Seven thousand miles of outstanding cruising since November 2008 means it's time to do a little renovation and more planning for the future. Find out what ...
At first glance this video clip might look like some cruiser's regatta underway in choppy seas whipped up by high winds, but look closer... all the boats are swinging on their anchors in Elizabeth harbor in Georgetown, Great Exuma. There were upwards of 250 boats gathered for the famous Georgetown regatta week. The highest wind speed clocked that day, as we were subjected to another norther passing through, was 50 knots. Amazingly, or perhaps because the holding is good, no boat dragged on its anchor and only one dinghy escaped, to be recaptured by an intrepid young sailor who charged off after it like a rodeo cowboy, returning it to its fretful owners within minutes.
It is easy to just anchor where the crowd is gathered and assume that it will be a reasonable anchorage in a blow. We had done exactly that and although we did not drag, the wind and waves were so high that MANDY pitched repeatedly onto the bottom at low tide. We also sustained some major chafe; ΒΌ inch groves in our Samson posts worn by the snubber line, which the next day had to be cut off with a knife; it had bourn so much stress. Needless to say, before the next blow we found ourselves a deeper, more protected, less crowded hidey hole.
Having spent 30 years in the racehorse business we felt it was time for a different kind of adventure.
Both originally from England we have sailed for fun for over 30 years. We have owned MANDY for five of those and are planning to head south for Mexico etc. in November 2008 - ready or not. [...]
When we get to Panama we will decide which way to turn; through the canal or across the big puddle. The eventual goal, whether by boat or not, is Galicia in north-west Spain where we have a ruined farm cottage and barn (pictures in the galleries) that we plan to restore.
We love our 3 grown children and our parents but this window of time is reserved just for us. It has been a long time coming. World economy sucks. So what?