Sailing Ritual

Hi Everyone!

With the onset of hurricane season, we wanted you to know that we made our way back to Chesapeake Bay and are safely ensconced at Oak Harbor Marina on Rock Creek in Pasadena, MD.

Given the ominous predicted storm season forecast, as well as the changes in weather patterns that we have been experiencing, it seemed like getting north was the thing to do this year. While it is just as hot and sticky here as it was in Florida, we are very well protected at the back of this creek, and will be high and dry when we haul out for maintenance. Plus we are 70 miles from the ocean instead of one.

In our last post we were just leaving Georgetown in the Bahamas. We made our way back up through the Exumas Island chain and grabbed a slip in Nassau for a few days to wait for good weather. With another full moon we sailed overnight across the Bahama Bank to Lucaya on Grand Bahama Island and took a slip for the week. We would have to wait for a decent weather window to cross the Gulf Stream (are you seeing a pattern here?) and the Grand Bahama Yacht Club/Marina was close to shopping, affordable and even had a pool!

Imagine our surprise as we walked the dock and ran into Edsel, our friend and mechanic from Palm Coast! He was on a delivery and also waiting for weather. Great timing – Fred was trying to rerun some wiring to separate our accessory batteries from the house bank, and Edsel was a big help.

It was a mini exodus as boats left the harbor after being pent up for several days of thunderstorms. We had intended to head north and try to get all the way to Beaufort, NC. However, it appeared that our AIS was not working (hmmm – we messed with a lot of electrical stuff…). This instrument identifies surrounding boat traffic, and also transmits our boat position. Even with radar, Lisa was not comfortable being in the ocean for 3 days without it, so we decided to cross straight west to Lake Worth/West Palm Beach, which we could make by dark. East winds made for lumpy waves as we neared the coast, and it was a relief to pull into the lake at sunset and drop the hook. The next morning we started our trek up the ICW. We made it to Vero Beach in 2 days. Most of our fellow cruisers had already headed north, but we had a warm welcome from Ginna and Peter on Take Five and Lew and Trudy on Blue Flamingo, who were staying for the summer. The biggest surprise was meeting up with Deb and Jeff from Mt. Pleasant, MI on their “new” boat Destiny. We met them 12 years ago in the North Channel when our granddaughter Emily befriended their daughter Lily.

As usual, one week turned into two, in part because we were not sure exactly where we were going to end up! And in part because we were waiting for our new AIS to arrive. It seems the old one (all of 3 years) was fried. Another happy outcome of sticking around was that we bought two used folding bikes that were like brand new, and were able to gift our well-loved old ones to a fellow cruiser.

The end of May was looming, so we pointed the bow north once more. We enjoyed another delicious cajun meal at Harry’s in St. Augustine and visited the Sea Turtle Museum and Hospital on Jekyll Island. An outside, overnight jump from Jekyll to Winyah Bay, SC saved us at least a week of travel. While the marshes and creeks of Georgia and S. Carolina are beautiful and hold lovely anchorages and wonderful stops in Beaufort (Bewfort), Savannah and Charleston, they are also twisty and shallow, with strong tidal currents that slow down progress. After two beautiful nights on the river in the Waccamaw National Wildlife Refuge, we stopped at Myrtle Beach Yacht Club and met up with Evelyn, whom we had met on our very first trip south – three years ago! Although no longer with her boat partner we had fun catching up, and enjoyed the luxury of swimming in the pool while we did laundry. As we like to say, cruising is not all beaches (or pools) and umbrella drinks, but sometimes it is!

On the next ICW leg we passed our buddies Jeanne and Sheldon on Shank’s Mare! They had made an unplanned stop for an emergency replacement of their transmission. We joined forces in Carolina Beach, NC for a few days, and traveled the ICW together to Beaufort (Bowfort), NC. It was a wonderful reunion, and we thought about going with them to New Bern for the summer. But this time it was Ritual that got stopped for repairs. When anchoring at Mile Hammock Bay our entire electrical system died. Our portable generator got us through the night, and in Beaufort we hired an electrician, who discovered a bad isolator battery switch. We were lucky to get a slip, since it was the week of the Big Rock fishing tournament and the area was packed. Funny coincidence that we were here at the same time two years ago on our way north. The switch was fixed the next day, and we decided we needed to get closer to DC or Baltimore to manage another fall trip to Portugal. Northward we trekked to Annapolis, MD. We took a mooring downtown for a few days, visiting some favorite places in town, and then moved around to Oak Harbor Marina, where we will stay for the rest of summer and fall while those nasty storms play out. Seems we made a good choice since the Caribbean just experienced a Cat 4/5 hurricane which broke records for its early season formation and strength. Fortunately friend’s boats on Grenada seem to have been spared.

And along the line of making choices, we are rethinking this fall’s trip to Portugal, leaning instead toward actually making a permanent move. Fred will turn 80 this fall, and we relish the thought of spending a few years in Europe. Not to mention that Portugal is ranked by WHO as 13^th best in health care (U.S. is 37^th) and on the Global Peace Index is 7^th in safety (U.S. is 129^th). The hardest part of this plan will be parting with Ritual, with which we are having difficulty contemplating. As usual, we will keep you posted.

Best wishes to you all. Enjoy your summer!

Fred and Lisa

Wow, just realized we have not checked in since early August. I began this post several times, but seemed to get sidetracked, and now its almost Christmas!

We returned to Florida from the Bahamas in mid-May, entered the ICW at the Ft. Pierce inlet, and headed to Vero Beach. Vero has become our pseudo Florida base. It is familiar, has everything we need in the way of services, has a free bus, and we have made friends there – a few even stay year round. It is as close to “coming home” as we get these days. We considered staying here for the hurricane season, but knew we would be traveling, and weren’t completely comfortable leaving Ritual unattended on a mooring during peak hurricane season in August/September. We hung out for a week, getting re-acclimated to the US hubbub (it is a real thing!), then headed north to Palm Coast, where we had a slip reserved until October.

Palm Coast Marina, only 20 miles south of St. Augustine, had become another favored spot to stop as we moved up and down the ICW. We made connections there with cruisers who call it home. While there is no bus service, the community has fantastic bike paths and we can walk or ride to restaurants, grocery, hardware store, etc. It is more affordable than most marinas, and considered a “hurricane hole” – a safe spot to hunker down for storms. It is miles from any ocean inlet, minimizing storm surge, and sits in a small protective basin just west of the ICW.

We had looked forward to being part of the summer boating community. We knew Meg and Gus, on Seawinds, would be gone to Portugal. However, just after we arrived, Peggy and Eric (and their 4 weimaraners!) sold their catamaran and moved to Costa Rica; Mark and Brenda sold their trawler and bought an RV; and Neil had knee surgery and moved ashore for healing. Others left their boats and took off traveling. So it was a bit lonely. We had figured it would not be much hotter than what we had experienced during a Chesapeake summer, but the joke was on us – it turned out to be Florida’s hottest summer on record! Even the locals complained. Those who stayed aboard, stayed inside. Phil and Belinda, on Contiguous, were the one constant and we enjoyed their company.

We did okay in June, but by July we caved and bought a small portable air conditioner. Lisa also sewed two large sunshades to cover the decks. Both made the heat more tolerable. July temps were in the 90’s, but it was the humidity that really took its toll. The plan had been to get a lot of boat maintenance done while at the dock. However, if that work didn’t occur before 10 am, the “sweat factor” was too high to be outside. And those of you who know us well know we like to take our time with morning coffee! Needless to say, outside projects were delayed. In preparation for possible hurricanes, we stripped gear off deck and removed the sails, and added extra dock lines and chafing protection. We felt comfortable leaving the boat in this secure little haven while we traveled.

In August we flew to Seattle to spend time with daughters Rachael and Lauren. Our forever friends Gail and Phil put us up for several days (we call their beautiful lake house “Perkins Resort”). Rachael’s beau Chris treated us to a weekend at Sucia Island in the San Juan Islands, aboard his family’s yacht. We have many fond memories of this island, and we hiked, picked through tide pools, and caught dungeness crabs, grateful to spend a couple days here.

Granddaughter Emily and friend Ryan flew in from Denver to join us for a few days. We herded the gang around Pike Place Market, the Ballard locks and salmon ladder, and a meal at another favorite spot – Ray’s Boathouse on Puget Sound. It was difficult to leave, in part because we didn’t have time to see several old friends, and because this is a place we never get enough of. And of course – family time is precious!

Back in Florida, we retrieved the kitties from “cat camp” for a 3 week reprieve. Ritual was fine, and there had been no bad weather. What we had not thought about was having the boat bottom cleaned. Because the marina basin does not get much water movement and only has a one-foot tide, the biosphere that grows on the boat bottom is lush, as evidenced by the sea turtle munching at our waterline! Typically we hire a diver every couple of months while we are in the ICW, but Palm Coast requires monthly cleaning to keep up.

Our big trip was spending three weeks of September in Portugal. This country had been a topic of discussion for several months. A former Seattle colleague and his husband had moved there two years ago and raved about it. Then a cruising couple we met in Vero Beach moved there last spring. When Meg and Gus told us they would be there all summer and had space for us, it was a done deal. We spent time with all three couples, allowing us to experience the Algarve region in the south, Lisbon, the Silver Coast between Lisbon and Porto (Peniche, Obidos, Nazare and Leiria), and Porto. Everyone generously shared their experiences and knowledge, and we loved it all! We can see why this country has become a favorite haven for ex-pats in Europe, and Portugal makes it relatively easy to get a resident visa (hmm…). As our cruiser friend Kathy says, “wine was involved”. OMG, the wine!! With vistas of olive, lemon, orange, and carob groves, cork trees, yummy pastries and breads, fresh seafood and food markets, ocean beaches, history and architecture dating back to the Moors…we were smitten. We even caught up with Tom and Ilse on Serenata, our sister ship from Hampton, VA that made the Atlantic crossing in May.

Upon our return it was time to focus on the undone projects and getting ready for the winter cruising season. We hauled Ritual out in St. Augustine. It has become difficult to find a boat yard that will allow you to do your own work. There are cheaper yards in St. Mary’s, Georgia, and south of Jacksonville, but they are in the middle of nowhere, so we opted for Oasis. It costs more, but is right in town, and we can walk and ride bikes to everything we need. An added bonus is that we really like this historic town. And an additional plus is that no named storms occurred here this hurricane season!

Life “on the hard” is challenging. It involves climbing up and down the ladder all day, catching sink water in a bucket, using a bucket “at night” to avoid a 3 am walk across the lot to the bathrooms – then emptying said buckets. Fred sanded and painted the bottom. Lisa stripped old varnish off of the teak toe rail and stained teak trim. Sewing repairs were made to the cockpit enclosure. Fred serviced the windlass and reversed and re-marked our anchor chain. Lisa painted the cockpit cushions with vinyl paint. While all this is going on, the necessary tools, cleaners, buckets, sewing machine, etc, cover the salon table, chart table, cockpit seats, deck, blah blah blah. We live among the stuff because it is easier that putting it all away and then hauling it all back out every day. It was a great feeling to finish and finally stow things again!

Ritual was re-launched on Halloween day. We spent some time on a mooring at St. Augustine Marina, enjoyed a meal with Gus and Meg back in Palm Coast, then headed for Vero Beach. Cruising boats are on the move south (the “migration”) and it has been fun to reconnect with Gary and Sharleen on Aurora and Jeanne and Sheldon on Shank’s Mare. We are tracking several others as they make their way back from the Chesapeake or head to the islands.

We are currently in Vero Beach, finishing the installation of a new auto pilot and making plans to cross to the Bahamas – hopefully before Christmas if the weather gods cooperate.

Fair winds – Fred and Lisa

This is the summary of the last part of our trip through the Bahamas. We are currently in Florida, and tomorrow we leave the boat and head for Seattle to spend some time with friends and family! (reminder – click on photos for better pictures)

With a little more than two weeks left on our cruising permit, we departed Spanish Wells for a journey through the Abaco Islands. These islands lie furthest to the Bahamian northeast, and we had saved them for last, hoping that by May the frequent winter nor’easter storms would be gone and that the rainy season would be late. We weaved our way out through Gun Point Pass and headed north into a gently rolling Atlantic Ocean. With sails up on a beam reach, we were trying to time our arrival to the slack tide at Little Harbor Cut, fifty miles away.

An eight-hour passage can be a bit monotonous in good settled weather (not complaining!!), and we alternated two-hour watches. Occasionally a sail needed adjusting. We dragged 2 fishing lines but had no action. Then, about halfway across, a little bird flew down the companionway and landed on the windowsill! It flitted around the cabin for a bit, then found its way back out to the cockpit. We figured it was tired and just needed a rest, and it seemed in no hurry to leave. Finally, the snoozing cats realized there was a bird on their boat, and we went into protective mode. It let us hold it, and liked Fred’s arm as a perch. When it hopped under an open hatch and settled on the screen, we let it be. The cats went back to snoozing. The best i.d. we could make was a female or juvenile American Redstart – a common North American warbler that winters in Florida and the tropics. Sadly, when we checked on it awhile later, it had died. Grateful for the visit and general excitement, we surrendered its little body to the sea.

Great Abaco Island is one of the largest in the Bahamas, but there are no sheltered anchorages along the southeast shore until you get to the Sea of Abaco. This shallow sea lies to the east and north sides of the big island and is ringed with barrier islands and reefs which provide protection from the Atlantic. It is host to the more popular Abacos tourist areas and the main town of Marsh Harbor, as well as protected parks and remote cays. In September 2019 Hurricane Dorian spent three days crawling across these islands. The Category 5 storm left massive damage that is still evident, but recovery is on-going and visitors are being welcomed and encouraged to return.

We entered the cut with the rising tide and anchored in the outer harbor with four other boats. Inside Little Harbor it is completely protected, but the entry channel is only six-“ish” feet deep at high tide and we didn’t want to risk a grounding.  Before taking the dinghy into the harbor we decided to take a walk on the small beach near our anchorage. After beaching the dinghy we set an anchor and walked the beach looking for whatever flotsam or jetsam might have washed ashore. Fred turned to check on the dinghy and discovered it had floated away with the rising tide! Fortunately Lisa was able to swim out and catch the trailing painter and retrieve our ride back to Ritual. 

The inner harbor has several private docks, a public dock and small yacht club. There are moorings for rent but most were taken by the catamaran rental fleet. Pete’s Pub and Gallery is the going enterprise here, and we enjoyed a cold drink from the adirondack chairs and marveled at the slew of burgees and t-shirts adorning the walls and rafters. The Gallery was closed, but it hosts a working sculpture foundry which would be cool to visit. There are supposed to be a lot of sea turtles in this harbor, but we did not see any. 

Two days later we wove our way north to the end of Tilloo Cay and anchored near the huge shallow sand bar. At low tide the next day, we walked the long beach, known for its sand dollars, and Lisa finally found one sea biscuit. Being the end of cruising season, maybe it was that picked over! Continuing north toward Hopetown, we followed the channel around a large shallow area and passed south of Marsh Harbor just as a parade of Viking-style fishing yachts was coming in from the ocean for a tournament. We rocked and rolled in their giant wakes and stopped counting after 35 boats. We have come to really disdain this type of boat. They rarely slow down for passing and leave particularly large wakes, and no matter how carefully we stow things below, somehow something still goes flying!

Hopetown Harbor is another totally protected spot, and the entry channel is also shallow with 4.5-5 foot depths at low tide, so timing is everything with our 6 foot draft.  Once inside, depths go to 12 feet, and there are many mooring balls, plus a large marina. We tied to a mooring in front of Captain Jack’s Restaurant and Bar, and took in the view of the giant iconic red and white lighthouse and the myriad of boats in the bay. We planned to spend a few days here to ride out some forecasted big winds. There appears to be a lot of money in Hopetown, and the harbor and little town have recovered beautifully from the hurricane. However, as we walked the road south of town to On Da Beach Bar/Restaurant, there was still evidence of damage.

The Elbow Reef Lighthouse affords an incredible view of the harbor, and it remains the only active light station left in the world, hand-wound by a keeper and fueled by kerosene – all others have been electrified. We climbed to the top to take in the view, marveled at the mechanics, and admired the Fresnel lens, which rests on bearings and a bed of mercury!

Our ”bar-front” mooring afforded quite a bit of entertainment as the Marsh Harbor ferrys and various cruising boats paraded by.  Least appreciated was the Friday night karaoke at Jack’s. What started as tolerable wound its way to those who figured the more they drank, the better they sounded, and by midnight resembled a pack of howling coyotes! Which (perhaps) was appropriate, as we had been treated to an incredible full moon rising, minutes after a beautiful sunset.

After a few days we moved north to Great Guana Cay and anchored outside Fishers Bay. This afforded us access to the new dinghy dock at Grabber’s Beach Bar, and a short walk to Settlement Harbour for provisions. Grabbers, and Nippers Beach Bar on the Atlantic side, are longtime cruiser favorites. Not sure if we mentioned this, but Bahamian food/drink prices are high ($20 burger and fries) at the popular spots! And instead of leading off with the specials, staff usually begins with “today we don’t have…”.

Due to a shallow bar stretching across the Sea of Abaco, continuing north to Green Turtle Cay for us requires sailing south of Whale Cay out into the Atlantic, and returning to the Sea of Abaco through Whale Cay Cut. The Cruiser’s radio net broadcasting from Hopetown included reports from those transiting the cuts between the islands, and conditions were favorable for us. If winds, tides and currents don’t align, the cuts can experience dangerous “rages” with huge waves. Our transit was quite tranquil and Fred reported seeing several rays and large fish from the bow as we passed through.

Another high-tide transit into the channel at Black Sound on Green Turtle Cay got us a mooring at Donny’s Marina. There are good anchorages outside the sound, but because of forecasted thunderstorms and Donny’s great reviews, we opted for the security of more weather protection. It is a short walk from Donny’s to the little town of New Plymouth (circa 1786), or to the gorgeous beach on the Atlantic side of the island. While the marina and town seemed to be fairly recovered from Dorian, we still saw a lot of damage around town. We were tickled to see a sistership tied to the dock, but no one was aboard. Cruisers gather on shore here for happy hour, and this is where we met Gary and Sharlene aboard Aurora, a Beneteau 37. Typically the “6 degrees of separation” kicks in at these gatherings. They owned a canvas shop and sail loft in Charlevoix for years before retiring to Hilton Head, and the mutual acquaintances were fun to discover! Seems we were on the same timeline for returning to the States, so we now had a new buddy boat!

New Plymouth sports several bars and restaurants – we loved Pineapples, which even had a small pool. There is an historic park in the town center honoring the British Loyalists who settled here after the American Revolutionary War. Considered traitors by the patriots, they suffered regular harassment, had their property seized, and were subject to personal attacks – tar and feathering was not uncommon treatment. Many fled to either Canada or the Bahamas to remain under British protection and maintain their livelihoods, many which were dependent on the British Empire and/or their connections to the Anglican Church.

With our permit days ticking down, we accompanied Aurora to Crab Cay and then to Great Sale Cay to await good crossing weather. Sadly we missed time at the wilder out-islands of the Abacos, known for their good snorkeling and wildlife. Great Sale Cay is a gathering spot on the shallow banks for those crossing the Gulf Stream to/from more northern points in Florida. We spent one quiet night there. The bank was calm as we motored west toward the Florida coast the next morning. We lost touch with Aurora since they took a more northerly route to Cape Canaveral, but we wanted to spend time in Vero Beach so we headed to the Fort Pierce inlet. We planned an overnight run across the Gulf Stream, which was uneventful except for the unexpected rolling waves from the north. The wind was not cooperating for use of the monitor self-steering windvane so we hand steered in 2 hour shifts. At 5 am, just before sunrise, we entered the Fort Pierce inlet. Aside from JUST missing a catamaran anchored smack in the middle of the channel with NO lights on (unbelievable), we safely dropped anchor in front of the Harbortown marina. After downing a drink to celebrate and calm down, we hit the sack.

Our next installment begins with Fort Pierce and highlights many (some major) boat projects. For those interested in the “work-a-day and sometime frustrating” world of cruising, stay tuned.

Fair winds, Fred and Lisa

I am writing as I watch Fred, sitting under the floor at the mast, fixing a water leak that he finally traced down.  It is in an area where we had “fixed” a previous leak in a copper water line by cutting the split part out and connecting the ends with flexible water hose. The clamp had vibrated loose enough to trickle water.  The sucky part is that the leak is located behind the vacuum tank to the head, making it impossible to reach. Something that would normally be a 2-minute fix now requires dis-assembling major plumbing in order to reach the clamp that needs tightening. There has been some salty language escaping from beneath the floor. As an aside, I heard Scott Simon on NPR this morning report on studies that show swearing is a good stress reliever and may be associated with signs of intelligence (please don’t mention this to Fred!). So, I hope the %$#@ leak is fixed soon!

We are now tucked into a slip off the ICW in Palm Coast, FL. This will be our summer location until the first of October. In the meantime, I will try to recap the rest of our time in the Bahamas!

We left Stocking Island (near Georgetown) in the Exumas, headed northeast 40 miles across Exuma Sound to Cat Island, one of the less visited islands in the Bahamas. Forty miles long, but only half a mile to three miles wide, it is known for its quiet beauty and friendly locals.  The dark navy blue seas were calm, and the trip was uneventful until we reached the ledge of Tea Bay on the east side of Cat Island, where depths rise quickly from 3,000 feet to 50 feet. Fish on!! We had hooked a Mahi Mahi on the fishing line dragging behind Ritual – our first “keeper”.  Up to this point we had only caught barracuda, which we don’t eat.

Fred threw the fish into the cockpit so it wouldn’t flail overboard. He stunned it with cheap vodka, but it was bleeding from the lure and blood was flying everywhere. He finally got a bucket of water and gutted the fish, producing more blood…needless to say, we will try doing this on the deck next time. And we now had four fish dinners!

We anchored in crystal clear water on the south end of the island in New Bight, off the beach at Freetown, with 8 other boats.  One of the attractions here was the Hermitage on Mt. Alvernia, a small monastery built in 1939 by a local priest. It sits atop the highest point in the Bahamas, at 206 ft.  It is a gentle walk up the road until you get to the steep rocky incline up to the monastery. Along the narrow staircase Father Jerome carved the 12 stations of the cross into the rocks, and the climb to the top affords a 360-degree view around the island.

We also enjoyed the Fish Fry – a collection of small restaurant and bar shacks along the beach. We had an interesting chat with the woman bartending about the challenges of living on the island, including the costs of construction, the difficulty in getting building materials, and the unpredictable rain that makes growing commercial crops very risky.

Our next stop was thirty miles north at Bennett’s Harbor, not far from the birthplace of Sidney Portier. We took the dinghy up the creek to look for sea turtles (none), and followed a huge manta ray back out. We next headed for Little San Salvador Island, a stepping stone on the way to Eleuthera. This is a private island owned by Holland America cruise line. After checking online to make sure no ship was in port, we anchored in front of the beautiful crescent beach. The staff allowed us to walk the shore, but not go any further inland. Onshore was a waterpark, pirate ship bar and restaurant, cabanas, water sport rentals and a riding stable – fairly Disneyesque.  We tried to imagine this place with five thousand people running around! And sadly, they will not have experienced anything truly Bahamian.

Overnight brought a bit of slow rolling surge with scattered thunderstorms in the forecast, so we left early in the morning for the 40-mile run to Rock Sound on Eleuthera. With thunderheads and rain on our stern, we managed to escape with a few light showers. The town sits on the inside of a large protected bay, and we anchored just off the town dock. We did some provisioning and enjoyed a couple good local restaurants. One of the highlights was exploring the Cathedral Cave, full of tree roots and vines from above, as well as bats! The other main attraction was the Ocean Hole – a blue hole connected to the ocean via underground channels. People swim here (we didn’t) and you can feed the fish and watch the water levels change with the ocean tides.

In need of diesel fuel, we decided to stop at the Cape Eleuthera Resort located on a point as you leave the bay. We were pleasantly surprised with the enclosed harbor, pretty beach, and relatively few condos, and with the threat of thunderstorms again, decided to treat ourselves to a slip for a couple days. Hard to believe we had not been in a marina for almost 7 weeks. Someone had recommended a tour of the nearby environmental school, so we biked to the Island School and were shown around by Mitzi, who also worked at the marina. The Island School offers programs for K-12 and focuses on conservation and sustainability with semester-long residential programs. It also includes the Cape Eleuthera Institute – their research facility. We were quite impressed, and surprised to see Peter Meijer’s name (former West Michigan representative) on the alumni list, and a building sporting the Meijer name (family owns a huge grocery store chain started in Grand Rapids). THEN we found out that the marina and resort are owned by non-other than the infamous de Vos family – also of Grand Rapids! It is a small world full of interesting connections!

Our plan was to cruise north along Eleuthera, then pass through the Abaco Islands before returning to Florida, and our cruising permit was only valid for another month, so we moved on to Governor’s Harbour.  We opted for the little cove to the south of town instead of joining the many boats in the main harbor.  Dating to 1648, the town has several historic buildings. We decided to bike to the Leon Levy Native Plant Reserve, about which our friend Mary had raved. It was 2.5 miles to the preserve, and we ended up walking the bikes several times. First, to get up the ginormous hill leading out of town, and then on the hilly roadway! It was worth the trip to walk the rustic trails full of native plants and birds. We had a great chat with the naturalist on duty, and checked another Bahamian National Park off our list.

Continuing north we anchored in Hatchet Bay, a totally protected inlet formed from a small lake by blasting a channel through the rock separating it from the ocean. We were greeted by Emmette at the Boater Haven Bar and Grill (and dock, laundry, car rental, et al…), who grabbed his guitar and serenaded us with his Eleuthera song! He secured a rental car for us, and we spent the next day driving north to see the Glass Window, where the deep Atlantic Ocean meets the light blue waters of the Bight of Eleuthera under a 30-foot wide rock bridge. We ventured to the far north end of the island to visit Preacher’s Cave, which provided refuge to a group of shipwrecked Christians fleeing Bermuda in the mid-1600’s. We also went off-road to find the Hatchet Bay Cave (we passed – it required flashlights!) and hiked into Sweetings Pond – the site of the future Seahorse National Park. Too bad we did not have our snorkel gear since sometimes you can see them. The rules prohibit wading and swim fins, so as not to stir up sediment. I did have my “lookie” bucket, but we only saw a crab.

Driving felt especially strange, and not just because we had not been in a car for months. It was a Nissan rental car and the navigation screen was in Japanese; AND we were driving on the left side of the road, with the steering wheel on the right side of the car! The “highway” was very narrow, curvy and hilly,  with practically no shoulder, and we had our moments of fright. Upon our return we celebrated our survival with a cold beer at the beach bar.

Moving on, we motor-sailed east along the inside of the island, timing our passage through Current Cut Inlet to slack tide (little to no current), then turned north toward Spanish Wells, a small island off the north corner of Eleuthera. After anchoring at Meeks Patch (oh no – more swimming pigs!) and deciding we didn’t like the swell, we tied to a mooring buoy in the protected inlet next to town. One of our first thoughts as we walked about was, “Where did all these white people come from?!”  82% of the island population is white, compared to the islands we have visited that were 85-90% black. Turns out that those shipwrecked British Christians who took refuge in Preachers Cave settled this island.

We rented a golfcart to get around one day, so that we could explore Russell Island across the little bridge and eat at the Sandbar Beach Bar and Grill, and to see more of Spanish Wells. We loved that most homes were cottage size and the lanes were narrow and quaint. There was no trash along the streets and walkways – which is very much a staple on other islands. There is a large lobster fleet here, so we are sure the money helps!  The northside beach was gorgeous, and the grocery store was the nicest and best stocked we had seen so far.  Service was good too – a little less “Bahamian Time”.

Mindful of both the weather and our ever-shortening cruising permit, after 4 days we motored north out the pass into the North Atlantic for a 50-mile sail to Little Harbor on Great Abaco Island.

More to come – fair winds, Fred and Lisa

We are currently on a mooring in Green Turtle Cay, Abacos, waiting for possible thunderstorms and strong winds to pass through. It seems a good time to catch up!

In between Nassau and the northernmost Exuma Islands is a shallow area known as the Yellow Bank. With reported depths as low as 6.5 feet and dotted with coral heads, we were a bit nervous as we left Nassau headed southeast towards Highbourne Cay. Fortunately, it was a pretty day and we had good visibility and the high tide, which gave us an additional 2.5 – 3 feet of water depth. Winds were calm and seas were flat, making motoring easy. Ritual burns about a gallon of diesel fuel per hour, and we had topped off our 150 gallon tank in Nassau, so we would not need fuel again until leaving the Exuma Islands. And if we could sail, or even motor-sail, so much the better!

We arrived at our anchorage on the northwest side of the island and joined several other boats lining the pristine beach. We marveled at the clearness of the water, the white sandy beaches, and the lacey, eroded limestone rock ledges. Sunset was over an endless sea, and Lisa finally saw her first green flash! The Exuma island chain of 365 cays stretches 120 miles southeast, so we would only be visiting the “highlights”. 

One benefit of having a hard, V-bottom dinghy with a 9.9 hp outboard is being able to leave the “mothership” anchored, and explore areas further away, so the next day we took the dinghy 1.5 miles north to Allen and Leaf Cays to see the Northern Bahamian Rock Iguanas. Thought to be extinct in 1916, these two islands now support 400+ adults of this critically endangered species. They are visited by several small tour boats daily (from as far away as Nassau), so when we hit the beach with our baggie of veggie leftovers, they came right out to greet us! It was a little creepy to have lizards crawling all around us, but they did not seem too aggressive, and we made a note to hopefully anchor in this gorgeous spot between the islands someday.

Since prevailing winds tend to have an east component, most of our anchorages would be on the west side of the cays or in between two cays, along the shallow Exuma Bank, where 20 ft depths or less is the norm. Traveling down the chain is a matter of choosing how far (or not) one wants to go in a day, what the weather forecast portends, what one wants to see, and what services might be needed. Many of the islands are uninhabited, and you need to plan ahead for limited services of fuel, fresh water, groceries, laundry, liquor store and restaurants.

We entered the Exuma Cays Land and Sea Park, spending a few days exploring at Hawksbill Cay before heading to Warderick Wells, the heart of the park. We and Shank’s Mare were assigned moorings in the v-shaped trough of deep water (10-12 feet!), surrounded by pristine sand bars barely under water. We were greeted by a curious sea turtle, and watched several large rays and a couple sharks swim past our boats almost daily. Those darn sharks actually scared Lisa onto the sandbar one day, and back onto the boat another! What could have been a couple days stay turned into over a week, in part due to a northeast front moving through with strong winds and a bit of rain. We repeated our new mantra – “but it’s warm!”, and there was so much to enjoy.

Boo Boo Hill is a high point above the bay that sports a large pile of boat momentos from over the years. We added a rock with Ritual’s name, next to a Petosky stone from Manitou, another Traverse City boat. Warderick Wells was one spot where our phone signals were very weak, and we hiked up here several more times to check emails and texts and weather apps and make phone calls. The views were incredible, including watching the blowholes in the rocky cliffs on the west side of the island. We kept thinking of new colors to describe all the variations of blue in the sea and the sky. We also couldn’t help but compare this national park to those back home. Rugged and sometimes poorly marked trails, cliffs with no railings, hand-painted signs – all require care and individual responsibility for staying safe.  We balked at one trail that was underwater from the tide and required walking on submerged rocks. As we turned back, a family with 3 very young kids picked their way across. Guess we are getting old!

With a break in the weather we continued south to Cambridge Cay. Seas were still rolling from the high winds – more than we had anticipated – and Shank’s Mare (a beautiful Niagara 35) took a few zig-zags to deal with the waves. Another benefit to having a big, heavy boat – its slower but cuts through that stuff more comfortably.

We anchored near the mooring field and the next day took the dinghy north to O’Brien Cay and the “Sea Aquarium”.  This is one of the iconic snorkeling spots in the park – a small, protected reef teeming with fish!  We met a fellow cruiser who was taking underwater video, and he promised to share it with us at a later date.  As an aside, the island to the west of this spot (Little Halls Pond Cay) was owned by Johnny Depp, who sold it to JK Rowling of Harry Potter fame.  Not a bad neighborhood!

As another nor’easter threatened its approach, we moved to a large but protected anchorage at Big Majors Spot – infamous home of the swimming pigs, as well as nearby Thunderball Grotto, and close to the Staniel Cay Yacht Club. For us, the pigs were a 10-minute attraction (they bite, pee and poo in the water, etc), yet tourist boats come all day long to feed them!  Thunderball Grotto is a neat cave that you snorkel in to see fish and the unique rock formations that let the sun stream in from above. Yes, the James Bond movie Thunderball was filmed here, as well as Never Say Never Again, Splash, and Into the Blue.  This is also where we noticed more of the huge mega-yachts anchored offshore. We had seen some really big boats in Nassau, but these are well over 100 ft long. The most noticeable was Infinity, at 290 feet. It has its own 220 foot “support boat”, Intrepid, which carries a crew of 32, various runabout sport boats, jet skis and a helicopter.  You can google these for more details. Really – how much is enough?!

We visited the three small (think – your living room) grocery stores on Staniel Cay. The supply boat comes once per week, and if you get there three days late, fresh things are fairly picked over or gone. Not to mention expensive. We stuck to staples and some fresh fruits and veggies, and did without the Oreos at $10 and the Ruffles chips at $13! 

We continued south to Black Point on Great Guana Cay to take in the weekend sailboat races. The class B and C sloops have one huge sail, and the crew rides pry boards to balance when heeling. This is also a favorite cruiser destination with the best laundromat around, a couple good restaurants, and Miss Lucy’s famous coconut bread. AND – we also finally met up with Pete and Liz aboard Manitou, from Traverse City!

At this point, we were half way through our 3-month cruising permit, and Shank’s Mare decided to head back north.  We were sad to part ways, but excited to continue to Georgetown at the south end of this island chain.  This time we sailed on the east side of the islands in the deep and wide Exuma Sound, in company with Mananan (Toronto) and Misty (Monroe, MI).  We sailed past a few anchorages before we chose a spot off Sand Dollar Beach on Stocking Island.  Georgetown, across the harbor, and this island in particular, are a cruiser’s mecca. Many boats spend all winter here, so there is a real community, with a radio net every morning, and activities like yoga, water aerobics, potlucks, and games. The Chat ‘N Chill bar and grill is the central gathering spot, but there are also wild trails and beaches spread out along the 4-mile long island. Our favorite was Da Sand Bar – a low key beach shack with tiki huts, volleyball and games, and a gorgeous beach – and yes, cold beer and polish dogs off the grill!  We ate out in Georgetown, and did a major shop in the two large (for here) grocery stores. It is a 1.5-mile dinghy ride across the harbor, and it was a wet ride when the wind was up!

We spent more than a week here, pondering our next move. Mananan was heading south to the Caribbean, and we had two other boats beckoning us to join them in Long Island and the Ragged Islands further south.  As much as we wished to continue in that direction, reality bit. Our autohelm is still not working, although we have the windvane steering when we are under sail. But imagining multi-day passages where we might have to hand steer was not attractive! We also need to think about new batteries, and the insurance company wants a survey to cover us further than the Bahamas. So – the decision was made – we would make a circuit of the Bahamas and return to the States for hurricane season. 

More soon! Fair winds, Fred and Lisa

To bring you up to date…we are sitting in a downpour off Cat Island, barely able to see shore or the boats around us. Fortunately, we got a nice walk in this morning! (Reminder – click a photo to see better image)

We left Florida from Rodrigues Key, just off Key Largo, on Feb. 20. After talking to Carolyn Shearlock (of “The Boat Galley” website fame) one evening in Boot Key Harbour, we mentioned that we were heading back to Key Biscayne to meet friends for the Bahamas crossing. “Don’t go so far north!”, she recommended. “Start further south at Rodrigues Key and ride a bit of the Gulf Stream, instead of fighting it.” We were thrilled when Jeanne and Sheldon on Shank’s Mare agreed to head south from Miami to meet us, and so happy to see them again when we dropped the anchor at Rodrigues. At first light we headed toward the sunrise, anticipating that we would arrive in Bimini by late afternoon. We encountered some big side- rolling waves from the north as we got closer to the Gulf Stream – NOT a comfortable ride! But seas smoothed out as we began to ride the 2-3 knot current towards the northeast. Winds were light, but motor-sailing at 8 knots was fun! (our normal speed – motoring or sailing – is around 6 knots). As we got close to the island, the water became the most gorgeous colors of blue, but we focused on the entry channel, which was shallow and had a strong current. Upon entering the channel to North Bimini, the two marinas Jeanne had talked to informed us that there was no dock space, so we proceeded to the northernmost anchorage. Situated just past the big, fancy resort marina, and in front of the cement plant property, it was not the most scenic spot, but very quiet and protected, and we were anchored by 5 pm. We made it to the Bahamas!

In the morning we took the two-mile dinghy ride down the channel to officially check in. Fred and Sheldon went to do the honors while Jeanne and Lisa waited in the park where we tied the dinghy to a wall. Check in comes in two parts; the first is to work through customs to get passports stamped, declarations made, and listing of passengers. The second part is to actually get the three-month cruising permits, fishing licenses, and (in our case) get the cats approved. The first part takes place across from the park where Lisa and Jeanne were waiting. The second, about ½ mile down the road at a marina. Here’s a contest: guess which place we went to first?

As we had filed most documents on-line (and carried copies just in case), getting our passports stamped and locating the best places to eat went very professionally and smoothly.  Getting the permits – not so much.  Language issues with the German couple in front of us and the Bahamian clerks seemed to drag on forever.  Seems they bought a boat in the US but had no bill of sale or ownership documents, and she couldn’t remember the name of the boat.  Fred admired the clerk for his patience and sense of humor.  Following them and another 25 minutes and we were legally IN.  Fred just kept saying to himself “patience is rewarded” and “I’m collecting my reward at the bar as soon as we leave.” Or, as Lisa says, “Fred’s patience was tested; it is negative.”

We found a deck with lunch and a bar on the west side of the island at Radio Beach (2 blocks from the east side), where we were formally introduced to Bahamian Time. Drinks came quickly, and lunches came one at a time, in order. We were numbers 8-11. Good thing the beer was cold and the beach was gorgeous, because we admired it for over an hour before we ate. Next was a walk to the phone store to get Bahamian sim cards. Shel asked for directions and was told we needed a taxi – at over ½ mile, it was too far to walk. It was then that we noticed only the “cruising” folks were walking!  The streets were very narrow, and there were no sidewalks. But the little cars did beep at us and each other as they passed!

Our T-Mobile phone plan includes free data and texting in the Bahamas (but at sloooow speeds), so we got an Aliv Bahamian sim card for Fred’s phone, which allows unlimited data/streaming/text/phone calls to the States for a mere $140/month. And we have had good connections just about everywhere.

North Bimini is the most densely populated of the islands, and clearly divided. The local neighborhood on the south end has small homes and businesses, a school and churches, while the cruise ship docks and big resorts (and the Bimini Bay Mega Marina – more on megayachts later!) lie beyond the large “gate” on the north end. We thought the trade-off would be jobs for the locals, but were told that few locals were employed there. Lisa and Jeanne dinghied up the back canal to go to the beach, and even though most of the lots were undeveloped, they were stopped by a guard and not allowed ashore.

Near Radio Beach we visited The Dolphin House Museum. A work in progress since 1993, Ashley Saunders, local teacher and island historian, has built a house/museum from recycled materials to create a work of art. One bedroom is dedicated to Ernest Hemingway, complete with a few Petosky stones! He gave us a personalized tour, including up to the roof. Some day this may be an Air BnB – it would be neat to stay here!

We changed our quarantine flag to the Bahamas courtesy flag and left Bimini, headed 75 miles east to Great Harbor Cay, the largest island in the Berry chain.  Some choose to make this an overnight run, but with settled weather we went half way and spent a night on anchor on the Great Bahama Bank. Forty miles from anything, in 14 feet of water, we dropped the anchor. It was a little rolly as current went against the prevailing wind, but the stars were incredible!

Arriving on the west side of Great Harbour Cay, we anchored just off the government dock in a bay surrounded by mostly rock, and protected from the stronger east winds affecting the other side of the island. We explored the bay, seeing our first blue hole and a sunken old “drug runner” airplane that people like to dive around. At the dock we discovered Steve, making fresh conch salad. He demonstrated how to remove the mollusk from the conch shell, and showed us how he chops and mixes the ingredients for the salad. It was delicious, and a bit spicy with his “secret recipe” sauce. Unfortunately, Fred got sick later that evening, and we found out there is such a thing as conch poisoning, typically due to poor cleaning. Fortunately, it only lasted overnight, but apparently can last for days. Needless to say, he has been unenthusiastic about eating it again, and it is a delicacy on most islands!

With the wind switching to westerly, we moved to the other side of the island – seemingly an entirely different place! We anchored in a bay of gin-clear water ringed with an incredible white sand beach.  The Beach Club restaurant had good sandwiches and cold beer, and we were grateful for the sail shades, especially when a coconut fell and rolled off the shade onto the sand – instead of hitting one of us! We did a little shelling, dinghied up a creek to see manta rays and turtles, and swam off the beach. This is the Bahamas we had longed for!

Weather is usually the driving force of deciding where and when to move, and with a prediction of high winds coming, we moved past the rest of the Berries to Nassau. We had not planned on stopping in this busy city, but TC friends Liz and Peter on Manitou had recommended a marina at the east end, so we took a slip for a few days. Lisa and Jeanne walked out onto the street and were a little shocked at the cars flying by, just a few feet off the marina entrance! The pool was lovely, as was the modern grocery store and shopping across the street. We walked along the waterfront, and to the Queen’s Staircase, carved out of the limestone rock by slaves in 1793 as an escape route from the British fort on the hill above. Fred was delighted to find a real fish market nearby, and it was fun seeing the various offerings. We chose a lobster (these are spiney lobsters – no claws) and some cleaned grouper, with hopes of catching our own as we continued south.

With full ship stores and improving weather, we topped off our fuel and happily headed southeast to Highbourne Cay, our first island in the Exumas chain. More on that soon!

Fair winds – Fred and Lisa

Our last post was at the end of 2022, so we will reprise the last few months. New Year’s Day was celebrated aboard Ritual with Jeanne and Sheldon (of Shank’s Mare) as dinner guests, planning our rendezvous for a Bahamas departure in early February. On Jan. 2^nd we left Vero Beach and headed south to the Florida Keys.

Traveling south along the ICW, we stayed again at Peck Lake, south of Stuart, enjoying the solitude of the beach at Jupiter Island. The next day brought the stress of nine drawbridges to get to Lake Worth/West Palm Beach.  Some bridges open “on demand” but many are on a 30-minute schedule, some on the half hour and some on the quarter hour. Timing the openings with boat speed and current can be taxing, because if you miss one, you go in circles or turn around and run backwards in the narrow channel until the next opening, dodging other boats as you go.  And the further south we got, the busier the waterway got. We were really pushing it for one bridge, and thankfully the operator held it open just a bit longer so we could get through. We have seen other bridges close before all boats could get clear.

“Lake” Worth (quotes are ours) stretches 18 miles north to south and is mostly a ½ mile wide, from North Palm Beach to Boynton Beach.  It is a busy, crazy mix of recreational boats of all sizes, commercial shipping, jet skis, marinas, anchorage areas, big homes, and high-rise condos.  It took us three tries setting the anchor at West Palm Beach – the first two times we, or a neighboring boat, ended up swinging too close for comfort.  Tide and current made for unusual and unpredictable turning on the anchor. 

The next section of ICW – to Fort Lauderdale, promised 19 (!) drawbridges, and increasing boat traffic. With good weather predicted for an outside overnight run, we happily motored out of Lake Worth at 4 pm.  Initially uncomfortable seas – mostly due to the huge wakes from the Viking sport fishing boats returning to the channel – settled into a beautiful night with a full moon.  We discovered that the cruise ships return to Miami around 4-5 am, and waited for two of them to enter before we crossed the channel headed for Biscayne Bay. Talk about feeling small…

Daylight appeared with a stunning sunrise as we turned into Key Biscayne and anchored near No Name Harbor in Bill Baggs State Park. It was exciting to finally see clear blue water with a temperature of 80 degrees!  After a couple days of exploring we continued south, running outside the keys in Hawk Channel, which is somewhat protected from the ocean by a series of reefs. Our draft of six feet is too deep to run inside the islands, where there are more anchorages and services.  

We had been looking forward to spending a week in Boot Key Harbor/Marathon, a totally sheltered bay with marina services. All 226 moorings were taken, but hoped we could squeeze into the anchoring area. As we cautiously circled the anchored boats looking for space, we suddenly went from 9 feet of water to 4! There we sat, stuck on a hard ledge. Before we could call a towboat, a couple guys arrived in dinghies, insisting they could pull us off. We suggested waiting for the incoming tide and calling for a towboat. Nope! Soon there were four dinghies, each once shouting instructions. Then folks on the surrounding anchored boats started to shout their ideas. As we often say, sometimes there is a show, and sometimes YOU are the show! Eventually, with two boats pulling on a halyard to lean us over, and two boats pushing on the bow, we slid off! We quickly found a spot and dropped the hook, glad all the commotion was over. Every morning on the cruiser’s radio net, they asked who needed help with something, and there was always someone who responded. When we announced that we were leaving for Key West, someone commented that we would miss them once we were gone, and they were right!

Looking forward to some family visits, we arrived in Key West hoping to snag a mooring ball, and the marina guy was encouraging that there were a couple (out of 150) available. We found only one, and after getting tied we called in, only to be told it was an unsafe mooring and we should get off!  So we trekked back out to the Fleming Key anchorage and found a spot about a mile north of the Key West Bight Marina.  Being peak season, marina slips were both rare and expensive. The cheapest we found was over $200/night, and was furthest from town. Our guests would just have to deal with a sometimes wet dingy ride back and forth!

Key West Bight Marina proved to be a great location in the middle of town, and it provided a dinghy dock and showers for a reasonable fee.  From here all attractions were walkable or accessible by the free bus. Fred’s sisters Debbie and Bonnie arrived first.  We walked the cacophony of bars/restaurants/loud music/t -shirt shops that is Duval Street, and lunched at the Hogsbreath Saloon, one of Bonnie’s old haunts when she lived here years ago.  We visited the US southernmost point (90 miles to Cuba) and had margaritas and great coconut shrimp at the beach.  The best part was simply visiting and being together for the first time in a couple years!

In between guests, we rode our bikes around town, toured the “Little Whitehouse” used by Harry Truman, caught up on laundry, grocery shopped, walked the back streets, and just enjoyed being stationary for a while.  There was a very nice looking rooftop bar that tempted us from the street, and we should have taken it literally when the sign said “get naked and have fun”!  Lisa turned the corner to the deck and was greeted with the “full frontal” from a guy standing at the bar.  It was difficult not to stare, and we retreated to the second floor balcony for our drinks, feeling a little dumb – I mean, it is Key West!

Daughter Lauren and her friend Rich arrived next. Along with the regular sites, we ferried out to Sunset Island for a wonderful lunch at the resort. They took a kayak tour in the mangroves, and we enjoyed the annual street art fair and walking the wharf and old Naval Station grounds.  We did not have a chance to snorkel – the reefs are offshore, and given the weather and boat anchorage scarcity we did not want to move Ritual. We also had to pass on a visit to the Dry Tortugas Islands, since the park was closed in order to process a few hundred refugees who had made it to shore. But it was another great visit!

You may wonder why we did not mention beaches. The Keys are carved from limestone and coral, and beaches are small and few. Most shores are lined with rock, and access to the offshore reefs is by boat.  Most swimming is done in a pool. We did enjoy a few visits to Sombrero Beach, a short dingy ride through the creek south of Boot Key Harbor.

February meant it was time to head north to meet Jeanne and Sheldon for our passage to the Bahamans. We returned to Boot Key Harbor, where we could provision for the Bahamas trip. We also rented a car to visit the vet in Key West for the cat’s health checks for their Bahamas permits. We had started the process there, and it was half the cost of the Marathon vet. It was an interesting hour-long drive over the bridges connecting the many small islands.  An added bonus of returning to Marathon was to meet up with friends Lisa and Jim Favors from TC, staying in a marina close to us. They drove us for some shopping needs and meals, and we enjoyed spending time at their dock, grilling with their boat neighbors and being entertained by a huge manatee hanging around. We can see how this place is like “Velcro Beach” for cruisers. Many boats stay all winter, and some folks stay year ‘round.

After two weeks in Marathon, we finally got a weather window to travel north and Shank’s Mare could come south from Miami, meeting in the middle at Rodrigues Key, a little island off Key Largo. It was great to see our friends again, and on Feb 20^th we left at first light to cross the Gulf Stream, riding its 2 to 3 knot current slightly north east to Bimini Island in the Bahamas!  More on that to come…

Fair winds – Fred and Lisa

How time flies. Our last post was the end of October, as we were once again heading south. I know some of you keep up with Lisa’s Facebook page, but for those who do not, and for our own recollection as well, following is a summary of the last couple months.

We left Pasadena with the sole purpose of getting south before the weather got too cold. We were only a week ahead of our timeline from last year, and definitely wanted to skip the frost this time. We also felt we should try new anchorages, so we stopped in Herring Bay, which was wide open but we had a lovely, quiet night; and the more sheltered anchorages at Mill Creek inside Solomans Island and Indian Creek in Bells Cove. Our last stop on the Chesapeake was at Southall Landings near Hampton to spend an evening with our friends Tom and Ilse. We had a fun night at their boat club’s “Friendsgiving”, with nightcaps aboard Ritual. Tom is prepping Seranata, their Slocum 43, for a trans-Atlantic trip in the spring, so there are many boat projects to discuss, as well as the prospect of tagging along to Portugal! The visit was too fast, but we had a promising weather window that would get us well into North Carolina, so we left early the next day.

Retracing our route from last fall, we entered the ICW in Norfolk, VA, passed through the Great Bridge Lock and spent the night on the very nice free dock. Two long days later we tied to the dock in Belhaven Marina, NC. This was one of our longer (and favorite) stops a year ago, and we were looking forward to seeing our friend Mike, who had helped us install our self-steering wind vane.  We were sad to see that his boat was gone, and then happily surprised when he walked over to say hello and that his boat had been moved to another marina not too far away. Mike was so helpful with rides to the post office and grocery store, as well as referrals for fixing the leaking o-ring in our transmission. And it is always fun to share a few beers on the deck. As an aside, it was on the grocery foray that Lisa first saw the cotton fields at the edge of town, and just before being harvested! Turns out that North Carolina is the 7^th largest cotton producing state.

We ended up hanging out for a week as we watched Hurricane Nicole impact first Florida and then bring heavy rain to the Carolinas, so we were in no big hurry to move on!  Two other boats we had met in Vero Beach and again in Baltimore were staying nearby, and it was fun to have dinner with the crews of Caroline and Rhiannon at Spoon River, a very unique restaurant with great food. As you may have picked up, there is a circuit for cruisers as they move up and down the east coast with the seasons, and we see many of the same boats in passing and hear familiar boat names on the radio.

As we continued south, highlights along the way included watching the USMC Osprey helicopters practicing touch and goes while we were anchored in Mile Hammock Bay at Camp LeJeune; bird watching in Prince Creek in the Waccamaw Wildlife Refuge, and spending several days over Thanksgiving in Charleston, SC.  Once again our friend Nancy spent a day with us as we visited Drayton Hall – a 1738 unrestored plantation; the Hunley submarine museum (first combat submarine from 1864 – recovered and preserved in 2000); and the historic Magnolia Cemetery.

We had decided to make an overnight ocean run from Charleston to north Florida, and ventured out of the harbor, only to encounter 6 ft waves and wind on the nose – NOT the forecast we were expecting. We had made 10 miles when we decided “misery is optional” and turned around!  Retracing our track to the ICW got us into the Stono River before dark and we had a quiet night. Overnights near Beaufort, SC and Hilton Head set the stage for another decision on whether to try an outside run again, but weather kept us in the ICW.  We had skipped Georgia on both legs last year, so we opted to try it this time.  The ICW here is a myriad of rivers, creeks and sounds, with some very shallow areas and stretches of strong currents, requiring good planning for timing tides, currents and wind direction. We passed just south of Savannah and lucked out with tides/currents at Hell Gate in Ossabaw Sound, so we continued to an anchorage in the marsh. As we prepared to drop anchor our windlass quit! We have had issues with corrosion, and did NOT want to hand crank the anchor and chain in the morning. Fortune had placed us only an hour from Kilkenny, a “local” marina and the only thing around for 30 miles, and they had a space for us! We pulled in just before dusk, and were tied to the dock’s 2×6 posts, no cleats! Fred fixed the windlass and we found a good meal at the only restaurant in the area, two doors down.

We were off again early the next morning, weaving our way through the marsh. We crossed St. Catherines Sound, Sapelo Sound, Doboy Sound, Altamaha Sound and St. Simons Sound, passing on the backside of the Georgian Isles. Jekyll Island was our next stop, and we spent two days exploring. The island was the site of the Jekyll Island Club – a Gilded Age hunting and sporting club for the Rockefellers, Morgans, et al.  World War II shut it all down, and then the State of Georgia purchased the island as a state park, restricting development.  The marina is quaint with huge live oaks dripping with moss, and the historic area consists of the lodge and “cottages”, now part of a resort.  We took a golf cart around the island to see the Driftwood Beach, and rode bikes in the evening under the holiday lights. We also enjoyed a drink on the resort veranda – $28 for 2 drinks, yikes!

We had a date with our mechanic Edsel in Palm Coast, so we hurried on south, spending only one night in St. Augustine so we could take in the Nights of Lights once again. Palm Coast is one of those places that just clicked with us, and it was nice to spend a few days there. Edsel gave us some good suggestions for fixing our autopilot. Our friend Meg provided rides to the grocery store, hardware, and bike shop (Lisa got a new seat!). We missed Gus, who was in Portugal, and talked about meeting over there at some future date.  We even tried the goat Tikka Masala at 5^th Element, the Indian Restaurant! It was okay, and is served a lot in the Caribbean, so now we know.

After two more nights at anchor, we motored into Vero Beach and took a mooring for a few weeks. It was so nice to catch up with Jeanne and Sheldon on Shanks Mare, and the crews of Take Five, Rhiannon and Kedge, as well as several others. Friends on Five and Dime had sold their boat and moved to – where else – Portugal!, but were back visiting, so we got to chat about their experience. (Are you sensing a theme here?) There is comfort in being somewhere familiar for the holidays, and we enjoyed the beach walks, favorite eateries, cruisers gatherings and shopping. Along with Jeanne and Sheldon we attended the Art in the Dark outside the Art Museum, music in the park under the oaks, and a Christmas Cantata at a local church. Lisa helped make ornaments for the cruisers lounge Christmas tree, and we lit Ritual’s rigging with lights and had our little tree in the cockpit. Even the weather conspired briefly with temps dropping into the 30’s on Christmas Eve – but at least it didn’t snow! We roasted a chicken with all the fixings and stayed nice and warm, and Santa delivered a new dinghy motor – who could ask for more?

The year ended with a wonderful visit from our granddaughter Emily and her friend Ryan. They fixed us a great meal aboard, and Emily taught Fred to make her famous tiramisu. We squeezed in some beach time and a visit to the Botanical Gardens holiday lights before we said goodbye on Dec. 30.

January plans include the Florida Keys and more family visits. We are currently in Marathon, heading to Key West tomorrow. We wish you all a happy and adventurous 2023! Fred and Lisa