Cheryl's Notes:

As I write this, we are moving north towards Nassau and a hopeful crossing back to the USA. Our morale and sense of good cheer has taken a powerful bashing due to the weather conditions that we experienced here. While we are sad to leave this beautiful place, we are really yearning for home.

As we leave, I have some reflections on our time spent here. The islands are beautiful, and the people even more so. We have felt welcome and accepted in every spot that we have stopped. There is a happy ambience to the islands, and if you spend enough time here, you become family. Everyone has a smile and a greeting for you. We found it interesting how they will speak perfectly accented English to the visitors, and then turn around and slip into their own island dialect with each other. As long as we have been here, we still can't seem to understand their lingo.

All cruisers know that VHF is the lifeline to all things that matter. Where do you get provisions? What day does the provision boat get in? Which marina has fuel? Where can you get a propane tank filled? Where do you get free water? In the central Exumas, rush hour starts right after June of Blue Yonder gives the local weather at eight fifteen. Then VHF 16 lights up with everyone hailing their fellow boaters to find out what the days agenda will hold. At nine o'clock sharp, Darcy's cheerful voice comes on with her "Welcome to Exuma Park" speech. We know it by heart after spending two months here. All day long the chatter fills the airwaves. "Jason, Jason, come back". "Chubby, Chubby, come in Chubby." Staniel Cay, Sampson Cay, Compass Cay yacht clubs, come back." The VHF is one big party line and everyone listens in. You hail another boat, pick a channel to switch to, and every boat in a 10 mile radius switches with you. They want to know if you have secret information about hidey holes, which stores have the best produce and where the best fishing or snorkeling or seashell spots are . You learn to never say anything over the airwaves that your wouldn't want published in the newspaper or internet. You also learn to pick a predetermined channel with the boats that you are traveling with, and refer to is as our channel, but never specifically by number. That way you can talk about that great anchorage to hide from westerly's, and not have ten other boats rushing to get there before you do.

Then there are the name of the boats down here. We have heard boats with clever names and some that you just shake your head over. Aquasition and Liquid Asset are cool, but who names their boat Chicken Swell? And if that isn't really the name of the boat, they should have considered how it would sound on the radio. We have discovered that registered boats in Canada cannot have the same name. So, if you want to name your boat Windswept, and the name is taken, you have to add a number at the end. Some end up shortening their names for ease of use on the radio and some use code names to fly under the radar. Windswept IV becomes W4, and then we have the Norwegian contingent with Uff Da 1 through Uff Da 6. (Arne of Scandia wanted to be number six because that is pronounced sex in Norwegian.) We heard Soggy Mattress, Busted Arteries, and Wasted Childhood all calling each other one day. You know that there has to be a good story behind those names, but we were never privy to it.

We did not get to all of the places that we wanted to go, but were able to spend quality time exploring the places that we did get to. We felt that was more important than spending our time on fast forward and missing out on the good stuff. We are glad that we did it our way. What part would we have cut short? Next time that we make this trip, we will find new places to explore and add them to our list of favorites.

On a personal note: Happy birthday, Megan. You are my pride and joy, and get more beautiful with every passing year. I can't wait to get home to see you. And, happy anniversary John. It has been three amazing years, and never a dull moment. Without you, I would never have been able to go on this adventure. To all of our other Irish friends and relatives, (and those that wish they were Irish) happy St. Patrick's Day.

John's Notes:

Today is our anniversary. Almost every day I am reminded by one or more of my cruising buddies about how lucky I am to have Cheryl and my partner in crime. Tonight, we had dinner with a single friend of ours (Joe from "Onward") who would probably give his eye teeth to have someone like Cheryl to share this adventure with. Note to Joe: I'm not on the critical list just yet................lol.

We are finally on our way home. For several reasons, I can't wait to get back. For other reasons, I wish we could have stayed forever. The people we have met along the way have been amazing.

It has been so long since we have been in what most of us consider "civilization" that once here in Nassau, we decided to have dinner at an Outback Steak House. We both were craving red meat. It was absolutely a glorious meal. The service was fantastic. The servers all got together and performed a "Bahamian" Happy Anniversary song, complete with percussion instruments. All of this much to the surprise of the other patrons. In retrospect, we were slightly overcharged for dinner but who really cared when you consider how they treated us. It was worth the extra $30.00 for the entertainment value. Note: There really isn't any free dessert............

On another subject..............

Everyone is tired of the weather and I'm tired about writing about it. It has, however, invoked a couple of new concept when it comes to sleeping arrangements. Our friend Joe aboard "Onward" has developed the "Spread Eagle-Splat" position to keep himself in his bunk. I'm a strong proponent of that position as well. Cheryl, on the other hand, likes the "U-Shaped Wedge." Everyone has to have their own way of dealing with the constant pitching and rolling of the boat to keep from getting bashed to pieces while trying fruitlessly to get some sleep.

The last couple of nights, while assuming the "position" I had plenty of time to think about boat things. One of the topics that came to mind regarded tools. I have lots of tools aboard. I've estimated that I even know what about 75% of them are for. That is not to be confused with the idea that I can demonstrate proficiency with that percentage. I'm reminded that an old sailing friend of ours from Bayfield, Dennis Brekke, used to regularly embarrass me on the dock when he got wind of the fact that I was working on a boat project. He would tell everyone, "Well, I hope he isn't going to use tools." That criticism coming from someone whose credentials were just a tool box short of being a NASCAR mechanic himself. But we had fun with it.

So, back to my complement of tools. My favorite took or kit is a "Stubby Ratchet-Socket Set." The kit includes both metric and SAE sockets and the ratchet has an articulated head that allows it to work in just about any orientation. This is a great set because it gives you tool access to those tight, hard to reach places, which is just about everywhere you would want to use a tool on a boat. I first saw this kit at West Marine for $34.95. After lusting over it for a half hour, I decided to defer my purchase. Glad about that decision. A week later I'm at Home Depot and see the identical, including the unique packaging, kit for $15.49. Now I was forced to buy it. You didn't have to be a tool and die maker to figure out that whoever makes this kit does so on a private label basis for whoever wants to sell them.

One of the regular maintenance jobs aboard our boat is changing the zinc in our heat exchanger. If you had unobstructed access to the nut that has to be removed and replaced, the total time for the task would be less than one minute. Aboard Leprechaun, however, it usually took a half hour and involved Cheryl, who has smaller hands than I do. With the "Stubby Ratchet Set" however, that time would be reduced considerable and without injury to ones knuckles. That was how I justified the purchase.

I could hardly wait till the next time we had to change the zinc. Armed with my new socket and ratchet I began to loosen the nut. After about two half turns, the socket came off the ratchet and fell into the sump under the engine. It took quite awhile to fish it out and put it back on the ratchet. Again, after a couple of half turns the socket fell off the ratchet and had to be retrieved. By now, my knuckles are all banged up from digging under the engine for the socket. Wasn't this why I bought this kit in the first place?

After finally finishing the project I discovered the source of the problem. Not really being a took guy I don't know what you call it, but, it's the little button on the ratchet that holds the socket in place was malfunctioning. I fiddled with it for awhile but couldn't get it to work. As I looked closer at the socket set I noticed that it was made in China. A closer look at all my tools revealed that most of them were made in China. I suppose I shouldn't be surprised. We really don't make anything in this country anymore. And, being the cheap sailor that I am, I usually buy tools that match my ability to use them. It's not like I'm spending Saturday morning at Sears discussing Craftsman tools with Bob Villa. Most people would just shudder at the mention of my name and "Craftsman" in the same sentence.

As my mind pondered the tool situation, I was thinking that we must export raw sewage to China. Once there, clever Chinese engineers and designers repackage the same old "shit" and send it back to us disguised as "Stubby Ratchet-Socket Sets" or various other tools.

I have to admit, that after realizing what the problem was with the ratchet set, I didn't really learn very much. If I had, I wouldn't be missing the 3/8" socket out of the Stubby kit, along with a 3" extension from yet another "Made in China" kit. Those tools now reside at the bottom of South River where my friend Paul and I were working on my outboard motor for the dingy last summer. At least they weren't "Craftsman." That would have really ruined my day.