The Crossing--January 27th 2014

Quick note....we obviously made it--since you didn't hear from the authorities. Below, you will find some random thoughts that crossed Linda's mind during the sleep deprived early morning hours of the crossing.
FYI-- We are in the Berry Islands, specifically Great Harbor Cay. This is a return visit--and it does feel like going home.

A Word Problem For You
A 39' sailboat leaves West Palm Beach, FL at 1pm Monday,with an average speed of 5.3 knots with a cat aboard and a destination 134 miles across the Atlantic. She has to cross the Gulf Stream  which is flowing  north at 4 knots. At what time will sundowners be served?
Answer--At sundown, of course!! 26 hours later

Have you seen the movie All is Lost--starring a very handsome, 76 year old Robert Redford sailing alone (why??) in a small sailboat in the middle of the Indian Ocean? Let's just say anything that could go wrong, did go wrong. You know--like a huge box off of a cargo ship smashing his hull; like losing ALL of his electronics due to water cascading into the boat; like losing his mast in a fierce storm; you get the picture. Because of this movie, we made sure to have a ditch bag ready to throw into the dinghy in case of an emergency at sea. (This is in addition to the inflatable life raft that is always on the stern--for those worriers out there. I know who you are:)  We threw in flares, lighters, water, a bullhorn, clean underwear, the coffee maker, the cat, etc. all because I had visions of Robert Redford dancing in  my head--wait!! That's not so bad!

Have you ever tried to pill a cat? We have--unsuccessfully (meaning that the cat leaves scars and spits out the pill at the same time, all while making direct eye contact with you.) Now, we try to outsmart the cat by crushing the pill and putting it into yummy canned cat food. This is how Pearl gets her kitty tranquilizer so that she can float through the crossings. Unfortunately, when it wore off at midnight, she packed her kitty bag and was preparing to jump ship. Being a cat, her finicky gene had kicked in and she had decided she did NOT like tuna flavored cat food--especially with a crushed up pill, on a lurching sailboat, in the Atlantic. After a couple of hours of complaining, she got hungry enough to eat some chicken flavored food with her nighty-nite medicine hidden within. Sleep tight!

Tiny, Beautiful Things ( borrowed from the title of Cheryl Strayed's latest book)
An overnight crossing on the Atlantic holds many wonders. The twinkling, pale green phosphorescent creatures that dance in our wake; the planet Jupiter rising at twilight; the cruise ships that look like jeweled 3-tiered cakes on the horizon; our wonder about what might be swimming below us in the 2500 feet of water; and the stars--clustered layers of brilliance!

Bahamas or Bust!

After 3 1/2 weeks dockside, we left our marina in Stuart FL yesterday morning (Jan. 26). It was with mixed feelings that we left--as I mentioned in the previous posting, this marina was like a close-knit neighborhood in which we made many new friends who offered everything from a garage in which to store our car (thanks Rene!) to help pushing off the dock to hugs and farewells!

Corey--future dive instructor in the Bahamas!

Our Dual Defenders--Darryll the Monkey and our grandson's guy from Despicable Me (who is that guy??)

Darryl was given to us by the guy who sold us our (stolen) dinghy. He has taken care of us so far...we figured a little extra help doesn't hurt!

Bill and Pam O'Bryan

We met Bill and Pam at the Tuesday nite potluck and really hit it off! They're staying for a month in Stuart on their 44' Searay--gorgeous boat. (I wondered if they would take a stowaway) Even though we only knew each other for 4 days, we all felt like we had known each other forever. We definitely hope to see them again!

We headed south to Palm Beach--an easy ride on the intercoastal waterway

How the other 1% live

 taking about 5 hours. Then we were poised to make the jump to the Bahamas--the seas are calm and the winds are not northerly--FINALLY!
 We enjoyed one evening in Palm Beach and have decided to do a 24hr run to Bullock Harbor, in the Barry Islands in the Bahamas. Hope to arrive sometime Tuesday afternoon. White sandy beaches, conch sandwiches, and clear blue water here we come!

Setting Sail?

We were hoping to set sail for the Bahamas this coming Tuesday (Jan.22)....but the weather in the Atlantic is going to take a major turn for the worse on Wed so we've decided to stay in our safe, snug marina for another week or so. That's ok, because Barry still has a few jobs to complete--including checking the rigging and installing our VHF in the cockpit.
But, here's a list of the jobs that Barry has completed during the last 3 1/2 weeks in preparation for our trip:

• Installed an AIS (Automatic Identification System). Very useful when doing nighttime crossings on the ocean--lets the cruise and cargo ships see us and lets us see them! Also allows for easy communication.
• Installed hardwood floors throughout the boat--very difficult project leading to lots of cursing:)
• Installed new heavy-duty davits on the stern of the boat--to haul the dinghy
  
• Serviced the engine and the generator--always a guarantee to find more issues than planned for
• Removed dead jellyfish from the strainer for the AC--yes, dead jellyfish
• Installed a new water pump on the main engine
• Installed springs under our bunk cushion that help make the bed a bit more comfy (although by March I will be dreaming of my queen size bed waiting for me at home)
• Installed new refrigeration/freezer so we DON'T NEED ICE!!
• Helped our friend Norm with his engine 

I'm exhausted just reading that list....aren't you?

Polishing the stainless

He also agreed, rather reluctantly, to reorganize and weed through his tools. This sounds simple...but it is NOT. Believe me on this one. The sailboat is our home, our transportation, and Barry's workshop--all rolled into one small space. Organization makes the boat feel bigger. Keeping it organized is the challenge!

All work and no play...Well, fun is never very far away when you reside in a marina. Every Tuesday there is a potluck dinner, every Friday there is a happy hour on the dock

and there is a water aerobics class three times a week. We can walk to the nearby downtown area and eat at any number of cafes--one of which would give some competition to restaurants on The Hill in St. Louis.

There are nature trails to walk, beaches to visit,

and birds to watch. It's been unseasonably chilly down here for the last week, so not much swimming for me--but I always remember the temperatures here are much better than at home! The lows have been in the upper 30s to low 40s this week....with highs in the low 70s.

A marina can resemble the neighborhoods from our childhoods--people stop to chat or simply call hello as they head back to their boat. Friendships are made over conversations about water pumps and teak oil--and one of those friends celebrated his 85th birthday yesterday. We joined him on his beautiful boat for dinner, lively conversation, and birthday cake. He has a commanding view of the river and the town across the way--we watched a schooner sail against the reflected colors of the sunset. Happy birthday, Benny!

A New Year, A New Adventure

January 13th, 2014.
 Sitting poolside, partly cloudy skies, 80 degrees. Not bad!

We've been here a couple of weeks...working on the boat, having fun, and preparing for our departure to the Bahamas. We hope to leave this weekend--if the winds are with us (and if Barry finishes his projects). He installed hardwood floors--very difficult because of the slope of the floor, but it looks gorgeous! Now he is working on servicing the engine and generator; fixing leaks;

8-10" of rain last Thursday helped us find the leaks in the boat

 installing new davits to hold the dinghy; and moving the VHF to the cockpit. My jobs include  running to Home Depot, cleaning up the mess, painting the ceiling,

polishing the stainless, and/or staying out of the way.

Our marina is in Stuart, FL--on the Atlantic Coast about 90 miles north of Miami. I can walk over a drawbridge to the downtown area--where there are nice little shops and cafes. On the weekend, there is a market at which you can buy produce, honey, crafts, jewelry, hand-crafted hammocks, etc.

We have a guest on this journey--our cat Pearl. She didn't come along willingly--she earned this journey by attacking a bat that wandered into our house--leading to health concerns for Pearl. We had to watch her for 45 days--which are now almost expired. She is healthy--but she doesn't have her kitty cat sea legs yet.

While in Florida, we always try to visit with our great friends George and Sue Stock. We used to be backyard neighbors--but now they live in the Tampa area. So we split the difference and met in the middle of Florida at an amazing botanical garden called Bok Tower. 

Long entry....now that I've taken the plunge, I'll try to blog  more frequently with shorter entries. Thanks for reading this! We miss all of our family and friends back home. (Don't miss the cold, though:)