I don't think so!

Day #4: Today we moved south timing our arrival at Wiggins Pass for high tide. The winds were up a little from the northeast. The Gulf was calm enough but there was a surge from the west. We didn't think much about it until we arrived at Wiggins and saw kids surfing in the pass--never a good sign. As the picture above shows, Wiggins is very shallow. With good reason, the idea of breaking waves and shallow water wasn't appealing but we didn't bail out until after taking a closeup view with the dink. Comfortable with our decision to bypass Wiggins we headed farther south to the Naples Yacht Club. 35nm today and 77nm total.

The Birds

Day #3: If Hollywood is scouting a location for a remake of Hitchcock's The Birds, I'd recommend Fort Myers Beach. Like clockwork scores of crows descend on the mooring field at dawn. The picture doesn't do justice to their numbers but you get the idea by looking at the standing rigging of the sailboat. Jobs aboard boats are broken into watches: first watch; dog watch; anchor watch; etc. To this list we need to add bird watch. This watch requires one crew member, preferably with a loud voice and an deep understanding of what frightens crows, to stand vigil. Lacking someone with the requisite skills means that the entire crew will stand poo-patrol shortly after dawn. 0nm today and 42nm. DBH

Derelicts

Day #2: It was a dinghy day as we explored the back waters of Ft. Myers Beach. It's amazing how many canals there are. Most of them are bordered by mangroves and you feel like you're in the middle of nowhere. Of course about then a whole neighborhood crops up.

Derelict and vagabond boats give the cruising community a bad name. It's easy to see why here. Look closely in the above picture's lower right corner. Those white dots are a bane to every waterfront community. Many of the boats have sunk or are in some advanced stage of sinking. Once sunk it becomes the community's problem to clean up the mess. Not sure what the solution is but certainly understand the desire (even if it's misguided) to outlaw anchoring in the hopes of keeping derelicts out.

Still on the mooring in Ft Myers Beach, FL. 0 miles today and 42nm total. DBH

We're off ... and off the hard!

Day #1: For the last six weeks Nellie has been on the hard and we've lived aboard doing projects. Lots and lots of projects. What started off as a several day bow thruster install morphed, as only a boat project can, into something much larger: a whole new septic system, paint and polyurethane on every surface in the stateroom, a new stove, etc. Along with the big jobs a million little jobs got done too.

It was with more than a little trepidation that we watched Nellie get splashed this morning. The million-dollar-question: Would the new bow thruster leak? It didn't. Whew. In fact, miracle of miracles, all systems were go. We couldn't have picked a nicer day to get underway--sunny, calm winds and 70's F. About halfway to Fort Myers is Pine Island Sound. The path well traveled is on the west side of Pine Island. But it's the east side of the island, an area that's mostly terra incognita for cruising boats, that interested us. What we found were lots of mangrove islands, huge expanses of water, a chicane of channel markers and innumerable shoals. The latter being particularly worrisome. When the average water depth is five feet you usually don't know you're in trouble until you feel the thump. Well, at least that's how we knew we were in trouble. Dead in the water is not a good feeling. A look over the side confirmed what we already knew; the bottom was too close. In fact, all around us it looked too close. In cases like this we've learned it's best to drop the dinghy and use its depth sounder to find the way out. We did drop the dink and with the knowledge gained managed to extricate ourselves. That was the second 'whew' of the day. Our attention to Nellie's depth sounder could only be described as 'rapt' after the grounding.

Tonight we find ourselves on the moorings in Fort Myers Beach. All in all, a very good first day. 42nm today and 42nm total. DBH

Journey's End

Day #45: It's a quick trip in smooth seas to Naples; hard to believe our Exumas adventure is over. Let's see: iguana beach--check; pig beach--check; Thunderball Cave--check. Yup, we saw the big three and a whole lot more. By any measure the trip was a success. 16nm today and 944nm total for this journey. DBH

Western Florida

Day 43: The final lock awaits us this morning.  Franklin Lock is within walking distance from our slip and a mere 5 minutes away after we release the dock lines.  By 9:30 am we leave behind the Okeechobee Waterway and head towards Fort Myers.  We transit the Caloosahatchee River which is more than a mile wide in places and meanders along for about 15 miles.  It can be easy to loose track of the channel markers and find yourself aground on one of the many sand bars.   The area is awash in towing firms and boatyards just waiting for the next victim.  We are happy to report we didn't need their services. 

Fort Myers is named for a fort established during the Seminole Indian War of 1841.  Thomas Alva Edison's winter home is here and the 14 acre estate is lined with 2,000 royal palms.  For this reason Fort Myers is known as the City of Palms.    The mooring field off Ft Myers Beach offers safe harbor for more than 70 boats but this late in the season only  a quarter of them are taken.  

Today's picture is of an unauthorized fisherman aboard our dingy.  He was a bit irritated when we returned and reclaimed the boat.  After 34nm today and 929 total we are happily tied to a mooring ball  in the Fort Myers Beach, Florida.  VJH

R&R

Day #44: We met Al and Sue today who are off Wind Dancer, a 1986, 35' Lord Nelson sailboat. It was fun comparing notes as Nellie was built in the same yard and by the same people, but one year later. They too had just returned from the Exumas.

Sue is an expert on how chemicals affect health (see suemcdonald.net). She said an easy way to reduce exposure is by avoiding products containing the term 'fragrance' in their ingredients--it seems some particularly nasty chemicals fall into this category. So how prolific is 'fragrance'? To see I randomly grabbed our dish soap and suntan lotion. Sure enough, both contained 'fragrance'. Hey you never know what you're going to learn by just hanging out in an anchorage.

0nm today and 929 total. DBH

Better Planning

Day #42: It's 70nm to the Franklin Lock. We hope to make the last opening at 1900 hrs. So, unlike yesterday, we plan out the whole trip. Surprising even ourselves we made it to Franklin with 30 minutes to spare. What all our diligent planning had overlooked however was the existence of a beautiful little park, right before the Lock, with its own eight slip marina. At $24/night, including electric, it was too good to pass up. Yesterday we didn't plan at all and breezed through the locks. Today we planned the trip to death yet still missed the last lock opening. With Nellie's air conditioning on high we'll have to ponder what went wrong. 69.8nm today and 895nm down. DBH

Something New

Day #41: Timing and luck. We had both in spades today.

There are five locks to transit when taking the Okeechobee waterway across Florida. The first and last locks schedule their openings based on Lake Okeechobee's water level; the lower the level, the fewer the openings. Today they're allowing boats through every odd hour between 0700 and 1900. Arrive at the lock, at say 0705, and you get to cool your heels for two hours. Imagine our surprise then, when with no fore planning whatsoever, we arrive 10 minutes before the scheduled opening. We're not proud of our lack of planning but we do recognize when luck falls squarely on our side.

Today's picture shows the dolphins on the east side of the Port Mayaca Lock. We'd never tied Nellie between two dolphins before, it was pretty obvious too based on our uninspired attempts to do so. Getting a bow line attached is no big deal. The stern line however is another matter. Especially when it's pouring cats and dogs and the winds are blowing. Nellie acted like an unruly pet on a leash. In the end though our patience was rewarded and our skill set increased by a notch. 27nm today and 825nm down. DBH

Thunderstorms

DAY # 40: Walking around Palm Beach one is easily reminded that this is the home of the super rich. Our walking tour included a pass through the Breakers Hotel. Wow. It's located on the beach with a golf course just behind it. Its grounds are akin to Longwood Gardens with acres of flowers and trees.

With our noon check-out time at the marina approaching, we headed back to the boat. We missed touring the museum at the old Flagler estate and decided it would be fun to do on our next trip through town. Flagler built his beautiful home in the late 1800s and also the railroad which opened Florida down to Key West.

Today's stretch of the ICW to Stuart is lined with beautifully landscaped yards adorning large homes. There are occasionally boats tied to docks that make Nellie look like a toy. Bridges cross the waterway every few miles but because Nellie's mast is down we scoot under all but one. It's Friday and we notice quite a few more fishing and recreational boats out on the water. Looks like the beautiful weather may have encouraged folks to play hookie from work. Cannot imagine how crowded it's going to be next weekend and Memorial Day.

We leave the ICW at the St. Lucie Inlet. As we round the corner into the Stuart mooring field we notice a thunderstorm looming to the West. We are happy to report that only the fringe of the storm hit us with a bit of rain. Today's picture shows a Doppler radar picture of the storm. 37nm today/798 nm total. BJH

Bridges, no wake zones, bridges

Day #39: The ICW between Ft Lauderdale and Palm Beach is a real estate sightseeing smorgasbord. You want a $59M home, it's here. Talk about becoming jaded, the homes are so pretty that anything less than $10M ceases to impress. Unlike Ft Lauderdale, Palm Beach homes are confident in their glamour. Rather than impress with ostentation, they rely on classical style and impeccable landscaping. It's a visible example of the ageless competition between the nouveau riche and old money.

It's a good thing there's so much to see as the going is slow. Bridges are the culprit. There's one every few miles, and they're very low. While Nellie can make it under all but a handful, those she can't only open twice an hour. Complicating the transit is having to slow down for the many no wake zones. Being on a tug that only goes 8 mph teaches one patience. While that patience is put the test in this stretch of the ICW, the scenery is well worth it.

A slow 37nm today and 761nm under the keel. DBH

Repairs

Day #38: Some things always break while underway. Fortunately it's usually minor and work-arounds are possible. This trip we lost two antennas. Our marine VHF's fiberglass whip literally blew away in a storm off Big Majors Cay. The ham 2M antenna's connector rusted off. Now that we're back in the land of spares it's time to start fixing things. Brother John drove over from Naples and helped get some things done. Today's picture is of Nellie's brand new 5/8 wave marine VHF antenna. In the Las Olas mooring field, Ft Lauderdale. 0nm today and 725nm down. DBH

The Crossing

Day #37: Dawn comes early on a boat and so it was that we found ourselves preparing Nellie for the worst while hoping for the best.

It felt good to cast the lines off. There's something slightly disturbing about living aboard a cruising boat that isn't cruising. As predicted winds were SE under 10kts and the swell was 3' or less. Not a dry-deck crossing by any means but not bad. Lunch underway was a fitting salute to the country in our wake; it included both coconut bread and the last of the seafood pizza.

Once across and safely in the mooring field at Las Olas in Ft Lauderdale, the first challenge was to check back into the US. As luck would have it next to us we're some folks we'd met in Bimini and they'd just done the check-in. It was painless they said, other than the $40 in taxi fare. We were determined to do better and we did. Our cost was $30 and that included two all day bus passes, a several hour tour of the city, and a fabulous dinner at a Chinese restaurant.

We arrived back at the dinghy after dark. This was a problem as the Ft Lauderdale marine police are zealous--a friend got a $90 ticket for a burned-out nav light on his dink. Our dink has no nav lights at all. Not to worry, there's an app for that! With Bicki in the dink's bow holding an iTouch in each hand; one screen glowing bright red the other bright green, I pointed a flashlight aft and confidently steered us towards Nellie. I'm sure we weren't completely legal--but what self respecting cop could ticket this kind of ingenuity? Safely back in the US after a 52nm Gulf Stream crossing bringing the total miles thus far to 725nm. DBH.

T Minus 1

Day # 36: The herd mentality is never quite so strong as when when you're the last remaining horse in the barn. So it was for us today when we woke to find that all our friends had cast off their dock lines and headed west across the Gulf Stream.

Weather is serious business to cruisers and there's hardly a discussion between them that doesn't touch upon it. When meeting someone new I never miss the opportunity to ask how they get weather information in the Bahamas. Three answers pervade: Chris Parker; Passageweather.com; and Windfinder.com. It's interesting that two of the three are internet based. That says volumes about a cruisers ability to get internet even in the middle of nowhere.

The Bimini Bay Resort owns much of the north part of the north island. It's been under construction for years, battered by economic ebbs and floods, and is reputed to be a bit of a ghost town. We reached it by a 2nm dinghy ride and what we found pleasantly surprised us. The main area included hundreds of very nice, colorful, houses and condos surrounded by beautiful landscaping. There was a beach club, two marinas, several huge restaurants, an activity center, and lots of walking paths. Today's photo shows one of the two very nice pools. A studio starts at $240K while a dock will set you back $1,100/ft. We decided to forgo the real estate but did contribute $14, plus 15% resort tax, for a sandwich.

Passageweather.com is predicting diminishing winds and seas for tomorrow so here we sit, chomping on the bitt. Another 0nm day but 672nm for the trip. DBH

T minus 2

Day #34: Happy Mother's Day. To celebrate we walked to the Bimini Sands Beach Resort for beer and seafood pizza. There we met Patty, a surgical nurse and her husband Jim, a retired Federal Agent. They're helping friends deliver their new 52' Hatteras from Charleston to Miami. The Hatteras burns 80 gallons of diesel per hour--ouch.

The evening's cocktails were aboard Gordie and Janie's 48' Grand Banks, Finlaggan. We'd first met them in Cambridge Cay several weeks ago. He was in the advertising business and it was his company that developed the 'Got milk?' campaign.

The forecast still shows Tuesday as the day to cross the Gulf Stream. 0nm today and 672nm down. DBH

Port Royal

Day 33: The winds are blowing from the north and we can see lots of whitecaps in the Gulf Stream. Wind against current creates a standing wave that is often described as washing-machine-like. There is no comfortable heading in these conditions. We were reminded of this yesterday as we dinghied the short distance between South and North Bimini. The ride to this point had been windy with some swell, but otherwise fine. Entering North Bimini's main channel the tide was at full flood and being opposed by a fresh breeze. Short, steep, little white caps engulfed us. I didn't have to confer with Bicki on retreating, the decision was obvious as she was soaking wet.

South Bimini Island is a work in progress. Port Royal, on its SW side, features several miles of canals and lots of 'interesting' homes. Their state of decay goes from none to total. There's not a lot of protection from hurricane winds, and it shows. Having already walked both canals we decided to see what Port Royal looks looks like by dinghy. In a word it looked better; still pretty funky though. It's like a place where houses go to die. Boats too, apparently, as the canals were filled with sunken derelicts. Based on the number of 'For Sale by Owner' signs some dreams have died here too. My description of the place is colored by my belief that a home should last forever. Perhaps that's the wrong context; maybe these places are made to last only until the next hurricane. 0nm today and 672nm under the keel. DBH

Mariner's Pat-Down

Day #32: The mariner's pat-down has become second nature to me. Like the penitent crossing themselves, I instinctively swipe a hand across my breast and pants pockets in a 'Z' pattern. To an on looker it must look like I've broken into an a capella, one-handed version of the Macarena. But hey, pre-Z Davy Jones' Locker claimed two cameras, countless prescription glasses, and untold other valuables. As much as the loss of these articles bugs me, it's the sound of the splash that hurts the most. Like fingers across a blackboard the sound hits a raw nerve; it says "You idiot, you did it again!"

Ahh, being at a dock is so comfortable--the unlimited electrical power, the ability to walk ashore, the pool, but most of all simply not having to worry about the hook slipping. What usually dissuades us from this luxury is cost. But here at the the Blue Water Resort, at $1/ft, it's an affordable luxury. In fact, Bimini is awash with affordable marinas. Our thought of possibly visiting some other marinas was put into action when JR, Blue Water's dock master, asked if we'd move to an inside slip so he could accommodate an incoming 120' yacht. Heck, if we have to move anyway, why not to some place new? Today's picture shows Bicki happy, I think that 's a happy face, to be underway. It was an arduous 1nm to the Bimini Sands Resort on the island of South Bimini. It boasts floating docks, two pools, and two restaurants. Ok, Bimini Sands is really little Americana. But like scuba divers, we cruisers need to decompress too. It's frightening what can happen when you go without transition from the solitude of the Exumas to the congestion known as south Florida. 1nm today and 672nm thus far. DBH

Conch

Day #31: After Nassau, North Bimini is the most developed island we've visited on this trip. It's amazing that this thin strip of land, its width only accommodates two narrow roads, is choc-a-block with buildings. The new and abandoned are side by side. Everything is in some state of disrepair; it's almost as if 'disrepair' is a style like colonial or ranch. The clubs and resorts appear to be 1940's vintage. So much so that it's almost a surprise not see Steinbeck belly-to the bar. The people are very friendly and engaging. A warm smile and a 'hello' are offered by almost everyone.

Funny how we're only 45nm from the US and yet still a world apart. Electricity at the Blue Water Resort is a flat $10/ day; maybe just a little more than we'd pay in the States. Water, however, is metered and costs $0.65/gallon. Each slip's utility pedestal has a padlock on the water bib. In part the price of water can be explained by the expense of the reverse osmosis process. In part it can't; it's $0.35 at an adjoining marina. What's ironic here in the land of expensive water is that the marina's unlimited length showers are free. In British Columbia, where the water is free, marinas charge as much as $2 for a timed shower.

More so than anywhere else in the Bahamas the conch is ubiquitous. Conch middens line the eastern shore. Friendly Joe, from whom we bought freshly made conch salad (think cerviche) at his eponymous shack on the beach, told us that during the season Bimini takes as many as 2000/day. Curious about the sustainability of such practices I asked how far they have to go to get them. Several miles, was the answer, just off the shipwreck SW of here. He then added, sort of amazed himself, that the conch just keep coming. I'm glad they do because now I've got a hankering for some cracked conch too.

Still in the Bimini Blue Water Resort. 0nm today and 671nm for the trip. DBH

Bimini!

Day #30: From midnight to well after 0800 we stayed on the known coral-head-free path but at the expense of being fully exposed to 18kt wind driven beam seas. The advantage to the banks' shallow waters is the waves can't get too big. The vindictive little waves overcome this perceived shortcoming by simply packing closer together and slapping the hell out of the hull. The resulting motion is uncomfortable in small doses and becomes really irritating after 8 hours. It was a joyous moment when we changed course and ran with the waves to Bimini.

A recurring theme during this trip has been the large currents. Not to be left out Bimini harbor welcomed us with a 2 knot push of its own. Docking a single screw boat with an anemic bowthruster in a big current and big wind is best left to the well insured. JR, the dock master at the Blue Water Resort, must have thought the only English I spoke was "What else have you got?" after I kept rejecting one slip after another. He's a good salesman though and almost had me believing I was capable enough to dodge the $1M boat at the head of the dock while fighting both a cross current and wind to get into a slip well down fairway. Fortunately, my poor English "What else have you got?" and the departure of an end-tie boat got Nellie a premo spot. Land, or it's wood cousin the dock, never felt so good.

Here we will sit until the Gulf Stream settles down enough to assure us a dry deck crossing. Curiously my auto spell checker just changed 'dry deck crossing' to 'expect tossing'! Hmm, is it commenting on my proclivity to feed the fish while predicting the future too? 68nm today to get us to Bimini and 671nm into the journey. DBH

Exumas Sunset

Day #29: Having only gotten a taste of what it's like to cruise the Exumas, it's none the less time to point Nellie NE and back to Florida. A predawn departure in settled weather got us to Nassau before 11am. A short fuel stop, 50 gallons at $5.41/gallon, was our only respite before continuing across the open expanse known as the Tongue of the Ocean. Wearily we proceeded into the area that abused us last time. Our concerns were put to rest as the SE winds never got above 15kts nor the swell above 3'. It took about 8 hours to reach the relatively protected waters of the Great Bahama Bank. As it was getting dark and the bank was relatively settled we anchored in its wide expanse for the night. I would have liked to end today's entry with the customary knot log recital: 91nm today and 603nm for the trip, alas the bank had other ideas. By 2230 Bicki and I were awakened by Nellie's hobby-horsing. The winds were up and demanding we do the same. Sleep being out of the question we decided to get moving. At 2400 we are underway having made 98nm today and 610 nm thus far. DBH

The real Exumas

Day #28: Dead calm. This is an Exumas we haven't seen--have heard it talked about a lot though. This is nice. All the foul weather made the cays windward side terra incognita. Today we rectify that.

First though we finished what we started yesterday, by successfully traversing Shroud Cay's mangroves from sea-to-sea. The mangrove waterways are very shallow and can only be traversed near high tide. So like a scuba diver exploring an underwater cave we devote one eye to the clock. Much scarring of the sandy bottom, which I agree is not nearly as dramatic as say sun bleached bones, is none the less evidence of some of our predecessors' inattention to time :-0 Today's picture is of a triumphant Bicki after making it to our Eldorado-du-jour.

Camp Driftwood on Shroud Cay, which is close to where today's picture was taken is famous for having been a DEA outpost. Here US agents kept tabs on the goings-on at the mob owned Norman's Cay just to the north. Happily those days are gone and the only remnant, besides bullet holes in some walls, is a crashed DC-3 in the water on the south end of Normans.

The DC-3 wreck was kept to port as we passed through Normans Cay Cut bound for the Exuma Sound and our terra incognita. Immediately apparent was the rapid, incoming current--a readily discernible affect of the full moon. Coasting northward we see rocky outcroppings and much greater water depths than on the leeward side. Our destination has the intriguing name of 'Island World'. The few cruiser reviews say it's a magical place but with a difficult approach. Sure enough, we play 'dodge the reef and shoals' before slipping between two sentinel rocks and into the anchorage's anteroom. To starboard we see a beautiful, deserted half-moon beach. On its far end is a thatched roof hut with bamboo walkways right out of Steveson's Swiss Family Robinson. Floatsom from the world's fisheries decorates the scene by dangling like so many earrings. Past the beach we round a rock outcropping that's guarding a small dock. The tiny anchorage is beyond the dock off another pretty little beach. This place is idyllic and like nothing we've seen in the Exumas. Then it dawns on me, it's an illusion. This is the destination for an excursion trip sold to cruise ship passengers in Nassau. Oh well, it may not be real but it's no less pretty. As fast as these thoughts flashed through my head, we were speeding by the anchorage. Ah, that pesky full moon current. It was driving us into a narrowing channel the end of which was too shallow for Nellie. After a pulse-raising u-turn we decided to forego 'Island World'. Not sure why. The current alone was enough to dissuaded us. Upon reflection though, I'd like to think we left because no matter how nice the place was, it wasn't real. This trip is about escaping to the Exumas, not from them. 20nm today to find a real Exumas anchorage off Highborne Cay and 513nm into the adventure. DBH

Isn't this great!

Day #27: Check out time from Exumas Park was at the crack of noon. We somehow managed to get the most for our $15 mooring rental with an 11:45am departure. The morning was filled with a few basic chores which included a second coat of cetol on the exterior brightwork.
Today's trip north was like traveling through an acquarium. In the 15 foot waters we could clearly see fish and colorful coral reefs beneath us. By mid afternoon we dropped the hook in a mere 7 feet just off of Shroud Cay. We have this anchorage to ourselves as most sailboats and larger power boats need a bit more water to accommodate their deeper keels.
Shroud Cay is known for its mangrove swamps which actually devide the Cay into several smaller islands. After a swim (which included scrubbing Nellie's water line)we took the dinghy into one of the mangrove creeks. The creek's depth varied from inches to about six feet. The surprise for us was the abundant sea life that was so visable in the cystal clear water. There were bone fish, schools of colorful fish swam along the mangrove roots, a 5' wide sting ray floated under the dinghy, a small shark darted in front of us and a beautiful sea turtle glided through a patch of coral. We returned to Nellie D. an hour later to toast the sunset--we looked for the green flash, but alas there was none. As we ate our BBQ steaks on the aft deck the stars began to appear. It was then that the full moon took center stage, rising with a red glow. To quote Captain Ron, "Isn't this great!"
16 nm today/493 total. BJH

This is more like it!

Day #26: Today's light tropical breezes and lots of sunshine make those windy days earlier this week seem like a distant memory. The water is so crystal clear that Nellie D. serves as a perfect viewing platform to watch sting rays gluiding by and see schools of fish taking refuse in the boat's shadow from the mid day sun. With a beautiful day like today we no longer need a wet suit as part of our snorkeling attire. At the snorkeling mooring ball we meet Baja and Nora who sailed from Turkey. Their description of the Mediterranean gets us wondering if someday maybe Nellie D. might be loaded on a freighter and shipped across the pond. Hmmm...
The Exumas Park hosts a Saturday night cocktail party on the beach. Never ones to miss a party, we of course attended. With drinks in hand we meet fellow cruisers and are entertained by coutless stories. There was M/V Aloha Friday whose mooring ball in Little Farmer's Cay broke loose during last week's blow. The boat slipped backwards fowling its prop on another mooring. As luck would have the skipper was a retired navy diver whose skills were put to good use. As the evening wore on, people started scratching their scalps and legs..the no-see-ums had found us. Dispite the arrival of our univited guests, we all stayed on the beach to chat and watch the sunset. It was dark by the time we dinghied home.
Enjoying the new cruising friends and the lovely weather in the north mooring field in Exumas Park.
0 nm today 477 total BJH

Five Blasts

Day #25: A sound you don't want to hear at sea is a ship sounding its whistle five times in a row--it's the international danger signal. Just after dawn this morning we got to hear the danger signal not once but four times. A sailboat had anchored in a channel that a tugboat with a tow was trying to navigate. It was nice to be a spectator for this event because the last time I heard five whistles was in San Diego harbor when an aircraft carrier snuck up behind me...

We actually got Nellie's engine a little warm today as we moved a whole 14nm to Warderick Wells Cay. The north mooring is very popular and we've managed to snag a spot. 477nm under the keel thus far. DBH

Air and water

Day #24: If a system is leaking either air or water, I'm not the guy to fix it. It's a personally painful truth. The latest sword I'm throwing myself upon is the dinghy. It's leaking air. My first attempt to fix it only made the leak worse. Yea, like I said, not my forte. While comiserating with Bob, Casandra Jade II, he brightened and explained that he'd just successfully repaired a leak on his dink. Then I brightenend, a good example is hard to find and here was one right in front of me. Bob supervised and gave pointers as I followed the patching instructions to the letter. So, how'd the repair turn out? Didn't I mention that I'm not good with air and water leaks?

We planned to to weigh anchor and move on today but that was before snorkling and dinner inviations intruded. Interesting how one of the most common occurences in crusing, i.e. a great offer that keeps you from moving on, is actually an inhibitor to cruising...

Just a half nautical mile NW of our anchorage on Cambridge Cay is Bell Cay. The coconut telegraph reports that Bell is owned by a billionaire expat who is in a pitched battle with the government over the size of the harbor he wants to build to accomodate his and his friends' megayachts. Also according to the telegraph the idividual is a 'man of the cloth'--clearly I made the wrong career selection.

Lots of miles on the dighy today, with the air pump working its little heart out, but no miles on Nellie. Holding at 463nm for the trip. DBH

Cambridge Cay

Day #23: I sleep better with the anchor alarm on. But, there is a price to be paid and it comes in the form of false alarms. This morning the alarm went off at 0030 and again at 0630. On each alarm I burst out of the bunk, all the while trying to shake off the cobwebs, and once in the pilothouse look for indications that we're adrift. I'm happy to report that both alarms were false and occurred because I set the alarm distance too conservatively. Which brings me to my point. Is it better to be jolted awake frequently for false alarms or is it better to sleep through an anchor drag? Having lived through the latter I've learned that I prefer my adrenalin in small doses as opposed to one, very large shot.

Ahead of us is the Exuma Cays Land and Sea Park, specifically its Cambridge Cay mooring field. This is a beautiful, well protected area right in the middle of many popular dive spots. The bigger mooring fields usually have a host boat. Here it's Mary and Bill's Harbor Reach. This was an unexpected surprise as we last visited with them in the Abacos in 2009. Let the partying begin. Continue?

It was an exhausting 4nm run to Cambridge Cay today. The good news is we've now racked up 463nm on the trip. It may be possible to go slower than we are, but I don't see how. DBH

On the road again

Day #22: With the winds down to just under 20kts, and the sun making its first appearance in four days, we lower the dink and go into Staniel Cay for breakfast. The airlines are running again so John is homeward bound. The past days' inundation has left its mark. Among other things we see some folks trying to raise a cabin cruiser off the sea bottom. With Nellie's crew compliment one short we weigh anchor and head north. Our plan is to visit all the little spots we missed coming south--and there are a lot of little spots we missed. First stop, Little Pipe Cay, 8nm away. It's very scenic; which in the Exumas is damning it with faint praise ;-). We drop the hook, explore the area with the dink, and then decide to move on.

Next stop, the abandoned military facility on SW Pipe Cay. It boasts a 100' concrete pier which is free and on a first come, first served basis. Entering the well marked little harbor we see only one boat at the pier. After getting Nellie settled we explore several of the base's deserted buildings. We couldn't help commiserating, even if several decades too late, with those assigned here. How lonely and isolating it must have been. Back on Nellie we get a closer look at our pier mate, a big plastic boat many years past its prime. The events in Vincent Bulgosie's (sp?) nonficton book 'And the Sea Will Tell', come to mind--nice cruising couple is murdered and dismembered by down-and-out cruising couple on a remote, deserted island. We cast off our lines and move on.

We drop the hook in two more anchorages on Pipe Cay before finding one that's just right. Happy to be swinging on the hook in a calm, star filled harbor on the NW side of Pipe Cay. A 14nm circumnavigation today and 459nm so far. DBH

Wind, rain, wind, rain ...

Day #21: Today the wind is blowing a sustained 30kts. It's dark and raining so hard at noon that we put on the anchor light. A VHF call from a cruiser warns the fleet to check their dinks as his had swamped. Bicki put a pot on deck and in two hours the water in it was five inches deep. On the plus side: our anchor is sticking like velcro; today is shower day--always a favorite with the crew; WaterMaker Air cancelled John's flight back to Ft. Lauderdale so we get to enjor his company for another day; cocktail hour was moved up to 4PM; spaghetti with a homemade sausage and mushroom sauce was served for dinner; and finally, tea (because we just ran out of coffee) was enjoyed while watching the evening's movie selection, Match Point.

A day like today is a reminder how really great the other 99.9% of cruising days really are ;-) In a wet and windy anchorage on the west side of Big Majors Cay. We sailed 10nm on the anchor but added nothing to the 445nm so far. DBH

A wind decision

Day #20: The winds have been blowing a sustained 25kts. Thinking that it might be a local phenomenon we drop the mooring ball in Little Farmers and head north. Sure enough, the winds decrease to 15kts once we clear the slot between the cays. The easterlies are blocked by the islands so the seas around us are realatively calm. And so it stays all the way to the anchorage at Big Majors Cay. In a pouring rain we drop the hook next to Egret, a Nordhaven '46. Not long later we see Egret's crew braving the weather and heading our way in their dink. After inviting Scott and Mary aboard we all sit down with some hot tea. Hot tea, in the Exumas, in late April? These cool, 69F, temperatures can't be normal. Egret left the States seven years ago and has completed a circumnavigation. Not many trawlers can make that claim. Scott and Mary regailed us with some great stories and the afternoon passed in a blink.

It was raining and blowing so hard that a little green bird with a yellow breast took refuge on Nellie and stayed aboard well into the night. Dancing on the hook in Big Majors Cay. 17nm today and 445nm thus far. DBH

Water, water everywhere and not a drop to drink

Day #19: We get underway early from Black Point. Our anchor comes up with a conch attached. Hmm, conch fishing is illegal for non-Bahamanians... Today's destination, Little Farmers Cay, is the southern terminums for our trip. From there to Georgetown, which is the largest city in the Exumas, the anchorages get scarce and exposure to the open ocean is plentiful.

The rapid currents in the Exumas are well documented but must be experienced to be believed. The almost 3' tidal swing has water constanly rushing in or out of the cuts between the cays. The Yacht Club in Little Farmers is located on a narrow stretch of water bounded on the east by Great Guana Cay. The waters between the two cays seem always in a hurry to go somewhere else. We approach the Yacht Club bucking the stream.

It's been 10 days since we last filled Nellie's water tanks. The water pump's frequent cycling warns that we're running low. Most all potable water here in the islands is obtained via reverse osmosis. This is energy intensive, read expensive, but does produce good water. Since Nellie doesn't have a watermaker onboard we must purchase it; the going rate is $0.40 to $0.50 per gallon.

It's the need to fill our water tanks that finds us bucking the current into Little Farmers. The dock is slightly askew to the stream and so the landing is more difficult but ultimately successful. The current pins us to the dock making it impossible to place fenders. After talking to Roosevelt, the Club's owner, we taste his water, take a picture of his water meter reading, and put 90 gallons into Nellie's tanks. Coming from the land of free water I thought I'd be irritated by having to pay $36 for it here. Nope. In fact, considering how essential water is, I'm surprised it's not more expensive.

I'd thought that 37' LNVT's carried 140 gallons of water. But being able to put only 90 gallons into almost empty tanks has me questioning the tanks' true capacity.

On a mooring ball in the fast flowing 'river' off Little Farmers Cay. 10nm today and 428nm so far. DBH

Bread delivery

Day #18: The days are now becoming a blur of sand, sea, and wind. To break things up a bit this morning we went ashore on Staniel and visited the blue market (3 bananas and 12 eggs--$6.50), the yellow bakery (a loaf of coconut bread--$6) and breakfasted at the Yacht Club.

In our anchorage is a classic 50' wooden yawl whose best days are behind it. Aboard are four young people working hard to keep it afloat. Two of the crew visited us offering to sell freshly baked rosemary bread. Today's picture is of the bread's dinghy-to-dinghy pass off ($5 for a big loaf--very good too).

In a light rain we left Staniel Cay and worked our way 10nm southeast to Black Point. Black Point is the second largest settlement in the Exumas. Walking around the village you get a sense for how hard life is out here. 10nm run today and 419nm total. DBH

Dinghying with swimming pigs ...

Day #17: Certain iconic events characterize a country. Take for example Pamplona's running with the bulls. The Bahamas, not to be left behind, has dinghying with swimming pigs. So, armed with a week's worth of table scraps we approached the west beach on Big Majors Cay to see two pigs swimming out to us. Some very good advice from fellow cruisers was to not feed the pigs in shallow water as they're likely to jump into the dinghy with you. With the dink's depth sounder reading a safe 6' the porkers approached. Then bedlam broke out. Bicki's metered food tossing didn't slow them a bit. On they rushed. In a scene reminisent of Hitchcock's 'The Birds', seagulls blanketed us. Their frenzie energized by the pigs' wild gyrations. Our 'isn't this cute' moment degraded into a maelstrom of hungry, open months. Bicki quickly dumped all the food overboard and dove for cover. Always cool under pressure I kept taking pictures--with my index finger firmly planted in the middle of the lens. Meanwhile our getaway driver, John, took the cue and got us clear. As quickly as the storm had formed, it dissolved. The gulls disappeared and the pigs headed toward shore. With wide eyes we silently looked at each other and shared the same thought: 'What the hell!'. Now in the anchorage just off Staniel Cay's Yacht Club. 1nm today and 409 total. DBH

Look honey no hands ...

Day #15: The winds have abated and clocked enough to lure us away from the safety of a mooring. It's nice to finally be on the move again. We wind our way south through some cays until shallow water forces us out onto the 'highway'. Navigating near the cays requires constant diligence, it's shallow, reef strewn, and at times impassable. A common practice is to transit the cays by standing off about a mile where the water is deeper. Since everyone does this the route feels like a highway at times. During prevailing easterlies this route is in the Exumas' lee and thus only suffers from some minor fetch. Today's NW winds have us beam-too a three foot swell but by tacking, to keep the waves on the quarters, the motion is reasonable.

Compass Cay has the same wide-eyed allure for cruisers that Disney World has for eight year olds. And Compass Cay is today's destination. We exit the highway and head for the cay's north end. Like the other cays so far it is low, windswept, and covered with dwarfed, dense vegetation. The water is colored glorious shades of blue. Protected by reefs the seas have settled and only wind driven ripples disturb it. To port we see deserted white sand beaches which breakup Compass Cays rocky shoreline. The magic begins when we round the cay's southern tip. Ahead is nothing but calm well protected water. A solitary sailboat lies at anchor in a setting worthty of a postcard. Just beyond is a hidden cove. Approaching it we can see about a dozen yachts clustered on Compass Cay Marina's trident-shaped dock. Being true cruisers we always prefer to anchor out--well, almost always ;-)

Today's picture shows the nurse sharks being fed here in the marina. The family of four, regrettably down to three now, appeared to be having a good time when this picture was taken. Safely at the dock in Compass Cay. 13nm today and 396nm thus far. DBH

Scary Clear Water

Day #16: Today's picture, with some sharks swimming under Nellie in 10' of water, ably shows why the water here is called 'gin clear'.

Leaving Compass Cay we stick to the VPR (visual piloting rules) route south. This route is a lot of fun because it keeps you in the thick of the cays. It's also challenging as there are no channel markers and many things that need to be dodged. Some of the cays are privately owned and have beautiful houses on them. One house had three huge wind generators providing electrical power. After a too short four hour cruise we arrived at Staniel Cay, the largest settlement in the northern Exumas.

Getting an anchor to work in the Bahamas is a challenge. The anchor's flukes penetrate the sand but not the hard pack just below it. While the sand alone gives the impression of a well set hook, it doesn't hold in a blow. Some LNVTs came with a Taiwanese knockoff of a Danforth anchor. Nellie's got one: it's 45lbs, stainless steel, well made, and has 'Taiwan' stamped on it. After having used it for a year now the conclusion is that it works fine--in other than flat smooth bottoms. Today, for example, we couldn't get it to set off Staniel. Even diving on it and manually directing the flukes downward didn't work. Interestingly, we were successful in setting a Fortress (a Danforth by another name but made of aluminum). The anchors appear similar but their individual nuances spell the difference between success and failure.

We dinghied ashore and walked on our first paved roads in what seems forever. Colorful, small, buildings are scattered about. The building colors are used in lieu of a business' name. For example, there's a pink grocery, blue grocery, and yellow bakery. It's about a mile walk to Isles, the island's largest store. Large is a relative term, think two car garage size. Three bananas and a loaf of Bahamas white sandwich bread was $7.

Walking back we stopped for beers at the Staniel Key Yacht Club. This is where the cruising set hangs out and we talked with the crews off three different boats. It never ceases to amaze me how interesting these folks are. 12nm today and 408nm total. DBH

Wind and Rain

Day #13: We're still holed-up in Warderick Wells Cay. The cold front is nearing and the winds are getting stonger and clocking. Boat projects, reading, and debating world issues easily fill the day.

Being afloat connects you intimately to the weather. As the wind clocks we know the low is moving. Fast moving thunderstorms are a very visible manifestation of the movement. We've had some very close lightning strikes and buckets of rain. 0nm today and 383nm so far. DBH

The Hike

Day #12: Roderwick Wells Cay is about two miles long. Nellie is currently riding to a mooring ball on its southeast side. Today we decided to trek the length of the island. On a map this looked fairly straight forward. Reality was another matter. First of all cenotes, deep water filled holes, litter the island so you must always look down or risk falling into one of them. If the cenotes don't get you, the ubiquitous limestone, which everywhere has erroded to knife-edge sharpness, surely will. So how bad can a two mile hike be? It took an hour and a half, walking at a healthy pace, to go one mile. At the halfway point we found ourselves standing atop a hillock where we could see both Nellie and the north end of the island. We debated going on but realized our little hike would turn into a 6 hour affair. With the siren call of cool drinks waiting aboard Nellie we retraced our steps. Within 100 yards of the trail's beginnng we ran across other cruisers just starting the hike north. One woman in their party was wearing high-heeled sandals--clearly the wrong shoe selection ;-)

The winds are building as the front approaches. Happy to be on a mooring ball in Roderwick Wells South. 0 nm today and 383nm total. DBH.

Watchadarocks

Day #11: The Exumas are amazingly shallow. Today's trip south saw as weaving in and out of many rocks and Cays. We're using our water reading skills to keep Nellie in deep-enough water. Our charts are very good and this helps build confidence. Our current plan is to head to the south end of the Exumas, about 120nm away, and then slowly work our way north. There was a 15kt wind which we beat into for most of the day. Nellie does great cutting through the 2' swell.

Once again a storm is threatening. Big winds are expected on Sunday and Monday. We're tucked into a well protected anchorage on the south end of Warderick Wells and plan to stay put until after the low passes through.

It's amazing how vibrant the colors are here. Sea, sand, and sky combine in a magical way. The Cays are mostly rock but beautiful beaches abound. I'd expected more palm trees but instead there's a low, scruffy vegitation. 36nm today and 383nm total. DBH

1nm

Day #9: Baby steps, that's what today's 1nm round trip to the fuel dock was, a baby step. Even so, it was good to have Nellie out moving. Diesel is $5.40/gallon. When I tried to pay the bill both my credit cards rejected the charge. Seems the card companies don't like to see $400 fuel charges from foreign countries. It was then a mad scramble but we came up with the cash. A wifi Skype call from the Texaco station to both credit card companies got the cards turned back on again. It's such fun trying to clear up financial problems when out of the country ;-) John has returned from Naples and so the crew is looking forward to tomorrow's planned departure for the Exumas. We had a very nice dinner with Penny, Stewart and their friend just in from Scotland, Alastair, aboard the sailing vessel Stravaigin. 1nm today and 314nm total but still in Nassau.

Swallens Cay, Exumas

Day #10: We finally were able to break away from the dock in Nassau and and cruise southeast to the Exumas. It was a little bumpy leaving New Providence Island and Five Fathom Bank lived up to its reputation of short, steep waves. The closer we got to the Exumas though the calmer things became. A last minute decision, based on the south winds, had us duck into South West Allens Cay. Our Garmin charts have a typo and call this Cay Swallens, which I kind of like better. So here we sit in an idylic anchorage--white sand beach close by and clear light blue water all around. Welcome to the Exumas! There's no picture with this posting as it's being sent from Nellie via HAM radio (Winmor)--no wifi out here. 35nm today and 345nm to date.

Texaco Wifi

Day #8: It's the small things that can make the biggest difference. Take wifi for example. In the US it's ubiquitous, fast, and generally free (thank you McDonalds). Wifi is everywhere in the Bahamas and everywhere it's password protected. Because of this, lots of pay-for-service hotspots exist. The problem is that while these services take your payment quickly they usually offer slow connection speeds. Enter the enterprising entrepreneur. The local Texaco station is the cruiser hotspot because they have inexpensive food and fast, free wifi. Oh yea, they sell gas too. So here we sit with our $1 cup of coffee checking the weather forecast. If you find yourself in Nassau and need an Internet fix, Texaco's password is 'porkchop'.

Weather is starting to clear... Still in Nassau. 0nm today and 312nm total.

Bahama Breads

Day #7: Today's picture was taken looking towards the east tip of New Providence island. We'll be rounding this tip and crossing the Yellow Bank on our way to the Exumas. Pictures never do justice to wave size so you'll just have to take my word that the winds are blowing at 20kts and the seas are still up.

A universal feature of all cultures seems to be bread. Often it's quite different from country to country and that's what makes it fun to sample. So, our first quest this morning was a small bakery, tucked into a quiet neighborhood, that had been recommended to us. At first sight the bakery appeared to be shuttered. Then, as we approached the front door, a passing taxi slowed and the driver indicated that we should go to the side of the building. The door on the side didn't look any more promising, but since there wasn't a door on the back of the building, we entered it. Instantly we found ourselves belly-to a dough rolling table. On top of the table were many mounds of dough being sectioned into dinner rolls by an elderly man. Surrounding us and lining the walls were what appeared to be hundred year old mixers. A smiling woman approached and asked what we'd like. Mind you, there was no display case of goodies or straw baskets of bread from which to choose. Uncertain of exactly how to proceed, I asked what they had ready. Sandwich white and wheat loafs, twists, croissants, and ham and cheese rolls was the answer. Our twist and ham and cheese roll came to $3. The twist is a rather good sugar glazed churro. The ham and cheese roll, which is good too, is basically a dinner biscuit with the ham and cheese baked in. While these are nice snacks, the Bahamas wasn't built on them. Our quest for the bread at the heart of the Bahamas will just have to continue.

Prices here are generally a lot more than in the US. A quart of motor oil is $10 (vs $2 in the US), a gallon of diesel is $5.60 (vs $4.20), and a Nestlé Nutty-Buddy ice cream cone is $3 (vs $1.50). Conversely, a gallon of antifreeze is only $6 (vs $10).

Still pinned down in Nassau but enjoying the bread. 0nm today and 312nm total. DBH

Paradise Island

Day #6: With the winds showing no signs of abating until late next week John has flown back to Naples and Bicki and I are in tourist mode. Paradise Island is just a 1/2 mile north of Nassau and is accessible by two bridges. It's probably best known for the Atlantis Paradise Island resort which occupies about 1/4 of the island. Today's picture was taken while cresting the most easterly of the two bridges to Paradise Island. Note how Bicki has mussed-up her hair to make it look like the wind is really blowing ;-) Atlantis is part hotel and part Disney Land. The center of the property is a pay-to-access water world. Think pools, beaches, bars, and watersides in a beautiful tropical setting. Atlantis has the feeling of a beachfront Vegas casino. Rooms start at $400/night and the place is jammed. Atlantis is also the premiere marina in Nassau. We watched a 200'+ yacht dock and it was only one of many beautiful yachts there. The slip rate in the basin is $7/ft--that's $259/day for Nellie. I guess that's a deal when compared to the room rates.

Tony off Peacock stopped by to say hello. Peacock was about an hour ahead of Nellie during Friday's miserable crossing. We commiserated via VHF during the event. It's always nice when you're in the thick of it to hear a friendly voice. Still in Nassau, 0nm today and 312nm total. DBH

We like white ...

Day #5: The winds that made yesterday's trip so miserable did nothing but increase in strength today.

One of the tools we use to determine if we're going to sea or not is a Surface Wind Forecast. It shows the wind speed in a given area by using colors. We like white the best, winds less than 5 kts. Light blue, winds at 5 to 10 kts, will also encourage us to go cruising. The darker blues, winds 10 to 20 kts, make us think twice. And green, an otherwise nice color, which represents winds from 20 to 25 kts, will keep us hugging a dock. And since today's picture shows Nellie completely surrounded by green, we didn't even think of casting off the dock lines. Instead we relaxed and met our boat neighbors Penny and Stewart who are both Scottish but have lived in Newfoundland for the past 35 years. They spent last month cruising the Exumas and so filled our imaginations with adventures to come. Tied comfortably to a nice strong dock in Nassau, 0nm today and 312nm total. DBH.

That was ugly!

Day #4: Knowing the weather window was closing, and with the sole idea of bettering our chances of not getting hammered on the 40nm open ocean crossing to Nassau, we departed Chub Cay at o'dark-thirty (4:30 am). The plan worked--for about 3 hours. Then it didn't work--at all. The smooth sailing fell apart soon after Nellie's radar started painting a big cloud buildup to our east. By this time there was a large swell also coming from that direction. The winds built. The waves built. The rain came down in buckets. All we could do was hang on as Nellie galloped onward. Sometime during this tumult we even got to watch a waterspout cross in front of us.

We must have lived because today's picture shows Bicki happily changing our yellow quarantine flag for the Bahamas courtesy flag. We have officially arrived! A very bumpy 40nm today and 312nm total. DBH

Wet Deck Day

Day #3: We crossed the Gulf Stream yesterday in pond-like conditions--in fact, it was a 100nm 'dry deck' crossing. Today's picture shows what Nellie's deck looks like in more normal conditions.

Last night, and for the second day in a row, our 'anchor down before nightfall' rule was violated. At around 10pm we dropped the hook on the east side of Gun Cay (8nm south of Bimini). What's amazing to us though is after only two days underway from Naples we're in the Bahamas!

Today we crossed the 55nm wide Bahama Bank from west to east. The Bank's waters average 10' deep but to a vigilant mariner appear always to be much shallower. The white sandy bottom gives the clear water a beautiful blue-green hue. Since crossing the Bank can only be done safely in a few areas we saw at least half a dozen boats following the same track as Nellie. Their company did breakup what otherwise would have been a featureless eight hour run as just water and sky inhabit this part of the Bank.

The Chub Cay Club is where Nellie's moored this evening. Her crew spoiled themselves with dinner ashore which included red snapper and conch fritters. 175nm in the last two days and 275 miles thus far. DBH

Arrive in the Keys

Day #2: Today's picture shows Nellie's crew readying for the cross to Bimini. We ran until just after midnight yesterday. It got a little bouncy rounding Cape Sable at the bottom of Florida but other than that it was perfect. As night fell we made sure to keep Nellie inside the Everglades Park boundaries where crabbing is illegal. The boundary, which is otherwise indistinguishable from any other patch of ocean, is made obvious by the many crab pots pushing up against it. Our spotlight did yeoman duty continuously scanning the waters. The Yacht Channel route, which is the fastest way around the southern tip of Florida, is narrow, shallow, and reef laden. Nellie's two-person watch managed, sometimes barely, to keep her prop clear of both rock and rope. The final challenge of the evening was the Yacht Channel itself. This 100 yard stretch, which motorists would describe as a switch-back, captures its fair share of inattentive mariners. In fairness Nellie's chart plotters make it easy to figure out on which side to pass the channel markers. Safely through we motored another 40 minutes before dropping the hook on the west side of Fiesta Key. 98nm for the day and 98nm for the journey. DBH.

Bahamas Bound -- 2012

Day #1: At 0815 EDT we depart Naples under blue skies and calm winds. The crew, John, Bicki, and Dave, are more than happy to be underway after a week long weather delay. Nellie is being run at higher than normal RPMs (2000 vs. 1800) to make sure all is well. Little Shark River, some 60nm distant is our destination, although we may continue through the night so as to reach the Keys by tomorrow morning. We're being driven by a closing weather window as gale force winds are expected between Miami and Bimini on Saturday. DBH