Sailing off into the Sunrise

Fresh Creek

2012-01-26T17:21:00.002-05:00

We headed south to Fresh Creek with Chinook Winds following and anchored out just behind the barrier islands. We had good sailing and , on the way, a Mahi accepted our invitation to dinner. I reeled it in--my first. Yesterday we came into the creek and docked at the Lighthouse Marina so that we could do some laundry and get a few supplies and introduce Marion and Boyd to the "hogfish" at Hanks Bar. Today it was pretty wavy but we dingied out and snorkeled on the Porites coral reef. No sharks--that's good.

Tomorrow we will head for Highbourne Cay and the Exumas.

Morgan's Bluff

2012-01-23T08:13:00.002-05:00

Yesterday we went back to the reef and snorkeled all afternoon. I found a beautiful area of staghorn and elkhorn and lost myself in taking photos. Something made me glance up and I noticed about 6 reef sharks swimming around like a gang of punks. They were VERY interested in me and would come up close then veer away. I started swimming towards the boat shooting pictures and looking backwards but they just followed for a while then I guess got bored and swam off.

Today we are heading for Fresh Creek.

Morgan's Bluff

2012-01-21T16:20:00.005-05:00

We said good-bye to Chub Cay Wednesday morning and headed to the north end of Andros. We had some wind but ran an engine so that we could use the watermaker--it worked!! While Bill was reading on the deck he saw a sailfish right beside the boat. Bill had a Mahi on the line but it shook off the hook before we could get it on board.

Before anchoring at Morgan's Bluff, we stopped near Joulter's Cays where we had luck spearing a fish before. Unfortunately there were no big fish to be found other than the resident queen triggers but we had a good snorkel. In spite of the stop we anchored in the Daylight!!

Surprisingly, Chinook Winds was already anchored there. We had met Marion and Boyd in Bimini and had spoken to them on the radio in the morning. Their plan was to go to Nassau. They decided it was too far. They already made arrangements to go to the farms to get produce in the morning so we tagged along. Shalom, our driver, took us down the Queen's Highway to the Mennonite Farm then, on the way back we drove by Lowes Sound, a fishing village.

Yesterday we hung out on the boat since it was a bit too windy to go out to the reefs. I snorkeled around the harbor and did a little kayaking. Keith, on Dolphin Leap, came in during the early afternoon and announced over the radio that he had caught a Mahi that he needed help eating. Of course we accommodated him.

Today the wind switched position so we, Marion and Boyd, and Keith headed out in our dingys to find some reefs. The first place we went to was mostly hardbottom with a small stand of elkhorn coral. We then went further out where we saw waves breaking and found a beautiful healthy reef that was perfect for snorkeling.

Morgan's Bluff is the fabled lair of the pirate Capt. Morgan. There are some caves that are reported to be his hideout.

Chub Cay Update

2012-01-17T09:09:00.003-05:00

The plan is to remain at Chub Cay today and travel to Andros tomorrow. I am experiencing internet difficulties, particularly with uploading photos so please bear with me. It appears that I can write (but I really want to post pictures).

Chub Cay is a private upscale resort. They are not too friendly to riff-raff in small boats and charge $100 to shop at their store. Therefore there is nothing to do on the island. There is some nice snorkeling and shallow diving in the area, though, and we visited Mama Rhoda Rocks yesterday. This is a moderate-relief reef with a diverse although sparse coral coverage. It used to have a nice stand of staghorn coral but it appears that it has recently died and just a few living branches remain. There is some nice elkhorn, and, as I said, a fair number of other species of hard and soft corals. Large schools of fish drift in and out of the rocks and coral--grunts, goatfish and small snappers are thick.

The water was chilly (thank goodness for wetsuits) and the cool breeze chilled us to the bone when we got out. I got some good underwater pictures but Bill's video camera was found to have a loose connector so it did not work. Along with that we had some trouble with the dingy motor but we finally got it started (all in a day's boating). Bill cleaned out the carborator when we got back (ethanol gas clogs it up) and now it is fine. The stern enclosure was nice and warm. Later we investigated some rocks to the north. This area was mostly shallow hardbottom with some patchy rocks and corals. I stuck my head in the water to survey and soon spotted antennae sticking out of a small ledge. Of course we did not have the lobster gear in the boat (we were actually looking for conch) but I had a pair of gloves and the dive flag post served as a tickler. So I went in and grabbed the biggest one--probably borderline legal size-- so I let him go. next time I will have the equipment on the boat! Other heads and ledges came up empty. No surprise since there are several lobster fishermen that work this area.

Today is breezy but warmer, I've had my breakfast, and I am ready to get in the water again!

Hanging out at Chub Cay

2012-01-15T14:05:00.005-05:00

Late yesterday morning we set sail for Chub Cay. This was a long leg but we had perfect sailing weather and used the engines only for leaving and anchoring. Made 7-8 knots most of the day and it took us about 10 hours to make the trip (a long day and another night anchoring). Today the cold front has brought a chill to the air (Oh I think its in the 60's) with a cool breeze. I am quickly acclimating to the warm climate.

Now the wind is still blowing but I finally got into the water this morning. Kitty was very worried about me in the water. She could not figure it out and went in to tell Bill about it. Just snorkeled around the boat but found a large hermit crab with 2 big anemones on its shell, many starfish and a small flounder. The bottom here is sand and seagrass littered with conch shells which provide shelter for small fish and critters. Later on today or maybe tomorrow we will go over to Mama Rhoda Rocks where there is some coral. Bill is finishing his 1000+ page novel so we won't be doing anything until that's done.

We Made it to Bimini

2012-01-13T14:23:00.000-05:00

Although finding fuel took longer than we expected, we decided to cross to Bimini late Thursday morning. We passed Biscayne lighthouse and set out to a glassy smooth sea. The crossing was very uneventful with no wind until the last couple of hours. I was a bit nervous about finding anchorage in the dark but Nixon Harbor provided a clear entry and good holding in spite of some wind later during the night. It was a very rocky night and neither of us got much sleep.

Sunrise over the clear blue water was beautiful today as usual and we proceeded to Alice Town where we checked in with customs. Today we are docked at the Bimini Blue Waters Marina. I am ready to get in the water!

Changes in Latitude—Part 2

2012-01-13T14:22:00.000-05:00

Sunday we left Dragon Point heading to some point south where we can cross to Bimini. Sundays's anchorage was in Ft. Pierce. From there we went out the inlet and anchored in Ft. Lauderdale Tuesday night. We picked up a part for the generator on Wednesday but when we got back we found that a gust of wind had blown us off anchor. Thanks to a couple of sailors the boat was re-anchored. In anticipation of windy weather and know knowing that the holding was not good enough we decided to head to Miami where we arrived late Wednesday night. Miami was also better for last minute provisioning.

It's a Boat!

2012-01-08T18:13:00.003-05:00

We left Port Canaveral the Friday before Christmas just as soon as we could get the lower unit installed. It was sooooo good to be back in the water. We headed out the inlet for a test run then came back through the locks and motored back down to Dragon Point. However, when Bill checked the lower unit oil level in the morning we were distressed to find that there was only about 1/3 the amount of oil that we expected to find. OOOPPs!! Looks like the mechanic forgot to fill it up so we made arrangements to have an oil analysis for metal particles. This would tell us if any damage was done to the lower unit. Damage would require we go through the whole repair again!!! Of course with the Holidays, the analysis could not be done until after the first.

Oh--well, in the meantime, we celebrated Christmas with our families, took Bill's nieces and nephews for a boat ride, and went to the Melbourne Yacht Club New Years Eve party. I did some kayaking in Crane Creek while we were docked at MYC. Found several manatees up the creek and had 2 approach the boat.

Friday afternoon we finally got word that the oil analysis was good and we were relieved and excited about continuing our trip, however now we had an issue with the generator. That needed a new water pump and temperature sensor. We found the new pump but had to bypass the sensor and hope to find one on the way south.

What Next?

It's a Boat

2012-01-08T18:13:00.000-05:00

Sittin' on the Hard at the Port

2011-12-16T09:50:00.003-05:00

On the hard is not much fun but the end may be near. Our spirits went down the drain early yesterday when Bill found out that 2 of the parts could not be obtained in this country and would have to be ordered from Japan. That usually means a 1-2 month wait. However--the next call a few hours later informed us that the parts were found in Georgia and would be here Monday. HURRAY!!! So the big question now is if they will be able to do the work next week.

In the meantime, we are walking the docks looking for critters. This morning there was a large group of birds feeding just west of the bridge. I ran to get my camera because there was some interesting pelican behavior. Gangs of 4 or 5 white pelicans would attack the smaller brown pelicans when they caught a fish. Of course when I came back with my camera the hundreds of birds that had been there were completely gone-go figure.

We are looking into a rental car deal so that we can get out of here this weekend.

Changes In Latitude--North Carolina to Florida

2011-12-14T10:47:00.006-05:00

The Adventure Begins--

FINALLY!!!! We untied the lines and left Point Marina. After months of dreaming, delays and waiting we finally set off. First stop just a few miles away in Oriental where we met Ralph the diver who cleaned our boat bottom and saildrives (these are the lower units of the engines that have the propellers on them). From there we crossed the Neuse River to Adam’s Creek. The approaching cold front reached us right as we were taking down the sails and anchoring and we discovered the new enclosure modified the aerodynamics of the boat. This made for an “exciting” anchoring. It was a stormy night and we did not sleep too well.

Morning was cool and clear so we picked up a very muddy anchor (but one that held us well through the storm) and headed down Adam’s Creek. Our plan was to take on fuel at Morehead City, however it was Thanksgiving Day and only one marina was open but not until noon. He actually came about 11 so we fueled up and headed out to sea through Beaufort Inlet.

Out at Sea--

There was good wind until later that evening. We ran about 20 miles offshore and tried our luck at fishing. A couple of False Albacore hit our lures and Bill almost got us a Mahi dinner but it got away. Samantha is not too happy with the engine noise and the rocking of the boat. So far she has not been sick but pretty much hides and gives us the evil-eye. Our first day at sea ends with a beautiful clear sunset. Bill says he saw a small green flash—I missed it.

While out at sea, Bill and I trade off watch. We watch the radar for traffic and make sure the autopilot is tracking properly and not running us into anything. I do better if I sleep first so he woke me up around midnight because we were going to pass through the cut at Frying Pan Shoals. The buoy lights were reported out but we found them working. The only things we really had to watch for were the unlighted markers. Using the GPS, Radar, and spotlight we found them easily. The wind and seas were calm, which made this passage thankfully uneventful.

The wind died down and turned to the south so we motored along with the sails up to catch a boost from any wind that might happen to show up. I pass the time by netting up sargassum weed and photographing the critters I find in it. We pass Charleston and Savanna at night with very little traffic, probably due to the holiday. The sunrises are spectacular and we see lots of dolphins—one large pod swam with the boat for over half an hour.

Saturday night we entered St. Mary’s Inlet and anchored at the southern end of Cumberland Island. We are tired and Kitty has not eaten or drunk much. As soon as we anchor I am glad to see that she is up and around and hungry.

Cumberland Island-Beach Camp and Dungeness--

Cumberland Island National Park is just north of the Georgia-Florida border. Although it is out in the middle of nowhere it was inhabited by Indians and became important to the English as an outpost to prevent Spanish expansion before the Revolutionary War. The island is covered with large live oak trees whose curving branches were of strategic importance to navies for shipbuilding. In the late 1800s it became a get-away spot for the rich and famous.

On Sunday we were blessed with beautiful weather so we took the dingy over to the Beach Camp Trail dock and walked the trail to the beach. A canopy of live oaks hung with Spanish moss and ferns led us to a large dune field then an expansive beach at low tide. Amazingly there are no bugs! In the intertidal zone I find dense populations of coquina clams, most with a little tuft of algae growing on the end. The algae sticks out of the sand where each clam is buried. Coquina clams are nothing new but I had never seen them associated with algae. It appears to prevent them from burying deep in the sand and I am not sure what it does for them. Shorebirds of many kinds were abundant and I found several live whelks sticking their “noses” out of the sand. Near one tidal pool I found a ghost shrimp that had climbed out of the sand. This is very unusual—the burrow openings are all over but the shrimp do not voluntarily come out of the burrows. They are quite slow and have very little defense. I put him in a tidal pool where he could hopefully dig down to safety.

Monday morning we got up early and dingied over to the Dungeness trail dock. Dungeness is the name of the estate first built by Nathanial Green (southern general in the Revolutionary War) and later acquired and developed by Thomas Carnegie. Most of the buildings are now in ruins. Again a canopy of live oaks led us to the estate entrance. We saw a pair of does and their fawns crossing the path on the way. We saw wild turkeys, large gobblers standing guard while the hens pecked, and several wild horses which were let go after the Carnegies abandoned the estate.

We only visited the southern part of the island but I can tell you that it is well worth visiting and returning to. I am glad that this island is protected—it is a beautiful place. We had 2 good weather days there and might have stayed longer but a cold front was passing through Monday afternoon so we decided to continue south on Tuesday. Monday afternoon we left Cumberland Sound and headed up to St. Marys to meet our friends, Gwen and Caroline whom we had not seen in about 25 years. We tied up to the public dock and had lunch. As they left, the cold front passed and the wind switched and increased.

St. Marys to Indian Harbour Beach

Once we were out the inlet it was not too long before we left pristine saltmarsh coast and crossed into Florida where just about every stretch of beach is developed. Instead of doing another stretch at sea we came into St. Augustine that evening and anchored just outside of the Intracoastal Waterwaychannel. Wednesday, we continued down the intracoastal waterway and poured on the power to make the bridge opening that led to our anchorage at New Smyrna. However, when we checked the starboard engine it had leaked oil all over the place—not good! Thursday morning we awoke to temperatures in the high 30’s—this is NOT the Florida I know and love--however, between the greenhouse effect of the enclosure and the heater we warmed up quickly in the sun. I drove the boat most of the way and only got a few pictures of the white pelicans and bald eagles that we saw along the way. The end was near when we sighted the Pineda Causeway and that evening we anchored in familiar waters off Dragon Point at the junction of the Indian and Banana Rivers.

We're Here!

2011-12-08T16:45:00.002-05:00

Sorry for the long wait but I have not had internet access until now and had a large backlog of pictures to process. I have posted the pictures--details will come later. We are now out of the water (on the hard) at Scorpion boatyard in Port Canaveral in order to get our sail drive repaired. It started spewing oil on the trip down and appears to have blown a seal. Until today, it was wonderfully warm but the cold will not last long.

Fuel on Thanksgiving???

2011-11-24T10:07:00.002-05:00

After a windy night we picked up a very muddy anchor and headed down Adam's Creek. We are now tied up to the dock in Morehead City waiting for fuel. We are lucky to find someone working today. Weather and wind over the next few days favor an outside passage so, after fueling, we will head out Beaufort Inlet and shoot straight to Florida.

We Are Off the Grid

2011-11-23T10:37:00.001-05:00

Bill just started the engines and we have disconnected the shore power. Looks serious now. Happy Thanksgiving to all of you!!

Any Day Now--Could Be Tomorrow

2011-11-22T21:38:00.003-05:00

After sitting around waiting for so long we find ourselves rushing around making last minute arrangements and provisioning. At least we have been blessed with beautiful warm weather. The enclosure is done and I have added pictures of it to the "Enclosing the Stern" slide show. The kayaks are packed up. We found a nearby marina that provides car storage. We've been trying to get in touch with this diver who said he would clean the boat bottom.

So the plan is to leave tomorrow and travel to Morehead City where there is good access to the ocean through Beaufort Inlet. Tomorrow's weather probably will not be great but we will be going down the canal so it will not be a problem----and we will be dry and warm!! By Thursday the front should pass through and we should have a NE wind that will be perfect for sailing south.

Bill activated the SPOT yesterday and I have replaced the Where Are We? maps with a link to the SPOT page. SPOT is a satellite tracking device that we can use to post our position periodically and/or send it via email to friends and family. Our position is shown on Google Maps and we can associate a message with it and also can use it to call for help if necessary.

Critter Catchin'

2011-11-16T20:58:00.002-05:00

A few days of south winds have lowered the water in the creek. The weather was cloudy but warm and the water is not really cold yet. There is marsh and some rocks by the seawall so I took my net to see what I could find around and under the rocks. The slideshow has some pictures.

This afternoon we started stocking up on supplies. We also bought the Explorer Chart Books for the Bahamas. Tonight will be stormy and the warm weather will end. Time to head south!

Sunrise at the End of the Tunnel

2011-11-14T10:27:00.000-05:00

It appears that we will be leaving next week sometime. The enclosure installation is scheduled for next Monday. This is the last thing we have to wait for. At least we are having some nice weather and I have been fishing and kayaking. Bill and I have caught some undersize trout and redfish—we can’t keep them but they are fun to catch. I fear if we have to depend on fishing for food we will be very hungry. This weekend there were quite a few of the “weekenders” at the marina but my how quiet it gets after they leave on Sunday. Samantha has figured out how to get on and off the boat (onto the real dock instead of the reflection) but sometimes gets confused about which boat is hers (there is another catamaran next to ours). I am not happy about her wandering, I’m lucky she is not particularly comfortable with it.

Sunrises and Sunsets are some of the prettiest I’ve seen. Thank goodness for digital photography.

Sittin' on the dock of the bay

2011-11-01T12:36:00.000-04:00

Life has become very slow and I am still adjusting. We are now waiting for our stern enclosure to be made which should be done in the next 2 weeks. Today bluebirds are sitting on the wind vane dropping seeds on the roof. Yesterday the big excitement was that Samantha decided that she was ready to explore territory beyond the boat. She had been peering down into that stuff below the boat for days but it was too far down for her to test it with a paw. I watched her as she braced herself for the leap then aborted a couple of times. I yelled out to her “don’t do it” but could tell she had made up her mind. I kept back, knowing that she can swim (she fell off once before) and her curiosity must be satisfied sooner or later—let’s just get this one over with. All of us have had a case of cabin fever--first mosquitoes and flies, then cold front passage has made waiting for our back enclosure a bit tedious. So she finally made a flying leap—splash! She popped up with that “OH $@*% look and kittypaddled to the stern stairs where I had a towel waiting. She’s fine and I hope she has learned something about boats.

Fantasy and Reality

2011-11-01T11:41:00.001-04:00

How easy it is to say “When I retire on August 1, I will get on my boat and sail into the sunrise.” Certainly, that’s pretty much how we took off to the Bahamas in 2007-2008-we just got on the boat when we planned and left. Of course, this was a vacation and we intended to come back. We could resume taking care of the house and stuff and business. This time was different—the dream to cast off from “the grid”, we found, has many strings attached. So August and September passed, as we examined every scrap of paper, every piece of memorabilia, 1000s of magazines and books, the accumulation of 60 years of living, 22 in the same house. We had to make a decision about each item—store, take with, toss. It was amazing how much JUNK and trash there was. There must be a special Plaia section in the landfill. However, Mrs. Raley, I want you to know, that I DID NOT throw away my 10^th grade world lit notebook (I still believe that you would haunt us if we did, as you threatened; and you possibly could be at a point in your existence now where haunting is possible). Then there was the house—Over 22 years we had maintained it but there were also many things that were out of sight-out of mind or just not a priority. Around the first of October we were finally ready to move onto the boat but--- one more thing—A water pump for the boat was being delivered and it took nearly another week for that to happen. So finally, October 5, I said good-by to an empty house, devoid of our life in it, packed the cat in my Mustang and made the move. –to utter chaos. The normal chaos of moving plus the sails were still inside-we had taken them in before Irene hit. There was nowhere to sit or put anything. I was exhausted and grumpy but glad to have crossed that threshold. Every morning I wake up to sunrise over the water. There are also some spectacular sunsets here.

My body is back in Raleigh--I still have Bahama Brain

2009-04-25T21:40:00.003-04:00

We got home about midnight Thursday. For the last week we did not have internet access. The solar panels were acting up so I could not run the computer to prepare updates. Stand by-- I will be adding more pictures over the next couple of days.

Rum Cay Supplement

2009-04-15T07:39:00.001-04:00

We sailed for Rum Cay Monday morning and arrived in the afternoon after catching another nice Mahi. Bill sighted it going for our lure and when he gave the lure a tug, the fish bit. Rum Cay turned out not to be the bright center of the universe the guides had promised, but we were thankful that the marina did have ice. Tuesday Bill and Denny fixed the refridgerator! It turned out that last week a bug had gotten into the fan and knocked the fan blade off causing the compressor to work too hard and draw too much power. They took the fan apart, replaced wires, and then discovered the real problem when they put it back together. We all felt like celebrating so we walked into town for a beer-- but no beer could be found. One of the residents even tried to find his cousin who was reported to have beer—to no avail. The grocery store had none and the only restaurant we found open had 1 bud and 1 something else and no food. So we dejectedly hiked back to the marina and I went snorkeling off the beach. The reef was massive in shallow water with low coral cover. I saw several Nassau groupers and snappers and encountered a large slipper lobster lumbering across the rocks. Too bad I didn’t know that there is no season on slipper lobster. I also saw a couple of big nurse sharks and a VERY large bull shark who luckily ignored me. Unfortunately I did not take my camera this time—I won’t do that again.

So now it is Wednesday and the winds will probably keep us here one more day. Winds are more favorable tomorrow to head back to Conception Island. We hope to check out more of that elkhorn reef. It looks like the only place we will be able to get air will be at Stella Maris at Long Island but snorkeling is great and the water is beautiful.

Conception Island Supplement

2009-04-15T07:38:00.000-04:00

Saturday winds were favorable for sailing to Conception Island. This island is uninhabited and is a national park with a beautiful anchorage on the northwest side. Patch reefs are everywhere—some rocky with low to moderate coral coverage and some very shallow large healthy elkhorn coral (coral and seafans were sticking out of the water at low tide). Disaster struck in paradise, though, when we discovered that the refrigerator had failed. We transferred perishables to the ice chest and watched our ice supply quickly shrinking while contemplating where the closest ice machine might be. The sailing guides promised that Rum Cay was a bright center of civilization so we decided to go there Monday. Sunday we made a SCUBA dive on Hampton Reef in crystal clear water. This is a massive reef extending for miles off the northern tip of Conception Island; however we were surprised to find low coral cover and few fish. We spotted our first lionfish here.

Conception Island and Rum Cay

2009-04-14T19:56:00.002-04:00

We arrived Monday at the marina at Rum Cay and will probably stay another day. We had 2 beautiful days at Conception Island and snorkeled. On Sunday we made a SCUBA dive where we had crystal clear water. Internet is not good here. I will try to post pictures.

Calabash Bay, Long Island

2009-04-11T07:36:00.002-04:00

Yesterday Denny and Bill made a mostly successfull attempt to patch the leak in the Dinghy. The weather continues to be good and we will leave for Rum Cay this morning. I did some snorkeling --there is mostly sand and seagrass with a few small hardbottom areas. The water is beautiful!!

Long Island here we are.

2009-04-09T18:03:00.003-04:00

We left Georgetown this morning and arrived at Calabash Bay on the northern end of Long Island. On the way Denny caught a Mahi. So dinner tonight is Mahi with fruit salsa and caribbean rice. Bill and I got our gills wet and saw a black angelfish and a large porcupine fish. We had beautiful weather however it looks like we will not get to Conception Island until Saturday because the wind is coming up. Will try to get some pictures on but the connection here is not real good.

We are headed out tomorrow.

2009-04-08T14:42:00.002-04:00

The weather has calmed down, the dingy motor is fixed (for the moment), we stocked up on food and gasoline. So we will leave the marina this evening and head for Long Island tomorrow morning. We had great conch fritters for lunch and tonight we will have ribs at vollyball beach.
Posts may be scarce because I dont know what the internet access will be in Long Island.

We are Here!!!

2009-04-07T16:43:00.003-04:00

Had a good flight. Wind is out of NW at about 15 -20 but it is 88 degrees. LOVE IT. We will spend the night at the docks, grocery shop in the morning then anchor out until we can cross to Long Island.

We're Packed and Ready to Go.

2009-04-06T19:58:00.002-04:00

None too early--temperature in Raleigh is supposed to be in the 30s on Wednesday. We leave bright and early tomorrow morning and get there arround 3:30pm. Enjoy your last bit of winter--I won't miss it.

Denny and Faye made it!

2009-04-05T07:59:00.002-04:00

I received a SPOT yesterday showing them at Georgetown. We will be joining them Tuesday afternoon!

2009-04-03T21:17:00.004-04:00

Last year we were able to take our boat, Spiraserpula, on a 6 week cruise to the Bahamas. This year we did not have as much time so we will spend 2 weeks with Denny and Faye on Incommunigato.