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