Hello Family and Friends,

It is May 1st. Valkyrie left Venice on Thursday. The wind had been blowing hard from the south for two days. As we left the safety of Venice Jetty the sight of large waves crashing against the breakwater gave me a thrill and a bit of reservation. I watched the surfers catching the best waves of the year and wondered if we would be able to handle it. Well if we couldn't it would at least be a great test of what this old girl can do. We did fine motoring straight into the waves. Big steep six foot blocks of waves. Bam bam crash crash. Not bad. I unfurled the sails half way and cracked off to a tight reach. The boat heeled over slightly and then rolled back. With each large wave I heard all the provisions shifting. I wondered if I had secured the three extra heavy anchors sufficiently or were they about to throw themselves at something and really do some damage. I imagined the four cases of wine and what a mess it would be if one by one they all broke leaking along the bilge. I heard a large crash and went to investigate. Books thrown to the floor, cushions tossed on top, various unsecured odds and ends scattered everywhere and the two chairs knocked over. My quaint cozy home for the past two years looked like a bar room brawl had just occurred. After only thirty minutes of mayhem we turned Valkyrie around and the exhilarating downwind reach back to Venice soothed my ego. I patted Valkyrie's beautiful teak trim at the helm and told her she had done just fine. The decision to turn back and head south through the safety if the Intercostal Waterway was a good one.

My good friend from college steered Val south down the ICW to a pleasant anchorage off Useppa Island while I straightened up the carnage below decks. Chuck and I went to DU together and after college, he raced J-24s with me. We have spent lots of time together racing boats in all sorts of crazy weather. So neither of us thought much about what we had just been through. Looking back it was just another wild exciting adventure on the water. We dinghied over to Cabbage Key Inn for a cold beer and to celebrate the beginning of our cruise. Hundreds of fishermen had assembled here for a tournament and this added a new element to what is usually a quaint and sleepy island.

We awoke to fine day. Winds were expected to ease up and come from the northeast which would make for a delightful overnight sail down to Marathon. Remembering the waves from the previous day we decided to go down the ICW and exit to the Gulf of Mexico at Ft Myers late in the afternoon. This would allow those big waves to settle down before going outside again. We navigated south along the ICW and hit the Miserable Mile at slack making what is normally a ripping current a non event.

The sun was getting low on the horizon as we passed Ft Myers and entered the freedom of the large Gulf of Mexico. We felt excitement again at the anticipated overnight sail ahead of us. A beautiful sunset. Chuck quoted the old saying "Red sky at night, sailor's delight. I should have knocked on wood.

We were making 6 knots but the sky was darkening over the mainland. As we passed Cape Sable we were seeing lots of lightning to our port. A squall was heading our way. We shortened sail and readied ourselves for a blow. Not too bad but as the waves grew and the heading required a closer reach memories of the previous day forced us to crack off to a broad reach. Instead of Marathon it looked like we were headed for Key West. But the path of least resistance is sometimes best. All night we watched the storms over the mainland brewing but they never reached us. It was a harrowing but wonderful night of sailing. We felt the accomplishment as we entered the channel into Key West. Tired from a sleepless night, we made a good but difficult decision to press on to an anchorage half way to Marathon.

The guide book tells of a peaceful anchorage called Saddle Brunch with a minimum of 6 feet of water and a nice 8 foot area to drop the hook. As we were about to enter the tight channel I noticed the current ripping out and turned the boat around. Something said don't do it. We anchored just off the entrance and had a quick swim. We took the dinghy in to check the depth. As we lead lined the center of the channel the readings got smaller and smaller "7 feet, 6.5 feet, 6 feet (with two months of provisions Valkyrie draws almost 6 feet) 5 feet 6 inches. We dodged another bullet. Had we tried to enter this peaceful little anchorage we would have run aground. We pressed on to the next anchorage a few hours away from Marathon. Bahia Honda I love you. What a great spot. Easy as you can get to enter and we had it all to ourselves. It was heaven after thirty four hours of not so easy sailing. Anchor down and a second one for the tide change. We had a glass of chardonnay and a dip before making dinner. We were treated to an amazing lightening show just off to our port. Same as last night but this time were in a secure anchorage rather than out at sea. Slept hard and awoke at 5:00 to close the hatch because a light rain had started. Ten minute later it stopped but the night had chilled the air and it was comfortable with only the ports open. Another hour of sleep and wearily got out of the bunk. I am not getting old, I am not getting old, I am not getting old. Repeat this mantra until convinced.

The wind had picked up overnight and it was again blowing hard form the east. We had a slow slog into 15 to 20 knots for three hours to Marathon but Valkyrie handles straight into the waves well. The spray shot out from her bow to either side but she is built sturdy and you feel secure on this tack. We set up trolling rod to catch dinner. Maybe a nice Mahi Mahi

Hello Family and Friends,

It is May 3rd. I'm sitting on the foredeck. Sun is setting off the transom so this spot is in the shade. The spacious aft deck with the comfortable deck chairs is in the sun and so I am hunkered against the pilot house in the shade.

My good friend Chuck left yesterday with a tear in his eye. I will surely miss him. I am not sure why he will miss this lifestyle seeing as he is sporting at least a dozen new cuts, bruises and abrasions. To get internet service I have taken a large salad bowl and lined it with aluminum foil; placed my very cool Wi-Fi booster in front of it and aimed it at the houses that line the banks of Boot Key Harbor. From my salad bowl to yours. Those sweet unsuspecting people have provided me with my first opportunity to be a real pirate. Arghhh.

Jacques joined me to help me sail to the far waters of the Bahamas. It is only about an hour plane ride but it takes 45 years to sail there. Here's how the math works. I dreamed of sailing to the Bahamas since I was 8 years old. 53 - 8 = 45. As the boat sails it is about 700 nautical miles from Venice Florida where I keep Valkyrie. Averaging 6 knots it should take only a little over 100 hours right? Well it took Chuck and me six days to go the first 200 miles. Don't ask. Jacques and I planned to leave Florida today and cross the world's most mighty stream. Wait a minute. Did he just say the most mighty stream in the world? Look it up. The Gulf Stream sends an unimaginable amount of water between Florida and the Bahamas. And this stream can be as gentle as a backyard pond. But when the wind blows hard with any North in its direction it can pile up the seas and they become big white elephants. As a result yours truly is waiting it out here in FL until further notice.

I have friends in the Bahamas that I wanted to keep posted on my ETA so they could join me with their boat and greet me. Pretty cool, a sailing greeting party. Kind of like when Christopher Columbus came back from discovering the New World. That's how I am going to feel when I get there. Anyway, every few hours as the wind forecast has been updated, I sent a new email informing them of my updated day of arrival. A week ago it was on the 6th. Yesterday morning it was on the 7th. Last night it was on the 6th. This afternoon it was on the 8th. Tonight I am not going to send an update because that's all I seem to do. As they say, "I'll see when I see you".

This afternoon as we wait out a cold front (how can it be a cold front when it is 90 degrees out) I went to shore to get better internet service as well as giving me an excuse to dinghy past hundreds of sailboats. I like to read the names and ports where the people are from. I also like critique in my mind all the good and bad of each one. Every boat has its good and bad, even Valkyrie. I guess it's the same with people but I don't do that with people. Maybe I should. I love how everyone waves. They are so happy to do this simple gesture. People don't do that when they drive their cars. Maybe they should. It would be a great upper arm exercise. Everyone hangs out in this one meeting place. It kind of looks like a greyhound bus station on the water. Not too glamorous. Everyone had their laptop and they were all busy with stuff. You know. Catching up with the world. No one seemed to be talking to anyone until I asked a guy a question about the weather. My voice carried further than I though. As my new friend Steve taught me about GRIB and isobars and stuff, Dave and his wife came over to add their knowledge. Pretty soon I had a convention of sailors all sharing useful tricks of the trade. So helpful are sailors to each other. The charm lies in the people. That's what I like. The people. and the dolphins. Lots of dolphins around here. Not in the harbor. They are too smart to be caught in a harbor like this. But the people love it.

I finally gave up trying to be the weatherman and paid a fee to have the most famous marine forecaster in the Bahamas tell me exactly when to leave for the Bahamas. I can now get something else done other than poring over report after report although I must say I can now read one pretty well.

My but hurts from sitting too long on this hard foredeck typing away. The sun is almost setting so I am going to sign off and do some sun salutations and stretch this weary tired, sore, stiff bruised, scratched, cut, and useful body.

Dear Family and Friends,

It's May 6th and we are crossing the Great Bahama Bank making our way east towards the Northwest Channel and on to Nassau. I am writing you from Valkyrie's helm. Jacques down below deck taking a well deserved siesta. With age comes wisdom and he's conserving his energy for the overnight passage over the Tongue of the Ocean. The sky is brilliant with little puffy clouds and we are on a tight reach with all sails full and the ships engine is at a low RPM doing. We are making 6.5 knots. They describe going over this bank like crossing the surface of an aquarium. You can see the bottom and all its creatures and sea life quite clearly. The water is turquoise or a light jade. Hold it. Fish on. Gotta go. It was a two foot barracuda. I released it. The noise woke Jacques up.

Two days ago we left Marathon early with the intention of going to Key Largo before making the jump across the Straights of Florida (aka the Gulf Stream). Funny how fast your plans can change when cruising. The forecast for the day was 15 knots from the northeast. Too much wind to cross but we could head up Hawk's Channel inside the barrier reef and make it a bit shorter crossing. We needed verification that the lighter than forecast winds would hold making it possible to cross with no danger (relatively speaking). I placed a call on my Iridium Satellite Phone to my private weather forecaster Chris Parker to ask him if the lighter wind would hold. Chris is famous. He is the best known weather forecaster in the Caribbean and everyone listens in to his forecasts on there Single Side Band Radios. These radios allow sailors to hear each other thousands of miles away. Sometimes the voice sounds like a NASA communication from Darth Vader. He said it looks good (10 knots at most from the northeast) and we should take it. So all of a sudden instead of a nice little cruise up Hawk's Channel we are going to make the big leap instead. I have been getting ready for this moment for a long time. I envisioned doing it on a very calm day. But the next very calm day might be a week away. So this was it. We had to go.

We headed the boat east towards the barrier reef and spotted Tennessee Reef Light. Just then the reel went zzzzzzzzz. This was the first fish of the trip. Very exciting. I imagined a tuna. It was a Spanish mackerel. We will keep him. After all a bird in the hand.... Anyway Jacques was a professional chef in his former life and can make anything taste good. I remember eating Mackerel when I was a kid and do not have fond memories of the experience. I have not had to clean a fish since I was ten years old. I got brand new fillet knife out. The one I bought at Costco. It said on the package that it was the last fillet knife you will ever buy. Well it was the only I ever bought. Just then a siren goes WUUOO WUOO. I look up from the fish and the US Border Patrol Boat is right behind us and they tell us to prepare to be boarded. Everything was happening too fast. What did I do wrong? Are you not allowed to fish near the reef? Couldn't be that. They put out a fender and two really big armed guys jumped from boat to boat. I put on my deferential polite act. I said "Welcome aboard Valkyrie gentlemen". They did not smile. The one guy said "Are you carrying anything illegal"? "No Sir". Are you carrying more than $10,000 aboard"? I said "I wish." The littler of the two (still huge) went below. I followed. He said stay above decks while I do my search. I did not think that was right but I did not really care. The one that stayed above deck sat down on the new cooler that I just bought at Costco (I know) and kept his hand on the trigger of his gun at all times. We chatted. The whole time Valkyrie is making 6.5 knots towards the Bahamas and my fish is getting sunburn on the swim platform. I wondered how much more nasty the Mackerel was going to taste after this treatment. I guess I will be using it as bait. I really was not looking forward to easting it anyway. "All clear". They jumped back onto their patrol boat and went back to keeping our borders safe.

We were now out in the open waters and the gulf stream was clearly marked on the charts as a sign of warning at least that is how I saw it. The wind had freshened to about 12 knots but it was still not too bad. Except that the seas were getting more confused. There seemed to be eddies that were a bit alarming. I envisioned the picture of the poor fishing boat caught in a whirlpool in on the recent tsunami off Japan's coast. Stop it. This is nothing. The sun set but there were ominous storm clouds covering up the western sky.

Just then the reel went zzzzzzzzzzz, even louder than the last one. Could it be the dinner bell? I reeled in three foot Mahi Mahi. Even on the dark the fish was an unreal iridescent green. I felt bad to take the life of such a beautiful creature but the thought of the delicious meal it would make made it less sad. Jacques pronounces Mahi Mahi "mawimawi" all one word. I like it so that's what I say now when I catch Mahi Mahi. I wrapped the fish in a clean towel to help stabilize the cleaning process on the pitching deck. I cleaned my first Mahi Mahi. I did a very poor job. Jacques took a picture which I attached to this email.

The wind picked up to 15 knots. As the Jetson's dog Astro used to say, "Ruckro George", I said "Ruckro Chris" but he did not hear me because it was midnight and he was fast asleep in his cozy island bed while Jacques and I battled the seas by ourselves. With 15 knots from the northeast the seas build up in the Gulf Stream because the strong northerly current is opposing the wind. They say never go out there if the wind is over 10 knots from any direction with north in it. But we were already committed - too far to turn back. The seas were building and we decided to head towards Andros Island rather than staying in the current and having it help us towards Bimini. It would be safer on the west side of the gulf stream even though it would take us longer with out the help of a knot northerly current. I calculated how long it would take us to get to Bimini. We had weighed anchor in Marathon at 7:30 and we would get into Bimini just before sunrise the next day. Around 4:00 in the morning the waves calmed down as we reached the lee shore of the Bahamas. I had two hours of rest but was not tired and as we entered Alice town in Bimini to anchor and clear customs, I felt nothing but exhilaration and a sense of joy.

Goodbye for now.

Peter

Hello Friends and Family,

I think its May 7. It's hard it keep track of time anymore. It is all blurring together. We made it into Nassau from Bimini after sailing for 24 hours. As I write you, we are only two hours from Highborne Cay in the Exumas and have been have been under way for 36 hours with very little sleep. We are crossing our second Bahama Bank. This time we were squeezing between two very shallow banks; White Bank and Yellow Bank. There is barely a ripple on the bank today and it is truly like skimming across an aquarium. You can see everything on the bottom just 15 feet below the surface. Visibility here in the Bahamas can be one hundred feet so 15 feet to the bottom is crystal clear.

I did something good today. I fixed the engine. Three hours from our destination we are in the middle this shallow bank ten miles from the nearest shore. The engine started bogging down. I looked at the oil pressure and it showed 20 PSI; something was wrong down there. I named the engine Brutus. I shut Brutus down and we drifted. This might have saved the engine. I called my good friend and mentor Captain Rick. We decided to do an oil change. No small job at the marina and we are out in the middle of the Bahamas. Oil change done and I am now as lubricated as I ever want to be. Oil all over me. I turned over the engine. It caught and then stalled. It would not start. Captain Rick was now busy in St Petersburg sailing a group of twenty guests aboard a luxury yacht. I called my good friend (it's nice to have good friends that know stuff) and marine mechanic Kasey and he told me to bleed the engine. I have been bleeding a lot on this trip so what's a little more blood amongst friends. I asked Jacques for a 7/16 wrench. That was when he noticed the dead bird.

Last night while sailing down the Tongue of the Ocean, a small bird landed on our deck. It was exhausted. It hung out in the cockpit with us for a while and then it flew down the companionway and nestled on the lower helm station. It was so sweet. Taking refuge from the wind and seas. And now it was dead. We gave it a burial at sea and we circled the little creature. Jacques said to sound the horn as a memorial and I sounded the ships horn. One loud hoooonnnnk. It was appropriate for our brave little friend. So that explains the bad luck with the engine.

I bled the engine. It did not start. I bled it again. Nothing. I bled it a third time. I am now covered with diesel which went nicely with the oil. I now know what a Ford Lehman 120 feels like. It's not all bad once you get used to it. And to think just a week ago I was quite fastidious. I used to call myself a Felix. I am now an Oscar. I bled it a fourth time. Nothing. Jacques gave that look. He a French Canadian and can do that kind of thing well. I said "give it another try Jacques." Voila! We are back in business. Brutus roared back to life and sounded strong and steady. Brutus is an old tractor engine and he sounds unique, like an old tractor engine can sound. Looks like we won't be stranded at sea after all. I can see Highborne just a few miles away. I will send this email as well as the one I wrote yesterday but had no way of sending it. So I hope all is well in your world. Mine is AOK.

Hello family and friends,

It is May 14th. Kate just arrived from Miami after a long ordeal. It's not always easy to get to paradise via airline. Kate left Denver two days ago in a snow storm (snow storm in May - no way). She was flying to LA to catch the red eye to Miami. That was the only way she could get a free ticket and not do a hotel in Miami. Well it turned out after missing her connection in LA she did a hotel in Miami anyway. Welcome to the Bahamas after 36 hours of travel. Kate and I are having a little celebration right now so gotta go.

I attached a couple of pictures.

Bye for now.

Peter

Peter

Hello Family and Friends,

It is Wednesday May 25th. My dear little one Kate, AKA Tator, Bug or Roo (like the little kangaroo in Winnie the Pooh) left yesterday. It was sad to see her go. I miss her sassy self and am already thinking of the next time I can get her to come sailing with me.

So you might be wondering what life is like aboard a boat in the Bahamas? Well first of all it is not easy. Particularly for a newbie cruiser. I am not new to sailing. I am not new to being on the water for a week or two. But after four weeks of life aboard a boat that is constantly moving from anchorage to anchorage, this is something I did not anticipate. It is wonderful, exhausting, thrilling, tiring, and it is hard to explain. This is a very different way to live. The relaxing moments are seldom but they are treasures. Like right now. I have a glass of Chardonnay, computer on my lap. The sun is setting. Hannah is reading her third book of the trip. Music is playing. Wind is gentle and soothing. The sweet lapping of wavelets against the hull. Poetry. It want last long but right now, this is what I dreamed about in that arm chair back in Denver.

I think my favorite thing about this life is the camaraderie that we find amongst the fellow vagabonds of the sea. Hannah and I met a couple that befriended us yesterday and we shared lunch and dinner with them. They lent us DVD's and I showed them how to tune their Single Side Band Radio. I forgot my laundry in the dryer. I came back to find it meticulously folded. Today Hannah and I dinghied past a fantastic 55 foot catamaran. Two blond haired kids and there mom were on deck. I asked what kind of cat it was. The mom invited Hannah and I aboard for a tour. It happens all the time. I say hello to someone say the next thing you know I have a new friend. A small dog walked slowly down the steps to greet us. It did not stop ant the transom but without hesitation stepped aboard our rocking dinghy and climbed into my lap. People for the most part are super friendly and trusting. The dad was back home in Guatemala for a couple of weeks and this mom home alone with two kids thought nothing of inviting two total strangers into her home. That does not happen on land. Not very often anyway. Here it is the norm.

Earlier today we made the always difficult decision to leave the safety of a harbor. There is some threatening weather from Cuba making everyone nervous about longer jumps but ours was only a two hour jump down the Exuma Sound and Conch Cut into Elizabeth Harbor is passable even in a squall so we left the safety of Emerald Bay Marina (think of the Emerald City in the Wizard of Oz) with small squall clouds just off to port. I wondered how the morning would turn out. Would we have a nice sail out in the open waters or would it get ugly. You make a judgment call after absorbing three forecasts and hope you are right. We were right today. As we pulled into Elizabeth Harbor the clouds started losing that nasty face and soon after setting anchor we were seeing blue skies and a relief of another safe passage. Blue water sailors would laugh at this small gesture of a passage, but with precious cargo like your daughter aboard and an antique boat that is also my house, it is different. I also want to make it a good experience for my little ones. Today was perfect.

I am catching the aroma of garlic from the galley. Hannah is cooking pasta tonight and I think I will pour another glass of Chardonnay and celebrate life aboard Valkyrie.

Goodbye for now from the Bahamas,

Peter

Valkyrie went onto the hard this fall for a complete blister abatement at Snead Island Boatworks. I knew when I purchased her four years ago that she would eventually have to have this work done. The process begins with a planer that removes the gelcoat and exposes the blisters. The blisters are ground out until good sound fiberglass is all that remains. Then the boat sits and waits until the hull is very dry. This can take many months. Valkyrie had a good low moisture reading to begin with so her dry time will be less than most boats they see. When her moisture reading is close to that of new boats (below 10) her blisters will be filled and she will then be painted with a water barrier paint followed by antifouling bottome paint. Of course as long as she was out of the water and out of commission for a few months, she is going to get a bunch of additional work done including: replacing the Lasdrop dripless stuffing box, paint the bowsprit, pilot house roof, repaint the undersides of the strikes, touch up paint where needed including inside of dorados. Replace five windows in main salon and install a new hatch in the pilot house roof to allow good ventilation for mail salon while anchored, recaulk and paint the cabin top and intrument cowling, take all teak down to bare wood and varnish with Schooner, replace both heads and all sanitation hoses, replace Lectrasan, install new chartplotter and radar, replace steps on stern boarding ladder and resecure teak treads, polish fuel in all tanks, flush radiator, change all fluids, replace all fuel hoses and install a new fuel management manifold, work and lubricate all throughhull fittings and replace as needed, replace and rewire port and starboard running lights and replace all four 8D house batteries as well as generator battery. Have a new custom awning made that will cover the entire pilot house (area between main and mizzen) to keep saloon cooler during the hot months. Replace all running halyards all sheets. Replace her two air conditioner water pumps with one larger one tying the two systems together to eliminating the extra water strainer and replace the main cabin's air conditioner condenser. Install some new mood lighting in main stateroom and recover the headboard with a beautiful imported rug material and replace all bedding. Install new RO fresh water filtration system and replace the fresh water expansion tank. I am looking forward to getting her back in the water and return to the Bahamas for the third year of cruising.

Valkyrie is an Island Trader 46. I purchased her in 2009. After three years, most of the systems have been replaced or updated. Her wooden masts were pulled and repainted As well as the booms and spreaders. There was some rot at the base of the mizzen so new wood was scarfed to fix it. The standing rigging and life lines were replaced. Her hull was repainted as well as her bilges and all of her sea cocks were either rebuilt or replaced. She was outfitted with five solar panels that are able to keep up with her electrical needs (air conditioning excluded). Her charger inverter was replaced and much of her wiring was updated, including all of her outlets, new battery switches, battery cables and all of her batteries were replaced with new AGM's. A new LED tri-color masthead light was installed on the mainmast as well as a state of the art radar reflector on the mizzen. Her bow thruster and heat exchanger were rebuilt and her transmission cooler and alternater was replaced. Most of her hoses have been replaced along with her auto pilot, chart plotter, radar and depth sounder. Her high water alarm was replaced and her bilge pumps were reconfigured so she now has two new automatic pumps and one manual pump. Her sails had never even been used. New Sunbrella was installed on her sails and canvas awnings were custom built so that her entire deck can be sheltered from rain and sun. Wind scoops were custom made for both for her forward and aft hatches. All of her ports received new glass and the gaskets were all replaced. The glass in her salon was replaced with fixed units eliminating the problem associated with sliding windows and rain. All of her floors teak were refinished with epoxy and varnish. New curtains were made for all of her ports and side windows. She has a new RIB which was fitted with chaps and the old outboard was replaced with a new 8hp Tahatsu four stroke. Her dorados were redesigned to work properly. Her two bow anchors were replaced with larger ones that are suitable for a 70' boat. There so many additional improvements that have been made to her over the past three years it would and does fill a book. Valkyrie is now a very capable and dependable motor sailor that is closing in on Bristol condition. With her teak trim and classic motor sailor looks she gets a lot of attention.