Our New Spot
17 August 2009 | Stuart, FL
Well we made the decision to go ahead and make a move to Stuart, Fl from Charleston. Hopefully I will have a little better opportunity to find something to do to replenish the " cruising kitty. And it allows us to spend time with our family, who is located in Jupiter.
The trip was a LONG two eeks on the ICW. We decided to come down the ditch to avoid the afternoon storms that were offshore pretty much every afternoon. The wind was on the nose pretty much the entire way so it was a forty mile per day trip. But we were not in a great hurry so it wasn't bad.
The new marina is real nice and we will be here until we head for the islands for the winter. And now going to the islands will consist of a 56 mile trip across the gulf stream rather than a two week trip down the ICW
Home Again
05 July 2009 | Bohicket Marina
7-5-09
Bohicket Marina, SC
Well it has been awhile since updates, but we have just been busy!!!
After the usual things done in Nassau we did in deed head for the Berrys. Hoffmans Cay was the destination for S/V Kokopelli and us. It was a bit windy and rolly going across the tongue of the ocean, but just made for a quick ride. We went in the cut at Little Harbor and headed up for Hoffmans.
It is such a nice anchorage there. It has always kinda amazed me why more people don't use this spot. We had it all to ourselves, (Kokopelli and us). We climbed the hill to the "Blue Hole" and jumped off the cliff a number of times and actually remembered to bring mask and fins. It is a really good time snorkel the hole.
The weather turned a bit nasty and pinned us down, with the only movement being in the lee of the islands. So we moved from island to island with trips to "Flo's Conch Bar" for the occasional beer and dinner. Chester is a GREAT host, and really does have some of, if not the best, cracked conch in the Bahamas. And $3.00 Kaliks, so I would definitely recommend a stop there!!!
After a week or so, the weather broke and we headed for, Great Stirrup. We anchored under the lighthouse and did the usual stroll on the island and satellite tracking station. Then headed around the north end and headed for Great Harbor for an overnight stay.
The next day we headed for Cat Cay south of Bimini. It was a LONG day of motoring across the windless banks!!!
Gulf Stream Crossing
Well this is where we had to separate from our dear friends on "S/V Kokopelli" as they were headed for the Fl. Keys and we are headed north. Our destination was Lake Worth/ Port of Palm Beach. Other than the usual afternoon thunderstorms it was a routine crossing, with us coming into the port around 1700 hrs. The only exciting thing was when I decided to try some buttons on the VHF and ended up getting a call from the Coast Guard concerning our safety. I am not allowed to push any buttons on the radio, with out prior approval from the "Admiral" after that little incident!!!!!!!
ICW
We had a great visit with our family in Jupiter, and then continued up the ICW north. The only two events worth mentioning were when we ALMOST got struck by lightning, Close enough to get a metallic taste in our mouths, the second was when we encountered a nuclear sub coming in St. Mary's and passing us. It was REALLY to see the orchestration of the tugs escorting her in and all the security around them, and due to proximity us!!!!!
SO we are back in the marina safe and sound and tending to things that need to be done and it is HOT
We were gone for approximately five months, with 5 weeks being spent in Ft. Lauderdale, and the rest in the islands. It was a really nice season with memories never to be forgotten. Our total mileage was 1932 nautical miles this year!!!!!!!!
Back in Nassau
13 May 2009 | Nassau
5-13-09
Nassau, Bahamas
After Cambridge we sailed up to Allen's Cay. Alan on "Kokopelli" knew of some very nice reefs for snorkeling and hunting. I chased a big grouper around for what seemed to be a mile. Finally he went into a hole, so I figured now is my chance! When I went down I did not see him but I did see a large blue striped grunt, so I harvested him instead.
Diane ate the grunt while I ate conch fritters which Liz made. That night I figured I would try to catch a shark or ray just for the sport of it. Well at about ten o'clock, (cruiser's midnight), I remembered I had left the pole in the water. When I went up to reel it in there was a huge "Mutton Snapper" on the line. He measured 27 inches and weighed about 15 pounds. So we now have dolphin, and snapper on board!!!
After that we headed over to Nassau for fuel and re-provisioning before heading out for the Berrys Islands. So we should be back in the states by some time in June!!!!!