempt not to fall out of the dingy while throwing a line over the piling that was at east ten feet over his head. But he finally managed after about twenty minutes of effort.

The weather conditions do not look promising and we have decided that we would stay here rather than attempt to get to our next destination before Monday. If we can't leave, we will rent a car and drive over to the Cruiser's Thanksgiving.

The marina is in a gated golfing community and has a heated swimming pool which we took advantage of the first day we arrived. We borrowed bikes and made a convoluted trip to Publix Supermarket through a labyrinth of condominiums and huge estates surrounded by golf courses and lagoons. It is very pretty here and very well kept. I can't image what the condo fees are and what portion of the fees pays for landscaping but I'll bet it is a lot more than Bob and I are paying in condo fees at the Foxbridge Condominium Association.

Saturday, November 21 - Thursday, November 26.
HAPPY THANKSGIVING EVERYONE!

We decided to lump this week into one blog as we did not do any touring to speak of and pretty much stayed at the boat with the exception of the holiday. We did have one mechanical issue having to do with our batteries. Apparently golf cart batteries do not last more than five years. Additionally, we found that we should have checked the fluid levels more aggressively because of the higher heat as we moved south. Our batteries overheated. Bob measured the temperature with his infrared thermometer and it showed 140 degrees. He tried rescuing them by adding water to the battery cells but it was too late. They were already cooked. With help from our neighbor Russ and the dockhand, Bob was able to wrestle old batteries out and put new batteries into the boat, and got it put back together and working by the day before Thanksgiving.

He finished early so we went shopping for clothes for Bob. His clothes, for the most part, are stained, ripped, and chewed up by sulfuric acid fumes. I have to say....Bob cleans up nice.

November 26. Today we drove to the Vero Beach Municipal Marina for a cruisers potluck Thanksgiving dinner. There were more than 200 people present and everyone brought a side dish or dessert of some kind. We got there about two hours early and am glad we did because we got the last table for four available. Until dinner was ready we walked around the marina and I took pictures of some of the bird wildlife there. They were very tame and for the most part didn't run away if you got near them. I posted these to the gallery.

Dinner included turkey, ham, stuffing, potatoes, gravy, sweet potatoes and a variety of other vegetables, salads, and desserts. It was very well organized. The turkey, ham and the hall were donated by the City of Vero Beach. The CLOD's provided the rest. (A CLOD is a "cruiser living on dirt"). After dinner a few guys, including Bob on harmonica, had a jam session with sing-a-long, sea shanties, and old songs. It was a lot of fun though I missed making Thanksgiving dinner for my kids and grandkids.

Friday, November 27. Melody and I thought that we should have a Thanksgiving left-over type dinner tonight. I made some stuffing and gravy, heated up some green beans almandine, and made mashed sweet potatoes. She will provide the rest and we will grill a turkey breast. It was great and more intimate which I appreciated a lot. On Sunday they leave for Loggerhead in Stuart and we leave for Mariner Cay Marina, also in Stuart, where we each keep our boats for the month of December. Russ and Melody will be flying home after they arrive at Loggerhead to spend the holidays with the family; we will be staying in Florida, exploring and traveling to visit places we don't know, and visiting friends and family that live in Florida. We are live-aboards on Spindrift and have rented a car for the month. We hope to team up again with Russ and Melody when they get back in January for the passage to the Bahamas. I hope we do as they have been lovely and friendly people. I would not like to lose touch with them.

One of the things we want to do while we are here is to get some work done on the boat. We will be installing air conditioning/heat that will make the passage back home to Connecticut and any travels north or south in the future much more comfortable and endurable. I also purchased a BitStorm Wi-Fi enhancer and a television antennae that I want installed at the same time. We have become one with the future! Thank you Obi-one-ka-Bobby.

We took a walk today around the marina and walkways. This marina is part of a large community of homeowners, condo owners, and presumably golfers. The golf course is beautiful. I took a few pictures and put them on the end of the gallery for anyone interested. The landscaping is gorgeous and the course looks challenging.

Sunday, November 29. We left Mariner Cay Marina this morning around 7:30 am and arrived just after 1 pm. It is a beautiful sunny day, around 80 degrees, with winds not exceeding 13 knots. All in all, it was a calm trip and we are not at our home port for the rest of this month and probably into January. I am glad to finally be here and can relax knowing that we do not have to be anywhere in a hurry. Our slip is pie shaped...never saw that before...appropriate for the Thanksgiving weekend I think.

We are tied up to at least three pilings because there is only one cleat at the bow end of the dock. What fun.
We drove our friends Russ and Melody to the airport and made a fond good-bye until January. We are going to the St. Petersburg boat show next week and then will be participating in the St. Petersburg Jingle Bell Run together with my cousins Eileen and Louse Kuhlmann and their families. Bob and I will be driving to Key West and other places in Florida while we await the end of the Christmas winds in December that makes it impossible to take the boat to the Bahamas until January.

If I don't get back to the blog until after the new year, Bob and I wish all of you the merriest of Christmases and a happy and healthy new year to you and yours!



North Florida

17 November 2015
[Bob and I with an astronaut at the Kennedy Space Center]

Monday, November 9. Since we are leaving Amelia Island tomorrow morning we decided to take the time to pick up a couple of things at the grocery store and return the rental car. Bob made up his sail plan for the next day and I bought a new sleep shirt at the Marina store. The day was partly rainy so we hunkered in, read, and cooked. Later we met up for happy hour with our friends and turned in early.

Tuesday, November 10. We woke up to fog. But there was enough visibility, about a quarter mile, to see the marks that will direct us to Palm Cove Marina just north of St. Augustine. We have learned that fog is a common occurrence in Florida at this time of the year and find that it burns off by around 8-9 am. Air temperature is in the mid 80's and dry. Later in the morning the sky became a glorious and cloud-free blue. Along the way we saw dolphins and some large fish that jumped straight up out of the water, probably, mullet being chased by a predator fish, I'm not sure. I took a walk with Melody and Russ to a Publix just to get some exercise.

Wednesday, November 11. Happy Veteran's Day! We left this morning at 8:30 am for St. Augustine a distance of 31 miles. The current was strong. The bascule bridge, called the bridge of Lions, is just before the marina and only raises on the half-hour. We were within three-quarters of a mile when the bridge was up at noon and it started to close just when we got to it. We had to hang around, circling for a half-hour until it would raise again - all within sight of the marina entrance. Another boat, coming up behind us, was at about the same distance that we were originally but the bridge operator waited for them... it was really annoying. Once here, the marina is really quite nice having all of the amenities you would expect of a marina of this size and it is across the street from the St. Augustine historic district. If you have not been to St. Augustine as yet, and are planning a trip to Florida, I strongly recommend stopping here. It is the oldest, continuously occupied European settlement in the United States and a great place to visit.

St. Augustine was founded in 1565 by Spanish admiral and then St. Augustine governor, Pedro Menendez de Aviles. He named the settlement "San Agustin" because he first sighted the land in Florida on the feast of Saint Augustine and named the settlement in the saint's honor. However, the first European to have explored the coast of Florida was Juan Ponce de Leon. The Bridge of Lions is named after him as De Leon means "Lion." The tour guide said de Leon was only 4' 11" tall. He was a small man in a really big pair of boots.

It was late afternoon when we decided to do a little exploring. We walked over to historic St. Augustine and found ourselves on Aviles Street, the oldest archaeologically documented street in the United States. It is across the street from the Bridge of Lions and our marina. The street is in the historic old town district flanked by St. George Street, Cordova Street and other narrow brick-paved streets lined with historic and historic-looking houses, gift shops, and pubs (also known as credit card alley!) We stopped at the Ximenez-Fatio house one of the best-preserved and most authentic Second Spanish Period (1783-1821) residential buildings in St. Augustine. It was a fashionable boarding house in its day and is currently furnished to present the stories of visitors who lodged there. Unusual for its time, it was owned and operated exclusively by women.

Thursday, November 12. Today we decided to take one of the three trolley rides that take tourists around the city. It looks like a silly kids ride with a locomotive front and four or five open trolley cars that take visitors on a route around the city with various stops along the way where you can jump on and jump off. We decided that we would purchase two-day tickets. We jumped off at the site of the oldest wooden school house in the United States. The garden outside the building was cool and welcoming with a variety of plants and herbs. I saw an indigo plant and find it fascinating that anyone who saw this innocuous green plant would ever think that it could produce blue dye.

We also visited the Spanish Military Hospital Museum and had a wonderful talk by one of the staff on medicine and surgery in the colonial period before antibiotics and anesthetics. It was also very interesting to learn about the medicinal properties of plants like Rosemary, Oregano, and Parsley, all plants we use in cooking but find that they are also good at boosting the immune system.

After leaving there, we hopped aboard the trolley and drove by a building that was made famous during the Civil Rights era. At one time the building housed a diner. It was made famous in the 1960s when four black teenagers walked in, sat at the counter reserved for white people, and each ordered a hamburger and a Coke. The teens were arrested and then imprisoned for six months as the law at the time favored segregation. The incident is depicted in the movie "The Butler," a great movie to see if you can rent it. We also passed by two houses once occupied by Martin Luther King Jr. when he visited St. Augustine to organize a Civil Rights rally. We stopped at the St. Augustine winery for a wine tasting and then walked up the street to visit the St. Augustine Distillery - we got free samples there too. By the time we were done we thought it would be a good idea to go back to the boat.

When we got back to the marina we were surprised and delighted to see that our friends John and Jill on their boat "ID" had arrived while we were away and were sandwiched between us "Spindrift" and Melody and Russ on "Sea-Deductive." We learned that John of "Terabithia" was moored in the harbor as was Michelle and Al on "Kindred-Spirit." Though we were sorry to have missed Michelle and Al, we had a great reunion at happy hour with the others.

Friday, November 13. Today we left early to get to Whetstone Chocolate for an 11 am tour of the factory (with samples.) Yummmmm. We hopped aboard the trolley for the drive to Castillo de San Marcos. It is the oldest masonry fort in the United States, built in 1672, 107 years after the founding of the city when it was still part of the Spanish empire. The walls are made of cochina, a mixture of seashells pressed over time to a hard almost limestone structure that can be cut into slabs. The old fort and the city walls were made of cochina. It is a highly durable material that can withstand the elements and is better at fending off cannon shot than granite as granite is more brittle and can shatter.

The fort has never been taken by force. It was almost continuously used for military purposes and deactivated in 1933 after which it was turned over to the National Park Service. Possession of the fort changed six times, all peaceful, amongst four different governments: Spain, Great Britain, Confederate States of America, and the United States of America (Spain and the United States having taken possession two times each.) Under United States control the fort was used as a military prison to incarcerate members of various Native American tribes starting with the Seminole and including Geronimo's band of Chiricahua Apache. Some graffiti still exists showing marks representing the Apache gods.

We visited a pirate museum and the Colonial Quarter where we walked through 500 years of history with one of the most entertaining and comedic guides I have ever encountered. The pirate museum was fascinating. From Rhode Island to the Caribbean to Madagascar pirates roamed the sea in search of loot targeting almost any ship that lay in its path. Surprisingly, some pirates began as wealthy merchants and upstanding citizens of their communities who were simply bored. Some sea captains were hired to hunt for pirates and along the way switched allegiances, others may have gotten themselves mixed up in a fray, killed the wrong person, and became outlawed. Unfortunately for most pirates, their careers lasted no more than around two to five years before they were killed in a fight or caught and executed, usually by hanging.

Life aboard a pirate ship was surprisingly democratic. Crew voted on who was to be captain, and each man pledged himself to every other crew member to fairly divide the spoils and abide by the rules with respect to division of goods. Anyone caught stealing from another crew member could be set adrift or abandoned on some island if not outright killed.

The museum houses a large and authentic collection of pirate artifacts. Exhibits include Blackbeard's original blunderbuss, pieces of gold retrieved from his warship the Queen Anne's Revenge and one of only three remaining authentic Jolly Roger flags. Also displayed is Pirate Thomas Tew's original treasure chest (the only known authentic pirate treasure chest in the world). About fifteen pirates are featured at the museum among whom are Sir Francis Drake, Robert Searles, William Kidd, Edward Teach "Blackbeard," Bartholomew Roberts "Black Bart," Henry Every "Long Ben," Calico Jack Rackham, Sir Henry Morgan, Anne Bonney, Mary Read and others.

The women were friends, equal partners to the men, and every bit as fierce being equally good at handling firearms and swords. Anne Bonney and Mary Read were aboard Calico Jack's ship when it was taken. Both women claimed pregnancy which saved them from hanging, at least temporarily. Anne Bonney's lover, Calico Jack, was caught, executed, and hung in chains. She wrote a bitter note on the wall behind the gibbet where he hung, "If you had fought like a man you would not have had to die like a dog." Eventually Mary and her baby died in prison of fever; Anne simply disappeared.

Saturday, November 14. Today we left around 7:00 am, for the 52 mile trip to Halifax Harbor Marina in Daytona Beach. It is 62 degrees and I think fall may have finally arrived. It is a lovely day and I am enjoying the canal and watching the wildlife. It is amazing how often we have seen dolphins. We may be sailing along for two or three hours and suddenly they will crest the surface noticeable by their black dorsal fins and blow holes before diving back into the water, sometimes right under the boat. It always makes me smile when I see them...I don't know why. Hawks hang in the air above us, wings outstretched, occasionally giving a flap or two to take advantage of a thermal updraft, soaring in search of some poor animal or fish that they see below. I was really excited today to see an Osprey. It soared overhead, a large bird, larger than the rest, with a brown body and wings, and white on its tail feathers. It flew away before I could get a picture.

We decided that we would not stay in Daytona more than one night as we want to get to our next destination soon as the weather is predicted to change to rain on Wednesday. At any rate, neither of us is into the speedway scene.

Sunday, November 15. We left at 7 am today for the 50 mile trip to Titusville. It is located on the coast and due east, roughly an hour-and a half car ride from Orlando. We had an uneventful day except for one tiny little thing that happened while I was at the helm. We definitely hit something but neither of us could figure out what it was. There was no sign that would normally alert you to a stump, root, or tree, there was nothing visible floating on the water, we were in the middle of the channel with 14 feet of water beneath us, and after we hit, whatever it was, nothing appeared in our wake. I did see a shadow of something next to our boat that stayed under water and then disappeared. It might have been a dolphin or a Manatee which are local to these parts. I hope neither of these animals got hurt, if that was what we hit! I said that I hoped to see a manatee in its natural habitat as I have never seen one before. Bob asked if I had heard a Coast Guard all points bulletin for anyone spotting a blue hulled sailboat. He said that the last thing the beached manatee gasped was "Spind....ah." He said that if I wanted to see a Manatee I should go look at the dead one on the beach that he says I ran over. He is kidding of course (idiot). Actually there were four of them at our marina. Apparently they love fresh water. Bob was washing the bird doo off the boat (again) and the Manatees came up to the side to drink the run off. One of the guys who runs the yard said that they do that all the time. The Manatees are very large, fat mammals with squashed faces and big pink tongues. Apparently they share a common ancestry with elephants. They are gentle giants and eat plants. I took some pictures and put them in the blog photo album.

We have decided to stay in Titusville for a few days. Weather is supposed to get foul early this week and we do not want to get to Vero Beach until the 25th or 26th. We made reservations last week and are lucky that we did as we got the last available slip. Keep that in mind if you ever plan to travel by boat in November in Florida around the Thanksgiving holiday - make reservations well in advance. In the meantime, for the next few days we plan to rent a car and take in some of the sights here including the Kennedy Space Center.

Monday, November 16. Today was a work day. We defrosted and cleaned out the nasty refrigerator and Bob shoveled the bird poop off the boat. We rented a car and drove to Cocoa, Florida, about 20 miles due south of Titusville to find a Yanmar dealer where we got oil filters because somehow we never purchased these in Connecticut (though we thought we had). Other than a few groceries and a purchase of some new acrylic wine glasses, it was a pretty quiet day. Weather is in the low 80s during the day and mid 60s at night. Palm trees everywhere, and puffy clouds hover in a bright blue sky. Loving the weather! Tonight we had dinner at a restaurant called Dixie Crossroads. It was highly recommended for its rock shrimp, a species that is unique to this area. They are small, about the size of standard medium sized shrimp, but they have hard spiny shells and taste a lot like lobster. They were quite good.

Tuesday, November 17. Today we left early for the Kennedy Space Center. To anyone planning a trip to Florida, I highly recommend this excursion though be prepared to pay a hefty entry fee (around $50 for a senior citizen...ouch!). The fee includes a bus tour to the rocket lift-off sites, two of which were used for Apollo missions and for the tragic Challenger space flight. Also on exhibit are moon rocks collected on the Apollo 14 mission (one of them is available to touch), and an exhibit showing the evolution of the space suit. A big section is devoted to the proposed mission to Mars scheduled to take place sometime during the 2030s. We are told that there are already one thousand people who have volunteered to make the trip to Mars and live there. The trip will take a year-and-a half one way. There are still problems that have to be resolved before they launch a man to Mars. Scientists do not as yet have a solution to either the problem of gamma rays or the problem of food: meaning how to get it, produce it, and supply it for the long term. Scientists project that those who will ultimately be making the Mars journey are children born now and up to those who are 17 years of age. it is such an exciting time to be alive....I wish I had another lifetime to see what happens next.

Beaufort to Florida

08 November 2015
[Preparing to leave Beaufort at dawn]

October 31. Happy Halloween! We left Beaufort around 7:45 am for a 47 mile motor sail to Thunderbolt Marina just south of Savannah. There was a lot of boat traffic. We find that many power boaters are ignorant of the term "slow pass" or just lack basic courtesy. They will come up almost right alongside the boat doing 40 knots sending us rocking and rolling. In future, when I am at the helm I will hail a passing power boat and request a slow pass. You would expect that the person who wants to pass you from behind would request this, right? Not always true. It happens to other power boaters, too, so it isn't just because we have a sailboat.

November 1. We stayed at Thunderbolt for two nights. The marina is the go-to place for some really large power and sailing yachts. One of the luxury power yachts was well over 100' long. It is privately owned, takes 14 to 18 crew, and about 5,000 gallons of fuel. They tell us that they have to get a tanker to fill it. This marina also provides a half dozen Krispy Kreme glazed donuts every morning (not that we need them...but they were really good.) On the second day we took a cab into Savannah, Georgia, to do some sightseeing and shopping.

We visited City Market, a street lined with restaurants and small t-shirt and gift shops. Then we visited the Owens-Thomas House. It was built in 1810 and was highly unusual for its day having indoor plumbing. The architect brought his novel ideas to the house from having seen the heating and sanitation system built by the Romans in Bath, England. He was a great architect with a great idea but made the mistake of not taking into account the seasonal fluctuations in rainfall in Savannah - it would be too dry in the winter and too rainy in the summer causing the cisterns on the roof to overflow causing flooding.

I learned that Savannah is considered to be one of the most haunted places in the United States. Slaves painted ceilings or rooms in "haint blue" or azure blue that can still be seen in ceilings or walls of the slave quarters. The word paint derives from "haint." It was believed that spirits could not pass across natural elements such as water so the blue was intended to trick them to keep them out of the house. The white population was no less superstitious. Rooms were round or parts were rounded in shape, or ceilings would be made to look circular in square rooms in order to trick spirits who might otherwise hide in corners. Regardless of the reason, the architecture is quite pretty.

November 2. We left this morning for the 27 mile sail to the Kilkenny Marina on the Kilkenny River. We passed through Hell Gate where shoaling is frequent at low tide (at low tide it could be as little as 2 feet deep and impossible to pass). Currents are strong. This is going to be a frequent occurrence in Georgia because as tides advance an hour a day, it means that other places down the ICW, like Mud River, will have high tide much later in the day which limits our ability to travel in daylight. We have to plan for anchorages on either side in order to made any progress south. We thought there would be rain this afternoon but it has turned out to be only partly cloudy and a very humid 85 degrees. We will be here for only one night, thank God! I'm afraid that if I don't fall through the rickety dock I may get bit by something in the bathroom. I am very ready to move on.

That being said, we did see one quite wonderful thing. Apparently every night a swam of egrets flies to the marina to sleep in the trees by the docks and then leaves by dawn the next day. The trees are covered with these white puffy birds. I took a picture as they were settling down for the night. They were not afraid of us and fell asleep almost as soon as they got to the trees. Very interesting to say the least.

Tuesday, November 3. Today we left Kilkenny Marina for Friday Cap Creek off Broughton Island, a distance of 37 miles. We shared the anchorage with another boat and watched the lightening in the distance and heard the clap of thunder overhead. We crossed our fingers that our mast would not attract lightening as we were the tallest thing out there - and lightening is attracted to tall things like masts and trees. Fortunately, the lightening never got that close. One bad thing did happen...when Bob was letting out the anchor rode, the chain jumped the gypsy which was pretty scary because the chain was feeding out so fast that there was the possibility of all of the anchor rode feeding out of the locker. Even though the end of the rode was tied to the boat it could cause damage if allowed to go all the way. With no recourse at hand, Bob took a chance and grabbed the chain by hand and was able to stop it. It could have been disastrous if his hand had gotten caught in the chain. This is something that we need to check and be more careful to not let the chain out too fast.

Wednesday, November 4. We left the anchorage around 8 am for Brunswick, Georgia. We could not believe our luck. Not only are the people super friendly, but the place itself is very well maintained and clean. They have a wonderful clubhouse and in the evening everyone was invited to a boater's happy hour with free wine, beer, and hors d'oeuvres. There is also free laundry facilities with three commercial sized washers and three dryers, free WiFi that actually works, and very reasonable prices at $1.50/foot. We highly recommend this marina. We ran into friends whom we had met along the way who showed up at the happy hour notably John of "Terabithia" and John and Jill on "ID" a 35' Bristol. It was great to run into them and a big surprise.

We learned that Ben Affleck and Leonardo DiCaprio were in town making a movie about 1930s bootleggers. The downtown historic area was turned into a movie set which was all taken down today. I took a picture of the set but never saw the actors...darn!

Thursday, November 5. Today we did laundry and took a walk into town. Other than boat tending (filling water tanks - usual stuff) we met with Russ and Melody to plan our strategy for tomorrow morning's 40 mile trip to Amelia Island Yacht Basin adjacent to Fernandina Beach, Florida. There is a lot of skinny water ahead (means narrow and shoaling channels) and the tides are not cooperative. The weather is starting to bear down on us again. It is a balance between tides, weather, and diminishing daylight. Strategies require taking those three variables into account when planning the next leg. This is going to be interesting.

Friday, November 6. We have arrived in Florida! We got to Amelia Island Yacht Basin in the afternoon and though we ran through several areas where the water was 5-1/2 feet we never touched bottom. The "skinniest" water was on entering the yacht basin where it shoaled to 5 feet. After getting through the shallow entrance to the marina we docked the boat only to find out that we were at the lowest spot in the marina. We requested to be moved to another slip in deeper water. Believe me...after a long day at the helm it was the last thing we felt like doing again...docking again. All went well. We plan to stay here through Monday to wait out the predicted bad weather. Russ rented a car from Enterprise and we decided to go out for dinner to celebrate crossing into Florida. The restaurant is in Fernandina Beach. It was an early night...and did I mention that it was absolutely sweltering!

Saturday, November 7. Weather is partly cloudy in the upper 80s with almost 95% humidity. I am dripping wet. In the morning we took the car into town to go to the farmer's market. There we met up with Janet and Tom whom we had met in Beaufort and who own a 27' sailboat that they bought in the Chesapeake and sailed to their home in Fernandina Beach. They invited all of us to their home for dinner tomorrow night which we happily accepted.

We decided to walk in the historic downtown area and found ourselves in the middle of a Veteran's Day parade. We had lunch at a place called Sliders which is right on the beach. The sand is very white, people are sunbathing and swimming, we are in shorts and t-shirts...and I can't believe I am on a hot beach in shorts in November. For dinner we cooked up the shrimp and vegetables that we had purchased at the farmer's market on a grill at the marina. It is still not raining but we expect it to start tomorrow.

Sunday, November 8. It began raining early this morning bringing with it a blessed cool breeze. We had a leisurely breakfast before meeting Russ and Melody at 1 pm for the drive to the Amelia Museum. It is a nice little museum that told the history of the area from the first native settlements around a thousand years ago, until today. The area has passed through many hands and flags: first native, then Spanish, then French, then British, then Patriot, then Confederate, then Union. We then drove to Janet and Tom's house for dinner where we met John and Linda, a live aboard couple also at our marina, who own a 42' Nordic Tug. It is one of the pleasant surprises of cruising that we have met with so many wonderful and friendly people. Everyone looks out for everyone else and is very willing to share information and resources.

Trivia: Why do sailors call the left side of the boat as you face the bow, the "port side?" Originally the left side of the boat was called "larboard." Very often when sailors called larboard, and it was windy or noisy, it was confused with "starboard." The larboard was the side of the ship where loading and unloading was done meaning the side of the ship that faced the dock or shore...the port side. Gradually "port" came into general use to mean the left side.


Charleston

01 November 2015
[Bob and me on the beach at Wild Dunes Resort near Isle of Palms, South Carolina]

Friday, October 23. We left this morning around 9 am for Isle of Palms. It is an absolutely beautiful day - the sun is shining, the temperature is in the 80's, and seas are calm and flat. It was a wonderful ride until we reached green 37 outside of McClellanville and just off the ICW. Suddenly the depth dropped very fast - from 8 feet to 3.2 feet. Bob got too close to the mark and we grounded (meaning stopped dead). He backed up as much as he could going back the way we came in, but we were not making any progress. Another boater passed us to starboard and yelled out that there was five feet of water if we could just move the boat toward starboard a little bit. Bob decided to spin the helm to starboard and gave it the throttle - we could hear the boat grind across the sandbar. By picking up depth and by shifting our weight we were able to get free. Unfortunately the man behind us (who had passed us asking if we needed a line) got stuck himself. We hope he was able to get himself free quickly.

We arrived without any further issues to the Isle of Palms marina. We have a wonderful wide slip right next to our friends Melody and Russ. The marina is very busy with lots of permanent and transient boaters, large and beautiful homes line the marina canal, and the marina has a very nice and very busy restaurant and a small grocery store and gift shop. We are anticipating wind and rain over the next few days so will be staying put for a few days.

Saturday, October 24. After getting a rental car we drove into Charleston for some sightseeing. We visited the Charleston City Market, one of the nation's oldest public markets with more than 300 vendors in open air stalls selling locally and regionally made items and crafts. I bought a sweetgrass bread basket.
Sweetgrass baskets are one of the oldest handcrafts of African origin in the United States and are made in South Carolina from indigenous bulrush and palm. Each basket design is handmade and unique. A picture of my new basket is in the photo gallery. After lunch we visited the Governor William Aiken House. The house, built in 1820, was intentionally left unrestored in order to preserve it in its original condition. It was in a poor state of repair. The house was known as an urban plantation house, housing a family of four and about seventeen slaves who did the work and lived above the kitchen, stables, and carriage house. At one time it also had a chicken coop and barn in the back. The house was lived in by descendents of the family until 1974. Despite the condition of the house, it gives a good idea of what gracious southern living was like with large and airy rooms that at one time played host to 500 guests.
Today we learned that the word "antebellum" is really two words of Latin origin. Ante means before; and bellum means war. In other words, it is fancy talk for pre Civil War.

October 25. Today we took the rental car into Charleston again. We went to Battery Park, the southern tip of Charleston overlooking the harbor. It was a warm day. We saw numerous lovely antebellum houses at Battery point most of which had been restored and converted to apartments and condominiums. A couple of pictures of this distinctly South Carolina style is in the photo gallery. We then took a tour of the Nathaniel Russell house, one of the most beautifully restored antebellum urban plantation houses I have ever seen. it was built in 1808 and features a unique cantilevered spiral staircase held together entirely with pegs. The rooms have been restored to their former opulence, which at the time was intended to impress by its conspicuous use of gold leaf, faux painting, intricate moldings, carpeting and wall coverings. It still impresses. Nathaniel Russell was a merchant who arrived in Charleston in the late 1700s when the city was on its way to becoming the richest of the colonies boasting a per capita wealth nearly four times that of the other colonies. While most of his wealth came from export of products: Carolina Gold rice, indigo, tobacco and cotton, he also participated in the slave trade both before and after the Revolution.

After leaving the Russell house we took a ferry to Fort Sumter which today bears only a superficial resemblance to its original appearance. We were told that it was constructed in 1829 of three million bricks, all hand-made by slave labor and was one of a series of coastal fortifications built by the United States after the War of 1812. The fort was named for Revolutionary War patriot Thomas Sumter. It was still unfinished when Maj. Robert Anderson secretly transferred his 85-man garrison from Fort Moultrie the mile to Fort Sumter the day after Christmas 1860, six days after South Carolina seceded from the Union. The state demanded that the US Government evacuate Charleston Harbor but President Buchanan refused. As the weeks passed, Fort Sumter gradually became the focal point for tensions between North and South. On April 12 the Confederates informed Anderson that their batteries would open fire in one hour if he did not remove himself and his men from the fort. At ten minutes past the hour, Capt. George S. James, commanding Fort Johnson's east mortar battery, ordered the firing of a signal shell. By daybreak surrounding batteries were assailing Fort Sumter. On Sunday, April 14, after heavy shelling and fire that destroyed much of the fort, Major Anderson and his garrison marched out of Fort Sumter and boarded ship for transport to New York. They had defended Sumter for 34 hours - and the Civil War had begun.

October 26. Today we went back to Charleston to visit The Old Save Mart Museum and the Confederate Museum, operated by the Daughters of the Confederacy. Unfortunately the Confederate Museum was closed but we did get to visit the Old Slave Mart. The slave mart was constructed in 1859 and is believed to be the only remaining slave auction facility in South Carolina. The market was established after a citywide ban on public slave auctions on the street made private facilities necessary. It was closed in 1865 when the Union Army occupied Charleston. The original structure included a barracoon (slave jail for holding slaves until they could be auctioned), a kitchen, a morgue or "dead house," and the auction gallery where slaves were sold. The museum features oral history recordings taken from elderly men and women who had lived in slavery and had first-hand experience of being auctioned and sold.

One riveting account from a former slave woman talks about the day she was auctioned at the Slave Mart. She recognized a wealthy plantation owner, a judge, who was known and hated by both blacks and whites for his cruelty. He knew her to be a hard worker and bid on her. She yelled out to him in front of the whole room that he better not bid on her because she would never work on his plantation. That if he bought her she would get a knife and cut her own throat from ear to ear before she would work for him. He backed down and somebody else bought her - a family that she remained with until after the Civil War.

Other exhibits explained the economic conditions of the pre-Civil War era that led to slavery, the role of the slave trader, slave dealer and merchant, how slaves were presented for auction, and the monetary value of slaves whether man, woman, child, old or young. (A young and strong man of about 26 could sell for $1,500 which in today's money is about $30,000). It told how slaves to be auctioned were given more food or new clothing and sometimes money to get them to answer questions in a positive manner before they were put on the block. The saddest of all were the families separated, sometimes forever, because their owner needed to sell one or the other to pay off a debt.

October 27. It is raining cats and dogs. It rained hard last night and was very windy. All night long I heard things knocking on the deck, rattling, or jangling. I don't think Bob got much sleep either. The bridge that we need to go through to move further south is closed to traffic because of the weather and we hear that there are boats anchored all up and down the canal. We are very glad we got here before the weather turned. It is expected to be bad today and tomorrow but we see on our weather apps that it will be clear on Thursday when we plan to leave.

Today we drove to Patriot's Point Naval and Maritime Museum. It is home to three ships: USS Yorktown, an aircraft carrier, USS Laffey, a destroyer, and USS Clamagore, a submarine. The museum also features an outdoor exhibit on the Vietnam Era with a reconstructed hooch (men's barracks), enlisted men's mess, surgical/medical building, US Navy Bell UH-1 Iroquois helicopter, USMC Bell AH-1 Sea Cobra helicopter, and a PBR-105 river patrol boat. Anyone who has seen the movie Apocalypse Now will have seen this type of boat. I have a lot of respect for the men who lived and worked aboard these ships and who served in the wars and am still sad at the loss of life in all of the wars that these exhibits represent.
We walked through the submarine first and I marveled at the narrowness of the center hallway - two people coming from opposite directions could not pass each other comfortably - to be a submariner you would have to be young, skinny, and strong, be exceptionally even tempered, and able to work effectively under enormous stress. The men operating the torpedoes slept in cots directly above them. the galley where food was prepared for 350 people was smaller than my kitchen at home. We next visited the USS Laffey. It was known as "The ship that would not die" for her exploits during the D-Day invasion and the battle of Okinawa when she successfully withstood an assault by bombers and the most unrelenting kamikaze air attacks in history. The USS Yorktown, the third ship we visited, was commissioned in 1943 and participated in several campaigns in the Pacific Theater of Operations earning eleven battle stars and the Presidential Unit Citation. I thought that Bob's nephew James would be interested in seeing the Engine Room so took a few photos for his benefit. The only thing we did not have time to see was the Civil War era submarine, the Hunley. We will have to wait to see this on our return trip.

Tonight it's happy hour with Russ, Melody, and Bailey followed by a ice cream for dinner and then bed.
October 28. Today it is again raining cats and dogs. We are doing nothing but listening to music, reading, and getting the boat ready so we can get underway tomorrow. We went to WalMart yesterday so are fully provisioned and the laundry is done. Our only problem is that Bob's telescoping boat pole is frozen and won't telescope. We think it is because it was exposed to salt water. After working on it for about an hour, he finally got it free by pounding it with a hammer. When all else fails - brute force is sometimes the best solution except with your wife.

October 29. We left Isle of Palms this morning at 7:30 am on a journey that took us across Charleston Harbor where we connected to the ICW and then the Dawho River. On our way we passed through five bridges, two required opening on the hour or half hour, so a lot of waiting. Once we got to the Dawho River we sought out an anchorage recommended by Skipper Bob but decided to go to the South Edisto River because shoaling in the Dawho River made it impossible to navigate. The currents are strong at South Edisto River but it is a mild night, about 80 degrees, with very little wind. I made stuffed chicken breast for dinner which was much appreciated by the Captain. Tide drops are about eight feet which means careful planning when feeding out anchor rode to get the right scope. Bob is still pleased with his all-chain anchor rode and still uses the rolling half hitch on the snubber. We plan to leave in the morning for Beaufort. (In South Carolina it is pronounced BE-YOU-FERT). We will spend one night at Downtown Marina of Beaufort. Our friends Russ and Melodie from Virginia Beach, Virginia, just celebrated their half-journey mile marker to Florida. Tomorrow we will celebrate with champagne. Savannah, Georgia, is on the horizon.

October 30. We left the anchorage at 8 am for the 32 mile trip to Downtown Marina Beaufort. It is a warm 84 degrees with a 10 knot wind. We timed the currents and tide to avoid grounding out in the shallow cuts that at low tide are only four feet deep - our boat's keel is five feet. We made good time and got to the marina by 12:15. It is a lovely spot and I wish we had another day to enjoy the town. John from "Terebithia" met up with us at our anchorage and tandem sailed to the marina. After we tide up, we were very surprised and delighted to meet up again with John and Jill on their boat "Id" who we had not seen since they left us in Oriental. We will be leaving tomorrow morning for Thunderbolt Marina east of Savannah. We have made it to Georgia.

Trivia: Where did the word "starboard" come from to mean the right side of a ship? The Vikings called the sides of their ships "boards." The steering wheel was located on the right side of the boat and was called a "star." Hence, the right side of a boat is today called "starboard."

Spindrift's Photos - Main
This is the final post in my series of blogs on our trip to the Bahamas. Thank you for letting us take you with us on our trip.
46 Photos
Created 16 March 2016
Our vacation within a vacation...
39 Photos
Created 18 February 2016
36 Photos
Created 27 November 2015
51 Photos
Created 14 November 2015
21 Photos
Created 9 November 2015
42 Photos
Created 1 November 2015
17 Photos
Created 15 October 2015
25 Photos
Created 23 September 2015
6 Photos
Created 12 September 2015
This album includes photos we took and wish to share that describe the adventures of the yacht Spindrift on its inaugural trip from Connecticut to the Bahamas.
46 Photos
Created 26 August 2015

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