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
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