From Ste. Anne, Martinique

Act III is happily anchored at Ste. Anne, Martinique. on the south coast. Martinique has by far the highest standard of living of its neighbors, with half the annual income provided by France. We drove to volcano Pelee, in the north, and encountered real traffic on real highways and passed real super-stores, with not a single goat on any road. Cheese, wine, bread--all the food, actually--and clothing are exquisite, and French is slowly returning to the top of the language heap in my brain.

Paul Shumway and Mary Beth Lambert, crew-par-excellence and our mules for electronics and drugs (Rx), flew to meet us in St. Lucia in late November. We cruised south to St. Vincent and the Grenadines, particularly enjoying Tobago Cays, where we swam with turtles. Thanksgiving dinner was dorado sushi that Paul caught--manfully landing it aboard while Bill tried to slow the boat, which spiked up to 10.5 kts. while flying our spinnaker--and frothy fruit daiquiris decorated with umbrella straws that Mary Beth brought with them. Special homemade brownies sent us off on a holiday parade around the deck singing "Iko, Iko". Paul brought his travel guitar and serenaded us many evenings.

St. Vincent is a poor island whose largest agricultural export is ganja--you can see the plants alternating with bananas trees as you sail along the coast. Many cruisers and our guide book recommend caution when stopping in St. Vincent harbors, explaining how to avoid hassles from the local boat boys who approach your boat several miles out and want to sell you stuff, or pay them to use shabby moorings, or pay them to protect your boat from other locals. Chateaubelaire was singled out a place to lock everything up and think twice about leaving your boat untended. Since Hurricane Tomas recently wreaked havoc on the crops of northern St. Vincent--making locals even more desperate, we were wary when we put our anchor down in the stunningly beautiful anchorage, even more alert for trouble since we were the only boat present. Immediately a small kayak left shore and headed toward us. Uh oh.

Well, we can personally report on the current situation in Chateaubelaire, St. Vincent: George, 15 and small for his age, greets your vessel, floats around and chats you up for 1/2 hour, does not ask for anything but accepts a coke, leaves you alone then returns the next morning to bring you bananas and asks you to sign his journal, in which he's collecting the names of all the boats that visit. That's it. Pretty scary.

We unwittingly created an official incident in St. Lucia when we dropped Paul and Mary Beth off in a town near the airport at the south of the island, to save them a long expensive taxi ride from our intended destination of Rodney Bay in the north. P & MB had no problem checking in and out with Customs and Immigration (C&I) at the airport, but when Bill and I came to C&I at Rodney Bay, with our papers from St. Vincent showing we had left with 4 persons, they immediately seized Act III and our passports, because a vessel is not supposed to discharge any crew until all have cleared in together. The Customs boat very publicly escorted us in from the anchorage to the marina, where we were famous while we stayed for 5 days (at their expense), waiting to hear our fate...the offense is punishable up to $5,000. Each day we were told by the local Rodney Bay Customs man that we would have information the next day (we're quite sure the local office was scheming to secretly get us to pay money to them directly). Eventually we were instructed to taxi to the main office 10 miles away and meet with a superior official, who was extremely fair and reasonable. It was clear to him that we had intended no harm so he gave us a short lecture on the regulations, and sent us on our way with no fine. When we returned to our local office to get our passports back, the female Immigration officer, who knew the entire story and who had seen us come to the office every day, slammed our passports onto her desk and growled that she was refusing us entry. Huh? She cut off our explanations with "You must leave immediately!" and yelled again at Bill when he finally said, OK, if you'll give us our passports we'll go. "YOU don't tell ME what to do. I'LL tell YOU when I'm finished. YOU sit down over there." The other officers in the room only looked at the wall or the backs of their hands as she ranted away. She (Agent 601) was the most rude public official we have ever come across--ever. So we left (not immediately...it was late in the day and somewhat unsafe to arrive at a new harbor after dark. Agent 601 didn't care when we expressed this concern, but also didn't look for us in the anchorage that night, maybe because Immigration's boat was owned by the marina and the marina manager was firmly, angrily on our side.)

When we spent some time at the anchorage in Rodney Bay, St Lucia, awaiting Paul and Mary Beth, we found it a charming place. Two weeks later, Agent 601 made it much less charming: she needs to be transferred to a non-public position. One thing we ate in St. Lucia that we've not seen anywhere else is stuffed boxfish, from a woman selling roasted goodies from her grill on the street. The boxfish is split on the belly side, filled with a fish and bread stuffing, and a few morsels of tender white boxfish near the spine were a delicious surprise. Another great experience we had at Pigeon Island State Park, Rodney Bay--before we became undesirable aliens--was finding an outstanding jazz group, InXS, who play a regular Sunday night gig at Jambe de Bois (Wooden Leg) Restaurant. When the band leader, Ricardo, disscovered Bill was a drummer, Ricardo insisted that Bill "bless his drums" by sitting in. Ricardo called for the tune, Stella by Starlight, which Ricardo renamed "Heidi By Starlight," and when Bill did not embarass himself or Ricardo on that number, a second tune was insisted on. Ricardo claimed Bill as his soul brother, and we were disappointed that Agent 601 required us to leave on a Saturday before we could share another night with InXS.

The holidays here in Martinique (where we easily handled the self-check-in by computer and no fees) are celebrated with lots of fireworks and music; the sounds travel well across the water and keep us entertained aboard (sometimes with great groaning on karaoke night)s. And when our neighbors dinghy home in the evening, our whole house rocks and rolls. Hope that doesn't happen in your neighborhood.

We wish all our famiy and friends a new year full of health, laughter and love.
Pictures: http://picasaweb.google.com/heidiberger2/StLuciaToTobagoCaysWithPabloAndMacbeth#

Grenada Hurricane Season

My good friend Wendy Berkeley recently asked how cruising has changed me and what I've learned about myself. I'm stronger,healthier and more patient than ever, but one thing is clear: I'm not a writer. If I were, well, I'd be writing. I wouldn't wait 2 months between blog posts when I had a perfect internet connection. Perhaps I'm simply lazy.

We successfully rode out hurricane season here in Grenada for 3 months. Only Tomas posed any threat at all 2 weeks ago, and the island prepared to be hit with 60+ mph winds. All day Friday, boats in the anchorages moved to more secure spots, put out extra anchors, laid in extra cases of beer and made plans to monitor the radio network all night. Boats at marinas, like us, put out so many extra lines the docks look like a spaghetti dinner, secured our dinghies, unrigged extraneous canvas and tarps and stowed all loose items. Locals emptied the grocery stores of everything fresh and canned. Then we waited, watched the weather sites on the internet and talked of nothing but updates of Tomas' predicted course, which early models showed going right over Grenada. The weather was slightly overcast, calm and, surprisingly, not at all buggy--one of the most pleasant spells of weather we've had here.

Then Tomas veered north and we got nothing but a few short rain squalls on Sunday. Unfortunately St. Lucia and St Vincents did not fare so well. We have plans to pick up Paul and Mary Beth in St. Lucia on November 20 and hope the island is recovered enough to allow movement and provisioning.

We left Clarks Court Bay Marina last week after nearly 3 months. Staying in one place for so long was productive as we used lots of power tools to completely strip and refinish all the brightwork (which already needs more coats of varnish in this brutal sun) and use our new Sailrite sewing machine. We got to know other cruisers and locals--better than we know our neighbors in Newmarket--as we all live in the open, sharing daily afternoon swims and a weekly shopping bus to the "mall" which has an excellent IGA supermarket. It's easy to hop on a local island bus for trips to the capital city of St. George's, and it's easy to spend hours reading books from the book swap or downloaded onto our Kindle, trying to stay cool.

We're now in Calvigny Harbour, 2 bays to the northeast, making our own water and power, swimming naked off the boat. We're anchored near John and Patti on Anhinga, who we met waaay back in Puerto Rico and who have also been here for the summer. We all enjoyed a divine meal of fresh Caribbean cuisine -- goat curry, barracuda, crabback (stuffed crab appetizer), at BB's Crabback Restaurant in St. George's on Saturday night, whose proprietor is a world class London-trained chef. It was a sort of farewell to Grenada dinner as we prepare to start leisurely cruising north in the next day or so. We'll check out of Grenada at the island of Carriacou to the northwest, then explore Bequia before getting to St. Lucia.

Highlights of our season on this lush, modern island full of spices, fruits, flowers, goats and warm people include, in no particular order:

---Lucky the African Gray parrot, who provided us with hours of amusement with her huge vocabulary. We taught her some whistles, but mostly she has us parroting her funny phrases.

---Playing a form of cricket. Who'd a thought? Average fluid consumption per match was 15 cases of beer and less than one case of bottled water. Bill took to the sport as easily as he takes to any game with a stick and a ball. I just stood there covered in Deet to deter bites from mosquitoes carrying dengue fever, and tried to stay in the crease. Final cricket match segued into a Halloween party.

--Live music and dancing at various venues. There's a steel pan school in St. George's--nice for a limited time but it soon becomes repetitive. One night I hula-hoop/danced with "Hula Mary", my new heroine, and can't wait to order my own hoop which comes apart for easy boat storage. Check out Hula Mary.

--Fresh sushi tuna for less than $2 per pound at the fish market downtown. Breadfruit ice cream. Baked Bakes. Fried Bakes! Never tried the fresh local wild iguana.

--The heavy-duty Sailrite machine paid for itself when I repaired our genoa and mainsail in the marina bar. I also fabricated effective and simple boat sunshade from a roll of "patio shield" material I bought at Walmart a long time ago for about $50. Ben was right to impress upon us the importance of shade capability on a boat.

--A leisurely Sunday afternoon dinghy raft, 14 boats strung together, as we floated across Clarks Court Bay to Roger's Beach Bar BBQ and live music (hot musicians from Switzerland-Pink and Lea Lu!) We swam off our dinghy island and passed appetizers and drinks, including a fine batch of herbal brownies.

We might have already reported this, but we are missing family and friends more than we expected and while this hot season in Grenada has been interesting, we want to spend the summer months in our home waters and visiting our children and grandchildren. Staying in touch with Skype and email is amazing, but it's not the same as being together. We'll chart a course home in May or so, although don't know from where.

Dear Readers: we love and miss you more than you know. And Bill and I still love being together as much as when we started. It's quite remarkable, really, and wonderful!

GMT (Grenada Maybe Time)

Heidi writes:
We're feeling some guilty that we haven't posted in so long.  No excuse, really, except cruising makes you lazy.
We've been in Grenada since the first of July, after swiftly sailing from the British Virgin Islands to St. Martin, St. Barts, Antigua, Guadeloupe, Dominica, Martinique, and finally the south coast of Grenada.  When Bill was due to travel home to NH for Shellen and Adam's wedding party, we moved Act III into a marina in Clarks Court Bay, where I would have help and company if any harsh weather came through.
The harsh weather came in the form of two family deaths in one day, within an hour of each other, while Bill was still in NH.  Heidi's father succumbed to prostate cancer, and Bill's son, Matt, got a sudden infection his body could not resist.  I flew home to join the family as we celebrated Matt's life and mourned his death.  Matt chose a time to die when his family was already gathered, so we were able to support each other.
We intend to stay in the Grenada vicinity (below 12 degrees latitude)  through hurricane season...until October or early November.  We have plenty of boat work while we're stationary:  varnishing, canvas and sail repair especially.  I'm excited to have a new Sailrite heavy duty sewing machine.
Some highlights of the recent months:
We awoke at 3 am. to leave St. Barts for Antigua.  I got up early to make coffee, and stumbled into our cabin to wake Bill.  His first words:  Do you smell fish?  Well, I replied, we're on the ocean and surrounded by fish. Bill said that didn't make sense.  I allowed that it smelled a little fishy, but not in the cockpit.  Bill crawled out of our bed and my headlamp spotted something long and white on the sheet.  A squid had leaped high enough to come through the hatch over our head.  Bill remembered  he felt "rain drops" and automatically closed the hatch in the night, then slept on a warm wet spot.  Yuck.  At least it didn't ink our sheets.
In St. Martin and Martinique we gorged ourselves on French cheese and pastries.  We don't find good bread on most islands.  I should bake our own, but the oven heats unevenly and I'm loathe to use so much propane to bake.
We spent several days in a sweet anchorage in Antigua, no other boats and fast, free internet.  We deserved a rest after a rough sail from St. Barts, going through several heavy squalls and rough seas.  Act III behaved perfectly, but I get seasick when conditions are rough, so I'm not much help to Bill.  He is amazing when the going gets tough, scrambling forward to untangle sheets or re-secure an anchor that bounced loose.  We diligently wear out lifevests and clip into jackklines  at night or when the weather is sketchy.
This marina is friendly and convenient. We have excellent internet connection, making it easy to call on Skype, and I take a shopping bus once a week to the local IGA (with shopper discount cards, even), hardware or marine supply store. Cruisers are social people and there's weekly movie night, dominoes, language lessons, beach bar, burger night, and this week, a Drag Queen contest for the fellas.  (shhh: Bill doesn't yet know I'm planning to wrap him in my sarong.)  Unfortunately, the biggest celebration on the island, Carnival, took place during the time we were in the states.  
Thank you, dear readers, for you patience.  It's always great to hear from you, even if it's to scold us.  We'll try for more frequent, shorter posts.
Bill writes:
Thank goodness for Heidi's good memory.  As I read the above account, I know that it is accurate, but if I had had to remember each passage, it would have been a jumbled tale.
The family deaths were hard, but the feelings of sadness and loss were balanced by amazing warmth and love.  Family and friends cried, laughed, hugged, swore, planned, ate, drank, and enjoyed each other and the world.  It was especially wonderful to see how our granddaughter Fionna  and grandson Lorenzo had matured so beautifully.  Fionna just ran her first one-mile race, and finished ahead of many of the adults: not bad for a six-year-old.  Lorenzo, two-and-a-half, is about to start pre-school. His mom and dad have been talking about how he seems to be ready for all kinds of "big boy" activities.  Lorenzo agreed enthusiastically, announcing that he thinks he is ready to drive.  Our newest granddaughter Sare, amazed us all with her sweet, alert personality.  Is there anything more comforting than holding a seven-week-old baby?  http://picasaweb.google.com/bilral/FamilyAndFriendsTheBest#
Heidi did an amazing job preparing the boat to be unattended: pickled the watermaker, closed all through-hulls, emptied the fridge, cleaned, removed the sunshade, prepared extra lines in case of storm, etc.   How did I get such a great woman?  Guess I hit the sailors' jackpot.  When we returned, ACT III didn't have a hair out of place.  Even more impressive, no foul odors.  She feels like home.
These past weeks have made us realize how much we miss our family and friends.  We're seriously considering sailing back to our home-port next summer before hurricane season.  Meanwhile we are happy and healthy.  Heidi will have to catch me if she expects to get me wrapped in her sarong.  I'm looking forward to the cricket match this Saturday.  Last time I was high scorer, ensuring a free beer for me and a victory for our team, "The Rest of the World"  against "The Brits".  As our son Ben says, "The Brits have been trying that "Brits against the rest of the world" thing for a long time; haven't they learned it doesn't work?"  Of course in our cricket game, we used a tennis ball, and the Brits were friendly, funny, helpful coaches to the team they opposed. http://picasaweb.google.com/heidiberger2/GrenadaCricketMatchBritsVsTheRestOfTheWorld#
Fair winds everyone.
http://picasaweb.google.com/heidiberger2

BVIs with Soterion

Act III will leave the British Virgin Islands tomorrow, Monday, 6/14/10, on an overnight passage to either the French (north) side of St. Martin, or to Saba, a remarkable small island, just the tiptop of a mountain, actually, 24 nm. to the southwest of St. Martin. If we don't need provisions--and I hope to buy fresh foods when we take a taxi to check out at Spanish Town before departure--we'll skip St. Martin so we can spend extra time at Saba. We hate to rush, but we've must get out of the hurricane belt soon. Grenada is our destination for this season, and we console ourselves with the plan to sail back up the chain of eastern Caribbean islands next "winter." We are stragglers this year, with most other cruisers well on their way to New England or the southern Caribbean, but we are rewarded with uncrowded anchorages and off-season prices. Here in the Virgin Islands, we are usually the only private boat, with the waters dominated by thousands of crew-or-bareboat-charter catamarans marching from island to island carrying happy but often clueless vacationing sailors. Ben and Nikki say it's great entertainment to watch these boats ignore nautical marks and try to pick up moorings in unorthodox ways.

Earlier this week Soterion sailed back to Tortola for work, and we sailed from Virgin Gorda to Anegada, an atoll with elevation 30' and surrounded by miles of beach and reef, perfect for clothing-optional swimming and snorkeleing, and colorful beach bars (not C/O, and the cowboy hat fabricated from a cardboard Budweiser case was in poorer taste than nudity, no matter what your opinion.). At Cow Wreck beach you go behind the bar and mix your own drinks or help yourself from the coolers of beer and soda, and keep your tab on a small yellow-lined legal pad. I wonder how well that works after a few hours of pouring your own drinks, or doing shots of absinthe, the drink of choice for Jean Lafitte and Doc Holliday, illegal in the US, which supposedly induces hallucinations. A boozy gang at Cow Wreck was daring each other to go for the hallucinations when we left with our bellies full of spicy conch cerviche. Me, I feel I'm hallucinating every day, as I dive off Act III into warm, crystal-clear water after my morning coffee, although yesterday I scrabbled back up the ladder when I was face-to-face with a smiling barracuda using the boat for shade. I know, I know, they won't bother me, especially since I wear no jewelry, but I just couldn't relax when he kept turning to face me...grinning widely. Bill, however, said "Cool" and jumped in with his very shiny camera to play with Barri.

It's not all fun and games and there's work to be done daily, even though the tropical heat makes us lazy. Power-management is critical to keep our 6 golf cart batteries and one dedicated starter battery full to run our lights, water pump, watermaker, computer, refrigerator/freezer, radio, special-occasional margarita blender, and start the engine. The freezer is finally empty of the meat I stocked in Fort Lauderdale, so that will reduce our power needs. The watermaker sips energy and is a great luxury where hauling water to the boat is labor-intensive and expensive, if available at all. If we're motor-sailing, the engine charges the batteries; when we're at anchor Bill runs a 1,000 watt portable gas generator. This "project" involves keeping gas in our gerry jug, getting the generator from the deck box where it fits neatly, starting it up, plugging in the power adapter cord, then lying in the hammock reading or thinking (or not) for a few hours.

We read a lot, often going through a book a day, which we pick from the eclectic assortment at free book swaps found at every marina or laundry. I just read an unproofed edition of Black Hats, that has Wyatt Earp, Bat Masterson, and Al Capone in a fictional confrontation in NYC. The history of the OK Corral and description of prohibition was interesting, but mostly I enjoyed remembering Val Kilmer as the definitive Doc Holliday ("You're a daisy if you do.") Fortunately, Bill's Kindle allows us to download most anything, and he just finished Obama's Dreams From My Father.

Yesterday we realized we have no idea what's happening in the Gulf of Mexico. Last we heard, oil had been spewing for 50 days and BP was planning yet another dubioius solution. Whatever happened to "If it's too deep to cap, it's too deep to drill in the first place?" We'll check when we take the computer ashore today. Then we'll check the USA/Britain World Cup Soccer score. But only after downloading weather information and looking closely at the National Hurricane Watch site.

[photos]

PS/ Just read the latest on the BP oil spill. Damn!

Virgin Islands

Four weeks ago we left Luperon, Dominican Republic, sensing that many cruisers had become stuck there. To be sure, it's difficult to make one's way east against the tradewinds on the relatively unwelcoming northern coast of the DR.   We sailed at night when the wind and seas calm down, and stayed close to shore to make use of the counteracting cool Katabatic winds that come off the mountains.  We stopped and slept during the day, informing the skeptic officials at each anchorage who came out to Act III via local fishing boats to inquire why we were stopping there and not going on to Samana as our despacho indicated, that, "Bientot no es bueno.  Vayamos esta noche." (Wind is not good.  We go tonight." They were satisfied with the answer; more satisfied with the cold Coca Colas and gifts of small bottles of rum.  We arrived and cleared out of Samana, on the NE coast of DR, in a few hours, although that process involved 2 visits to the boat by officials (more cokes and rum), and a trip to town by Bill, where the commandante's office would not give him a copy of paperwork we needed to officially exit. We were a little concerned that we were being held hostage until it became evident that the office simply had no blank paper to make a copy.

We hurried across the Mona Passage between DR and PR within a good weather window, then checked in and stayed a couple of days on the southwest coast of Puerto Rico in Boqueron, a lovely town mostly used for holidays by locals. From there we made easy short hops along the southern coast of, stopping at Salinas and Puerto Patillas before a good weather forecast allowed a longer passage to St. Thomas, USVI.  For the first time, Bill was off our projected arrival time by more than an hour: we were 12 hours early!  We had expected to motorsail into wind and waves at about 4 kts, but a fortunate wind shift gave us a boost and Bill couldn't keep Act III sailing under 8 kts.  He wanted to go slowly so we wouldn't arrive at a foreign port in the dark, but as we continued to make excellent time, we realized we could make it just at sundown, and dropped anchor at St. Thomas with enough ambient light from the busy town and cruise ships of Charlotte Amalie, US Virgin Islands.

We had not been in touch with Ben and Nikki for a couple of weeks, so when we called them that night to report our location, we were thrilled to learn they were merely 5 miles away from us in Christmas Cove, Little St. John.  We easily got to Soterion the next morning in time to share hugs and wave goodbye before they left with guests for a week.  Bill and I spent that week near Red Hook, St. Thomas, seriously depleting the cruising kitty at Lotus, the local sushi restaurant, riding the $1 Safari bus around the island, and keeping track of the spotted eagle ray that lived in our anchorage.  After many months of Bahamian rice and peas (beans), our mouths welcomed the fine food.

When Soterion returned her satisfied guests to St. John the next week (they already booked a repeat trip for next year), Ben and Nikki hosted us in grand style aboard their beautiful yacht and led us around their stomping grounds in the British Virgin Islands: Hawksnest Cay, Maho Bay, Marina Cay, Trellis Bay, until we stopped at Nanny Cay, Tortola, where we currently sit on the hard putting a new propeller on Act III. We took a hotel room for the night, our first time sleeping on land since leaving New Hampshire.

Some random memories of this month:

* Many small pongas fishing off the coasts at night showi no lights, making them dangerous hazards. Bill fortunately caught a glimpse of light and steered away barely in time to avoid hitting one off the north coast of DR.
* Heidi baked quite a nice spice cake in the uneven-heating galley oven for Bill's birthday. Julia and Jurgen from Norway joined us for his birthday dinner and treated Bill to the traditional Norwegian birthday song, which includes a little dance with hops and spins.
* Sounds of the Seacoast, the chorus which Heidi left to go cruising, took first place at the regional competition in April, proving that Heidi was holding them back :)
* Bill got a perfect shave-and-a-haircut, $11, with a straight razor (!) at Puerto Patillas, where we were driven both ways by a generous young man who didn't think these 2 old farts could walk 45 minutes to the town center. We walked to a restaurant later that night and a passing driver hollered from his truck, "SIR!  HOW'S THE HAIRCUT?  Small town and we stick out like, well, like cruisers.
* Nikki's amazing gourmet dinners and treats aboard Soterion.  No wonder guests come back year after year.
* Nikki and Ben took us to most spectacular snorkling at Waterlemon Cay, near Maho Bay, St. John.  {Photos} In Trellis Bay, Ben led us on two fabulous scuba dives on healthy live coral reefs.
* We can't believe this is our life. Here we finally wake, drink coffee and fall over the side into clear turquoise water to play with the fish.

Luperon, DR

We expect to be here in Luperon, Dominican Republic for a few days. We are loving it. Great harbor, wonderful people, good prices. Even if the wind dies down or changes direction, we can't leave NOW! Baseball tomorrow: Dominicans against cruisers. Word is the cruisers have no chance; I'm not surprised, DR is a small country from which the US major leagues recruit numerous stars. However, now the cruisers have a secret weapon: me. Yea, right, that should make a difference. What does make a difference is the rule about who buys the drinks. If the winners buy, the gringos usually win by one run. If the losers buy, the gringos usually lose by about 50 runs.

Jam session Sunday afternoon: someone may even be able to produce a drum kit.

This place has that rare combination: lots of soul, but one still feels safe.

"Big Benjamin" (yes, big, tough looking, gun toting) represents the navy and drug enforcement. After we had completed all of our check in stuff at the local government offices, Big Benjamin sternly accosted me, explaining that we should not have left the boat before the navy inspected us. I pointed out that we flew our "Q" flag and waited to be boarded, but no one showed. Then, at his request, we took Big Benjamin and his young uniformed assistant back to ACTIII aboard OUR dinghy. The "inspection" consisted of sitting in the cockpit, sipping cold drinks, asking if we had firearms aboard, and discussing this and that. BB again mentioned that we should not have gone ashore without being boarded first, but it was "no problemo". Then I got the lecture about how the navy was keeping us safe out there, and all for free. I suspected that he was blowing smoke and angeling for a big tip, so I innocently asked how he could have boarded us if he didn't have a boat. He admitted that was a problem, and, besides, he had heard that we had arrived, but he had fallen asleep when he might have been arranging for a boat, and then it was too late. I gave a VERY small donation to the navy, and I took them back to shore. By then we were best buddies. You have to love a port where everybody, rich or poor has some kind of boat, except the navy.

One can get anything done here with the help of "Handy Andy". He and his partner Papo ( my soul mate, as all old Latins seem to be) delivered high quality diesel to our boat at a reasonable price. Papo arranged for a taxi to take us to Santiago to buy a portable generator to replace the unreliable one that we gave to a very grateful Hatian captain of a homemade sailboat that we saw in Matthew Town. ( Sailing these crude engine-less craft across 90 nautical miles of the Windward Passage, and then docking them in an impossible basin that none of the cruisers dare enter, using nothing but poles for the last few yards, is a feat of seamanship I truly admire. The Captain was a smart, genuine guy. No pretensions and no deference. We liked him immediately. I hope he has that generator purring. ) Anyway, Handy Andy is a former New York male stripper. He proudly carries a picture on his cell phone. If a woman cruiser hires him to clean the bottom of her boat, he changes his clothes in the cockpit. One old broad said she asked Handy to come out to her boat to scrub the bottom, and after he changed, she changed her mind, just so he had to change back out of his speedo. We heard the same story from her and from Andy.

Most of the cruisers we have met here arrived some summer years ago to hole up for hurricane season, and they never left. It is that kind of place.

From Heidi:

Backtracking a bit, we stayed 4 days off Matthew Town, Great Inagua, Bahamas, the southernmost island before one heads southwest to Cuba or southeast to Haiti and Dominican Republic. Matthew Town is a "company" town, with Morton salt evaporating and exporting a million tons of crude salt. We joined another cruising family who arrived aboard their 62' aluminum catamaran, Elcie, for a tour of the salt ponds and Great Inagua National Park, home to the world's largest breeding colony of West Indian flamingos: about 50,000 birds that have made a 40 year journey back from the edge of extinction. They love to dine on the brine shrimp that flourish in the salt ponds.

We neared Luperon DR as dawn broke the second morning after we left Inagua, and we first sighted the mountains of Dominican Republic, far different from the low-lying cays and islands in Bahamas. Next we got an intense aroma of rich soil and vegetation from many miles offshore. The harbor is well-protected and calm, a welcome relief from the several weeks we'd just spent exposed to winds and surge at anchor.

The drive to Santiago was worth the taxi fare, whether we succeeded in finding a generator or not (we did). As we drove up and down hills away from the coast at breakneck speeds, we passed a zillion motorcycles, tractor-trailer trucks, cows, bicycles, goats, and men riding along the road on donkeys while talking on their cell phones. Laundry dried in the sun everywhere, without benefit of clothespins; clothing hung on barbed wire tends to stay put although perhaps harsh on the fabric. In a whirlwind deal at a traffic light in the busy city I bought 6 pinas (pineapple) for $2.75 from a fruit peddler who just started tossing them beside me through the back window; I'm sure I overpaid as he walked away high-fiving his amigos, but that's what gringoes are for.

The ball game? Bill pitched and fielded respectably, and wisely took himself out of the game after a few innings. The mid-day sun and heat were brutal and there were plenty of williing substitutes--the Dominicans love to play and are happy on either team.

Big Benjamin came aboard today for our check out "inspection". Once again we drank cold sodas in the cockpit while he filled out the paper work, and once again he didn't need to go below to complete his inspection for weapons and drugs. He allowed that the idea that we might be smuggling drugs was pretty funny. "At your age? In this nice boat from NH, USA..ha ha ha." Of course he is right, but should we be insulted that we fit his stereotype so closely?

Departing for our next anchorage along the DR north coast this evening. Then another day or two or three or... depending on weather to our final DR port, Samana. We'll wait there for a weather window to go through the Mona Passage between the DR and Puerto Rico so we can have an easy trip on the south (Caribbean) side of PR. It could be a couple of weeks before we have internet again. Until then, smooth sailing, literally and figuratively, friends. And don't forget, we love it when you post comments on our blog.

[PHOTOS]

George Town Exumas & Paula

We've been busy for the past 6 weeks with wonderful guests and spotty internet connections, so haven't posted. The priorities when we DO have an internet connection are to first download weather info, then research whatever we need to repair or replace aboard; there's always something.

Bill wrote about Paul and Mary Beth's visit, where we cruised the Exuma Cays, Bahamas, from north to south, looking for bonefish, and exploring the exceptional beaches we find every mile. On the last day of their visit, coming into George Town, the supposedly-repaired-in-Fort Lauderdale roller-furler for our genoa jib fell apart. This large sail provides the main power to move the boat and is a beast to manipulate even in calm conditions, so the roller-furler is a huge safety feature, not just a nice gadget. The good news is Hood agreed to replace the furler at no cost, and we happily emailed the address of the George Town Exuma Market to the Hood guy in Tampa Florida. Locals said four business days from Miami for FedEx packages to arrive. Since my great friend Paula Hudson traveled two days from Montana to spend two weeks with us, we didn't want to delay her cruise, so we headed north from George Town with the genny lashed down on deck, and the staysail rigged. With occasional assist from the engine, we made good time on all our sails.

We first visited Little Famer's Cay, a quiet cay with 55 residents and few services, and were pleased to hear the All-age school fair, listed in our cruising guide as the next-to-last Saturday in March, was delayed a week, so we happily dinghied ashore to find the school, which currently has 10 boys enrolled. (Photos) Paula spent about $10 at the hoop toss trying to win some shampoo, and I became the Woman's Musical Chair Champ We were hot and dusty when we returned aboard, so rewarded ourselves with fancy strawberry margaritas, made in the blender Paula carried with her across the country.. (You may recall my dismay at a previous school fair where I did NOT win a blender.) The drinks were complete with little umbrellas that Paul and Mary Beth had brought on their visit. (Here I'll say "thanks" again to our guests for bringing us the supplies and parts we requested. We know it's tough enough to pack for a cruise without having to find space for an outboard propeller or airport-security-no-no spear tips.)

There were maybe 10 boats in the Farmer's Cay harbor, including the nice family we had met earlier on Sea Fever, their home-built 32' yawl, with 11" draft. Garth and Lilly, with daughters Rose and Isabelle led us on a hike to an underground cave with a salt-water pool, where we swam before picnicking on a nearby beach, (photos) then they then joined us that evening for my birthday party dinner with specially-made carrot cake that Paula and Bill arranged for us at the "Yacht Club". The girls made me a beautiful card and read me a lovely poem about friendship, and they gifted me a wonderful book of short stories about small boats. I'll always rememer that fine celebration.

We moved on to Staniel Cay expecting to amaze Paula with the wild swimming pig experience. You recall the pigs made me squeal and leap away (to the middle of the dinghy) when they aggressively tried to climb into our dinghy, while snorting and showing their long canine teeth. This time many cruisers in dinghies were dumping food on the beach for the pigs, and the pigs could barely walk, let alone swim out to get our lousy lettuce. Staniel Cay is one of the more developed areas, and we whined about the extra noise and bustle. It takes very little time to get spoiled by peace and quiet.

We sailed back south to Black Point Settlement, Exuma's second largest community, for what we heard through the cruising grapevine would be a big Easter celebration. Ever'ting's relative, but it was a busy day in town for sure. Paula and I offered to lend a hand on Saturday, and were assigned the task of tearing the raffle tickets out of their books of 20, and putting them in the Wash-Wizz (hand laundry bucket that spun with a handle) for the drawing later that night. Small town, small festival, so we figured we'd kill a half-hour on the job and meet some locals. Three hours later, we were still folding tickets into small packets (don't know why, they just insisted the tickets had to be folded small.) Turns out they'd sold nearly 4,000 tickets, not the couple of hundred that made us pity the small festival, and feel certain we'd win the roaster oven. Jeesh.

When the sun went down, and the basketball game between Black Point and Nassau finished (the first to reach 21 points wins the half. If they had a clock, the game would be timed. Black Point lost.) the Junkanoo began, led by The Valley Boys from Nassau. Bill, Paula and I boogied down the street with a spirited mix of locals and cruisers, with Bill playing our dinghy whistle along with the band. Paula and I were hugely impressed with the local girls' high fashion and colorful, elaborate hairstyles. We can't figure where they're getting the clothes...there are no shops in sight. The guy with the sound system picked up and left for no clear reason sometime after the basketball game, so the raffle drawing was postponed until the next day, we think. Paula arranged if we won anything it would go to Tiny, our co-folder from Black Point, who would love the roaster oven.

We had a rip-roaring sail back to George Town on Easter Day, then said farewell to Paula on Monday. leaving her somewhat soggy at the dock since the wind had picked up to nearly 20 kts, and hasn't abated until yesterday.

That's the outline of major events, but the best parts are really the smaller adventures: walking deserted roads to find the local dumps, where we can leave our trash for free, instead of paying $5 per bag at the marinas or casually shampooing your hair in the ladies room of the bar to conserve our onboard water. (We have the luxury of a watermaker, but that takes energy, which we'd rather use to make ice for the blender drinks) At Black Point Paula and I visited the "famous" Garden of Eden driftwood scupture garden, lovingly built over many years by Mr. Rolle, whose wife and daugters were happy to chat with us when we self-consciously began roaming in their yard to admire the plants and scuptures. We offered a small donation, and then received a handful of home-grown peppers and tomatoes, so then we returned later to gift some Scrubbies that Paula had made (she left with 15 or so...sailing is made for crocheting. Remember Mary Beth and I crocheted string tote bags with the 6 brand new balls of twine we found in a vacated, decaying drug-runner's home on Norman's Cay.) I'll never forget Paula trying to give me a much-needed haircut in the George Town basketball park, only to march me across the street to Hot Steps salon, with the towel still around my shoulders when she determined I had too much hair. Another great moment was spying a whole basil plant floating on our way into the George Town dinghy dock, rescuing it with a fresh water rinse and having a local fella in the liquor store offer to find us some dirt. Honest, only dirt.

Now remember the roller-furler was supposed to be waiting for us at the supermarket when we returned to George Town but, alas, it had only been shipped the day before, not 2 weeks before, and should arrive in 4 days (Friday.). Our major entertainment over the next week--better than TV--was watching the Fed-Ex tracking page come up on the computer each day showing our package traveling from Tampa to Miami to Memphis to Delaware (huh? for 3 days!) to Memphis to Miami to Nassau, then receiving a post that it was waiting for us to pick it up at the counter in Nassau. Adding to the suspense, midway through the adventure, the address listed on the tracking page changed to Georgetown, Kentucky. The story has a happy ending as a local man named Latroy retrieved it in Nassau, got it to the market, and the jenny is smartly furled as we speak.

Our guests have been terrific about learning to sail, as well as putting up with the somewhat fussy habits we have aboard a sailboat: put your toilet paper in a can; no daily showers, and then you might shower on deck; wash dishes with salt water (with fresh water rinse...don't worry); keep your dork light handy, especially for reading in bed, save your paper towels if they're pretty clean (paper products are expensive and sometimes hard to find); try to sleep through the various clinks and clanks through the night, hoist and launch the dinghy at every anchorage; shoe-etiquette (wear on deck to avoid toe-stubs and remove below to limit dirt and sand); wet dinghy rides; brush your hair on deck (you have NO idea how much hair and skin accumulates inside a boat); and I'm sure many more that we don't think about any more. I trust the reward of powder-sugar beaches with warm, crystal clear turquoise water, gentle rocking to sleep, no bugs (!), and remarkably friendly Bahamians makes up for the hardships.

Tomorrrow, 4/19/2010, we head east from George Town, bound for the British Virgin Islands to visit Ben and Nikki. We'll stop in Puerto Rico, but not tarry, as we must be ready to leave the hurricane belt by the beginning of June.

Highbourne Cay to Staniel Cay: March 07 through March 10, 2010

Today: March 10, 2010: Staniel Cay Yacht Club, Staniel Cay, Exhumas, Bahamas: N 24 deg, 10.345' W 076 deg, 26.750'

This log covers March 04 - March 10, 2010 (Nothing particularly interesting happened on March 5 or 6, we were just hanging out waiting for the bad weather to pass.)

Fionna, we know you are following our blog, so this one is especially for you.

If you read our last blog, you know that getting out of our slip on Highbornd Cay was tricky. Your Uncle Matt was betting that there would be at least one minor disaster before we managed to pick up our friends Paul and Mary-Beth who were arriving at Island World Adventures on Saddle Cay from Nassau by speedboat after taking a big plane from NH to Fort Lauderdale Florida, and then a small plane from Fort Lauderdale to Nassau. There were plenty of opportunities for things to go wrong, so Matt thought he had a pretty sure bet. Here's how it all went.

First, leaving the slip on Friday, March 5:

Since we were in the biggest boat in our group of slips, and we were in the tightest spot, and we were the first to leave on Friday morning, the other skippers helped with lines and stood by to learn from our mistakes. We were extra careful, controlling our bow with a warp led around a piling and back to our port bow cleat, tended by Nana; and controlling our stern by a line around another piling and back to our port sheet winch, tended by me. Nana says the anchor just kissed the starboard outer piling. No harm at all.

A few miles later we were safely anchored off Long Cay, where Nana and I launched the dinghy and I motored the mile to Island World Adventures on Saddle Cay, met Paul and Mary-Beth who had arrived on a speed boat from Nassau exactly on schedule. I thought about my bet with Matt when I limited myself to one 151-proof rum punch before we motored the dinghy back to ACT III. With Mary-Beth, Paul, their gear, and the dinghy motor safely aboard, I announced that Matt had officially lost his bet. Just to be sure, we sailed to Norman's Cay, anchored, snorkeled, beachcombed, and found some very interesting critters, including an octopus in a hole in 6 inches of low tide water who seemed to be intent on attacking Paul. Back on ACT III, we grilled steaks and watched the sun set. Another perfect day in paradise.

The next day, Saturday, we sailed to Warderick Wells Cay, Exhumas Land and Sea Park. You can check our previous blog about this wonderful place. Since we were members, we got a choice mooring. Saturday night is the weekly cruisers party so we swapped food, drinks, and tales with fellow cruisers, many of whom we had met on other cays. There were a few children there, Fionna, just a little older than you, cruising with their families. One family had sailed from Holland three years ago and are just now getting ready to end their adventure. When you are a little older we want you to join us for a few weeks, or maybe a whole summer. I'm pretty sure you will love it. We gave Paul and Mary-Beth the use of the dinghy for all of Sunday, and they had a great time snorkling our favorite spots and hiking the trails.

The next day, Monday, we sailed twenty miles or so to Compass Cay and anchored in a beautiful lagoon protected from the weather. Paul wanted to fish for bonefish, and this looked like just the right spot: shallow Mangrove swamps with lots of rays and Nurse sharks around. No luck catching bonefish, but we discovered that the near by marina (we went there by dinghy) had a resident population of lazy, friendly Nurse sharks and about 100 of the biggest bonefish Paul had ever seen. Alas, fishing was not allowed, so all Paul could do was look and wish. Looking from the dock into the twenty feet of crystal clear water was like looking into a giant aquarium. Back aboard ACT III we grilled burgers and spent the night. We spent all of Tuesday exploring beautiful Compass Cay. It is privately owned and maintained by a local Bahamian who inherited it from his parents. He is doing a wonderful job of preserving it and protecting the wildlife. We gladly paid the eight dollar fee for the privilege of landing our dinghy and exploring the island. Paul tried his luck at bonefishing again (no luck) while Heidi, Mary Beth and I hiked the island, seeing lots of birds, lizards, and endless beautiful beaches and ocean. Paul picked us up with the dinghy and we rode back to the main dock seeing lots of big sting rays in about four feet of water. The Nurse sharks at the dock are so friendly and lazy that people can swim with them and feed them hot dogs. Just don't put your finger right in front of their mouths!

On Wednesday we decided to sail the Exhuma Sound to Staniel Cay. We were the only boat out because we had twenty knots of wind on the nose and 5 to 6 foot seas. It was fun to see the depth suddenly drop from 90 feet to over 3000 feet. We had a rip roaring close hauled sail: just the way you like it, Fionna. I remember how you went up on the bow with your Mom and Adam and sat in a bean bag chair yelling "woopee!" every time a cold wave came aboard and hit you in the face. None of our crew were that brave, even though the water was warm: they all stayed comfortably in the cockpit. Paul and Mary-Beth treated us to a delicious dinner at the Yacht Club reataurant and we all went to bed happy.

Today started out cloudy, but we took the dinghy to the famous Grotto for some snorkeling anyway. This is the cave where the underwater scene in the James Bond movie "Thunderball" was filmed. The sun came out just as we entered the water, and the cave, which very easy to enter, had a spectacular variety of fish. We had brought along a bag of peas because we had heard that the fish liked them. Did they ever! When we opened the bag under water, dozens of fish swarmed around us, bumping into us and each other in their eagerness to get to the peas. One fish accidentally nipped Mary-Beth's finger, but it didn't really hurt. It was the first time she had ever been snorkeling with lots of fish, and she was very excited.

On the way back from exploring the area by dinghy, we found the famous giant swimming pigs on Big Majors Spot Cay. There were some other dinghies there and the pigs swam out to greet all of us. The biggest one got kind of mad at Nana because we didn't have any food for him, and he tried to climb into the dingy right into Nana's lap! As you know, Nana doesn't scare easily, but that pig made her scream and jump out of the way. It was pretty funny.

Towards evening we took the dinghy around the corner to admire a very well thought out home-built boat named "Sea Fever". Garth, Lilly, Isabelle, and Rose are a wonderful family on an amazing adventure.

Be sure to click on the links to the photo albums because Mary-Beth is a good photographer, and she took some great pictures.

We love you and we miss you lots. Your mom tells us about how you love skiing and that your philosophy of life is to do everything and really live. We are very, very proud of you.

Lots of Love and big hugs,

Papa

Highbourne Cay: March 1 - March 4, 2010

March 4, 2010

Highbourne Cay, Exhumas, Bahamas: N 24 deg, 42.6' W 076 deg, 49.3'

Knowing it was going to blow hard from the W and NW Tuesday March 1 through Thurs. March 4, we left the Land and Sea park on Monday. We had an easy sail through the sound north to Highbourne. Although we had made reservations several days in advance, we got the last available slip: the smallest and most difficult to get in and out of. Wind and tidal current were gentle when we arrived, so docking was easy. Matt, I know you are betting that we won't manage to pick up our guests at Saddle Cay tomorrow without incident, so you'll want to check the photo of our tight spot on the dock on our web album.

We've had a great time with our friends Norman and Barbara aboard Blown Away. We first met them in Bimini. They have explored both the civilized and remote areas of the Bahamas many times before so they have a wealth of information, and they are good company.

Highborne is a private island, but they welcome a small number of cruisers. The fees are a little steep, but the slips are well protected, the staff is great, and the bathrooms are clean. Water is scarce so showers are four dollars for four minutes. Thank goodness for our watermaker.

The best parts of Highborne are the beaches and the ocean. Stromatolites are the oldest fossil remains yet discovered, 3.5 Billion years old, and Highborne has them. There is a large population of resident sharks (I think they are Nurse sharks) near the fish-cleaning station. We counted thirteen. Most of them have names and are tagged. We were assured they don't care about swimmers, so we had a nice swim at the beach about 100 yards from the sharks' hang-out.

Highborne was once, like Norman's Cay, a haven for drug lords. When they were eventually killed with help from US troops, somebody started a plantation for growing Aloe plants. The plants thrived, but the growers neglected to check on the cost of shipping to Miami, so the business went under after the first harvest. Heidi scored a survivor, and now has a plant aboard to take care of. Does she really need one more project? Maybe yes, when we eventually run out of her eight cubic feet or so of nylon net for scrubbies; which, by the way, are rapidly becoming world-famous among cruisers. Heidi sends "thanks" to Polly for supplying her with turquoise net so she can make Bahamian flag colored Scrubbies.

Check our web album for a photo account of our quest for the famous Highborne Spring, and a picture of the Highborne Bus Stop.

We have a good internet connection here, although it isn't free, of course. It was great to be able to have Skype conversations with friends, and especially great to see Matt and Josh and Jim on a video call. Thanks for getting the camera and making that happen, guys. Matt, you look great.

We had an informal skippers' meeting on the dock today trying to figure out how to get out of here tomorrow without having the wind blow us crashing into other boats. All skippers agreed on one thing: ACT III is in the toughest spot. We'll have lots of other cruisers helping with line-handling, so I don't expect any real difficulty, in spite of Matt's dire predictions.

Well, time for a beer and a look around. We may not have another internet connection for a week or so; we'll update you then, friends. (You'll have to wait until then, Matt, to find out who won your wager.)

Happy sailing everyone.

Bill

Paradise: aka Warderick Wells

02/28/2010   
Warderick Wells Exhuma Cays Land and Sea Park: N 24 deg, 23.622' ; W 076 deg, 38.100'


176 square miles, no houses or resorts, only the park headquarters.  No fuel, fresh water or bathrooms.  Just unspoiled nature, well-kept but unobtrusive trails, a few bouys to secure dinghies while snorkleling in the crystal clear water, and excellent, well-protected moorings.  Everyone respects the rule: Take only photographs, leave only footprints.  We have been here a week. Every time we think about leaving, another front comes through, it blows 35 kts and we say, "Maybe tomorrow."  Ben, this is one of those times that we are greatful for our watermaker.  Our fast dinghy (motor finally humming like a sewing machine and pushing us along at 20 kts --not bad for 9.8 hp--) is perfect for exploring all the little cays and beaches.  Heidi and I have of course discovered a beach just big enough for a picnic for two naked people. (Don't worry friends and family, no pictures.)


Many of our old friends who left Miami a week after we did because they were waiting for calm conditions to cross the stream have caught up with us here.  Since we will be going north again to pick up Paul and Mary Beth on Friday, March 5, we expect we'll meet a whole new batch of south-bound cruisers.  It seems that many people are content to just cruise the Exhumas and then go back to Florida, and why not, the Exhumas are paradise.  I think we'll have to follow the rule that our friend Dirk who single-handed from Germany (See Heidi's previous posts) adopted: anchor off, dinghy ashore; if you see a footprint, leave.  Even with that rule, we are going to have to impose some limits on ourselves.  Fortunately we have to meet Paula in Georgetown March 23.  Eighty nautical miles in three weeks: we should be able to pick up our pace enough for that!


Tomorrow we really will shove off for Highborn Cay, 25 NM north so we can prepare to meet Paul and Mary Beth.


We miss you all.


Bill


Click here for more pictures   http://picasaweb.google.com/heidiberger2/WarderickWells#

Norman's Cay

This post begins at Norman’s Cay, Exumas, Bahamas (25 deg. 35.40' N; 076 deg. 48.08’ W)and continues to Warderick Wells, Exuma Cays Land and Sea Park, (24 deg.23.06’ N; 076 deg. 38.01’ W )

I am thriving in the cruising lifestyle. My body aches are minimum and my clothing feels looser although I eat all the chocolate I can find. A cruiser in Bimini recently told Bill, "You can tell this suits Heidi...see the look on her face."

A few things I didn't plan on:

1. Sweeping my entire floor by hand with a dustpan and broom on a regular basis because the 1-gallon shop-vac hogs battery power, so is saved for...

2. "StoreBags,” that you suck the air out with aforementioned vacuum, are excellent for saving space and keeping linens and (only recently necessary) unneeded winter clothing dry, and are greatly amusing to use. Downside is they turn a soft bundle into a hard packet, making it more difficult to stuff into a locker. ZipLoc vacuum bags are also good for an evening’s entertainment.

3. Our freezer, never used before this journey, can chill to minus 20 degrees! If we had a blender, we could make fancy blended drinks with umbrellas (if we had umbrellas). I tried to win a blender at the school fair (see last post from Bimini) but, alas.

4. I’m learning to barber and Bill looks remarkably respectable when we go to customs. I’ve only cut my bangs when they interfere with spotting markers on the water, so I’m getting pretty shaggy, and one of these days must work up the nerve to self-style or find a groomer in an anchorage or town.

5. We have a baby monitor aboard. This is not sweet surprise news to our families that we’re “expecting”, but Bill’s clever solution to hear the high-pitched anchor alarm from the cockpit while he sleeps. I hear it just fine without amplification, but the monitor is extra precaution.

6. I am terrifically busy and waaay behind on making Scrubbies. Today was typical: Wake early enough at Norman's Cay to hear Chris Parker's SSB weather report at 0630 hrs., keep VHF radio on to hear mooring ball assignments for Exuma Park at 0900 hrs, so we know if we'll be moving today (yes, we will.). Stow our snorkling equipment and other items which leak out of lockers and bins at each stop, lift the dinghy engine back aboard to the stern (don't tell anyone, but Bill towed engineless dinghy 20 miles today in light winds instead of deflating and lashing back on deck). Leave the anchorage slowly, sitting on deck watching water carefully for shallow coral heads. Once in deep water, I had time to get naked for the first time this year, mend a couple of things, sew ties on hand towels for the galley and take in the waistline of some pants...again...before I had to get un-naked and go back on deck to watch for shallows as we enter Warderick Wells Harbor. As we approached the cay, we saw the most amazing line of deep blue turning to turquoise where the water depth went from 900’.to 30’ in less than 5 seconds. On the way to our mooring we got a dinner invitation from a boat we knew previously, then when we dinghied ashore to check in and hike about 30 minutes to the top of Boo Boo Hill to see the panorama of cays, we met some folksaboard Tamure (they did a four year circumnavigation in the 80's with their two children) who invited us to drinks before dinner, and who already knew we were having dinner with Sparrow. (Note: we’ve lived in Newmarket over 12 years and haven’t been into a neighbor’s house yet.) So after “showering” I made some salad and put together a bag of ginger beers and rum for Dark & Stormy drinks. Then we fell into bed at 2100 hrs. after delightful times aboard both vessels.

Life is sweet and I love you all!

Heidi

Bimini Valentine

We were among the lucky people who stayed in Miami for free over SuperBowl weekend, as we happily anchored in Biscayne Bay. We left Fort Lauderdale last Saturday, alongside Felix the Cat. Bill and Chris (11) sailed aboard Act III, while Heidi crewed for Lorie on Felix. Lorie's husband, John, was in Boston on business and we wanted to move the boats to Miami to position ourselves better for crossing to the Bahamas.

The speedy sail down from Fort Lauderdale was most excellent in west winds to 20 kts.and without serious incident (Lorie learned Felix was more maneuverable leaving a slip with both keel boards down). We spent almost as much time seeking a mooring or anchorage (or even marina) in Miami as we did on the passage. Bill poked into the popular Miami anchorage of No Name Harbor at the southern tip of Key Biscayne, and came out reporting it looked like a WalMart parking lot the day after Thanksgiving, with lots of bad seamanship. Both boats finally anchored west of Virginia Key near the Causeway bridge in a fairly stiff wind that bounced Felix quite a bit. Heidi slept aboard Felix that night in case any problems occurred, but we had an uneventful sleep.

On Sunday Felix moved to nearby Crandon Park Marina, with Bill coaching Lorie from the dinghy. Lorie made 2 excellent landings at the marina, at the fuel dock and into a slip. Chris also had "driving" lessons from Bill, on both Act III and Felix, and he's a natural at the helm.

Monday Act III moved to No Name Harbor, for easier access to our route across the Gulf Stream. For the first time, we awoke early enough to listen to weather on our SSB radio (0630 hrs!), and discovered that Chris Parker is indeed a Bahama weather god. We later signed up to be a "sponsoring" vessel, which means we can call in to ask questions about weather in our specific location. It's a bit like sponsoring public radio: he provides an excellent service to cruisers who can listen in anytime. The wind had no north in it--critical for crossing the north-running Gulf Stream--and was predicted to be under 25 kts, so we left at 0800. We motor-sailed southeast for a few hours to compensate for being carried north when we hit the stream, then had a very fast sail into Bimini Harbor. The ride was a little bumpy, but nothing we haven't seen before, and Act III showed off her ability to crush through chop and waves while sailing close-hauled.

Bimini waters are clear and insanely turquoise blue. We cleared customs and immigration neatly, receiving an 8-month stay, which can be extended if necessary, and a fishing license, all for $300 cash. We unlocked our cell phones and bought a Bahama SIM card, got our Skype program active again, and can easily contact all you friends and family as long as we have internet access.

We're charmed by Bimini. Blue Water Marina is across the street from where Hemingway hung out at the Compleat Angler Hotel which, sadly, burned down in January 2006. The local museum is mostly pictures of Hemingway with his friends and family catching big fish. Last night we went to a local church school fundraiser supper and ate our fill of delicious conch fritters and lobster tail. I was disappointed and Bill was thrilled that I didn't win a large (gaudy) clock or a blender (hey, margaritas!) by picking the right numbered slip of paper from a heart-shaped board. Bill also failed to win his gal a prize at hoop throw, but I strongly suspect he wasn't really trying.

The local shop windows are full of random items, including a 2002 Bimini calendar and children's games and toys from the 1950's, alongside new cell phones. I'm still thinking about picking up some Valentine lingerie from the shop pictured above.

Bill's plumbing the watermaker to our second water tank and I'm prepping something to take to a marina BBQ tonight, where a delightful group is waiting for the current front to pass and wind return to manageable. We're planning to leave late tomorrow afternoon (2-14-2010) and sail through the night to Frazers Hog Cay. (Do you know the difference between an island and a cay?) We'll move on to Nassau the next day, where we'll meet several of the boats we left behind in Miami.

Miami-Bound 2/6/10

We leave Fort Lauderdale in an hour after a 2-week stay, the longest stop so far. But we got much accomplished:

9.8 Outboard motor fixed after 4 trips to the shop. This is the first time Bill has ever had anyone else work on a motor...or anything else for that matter...but the carburetor needed proper cleaning with a compressor, one of the few tools we did not have aboard. The initial problem with the carburetor came from ethanol in the gasoline, and we now understand more about "phase separation" in gas than anyone should have to know.

Rollerfurler bearing fixed after 1.5 weeks and 5 trips to the rigger.  A comedy of errors where the little balls that had leaked out of the furler—we’d been finding them on deck for weeks—were not delivered as promised 2 times, then the balls we got were the wrong size, so our attempt to repair the furler was thwarted.  Finally the rigger reassembled it and, again, Bill fretted over someone else doing the work.

Our new wifi antenna/booster leaked and burned out in the torrential rain we had the other day. This is the only unit to fail in that way, and is now repaired after only one visit from the installer/seller/manufacturer/inventer, Al Francone.

We bought a new dingy light at West Marine (aka Worst Marine or Wasteful Marine) after being cautioned by the Marine police that we need red/green navigation lights on our dinghy.  NO ONE runs a dinghy with those nav lights, but we're legal now, after only one trip back to WM after the light clamp broke the second time we attached it to the transom.

After much calculation and testing of our batteries, Bill remembered they were at least 5 years old and were due for replacement. Fortunately, the internet source for best battery prices is right here in Fort Lauderdale, so swapping them out was an easy matter.

Boatcards, mosquito net, small compressor, new credit card that Bank of America insists on replacing,

New SCUBA tanks are neatly lashed to the new boards installed on deck and our equipment has been inspected and repaired.

Social bonuses include several visits with Bill's sister Edie and Frank, who even dared a dinghy ride and big ladder climb to the famous sailor's hangout Southport Raw Bar.  My Aunt Jacqui and Uncle Bill live around the corner from our marina, and they invited us for lovely dinners, where we got to meet my handsome young first-cousin-once-removed, Tristan. Dave and Bicki from Nellie D, who we passed many moons ago, caught up with us here and we enjoyed another fine dinner at the Raw Bar. The fish feeding frenzy at the 15^th Street Fisheries, where a beefy jack fish bit Chris on the finger, was anther high point.

Today’s destination is an anchorage in Miami, where we’ll wait for favorable weather to cross the Gulf Stream to Gun Cay or Nassau.  We’ll travel with Felix and Tamrick. John from Felix had to go home for work for a few days, so Lorie and Heidi will sail Felix to Miami, while Chris (11) will crew for Bill aboard Act III.  You know we’ll be racing!