Moonraker

This blog chronicles the adventures of the sailing vessel Moonraker. We just finished the second year of our cruising life. We explored the US East Coast from Maine to Florida, the Bahamas, Haiti, PR, and the Virgin Islands.

19 May 2016 | Port Annapolis Marina, Annapolis, MD
06 April 2016 | Port Annapolis Marina, Annapolis, MD
13 February 2016 | Port Annapolis Marina, Annapolis, MD
21 January 2016 | Port Annapolis Marina, Annapolis, MD
09 December 2015 | Port Annapolis Marina, Annapolis, MD
05 November 2015 | Annapolis, Maryland
22 October 2015 | Annapolis, Maryland
01 October 2015 | Annapolis, Maryland
14 August 2015 | Annapolis, Maryland
15 July 2015 | Annapolis, Maryland
08 June 2015 | Hillsmere Shores Marina, Annapolis, Maryland
26 May 2015 | Annapolis, Maryland
14 May 2015 | Annapolis, Maryland
09 March 2015 | Annapolis, Maryland
17 February 2015 | Annapolis, Maryland
08 January 2015 | Annapolis, Maryland
08 December 2014 | Annapolis, Maryland
31 October 2014 | Annapolis, Maryland
20 October 2014 | Annapolis, Maryland
04 October 2014 | Port Annapolis Marina, Annapolis, Maryland

First Anchorage in the Bahamas

06 February 2013 | Great Stirrup Cay, Berry Islands, Bahamas
Donna
We left Bimini on Tuesday morning and were on our way. Our way was eighty eight miles across the Great Bahama Bank. We couldn't do it all in one day but you always have to come into an anchorage in daylight. Our options were to anchor in the shallower part of the ocean we were crossing, or to leave late enough in the day and go through the night. The wind was very calm so it wasn't going to be a sailboat ride either way. We all agreed to anchor for the night. We dropped the anchor right after sunset, thirty five miles from any land. It was a bit of a rolly night, but it could have been much worse. Today we headed back out right after breakfast. Two days of just seeing water all around us. This afternoon as we got close to our destination, Great Stirrup Cay (pronounced Key in the Bahamas), we saw a cruise ship anchored in front of the island. We are now in the Berry Islands. The water has been beautiful, we have seen a couple of flying fish, and a couple of power boats and fishing boats, but not much else. We are now anchored behind the island. Bill's brother Guy was quick to jump in the water and swim around but Bill and I decided to wait for that. We did take a dinghy ride and walked around the island. There is a lighthouse here but not one you can walk up. It doesn't seem to be a working lighthouse. Tomorrow we will head south again and continue exploring the Berry Islands. We are lucky that our Single Side Band radio is working to get email and posting to our blog. The only Internet here belongs to the Royal Caribbean Cruise Company and I don't think they are going to give us their passwords!
Comments
Vessel Name: Moonraker
Vessel Make/Model: Bayfield 40
Hailing Port: Annapolis, MD
Crew: Bill & Donna Shuman
About:
This blog will record our adventures as we continue our new cruising life. This summer (2013) we plan to head north and explore the coasts of Maine and Nova Scotia. We will return to Annapolis in the fall for the SSCA GAM and then head south on the ICW to Florida. [...]
Extra:
Moonraker was built in 1986 and had two owners before we bought her in 2005. After spending nearly two years on the hard making all the repairs and improvements that I had promised Donna we wouldn’t have to do if we bought her, we were finally ready to go sailing. For the next several years we [...]
Moonraker's Photos - Main
30 Photos
Created 17 February 2015
34 Photos
Created 27 March 2014
22 Photos
Created 27 March 2014
14 Photos
Created 11 February 2014
45 Photos
Created 9 February 2014
27 Photos
Created 26 December 2013
To Be Added In the Near Future
1 Photo
Created 26 December 2013
28 Photos
Created 27 October 2013
39 Photos
Created 6 August 2013
19 Photos
Created 4 August 2013
22 Photos
Created 1 July 2013
27 Photos
Created 10 April 2013
18 Photos
Created 19 March 2013
20 Photos
Created 6 March 2013
44 Photos
Created 25 February 2013
12 Photos
Created 25 February 2013
27 Photos
Created 10 February 2013
14 Photos
Created 31 January 2013
25 Photos
Created 14 January 2013
22 Photos
Created 22 December 2012
18 Photos
Created 22 December 2012
21 Photos
Created 10 December 2012
19 Photos
Created 3 December 2012
16 Photos
Created 18 November 2012
15 Photos
Created 16 September 2012
15 Photos
Created 8 September 2012
20 Photos
Created 4 September 2012
24 Photos
Created 24 August 2012
17 Photos
Created 18 August 2012
20 Photos
Created 11 August 2012
22 Photos
Created 4 August 2012
20 Photos
Created 21 July 2012
21 Photos
Created 5 March 2012
1 Photo
Created 29 February 2012

Who: Bill & Donna Shuman
Port: Annapolis, MD

Where in the World is Moonraker

Our Boat

Moonraker is a 1986 Bayfield 40 designed by the famous Ted Gozzard and built in Ontario, Canada. The rig is a cutter/ketch. Here are some of her specs:

LOA: 45 ft. 6 in.
LWL: 30 ft. 6 in.
Beam: 12 ft.
Draft: 4 ft. 11 in.
Displacement: 21,000 lbs.
Ballast: 8,200 lbs.
Sail Area: 1,009 sq. ft.


Site Statistics:
Site Meter