First Mate Log Excerpts

This blog post is 90% directly from the log. We had crazy weather with hiding from wind to wonderful days fishing and visiting friends. Our first few weeks of the season were a bit of a roller coaster, and the log depicts that better than any flowery verbiage I can throw at you.

2/17/24 Wind SW 7-9knts H73 L69 mostly overcast

Slept like a rock at Mangrove Cay. The boys got a couple small lobster- Mike ate one and Wyatt the other. Otherwise, pork chops, mashed potatoes, salad for supper. This morning hauled anchor at 0900- headed for Great Sale (19 miles). Last year the kids (including Preston) caught several fish and lobster here. We will be able to take dogs to shore- so I’m all for that. Temp is lovely- there have not been any bugs- thank you Jesus! We sailed 3kts for a few hours- Ventolines flew their spinaker as their jib is torn. Now motoring the rest of the way so they can fish. It’s been grand so far. Looking forward to setting foot on some sand and in some sea water. ETA now 3pm.

2/18/24 Wind NNE 15-30kts H71 L68 Overcast Great Sale #2 -> Tom Johnson Sound Great Sale #3

Woke up to wind/squall from NE- NOT predicted. Discussed with Ventolines and made plan to go around the Cay. Initial anchorage was miserable- so glad to get moving. Had a downwind motor sail to begin with then back into the wind as we got closer. There’s a catamaran that seems to be going the same direction. Will watch church when we get anchored. Not sure what the plan will be tomorrow.

2/20/24 Wind NNW 10-15kts H69 L65 Some clouds Great Sale-> Allens Pensacola

Sat out a gale yesterday- 38kts 1-2′ seas. Today we sail!! We have full main and jib making 6kts consistently, we saw up to 7.3 kts with a gust. We are playing with sail trim and have decided the new main has made quite a difference. We haven’t stopped at Allens Pensacola before- so will be nice to have a new spot.

We ended up at Manjack with a ROLLY anchorage for the 2 nights. We were able to run dogs, thankfully. (We still haven’t anchored at Allens Pensacola.)

2/22/24 Wind E 10kts H73 L66 Sunny (Praise be to God!) Manjack-> GTC (Green Turtle Cay)

Nice beam reach to GTC with the genoa. Two trips to fuel dock topping off diesel and gas. (We can’t get Voyager to the fuel dock here, or most places in The Bahamas, so we make trips filling our jerry cans to fill the tanks.) Saw small shark and large ray at the dock. Ran dogs at Manjack this morning. Hoping for a date night. (The adults did go out for supper. We met a fun young woman from the US, Adrienne.)

2/23/24 S winds high teens-24 kts cloudy H74 L67 Rain likely GTC-> Marsh Harbour

*Salty* Passage. 10-12′ seas and sporty through Whale Cut. More weather coming tonight and tomorrow. No one is seasick, thankfully. We are definitely ready and hoping for better weather. We will see if we can visit Bob and Janice (Cronin, from Sturgis who own property on Abaco) while we are at Marsh.

2/25/24 10kts NE H70 Witch Point-> Black Point

Sailing with the head sail at 4kts. Walked about 2 miles on shore on dirt road- was delightful. Janice and Bob Cronin drove us to Abaco Grocery and Maxwells yesterday. Such a blessing to us! Will stay at Black Point tonight and Linyard tomorrow and hopefully ‘Lutra Tuesday. Listening and watching church while underway. Luke 3:7-20 Boys have caught 2 conch, 1 grouper, lionfish and a snapper. Ventolines crew came for supper last night and we played Telestrations.

2/26/24 Light breeze H74 L59 Sunny Black Point-> Linyard Cay

Walked the beach and abandoned House- would love to buy that place. The walls and foundation are alright- plaster has cracked and interior wood is rotting. There’s still a roof. The walls are made of rock. I imagine the foundation is as well. I may investigate….. Listening to Maya Angelou- Letter To My Daughter. Boys plan to spear more fish.

This is how our first 9 days went. Although the weather improves somewhat over the next few weeks, we have other “incidents” that pop up. Stay tuned for that drama!

Slainte’

2024 Sailing Season Opener

January 20, 2024

From our log:

“Crew: Captain Mike, First Mate Erin, Second Mate Matthew, King and Sidney

16th wedding anniversary and splash day! We launched at 0700 and made our way down the ICW to St Augustine. It was an uneventful motor- other than being so cold. (I don’t remember that it was cold, truth be told- just that we were on our way.) We used the vent that Mike rigged from the engine room and that made it tolerable. in the enclosure.

Sea Rat and Seadacious splashed Thursday. Sea Rat is hunkered down at Fernandina as they don’t have an enclosure. SeaDacious is here in St Augustine for a few days. We are waiting for a new Starlink Cable and a few other items- most important being coffee. Looks like moving on Thurs the 25th- again on the inside.”

This was the start of our trip to the Bahamas. We made it to Vero Beach on the 27th where we waited for a replacement Starlink. It ended up being sent to SD and we had a heck of a time getting it sent to us. Our dear son-in-law Jon sent it to our oldest son’s friend Brady in Palm Coast, and he ended up delivering it to us. What a mess. But- we have realized we are safer and better able to do all the things with it, so we delayed our crossing.

On the 12th we moved to Ft Pierce then Jensen Beach the 13th. In Jensen Beach we had a delightful German meal and that’s where Brady delivered the Starlink.

The 15th we were FINALLY on our way across the Gulf Stream. We headed south then across from West Palm Beach inlet. It was roughly 22 hours of miserable conditions. There was nothing unsafe, but we rank it in our top 5 uncomfortable passages. Little did we know it wouldn’t get better for quite a while. Most of our passages and anchorages would remain rolly and nauseating for the next few weeks. Notable thoughts from the log; “M and Mike stood watch from 1900-0400……. I was grateful to be in bed as we were all seasick…… M did is first tack on his own and learned a lesson about over steering…… Dogs did well.”

We had finally made it, after a few setbacks. Next up: how we spent our first weeks back *home* in The Bahamas!

Stay tuned!

Slainte’

“A Salty Piece of Land” in honor of Jimmy Buffett

Crooked Island, The Bahamas

Bird Rock Lighthouse

Many years ago, 2005 to be exact, my mom bought the book, “A Salty Piece of Land” for me as a gift. I hadn’t read any other Jimmy Buffett books, but this seemed right up my alley. There was a lighthouse and beach on the cover, totally disregarding the always sage advice to not judge a book by its cover, I knew I would enjoy it because, duh, the king of the beachbums had written it. I had yet to fall in love with the ocean and sailing, although I had always been somewhat smitten. I loved this adventure. As with many others, I knew Jimmy Buffett for his music and until now, hadn’t realized he was an author.

This is Elbow Cay/Hopetown Lighthouse

Obvious difference in lighthouses.

Now, in 2023, I was standing and admiring the lighthouse which he had written about so many years before. The cover of the book is deceptive. It actually shows the lighthouse at Hopetown, another Bahamian landmark. All this time I had thought the book was about that lighthouse. I recommended the book to a friend, our buddy boat First Mate, Jennifer and she pointed out it was actually the Bird Rock Lighthouse at Crooked Island. We all became enamored with this lighthouse and were so sad that it is in such disrepair. We have done a little searching and have yet to find an organization that is interested in updating it. It’s a beautiful structure.

Our second tie to Crooked Island was from the South Dakota blizzard in October 2013, Atlas. During that storm I read the book Plunge: Midlife with Snorkel by Mari Anderson and Fritz Damler. Mike read the book shortly after. During that rare October blizzard when we were without electricity for several days, our horses walked over fences into the ditch of the interstate and Mike had to pull a sled with hay to feed them that we both began to long for a simpler life.

All that to say, Crooked Island had been on our radar for years before we actually got there. Our first anchorage was on the east side of Long Cay, where we dinghied and walked the short distance to old and mostly abandoned Arthurs Town. We saw 2 people and 3 dogs, goats and salt ponds with hundreds of flamingos. There were maybe 5 homes that looked occupied, but no one there presently. There was a huge water desalination station. When the town was booming, there were reportedly 3,000 -4,000 people populating the tiny island. This was incredibly hard to believe. We did see evidence of the first jail in the Bahamas here, though. There were many signs geared towards tourists and a school that had been suddenly abandoned due to a storm in 2015. Notebooks, posters, class attendance records were scattered across the floor. The doors hung askew, and goats had obviously taken up residence when the weather becomes such to make them seek shelter. It was a sad sight.

When weather cleared and made the trip north to Crooked more pleasant, we dropped the hook off the western shore, near Landrail Point Settlement. There was so much here I wanted to see from the book Plunge. The friendly family that runs Gibson’s Restaraunt #2 (formerly Gibson’s Lunch Counter), the airport where the Venezuelan pilot unexpectantly landed, the first post office in the Bahamas and pub where Fritz would have impromptu gigs with fellow islanders. The beaches where Mari picked up many treasures that became a part of their house were also to be explored. Besides that, the fishing and snorkeling are reportedly outstanding! Acklins, Crooked and Long Cay are on the shipping route from Europe to Panama. This is why the post office was so far from the larger settlements in the Bahamas. These islands/cays would have seen heavy traffic when shipping was more prominent. From this anchorage is where we made our way out to Bird Rock Lighthouse.

The season was quickly coming to a point where we needed to either extend our visas or head out of the country. We always say we are going to make our way beyond The Bahamas but have yet to do so. This little island country that is so close to the States but seems worlds away has grabbed our hearts over the years. Each time we come we explore a new area and fall in love with the people and islands all over again.

Because of this, we had only a few days to explore. However, we now know we want to spend much more time here, just as we said about our beloved Cat Island. I think these will be places we head directly to in this next season. Then, if we decide to go further into the Carribean we are close enough to do that.

We have more pictures and details in our IG posts if interested. But, suffice it to say, Crooked Island has our hearts. Below are links to the books mentioned. Of course, if you’ve been with us long, you know that at least one of us (it’s me) is a fanatical reader. So, there have been other book recommendations along the way but, these 2 in particular are special for inciting our interest in this beloved island.

I’ll end here, with Jimmy’s own words:

“And if you do decide to wander, please leave a tiny bit of room in your heart for me. For if I live in your hearts, I really have not died”
― Jimmy Buffett, A Salty Piece of Land

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Manning the Ship

In the fall of 2021, Mike was approached to go back to work at St Mary’s AveraHospital in Pierre, South Dakota where he had worked for nearly 10 years prior to moving onto Voyager. He had filled in 3-4 shifts/month as they needed help. When they called him, we were in Maine, dropping anchor and he wasn’t sure if or where he would be working when we went back to SD in the coming months. He had worked at Fall River Healthcare in Hot Springs when we were home the preceding 2 years, but they had gone a different route with staffing.

The blue “scoop” you see on deck is a wind scoop that funnels air into the cabin while we are anchored. It’s lovely. The yellow cans you see lined up near the lifelines are the diesel jerry cans we keep extra fuel in.

As Mike had decided to go ahead and take some shifts in Pierre, we had to come up with a plan for him to not only get to and from the boat to work, but how Matthew and I would manage without him. That sounds a little melodramatic, but there are a lot of aspects to take into account.

Because Pierre, SD and Rock Sound, Eleuthera are both rather remote locations, the flights and accommodations are tricky. We booked the flight from Nassau to Pierre before we left St Marys. Because we didn’t know where we would be when it came time for him to go, we waited to book the flight to Nassau. Two weeks ago, we decided where he would fly from and got that sorted. While most of the Bahamian islands have airports, flights are rarely everyday, maybe a couple times a week. As a result, Mike flew from Rock Sound, stayed at an AirBnb, then caught his flight to Denver, got a room there, then onto Pierre in time to work. This was 3 days and 2 nights to get to work. Coming home, he was able to fly from Pierre to Nassau (stops in Denver in Miami), stay one night then arrived home this morning. It’s a bit of a hassle and mental gymnastics to get him there and back! The good news was we could dingy him to and from the airport rather than him taking a taxi or hitchhiking.

If you haven’t lived, or even spent much time on a boat, there are things you wouldn’t even think of. For instance, the refrigerator isn’t on all the time. It has to be turned on/off as the temperature demands. Same with hot water. Oh and the water….. we store 200 gallons, but we have to “make” the water, fill at marinas, or carry it from shore in jerry cans. “Making water” means desalination. We take the sea water and convert into drinking water. Our electricity is from solar and the generator. This has to be monitored. Luckily most days are sunny and the solar (don’t get Mike or Matthew started on our solar) is more than sufficient for our needs. However, a cloudy day means running the genset for power to the fridge and to keep the batteries topped off.

How we keep track of the fuel and water levels. Don’t mind the dog hair- I missed this spot,

Laundry is always an adventure. I was here 6 hours doing 3 loads!

We also had the mundane chores; laundry, regular cleaning and upkeep, obtaining fuel in jerry cans to top off the tanks, provisions, making sure the dogs get enough exercise. You get the idea.

Besides boat chores, Matthew had school and we found a few fun things to do. We went to the Methodist Church on Sunday. There is the Ocean Hole and Caves, as well. We have met many new friends and reunited with a few we met previously. Journey, a crew we met in the Chesapeake last summer was standing outside the grocery store the other day when I was walking in. What a pleasant surprise! I also met a very sweet family that follows us on Instagram, as well as others. I love these moments!

The strangest veggie pizza I have ever had.

Mike arrived home today and brought “treats” from home. The most exciting of these is Starlink! We have spoken with so many other cruisers, Venotlines included, that have been using Starlink. The wifi access available with Starlink is incomparable. We are looking forward to having access for weather and float plans as well as school, movie streaming and obviously keeping in touch with family and friends at home.

Eleuthera Means Freedom

We’ve been to Eleuthera a few times, now. We are reminded with each visit just what a special place it is to us.

Eleuthera was named Cigateo originally. It became Eleuthera when Puritan colonists arrived from Bermuda in 1648. They were known as the “Eleutheran Adventurers”. There’s a cave on Eleuthera called Preachers Cave. I’ve written about it before, I think. It was discovered by Captain Sayles of the Eleutheran Adventurers when their 2 ships wrecked at Devils Backbone. The 70 Puritans sought shelter in the huge cave and even carved a pulpit from stone. It still stands with a placard to mark it. Devils Backbone is a notorious chain of reefs. It has quite a reputation among sailors, therefore, caution and planning are required before proceeding through.

Pink sand beaches are something else Eleuthera is known for. Today, in fact, I collected some of this unique sand in an orange juice bottle. The color comes from microscopic coral insects known as Foraminifera. (www.bahamas.com). It’s really something to behold, looking closely at the tiny pink and red flecks in the sand. When the sea washed up it becomes especially bright. The most well known beaches on the island are Harbor Island in the north and working south you’ll find Surfers Beach, French Leave Beach, and Lighthouse Beach. There are smaller ones along the way, but these are the best known. Lighthouse Beach is probably the most beautiful beach we have ever set foot on. It is now owned by Disney, however. Our second favorite would therefore be French Leave Beach or what we call the Club Med beach, due to the Club Med Eleuthera ruins adjacent to the beach. You know how we love exploring ruins and anything with any history!

Governors Harbor is where we are currently anchored and where the French Leave/Club Med beach is nearest. Governor’s Harbor was settled in the mid 17th century, when the Adventures landed. It’s a lovely little town, with beautiful people. Last night we took in the Fish Fry, which is held every Friday night from 6-9pm. We had chicken and pork, because I feel they do it so well. Then there is a limbo compatition in the street. Matthew and Wyatt participated and we danced and watched and recorded.

We have been in the Bahamas for a month already! It’s so hard to believe it. This trip, we intend to make our way to a few islands we haven’t been to before. Mike will be flying home to work the 25th of March and returning the 31st. Matthew and I will be in Rock Sound while he’s gone. When he returns, we will cross over to Cat Island. We have several friends who claim this is their favorite of all the 700 Bahamian islands. I can’t wait to explore. From there we plan to go Conception which looks like the most beautiful place on earth! The Crooked and Acklins, Raggeds and Jumentos (we have been to Water Cay there) are also on the list. We may be really hopping island to island for March and April!

So, just to review; We checked in upon crossing the Gulf Stream at West End, Grand Bahama. From there, we made our way to the Abaco Islands. Abaco, you may remember, was hit hardest by Dorian in 2019. That, incidentally, was the last time we were there. Abaco has many points of interest, most notably is probably Hope Town and the lighthouse. It is the only remaining Fresnel, kerosene powered lighthouse in the world.

Also of note is that we began our Bahamas tour with our new pretend son, Preston, 23. We met Preston in Vero Beach, Florida. He was single handing his 27′ C&C, learning to sail as he went. We were happy to take him under our *very* parental wings, along with Ventolines. While buddy boating with us, we taught him to trim his sails, a little navigation, a little fishing and we fed him, alot. He has just left us this week and God willing will make landfall back in the US today. He formed a pretty tight bond with all of us, but especially Matthew and Wyatt. Jennifer and I were pretty torn up when he left- our mama hearts were very sad to let him go. It is easier knowing his own family was waiting for him and he will continue the dream. He is off to law school this fall and we will be staying in touch. He isn’t rid of us, yet!

Matthew and Wyatt continue their brother like relationship. They have been hunting lobster and spearing fish. Matthew isn’t the angler Wyatt is by a longshot, but he tries to be a good sport about it. They also use the dinghies like a teenager on land uses the car. From hauling trash (offering to take other boats trash as well) to shore, running to the grocery store, to introducing themselves to other boats that just might have a girl on board….. They are definitely the social butterflies of the harbor!

Sapphire Blue Hole

We have also met new friends, Sean and Rhonda on SV Peace. They are a very sweet couple we look forward to spending a lot more time with this season.

Ok- that’s probably enough for now. Mike likes to discuss all the solar power we have on board and that we are gaining a reputation as a power plant (Preston charged his batteries on Voyager). So- look forward to a blog post on powering Voyager, coming soon.

The Queen’s Baths. The boys were the only souls brave enough to go down. And the moms weren’t impressed.

Slainte’

A Smooth Sea Never Made a Skilled Sailor

Hello!

Over the last few weeks we have traveled a fair bit, not staying anywhere for very long. I had a whole blog post written out, that wouldn’t upload due to poor data service. Now, I can’t find that post- it’s lost somewhere in the laptop. Oh well- I had written it after a decidedly uncomfortable passage from one side of Great Harbour Cay to the other. This was 2 weeks ago already!

We had checked into the Bahamas in Bimini on Feburary 14th after making a night passage from Miami. We spent 3 days there, enjoying a spectacular beach (Radio Beach), getting some laundry done, eating from a street vender and just generally exploring. We made several new friends, one boat, has 4 kids on board. This was good for Matthew as he hadn’t had any kids to play with for a few weeks. One of my favorite parts about Bimini was the sea glass we found on the beach. I’ve never seen so much in one place!

From Bimini we headed to the North Berry’s. We had a nice crossing on the 17th. SV Woven, the other kid boat also crossed. They are on a catamaran and much faster than us. We anchored on the west side, while they made it into the east. The next day we made our way around the north end of Coco Cay, Great Stirrup Cay then down to the east side of Great Harbour. It should have been a couple hour passage and ended up being 4 due to the sea conditions. We had 6-8 foot swell and waves with only 6 or so seconds between. It was uncomfortable, unpleasant and we were happy when we got into the bay and anchored. We hadn’t plowed our bow into waves like that before and were happy nothing broke. Voyager held up like a champ and kept us safe. To keep my mind off the rough ride, I threw out my gratitude and listed my blessings to God. He saw fit to help us pass the time a little more quickly. We immediately took the dogs to shore and swam and played for awhile, on arrival. It was good to be settled for the night.

The next day, the 19th, after running the dogs and visiting with Woven we decided to make our way to Nassau. We thought if we were tired or conditions didn’t feel right, we would stop at the southern end of the Berry’s for the night. As it turned out, we had decent conditions and made it to Nassau just after sunset. And guess who was there? SV VENTOLINES! It was reunion time.

We initially anchored in the harbor near the cruise ships, the next day, we made our way to the anchorage by the marina where Ventolines was staying. Eventually we were able to get a slip at the marina, or at least half of one…. There was a blow coming in on Friday and we were hoping to get in there. The way it works is rather than a reservation, you call them and become a squeaky wheel. On Friday morning Mike called at 0800. Nothing yet. He called at 1000. Nothing yet. He called at 12. Yes, there’s room. He may have also mentioned that our beam (the width of our boat) which is 13.5, is now 12 foot. We aren’t sure if that was what got us a spot or if they really had one. So, we moved with the tide. As it turned out, the slip we got was one fit for a yacht with a 20 foot beam and 100 foot length. There was already another boat there and we were to tie up behind them. OK! So, we did. We were happy to have some security for the predicted winds.

We spent Saturday- Wednesday at the Atlantis, or mostly. Jennifer, Wyatt, Matthew and I did, anyway. The guys would come over to play and we had supper at the condo. We have had a timeshare at the Harborside (part of Atlantis) for 15 years. Matthew has claimed to have all his birthdays there, which isn’t far from the truth. We have mostly come the first or second week of December. So, it’s been either his or Mike’s birthday when we are here. So, we were very happy to be able to use it this year as we missed out last year. To have our friends, the Sivori’s join us was icing on the cake. 🙂

Since leaving Nassau the 27th we have been in the Exumas. This. Is. Paradise. Although, our first anchorage, Elbow Cay was rocky, rolly and overall miserable. We slept in the cockpit, or the saloon just trying to get a few winks in. Voyager was making so much noise with the rough anchorage we thought something would break for sure. We managed to get through the night, then headed south to Samson Cay.

When we were in Miami before crossing over, we had picked up a piece of rigging for crew on Sea Paws. They are friends of the Sivori’s and had been sitting in Nassau for weeks with a broke forestay. So, we were able to get that delivered for them. They crossed to the Exumas when we did and now we have 3 buddy boats in our flotilla. They also have a dog, Willow on board. She likes to bark at the dingys and jet skis like ours do.

Right. Samsons Cay. We stayed here for 2 nights. We recovered from our traumatic night at Elbow Cay and found beaches and sandbars to play on. The dogs were happy, we were happy and we met some other cruisers that topped it off.

Next stop, Staniel Cay. You may have heard of this little island. If not Staniel, then probably Thunderball Grotto. This is the location of 2 James Bond films. Thunderball, obviously and Never Say Never Again. We snorkeled the grotto before leaving Staniel Cay yesterday. We were anchored nearby, so dingyed over. Ventolines was also there. Sea Paws had gone the day before. I was pretty hesitant about going in because I thought I would have to dive under and through a cave to get inside. I had watched a few of our favorite YouTube channels when they went in and of course, they made it more dramatic. So, it turns out at low tide, when we went, we were about to just swim in. The lowest spot was about 6 inches above water and it was just a point that came down towards the water. The land mass is volcanic rock that is sharp and jagged, so that is what you’re swimming through and under to get inside. There are thousands of fish inside and the coral is so brightly colored. There are many “holes” in the ceiling. We know people have jumped in through the holes but there are signs discouraging that. The ceiling height is probably 25-30 feet, so the distance gives plenty of room for the sunlight to stream down and add to the experience. Unfortunately, our Go-Pro was dead when we got there, so we didn’t get any pictures. I will be requesting some from Jeff so I can share them.

After snorkeling, we made our way a few more miles south to Black Point. This is a very popular place for cruisers. What we know so far is that Miss Ida at the laundromat not only does the laundry but gives the best haircuts in the Exumas. Matthew may give her some business later today. Our first trip to shore, to find the lay of the land, we asked a couple children heading home from school where we could find some ice cream. They directed us to a house that sat back from the road. The resident there sold us some Blue Bunny ice cream from a small room outside her house. We got 3 cones for $6 and felt like we got a heck of a deal. There are 4 restaurants. One of them, Scorpios, offers a cruisers happy hour 3 nights a week. Not only do they offer 2 for 1 drinks, but very, very affordable food options. This is a big deal! We had 3 appetizers Carribean Chicken, conch fritters and loaded fries and it came to under $40. The same thing, the night before in Staniel was $80. You can imagine how welcome this is. We are usually very frugal when cruising. This season, however, we are trying to be more supportive of local entrepreneurs thereby supporting the local people. So, we are eating away from the boat more often.

So, we go to get back into Meg, the dingy, to come home last night at dusk. We look down and there are 2 nurse sharks laying on the floor under the dingys. This was a little unsettling, but they are harmless. We got home and settled and Mike started the generator to run the fridge and watermaker. Since nothing had broken in our adventures so far, I guess it was time. Our generator is now only giving us 90 volts. We need 110. We are now trying to come up with a solution. Sea Paws is lending us a portable generator to run our fridge today. Mike is trying to troubleshoot with people he knows that have some knowledge of generators and researching online. We have a few spare parts and are hoping that it may be one of those that is the problem.

This will bring you, our faithful readers up to speed. I’m hoping to be a little more diligent in writing. We seem to have spent so much time on the go that I haven’t taken the time to sit at the laptop. I will however, try to get a few more pictures up. If we, at some point get a little better wifi service, I will definitely post more often and get some more pictures up, as well.

Slainte’

Florida

Right- On May 14th we crossed back to the US of A. This started out as a somewhat rolly ride, but cleared relatively quickly into a pleasant 8ish hour sail. We began the crossing at Cat Island, Bimini.

We entered Miami through Government Cut and anchored off Fisher Island. This was basically a wide and barely deep enough spot in a bay across from where they load cargo ships. We checked in to the US on the app in this location and then went around the corner to Virginia Key. This was a pretty anchorage in front of a long beach, but it was very populated. The beach was busy and there was a lot of boat traffic. There was commotion at night as well as traffic from the nearby road. After setting the anchor, we took Meg and went looking for a place to eat, American Food! Jennifer found Salt and we headed to the U of Miami nearby. There was a dock there, but a guard for the school said we couldn’t tie up there. There was another short boardwalk that they suggested we use, so we did so. The food there was terrific and we met the head of security. Evidently he had seen us pull up and had contacted the guard on duty that there were 2 families looking for a place to tie up. He said they get some people that aren’t there for the restaurant or any good thing and they run them off. He was afraid we might be run off. We received great service and had an exceptional time here. We were feeling pretty good about being on American soil, again.

We were able to take the dogs to shore, although we chose to do so after dark when the beach had cleared out. We had to row from the swim buoy’s also, so it just was better this way. There was an ice cream truck and food tent as well, serving Latin food. The Sivori’s and Matthew and I shared a Lyft to Target the next day. Matthew was soooo happy to see a “real” store again! He bought several gifts for family, in anticipation of going home in a few days.

From Miami we went south to Elliot Key. This was a short trip, about 3 hours. We spent one night here. When we anchored and went to bed, there were four boats, including us. When we awoke, there was approximately 500 boats. We headed further south the next day towards Key Largo. We anchored one night at North Key Largo, near Turkey Point. We took a quick ride on Meg through the mangroves, it was nice to be off the boat for awhile. Then onto the Anchorage Resort marina the 20th. We had a bridge to go under that was immediately adjacent to the marina, extremely shallow depths (the only place we touched bottom, the whole trip) and a bit of a current. It took 2 attempts to get into our slip, but it was reasonable smooth, anyway. Do you know what the best benefit of a marina is??? AIR CONDITIONING! Unlimited power means our AC runs nonsop! We had a full day there before we headed to Tampa and enjoyed the pool and our first meal from McDonalds since December!

We stayed in a motel the night of the 21st after driving our rental car to Tampa (5 hour drive) and Matthew and I were at the airport at 0500. We shed some tears, but had a good flight. He slept most of the way. When we deplaned, dad was sitting at the gate. I ran Matthew over to the exit doors and tearfully hugged and waved goodbye to him. Jamie had brought Helena and that was a great diversion for him.

Dad, Mike and I drove back to Key Largo that night. We stopped first along the way to pick up some folding bikes Mike had found and bought on Facebook. Then we found a sushi restaurant that was amazing! I think I ate my weight in sushi! We got home at 11pm.

Thursday, we ran around Key Largo a bit and went to marine thrift stores and gift shops. We met Brad and Shelby from SV Falkor, which was in the slip to our port side (left as you look forward). They are a young couple and she had just turned 28 the day before. They have 3 rescue dogs on board, so we were all immediate friends! They live aboard their Spindrift 43 pilot house sailboat in Miami. She is a beautiful and unique boat. When we went to town, we gave them a ride as we still had our rental car. It was fun! For giving them a ride, they blessed us with a colorful tiki that now sits below our dodger. Jennifer had given me an ankle bracelet that day and dad had brought me a tshirt from Mom. I was feeling pretty special. Jennifer had recently given me a necklace of hers with a Walt Whitman quote:

“Now, Voyager, sail thou forth to seek and find”

We agreed that as she already had this necklace when she began her trip, it was just one more piece of evidence that we were meant to travel together and become life long friends. I will always cherish this necklace!

That night, Jennifer, Wyatt, Shelby and I stayed up until midnight painting the wood that Jennifer and I had collected in our travels. The guys talked and we were creative. I love the pieces we made and the time spent together!

We were off to Elliot Key the next day. We hoped that because of some weather coming in we would be in a less busy sight. Not so…. So, the next night we went back south to Card Sound. We anchored off some mangrove creeks. We had drinks and played cards on Falkor that night. Dad was worn out and stayed home. We had taken a dinghy ride through the mangroves for a few hours and enjoyed the change in scenery. The temperatures were gradually becoming warmer and we especially appreciate a breeze when at anchor. That morning we had seen dolphins playing between the 3 boats. Shelby and Brad had also seen a couple of nurse sharks, but we missed those. Shelby coined us the Pirate Brigade! I loved having the 3 boats and new friends nearby. We all played around one more day, then on Monday headed back to Miami. Falkor went to their home port and we dropped the hook back at Virginia Key. After everyone settled we met up for a farewell meal at Whiskey Joes across the road. We dinghy’d over then after Brad and Shelby took me to the grocery store for a few last minute provisions. What a sweet couple they are! More new life long friends! What could be better?

The next morning we headed north for West Palm. As we headed out of Government Cut, the waves were bottlenecking into the channel. We estimate the waves to have been about 6 foot and very close together. Voyager plowed through them, burying her bow in the water several times. It was a relief to turn north once out, and get out of that! We were able to catch the edge of the Gulf Stream and made decent time. We were making high 9’s (9+knots) and were happy with that. We anchored near the Palm Beach Sailing Club where we had been in March, so we could take the dogs to the dog park. The next morning we were headed north again after fueling up at the Riveria Marina fuel dock.

Missing this crew like crazy!

We weren’t sure if we would pull an overnighter or not when we left, but we did, indeed. The gulf stream kept us at around 11knots and we were screaming along! Typically, if only under sail with 12 or more knots we can expect around 7 knots of speed, so this was amazing. We arrived at the Conch House Marina in St Augustine at about 4 pm on May 30th. There was a brisk current and the wind, which had been minimal all day picked up as we approached. The marina was somewhat narrow between docks and I had trouble lining up to the slip we were directed to go into. As I started in, the wind and current took Voyager back. I then narrowly missing a few other boats, swung around, doing a 360 and we pulled in to a slip across from where we were supposed to be. It was embarrassing and humiliating and I was so glad no one got the footage (that I know of). The dock hands were great and made light of the whole thing. Mike said he thought the Lord was keeping us humble as we were feeling like we had this whole sailing thing down. He’s probably right. I tend to get a little too big for my britches and this brought me down a notch.

We weren’t sure how long we would stay, but planned on leaving Saturday if Rocky was able to haul us out on Sunday. Well, turns out St Augustine is a pretty great place to explore! Mike and I finally tried out our new bikes, riding to the Sailors Exchange (we had driven there from St Mary’s in Feburary). This is a marine style thrift store that has absolutely anything you can imagine for a boat. We then got a Lyft to Mojo’s BBQ and had a late lunch with Ventolines Crew. Oh. My. Word. This place is amazing. The food was delicious. We split the “whole hog” between the 3 of us and still had food left over. And the price was reasonable. We walked around a little after. Dad sat and enjoyed a beer while Mike and I walked around the outside of the fort, Castillo de San Marcos. We really had no idea of the history of this great town and were fascinated! So, we spent an extra day and took the trolley on the tour and were able to see a few more points of interest. The architecture of the Flagler College, formerly the Ponce De Leon hotel is gorgeous. We missed the guided tour, but will do it the next time we are in town. We also saw a bit of the Governor’s House and then the Lightener Museum. This is unlike any museum we have been to. Apparently, Lightener, from Chicago, would buy up estates after the stock market crash in the 30’s. This led to his being the owner of an especially eclectic collection of “stuff”. He bought the Alcaraz Hotel for $150,000 to house his collection. When this was a hotel, it was unique in that it had the largest indoor swimming pool of the time and this pool had 2 upper, balcony style levels, including a ballroom where Henry Flagler would have orchestra’s play while swimmers enjoyed the pool. There was also a steam room and various bathing apparatus for his clienteles every whim and well being. The architecture here is also lovely. This was the second hotel built by Henry Flagler after bringing his wife to St Augustine for a healthier environment and finding transportation and accommodation lacking. Henry Flagler, if you aren’t aware, was the partner of John D. Rockefeller in the creation of Standard Oil. Rockefeller had stated that Flagler was the one with the ideas. Well, he saw a need in St Augustine and not only built a railroad from Jacksonville to Miami, but a hospital, churches, the 2 resort style hotels and several other beneficial businesses. He bought a 3rd hotel, the Casa Monica from a friend who had built it, then realized it wasn’t going to turn a profit. Flagler was there, checkbook in hand thereby owning the 3 largest resort hotels all within one block of each other. He was quite a man! This is an era of wealthy living that will never be repeated. It was grand and high end and sparkly and excessive in a way I don’t think we have seen since and won’t see again. We truly enjoyed our time in St. Augustine and plan to return and spend more time, there.

So frusterating

Trying out the new bike

Mojo BBQ

The Old Drug Store

Old City Walls

Tiny Baby Lizard saved from the pool by Jennifer

Some fierce looking Spaniards

The pool is now a restaraunt

Because I have a thing for staircases.

Smoothys!

Tonight, as I write, we sit on the hook in the St. Mary’s river. We will be hauled out at the boat yard, tomorrow morning. We had a decent motor sail up from St Augustine today with very little wind and almost no height to the sea state. When we said good bye to Jeff, Jennifer and Wyatt this morning, it was a surreal farewell. There were many tears shed and I tear up now thinking about having left them. We had literally been side by side for 3 months. Besides my mom and brothers, I rarely talk to anyone every day, but that’s how close we have become to this family. Mike and Jeff have hashed out sailboat issues, speculated on the weather and routes. Jennifer and I have folded each others laundry and shared midnight Facebook and YouTube finds. This is a relationship that took us off guard and completely sucked us in! We have related to each other many times how we are so sure God put us together. We needed each other for this journey and were happy to oblige. The timing, our personalities, our gifts and talents, our children’s ages, all these attributes meshed so well, there is no other explanation. I’m so glad we followed through and went where we were led.

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My next post will likely be from South Dakota. We have projects there to wrap up. We may try and make a few dollars for the next season, but mostly we will be enjoying our family. Matthew has never been away from us this long and we really aren’t sure we will do this again. We miss him madly! Megan turned 31 today and we will have a party for her after we get back.

If you haven’t checked out our couple of YouTube videos, do that. They aren’t great, but you can see what we’ve been doing, rather than read about it, if you choose.

Slainte’

Alabaster Bay

When we left Hatchet Bay, we were headed for Governors Harbour. We decided en route, due to the slightly uncomfortable sea state, that we would cut the passage short and anchor in Alabaster Bay. This ended up being a great choice! This bay is gorgeous! The beach is miles long and the beach combing fruitful. There were 2 other boats when we came in and the catamaran was gone the next day.

We were able to easily get the dogs to shore, watching when the other boaters had their dogs ashore. There was also some ruins to explore on the beach and plenty of trees for hanging our hammocks. A US Navy base was a mile and a half down the road and we walked there to explore. There are old barracks, gas station, brig, store, absolutely everything that a small base would require. And it was abandoned. It turns out that this base played a major role in the Cuban Missile Crisis. The base was formed to “listen” to submarines off shore in the Atlantic. It was initially an experimental sight, that ended up being exactly what worked to divert catastrophe.

Jeff and Jennifer rented a car for 2 days. While they had the car, we were able to explore both ends of Eleuthera. The first day with the car, we went to Governors Harbour and explored the Ruins of Club Med. What a place this must have been! A lot of the buildings are gone, but the pools (with resident ducks), daycare, tennis courts, basketball courts and courtyard remain. Every time we tour one of these ruins, it leads to investigation of the site. I’m always left wondering how these places can just be walked away from. There were documents here, plans for the future, financial logs, etc. And they are left, to mold and blow away in the next wind.

After Club Med, we ate lunch at Buccaneers and ventured further south and found church ruins at Bannerman Town and Lighthouse Beach. This, my friends, is the most beautiful, secluded beach I’ve ever laid eyes on!! Now, before you hop in your Chrysler and head out there, be forewarned that the road is questionable. It’s a good thing the Savori’s rented a Jeep, that’s all I’m saying.

Day 2 of the car rental took us north. We ate at an absolutely amazing restaurant along the way that had the best local cuisine. It was called Island Something or other and was in Bluff, along the main road. I had Curry chicken and it was delicious! There are only a few items on the menu, but they are made to perfection. Matthew had wings. When I asked if she had BBQ sauce for them (when he ordered) she said no, but offered to make some~ and she did. It was sooo good! Also, when here, don’t trust the bathroom lock…..

We stopped at the Queens Bath just before the Glass Window Bridge. This is something special. There are several small pools and caves that fill with water depending on the sea state and tides. The water varies in temperature and depth per pool.

We continued up the road to Preacher’s Cave, stopping first at the Sapphire Blue Hole. This is a salt water pool that is approximately 60 feet deep. “Blue holes are typically found on shallow carbonate platforms, exemplified by the Bahama Banks…..” (Wikipedia). It is a sinkhole originating from a limestone cave. Regardless of how it’s formed, these holes are beautiful and fun. When we stopped, there was another family there. Two sons and the mom had made the 30 foot leap into the pool. We didn’t really talk about jumping, but before we knew it, Matthew had taken off his flip flops and handed his dad his shirt and was preparing to jump. Mike just had time to turn on his phone and record it!

After the blue hole, we went on to Preachers Cave. This, readers, is historically very cool. It seems that this is where the first descendants of Eleuthera came, although, not on purpose. They shipwrecked in 1684 on the Devils Backbone. This is an especially shallow area to the north and east of the island. They sought shelter in the cave and this is where the first church service was held on the island. There is a cemetery, it is unmarked and we were unable to find it. This cave is pretty large and has several alternate entrances to the grassy knoll above.

After the cave we wondered down a few other narrow roads and found some mangoes.

That night we made hot dogs on the beach. It was our last night on Alabaster and we were a little sad. This also marked our turn around point and from here on we are headed back to the states.

The next leg was making a turn towards New Providence. This is where Nassau is, the Capitol. We had no desire to go here (we have been vacationing there every year since 2005) while cruising. It was, however, on the way. We anchored at Rose Island. The sea was bumpy and the anchor kept up the rolling. When we were nearing Rose Island, Mike caught a fish, that when he pulled it in, had been partially eaten in the process. We hadn’t had anything like this happen and were a little weirded out…. Also along the way, I had tea in my favorite cup from Lynn and read a little. I was seasick for part of the day and the tea was comforting.

Tea in my favorite cup from Lynn.

I’m not sure reading at the helm is recommended, but sometimes I do it, anyway.

Poor unknown species of fish.

The weather making the bumpy road.

We sit, now at Hog Cay. Yesterday we explored Bird Cay and the fascinating story behind it. This was owned by Francis Frances, who was a descendant of the Rockefeller family (Standard Oil). He bought the house from his sister, Joe Carstair (now that’s an interesting story- look her up. There is a book called The Queen of Whale Cay, which I intend to read about her. Anyhoo- Frances and his wife built a mansion and essentially a compound here and made it their winter home. Google Bird Cay and see the stories. It is pretty cool. The house could be made beautiful again with repairs (a lot of repairs) as it’s not completely ruined. The bones still look good, to me 🙂 I didn’t get many pictures, mostly video and I haven’t gone through them, yet. Stay tuned!

This brings me to my next point. YouTube. We have posted a few videos. Let me tell you something…. if you enjoy a YouTube channel or two, appreciate the work that is involved. It is time consuming editing a video! It is also HARD! So, that said, go visit our sight. And be kind- it’s the beginning and it can only get better. I look at comments on other channels and wander where people get the idea they are invited to criticize…. How about say something nice, or not at all.. Ok, enough. Yes, I’m fearful of criticism. There, I said it. I’ll continue posting videos either way, as this is a good way for us to save them and show our families. So there. Enjoy:

Here’s the link for the latest episode.

My next post will likely be from Florida. We either have 3 days to go, or straight through any of those days depending on the weather. Pray for safe travel, if you are so inclined. I will be flying Matthew to Sioux Falls and bringing my dad back in a week or so. My brother, Jamie, is calling this the prisoner exchange. Matthew likens it more to a hostage situation as he is very excited to be going home. Dad will make the last leg with us. I’ll be happy to see him, then anxious to get home to my big kids and grandson and the rest of the family.

Until then~ Slainte’

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