This is Pretty Much What It's Like

The last day my family was in town we planned on spending another day on the boat. The wind wasn't great, but it was a beautiful day to be on the water.

Ben had to run down to Marsh Harbor to pick up the dingy motor (which needed to be serviced again - apparently there was water in the carburetor). So we got a little bit of a late start. We also stopped by Abaco Ceramics, and of course mom got the life story of the proprietor and Katie picked up a beautiful ceramic conch.

We tried to sail for a little while and it was nice to not worry about how fast we were going (3 - 3.5 knots) since there was no place we needed to be. We feasted on all the things left in the fridge that needed to be eaten - the rest of the canned ham, sliced turkey, cheese, and lettuce. We had some sausage on the boat, and of course fresh bahamian bread.








After lunch the wind died and we decided instead to head to Great Guana Cay. It ended up being an excellent choice. We moored on one of Dive Guana's mooring balls. We knew we'd only have about an hour to an hour and a half before we needed to head back, and mooring instead of anchoring saved time. Dive Guana, in normal island fashion waved the $15 fee when we told them we'd only be there for an hour. Between that, and the beautiful Atlantic beach, there is no question we will be back.




















We ended the day with a sunset cruise back to Treasure Cay.

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Life of a Landlubber

I have been enjoying the time spent with my family. Highlights have included unlimited showers and free laundry, and, for Ben, a real kitchen. But mostly, the time spent relaxing, exploring, eating and playing Yatzee and Uno have been excellent break from life at sea.

My family never really took vacations growing up - my dad was an Air Force reservist, so most of his vacation days from his regular job were spent doing his one weekend a month, two weeks per year reserve duty. It's not quite true - there were the occasional trips to my grandparents or to visit the cousins, and one time when we were living in Virginia we took a few days to go to the beach in Delaware. In terms of Christmas vacations, I think this is actually our third. When we were living in Illinois (making me between 3 and 6) my dad's reserve duty was in Colorado over Christmas. We spent a few days on base and then went skiing. Then when we were living in CA (I think I was in 8th grade) my dad's reserve duty was at the Pentagon, so we tagged along to DC. Anyway you look at it this vacation was long overdue. We did spend a lot of time together as a family, and we always ate dinner together, so this vacation has been a great reminder of old times and good laughs as well as new memories. I think it's a little overwhelming for Ben, as an only child.

On Boxing day, the front came through and boy did it come through. The highest we read on the instruments was 35 knots of wind, but we didn't have them on the entire day, and there were times it sounded much higher than that. It would not have been a good day to go sailing and we were very glad to have moved to a marina.

Monday we decided to head to Green Turtle on the ferry from Treasure Cay. We had a little bit of a delay, we had a flat tire pulling out of the driveway from the rental house. Luckily the car did have a donut and jack in the trunk (sitting in a puddle of water) and with the help of a nice Bahamian man were able to replace the tire and make it back to OC at the Cornish Car Rental.



OC assured us that the tire was not actually flat, the rim was just bent. He was able to bang it back into place, added a little bit of air to our tires, and use a screw driver to create a drainage hole in the trunk. We headed for the 11:30 ferry, although I think it was not actually the 11:30 ferry, and left at about 11:15.



We're pretty sure that's Justin Bieber on the ferry with us - hiding from the paparazzi. The life of a star.




We had a great time in Green Turtle even though a lot of places were closed for Boxing Day. And it was cold. We had a good lunch at Laura's Kitchen and bought conch for dinner at the grocery store. We decided to skip the museum, $5 was a little rich for us, even if there was a lot of history. We caught the 3 pm ferry back to Treasure and Ben made a wonderful conch dinner - soup and fritters.

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A White (Sand) Christmas!

I was so excited for Christmas and my family's arrival, I could barely sleep. My family was flying into Treasure Cay the next day (December 23) and were renting a house for a week. The house had a mooring ball in about 2 1/2 feet of water so the morning of the 23rd during high tide we moved over to the house on the other side of Treasure Cay. Ben put on his wetsuit and did some recon of the bottom. No rocks and about 3 1/2 feet of water under the keels during high tide.

We had Fritz at Cornish Rental Cars pick us up, and acquired my parents rental car to do some provisioning before their 4:35 pm arrival. In the Bahamas, we drive on the left side of the road so we had an interesting trip to Marsh where we also picked up the Explorer Charts for Ken and Sarah and had lunch.

We stopped back at the house, and since the car only held 5 I dropped Ben and the groceries off before heading to the airport. Unfortunately, the tide was more extreme than we imagined, and Whisper was touching the bottom.

My family's flight was on island time, but that was ok because I was running a little late too. We managed to get all five of us and suitcases into the car and back to the house with out any issues. (Treasure Cay airport quote: "oh, we better move, apparently this is also baggage claim.")

We decided to do Pizza night at Tipsy's bar at the Treasure Cay marina. It was a tight fit and an interesting drive, but we made it! The pizza was mediocre and the rum drinks were strong, but after 12 hours of traveling no one was too picky.

Christmas eve morning we traded in the rental car for a slightly bigger one - it could fit 3 across the front seat, so with 6 people it was a little more practical. It was also a much more comfortable ride, especially on the bumpy roads, and was a little easier to drive since the steering wheel was back on the left. The gauges matched the speed limit sign (in miles as opposed to km), but the speedometer didn't work and the odometer had stopped at 210,016 miles. Still it was a big upgrade.

Ben and I wanted to move Whisper because of the tides issue. It wasn't too big a deal, but a front is supposed to come through and we don't want her to be on the bottom in too much wind or wake. We decided to take advantage of the winter special at Treasure Cay Marina since between the storm the next few days and the time we will be in Costa Rica the deal already becomes cheaper than the daily docking fees. We took advantage of moving the boat to also take my family out for a sail! It was a perfect day for it and we just went straight out Treasure Cay towards Marsh Harbor on a beam reach for about an hour before turning around and heading back on a beam reach.



Christmas day was beautiful, but not much wind so it was a perfect day for the beach. We laid in the sun, frolicked in the (cold) water, and I built a sand sculpture snowman. Ben and I lost a volleyball game to Katie and Tony before we headed back to the car rental place to pick up 15 lobster tails for Christmas dinner.

Whale Cay Passage Convoy

After unclogging the head, we decided to stay in Green Turtle for the day.

Sometime between breakfast and happy hour, while Ben and I were reading in the cockpit/living room a dingy came up to say hi. We met Ken and Sarah of Skeddadle who are from Oxford, MD.  Ken and Sarah are friends with Gus and Sue, formerly of the Maine Cat Au Contraire. We met Gus and Sue several years ago at Onnancock and they were the first ones to tell us, "Go now, don't wait for the right boat." They encouraged us to just take Whisper, and were voices of experience and proof it could be done since they had lived aboard Au Contraire. I think we told them that Whisper wasn't our boat, but it definitely planted the seed in our minds.

Ken and Sarah, like us and probably most of the other boats anchored in Green Turtle, were headed south. From Green Turtle there are two ways to go south: Whale Cay passage - which goes into the Atlantic and can be rough, or Dont Rock, which is shallow. Sarah and Ken, as well as another catamaran were planning on trying the Dont Rock passage and invited us to join them the next day, as well as that evening at happy hour.

We had a few hours before happy hour so decided to tool around in the dingy. We found a piece of sand laid out our towel, read our books, and drank a beer.

We all met at the Green Turtle marina bar at happy hour time - around sunset, which is about as accurate timing as you are going to get in the Bahamas. I arrived prepared to discuss the passage, but got through two tipsy turtle rum punches before it came up. John and Caroline from Discovery Magic anchored and ended up joining us for the tail end of happy hour. It was a pretty diverse group. Ben and I are in our 20's and 30's and sailing until March. Tom and Amy are just a little older than us (relatively close to our age, comparatively) and have been down to the Bahamas for 8 of the last 9 years. Ken and Sarah cruised with three of their sons almost 30 years ago, and are doing this trip by themselves. Caroline and John started in South Hampton (England) and are circumnavigating, although they need to head back to Miami for the Miami boat show since the Discover 50 won two boat show awards at the Annapolis Boat show (and by "their" boat I mean that - Discovery is their company). It didn't seem like we had that much in common, but we found so much to talk about. It was great to hear all the stories, especially from those more experienced than us (which is pretty much everyone). Although I was horribly embarrassed when Ben first told the group about our near miss with the Coast Guard ship, I am feeling better about it now - they really should have seen us, and at least I was able to react in time.

It's also fascinating to realize with as many cruisers as we've met, it really is a small world. Ken and Sarah and Tom and Amy first met in Vero where they were rafted together. Before that Tom and Amy were rafted to Ed and Lynn on the Maine Cat, Skydusky, who we have been in touch with through the Maine Cat owners website. We also felt "in the loop" when we were able to invite John and Caroline over when they came into the bar.

The convoy headed out of White Sound after the 6:30 am Chris Parker weather broadcast. The most experienced, Dream Catcher was first, and being the slowest boat with only one motor, we brought up the rear. We weren't quite able to keep up, but it was reassuring to have two boats ahead of us and right there on VHF channel 06. As Dream Catcher approached the second marker for Dont Rock, Tom Radio'd back and said the rollers were several feet high (and therefore the troughs would be too shallow). They headed back. We talked to Skeddadle and decided to at least take a look at the Whale Cay passage. There were at least three other monohulls in the area and we tried to hail them on the VHF but didn't get any response. The waves were significant (someone on the radio said 5 - 8 feet, but they seemed bigger to us). There were breakers, but we never got very close to any of them. Even though no one on the radio answered us, about ten other boats followed us through. It was pretty neat to be near the front of a large convoy, and to be in personal radio contact with the lead boat. I'm pretty sure all the other boats were taking advantage of Skeddadle's reports of their progress, and Ben answered one of the boats at one point even though no one answered us when we first radioed. You always hope you don't lead anyone else into danger, but it is each boat's own responsibility to gauge the situation based on the capabilities of their boat, and the skills of the sailors on board.

After we made it through Loggerhead Channel, it was a pretty easy straight shot to Treasure Cay (although we did have to pay attention to the waves behind us, to make sure we were "surfing" ok).

We ran into Ken and Sarah at the Treasure Cay grocery store and had high fives all around. It really felt like an accomplishment and we were excited to have made it to the Sea of Abaco - the so called "bathtub". We look forward to the next several weeks of sailing to sail places as opposed to sailing/motoring to make it to the next place, as well as the arrival of my family the following day, and our friends a week later.

Location:Treasure Cay, The Bahamas

Captain's Log Week 5

12/10/10 Peck Lake
It was the best of times. It was the worst of times.
Well not the worst, but certainly embarrassing. After a good day on the water we were pulling into a marina/anchorage for the night right as a sport fishing tournament was ending. I didn't know there were so many 50'+ sport fish boats in the state, let alone the same very crowded narrow channel as us. Also in the channel (directly into the setting sun light) was a telephone pole sticking out of the water. The kind which often has a navigation symbol attached to it. This one was just right in the center of the channel. I hit it.... full speed. As we went from 5 knots to 0 knots very suddenly, the anchor which Laura had just readied, no longer dogged down to an attachment point on the bow, kept moving and ended up running all the chain out of the locker and giving the line of passing sports fishing boats something even more comical to watch. Fortunately we were not the first boat to hit the pole and it gave readily bending as we hit it. In the end all that was hurt was our pride.
The best of times: was the anchorage that we found after leaving our originally intended anchorage with our tails between our legs. Three miles farther down the ICW was a beautiful little pocket off the main channel. 3-10 feet deep and very calm. We saw the usual dolphins (which we have seen every day since NC), and there were also Manatees! Very cool. Also anchored in the same cove was a boat named "Discovery Magic" Owned by two very nice brits Caroline and John. She is the prototype for a new production line from a company in South Hampton England. The Discovery 50 ranks second, right behind Chris White's Atlantic series catamarans, as our favorite boat design. Laura and I had actually been aboard this exact boat at the Annapolis Boat show this year. She is absolutely gorgeous both inside and out. I want her.

12/11/10 Peck Lake
We had a very peaceful night at anchor. Light wind and no waves. During the night we were wondering what the noises we were hearing were. They were kind of a non stop industrial sound. Well, as it turned out the sound we were hearing was surf. Just a hundred yards beyond the shore was a many mile long beach with just us and maybe one or two people in sight. Spent the day just relaxing on the beach and collecting seashells. Warm and perfect.

12/12/10 To North Palm Beach
This was the day of the bridges, and waiting for them to open....
People talk about making this section of the trip South an ocean section. I can see why. Narrow channels packed with fast moving power boats and punctuated by many lift bridges which do not open on demand but on a schedule (typically the hour and half hour but not at all from 7-9 or 3-5). This would have not been such a problem but for the fact that we still only have the one motor. This means we cannot make it from one bridge to another in the half hour between openings. We end up getting there just a few minutes late and have to sit using our one motor, the current, and the wind to try and stay in one spot until the next opening. Kind of stressful.
We did however end up waiting at one bridge with another Maine Cat! Always fun to see another one (there aren't many of us). We have seen two other 30' and a 41' so far on our trip.

12/13/10 North Palm Beach
I don't know why I am even a little shocked... Yamaha sent a defective power head to the yard in Southport. So I just paid the overtime for a guy to work all day Saturday for nothing. Useless.
We now have made the decision to go ahead and cross the Gulf Stream with one motor. There is a weather window in the forecast and it will likely be our only chance to get across before Christmas. This is a little scary.
Laura and I also rented a car and went shopping. It's an odd feeling to move so fast after moving so slow for so long.
We also finally saw The New Harry Potter Actually we saw it in IMAX which was really cool. Laura and I have long lamented the lack of a decent movie theater in Charlottesville so this was a real treat.

12/14/10
North Palm Beach (again)
We decided just to stay at the marina we have been at for the last two nights. Our other option was to go to the cruisers anchorage off Peanut Island, but it has been so cold these last few days that we have considered shore power for our heaters to be a must have.

A low point for the day was discovering that Yamaha can't or wont send our motor to the Bahamas. Something about import export regulations. So we are going to have them ship the motor to a freight company called Tropical Shipping and it will be loaded onto a container ship and brought over to us in Marsh Harbor next Tuesday. If this works it will be a miracle.

Laura and I went out to a very fancy restaurant for dinner. Cafe Boulud. This is one of Daniel Boulud's restaurants and the executive chef got the James Beard nomination for best chef south last year. It was very good.

12/15-16/10 North Palm Beach to West End Grand Bahama
In preparation for the crossing Laura and I installed new jack lines, built a new permanent anchor bridle, got the dingy motor fixed (old gas had messed us the slow speed valves in the carburetor). We also had the 100 hour service done on our one motor, oil, plugs, filters that sort of stuff.
At about 3pm we moved the boat over to the anchorage right near the ocean inlet. We actually got some sleep and were ready to go when the alarm went off at 10pm.


The crossing was really not bad. The swell was light and the chop minimal. In fact the sonar telling me that the water temp had risen to 75F was the only noticeable change when we hit the gulf stream. There were some problems however.
1) Laura was seasick from the beginning so I was on watch pretty much from 10-5:30. Not a problem, just one of those things.
2) Larry Jones called it.... Our battery is dying. =( It likely has been for quite a while but we have not noticed it. Basically during the day the solar panels are pumping out so much power that we can run whatever we want with out any problem, and at night we use almost no power as we are sleeping and nothing is on. While crossing however we were using a lot of power at night and obviously there is no sun to charge the battery. About 12am I looked at the battery monitor and discovered that it was down to 11.5V, not good. We turned everything we could off other than the mast head light, the VHF, and one chart plotter. The voltage stabilized and it was clear that we would be ok. I was able to periodically turn the radar on and have a look around. The one outstanding question I have is why the alternator wasn't putting out very much power.
3) We almost got run down by a 500' Coast Guard ship. I have no way to describe this other than to say that if Laura hadn't reacted literally the instant she did we would have been killed. It was as close as you can get and still be okay. I had seen them on radar a few minutes earlier but they were 7 miles away and not moving particularly fast. Laura took the helm for a few minutes while went below. Laura saw the ship about a few minutes before it passed us but thought it was not on an intersecting course. Then when she saw in next it was on top of us. They were traveling at least 20 knots and though laura accelerated and threw the wheel over they passed us no farther than 5-10 feet. It was so close that when they did see us they turned around and hailed us to make sure they had not actually hit us. We talked for a while, it was surreal.
Despite having a radar reflector and a mast light they never say us until it was over, I will think very hard about making a crossing like that again without AIS. An AIS transceiver would have given both us and them our exact positions, and course. It would also have warned both of us that there was a possibility of a collision miles before we passed each other.
Other than those things it was all good. Laura started feeling better as the sun came up and were treated to many schools of flying fish skimming the surface in front of us as we approached the Bahama bank.
We docked at Old Bahama Bay marina in West End about 12:00pm and cleared customs with no problems. Lowering our yellow quarantine flag and raising our Bahamas courtesy pennant was something of a triumph. We're here!

12/17/10 to Great Sale Cay
The water is just stunning, it is so beautiful. I think we are going to really like it here.
We motor-sailed all day anchoring just after dark in a broad anchorage with maybe 10 other boats. Good holding and no anchor issues.

12/18/10 To Spanish Cay
It was not quite as warm as yesterday but still very nice. We traveled a good long way today making above 5 knots the whole way. We arrived at Spanish Cay just at sunset and are well tied up. We had planned on anchoring a few hours back, but after getting some weather information we decided to try and make it to a good marina. We are glad we did, a front came through over night and there was a lot of wind and rain.
I'm also glad that we made it here as this is kind of the kick off of the central cruising grounds for the Abacos and we will have short travel days from now on. We can just sail for fun. We should be only one day away from Treasure Cay where the Aimones will meet us for Christmas.

Captain's Log Week 4

12/2/10
To Isle of hope GA
Really nothing to report. Motored all day. Easy day in the ditch. Remote marina at mile 590, I think we were in bed by 9:00pm.

12/3/10
To Tea Kettle Creek
Another day of motoring all day, that's the down side. The upside is that Laura found a really fantastic anchorage. Just absolutely pristine. We were anchored in 10ft of water in Georgia's low country. There wasn't a tree in sight just 3 ft tall reeds all around to the horizon. We also got treated to one of the best double sunsets I have ever seen (double in that the light is mirrored on the the surface of the water). We have been using a website called cruisersnet.net. It is a really useful site for people cruising on the atlantic coast. The information about marinas, bridge closings, and anchorages is often more up to date than the guide books.

12/4/10 To Jekyll Island GA
Very cold morning, especially without the heaters which we have when we are docked.
We traveled to Jekyll Island on the southern boarder of Georgia. I'm really excited to make it to florida tomorrow.
Jekyll Island marina was our chosen stop for one reason... They boasted a a hot tub and we wanted it! In the end it was a cold tub that after an hour of waiting for it to heat up, turned into a luke warm tub, but it was still nice. We are planning on taking it easy tomorrow and spend the morning at the Georgia Sea Turtle Center.

12/5/10
To Fernadina Beach
We started the day off with a bike ride to the Sea Turtle Center as planned, it far surpassed my expectations. We ended up with a kind of impromptu private tour with one of the volunteers at the center. learned a lot and got to see a lot of really cool Turtles. See Laura's post about the trip for more details.

12/6/10
To St. Augustine FL
Really long day but we made great progress lots of miles covered. Really missing that motor. We had a hard time getting through some bridges as the currents we strong enough to almost over power our one motor. We went under one bridge at all of 1.2knots with full throttle! Currently we are docked on the outside of the seawall and it is really rough, might be a long night.

12/7/10
To Daytona Beach
I fell down on deck while steping out of one hull and walking to the other (I was a also on the phone with Yamaha at the time). It was a spectacular fall and I thought I had broken something for sure. It really hurt. Fortunately nothing was broken but all my corners (knees and elbows) are really bruised. I wonder what the Yamaha guy thought was going on when the cell phone I was holding went crashing across the deck?

12/8/10 To Titusville
Nothing exciting today other than during a long motor we were treated to a Rocket launch from Cape Canaveral. Very cool.
We docked at a small marina in Titusville. Included with our docking fee was a coupon for a free drink at the local bar. I'm guessing that is a promotion that pays big dividend. The other nice thing about our stay in Titusville was that right after docking we got word from Yamaha that they would indeed be giving us a new powerhead for our starboard motor. Additionally they agreed to have the parts shipped overnight to the mechanics in Southport NC and to also pay to have the motor shipped back to us wherever we are. =)
Finally!!!!

12/9/10
To Vero Beach
A new record for longest day on the water! We went about 70 miles today. We in the Vero Beach Mooring Field which was recommended to us by Larry and Roberta Jones. Good suggestion. We had a great night rafted to another catamaran, and it was only $13. Used the Dink (dingy) today for the first time on the trip. Despite having a rebuilt carburetor and a bunch of other work recently done, she isn't all that I could want. Basically she will only run with the choke out. Not so good. Will have to have the mechanic who puts our other engine in look at it.

Spanish Cay, Wonderful Sailing, Not So Wonderful Everything-Else

We took another day off at Spanish Cay Marina. There was a cold front headed through the area, and it seemed like it mostly passed Saturday night, but we decided to stay put until the Whale Cay passage had calmed down a little. It was a beautiful island, so we did some exploring. We rented a golf cart and went to the beach and tide pools near the airport. The instructions for the golf cart were "don't drive on the runway because planes do land, but you can drive along the side of the runway." We packed sandwiches and had a picnic lunch at the tide pools before it started to rain again. We raced back to the boat once the rain started, cheering as the golf cart puttered up the small hills.

After the rain, we did some fishing off the docks. Ben caught a beautiful yellow amber jack. It was probably just big enough, but we decided to throw it back. After that we only had bad luck - we lost several hooks to the rocks.

The wind on Monday was great and we had a beautiful sail. Real Sail! The engine was up and we were hitting 8 knots at times. Unfortunately, everything else started to go wrong. Our battery, which was slowly dying is now dying much quicker. We were thinking about trying to get a replacement on the same boat over as our motor, but couldn't quite make the noon deadline. Even worse news though, in talking to the shipping company, our motor did not make the noon deadline either. We called yamaha yesterday at 1:00 to ask what the miscommunication was, because we thought we had been very clear on the deadline, and the motor left southport Thursday early afternoon. We are still waiting for a return phone call.

After anchoring at White Sound in Green Turtle Cay we discovered our toilet has been smelling not so good because the holding tank was clogged and completely full. I'll leave out the gory details but we took a trip into New Plymouth this morning and purchased a plumbers snake, and the clog has been fixed, making our home habitable again.

Calling Home!

At Disneyland Water this Color seems Fake

The water is an absolutely beautiful teal color that almost looks fake. It's deceiving to be able to see the bottom in over 10 feet of water. It looks like it shouldn't be as deep as it is.

We've had an interesting past two days. On Friday we sailed from West End to Great Sale Cay. We had some excellent sailing in the morning, we were over 6 knots and ended up using all of our sails. In the afternoon the wind was on our nose, and we couldn't quite figure out why we were only making 4 knots. We figured it must be because we only had one engine, but we planned on going faster and arrived after dark. We ended up being guided into a large, beautiful anchorage by the light of the almost full moon, and it all worked out. There were about 10 other boats there already, but the anchorage was not at all crowded. Ben says I need more adjectives to describe the anchorage, I can't believe I didn't take a picture.

Today we sailed from Great Sale to Spanish Cay. Since we are not 100% on the weather (further explanation below), and the range is perfect, we decided to stay at the Spanish Cay Marina tonight. The wind is supposed to shift and all the anchorages in the area are unprotected from at least one direction. Today we are making much better time (over 5 knots), with and without the jib out, so maybe there was some current yesterday (and possibly those large mats of kelp attached to our bumper keels were slowing us down).

We've had some success and failures over the last two days. Here's the to the point version.

Success: We caught our first real fish. We're pretty sure it was a 14 inch king mackerel. (Ed. Note from Ben, 20 inch Mackerel!)
Fail: The fish was lost while trying to bring it on board and kill it. Ben thinks he did successfully knock it out, but then it came off the gaff. We hate to have killed a fish we didn't get to eat, and rice for dinner is even more depressing when we came so close to having a feast. Hopefully next time will be smoother.
Fail: Our Ham radio is not allowing us to tune into the weather station or Chris Parker's radio broadcast.
Success: Our $20/month, unlimited satellite phone service from global star is proving it's worth. We were able to call Ben's parents and they looked up the Bahamas broadcast for us. We should now be within range to hear the 8:15 am Abacos "Cruisers Net" broadcast, but we are trying to figure out what to do about getting our hands on an SSB radio.
Weather Fail Part 2: XM Weather. Yes, we do get XM service in the Bahamas, however the weather broadcast does not include info for the Bahamas. Basically, we can check the US weather from here. Not sure if we can blame the XM rep who ensured us that the weather would be available, since technically, weather reports are available, just not the ones we need.
XM Success: We were able to listen to the Diane Rheme show today and catch up on some US news.
SuccessOur anchoring situation is in much better shape. We have become a lot more comfortable with the bridle and haven't had any more problems anchoring.
FailWe are really missing that other engine, especially when our remaining motor, Old Faithful, did not start this morning.
Motor Fail Part 2As my dad has discovered with the lawn mower, the motor won't start unless it is in neutral. Crisis averted.
Fail: After 10 years, it appears even the famous NASA battery is clearly showing it's age. We are really trying to limit our consumption after the sun goes down. No charging the ipad overnight! The most amount of time I've seen remaining on the battery is 17 hours, which seems ok, but a few summers ago, I don't think I ever saw under 80 hours remaining, and that was only if all the water pumps had been running and all the lights were on.
Success: We're in paradise!

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Location:Spanish Cay, The Abacos, Bahamas

We Made It!!

We started feeling better about making the trip with one motor after talking to Chris Parker - The Cruiser's Weather Guru - and finding out starting Wednesday night, there was going to be a 72 hour weather window which was the best he'd seen in two months. So yesterday afternoon we moved over to an anchorage near the Fort Worth Inlet. We were also relieved that there were many other boats also staged at the anchorage by the inlet.

Except that I got incredibly sea sick, and Ben had to do most of the work, it was a great trip. The first 10 - 15 miles were a little rough, but then it calmed down. Unfortunately, once you throw up spice sausage for a few hours, there isn't much going back. (Note to self: Next time fix something bland for dinner the night before leaving).

We are so excited to be here and are off to do some exploring!

Location:West End,The Bahamas

Yamaha - Are you really this incompetent, or do you just hate us?

So apparently I did jinx us. Yamaha sent the new power head to southport, and it arrived Friday. We talked to Gregory Poole and they agreed to work overtime if we would pay the extra. Monday, when Gregory Poole went to put the last screw in, they realized the power head Yamaha sent was missing a brass ring, which is not only a very important piece of the motor, but also specific to that motor (so the one could not be taken off the old one). By the time we found out about it, Yamaha had already missed Monday shipment, and it would not go out until Tuesday to arrive at Southport Wednesday, for them to do the work Wednesday and Thursday and possibly make the Thursday pick up, but if not Friday. So then the motor couldn't go on until Monday which only gives us 3 days to make it from Palm Beach to Treasure Cay for Christmas, which is a push assuming the weather is there. We are going to do more research today, but at this point it looks like we will be crossing between Thursday and Saturday with one motor. The weather looks very calm, so we should be ok.

On top of that, Ben's phone is no longer charging, and he is unable to sync or restore it using his computer because he is getting a message that the software is incompatible. So, we have another appointment with an Apple Store. This of course is complicated because we have used Ben's number as our contact number for the the marina in Southport, Yamaha, and the marina here that is supposed to install the engine. 

On to happier topics, where were we? I had said we had some long days recently. Here's the exact milage (in statue miles): Dec 6; Fernandina Beach, FL to St Augustine, FL; 59 miles Dec 7; St Augustine, FL to Daytona Beach, FL; 60 miles Dec 8; Daytona Beach, FL to Titusville, FL; 46 miles Dec 9; Titusville, FL to Vero Beach, FL; 70 miles

Leaving St Augustine we made our first bridge timing error. On the chart it looked like the opening bridge was about 1/2 a mile from our marina. We read in the guidebook that the Bridge of Lions Highway Bridge opens on the hour and half hour except for 8 am, noon and 5 pm. So we thought if we left about 7:10, we would make the 7:30 opening, and be golden. Unforetunetly the bridge was a little further than we though, and we just missed the 7:30 opening, so had to wait until 8:30 am.

On December 8 a SpaceX Falcon 9 Rocket was fired from Cape Canaveral, which is right across the ICW from Titusville. The dock master at the marina south of Daytona Beach  said we would be able to see the rocket from Daytona as we motored towards Titusville. It was supposed to launch between 9:00 am and 12:30 pm, and the first launch time was about 9:35.  We looked for it, but when we didn't see it, I checked twitter and a news site and saw the initial launch was delayed and had been rescheduled for 10:43 am. We missed the initial part of the launch but looked up just in time to see the stage two rocket fire!


According to the guidebook, the NASA Railroad Bridge is the only opening bridge without an attendant on the ICW, and is normally open except when a train comes through, but on the 8th, the bridge was undergoing construction and was closed for "a little while." By the number of boats with their anchors out waiting for the bridge to open, it looked like it had been that way for quite awhile. We also recognized many of the boats as having passed us earlier that morning - many of them were much faster than us and had passed us several hours earlier - they must have been waiting for a while. We started to drop our anchor as well, but then heard on the radio it would only be another 1/2 hour, so decided to wait it out. After the NASA bridge there was another opening bridge 2 miles later, which we made with no problem. The next bridge, about 7 miles after that did not open at all between 3:30 and 5 pm. We would have just made it by 3:30 if we didn't have to wait a half hour for the railroad bridge, but with the delay we realized we wouldn't get through until after 5, so decided to call it a day.

After mooring at Vero Beach, we stopped at Peck Lake at about mile 992. It was a beautiful anchorage, especially when we figured out the loud crashing noise was actually the beach, just a dingy ride and short walk away! We decided to stay put on Saturday and enjoyed the beach! It wasn't quite warm enough to swim, but I laid on the beach and read, Ben searched for sea shells and we waded up to our knees. Ben also got online and got a 3 day fishing permit for the state of Florida. We were very excited to catch our first fish while fishing in the surf. It was a salt water cat fish which Ben threw back. We'd much rather be on a beach in the Bahamas, but we are having a blast anyway, and we're starting to realize how hard it will be to go back to "the real world" once this trip is over. 

We are now at North Palm Beach Marina. When we called the marina, they said there was a grocery store about a mile away, and we could walk to it, but we'd probably want a cab back. It turns out it's actually 1.8 miles. The first night we were here we walked to a restaurant which was closed, and then walked about another mile to another restaurant, knowing we'd need a cab for the ride home. The cab was $20 for less than 2 miles, and there was no meter or any info on how the fare was calculated in the cab. We decided we'd be better off renting a car than trying to deal with the cabs again. It ended up being a great decision! We had a lot of last minute provisioning to do, so it was nice to be able to fill up the car. In addition to the grocery store we also went to Carmine's Gourmet Grocery store which was a nice little store with great looking meat and fish. We bought a few dried sausages which should be great for snacking, and adding to rice and beans for a little variety and flavor. 

The best part about having the rental car was last night we went out to see Harry Potter 7 Part 1 at the IMAX! It was a pretty big splurge ($15 a ticket), but it was a lot of fun, and as Ben said, we haven't done much in terms of entertainment over the last month. The movie was great and it was nice to be able to get away from the boat for a few hours.

Update from Yamaha: They will not actually ship it to the Bahamas since they are not an exporter. There is a solution in the works, but it depends on things going right, so we will see.

We've had some long days!

I need to double check the exact milage, but the last several days we have really been pushing from sunrise to sunset and have put in a lot of 50 (statute) mile or over days. Yesterday was probably the longest, we went from Titusville to Vero Beach, which was almost 70 miles. We took it easy this morning, we woke up, had a yummy eggs and bacon breakfast, took the dingy ashore to pay for the mooring and take showers, and didn't head out until about 10:15!

We have some tentative good news - hopefully I won't jinx it, but right now, the parts and a shipping crate are on there way from Yamaha to Southport, and Eddie will be re-assembling the motor tomorrow. We will pay the upgrade to ship it overnight to a marina we've found in Palm Beach, and they should be re-attaching it on Wednesday morning. After a lot of back and forth with Yamaha, including being told that we had an atypical use of the motor and may have voided our warranty, they finally agreed a five month old motor should not have rusted cylinders. Yay, we are finally winning again, too bad we will have ended up doing 700 (of 1000) miles of the ICW with only one motor. It's been a learning experience and I think we are going to be experts at docking the boat once we have that other motor back. We are going to make a real effort to continue to plan and communicate which is really what made this possible. Remaining calm and not yelling when things did not go as planned also kept our boat and marriage in one piece.

A few quick thoughts:

We are working on the next installment of the video blog! Get ready.

Yesterday we were trying to remember the last day we didn't see dolphins. I think it was our layover day in Beaufort, SC, but before that I can't remember. On this trip we've also seen otters, a few manatees (we think) and a bald eagle. Unfortunetetly nature photography is really difficult and there will probably be little evidence in our next video blog.

Today was finally warm! It was in the 70's. Also, the water today was teal! It felt very tropical.

And a few pictures:

Crab Feast!

Saint Augustine

This Doesn't Feel like Flor-i-da

When we called to find a slip at Fernandina Harbor Marina they said they had something for us, but it would be on the outside dock and it might be a little rough. We decided to go ahead and take it (even when Ben clarified they had actually called it a "breakwater"), we've already had a few rough nights, and it's easiest for us to dock (with one motor) on a t-head or in a linear docking situation. We should have realized the mistake when we got close to the marina, and hailed them on the radio, they said "you'll be right in front of the cruise ship." The cruise ship ended up being fine, (quiet), but it was a pretty rough night. The northwest wind was blowing us right up against the dock, and Ben started to worry that we were going to pop a fender. I didn't realize that was something to worry about, but since Ben was worried, I was too.

We survived the night, but woke up to a very cold morning. It was still pretty gusty, so we came up with a plan for getting off the dock over our Cheerios (with one motor, we've developed a pretty good habit of breaking down responsibilities/who is going to do what when we dock or leave a dock). The biggest problem for this execution was my hands were completely numb, and my fingers were not working enough for me to hold a fender in place, (our pivot point), and at the correct moment, quickly, on Ben's cue, untie the line that we were using as a pivot. The first try the line was a little too far forward, and we weren't pivoting correctly. The second time I couldn't get the line off the cleat and slipped quick enough. Before attempt three, a cruise passenger walked by and said "It sure doesn't feel like Florida." Ben from inside the enclosure thought he said, "Having a little trouble this morning?" I think Ben might have been projecting, but he had also completely forgotten about the cruise ship and was totally baffled that someone would be walking around a dock at 8 am (it was cold, we got a late start) and not offer to help with a line. But it ended up working out fine, third time was a charm and we made it about 55 (statute) miles it to St Augustine Beach.

We're in Florida!

We are excited to have made it to Florida. It feels like (finally) we've made progress south! Since Isle of Hope, GA, we spent one night anchored out, docked at Jekyll Harbor Marina, and are now docked at Fernandina Harbor Marina.

We anchored out at New Teakettle Creek in Georgia and it was less eventful than our last anchoring experience - a very good thing. We used a bridle from the start and also used our dingy anchor as a kettle to hold the anchor rode lower in the water allowing us to properly swing over the anchor rode. The wind was no where near what it was the other night, when we think what threw us off was the boat was being pushed in the direction of the current, but still sitting facing into the wind. The anchor kettle was suggested by several other Maine Cat owners. It was also a relief to hear that others had similar problems, and that we were on the right track to a solution (we rigged a bridle that first night and were researching how to use a kettle for the next time).

Happily Anchored

We were a little worried because it was supposed to be in the 30's the night we anchored, and since we weren't going to be plugged in to shore power, we would be without heat. It might not have been quite as cold as forecasted, but we were amazed at how warm it was. We've been wimps, we could have anchored way sooner. We spent a little less time in the cockpit because the hulls were a little warmer, we stayed bundled up, and we stayed in bed a little later than normal (almost 7:30 am!) but I was never COLD. It's supposed to be 28 tonight though so we decided maybe we aren't THAT tough.

Yesterday we docked at Jekyll Harbor Marina. I was excited because the guidebook mentioned a Sea Turtle Center on the island. I wasn't exactly sure what a Sea Turtle Center was, but from some of the reviews it sounded like it really had potential, and I've always really loved turtles. It closed yesterday at 5:00 and Ben and I agreed that sitting down at the bar, and drinking gin and tonics was more important, but this morning I was able to convince Ben to delay our departure, check out bikes from the marina and head over the the Georgia Sea Turtle Center. We are so glad we did! The center is a rehabilitation center for ill and injured sea turtles and an educational facility for people. I wasn't 100% sure we'd get to see actual turtles, but I was really excited to find out there were giant tanks of all different sized turtles. We also got to watch one of the employees weigh baby loggerheads, and a baby terrapin and a one year old loggerhead have breakfast (separately). We were really lucky - while we were walking around the educational part we started talking to Mike, an Americorp volunteer. He ended up giving us a personal tour of the center, and answered almost all of our questions. He also had some questions for us about living on a sailboat (I think we were able to answer most of his questions, too). My favorite turtle was Arribada, a juvenile Kemp's Ridley sea turtle with a damaged front leg. I identified with this turtle even if missing an engine might not really be comparable to missing a leg. I was pleased to hear from Mike that a 3 legged turtle does NOT swim in circles.

Tonight we are docked at Fernandina Harbor Marina in Florida! Right after we docked Ben noticed a seafood store very close to the dock and ran over in case it was closing at 5:00 pm. He came back carrying a large paper bag and said there was good news and bad news. I assumed the good news was better since he was obviously carrying something yummy - the bad news was they only sell crabs by the dozen. We also called a cab and took a ride to the Publix. The cab driver, RJ, was great, and also took us to the Walmart to buy a heavier dingy anchor to use as our kettle. We also mentioned that it is a real shame that none of the marinas on the trip have a RedBox. It seems like such a no brainer - cruisers are cheap ($1 movie!), don't get a chance to see movies when they come out, and can't use a mail service like Netflix. Also, most cruisers would probably rent and watch the movie that same night, so it wouldn't be a big deal to just walk it back to the RedBox if it was right at the marina. As soon as we mentioned it RJ got on his cell phone to call a friend. So, if you see any RedBoxes crop up at marinas in the next year, thank us, and RJ.

Days 21 and 22 - Layover Day In Beaufort and Beaufort to Isle of Hope, GA

We needed a layover day yesterday. Well at least I did. We arrived in Beaufort on little sleep and had to wait about 40 minutes (with one engine) for the Wappoo Creek Bridge to open (apparently it was only opening on the hour, not the half hour as well). While we were waiting it was pouring rain and the entire floor of the cockpit/living room/dining room was soaking wet. When we got to the marina all I wanted was to get on the computer and watch the highlights from the previous night's UVA basketball game (UVA beat #13 Minnesota to open the ACC/Big 10 Challenge). I hadn't even been able to listen to the game on the radio the previous night. I can normally pick up 3WV on the wunderradio app on my iphone, but we didn't have good enough service the night before. When we got to the marina I realized not only was my computer not working, but the internet wasn't fast enough to watch the highlights from Ben's computer. My feet were wet and cold, and I had to walk to the communal marina bathroom just so I could wash my face with warm water. Sometimes living on a boat is not glamorous and I had my first "I want to go home moment."

It didn't help when the weather remained rough that night. We barely got any sleep again, so when the weather was still looking iffy the next morning we decided to just stay put for the day. It also allowed us to check out two additional restaurants - Plum's and Pannini's. Both were better than should be expected and the brick oven pizzas were exactly what we needed. We also had a chance to hang our Christmas lights and finish watching Harry Potter Episode #4 (...and the Goblet of Fire).

We also used the courtesy car to run to West Marine and the Piggly Wiggly. There wasn't really have anything we absolutely needed, but it was nice to pick up a few things - body wash, bread, and some more boat cleaner. We also did a little walk around the downtown area. When we got back to the marina it was really filling up. A lot of boats seemed to have had rough days (or previous nights) from the weather, and everyone was looking to re-charge. It was fun this morning - we were up about 6:30, and there was a little bit of a buzz as all the boats around us were getting ready and heading off about the same time. There was also another young couple, we didn't get too much of a chance to talk but they were heading outside to St Augustine, FL today and planning on getting there tomorrow morning. They also had a cat on a leash.

We were aiming for Thunderbolt, GA which is at the mouth of the Savannah River. We've decided to skip Savannah this time around since we just took the day off, and since Savannah is about 8 miles up the river, so out of the way. We made it about 8 miles further to Isle of Hope Marina. Ben cooked a wonderful dinner and we just watched the 5th Harry Potter (and the Order of the Phoenix). I'm enjoying being on a boat again, I realize how lucky we are to be able to take this time off to do this, especially at this point in our lives, and it's vacation, but it's four months so it's also our lives and there are bound to be ups and downs, but as long as everything is taken in stride I'm sure there will be more ups than downs.

Captain's log supplemental "Two Hulls One Motor =("

"Two Hulls, One Motor =("

And now a note on why having only one motor on a catamaran sucks.
Sailboat rudders are located at the back of the boat. This means that unlike a car, a sailboat turns by pushing its stern out either left or right. Basically, as water moves past the rudders they produce areas of high and low pressure as they turn either left or right. As the helmsman (person driving the boat) turns the wheel, the rudders move to one side. Doing so they create higher pressure on the outside face of the rudder. This causes the stern of the boat to be pushed away from the direction of the face of the rudder with higher pressure . (ie. the one deflecting the water). This is all well and good, but just like in a car, the road or in our case the water must be moving under us in order for the rudder to have any effect.
A catamaran is kind of like two monohulls attached by a central platform. We have two of everything underwater. Including two rudders and two propellers being driven by two motors. In catamarans, the motors are located in the stern of each hull. This allows for enviable agility.
Unlike a monohull, This can really get dramatic when we put one motor in forward and one in reverse. by doing this we can quite literally "spin on a dime".
This is all well and good and can make us look very good when we come in to a tough docking situation, but it assumes you have both motors.
In our case we are missing our starboard motor. This means that it is impossible to go from a standstill to a left hand turn. In fact, it means that by engaging the one (port) motor we necessarily start to turn in a circle to starboard. This starboard circle continues until we have created enough motion through the water to allow the rudders to compensate for the unevenly distributed thrust from the one motor. The problem is also the same in reverse. We are unable to turn to port while in reverse. at least not until we are moving at a pretty good clip.
All this is not that big a deal with some good planning and communication with dock masters (and each other), we've done all right. The one exception being in Charleston SC. There we had a very tight dockage, high currents high wind pushing us into the maze of docks and away from the slip we were trying to get to.
The upside to having only one motor is you use about half as much fuel, the boat is quieter, and quite surprisingly we actually go almost as fast as with two motors.

Captain's log Week 3

11/25/10 to Myrtle Beach
7:15-3:30
8.5 engine hours (one engine)

Thanksgiving. I'm thankful that we have made the decision to leave Southport.... even though we have only one motor....
After some consideration last night, Laura and I decided to take a chance with one motor and keep going. Best case scenario, we won't have a new motor for at least another week. Sitting around in Southport that long would be a disaster.

The downside to having only motor is that you are significantly less maneuverable. For more than you ever really wanted on how boats turn (or don't), see the post in the "Captains Log" titled: "Two hulls, one Motor =("

11/26/10 to Georgetown
9:00am-5:45
8:45 motor time
This is kinda why they call the ICW "the ditch"... It's a lot like driving a loud car that's hard to stop through a wide ditch.

11/27/10 To North of Charleston
8-4:00pm
It's hard to live in a 30'x18' box with another person 24 hours a day, with almost no privacy and no one else to talk to. This was one of those days when we probably could have used some space. But, at the end of the day we made a gin and tonic, watched the sun set (these two things are becoming something of a ritual), saw a dolphin and the world seemed a bit better.
We were told by the marina at which we planned on docking, that we would need to wait for an hour (in high current) for their dock to be ready for us. We stared to circle around a little river a few miles from the marina and ended up getting waved over to a private dock by a man working on his sailboat. He ended up offering us his spare dock (complete with power and water) for free for the night. It was exactly what we needed, just a little something to make us remember that it's good to be on the boat. Laura has written a bit more about this in her section.

11/28/10 to Charleston
This was where we really had a hard time docking with one motor. High current, high wind, a packed and largely enclosed marina, and one motor. In the end we managed to get it done without hitting any of the many millions of dollars of yachts in the harbor (and some of these really were yachts, not boats). I wish I had this on video, it would have been a good one.
Tonight we went to a restaurant we had never heard of before, but one which came highly recommended by my friend and coworker Lori Shinseki. "McCradys" was fantastic, look for it in our (yet to be created) restaurant review section. Actually, it was an instant favorite.

11/29/10 Anchorage North of Beaufort SC
9:45-4:45
7 hours motor time

We anchored out in the ICW. We didn't sleep, we almost lost 2 sets of ground tackle (anchors and chain/rope), had to get help from a passing boat, I ended up in a wetsuit..... enough said. Read Laura's account for the details.

11/30/10 to Beaufort SC

Took it a bit slow today, just went into Beaufort SC about 25 miles from where we Anchored last night. Took the opportunity to do some much needed laundry and get dry.
Had another great Dinner at "Saltus" See restaurant review section.

12/1/10 Beaufort SC again
Started to leave in the morning, but decided that it was just too windy and that we could really use a day off the ICW. This feeling was compounded by the fact that sleep was hard to come by the last two nights. Overnight we were bullied by choppy seas, high current and really big wind. It was like trying to sleep in a washing machine. staying put for the day is a good decision.

12/2/10 to Thunderbolt GA (yay new State!)
7:15-4:15
7 hours motor time
It was really quite cold last night I think it actually got below freezing. We brought our little salad garden in from the cold (thank you Larry and Roberta). I'm still surprised at how warm the little space heaters keep the cabin. The cold front that passed through over the last two days has finally blown out. Winds have come down and so have the waves. Finally we had a good nights sleep. No waves no worries. I'm realizing that this trip down the ICW, which was always an afterthought for me, (something to get through on the way to the real adventure) is in it's self an adventure. It is physically, emotionally, and mentally taxing. It is also beautiful and always changing. I will always remember it. We are docked at Isle of Hope Marina in Thunderbolt, GA (actually, I think it might be it's own town, but it, and Thunderbolt are pretty close to Savannah). Calm relaxing day, just what we needed. Eating cheese and crackers with a glass of wine watching the remains of another sunset.

Our battery is worrying me a bit as the voltage readings are quite low. We have 4 55W solar panels on board as well as high output alternators on the motors (or motor). The day was sunny and we ran the motors all day. We should be seeing more than 11V in the battery. Most boats carry several batteries which are split up for separate uses. One dedicated for starting the engine and one for the "house" lights, pumps, etc. We have only one battery on board for everything. Granted it is the bad ass of all batteries developed by NASA for long term use in space, but it is also 10 years old. Worst case scenario the motors don't stars and we have no electronics. We can always use a handheld GPS a chart on the iPad (yes these are just as good as paper charts) and start the motor with the pull cord until we can find a new battery. (Larry Jones bite your tongue).

Picture Post - Thanksgiving, Charleston, Etc

Yes, this means my computer is working again, and we have a decent internet connection. As much as I know about computers, I'm still moving slowly and cautiously so it doesn't turn off again. I actually think it might have something to do with the humidity, since both times it's stopped working it's been quite humid and both times it's worked it's been pretty dry. I bought one of those DampRid hanging bags and stored the computer in the closet, so we'll see, it might end up being like my car, which also dislikes the rain.

Thanksgiving


Charleston


Our Friends


I better hurry up and get this posted before the computer shuts down.

Days 19 and 20 - Charleston, SC to Beaufort, SC

I was all ready to post a bunch of pictures today, but my computer went down again. It's having the exact same problem. We are thinking about renting a car tomorrow and going back to Charleston, because that's the only Apple Store until Miami, and we're not planning on going that far. If nothing else, I can return the $100 battery, since that obviously did not fix the problem.

Heard back on the engine - the lower unit is ok, but there were several problems with the rest of the engine which Yamaha will cover. Once the parts get to Southport, it will be about a day and a half to fix, and then we'll have to find a place for them to ship it to where we can have it installed. 

We are really missing that other motor. Two nights ago we anchored for the first time on our trip. It's been pretty cold at night, and without being docked and plugged in, we don't have heat. Since it was supposed to be was one of the first warm nights, we found a spot in the guidebooks and decided to spend the night on the hook. Things were going well until the tide changed and the current switched directions. In theory you are supposed to "swing" on your anchor, and all should be fine. Unfortunately, when we swung, all was not fine.

At about 8 pm it sounded like we had run aground, but we had swung over the anchor rode, and it was hitting something under the boat (the bumper keel, rudder, or hull). It was difficult to free ourselves because we were very worried about fouling the rode in our one good engine, and because only having one engine we were very limited in what directions we could move. We finally were able to straighten out, and rigged a second rope to create an anchor bridle, which is supposed to even out the pressure so that the boat swings better. 

All was well until about 4 am when the currents switched again. Ben was in and out of bed between 4 and 6, so at 6:30 I joined him on deck. At that point, the anchor looked correct. Ben had lost the bridle, but the anchor was centered. When I started to raise the anchor it was stuck on something and the boat swung back over it. Ben and I aren't exactly sure what happened over the course of the next two hours, but it wasn't pretty and we were getting scared. Finally, at about 8:30, Will and Renaldo from South Carolina Fish and Wildlife drove by and pulled over to ask if we needed any help. We weren't sure if Will and Renaldo would be able to help us, and more importantly would be able to help us safely - without putting themselves in danger, or damaging their boat. At that point we had let go of the original anchor, with a float tied to the bitter end of the anchor rode and Ben had deployed our back up anchor, however, it seemed like in relation to the current and the winds we should have been resting in the opposite direction. So, we were still stuck on some part of our primary anchor rode. Will insisted that if there was anything they could safely do to help, they would and we were grateful. We were able to talk through a plan (adjusting as things didn't work or results were different than expected). By 9:30, Ben was in his wetsuit hanging off the transom cutting the primary anchor's trip line from around one of the ruder posts with my rigging knife.  Before cutting the trip line, Ben was able to lift a few feet of the taught line out of the water and hold it up so Renaldo could grab it from the bow of their boat.  When Ben did cut the line,  they were able to pull up (and save) our anchor. In fact, they recovered both our anchors, and in the end all we lost was a CO₂ cartridge on one of the lifejackets which fired when Ben was laying down in the dingy. The next time the boat is hauled (or when we get to the clear waters of the Bahamas), we'll find out if there was any additional damage to anything under the water. 

Last night we docked in Beaufort, SC. Not to be confused with Beaufort, NC. The pronunciation is completely different! It should have been an uneventful night, and we were hoping to catch up on some sleep but the wind was howling all night and the tide race made for some choppy seas. We both got up at different times to check the dock lines. We are looking forward to a few slower days coming up, and are even planning on taking "a day off" soon to explore, we're just not sure the best town to explore (Hilton Head, Savannah, or a Georgia Island). And we will be sure to pick up a book about anchoring. 

Captain's Log Week 2

11/18/10 To Oriental 
6:40-1:30
Speed: motor sail 6 knots
Fished with hand lines (no luck)
Motor time 5 hours
We also needn't replace the starboard side "cold" fresh water pump. We thought we had already fixed it but, apparently only temporarily. :(

We found our favorite marina! $42.50 for dockage, power, and pump out!  Not to mention perks like hot tub, laundry, steam showers, and courtesy car.  All of which we used.

Very pleasant day.  However, when we were just about to Oriental we got an email from the rigger who we had inspect our standing rigging before we set off on our trip.  Unfortunately, he found some things that we need to have fixed right away.
After some time at the marina, we met up with family friends Larry and Roberta Jones, who live near Oriental.  We had a lovely dinner and picked their brains for sailing tips in the Bahamas.  (They have a catamaran which they sailed to the Bahamas last winter.) Roberta also sent us back to the boat with some really delicious smoked turkey!  I think we are going to save it for Thanksgiving. 

11/19/10 Oriental dock yard
7:00-8:30
Motor 1.5h
We started the day at 7:10 by moving Whisper 6 miles to a boat yard in Oriental proper. 
The yard re-bedded both port and starboard chainplates (these hold the shrouds to the hull and the shrouds in turn hold the mast up).  Additionally we added whisker stays that run from the front of the diamond spreader strut back to the spreaders.  This compensates for the lateral forces exerted on the diamond spreader when the jib hits it while tacking.  The yard was fantastic it's often the case that a yard will not move you to the front of the line just because you are on your way somewhere. We're glad they were willing to do this for us.  In the end the repairs took about 24 hours. 

11/20/10 Dock Yard to Beaufort
11:00-2:30
4.5hours motor time.
Nice trip, nothing remarkable.
Ended up docking next to Escapod who we met in Norfolk last week
Also met Calvin.  This guy bought a $1200 sailboat (last week) and decided to head south solo.  Did I mention he has absolutely no sailing experience at all what so ever.....  We like him already.

11/21/10 Beaufort to Wrightsville beach.
6:00-5:30.
11:5 motor hours 
This was our first "outside" trip.  The weather was perfect and the seas calm.  Despite fishing with 9 lures all day we caught nada.

11/22/10 Wrightsville Beach to Southport marina
8:30-11:00
3 hour motor
the Starboard engine is still having the same problems with operating at high RPMs.  When under a load she will bog down and loose power.  We decided to stop in Southport for a  quick fix.  Both Yamaha and the boat yard in Deltaville have assured me that it is likely just a clog in the fuel line.  unfortunately it looks like it is actually a bad lift pump (fuel pump).  The part has to be ordered and will not be in until the morning.  =(
The repair crew are really professional and very helpful.  The fact that they are master yamaha mechanics is helping to put my mind as ease.  
    
11/23/10 Southport 
Sadly, the new lift motor did not fix the problem.  The crew was working on the boat until well after quitting time.  I like these guys, they enjoy the diagnosis.  Despite their best efforts, we are here for another night.  Laura isn't to worried however as now she can go down the road and watch the Virginia basketball game.  
I used the day to get caught up on some boat cleaning and waxing.

11/24/10 Southport
Started the day by finishing the waxing on the topside of the hull.  The mechanics showed up about 10:30 and are still trying to figure out whats wrong.  I can tell you that the problem is not a clog in the fuel line, a leak in the fuel line, bad gas, water in the gas, the fuel pump, or a carburetor clog, it is also not a bad priming bulb, fuel filter, fuel filter housing assembly, or vacuum leak....  Starting to get a little frustrated.
In the end. The decision was made to haul the boat out of the water and have a look at the lower unit oil.  They took one look at the oil and decided we needed a new motor. Fortunately this should be a warranty replacement as the motors are new this year.

Once We Were Docked, We had a Great Day

Today, for the first time we really struggled with just one motor. Currents in Charleston Harbor are really strong, so we timed our docking for slack water at 12:40, but with the wind we still had a lot of trouble. I can't really explain it, other than we narrowly avoided disaster. Ben had a little bit of an opportunity to play around with the wind and currents because we didn't time the "Ben Sawyer" bridge opening very well, and had to wait in 3 knot currents, without being able to turn to port (left) between 11:35 and noon when the bridge finally opened. We might have been ok except for the crab pots, the boat which decided to pull some of those crab pots, and the sailing vessel which passed us, and then turned around back towards us to furl their head sail, forcing us to avoid them (without turning to the left). 

When we got to the Charleston Maritime Center we did a few drive byes to check out where exactly they wanted us to pull into. We saw the dock master waving, but  wisely waited in the channel until Ben had formulated  a plan to pull into the marina. I think I'll wait for Ben's captain's report to give the rest of the details, but after we were secured to the fuel dock, and everyone's blood pressure started to drop, we all agreed we would stay at the fuel dock for the night.  (Wind, waves, current, and a packed fairly exposed marina make parking a boat tricky.  Especially on a cat with one motor!) 

After that our day got much better. It was less than a mile walk to the Apple store, and when I showed up magically my computer turned on. Not sure how he did it, but thanks genius bar man! I went ahead and bought an official apple battery (which they surprisingly had in stock) even though I'm pretty sure that was not why my computer would not turn on the other day (really it turned on, the screen was just blue...). Oh well, it's working now, and after returning to the boat I promptly backed everything up on a hard drive which will be accessible during the trip (I had been worried that if the computer was dead I wouldn't be able to access any of my data until we get back to Charlottesville in March).

We really enjoyed the walk to the Apple Store -- Charleston is beautiful. I'm not exactly sure how much of the city is this old, but the part we were walking through had several houses built in the 1600's! I was looking up the driveways and thinking, this was built for horse drawn carriages, because it's been here before there were cars. There were parts that reminded us both of New York City, but then we saw a car pull a u-turn in front of several other cars, and no one honked! It's like a NYC, but people are nice to each other.

We are also docked only 1/8 of a mile (according to the guide book) from a Harris Teeter,  so we did a major shopping trip. It was probably very green of us to bring two backpacks, a tote bag, and a wine carrier, but it was also very useful - all were full and I was carrying the paper towels and the bottle of pom juice loose (we have one more tote bag which somehow didn't make it to the store, we need to track that down). Our carton of eggs were precariously stuffed in the outside of Ben's backpack, but all 12 made it safely back to the boat.

The best part of our evening, however, was dinner at McCrady's. It was highly recommended by Ben's business partner Lori (Ben's Editors Note - she insisted we go and asked repeatedly if we had been yet). It was amazing. Outside of meals in NYC and Joule (in Seattle), one of the best meals we've ever had. I can't even begin to describe the octopus (and fennel) starter or the grouper (and beets) main dish. Both were amazing. Ben even loved the desserts! One of the desserts was a 10 sorbet tasting course - all the sorbets tasted exactly like what they were supposed to be. It got a little old looking at each other and saying, oh my god, this really tastes like beets! (ok, maybe not old, it was pretty cool.)

Now that my computer is back up and running, expect more pictures! Later I will have to post some of Woodstock and Escapod and from our Thanksgiving dinner. 

Two Days in the Ditch and the nicest couple we've met so far

Myrtle Beach, SC to Georgetown, SC - We had a little trouble leaving the dock in Myrtle Beach with only one motor. We kept getting pushed back into the dock, but once Ben put Whisper's remaining motor into reverse, we were able to back out of the fuel dock which we were docked along side. We spent a little time cleaning the boat, I took a shower, and we got gas, filled up the water tanks, and pumped out (the head holding tank), so we didn't get off the dock until 9 am.

We thought we saw Calvin on Woodstock and Chris and Amber on Escapod behind us, but we weren't sure until we heard them on the radio later in the afternoon. We first ran into Escapod a few weeks ago when we docked next to Escapod in Norfolk. We all left Norfolk the same day, but they took the Dismal Swamp and we took the Virginia Cut route, so we didn't see them again until Beaufort and by that time they had picked up Calvin on his 26 ft hunter, Woodstock. Calvin is a pilot but decided sailing sounded fun, so he went to Annapolis, bought Woodstock and headed south. We really admire what Calvin is doing, but whenever we think we're a little crazy for heading off on this adventure, we remind ourselves - we had actually been sailing before we started the trip.

We got to Georgetown after dark, walked around town and stopped to have a drink (and ended up having dinner) at the Rice Paddy bar. It was a little of a surprise in North Carolina to see the signs prohibiting smoking (by order of North Carolina Session Law 2009-27), but it was more of a surprise when for the first time since Virginia banned smoking last year, everyone at the bar lit up. Ben and I both appreciate it when people are obviously regulars, and so it was fun to see a guy walk in, and the bartender ask if he wanted a beer, and then bring him his preferred brand.

Georgetown, SC to Bobby Kennedy's Dock, North of Charleston - It was another day in the ditch. The last few days of "sailing" have really been motoring down a narrow channel, staying between the markers, and occasionally passing or being passed by faster or slower vessels. It's not very remarkable, and it's not even close to the romantic picture of "sailing to the Bahamas." It is what it is.  Two of the slower vessels we passed this morning were Woodstock and Escapod and this time we were able to hail them on the radio and see what they were up to.

We were hoping to make Charleston today, but about 2:00 it became obvious it would be just out of reach, and we didn't want to be in the busy Charleston Harbor when it got dark, so we looked at the guide book and saw there was a marina about 10 miles before Charleston Harbor. We called and they had space for us at their fuel dock, but not until 5:30. (Because Whisper is 18 feet wide, a lot of times she doesn't fit in slips designed for narrower monohulls.) We decided to slowly meander to that marina since otherwise we'd be there before they were ready for us. It paid off because as we slowed down we ended up seeing several dolphins, including one that followed us for a few minutes. We also realized how friendly people are in this area. Because we were moving pretty slow, a ferry hailed us and asked if we were looking for an anchorage and was ready to provide us with a few local spots. It's supposed to be 35 degrees tonight so we said thanks, but we were headed to a marina so we could plug in and run our electric heaters.

A few minutes later Ben spotted a man standing on his dock waving us down. He had space for us to dock, electricity, and water. Free dock! We'll take it. He helped us dock across from his own sailboat, and introduced himself - Bobby Kennedy. He and his wife, Jan, have taken their Hinckley Bermuda 41 down to the Bahamas and up to the Chesapeake, Jan is from Virginia and their daughter went to UVA. They offered to let us stay as long as we'd like and said they would be driving into Charleston tomorrow if we needed a ride. What nice people!