Good morning from just outside of Fox Town on Little Abaco Island.

We've been in the Bahamas for a week now and it's better than we could have ever imagined. Today we anchored just south of Hawksbill Cays about half a mile from the city of FOX TOWN. Tomorrow we may move inside the rocks for a close dinghy ride into town. This is the first time since we left West End that we have access to internet.



The photo above is from our 2nd night anchorage at the first place we visited after an incredible 49.7nm trip across the Little Bahama Bank.



The winds were non-existent at the start and the 'lake' was like glass. It was hard to tell where the water stopped at times.



But the wind picked up and we were able the motor sail the 2nd half and arrived 5pm after a nine hour trip at Grand Cays.



The wind picked up overnight so we moved to the other side of the Sandy Cay after daybreak the next morning and spent the day on TARDIS making sure we didn't drag in 20+k of wind. This photo is of the shore where the photo of TARDIS was taken.



The next day 'Space Patrol' took on a tour of the Grand Cays. This was our first Bahamas Beach we walked on of many sure to come.





After touring the harbor we docked at 'Rosies' on Little Grand Cay. We learned of Rosie's from a fellow we met at Indiantown Marina. Before we ate a late lunch we walked around the town of 500 residents. What a beautiful life.



Artwork everywhere, very friendly people, a little girl spontaneously gave Eileen a hug. That was so cute!



This is a fishing community and it is evident all over the island.





Conch is another harvest of the sea here. Note the man in the background with his sea of Conch shells around him.





Before we returned for TARDIS we purchased a bottle of Bahama Rum and had lunch at 'Rosie's' where Eileen met Miss EILEEN!



The next day TARDIS moved a short 3nm to Double Breasted Cays where we stayed three nights. What a spot! We are anchored in the north 'slough' of Sand Cay.



Sand Cay gets really large at low tide and triples in size but it's all beautiful white sand.









Our Hobie i-14 took us on a long journey to the Atlantic Ocean.





But Sand Cay was still the best spot.







We moved to Great Sale Cay West Anchorage for one night before coming to Fox Town where we are tonight. Along the way we were treated to multiple visitors. At one time there were SIX!



Of course along the way there is always time for games.

The dream came true - TARDIS is in the BAHAMAS!!!! That's Charlie this morning hoisting our host countries flag for the next two months.

TARDIS took a short trip from the anchorage outside of West End, Abacos to the immigration office.



You know you are in the islands when the three customs officers are singing to island music playing on the TV while the paperwork is completed. Eileen missed this part as she was not allowed off the boat until the quarantine flag was lowered.



Here's TARDIS at the dock at the marina. In the Bahamas you are on your own with docking. Of course the wind was on our starboard beam when we pulled away.



After waiting at Lake Sylvia in Fort Lauderdale since December 18th it was no big deal that the crossing took a little longer then anticipated.

We got underway just after dawn, passing under the SE 17th Street bridge just after sunrise.



The first little ship of many, we thought, passed us at the outer mark of Port Everglades Inlet.



To our surprise that was the only other vessel we saw all the way to West End!

For the first six hours we motor sailed with about 2/3rds of the jib out, no main, hitting 8+ often and averaging over 7. ETA at that point was 4:30pm. Sunset in the Bahamas we thought.

Mid day in the gulf stream in 4-7' rollers the wind clocked and went to on the nose. In came the jib and speed dropped to 5ish and TARDIS slogged in the wind and waves the rest of the way.

Once you get used to the motion of the boat life is fairly normal.

Food is served.



Adjustments are made below to keep items in place.



You monitor the depths, just in case. Every once in a while you find shallower water and the depth meter actually works.



Look forward and back. You never know when another vessel may appear.





Time for plotting the course.



Taking a bit longer provided a great sunset at sea.



Waking up in the Bahamas and watching the sunrise was just as good.



The dream has come true. All the hard work, planning and dedication is paying off. TARDIS has taken us on an adventure, traveling in time.

Tomorrow we head east, stay tuned.

Well it's January 5th and TARDIS is at anchor in Lake Sylvia after postponing an early morning departure due to a squall and after listening to Chris Parker SSB broadcast calling for 'BRISK' eastbound sailing with 4-7' seas. One never knows if that was the right choice but TARDIS and crew are safe at anchor. Tomorrow is a new day and a dawn departure is on the horizon. Our issue is we've got 70km to get to customs and check in then another 40+km to a safe class A anchorage in the NE corner of the Abacos for the next blast of wind in the 30k range starting Wednesday afternoon.

Since last post we found a dinghy landing for the I-14.



We walked to the north jetty of Port Everglades Inlet and watched the boat traffic and hung out at the beach. At least we were not evicted from the beach this time!





On NYE we got to watch Fort Lauderdale Beach Firemen in action. First was when they anchored 30' from TARDIS to dive and clean the bottom of the boat.



Then later in the afternoon after hearing a nearby explosion, saw the smoke, and figured it was these same young men putting out a fire. A 50' Sport Fisher with one man and dog aboard exploded in a very crowded marina full of super yachts about 100 yards from the beach.



The dog jumped to safety, the man jumped in the water suffering 1st degree burns and the sport fisher was the only boat damaged. Luckily the FD was in the same harbor just 100 yards from the explosion.

We also provisioned. Here Charlie has no room for his feet.



But we got plenty of food for a grand feast on TARDIS!



And there was plenty of time for Eileen to find creative ways to mop the floor.



HAPPY 2019 TO ALL!

Weather windows are few and far between this time of year. The "Christmas Winds" are in place, meaning the E-SE trade winds in the northern Bahamas have taken hold. What this means for TARDIS is the wind is on the 'nose' and will make crossing the gulf stream very uncomfortable and dangerous.

TARDIS is anchored in a good place. She has faced 30+ winds on multiple days and the anchor has held firmly. The strong winds have come from the EAST and the WEST with no change to the anchor.

We have been treated to awesome skies and very little rain.







Most days we are able to get off the boat for a few hours. Yesterday we ventured out on our Hobie I-14 Inflatable Kayak and went to the beach where we were asked to leave by a laughing hotel security guard, dressed in BLACK. The Marriott and it's neighbors don't like boat people! Today we plan another Kayak adventure to a landing and walk to the Port Everglades Inlet Jetty to watch the traffic pass. Hopefully this trip will not result in another eviction.

So what do we do?

Christmas Day found us on 'SPACE PATROL' at Southport Raw Bar. The bar was closed but we had access to WIFI and Charlie updated all the devices and downloaded new navigation software that recently became available for the Bahamas while Eileen read.



Eileen cooked ALOT! One day she baked muffins, brownies and cornbread, as well as made an awesome Christmas meal of stuffing, mashed potatoes, carrots and salmon patties.



Charlie got friendly with his new High Frequency (HF) radio with AM, USB, LSB and other bands that he knows absolutely nothing about.



It's supposed to be a very good 1980's ICOM communications receiver, model IC-R71A purchased from Mike at Mike's Electronics in North Fort Lauderdale, a rare remaining electronics store. Mike is 80 and has been an ICOM dealer for nearly 50 years. It was a joy to purchase from Mike. The issue on TARDIS is figuring out a proper antenna. This seemed to work best and Charlie was excited when he was able to tune into Chris Parkers Marine Weather Channel at 6:30AM the first time.



Since we and many of our friends and relatives believe geothermal engineering is nuking us with the chem trails, we post the picture of the radar reflector on Charlie's head to send to Joe Traub, who is helping Charlie figure out the new radio antenna.



When we leave TARDIS for the day we never know what we will find anchored next to us when we return. The kids and adults sure had fun swimming in cold water on a cloudy day however.



We were also very happy to find the $1 Trolley to the beach that leaves just a few blocks from the Raw Bar. Our first stop is the raw bar.



Then it's the Trolley Stop



The happy couple waiting to return from the beach after missing the first bus while Charlie purchased two large PBR's at the liquor store in brown paper bags behind the bus stop.



Maybe next time we take the water taxi and explore further away



Waiting gave Charlie time to make TARDIS better with little improvements.

A new throttle stopper at the helm


A switch on the external speaker


Line organizers


HAPPY HOLIDAYS ALL!

We wish everyone the very best as we close 2018 and open 2019! We thank everyone who follows our journey and enjoy hearing from you all.

It's Friday afternoon in Fort Lauderdale, FL and we've been anchored in Lake Sylvia for three days. Today is the second day we're confined to the boat due to the wind. It's WINDY! The photo above is when we anchored on the 18th. That big catamaran is 76' long. It's gone now, thankfully, as it took a big spot in the anchorage. It's been blowing over 20k for two days now. We've had a number of gusts over 30 this afternoon.



This is a great opportunity for TARDIS and crew to get used to wind as it will be like this in the Bahamas often. Eileen helped Charlie make a new anchor snubber. Here she is using her toes to find the middle of 45' of 5/8" three strand braid.



The 'snubber' has two lines that lead from the anchor chain and up each side of the bow roller. This takes a tremendous load off the roller and allows the chain to ride lower in the water.



The new tackle is working great!

We can track our position using the anchor alarm in Aqua Maps which is free to use! Here's what it looks like. The lines are where we were overnight. Note the wind change.



Fort Lauderdale is the mecca for yacht gear. The largest West Marine is just a 2m walk from the dinghy dock at Southport Raw Bar. For $10 you can leave the dinghy, go shopping and then use your coupon for food. It's a great place, a favorite of ours.

On the first night trip back from the bar after dark, SPACE PATROL got pulled over by the Fort Lauderdale Police. This is a good thing! The officer was nice and we learned what we needed for the future. Luckily, we had everything with us and we only needed to turn on the red/green light. The police here are very active which makes us feel comfortable when venturing about.

TRIP DOWN ICW - LANTANA 1st Stop.

We left West Palm Beach on December 15th and headed to Lantana 8nm away.

The 2nd bridge we encountered this day was the Southern Blvd bridge at Mar-a-Lago. The guy on the right just passed us, waking us badly. Some people don't care that they are responsible for their wake.



The barge with tow behind us had a few choice words for him on the radio. The power boat guy bailed out at the marina just past the bridge, what was the hurry.



After three hours we arrived at Lantana. We spent two nights, provisioned, made water and watched IU-BUTLER BB at OLD KEY LIME HOUSE, Florida's oldest seaside bar they say. Nice spot if you don't mind paying $7.25 for a pint of Sam Adams (Charlie didn't like this!).



The area is decorated.



You can see TARDIS at anchor. There were only two other boats here. It gets a little 'wavy' with all the fishing boats coming and going to the ramp at all hours. SPACE PATROL is tied to the dock next to the boat ramp.



Lake Boca Raton - 2nd Stop

On the 17th TARDIS headed 15.5nm further south to Lake Boca Raton. There are lots a bridges on the ICW.

After one night there we left for Fort Lauderdale, 17nm away.

The trip down started with the first bridge at the south end of Lake Boca Raton, Camino Real Bridge, closed for maintenance. This was a tight squeeze!



There are some pretty bridges too.



We went through 8 bridges in all on this part of the trip. We also stopped at a Marina and fueled up. 35g Diesel topped off TARDIS's 50g fuel tank. This with the 20g on deck may just take us until March. The good 'ol boys' at Cove Yacht Basin Marina on the south side of Hillsboro Blvd Bridge were great! Easy in and out for TARDIS.

There are also large houses and bigger boats.











At one of the anchorages we played a game of Political Scrabble.



After 28 Bridges...Captain Calm prevailed.

TARDIS anchored in North Lake Worth for a total of five nights. We made several trips on 'Space Patrol' to shore to shop, eat and take long walks.

Here is the dinghy landing. It's next to the bridge to the island and State Park. Rumor has it that it's risky to leave your dinghy there due to theft.



We felt none of that and met the nicest man fishing from the bridge. Reminds Charlie of the fisherman he met at the Eagle Creek Ramp and Rick's docks. They love to tell you about their newest baits and what they catch.



One time Eileen just stayed with 'Space Patrol' while Charlie ran an errand. Always interesting and talkative people at the dinghy landings.



We are lucky on our walks and ducked into a fantastic little place to eat seafood that was inexpensive and fun one afternoon in Juniper Beach.



We also made water a couple times. The 2nd time was because Charlie flushed the membranes a little too well and went through 25g of fresh water in the process. Learning curve. Here's the Honda and water test equipment.





We moved two hours and 8nm down the ICW to the land of BIG boats, houses and crowded anchorages on December 12th.



We anchored in a small area between two bridges at West Palm Beach.



Looking North is the Flagler Memorial Bridge. This is the bridge we came through already



Looking South is the Royal Park Bridge. Mar-a-Lago is after this bridge. Hopefully there will not be a boat traffic stoppage for security when we move further south.



Anchoring sometimes can be difficult. It took us several tries this time. On the third try we stayed anchored. The first two times were not acceptable to our neighboring boats. In a kind way, they let you know! It's about safety and much better to anchor properly than to move in a hurry in the middle of the night.

TARDIS is the boat in the middle. This anchorage is well known for its' current. The current is so strong here the boat will face into the current even if the wind is blowing 20k from the stern. Makes for interesting swings and breeze in the cabin at times. The tide changes about every six hours, all day and night.



It's a beautiful area with lots of things to do (eat n drink!) ashore. Space Patrol is our car.



There's live entertainment every night in the park. Tonight's show is Motown. Whether we go to shore or not we will hear it!



We find time to read and time to just sit and be reflective.







We also find time for the 'Little' things that make life on the boat so interesting.

Growing sprouts



Soon to be toppings for enchiladas



We also find small things to make life easier by producing less trash. From this



to this



in one wave of the arm



Life is good on the TARDIS while we wait on a weather window to the Bahamas!