A Couple of Loose Screws

 

And, no, I don't mean Hans and me. If I'd been referring to us I would have used the phrase 'a couple of screws loose', which everyone knows pretty much describes us.

But, before I explain the title of this post, let me back-track a bit.

After a 12 hour crossing from Florida we arrived in the Bahamas a week ago Saturday. We then stayed in a marina in Bimini for three days (2 more than we'd planned but it felt so good to just plain sit and enjoy the fact that we were finally there), before departing for the Exumas. For us this meant we had to cross over the 'banks'; about an 80 mile passage. The banks are basically flooded land with depths averaging around 10 feet or so. "No problem", we said, "all we have to do is drop the hook on the banks for the night and then continue on the next morning." Of course it wasn't quite that easy as we've discovered that even though the water isn't deep, if you aren't protected by a shoal or a land mass, you'll get bounced around by the tide and current. We did luck out though and anchored with another couple we met in Bimini, first near Cat Cay on day one, and then just before the Northwest Channel on day two. Luckily, both nights were very comfortable.

From there we had a decision to make. Our friends, who are trying to cover as much ground water as possible opted to take on the entire Northwest Passage (another full day) which ends up in Nassau, while Hans and I opted to head to Frasier's Hog Cay, just a half day away instead.

At Frasier's Hog Cay we ended up anchoring next to a different set of friends from Bimini (we met them in Marathon and they, too, made the crossing with us from Florida. Even though our cruising guides boasted that Frasier's Hog had a marina and restaurant; they didn't so we spent a quiet night on the hook. This is pretty much the norm here in the Bahamas, some businesses make a go of it and some don't.

The next day it was our turn to take on the Northwest Passage and even though we'd read tons of warnings about it (it's thousands of feet deep and I pointedly told Hans I did not want updates as to our depth), we, along with our friends from Frasier's, found ourselves safely anchored at Rose Island in Nassau a few hours later. We ended up staying another night while our friends moved on.

Getting out of there the next day was very interesting though and with the wind rushing against the tide we hobby horsed through the churning seas around Porgie's Rocks and headed on to Allen's Cay,which to us, is the first real island in the Exumas.

 

Which brings me back to 'loose screws'.

I'm not kidding when I say we've pounded through more seas during this past week than we have during the entire time we've owned the Knotty Cat. And I mean hours upon hours. We thought once we got here we would be able to primarily use our sails, yet every stinking trip we've made since we've been here has seen us pounding staight into the wind. Just imagine taking off on an extended road trip and then finding yourself hitting a pothole about every 5 seconds and you'll then see what we've been putting up with for over a week now. One-two-three-four-SLAM-one-two-three-four-SLAM-one-two-three-four-SLAM! Twelve hour bouts of this crap might piss me off but imagine what the Knotty Cat thinks. A few days ago we heard a loud ping somewhere in the vicinity of the base of the mast and we just knew something had fallen from above and bounced overboard. And then it happened again. And when it happened for a third time we were pretty worried. The last time, however, we actually found a loose screw lying atop the boat and I immediately recognized it as a one of the screws that holds our radar mount in place (up near the spreaders). Now that I knew what to look for I was alarmed to note that while there were 5 screws visible on the starboard side of the mount, there was only one screw remaining on the port side and it was sticking out which meant it was ready to let loose at any time. Of course I discovered this while we were smashing and bouncing our way toward Allen's Cay. Once we arrived in the incredibly full anchorage at Allen's, Hans hoisted me up the mast lickety-split where I managed to get a total of three screws (all we could find out of the mish mash of hardware we keep on board) into the port side, I then covered them in 5200.

The water was crystal clear and even though I'm afraid of heights I forgot this fear as from atop my perch I watched a fat shark make its way slowly through the anchorage. I also noted that it seemed to be particularly fond of the boat right beside us. No surprise there, as it turns out the people on that boat were divers and they cleaned their catch there every evening. Needless to say that put the kabosh on any swimming off our boat.

We left Allen's Cay two days later only to find ourselves smashing and rolling once again as we headed toward Highbourne Cay. After dropping the hook off of a rocky shore in twelve feet of water and finding ourselves hobby horsing to such a degree we couldn't stand up without hanging on, we gave up and went into Highbourne Marina. We had already planned on coming here for fuel and water so in the end it all worked out. We took on 40 gallons of diesel along with 35 gallons in Bimini so you can see we really are motoring all the time.

I honestly can't even imagine how many other things have been jarred loose during this absolutely smashing trip but I'm sure we'll find out.

Still no pictures. They're all on my iPhone. Don't ask.

Posted with Blogsy

The Bahamas

Yes, the water really looks like this

We arrived in Bimini yesterday and after I heaved one final time into my trusty bucket I told Hans this will be the last time I cross to the Bahamas.

We woke up at 4 AM, left Rodriguez Key at 5 AM, and I was puking by 8 AM.

Oddly, even though we left our anchorage in the dark which is creepy, that turned out to be a piece of cake. The seas were just ripples for about the first hour but when the sky started to lighten, the waves continued to build and then the wind, which had been forecast to be under 10 knots and going SE, kicked up to 20 knots E and showed no inclination of heading S. We started chop-chop-chopping along with roooooooolling from side to side and my stomach said the hell with this nonsense and, after losing my coffee and orange juice, I had nothing to eat or drink until we docked.

I did manage to help Hans get the jib out (which would hopefully steady the boat and help push us a little faster) before my stomach took over.

Wilbur was a champ though. He spent the entire day in the cockpit and when he wasn't circling the helm pod and passing under Hans' legs like a cat, he licked Hans' face, arms, and legs while sitting tightly against him. I couldn't stand being in the cockpit and went below to the salon with my bucket and every time I would start to throw up Wilbur would rush to the companion way door and stare down at me. This was something he'd never witnessed before and with his head tilted to the side and ears pointed up, he watched with amazement like maybe I'd turned Pentecostal and was speaking to him in tongues. I begged him to come down and keep me company but he must have decided his captain was the lesser of two evils and remained staunchly by Hans' side.

I never did see the sun rise although Hans assured me it was beautiful, I didn't get to witness the phenomenon of watching the gulf's water turn from brown to navy blue as we entered the stream, and I didn't come above when Hans shouted 'Land Ho!' upon spotting Bimini. I did manage to set my bucket aside in order to help furl the jib which unfortunately put me far too close to the proximity of Wilbur's potty patch (which stinks no matter how often we rinse it), and I was off and heaving again.

And then we were in calmer water that suddenly went from navy blue to emerald green, which I did get to see since I'd come above to get our dock lines ready. The channel into Bimini has been re-dredged since our last time here and getting in was easy. And just like that our salt encrusted boat, stinky selves, and an exhausted pit bull, were docked at Blue Water Marina.

The water here is crystal clear and last night as we walked around the docks Hans commented that you don't even need to snorkel to see all the fish below the surface, just look down and they're there. I was looking at little striped fish zipping about, glass bottles lying on the bottom, pieces of old anchor chain covered with sea growth... when all of a sudden a giant ray accompanied by a baby ray glided just under the surface right in front of us. Even Wilbur saw it.

Our day did end on a really high note though. Right after we arrived some kids on the fishing boat next to us needed a drill and some drill bits to fix something on their boat. We lent them ours and after they'd returned them I was down below putting stuff in order while Hans went to check us in at Customs and Immigration. I heard someone call me and when I came out into the cockpit one the kids was standing on the dock. I thought he needed the drill again and then I saw that he had a bag in his hand which he presented to me. It contained two huge Mahi fillets! Wow, fresh Mahi for dinner on our first night here in Bimini almost made that crappy crossing worth it.

Mahi!!

Today, after a good night's sleep (I was in bed by 8:30), the sun is shining, I'm walking around barefoot in a sundress while Wilbur snoozes in the cockpit, and Hans is attempting to put new connectors on our solar panels.

It's beautiful but I still say it's the last time I'll sail here.

 

I'm having a hard time downloading pictures from my phone to my iPad and I have to admit that I took these pictures 4 years ago. But that's okay because nothing here has really changed anyway.

 

 

 

Posted with Blogsy

The Reality of Leaving...

 

... has all of us in an uproar.

 

Three garbage bags for Good Will

Wilbur tip-toeing around a bunch of 'yea or nae' crap in the cockpit.

We've known for far too long that we were going to try to cast off our lines in early 2015 yet we are finding ourselves horribly unprepared. Part of our dilemma has to do with Hans putting our vehicle up for sale on Craig's List a week before he should have. At least that's what I keep harping about to him since it was sold within a day, so now how the hell are we supposed to finish our provisioning, get stuff to the post office, take loads and loads of crap to the laundromat, and most of all, get Wilbur to the dog park where he's been fraternizing, sniffing, pooping, running, ramming his head into crotches, shoulder checking pooches who need to be shoulder shoulder checked, chasing down and 'rolling' pups (someone has to do it and they should be thankful Wilbur is kind about it), and most of all leaping onto picnic tables (picnic being a loose term as no one in their right mind would ever think of eating on a table at a dog park) in order to smooch (actually, I'm being polite here and it's known as getting the 'tongue") as many people possible before being thrown off, for the past three plus years.

Yes, our Wilbur has a bit of a reputation here on the gulf and he and I are finding it difficult to 'quit it'.

 

We immediately had several offers from fellow cruisers to use their vehicles for our last minute runs. However, since Monday is a holiday and we can't transfer ownership until Tuesday, we're going to try to get as much done as possible during this window of opportunity. This will involve trips to the post office (early Tuesday morning), WalMart, Home Depot, Gulf Port, West Marine, Winn-Dixie, Best Buy, JoAnne's Fabrics (a completely unexpected mess), PetCo, Wilbur's vet, U-Haul for propane tank filling, and God knows what else. Since I really hate to borrow from our neighbors, we may actually rent a vehicle for a day or two, it just depends on how much we can get done.

And I still need to coat our canvas with 303 and get up the mast to take care of the water that's sitting in one of our spreader lights.

 

The past few days have seen us gutting the boat of stuff that we will not need to go cruising. I filled three garbage bags full of fabric scraps, patterns, and sewing notions for Good Will. We boxed up Hans' hockey gear along with our winter coats that will be sent north to family where we'll pick through that stuff next summer. Our live-a-board neighbors have been gifted items (crock pot, toaster oven) that are peachy keen to have while living in a marina.

 

I came back from vacuuming and washing our vehicle (for car candidate/buyer number 2) to Hans saying, "We have a situation." My heart just stopped and I couldn't imagine what the hell to expect short of WW III. All it turned out to be was that our cockpit cushions (due to have been replaced a couple of years ago) are literally falling apart and now sand-like crap (from the 20 year old closed cell foam) is sifting all over the place and filtering down into our lazarettes. This past summer we tried to get an estimate on replacing these cushions (somewhere in the $1,600 range) and I decided I'd rather cruise with ugly (therefore who cares what we do to them) cushions, yet now Hans thinks I should whip up some new covers, in, oh say, the next few minutes. Hence the need to visit JoAnne's Fabrics and I just can't wait to try sewing at anchor.

 

Wilbur totally senses something is up, and uncharacteristically for him, he jumped ship two times today. Wilbur is very seldom left alone and yet the last few days have upset his equalibrium. We were gone for nearly four hours the other night when we were treated to a farewell dinner with our dog park (very best) friends, and the day before that we dared to leave him while we tried to get some shopping done. Gone are Wilbur's and my lazy days while Hans was at work.

 

This morning Hans and I were scrabbling about in the gravel underneath our vehicle in search of an elusive tiny cap to the transmission fluid (I'm still questioning why Hans felt the need to mess with it to begin with...) when all of a sudden a third party offered his help. This third party was Wilbur, who just couldn't stand the fact that his peeps had abandonded him yet once again. I nearly fainted when his big fat pitty nose came sniffing around the corner and I immediately marched him back to the boat. Later on he once again stepped off the boat when he saw me talking to a fellow live-a-board. For his own safety we'll keep him tethered to the helm for the next few days.

 

"Whhhaaaaat? Is this for me?"

 

Yes, Wilbur, it is. You are, once again, officially allowed in Bahamian waters.

 

I'm not kidding when I say my head is pounding and when we went to WalMart today I just froze up so we came home with a lot less stuff than we should have. We are woefully unprepared for departure and I have to remind myself that we will be on American soil for the next few weeks. Even though stuff might be a bit more expensive the further south we move, it will still be far cheaper than what we'll pay it the Bahamas.

This is if we ever get there.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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We're still in the states...

...but I kinda wish we were still in the Bahamas.

Things are just a bit more laid back there.

In the Bahamas where everyone is so friendly I got used to the natives greeting us with a nod and a "Good day", or "Good afternoon" all the time, so arriving back in the states was like getting slapped in the face.

The morning after arriving back in the good old USA we had to report to Customs even though a few months previous to this I'd been promised that if I paid $27.50 for a special decal we'd be able to avoid this step. The lovely lady who accepted my documents through her bullet proof glass, after pretending she didn't hear me ring the 'only ring this bell once' sign and most likely hoped I'd ring it again if only to make her day (I didn't), was not pleased. You see, I'd (gasp) presented her with not only my passport, but also with a document from the Bahamas that I thought she might possibly need to see.

She didn't.

With a dramatic rolling of her eyes, she scornfully flicked the document back at me through the bullet proof glass via the fingernail of her forefinger with the the caustic comment, "I don't need this, why would you give it to me?"

I can only imagine what would have happened if I'd really needed this document and hadn't had it at the ready.

Before I could stammer a reply she'd already leafed through my passport, shot it out the window, and said, "You can leave."

"Thank you so much!" I called out in my friendliest voice at her retreating back. "You have a really nice day!"

The poor woman turned around and stared at me as I'm pretty sure she hadn't heard this from anyone in a long time.

"Uh, you too." She stammered.

Hey, I wasn't a waitress for over ten years for nothing. My motto? Kill'em with kindness, and make them feel like a sh*t!

I guess I should just be thankful we weren't one of the four sailboats that arrived the next morning and were swarmed and boarded by The Coast Guard. We later found that they too had purchased the magical (and obviously useless) decal that was supposed to prevent this from happening.
We also recently found out that in the future, our government may require cruisers to file 'float plans' before embarking on any journeys outside the USA. What kind of country are we becoming?

Once back home (two days in a rental car and thank God we found two pet friendly motels along the way) we were welcomed to tons of mail, news of a stolen credit card, a green card renewal problem which no one wanted to help with and Hans was actually advised to retain legal help with (he didn't and luckily he's legal once again), huge unexpected increases in car insurance, health insurance turn downs, increased boat insurance because we dared leave the boat in Florida, family drama, Direct Dish TV trouble, health issues, even more family drama, a drained bank account, and no income.

And that's only the tip of the ice burg.




Lucky for Hans, the Bahamas don't have a 'fashion police'!

Isn't he ever so dapper in his swim trunks and shirt!!??

Wilbur just wants to get back on board.

I don't think he's going to have to wait very long.

I'll have an update on that in the near future.

Long time no post...

...for a variety of reasons I must admit.

One of them being, that while at anchor (something we've ended up doing for very long stretches), I only have about 1 hour of computer battery time and add to that, very poor Internet coverage.

The other reason is that I flew home for a week.

Honest to God I did, but only after arranging for a week of Doggy Day Care for Wilbur. My reason for the whole day care thing was that if anything happened to my baby while I was gone I would want to blame anyone but Hans. And believe me, I wouldn't be worth living with!

Here I am (pouting big time because I DON'T WANT TO LEAVE!!!) with by poor baby and his belongings as we walk to his home away from boat.

Sitting atop Wilbur's Steeler's pillow is his stinky potty patch (in the black garbage bag), and underneath all of that is his bag of dog food. The bag I'm carrying holds his Kong, peanut butter, canned pumpkin (tummy troubles!) shampoo, benedryl (allergies!!), and various topical medicines for whatever ailment Wilbur might suffer from while I'm gone.



Poor Wilbur doesn't have a clue.

I endured a total of six flights (to and from, and BTW I hate flying) mostly because I figured if I didn't show up for a couple of very important functions, Baby Girl (senior college student) would some day see fit to put me in the nastiest nursing home she could find.

I didn't breath a sigh of relief until I was back on our boat in Marsh Harbor with Hans and Wilbur. And I might add that even though we've been through some pretty rough seas, nothing can really compare to the wild 6 AM taxi ride I endured from our apartment to the Pittsburgh airport. I'm not kidding when I say my palms were sweating when I saw the speedometer reach 85 MPH as we weaved in and out of traffic on rainy pavement that for some reason causes any and all inhabitants of this great city to drive like senior citizens in Oldsmobile's

Happier Bahamian days with Wilbur at the beach.












More to follow.

Life here in Bimini

This was taken in Nixon's Harbour after we rode through the big blow and I was still pretty soaked. During the height of the storm, while I was on the radio, I would have to open the companionway door in order to yell information up to Hans, and the rain would hit me in the face full force. This happened too many times.

What a greedy bunch! These pelicans fought like the dickens over the fish entrails that were being tossed to them. A couple of brothers and their teenage sons came over from Miami to do some fishing (actually, they got caught in the same storm as we did and heard us on the radio!) and today, after a trip 'outside' they came back with a wahoo, a mahi, and some yellow tails.

Here is the wahoo and to get a good look at it's size, double click and you'll see someones foot at the bottom right.

I asked if I could watch the fish get cleaned as it's been years since I've filleted a fish. We took Wilbur with us and he was thrilled when a piece of fish liver got tossed to him. I had no idea that fish had livers!

Today I did a bit of sewing in the cockpit and Hans changed the oil on both engines and changed the fuel filters on the port engine (he'll do the starboard engine after we decide the port side was a success). For the fuel filter change, poor Hans had his notes from our diesel mechanic, his own notes from the diesel course he took in Annapolis, Nigel Calder's book on diesel maintenance, and the manual from Island Packet. After all was said and done I couldn't help but notice that our spare filters are 2 microns and our filters are 30!! WTF? Luckily we shouldn't have to perform this task until we're back in the states.

We took Wilbur for a tour of Bimini and while he received a lot of attention, it was not the same as it was in South Beach. The focus here was pure 'Pit Bull' and I was asked "How much you want for that Pit?" "What kinda Pit is that, he looks like a fight'n dog to me." "Is that a Reddie (red nose)?", and "That dog got all his shots?" All of these comments were delivered with narrowed eyes and calculated nonchalance. Today my baby boy ventured no further than the marina and I sincerely hoped that the interested parties didn't know where we were.

During our little tour we hit the ocean and Wilbur had many zoomie sessions (all the while on his leash) and here he is taking a rest. When Hans spotted two unleashed dogs down aways from us we beat a hasty retreat. I know these dogs eat scraps and garbage from the locals but I wasn't taking any chances that they didn't want to beat up my baby.

The water here is crystal clear and I'd entertained the thoughts of snorkeling and/or letting Wilbur hop in for a swim. But when I found out that the big dark shape we saw gliding around the marina was a Bull Shark I said No Way!! I didn't think a shark would want to venture into such shallow waters but apparently this one feeds on the remains from all the fisherman.

Wilbur may not have been allowed to leave the marina but he had fun eating crab leavings (from the gulls), trying to eat chicken and rib bones (dropped by those damn gulls), and rolling in wonderfully juicy, aromatic droppings from, guess who??? Those stinking gulls!!!

I guarantee you someone cleaned fish on the top of this cooler.

Right after we watched the fish cleaning session a family from Florida arrived on their sailboat. Their girls were adorable and wanted to pet Wilbur (who of course went nuts), and told us all about their dog; they were so nice and I got a huge kick out of them. After the husband set off for customs a man rowed up to the marina with a bunch of Conch for sale. He would only sell a dozen at a time so we asked the newly arrived wife if she wanted to split a batch, and she did. So tomorrow we will be grilling Conch while at anchor as we intend to head on out in the morning.

A very tired piggy pitty after a day of socializing.

We're in the Bahamas!!! And I have to wonder; why the hype?!

I didn't mind having to wake up at 3:30 AM in order to traverse the channel out of Dinner Key Marina.


I didn't mind getting sea spray in my face as I knelt on the bow of the boat while using a rapidly dying (yet new) spot light in order to find day markers and those bizarre houses in Stiltsville (homes just outside of the channel, and really truly built on stilts, and I have to wonder how they feel about spotlights in their houses as many a sailor heads to the Bahamas).


I was okay with the 2 to 3 foot seas that NOAA had predicted, and was quite proud of myself when I waited until we were nine nautical miles from Bimini to puke.


I wasn't overly thrilled with the wind as it remained E SE for most of the day (even though we'd been promised S winds) which meant we had to motor the whole way and never had a chance to sail. Our time in the water went from 8 hours to possibly 12.


I was dismayed when right behind us I saw huge blue black clouds marching across the sky like Nazi soldiers when we were only 7 miles away from Bimini's shore line.


I was more than a bit frightened when the skies opened up and winds hit us clocking up to 51 knots (that's nearly 60 MPH folks!) and visibility went to nearly zero.


I would've liked to puke (but my stomach was empty) when Hans told me to get on the radio NOW and ask for information about entering the Bimini channel.


Thank God some good citizen (as all officials ignored us) answered me, plotted our location, and told us that our best bet was to head into Nixon's Harbour in South Bimini and anchor for the night. I felt a huge sense of relief when he said, "Get yourselves settled and enjoy the evening." Gee, maybe we wouldn't die after all.


Forty five minutes later we rode the wind and waves into Nixon's Harbour and after two attempts at dropping the hook, it stuck. And then we got to spend the rest of the night hoping we wouldn't drag into the ocean.

But when my French Press broke this morning, that was the straw that broke the camel's back.
" I'm. Not. Happy!!!!!" I stated. "Period!"






Welcome to Bimini!





Who would have thought we'd arrive wearing foul weather gear, life jackets, and jack lines!













This morning we navigated the channel into Bimini with 20+ knot winds and hellish waves. I'm not exaggerating! There are boaters here who refused to go out today.







The quarantine flag goes up.

















And thank God for miracles, we got through customs and immigration with no problems.





Wilbur our poor little Salty Dog (who hid in our bunk shaking with fear), poses with the Bahamian flag.
























Wilbur takes a much deserved rest atop Hans' safety harness.








Of course Internet is expensive and iffy but I'll try to update whenever possible.

Even more boat stuff!

Last week after my little rant about how difficult it is to get accurate information about sailing to the Bahamas, I received an email. It was from the Bahamas and I immediately got the same sinking stomach feeling I got the time I was sent to the Principal's office in the second grade and lived in fear for months afterward that my parents would find out.

Only after remembering that the Bahamas aren't exactly in my back yard, and anyway I just dare them to find Hans and me in a city that even after two years I still haven't fully learned to navigate, I opened the message.

Tremendous relief flooded through me when I realized it was not from an unhappy Bahamian government agency but from a friend of Hans' brother, and she lives in Elbow Cay. Michaela was very kind and offered to help us in any way she can and suggested we purchase The Dodge Guide to Abaco.

We've already bought quite a few navigational guides and Hans felt this was a bit redundant but since I've elected myself as the 'Queen of Everything to do with The Knotty Cat' I vetoed Hans and bought Mr. Dodge's book anyway. It arrived today.

Every time I turn around there's another package at the door and it's always something for the boat. In the last week alone we received a spot light (obviously used but we're going to keep it anyway), a propane detector (which I hope is not a reflection on my cooking), and just today....

The Abaco Guide!!


Hans also went to our local Verizon store and bought a FiveSpot Global Ready 3G Mobile HotSpot (say that 3 times fast after a couple of bourbons!).


Here is Hans proudly holding some of our latest acquisitions.


Supposedly, this 3G Mobile HotSpot will allow us to pick up a Verizon signal while we're in the Bahamas thus allowing us to use our computers! If it works we won't need the horribly expensive SSB radio system that a lot of sailors have had installed on their boats.
If it works.

So on the creative front I made a Beach Bag from some beautifully (and very heavily) embroidered fabric I bought in Ireland a few years ago.

This can be used for anything from shopping to shower room duty.

I also transferred some nautical charts to fabric.

And here is a wristlet I made from one of them.

I think my next project with the rest of them will be a tote bag of some kind that we can use to haul provisions.

Don't let it be said that the Knotty Cat isn't stylish!

Tomorrow we have to head on over to West Marine in order to pick up even more things that we've ordered.

I believe in my next life I want to come back as a tremendously needy boat!

Red tape and loop holes...

...and why all the limits?

Now just read that over again only this time using the music to My Favorite Things, because that's the only way I could find these particular lyrics charming.

And I don't know if anyone out there realizes it but there really is no such animal as 'freedom' anymore. And I have to laugh now at the books I've read about people fleeing from the bad guys while using forged documents, fake passports etc... All I know is I'm finding it nearly impossible to travel while using the real deal!

Honest to God, all Hans and I want to do is sail our little boat over to the Bahamas this winter but you'd think we were trying to infiltrate deep into the bowels of a high security nation in an attempt to steal their special recipe for crystal clear water. But even if we did have evil doing on our minds, how far would we get with their secrets while sailing away on a boat that on its best day (and only with a hell of a lot of wind!) moves along at 10 knots?

After a less than auspicious start to our trip this fall via the Intracoastal Waterway, we were stunned to find that in addition to way too many draw bridges, and way too few anchorages, we actually had to navigate a lock.

You see; Hans is the educated one, the one with multiple degrees in things I can't even pronounce, the one who became a sailing instructor at 14, the one who while in college sailed up the Atlantic coast (on the outside!) in the boat of a friend's father, the one who way back in the day sailed to the Bahamas using dead reckoning, and finally, the one who lived on his boat while working in New York City. And because of this I just assumed he knew about the bridges, the locks, and that it would take a month and not two weeks to get to Florida!

So bearing this in mind I decided to take matters into my own hands and research this whole Bahamas thing. And yes Hans has been to the Bahamas but this was back when life was a bit simpler and I've discovered that Hans Jr. holds the same disdain for rules that Hans Sr. did. "Why should I stop?" stated Hans Sr. one day as they blew past a Coast Guard checkpoint. "I'm not a smuggler!" The Coast Guard wasn't impressed but I bet Hans' neighbors were, when as they were docking the boat at their Miami Beach home, a Coast Guard helicopter landed in their yard.

So far:

We have to have paperwork filled out by a vet that certifies Wilbur has all the proper inoculations, but we had to send a $10.00 money order to the Bahamas first. They, in turn, sent us the form that the vet needs to fill out. This form needs to be presented to the Bahamian authorities within 48 hours of arrival.

Upon arriving in the Bahamas we have to have a yellow quarantine flag waving (we'll use a starboard shroud). After clearing customs we must now fly the Bahamian courtesy flag. We should also proudly display the flag of our country. We chose the US (since Hans has lived here since high school) and fear if we add Canada we'll just confuse everyone.

I did a bit of googling about this and was puzzled that everyone else seemed to know about this 'quarantine flag' warning thing which left me feeling slightly wanting and wondering if in addition to a little black dress, the chic twenty first century lady also just happens to have a quarantine flag tucked into her purse.

I finally found a full set of flags (Yellow, Bahamas, and USA) on EBay for something like $24.00. And while we do have a very worn USA flag on our boat, it unfortunately sacrificed its flag pole for our leaking starboard cutlass bearing during one of the last legs of our journey this fall.

Boats up to 35 feet in length (us!) will need to pay (in cash) $150.00 for the right to sail around the Bahamas and this includes a fishing license (not too bad, really). Boats over 35 feet will pay $300.00.

Now for more fun stuff. Hans is a green card carrying Canadian citizen (and has been for over 30 years), who bought a boat while living in the USA.

United States citizens should have their boats registered with the US Coast Guard. Canadian Citizens are not permitted to do so.

Then what is a Canadian Citizen to do?

As a last resort, I made a foray into the Cruiser's Forum. And while I know the people in these forums really want to help I finally fled after a bunch of them ganged up on a poor soul who had questions similar to mine. This particular soul was threatened with having his boat taken from him, and RIGHTFULLY SO (in capital letters!), said the forum for not being a team player and trying to get one over on the government, and just why the hell wasn't he a US citizen anyway? I found it kind of interesting that those who had the most vehement opinions were neither from the US or Canada and therefor didn't know what they were talking about anyway.

Finally, after calling the Bahamian embassy who had no idea what we were talking about, but was kind enough to provide us with a telephone number that either went unanswered or rang busy, we called our boat broker who gave us the number of a woman who lives in the Bahamas and is reputed to be an expert on Bahamian customs.

We have been assured that as long as our boat is registered in the United States (it is) and we have a notarized bill of sale (we do) we are good to go!!!! Remember, we only want to go to the Bahamas and no where else at this time. And I'm going to let you all be witnesses to this; we have an official email from the Bahamian chick that confirms this.

We also have the decal necessary to come back into the United States. For $27.50 you get this numbered decal and supposedly you can call Customs, read them the number and be cleared. I only hope they don't have Hans' family name flagged as a trouble maker (like stores who post the names of people who write bad checks).

Here are some of my latest acquisitions.

Our C-Maps for Florida and the Bahamas are in the upper part of this picture, as is a snoozing Wilbur the Wonder Dog!!

Skipper Bob's publications (which I dearly wished we'd had at the beginning of our trip) are in the middle. These are chock full of information about the Intracoastal that would have made my life a lot easier had I known about them. But that's okay, I plan on giving them a good workout in years to come.

And by all means please notice that damned yellow quarantine flag at the bottom along with the US and Bahamian ones!!!!

During our last trip I was thrilled that the bins I bought at a Dollar Tree worked so well so I bought 8 more (on the right).

The blue and white bins in the back will fit nicely on our berth shelves, and the small white trash can will fit in the bottom of our refrigerator in the back beside the freezer.

Food will be removed from space sucking cardboard boxes and placed in those zip lock storage bags.

"What food?" Wilbur will just have to wait until we're back on the boat.

Now let's finish the song.

When the dog bites (and he absolutely does not!).

When the bee stings (substitute jelly fish here).

When I'm feeling sad (and wondering how the hell I let Hans talk me into this).

I simply remember my favorite things (or get out the bourbon).

And then I don't feel so bad (just wonderfully numb).

Bahamas Boat Charts and a Sunbrella Purse

We had yet one more exciting delivery today at the apartment when the charts that we ordered for the Bahamas arrived. I have a feeling that the Near Bahamas, Far Bahamas, Exumas, and Ragged Islands will never be the same after Hans, Laura, and Wilbur get finished with them.

Wilbur would like to enjoy the charts but he has an upset tummy.


How do I know this?

Well, today when I took him to the dog park (after Hans asked me with a bit of desperation in his voice, "Are you going to take Wilbur to the dog park?") I swear that during the half hour drive, the air in the car turned blue and I nearly suffocated.

Apparently Wilbur donned his 'King of Toots' crown, and I won't even begin to describe the runny messes I've cleaned up today.


We were looking all over the internet for Bahamas Charts but for some reason we couldn't seem to find the right thing. Thanks to Linda at See Yawl Later we ended up getting them from Explorer Charts.

Not only are they charts, but they're cruising guides too, and they are packed with information!

I am a procrastinator. Period. I really can't get motivated unless I have a deadline. I wish I could change this trait, and believe me I've tried but I think it's time to come to grips with what I am and quit worrying about it.

Anyway I finally finished the purse I was making out of a piece of Sunbrella fabric (I paid $5.00 for a $30.00 piece).

This is an Amy Butler Bag and while I'm not thrilled with it, it will work. Actually if I hadn't made a bazillion other purses before this, it would have been a disaster.

Luckily I did not follow all her directions, bypassed some of the interfacing suggestions, and ended up with an okay purse.

I did a passable job of matching the print on the flap with the body of the purse.

The inside has two inserts. The one in the back is zippered. I'm not at all happy with how they are attached to the main body of the bag.

Very amateurish and kinda ugly.

I would do things differently if I were to make another one, but that's just not going to happen.

The magnetic snap on the flap and the main body.

A bit of a close up of the print.

You can see the Bahamas waaay over on the right side of the bag.

Since Hans leaves for Annapolis this weekend to get our boat ready for its move to Florida, I decided to finish sewing elastic to the corners of our fitted sheets that we've had forever (it's called procrastination! See the beginning of this post). Except I'm missing one of the fitted sheets! Honest to God, I had all of them when we came back this summer and since we live in a small one bedroom apartment, where could it be?

I have no idea but I know for a fact it came home with us and has since then disappeared.

I have to wonder if fitted sheets can cause gassy problems in pit bull tummys?

Some great sailing book bargains, and a project.

Since our next 'Three Hour Tour' is scheduled to start this fall, Hans and I decided we needed to start gathering up some navigational tools.


Last week I found a Cruising Guide for Florida, The Gulf Coast, and The Bahamas on Ebay for $11.00 and I was happy with this as they usually cost around forty bucks. I love cruising guides; for me they've taken the place of what the Sears Roebuck catalog used to do for me when I was a kid. I can leaf through all the pages and dream about all the things I want (or now, the places I want to sail to). Although come to think of it, I never did get the vanity table complete with the cute little seat that doubled as a storage unit for your slippers, the egg incubator, or the nurse costume.

And don't anyone even think of telling Hans about the nurse costume since that's the last thing I want to unwrap this Christmas!

Here is the Cruising Guide along with a book about the Bahamas that Hans found in a Marina Library.

Yet one more thing to love about sailing is the Marina Library which is usually found in the laundry room.

All you have to do is swap out the books you've read, and pick up some you haven't. I have to say I read some books this summer that I otherwise never would have read except for the fact that I had no choice.

And I was never disappointed.

MapTech Chartkits!!! The absolute Bible for the sailor. We bought Norfolk to Florida, plus Eastern Florida and The Keys, off of EBay for $83.00 each. I hope that was a good deal, I know the usually cost around $130.00 each.

These charts show water depths, markers and buoys, bridges...I mean everything! You really can't sail without proper paper charts.

However, we're having a great deal of difficulty finding charts for the Bahamas!

Region 7!!!!

Region 6!!!!!

But where oh where is Region 9 (Bahamas) ??????

If only Sears Roebuck could help us!

My sewing project is a crib for The Bumfuzzles (a couple I found via the wonderful world of the Internet). Quest, the Bumfuzzle baby, is in need of a place to sleep aboard the monohull her parents have recently acquired.

This is one completed side of the crib (with a mesh insert and the X in the background is my ironing board support). I'll post a picture of it when it's complete.

If you want to be thoroughly entertained you need to check out their blog. This young couple threw caution to the wind, sold everything they owned, and set out to sail around the world. Who cares if they'd never sailed a day in their life before this!

And seven years later they are still living the life.

"Baby? What baby?" Wilbur wanted to know!

We assured him it wasn't ours. If it was, I'd be sewing a straight jacket.

For me!