April 12, 2013 Water Cay-Flamingo Cay

The drawback to these small, beautiful, deserted islands (come on, you knew there had to be one!) is SURGE.  That means that the ocean swells wrap around the islands, and even though you're anchored in a spot protected from the wind, your boat will be rocking and rolling.  All.night.long.  So in the morning, we were happy to get off the boat and go ashore to explore a bit.  We took our dinghy over to a small sandy area near the center of the island so we could walk over to see the Atlantic side.  

The sand gives way to rocks and tidal pools, with ocean waves crashing onto jagged coral rock on the other side. The scenery is rugged and dramatic, and we walk carefully, as any missed step could result in a fall, a scrape, a sprain, a break, or worse.

The island is "split" at this point at high tide, with waves sluicing through the divide.  When we first arrived at the beach, we could've walked from one side to the other across the sandy bottom, but a few moments later, it's impassable.  Good thing we didn't go across, since we would've been separated from our dinghy!

These small succulents were nestled in a small hole in the rock.

 

The nearly constant easterly winds shape the shrubbery into miniature bonsai, growing out of the rock.

 A lizard keeps us company.

After exploring this rocky area, we dinghy northeast around a point to the long expanse of beach pictured below.  Gorgeous is the only word for it!  The sand is peachy-pink and talcum powder soft.  We collect lots of shells and small smooth black rocks, many so smooth they look like they're polished.

Fossilized conch shells imbedded in the beach rocks

After our morning of exploration, it's time to get underway.  Mike on Kanaloa came by in his dinghy as we were getting ready to pull up anchor.  He is going no further in Jumentos, as he has to be back in Georgetown.  We left, putting up the mainsail for the second time while at anchor.  Makes a lot of sense to do this, as the boat is already basically into the wind.  Had a good sail, about 10 miles to Flamingo Cay, fairly hard on the wind.  Just as we were passing Flamingo Cut, another Leopard cat came in through the Cut.  We decided to make a quick move to the anchorage to get first dibs.  We went to the north most anchorage of the western part of the island and Sarah insisted we anchor in the middle to take up the whole cove.  The other boat first went into the north bay of Flamingo Cay.  A while later, he came back out, probably too much surge, and continued past us to the next little bay to the south of us.  We could only see his mast at anchor.  Although the surge was a bit rough here, we decided to spend two nights.  We explored the beach and discovered three remoras, two to three feet long each, had taken up residence under Mirador.  Neither of us wanted to dive in off of the boat, as we had been doing, to cool off.  After feeding the little rascals with chicken scraps, Sarah couldn't understand why they kept hanging around.  Duh.  Now how to get rid of them.  We hope they'll disappear when we leave for our next island.  No other boats seen after the  tip of the Leopard's mast disappeared the next morning.  

Thursday, April 11, 2013.  Long Island, Bahamas-Water Cay, Jumentos, Bahamas.  

Our anchor windlass, the motor which we use to raise and lower our 60 pound anchor and attached chain, broke last Saturday. The windlass is a crucial piece of equipment, and even though we've been trying to get away from Long Island, we needed to get it fixed here before we head out to the remote islands of the Jumentos and Raggeds. This became a 5 day project.  Sunday, George and Rick from C Language took the windlass apart to diagnose the problem.  The stainless steel key, which links the motor shaft to the windlass, had completely disintegrated.  Fortunately, there is a machine shop on Long Island, which could manufacture a new key for us.  Monday morning, George took the motor to be repaired, we got it back Tuesday morning, and George and Rick reinstalled it.  Wednesday morning we are ready to leave, and start to raise the anchor.  Now the remote control for the windlass won't work!  George figures out that it's a wiring issue, so he and Rick rewire it.  By now it's noon, and too late to start out for our sail to Water Cay.  So it's one more night here...

We up anchor at 0930 and head west for the Comer channel.  The wind is perfectly behind us, and our speed suffers.  We tie a preventer to the main (on port tack), and eventually pull the jib out to port and hold it open with the starboard sheet taken to a port hull cleat.  Once we turn SSE from the Comer channel, we are able to sail with about 60 degrees to the wind on port tack.  A monohull that was two miles behind us in the Comer channel got left in the dirt once we made our turn to the south.  We were sailing under full main and full jib in about 16 to 18 knots of apparent wind, making good 8 to 9 knots over the ground.  We arrive at Water Cay, the north most cay in the Jumento chain, about 1530. There was a single boat anchored when we got there.  We anchored several hundred yards to the south of him.  Mike, on Kanaloa, the boat behind us, came in after and anchored north of the other sailboat.  Most crowded anchorage we were to see for a while.    A fishing boat, pulling a smaller boat behind, came in and anchored late in the afternoon.  We relax on board, swimming off the stern to cool down.  The water is incredibly clear down here.  Sundowners, followed by dinner and an episode of the Tudors, and then to sleep.

March 27, 2013

Salt Pond, Long Island, Bahamas

Sailboat in the distance off Stella Maris Resort

We're still here!  Just having too much fun to leave, I suppose. 

Wednesday, March 14, we left George Town along with 30 other boats as part of the Rally to Long Island.  It was supposed to be a race, but since the wind was very light, t

he race was postponed.  We're really not racers per say, but the rally organizers had some fun activities planned, so we decided to go along.  It was as good and excuse as any to leave.  George Town is like summer --or winter, as the case may be--camp for cruisers, with lots of activities every day that you can take part in or not as you choose.  Beach volleyball, yoga, bridge tournaments, poker and trivia games, sailboat racing, basket weaving, jewelry making, jam sessions, rock and roll dances, traditional Bahamian rake and scrape music and dance sessions, lectures on topics of interest to cruisers (routes for continuing south to the Caribbean, dinghy maintenance, battery and power management, weather forecasting information, local culture and history, etc.), you name it, you can probably find it in George Town.  Not to mention a large well protected harbor, beautiful beaches, palm trees, the comraderie of like minded folk, and welcoming townspeople who cater to all your needs...  It's easy to see why some cruisers spend weeks or even all season there.  I'll write more on George Town in another post.

Long Island is about 32 miles southeast of George Town, and after some initial excitement exiting the North Channel, it was a calm trip motoring here.  So calm that when we anchored in Thompson Bay, George climbed the mast to change out our mast light from a halogen to an LED bulb.  It was a bit nerve-racking for both of us, but George said that the change out was the first boat project that was easier than he expected.  Completion of the task was followed by a swim and a large gin and tonic, enjoyed off our "floating bar" behind the boat.  (Put the inflatable SUP in the water, tie it to the boat, and sit on a foam noodle.  The SUP makes a perfect bar.  Thank you, Stellie, for the idea!)  That evening, there was a happy hour on the beach, with everyone bringing their drink of choice and an appetizer to share.  Good food, lots of fun, and a great time to meet new people.

The Long Island Breeze Resort and Yacht Club, very capably run by Mike and Jackie, served as headquarters for most of the rally events.  Check out this sweet spot at their website, Long Island Breeze.  (George and I are in some of the photos posted of  the happy hour evenings held there.) One event was a seminar on free dive breathing techniques, given by Ashley and Ren Chapman of Evolve Freediving.  Check out their website here.  As you may know, Dean's Blue Hole, the deepest known blue hole in the world at 663 feet, is located here in Long Island.  Ashely currently holds the women's world record in the constant weight no fins class, while Ren focuses on safety free diving and videography. After talking about their backgrounds and different aspects of the sport, they taught us some basic breathing techniques, having us first practice breathing from your diaphragm, then filling your lungs, next raising your shoulders, and finally throwing back your head, all to gain maximum lung capacity and oxygenation.  Ren lead us in 2 breath hold exercises, first holding for one minute, then resting, breathing up again, and then going for 2 minutes.  I made it, and honestly, I could've gone longer than the 2 minutes.  It was really cool.  What are the applications of this for the cruiser? Well, for starters, the breathing came in handy last week when George and I were cleaning our hulls, as I could stay underwater for longer periods of time.  It will also help when we hunt for lobsters!  I'm ready to practice that.  Some folk down here say they've had their fill of lobster, but we are definitely not there yet!

It's five o'clock, time for a glass of wine and to start dinner.  More to come...

Sarah and George

Blogging, take two...AKA the "Catch up" post

March 16, 2013
Salt Pond, Long Island, Bahamas

Where to begin?  Our last post was dated December 2010, and our world has changed by leaps and bounds since then.  I'll try to summarize.

We sold our house in Poquoson on January 31, 2012, moving all our worldly goods onto our Lagoon 380 at York River Yacht Haven in Gloucester, to our condo in Hollywood, Florida (thank you, Carol, for your help!), or to our storage unit.  George retired on February 28, and he joined me at the condo while we waited for spring to come to Virginia so we could begin our cruising life.  On Tuesday afternoon, March 6th, my phone rang.  It was one of the marina owners, calling to say that our boat- our home- was on fire at the dock. Stunned, we were told that the fire department was on it's way, but it didn't look good for us.  TILT. George flew up to Virginia the next morning to be there to meet with the fire marshall and the insurance adjuster.  It was determined that there was a short in the electrical system which smoldered and caught fire, completely gutting the nav station, and filling the interior of the boat with acrid black soot.  The insurance company declared it a total loss.  George, Laura, and Danielle worked tirelessly in truly disgusting conditions to save what few personal items they could before the salvage company came to tow her away.  It was heartbreaking, to have our dream go up in smoke, literally.  But the dream didn't die.

As soon as we recovered from the shock of the loss, we started looking for a new catamaran.  Boat shopping in south Florida is retail therapy at its best.  If you can't find something you like in the Fort Lauderdale area, chances are it doesn't exist!  At first, we were looking for another Lagoon 380, but soon broadened our search to include most cats in the 38-42 foot range.  A beautiful Leopard 40 came on the market, and we were in the right place at the right time, putting in a contract for her as soon as she was listed.  Survey and sea trial followed, and with a bit more negotiation, deftly handled by our broker and friend, Stephen Cockcroft, she became ours.  After some discussion about whether it was bad karma or not, we decided to stick with the name "Mirador".

May and June were spent getting her outfitted to our liking by the fine folks at Just Catamarans, Inc., based out of Lauderdale Marine Center.  This included installation of new rudder posts, AIS, wi-fi antenna, rub rails, air conditioner repair, etc.  We also had name and port of call decals designed and installed, and cockpit cushions made.  Then the "nest feathering" process began, though this was made much easier for us because the previous owner left many things on board, including linens, dishes, flatware, pots and pans, plus a decent spare parts inventory.  Very convenient, since we'd just lost all that in the fire!  By early July, we were ready and anxious to leave Fort Lauderdale, before hurricane season really ramped up.  A weather window opened for us, so we sailed offshore to take advantage of the northeast "elevator" that is the Gulf Stream.  We made it to Charleston, where we left the boat for a few months while we drove to Virginia to handle some family events.

September took us to Italy (by plane, no transatlantic voyage just yet!) for a month of travel, mostly in Tuscany.  George and I visited Venice, Verona, Padua (a pilgrimage to see the Giotto frescos--breathtaking!), and Ravenna.  We were then joined in Florence by my sister, brother, and sister-in-law for 2 weeks wending our way through Tuscany.  A grand time was had by all.

By late October we were back on Mirador, preparing for our trip south.  Our only plan is to avoid winter!  We started down the ICW, visiting Beaufort, SC, Savannah, St. Mary's, GA for the annual cruiser's Thanksgiving celebration, and St. Augustine.  Then we went offshore again to head down to Fort Lauderdale, where we would prepare for our crossing to the Bahamas in early December.  On December 4th, we cleared into Bimini, along with Stephen and Estelle on Zuri, and Don and Linda on Awe-Spray.  During December and early January, we toured Bimini, partied a lot, made friends with lots of locals, got PADI scuba certified, celebrated Christmas and New Year's, and enjoyed a visit from our kids.  It was great to have them on board!

Since leaving Bimini, we've stopped in Chub Cay, Nassau, Highborne Cay, Shroud Cay, Warderick Wells, Staniel Cay, where my sister flew in for a week and we visited Cambridge Cay, Warderick Wells again, Compass Cay, and then back to Staniel.  After Carol left, we sailed south to Black Point Settlement, Rudder Cay, and then to George Town, which is "cruisers central" in the Bahamas with over 300 boats anchored in the harbor at any given time this winter .  We left George Town on Wednesday to come to Long Island, where we are currently anchored.

Since this is the "catch-up" post, my goal here is just to get current, without a lot of detail.  We have posted some updates and photos on our Facebook pages when internet is available and fast enough to upload.  As time allows, George and I hope to write in more depth about our adventures, and post photos on this blog.  Stay tuned!

Sarah and George

Welcome to our blog!  We purchased our  2003 Lagoon 380 hull #199, Mirador,  in February of 2010 culminating  a 30+ year dream, a decade of actively looking at boat models and styles and a five year hunt for the right boat to go on a long term open-ended cruise.  After placing a deposit on a new South African catamaran, we watched the factory go belly up.  We fortunately got our deposit back (thank you Stephen) and began our search again.  Our first stop was the Manta 42. We looked at the Manta 42 at the Annapolis show.  We visited the factory in Florida, met Dan Even and came close to making a deposit.  We decided to take a cruise on one prior to purchase, and hired Dan's captain to take us on a trip to the Dry Tortugas and Key West.  We liked a lot about the Manta, especially the stern seat, but Sarah didn't like the saloon.  To her it seemed 'closed in'.  And, I confess, she was right.  But then, the admiral always is!  The galley was fantastic, however.  We kept looking.  We had known about the Lagoon 380 for many years, but we hadn't seriously considered it because of what we felt to be an inadequate galley.  We visited Pam and Chris on Wildcat (a Lagoon 380) several years before, and although we liked the layout, we hated the galley.  Eventually, we figured we could live with the galley.  If there are over 400 out there cruising, Lagoon must have done something right, and obviously people have worked around the small galley.  All boats are a compromise, even the multimillion dollar platinum coated crewed ones.  

So, our criteria got narrowed to a Lagoon 380, prior to the S2 design change, but still late model.  We preferred the older design for several reasons (but that's another story).  We wanted a 380 that was pretty much ready to go on a blue water cruise, although we knew we'd still have a lot of work to do.  We found Alizé in Norfolk through another 380 owner and finally negotiated a contract on her.  We closed in February, as noted before, in Ft. Lauderdale.  She was rechristened Mirador.  We decided on the name Mirador years before we found the actual boat.  We had been watching a television program about the excavation of Guatemalan  sites of the indígenes.  They referred to an elevated site that overlooked the ancient ruin as a 'mirador'.  Sarah and I had been studying Spanish in anticipation of visiting the western Caribbean.  We thought that a word in Spanish that means 'an overlook' or 'observation point' would be appropriate for our boat.  Years ago, we learned that there are two kinds of cruisers: traveling sailors and sailing travelers.  We definitely fall into the latter category.  In our retirement we want to travel essentially full time, as vagabonds.  The only way we can afford that is by sailboat.

The weather outside here in the tidewater of Virginia is frightful as we try to get the boat and house ready.  The house is going on the market soon, as we dyed-in-the wool pack rats try to strip ourselves of 30 some years of unbelievable amounts of junk.  The task of trying to move the contents of several thousand square feet of house into a small boat seems Sisyphean at best.  There are 3 piles: boat, Hollywood, and throw/give away/garage sale.  How to keep the first pile the smallest?!  We will maintain a small condo in Hollywood, Florida as a getaway from the boat.  Most people we have met who do this full time have told us that it is much better to have a place somewhere that you can go to to get away from the boat on occasion.  We picked Hollywood, FL for several reasons.  We like southeast Florida.  Hollywood is very close to two busy international airports (like less than $20 cab ride to FLL) and therefore convenient to the rest of the world by airplane.  Hollywood is a cute, slow paced town (for being next door to Miami and Ft. Lauderdale) and has tons of nice restaurants and bars within walking distance.

Our posts to this log will probably be somewhat intermittent until we are in full cruising mode.  Hopefully, we'll find a way to keep family, old friends and new friends updated.