Thursday, July 17
Today we were able to get internet, and Chris sourced a supplier for a new alternator. We are having it sent priority post to a marina in Georgetown. We'll stop there, spend the night, and install it. Tonight we are at the north end of Hilton Head island and while anchoring spotted a reasonable size shark hugging the marshy shore line cruising for his supper. It was probably only 2 or 3 feet deep where he was, and his fin and tail were exposed. At yesterday's anchorage I saw an otter. In the distance it looked like a short fat serpent. He was almost black, with an dark oily sheen, and the way he undulated through the water gave him the appearance of a small sea monster! Nothing like the cute guys at the zoo.
Thursday, August 7, 2008
And we're off!
Tuesday, July 15
We left Brunswick today, on the start of our roughly 750 mile trip north to Virginia. While in Georgia, I had a whirlwind visit back to Ontario.(not a flying visit because I drove). The main reasons were to celebrate my Mum's birthday and see as many of our girls and grandchildren as I could. The spare time was taken with fitting in various medical appointments for my Mum and myself. Driving back south I left the van in Deltaville and went the rest of the way to Brunswick with Chris in a rental car. This way our van will be waiting for us when we bring the boat up.
As is the custom, as soon as we left the dock at Brunswick something seemed to be wrong. We weren't positive until the end of the day, but sure enough, the alternator wasn't working. Chris was surprised as he had taken it all apart while we were at the dock, reinstalled and tested it, and it was working fine. After our mishaps in the Bahamas we realized it would be wise to have a spare alternator but had put off getting one. So we were back to square one, without an alternator and without a spare. The batteries were getting a very very slight charge, but we would only be able to use electricity if it was absolutely essential. (Back to peeing in a bucket, with our electric loo)
Tuesday, June 24, 2008
Brunswick again
Thursday June 5
We are back in Brunswick, almost like coming home. The trip north through Florida on the ICW was just as wonderful as on the way down. We got to see the space shot from the boat, and had some quality time in several isolated anchorages. The weather was lovely, though hot, and we took the opportunity to get used to being back in North America. Now we are here we will do a few boat jobs, but we will save the majority of them for Deltaville in Virginia. We will set off for there early to mid-July.
Brunswick is hot, hot, hot. Mid 90's and very humid. But the sand gnats seem to be hiding. Good!
Shot of the space shuttle
An anchorage on Matanzas River south of Fernandina
Wild horses on Cumberland Island
We are back in Brunswick, almost like coming home. The trip north through Florida on the ICW was just as wonderful as on the way down. We got to see the space shot from the boat, and had some quality time in several isolated anchorages. The weather was lovely, though hot, and we took the opportunity to get used to being back in North America. Now we are here we will do a few boat jobs, but we will save the majority of them for Deltaville in Virginia. We will set off for there early to mid-July.
Brunswick is hot, hot, hot. Mid 90's and very humid. But the sand gnats seem to be hiding. Good!
Shot of the space shuttle
An anchorage on Matanzas River south of Fernandina
Wild horses on Cumberland Island
Back in the U.S of A.
Thursday May 29
We arrived at White Sands Ridge about 4 yesterday afternoon and finally anchored in 15 feet having looked in vain for the shallower water that was supposed to be there. Right by us was a large tour boat/small cruise ship that was going back and forth across the waters. We couldn't figure out what they were doing. Back and forth , back and forth. Then we heard that they were on a dolphin tour. There is a large group of dolphins in this general area that people swim with. They are wild dolphins and the guidelines stress that you cannot approach them or harass them, but you can swim with them. If the dolphins choose to approach you, that is fine. This pod seems to have become so used to having swimmers amongst them that tour boats come out filled with tourists taking a chance on being able to swim with wild dolphins. They didn't have any luck yesterday, and we didn't see any dolphins either.
A single hander anchored near us in the evening and radioed to ask if he could travel with us when we made the crossing. We were happy to do so, though he wanted to start off a fair bit earlier than we had planned on getting up. A bit of motivation is a good thing, and we were up at 3:30 a.m. ready to set off. An incredibly uncomfortable and rolly night meant we didn't have too much trouble waking as we never really slept, but getting our friend up was another matter! We finally roused him and were able to set off at 4:30 a.m.
The crossing was straightforward and trouble free, with only 2 tankers to get our blood pressure up. There were squalls all around us but we avoided every one, lucky for us. Friends who had crossed a week earlier had such bad squalls they couldn't see anything, and had to radio the Coast Guard who monitored them every 1/2 hour until the rain let up.
It took us just under 12 hours to get into Ft.Pierce and apart from the impressive current at the mouth of the inlet it was all straightforward. We tied up at Harbourtown Marina as later we would need to check in with Homeland Security (Customs and Immigration) and needed access to land. It is a lovely little marina, with good rates and a great restaurant. We had a pleasant meal with our singlehander friend (who found just before he met us that his credit card wasn't working!). It felt strange to have ready access to ice and airconditioning. But sort of nice.
The current at the mouth of Ft.Pierce inlet
Friday May 30
We took a taxi to the airport to check in, along with two other couples. The cab dispatcher has said we could all go together. It was a pretty tight squeeze, but better than waiting any longer and a great ice-breaker!
We arrived just a few minutes before opening. When our turn came we had to fill out loads of forms to apply for another cruising permit. This time, for whatever reason, we were only granted one for 10 months. We had to pay $19, and the officer refused to take a $20. He wouldn't give change, and he wouldn't take a $20. We had to go around the various people available and in the end could get enough notes to add up to $19, but it cost us $25 as lots of people didn't have enough change for our bills. Surreal.
We arrived at White Sands Ridge about 4 yesterday afternoon and finally anchored in 15 feet having looked in vain for the shallower water that was supposed to be there. Right by us was a large tour boat/small cruise ship that was going back and forth across the waters. We couldn't figure out what they were doing. Back and forth , back and forth. Then we heard that they were on a dolphin tour. There is a large group of dolphins in this general area that people swim with. They are wild dolphins and the guidelines stress that you cannot approach them or harass them, but you can swim with them. If the dolphins choose to approach you, that is fine. This pod seems to have become so used to having swimmers amongst them that tour boats come out filled with tourists taking a chance on being able to swim with wild dolphins. They didn't have any luck yesterday, and we didn't see any dolphins either.
A single hander anchored near us in the evening and radioed to ask if he could travel with us when we made the crossing. We were happy to do so, though he wanted to start off a fair bit earlier than we had planned on getting up. A bit of motivation is a good thing, and we were up at 3:30 a.m. ready to set off. An incredibly uncomfortable and rolly night meant we didn't have too much trouble waking as we never really slept, but getting our friend up was another matter! We finally roused him and were able to set off at 4:30 a.m.
The crossing was straightforward and trouble free, with only 2 tankers to get our blood pressure up. There were squalls all around us but we avoided every one, lucky for us. Friends who had crossed a week earlier had such bad squalls they couldn't see anything, and had to radio the Coast Guard who monitored them every 1/2 hour until the rain let up.
It took us just under 12 hours to get into Ft.Pierce and apart from the impressive current at the mouth of the inlet it was all straightforward. We tied up at Harbourtown Marina as later we would need to check in with Homeland Security (Customs and Immigration) and needed access to land. It is a lovely little marina, with good rates and a great restaurant. We had a pleasant meal with our singlehander friend (who found just before he met us that his credit card wasn't working!). It felt strange to have ready access to ice and airconditioning. But sort of nice.
The current at the mouth of Ft.Pierce inlet
Friday May 30
We took a taxi to the airport to check in, along with two other couples. The cab dispatcher has said we could all go together. It was a pretty tight squeeze, but better than waiting any longer and a great ice-breaker!
We arrived just a few minutes before opening. When our turn came we had to fill out loads of forms to apply for another cruising permit. This time, for whatever reason, we were only granted one for 10 months. We had to pay $19, and the officer refused to take a $20. He wouldn't give change, and he wouldn't take a $20. We had to go around the various people available and in the end could get enough notes to add up to $19, but it cost us $25 as lots of people didn't have enough change for our bills. Surreal.
Same old, same old.
Tuesday May 27
We hung around in Great Sale Cay until the worst of the squalls had passed, which took us to yesterday. The anchorage got fuller and fuller until there were 22 boats anchored there, all waiting to go one place or another. Finally in the morning the exodus began and boats left the shelter of the bay to go north, east or west. We checked all the engine belts, pumped the small amount of water in the engine room out and set off by 8:30 a.m. We weren't able to sail, but it was a beautiful day and the waters were relatively smooth.
Less than an hour later the anchor was out, the engine compartment was filling with water, and we were once again dealing with the water pump.(!) It turned out there can be yet another cause for the influx of water. This time the seal on the water pump had failed. Changed to another pump and after 3 hours work we were able to pull up the anchor and continue on our way. We got to Mangrove Cay, our last landfall in the Bahamas, and tried to tuck in close enough to avoid the winds and heavy seas. We have decided not to go to West End and check out. The marina there is supposed to be expensive and with our furler extending over 7 feet behind the boat we don't feel comfortable maneuvering in close quarters. We could anchor off the edge of town, but that requires a dinghy with a motor as I don't trust us in the current and tides with nothing but oars. So instead we will head to the edge of the banks tomorrow, an area marked on the charts as White Sands Ridge, and anchor ready to make the crossing to Ft. Pierce, Florida.
We hung around in Great Sale Cay until the worst of the squalls had passed, which took us to yesterday. The anchorage got fuller and fuller until there were 22 boats anchored there, all waiting to go one place or another. Finally in the morning the exodus began and boats left the shelter of the bay to go north, east or west. We checked all the engine belts, pumped the small amount of water in the engine room out and set off by 8:30 a.m. We weren't able to sail, but it was a beautiful day and the waters were relatively smooth.
Less than an hour later the anchor was out, the engine compartment was filling with water, and we were once again dealing with the water pump.(!) It turned out there can be yet another cause for the influx of water. This time the seal on the water pump had failed. Changed to another pump and after 3 hours work we were able to pull up the anchor and continue on our way. We got to Mangrove Cay, our last landfall in the Bahamas, and tried to tuck in close enough to avoid the winds and heavy seas. We have decided not to go to West End and check out. The marina there is supposed to be expensive and with our furler extending over 7 feet behind the boat we don't feel comfortable maneuvering in close quarters. We could anchor off the edge of town, but that requires a dinghy with a motor as I don't trust us in the current and tides with nothing but oars. So instead we will head to the edge of the banks tomorrow, an area marked on the charts as White Sands Ridge, and anchor ready to make the crossing to Ft. Pierce, Florida.
Saturday, June 21, 2008
A Perfect Day
Saturday May 24
The last few days have been squally, and when the storms come they are spectacular. So we waited them out at Allans Pensacola then headed to Great Sale Cay today, the first part of our trip back to the States. We don't actually have to check out of the Bahamas, but would like to get our passports stamped just in case we have trouble getting back into U..S. We will go to West End, appropriately at the west end of Grand Bahama, to do that. Leaving our anchorage I put out my new fishing line with foolproof lure and crossed my fingers. The day was lovely, the winds perfect for sailing, the water gorgeous. Checking the line, there was a fish on it! We decided not to pull it in for the time being, but that combined with everything else caused Chris and I to give each other a High Five, and pronounce it "A Perfect Day".
Just about 5 minutes after that pronouncement there was a noise and....our headsail was in the water! The forestay had sheared off at the masthead, bringing the sail and roller furler down with it. Luckily it didn't bring anything else down on it's way. The strong winds and swells were pushing us towards a shoal so we threw out the anchor (sound familiar?), brought down the mainsail, and dragged the headsail and furler back up onto the starboard side. Although there is a baby stay, when we saw how loose the backstays were, we quickly attached two other halyards from the masthead to the bow of the boat. We didn't want to lose our mast as well.
Good thing our motor was back in working order. At a pinch, with the wind behind us, we could probably have used the main, but the thought made me pretty nervous.
*Q.1: What is wrong with this picture?
We kept heading for Great Sale. It's uninhabited, but a very popular staging post for boats coming and going to the U.S. There are sponge beds surrounding it which might be neat to see. We thought we had outwaited all the squalls but there were still several around us, making for choppy and confused seas. I mentioned to Chris that the poor outboard on our dinghy behind us looking as though it was wobbling back and forth. Chris had tightened the clamps on it as firmly as he could before we started out that morning, so we felt sure it would be fine. And it was, until the time we turned around to look at it and it wasn't there!
I was very tempted to retrace our GPS track and see if we could find it but that would have been along shot, even with a sound boat. It had been a very cheap outboard, meant to keep us going until we decided what dinghy/motor combo we needed, but still...
*Q.2: What is wrong with this picture?
Anyway, no use crying over sunken motors, we carried on. Getting close to Great Sale, we could see a squall heading our way and were keeping our fingers crossed we would get to the anchorage in time. It was hard not to keep glancing back at the dinghy and looking at the empty spot where the motor had been, a bit like tonguing a loose tooth. As I looked back I caught a glimpse of what appeared to be a dead black bird falling down into the water just behind the cockpit. We immediately realized it couldn't be a black bird and looked up to see...our spreader light bulb dangling loose. The retaining ring had somehow come unscrewed and fallen off. Into the water, of course.
*Q.3: What is wrong with this picture?
But the good news was that we made the anchorage before the squall hit, and found a nice sheltered spot. Oh!..and the fish on my line? Got away and stole my lure.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
*Answers:
1: the sail and forestay should be attached to the mast, not hanging off the back of the boat.
2: there should be a motor on the dinghy, not a seagull
3: the heavy bulb should not be hanging by a thin wire over our heads
The last few days have been squally, and when the storms come they are spectacular. So we waited them out at Allans Pensacola then headed to Great Sale Cay today, the first part of our trip back to the States. We don't actually have to check out of the Bahamas, but would like to get our passports stamped just in case we have trouble getting back into U..S. We will go to West End, appropriately at the west end of Grand Bahama, to do that. Leaving our anchorage I put out my new fishing line with foolproof lure and crossed my fingers. The day was lovely, the winds perfect for sailing, the water gorgeous. Checking the line, there was a fish on it! We decided not to pull it in for the time being, but that combined with everything else caused Chris and I to give each other a High Five, and pronounce it "A Perfect Day".
Just about 5 minutes after that pronouncement there was a noise and....our headsail was in the water! The forestay had sheared off at the masthead, bringing the sail and roller furler down with it. Luckily it didn't bring anything else down on it's way. The strong winds and swells were pushing us towards a shoal so we threw out the anchor (sound familiar?), brought down the mainsail, and dragged the headsail and furler back up onto the starboard side. Although there is a baby stay, when we saw how loose the backstays were, we quickly attached two other halyards from the masthead to the bow of the boat. We didn't want to lose our mast as well.
Good thing our motor was back in working order. At a pinch, with the wind behind us, we could probably have used the main, but the thought made me pretty nervous.
*Q.1: What is wrong with this picture?We kept heading for Great Sale. It's uninhabited, but a very popular staging post for boats coming and going to the U.S. There are sponge beds surrounding it which might be neat to see. We thought we had outwaited all the squalls but there were still several around us, making for choppy and confused seas. I mentioned to Chris that the poor outboard on our dinghy behind us looking as though it was wobbling back and forth. Chris had tightened the clamps on it as firmly as he could before we started out that morning, so we felt sure it would be fine. And it was, until the time we turned around to look at it and it wasn't there!
I was very tempted to retrace our GPS track and see if we could find it but that would have been along shot, even with a sound boat. It had been a very cheap outboard, meant to keep us going until we decided what dinghy/motor combo we needed, but still...
*Q.2: What is wrong with this picture?
*Q.3: What is wrong with this picture?But the good news was that we made the anchorage before the squall hit, and found a nice sheltered spot. Oh!..and the fish on my line? Got away and stole my lure.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
1: the sail and forestay should be attached to the mast, not hanging off the back of the boat.
2: there should be a motor on the dinghy, not a seagull
3: the heavy bulb should not be hanging by a thin wire over our heads
Cooperstown to Allans Pensacola
Thursday May 22
We spent yesterday anchored outside Cooperstown and Chris rebuilt the waterpump and rewired the gauges. After several other tweakings we started the engine and everything works! No alarms, the alternator seems back with us and even the generator is not giving us an alarm light! Not too sure why it is all going so well, but why rock the boat? (heh heh). An impressive rainstorm dropped enough rain to half fill the dinghy and show us where the fresh leaks inside were. Unfortunately, it didn't manage to quell the brush fires.
Smoke from Abaco fires
Trying to get at the water pump - again!
Once everything was drained and rinsed we limped back to the nearest cay, Allans Pensacola, which was to have been our stop the following night. We got in past the boats already there and anchored in the shallower water. This was another very grassy area so we put on conchs back into the water. (With all the mechanical/electrical issues we hadn't been able to deal with them and they were a little past their best.) Then we launched the dinghy to the cay and followed a path over to the Atlantic side. This was absolutely lovely! The water was shallow and clear, as we were still on the Banks, but open to the Atlantic some miles away. Chris spotted a shark only about 3 feet from shore, swimming along the side looking for supper. (so no snorkelling there!) There were also several "signing" trees. Like Powell Cay, cruisers had found pieces of flotsam, signed them with their boat name and dates, and hung them up. Some pieces had been signed year after year by the same people.
One thing we have noticed on all the islands we have visited, the inhabited and uninhabited, is the large amount of plastic debris deposited by the wind and seas. Bottles, clothing, nets, styrofoam chunks, boxes, signs...
We are required to affix a plaque on our boat which lists how far offshore you have to be before you can dump something overboard. Near shore the list prohibits just about everything. The further offshore you go the more you are allowed to dump. But no matter where you are, you are never allowed to dump plastic.
Looking at these shores it is easy to understand why. Most of the stuff we see has not been deliberately dumped but it sure points out the lasting power of plastic.
We spent yesterday anchored outside Cooperstown and Chris rebuilt the waterpump and rewired the gauges. After several other tweakings we started the engine and everything works! No alarms, the alternator seems back with us and even the generator is not giving us an alarm light! Not too sure why it is all going so well, but why rock the boat? (heh heh). An impressive rainstorm dropped enough rain to half fill the dinghy and show us where the fresh leaks inside were. Unfortunately, it didn't manage to quell the brush fires.
Smoke from Abaco firesSo today, still working our way slowly west, we headed for Moraine Cay. The chart shows it to have nice coral areas for snorkeling, and we haven't had an opportunity to do much of that yet. We were about half the way there when we noticed the cooling water had stopped coming out the back. This water is what prevents the engine from overheating and if you don't have it the result can be some very expensive damage. Uh oh! Out with the anchor again. We lifted the lid to the engine compartment and ..it was full of sea water. Sigh. The hole where it had come in last time was still firmly stoppered. So off with the water pump (which is in a really awkward place) again, clean the raw water filter, change the water pump, doesn't work, take that water pump off, put the original water pump on again.....finally we found the problem. A hose had come off. It wasn't visible without a mirror and was fine last time we checked. But with all the replacing of pumps over the days it had wiggled loose and filled the engine compartment with super salty seawater.
Trying to get at the water pump - again!Once everything was drained and rinsed we limped back to the nearest cay, Allans Pensacola, which was to have been our stop the following night. We got in past the boats already there and anchored in the shallower water. This was another very grassy area so we put on conchs back into the water. (With all the mechanical/electrical issues we hadn't been able to deal with them and they were a little past their best.) Then we launched the dinghy to the cay and followed a path over to the Atlantic side. This was absolutely lovely! The water was shallow and clear, as we were still on the Banks, but open to the Atlantic some miles away. Chris spotted a shark only about 3 feet from shore, swimming along the side looking for supper. (so no snorkelling there!) There were also several "signing" trees. Like Powell Cay, cruisers had found pieces of flotsam, signed them with their boat name and dates, and hung them up. Some pieces had been signed year after year by the same people.
One thing we have noticed on all the islands we have visited, the inhabited and uninhabited, is the large amount of plastic debris deposited by the wind and seas. Bottles, clothing, nets, styrofoam chunks, boxes, signs...
We are required to affix a plaque on our boat which lists how far offshore you have to be before you can dump something overboard. Near shore the list prohibits just about everything. The further offshore you go the more you are allowed to dump. But no matter where you are, you are never allowed to dump plastic.
Looking at these shores it is easy to understand why. Most of the stuff we see has not been deliberately dumped but it sure points out the lasting power of plastic.
Minnows in the grass at Allans Pensacola