Stuart, FL

It has been awhile since we updated the blog. First, we crossed from the Bahamas this past Sat in close to ideal conditions. Light wind from the E-SE and swells no more than 2-4 feet. From West End we went directly to the St. Lucie Inlet and Stuart, FL. We are tied up at the Hinckley Yard and have checked back into the US. Our friend Robin was kind enough to drive us to get groceries, parts and take us up to Ft. Pierce on Sunday to clear customs. Yesterday, we met a group of friends from VA Beach for cocktails and dinner, and today I will play golf with some of these guys. This morning I took Shirley to West Palm Beach to fly home. Chrissy is going to be moving to Northern VA for a wonderful job opportunity and 'mom' is anxious to get home to help her. I wonder if that is it or she is getting tired of being on the boat with me? Oh well! Larry Moser, a friend and fellow sailor, is flying in tonight to help me get the boat back to VA. We did have an unusual experience (well, a couple of unusual experiences) as we were leaving the Bahamas. We left Treasurer Cay on 3/15 for a few days at Green Turtle Cay. From Green Turtle, we went up to Nunjack with the idea of snorkeling. But, it started raining in the afternoon and the wind piped up from the West, so we headed up to Coppers Town to get in the lee of the land. Leaving our anchorage in Nunjack, we saw a small Bahamian boat that we had met in trouble on the North end of the Cay. He had been lobstering and his engine would not start and we was getting pushed up on the rocks. So, we re-anchored to see if we could assist and ended up towing him back to Green Turtle. Sherlin (his name) gave us his whole catch of lobsters for our efforts and once we were at Coopers Town, we feasted on fried lobster tails and salad. Not so bad. The next morning we slugged through 4-5 foot wind waves right on our nose on the way to Great Sale Cay. An ugly and uncomfortable ride. We elected to anchor on the East side of the Cay for protection from the wind. Late in the afternoon, an 80' Outer Reef anchored 100 yard away (we subsequently met these folks in West End and they are the owners of Outer Reef Yachts). Sometime during the night (we later learned) the winds gusted up to 40 knots and the Outer Reef dragged anchor about 200 yard (away from the rocks). We slept through the night without incident. The next morning the Outer Reef left in the dark at 0600. We got underway at 0730 and immediately heard a distress call from a 47' sailboat that had anchored on the West side of the Cay. His anchor had broker free in the middle of the night and he was hard aground 10'-15' from the rocks. We had to go 4 miles south to clear the sandbar and back 5 miles to where the boat was aground. It was a winged keel 47' Catalina so far out of the water that the engine and generator intakes were out of the water. But, it was sitting perfectly upright because of the wing keel. We, and another boat, helped him get an anchor reset so prevent him going any closer to the rocks. We anchored and waited until high tide to try to pull him off. With a 3/4 inch line and all the power that I felt was safe, we could not budge him and, in fact, broke the line.  All we could do was call BoatUS from our sat phone (3 disjointed calls as the sat phone only can find a satellite every few minutes - don't get Globalstar!). We gave his location and boat name, but didn't know if BoatUS would respond. So we promised not to abandon the boat but would run over to West End to see if we could find help (3 hours running fast). When we arrived at West End I was able to use our Bahamian cell phone and confirm that BoatUS had dispatched a boat form Florida to assist. The operator called me that night to say that they were on station waiting for high tide and felt they could get him off. We have yet to here if they were successful. What a day! Back to the present....I will be leaving in the morning with Larry to run the boat home.

Treasurer Cay

What wonderful weather (almost)! We have had a great week. Warmer, some wind, a lot of rain one night (and again the next), but mostly nice.  From Marsh Harbor we went down to Little Harbor and Pete's Pub. What a terrific place. Laid back, a bar outside on the beach, great ocean views and views of the Sea of Abaco and very protected. We could stay for a long time. From Little Harbor we went to Tahiti Beach to anchor for the night. Fun walking on the beach and watching wind surfers. Because of Chrissy's exciting news, Shirley is anxious to get home and we are headed that way. From Tahiti Beach we went to Marsh Harbor for fuel and then onto Treasure Cay to wait out some weather (which never got bad). We are still in Treasure Cay Marina and either play golf or spend a good part of the day walking on one of the most spectacular beaches in the world. The forecasts are not encouraging for crossing the Gulf Stream, but we are headed that way. Our plan is to get to Green Turtle Cay in the morning and then to Great Sale Cay on Tuesday and try to cross the Stream on Wednesday. If we miss, it may be another week before we get a window of opportunity. Everything is going great. Meeting many new friends and seeing lots of folks we have met in the past. A fun fraternity of boaters. We may not get another chance to blog before getting home. Or, you may hear form us again in the next few days. Something tells me that if we cannot get across the Gulf Stream on Wednesday, Shirley will want to fly home and I will be looking for crew to help me get the boat home. Any takers?

Finally!!

At last!!! Yesterday, the winds finally calmed down and the sun was out and the temps were comfortable. This just as Al and Nancy Veeck got on a plane to go home. Since the last post, the winds have been constantly out of the North and rarely under 20 knots. Even in the sun it was cool. Last Thursday we left Treasure Cay to Marsh Harbor to pick up Al and Nancy. From Marsh we went over to Orchid Bay Marina on Great Guana Cay on Friday for the Barefoot Man concert at Nippers. Fortunately, it was not as windy on the East side of the Cay . But, no beach walking or snorkeling. We spent the day between Nippers and Grabbers where another band was playing. In spite of the cool, windy day, we had fun. On Sat we rented a golf cart to explore the new development at Bakers Bay. What a place! The smallest "flat" above the retail spaces go for $1.8 million. The ocean front lots start around $4 million and go up. Or, you can get your own private island (did't ask the price as I was still in shock about the small flat). What blows my mind is that they are nearly 50% sold and the golf course isn't even open. When it is, it will only be available to member and their guests. After Bakers Bay, more time at Nippers and Grabbers. As always we are in bed before 2100. On Sunday we went down to Hopetown on Elbow Cay. We tried to get a mooring ball in the harbor (not successful as these are rented out years in advance for the entire season) but ended up at Sea Spray Marina on the south side of the Cay. It has been 3 years since we were in the Abacos, but Junior was still running the place. Fun to see old friends. Speaking of friends, we continue to marvel about seeing people that we have met over the years boating. No matter where we go, it seems that there is somebody that we have met somewhere in the past. We also ran into Gene Loving at Great Guana (from home). Monday morning we went into Hopetown to see if Vernon's had any key lime pies left from the weekend. Not a chance. We get Al and Nancy back to March Harbor yesterday so they could catch a flight. The wind is currently 0. The temps are climbing and we aare headed to Little Harbor and points South to anchor and look for sea shells (Shirley's activity).

The Bahamas???

We are still at Treasure Cay. After 2 nights in the marina, we went into the harbor to anchor in calm winds and warm temps. We had played golf with another couple on Sunday (lots of wind) and I played again on Monday (warm and little wind). It is different schlepping golf clubs in a dinghy and trying to get them on the dock at low tide (not many floating docks in the Abacos). Monday night was calm. Tuesday it was different. Another front came through with winds 20-25 knots out of the S and then SW during the day. Then, around 2200 (10:00 PM) the winds turned to the NW at gale force (25-35 knots with gusts to 45 knots). That is pretty much what we will have all morning until they subside to 20-25 knots later today. With NW winds the temps cool down and we will have temps in the 60 for the next 4-5 days before things start to get back to normal.  We enjoy being at anchor but are hesitant to leave the boat in these conditions. I am not as concerned about us breaking loose as I am about the other boats. We have already seen one drag anchor this morning. There are lots of charter boats here and the base assumption is that they are not very experienced in anchoring. We look forward to Al and Nancy Veeck getting here on Thursday for a short visit. This weekend is the Barefoot Man concert at Nippers. That, combined with Spring Break, will make things interesting.