Heading Home

Bert and I are heading home to Idaho today. Our time on the boat was, for the most part, good. But we have been gone from our home, pets, family and friends for too long.
Andy and Dave will be heading north for a short while, then back to the Bahama's to continue the adventure. From now on you will receive posts from Andy or Judy.
Thanks for playing!!!

Man O' War Cay

We sailed with the main sail and jib up today to Man O' War Cay. It is a smaller island than Marsh Harbor, we were told that there is a nice beach we can walk to here. We were getting tired of sitting out in the harbor with nothing much to do. We did take walks around town, into the grocery store, checked out the small gift shops, priced dockage at various marina's. The harbor here is more protected, so hope we don't get as much wind as we did in MH. It has rained most evenings, lots of clouds, wind and cooler temps. Although 70 is far warmer than we will encounter when we arrive home to Idaho.

Our Thanksgiving was nice, the restaurant cooked all our favorites. Stuffed ourselves, like usual. The restaurant played Christmas music, so hard to fathom that Christmas is around the corner. The Christmas decorations we have encountered seem to out of place here. We will get a good reminder when we fly into SLC and see snow. Yikes!

Tomorrow we are talking about sailing to Hope Town, which is upwind and not very far. There is a cool light house there that we climbed in the last time we were down here.

I am posting photo's taken in other Cay's, but thought you might enjoy seeing some of the places we have been.

Marsh Harbor

Accessing the internet has gotten difficult, even when we are supposed to have access it may not work. That's the reason you have not heard from me for a couple of days.

We actually spent two days in Green Turtle Cay, the second day we rented a golf cart and drove into the town of New Plymouth. Cute little town, I took photos, but can't download them onto the marina's computer... The town was decorated for Christmas, real weird viewing Santa's, wreath's, and poinsettia's with a back drop of palm trees and sand.

The next day (yesterday) we did a very short sail to Guana Cay, we wanted to go to Nippers to sip rum drinks and take a walk on the most amazing white, sugar sand beach. The beach is very long, protected by a very beautiful coral reef. Wish I could post photo's, because I took plenty.

Today we sailed to Marsh Harbor and are docked at Harbor View Marina. We took time to have lunch and walk to the grocery store. Apparenly you "couldn't miss it", but we did.... finally found it and got plenty hot on our walk. We will check off the dock tomorrow morning and then get a mooring ball or anchor in the harbor. We have a reservation to have Thanksgiving Dinner at a nice restaurant across from the marina. Whoo hoo! Turkey and stuffing with a choice of peas and rice!

I hope you all have a very nice Thanksgiving. We miss you all. Bert and I are ready to come home, but uncertain about the cold and snow. We might have to hole up in the house with the fireplace on full blast.

Green Turtle Cay

We sailed to Green Turtle Cay yesterday, we sailed the whole way with the main sail and jib up. Usually we have the engine going too, so yesterdays sail was really fun. The Green Turtle Cay is very nice, good showers, nice people. A couple docked next to use recognized his boat from a sailing trip Andy does in Maine every year. They gave us a lot of good information on getting phone service and internet service while we are here.
Today we are going to sail to Marsh Harbor, then settle in until Bert and I fly out. It will be nice to stay in one place for a while, it gets tiring to be on the move all the time. We will be able to re-stock and explore the island.
My bug bites are better, my dad e-mailed me with a remedy, thanks dad!

Spanish Cay

On Wednesday we traveled from Florida to the West End, Bahamas. We arrived in the afternoon, then took an hour or so to get our travel documents in order. While we waited for Andy to get our documents recorded Dave, Bert and I had to stay on the boat. I think I reported that there were an abundance of no-see-ums that were biting us. We all got thoroughly bitten, I am the only one we had an allergic reaction. My arms, neck, ankles, and elbows are rife with swollen bumps. I look like I have the measles. Did I mention that these suckers itch? I am taking an antihistamine to counter act the itch, it is taking way too long to heal.
On Thursday we sailed to Sale Cay, it was a really nice day, and the sailing was quite easy. The cay is just a jut of land, no inhabitants, a good place to get out of the wind for the night. In the early morning the wind kicked  up to about 25 knots. We determined that the wind was too high and coming from the wrong direction which kept us from traveling. We hung out on the boat all day Friday, the guys read books and I worked on my needlepoint. Today we were able to get out of the cay by 8 am and sailed to Spanish Cay, we got here about 3 pm. We were able to get showers and have dinner on land. I talked to a nurse about my bites (did I mention they itch?) and she said they should be better by tomorrow. I am to take benderyl to counter act the itching. This is not fun!
Tomorrow we will sail to Green Turtle Cay, weather permitting. We are making our way down to the Abaco's, where Bert and I will eventually catch our flight from Marsh Harbor to get back home. This is really a great adventure, but Bert and I are starting to day dream about our own bed, hot baths and plentiful fruits and vegetables.
The weather was sunny today , with a partial cloud cover and bumpy water.These bug bites do not like hot sun. I may not be doing any deck fluffing! We were told that we need to be where we want to be by Thursday because another cold front is moving in which will cause more wind than we want to sail. Ah, the adventure of it all.

We Made It!

We got up at 4:30 and were on the Atlantic by 5:30 a.m. The Atlantic was pretty bumpy, we were thrashed around for over half the trip. The sea did eventually calm down, but we were so happy to get into the Bahamas.We are at a dock at West End, Bahamas. On the other side of the dock is the ocean, so we got out (after pouring champagne) and took a nice long walk on the beach. I am so excited about being here! It was not always easy, but that is part of the adventure.
Tomorrow we will sail a little farther south and secure a mooring ball. But we are happy with our dockage, showers....since it is in the 80's and very humid, it's nice to get that shower. We have encountered "no-see-ums" which are biting like crazy. Bug spray deters them from one spot, but being persistant, they will find the unsparyed area. I hope this is not the norm! I tend to be the bait and everyone else stays bug free.

The ocean was an amazing shade of blue, some things you will never know until you experience it. The only wildlife we saw on the trip over was flying fish. Really! You would see a whole school of fish suddenly fly through the air. Their silver bodies against the back drop of dark blue is unforgettable.

Bahama Bound

We are readying ourselves to cross over to the Bahamas in the early morning. Andy anticipates that it could take us 10 hrs. The decks have been swabbed, laundry has been washed, beer has been secured, and Bert and I have been groomed.
The temperature was hot and humid today, what we had hoped for and expected a week ago. Our drinks have plenty of ice to help keep us cool.
Our phone service in the Bahama's will be expensive, if you need to contact us, please text. I will blog when we have Internet access, which may be more available than we anticipate.

Lake Worth, FL

We sailed the Atlantic to Lake Worth, FL, it was fairly bumpy, but not too bad. We are going to stay here two nights, and weather permitting, we will sail to the Bahama's on Wesnesday.
We are finally warm, the humidity is 90%, quite different from what we have experienced so far. The weather report stated tomorrow's temperature will be in the 80's. Yikes!!!!
Tomorrow we will some boat cleanup, we experienced quite a bit of salt spray while on the Atlantic. As we were coming into shore we have a few dolphin visitors...a very nice welcome.
Bert and I have made our airline reservations, we will be back to IF on Nov. 30th.

Off the Atlantic

Our trip from Fernandina Beach to Ft. Pierce was a very bumpy ride. I was definitely tired of that rock and roll, I have added to my collection of bruises.
We did not see much in the way of wildlife. Bert & Dave spotted flying dish, pretty cool in the early morning light.
We are in the marina, looking forward to showers! I have never showered this
much in my life! What I would do for a long, hot bath! We are all weary of such a bumpy trip, we are discussing the merits of staying here a day.
This marina is a great birding spot, so far we've seen cormorants, herons, osprey and pelicans. The sign on the dock says "manate area". I'm on the lookout.

Fond Farewell

Judy flew home today, my female companionship has ended...I am sad!
A minor accident occurred as we were leaving the boat, Judy got hit in the nose when Andy started the engine of the dingy. Not a very happy ending to a week on the boat. I hope you are doing o.k. Judy.
We didn't leave the marina until late morning, only traveling to Mayport, downriver from Jacksonville. Our plan is to leave first thing thing in the morning and do an overnight sail to Ft. Pierce, FL. The conditions are favorable for the 30 hrs we anticipate being at sea.

Rest Day

We have stayed the day at Fernandina Beach. Kathy picked Judy and I up and took us to the grocery store so we could reprovision. The day was beautiful and sunny. We had Kathy and Buck on the boat for dinner. We had a shrimp boil, cole slaw and the fish Dave caught yesterday. The winds have picked up, so Andy will have to get them back to shore.
Tomorrow Kathy will pick Judy up and take her to the airport. We will get back on the innercoastal and head to St. Augustine. (Jeanne flew out today). So it will be back to the four of us heading south.

Fernandina Beach

We arrived at the Harbor Marina around 4:30 yesterday afternoon, hooked up to the mooring ball then went into shore for a much desired shower.
Dave has relatives in the area who came to entertain us. We had cocktails at Kathy & Bucks, then onto dinner at the Crab Trap with Rudy, Emily, and Carla. We also got to meet Kathy and Bucks grandbaby, Sophia. We really enjoyed visiting with everyone.
Our trip over the ocean was unevetful, we three gals decided we could not face another sandwich, so we made a delightful meal of couscous, veggies and shrimp. Nothing like limited food items to get the creative juices flowing.

Overnight Sail

We have been on the Atlantic all day, some of us felt queasy, only one of us lost her breakfast. I think it was the smell of Dave's freshly cleaned fish that did it. Needless to say, we did not have fish for lunch.
We debated the merits of going into a marina in Chaleston, but decided that if we sailed all night we could get to Fernadina Beach, FL around 1:00 pm tomorrow.
We saw a few dolphins early in the morning, but none since. We saw a flock of Northern Gannets early on too, with a few here and there as the day progressed. A new bird for me this trip.

Docksiders, SC

We have made it to South Carolina. What a beautiful day. On our way here we saw turtles, great blue herons, brown pelicans, dolphins, cattle egrets, kingfishers and bald eagles. Right across from the marina is a big shopping mall, so we three gals did a little shopping. We met the guys at the bar to listen music and ogle the "fat groovy old people". Sadly, these are people in our age group...but of course we are the grooviest of them all.

Marooned

It was a very stormy night, rain came down in sheets. Once the rain let up the wind took over, I slept with ear plugs in and could still hear (and feel) the gusts of wind. So once again we are waiting for calmer weather to
resume our trip.
We walked downtown and discovered a church bazaar, some very creative items were for sale, and then there was the "other" stuff. We ate lunch downtown with the guys, then sent them on their way so we could enjoy browsing the gift shops. Turns out this was Southport's holiday gift sale. Sorry, we don't have much room on the boat, so we didn't buy you any gifts.
It appears the wind is dying down, so keep your fingers crossed! We would love to be on our way.

The Big Clean

After a hearty breakfast (Bert's breakfast sandwiches) we cleaned the boat. We have been on the boat non stop for almost two weeks, it's amazing how dirty it can get. I cleaned the galley, Bert cleaned the head, Andy cleaned the cabin and Dave scrubbed the outside deck. We are shipshape and ready to take on additional crew.

Arrival at Southport, NC

Today's travel took us to Southport, NC. What a beautiful spot. On our travel today I saw a new bird, a black skimmer. Very exciting to someone who likes to add new birds to her life list. We also saw many, many brown pelicans and white egrets. When we were docked at the marina, we saw several dolphin playing in the water near us.
The day was sunny. Warm in the cabin, but out in the wind it was a bit chilly. Once we arrived, Andy and Judy's friend, Jane, came to pick us up to ferry us around. We had to visit the grocery again, and the liquor store. Jane also gave us a bit of a tour of downtown Southport, showing us a great restaurant where we had dinner. Yummy, Dave is sticking to his southern roots, eating grits whenever possible. Bert is sticking to his Idaho loyalties, eatting french fries whenever possible.

Jeanne and Judy will be flying into Southport on Friday, so we will be hanging out here for a few days. The downtown area is not far, so we will surley be sightseeing around this quaint town. Although it's not easy for me to get off the boat, I get the wibble wabbles when on dry land.

Chasing Sunshine

It's been a cold few days, we would really appreciate some warmth with this sunshine.
Last night we anchored in at Cedar Creek Anchorage. The wind was low at the time, but came up after we had all gone to bed. Andy was awakened a couple of hours later by the guy in the boat next to us, seems we had moved. A scramble ensued to secure the anchor, then Bert, Dave and Andy each took an anchor watch. It was a cold, rainy night...I lucked out.
Today we are traveling in comfort, the cabin heats up well when the sun is out. It's not warm enough to hang outside, maybe tomorrow? We are heading to Wrightsville Beach, NC tonight.