Time Marches On

 Or how we spent the month of March. Many of the good folks we shared dock space with this Winter have moved on. Some to the South and the Exumas, and others back to the United States. We, having some company were kind enough to stay put instead of Shanghaiing him to the Exumas. In retrospect that would have been a very good choice weather wise because the water was flat calm all the way across the North East Providence Channel to Spanish Wells.

It would have been a serious mistake due to mechanical issues that developed in the forward bathroom. Fortunately they held off until company left.
 Since we were not headed South yet another trip to Little Harbour and Pete's Pub was made and yet again, the food there was terrific. We have yet to find a better fish sandwich anywhere else in the Bahamas. We also made some new friends with home owners there that throw a pot luck dinner on the beach every Monday. That's where the first photo was taken from. Deb made her Grouper Nantua and other folks brought dishes that made for some very good eats at a terrific spot. Not only that we were given directions to a Blue Hole we never would have seen without the help.
 Blue Holes are pools of water that have an underground link to the ocean. In spite of being inland, the water is salt and the fish are indiginous to the ocean and harbours of the area. This blue hole is located along side a road in the Little Harbour area and it is teeming with all sorts of colorful fish. While there was nothing very large, the diversity made it an interesting and worth while hike. Besides on the way back we had a stop at Pete's for an ice cold brew and a sandwich. If you click on the photo you may be able to pick out some of the fish. Without a high end camera with a good lens it's difficult to capture the details. A digital SLR is on my bucket list but with parts for the boat taking priority it will have to wait yet again.
 But back on the calm water as pointed out by the second photo, we were able to take the dink out and around the Bight of Old Robinson, over to Lynyard Cay, up to North Bar Channel and back to Little Harbour. Yes, it was that calm on the Southern Sea of Abaco. Even though the water was 30 feet deep in some spots we could clearly see the bottom as though it was within arm's length.
 Returning to Sea Spray at White Sound Elbow Cay we settled into the "monotony" of lunches at places like Sea Spray which by the way has a terrific BBQ buffet night as well as an Asian Night. Both are reasonably priced and the food is very good. The list of additional establishments we frequented ran a list that included Firefly, Lubber's Landing, On Da Beach and Cracker P's and finally Nippers. I have to admit the beach view from Nippers is one of the best the Bahamas has to offer.

And with that, company had to leave and we were free to pursue our travels South. And the weather turned, the mechanicals started acting up and the delays set in. So we'll put things back together and wait for a decent window South. The Google Earth tracks for the month have been loaded up and are under the blog heading Ships Log GPS data The 2014 Voyage and when clicked will load up Google Earth and display the paths.    
   

Winter spent the Hard Way

 Of course I'm lying. Winter has been good to us this year. Rumor has it the North East received the bitch slap of Winters, but down here, it's been quite good. In fact of all of the Winter's we have spent here in the Abacos, this one has been one of the most benign. The temperatures have been warm, the sea states calm, and the company has been great. We've had a great time with new and old friends and that time has flown by. Some very loud and amusing evenings have been shared creating very good memories. All of that and the new dink has had a very positive impact on our experience as well.
 I guess it was the first year we were here. Back in the Winter of '08 and '09 we had winds that blew into the 40-50 knot range on a regular basis. New Year's Eve on Guana Cay that year had Troy from Dive Guana knocking down the New Year's Even bonfires at Nippers because the cinders were blowing on shore threatening the nearby property. Because he is also the local fire department and rescue type person on Guana Cay he had to make the call and he took care of the issue. To illustrate how strong the winds were that year, Tony at Nippers had to shoot the beach fireworks out flat over the ocean or they blew over everyone's property. But this year, it seems we have rarely had winds that almost made it to gale force or 30 knots let alone 50 knots. The cold fronts have been mild because they have not made it this far South and East. Instead of wearing long pants with long sleeve shirts, we have been quite comfortable in shorts, a T shirt and flip flops all of the time.
 Even if the wind blew a bit and stirred up the water, the new dink facilitated outings to neighboring establishments we would have otherwise foregone with the prior dink. This and we could bring another couple along with us if they were up for it. Even if they had their noses stuck up in the air when the tide went out. But hey we have to be forgiving in life because it makes us better people.
 Seriously Adrian and Beth were a fun couple to hang with. Just because their boat wound up resting on the bottom at low tide which stuck their bow into the sky is no reason to harbor ill will. Besides, their pal Sparkle was pleasant to be around. Hopefully we can catch up with them again in the Exumas but I am thinking they are a bit too far out in front of us on their way to the Virgin Islands and points South.

 It wasn't long before we had excitement on a regular basis. It seemed like folks that rented or bought boats without any experience what so ever started to show up on a regular basis and dock next to or across from us. It was always an adventure when they showed up after an all day outing. So far this year I think the White Sound Bank has captured two charter boats. Anyway we met
Jayme and Stu and they have a really cool sailboat. So is yours Adrian. They have sailed to Hawaii and all sorts of places so they are quite the exception to the normal Moorings charter folks I was talking about. You know it's going to be exciting when he yells out "permission to buzz the tower" while entering the marina and brings his sailboat into a slip next to a 75 foot yacht at high speed. While sailboats also have reverse gear they tend to react poorly in reverse. Even with full throttle applied. Sailboats are not exactly over powered and you have to plan ahead for braking. Fortunately we had lines on the pilings or I'm thinking there would have been a good notch in the dock off their bow. But big water? I'd trust him with my life. Just take hold of the controls when he's docking.
 Several excursions to Lubbers' Landing were made including one for the Song Writers' Festival which stopped in at Lubbers Landing for an afternoon. The place packed since the music, food and weather were all good. I have to admit that Austin and Amy are pulling together a very good stop in the Abacos. It's probably a good thing they don't have a very deep water dock capable of holding several large boats because the traffic would over run the place it's getting that popular.
 With the new and old friends it's been great. There were times like when we all went to FireFly for lunch with Doug, Jayne, Jon, Mimi, Jayme, Stu, Buck, Linda, Beth and Adrian all at once or sat around Garbonzo at Sea Spray watching a pathetic Super Bowl. It didn't matter, the times were great and hopefully we hook up again at Sea Spray next year. 
 Meanwhile, we'll get ready for the company that arrives this week. Spring is around the corner and we need to clean up in preparation. That, and I finally get to open up the stash of Tequila when the company shows up. This could be a bad time to start messing around with APP development for the Galaxy. 
 
   

Road Trip!

 Well, not really. Actually it was a short trip South to Little Harbour where Pete's Pub was celebrating Pete's 20th 50th birthday with all sorts of slow roasted fare. If it was me I'd rather celebrate my 50th 20th birthday but I guess his version works as well considering the alternative. As usual we had to traverse North Bar Channel and Little Harbour Cut as a part of the trip to Little Harbour. However the weather leading up to our departure was mild which meant the seas were calm making for a very pleasant ride. The first photo is an image of how Little Harbour Cut was behaving for the ride down, and North Bar Channel was no less calm. There was perhaps one foot of slow rolling, well separated seas coming in from the Atlantic, and by the way, this is the East side of Abaco. That means there is nothing out there until you get to Africa. To offer this kind of sea state quite a bit of the Atlantic has to be sedate. We were wishing that we could have been headed South to the Exumas with this window of excellent weather!

But hanging in Little Harbour on one of Pete's Pub moorings is a very good thing and we took advantage of it for 3 nights. With a forecast of calm weather for out almost a week it was worth it to stay a night on either side of the Pig Roast. I didn't notice any swell coming in past Tom Curry point into the Harbour so it was totally flat for the length of our stay. But besides the good weather we were lucky enough to meet up with some friends and share a couple of dinners together even if I had to help hang the flags up around Pete's new cottage on the dock.

 The bash was scheduled for Saturday and we started around 11:30 AM. Yes, kind of early but when more friends showed up in their boats it all flowed very easily. With great seats we proceeded to have a couple of beverages and wait for the food to start coming out. I should have taken a photo of the plate they laid down in front of us. It was completely full and all of it was terrific. BBQ wild boar, smokey baked beans, cole slaw, potato salad, rice and beans, and a cold beer. While this shot is mostly chicken, there was hog as well and was it ever good! But then Pete's Pub does have a reputation for bringing out a good plate of food regardless of the occasion.

No trip to Little Harbour without a walk up to the remains of the light house is complete. I have to admit the light that was there is worse now than I have ever seen it. Looking it over quickly defines why the light is listed as not operational on charts. It's gone! The tower it was mounted on is laid over and the foundation is all rusted and crumbling like the rest of the house. It's a shame it fell to this point because it certainly would make a great tourist attraction like many of the other lights we have visited over the years.  

  When we visited the remaining structure in the past, there was a spiral of conch shells that people kept adding to on the floor. Even this has been laid to waste. But most of the walls are still up, the water tank and small out building are still there and the scene really lends itself to some sort of renewal.

 Heck with a view like this it has to be worth something to the crown. Maybe someone with cash to spare will pick up on it and perform a restoration and turn the light back on. It would be a welcome addition to the parks system here in the Bahamas and become a popular visit for everyone. Maybe even a little educational for the local kids.

  Back on the Harbour side we stopped in at the Gallery and had a look around. If there was a place I'd like to drop some spare change this would be it. They have plenty of their foundry handy work on display and some of it is actually affordable. 
 I will admit I managed to get a good shot of this piece of work without the price because I did not want to spoil the impression but wow, was it worth it if I had the cash. Maybe some negotiation is possible but I knew up front it was out of my realm of affordability. Thankfully, the trip down here and the times with friends here is and that is certainly worth it.

And- "We done reach"

 With the trip across Florida complete we were staged at Sunset Bay Marina which is a favorite stop of ours. They have a great restaurant in Sailors Return, they are conveniently located in Stuart Florida where anyone can obtain anything they need for a boat, and most importantly we can hook up with friends we have met in the Bahamas, along the ICW, or just about anywhere. It seems that many folks involved in boating pass through this marina. So in spite of the notion we were missing a window to cross the Gulf Stream, we were surrounded by great people many of which we had acquainted with previously. Also notably we were inside the perimeter dock with "Grumpy" on the outside. Grumpy did a fantastic job of knocking down the wind and water, but more importantly the crew on this boat is composed of real people, not snobish yachties full of themselves. I received a couple of great maintenance tips from them, and I was really fortunate to be lent a small floating pad so I could complete the bottom cleaning of the dink. Andy the captain even helped me drag it across the dock so I could use it. Great gang on that boat.
 I have to admit the wait for a window of good weather allowing passage of the Gulf Stream was wearing on us even though we were in a good place with good company. So we rented a car for a few days and took a road trip. To be sure we took advantage of having the car to facilitate shopping but having passed the Jupiter Lighthouse with Freedom several times a visit to this landmark was over due. I have to admit stopping in here is well worth it.
 As anyone can see the view from the top is nothing less than spectacular and it rivals many I have seen in life. Yes, there are many that stand out, like Rushmore, from the WTC, the Empire State Building, the Grand Canyon etc. but the color of the water and the expanse of the view is most impressive. So if you get a chance, check it out. The view of Jupiter Inlet is but one example of the panorama available from the look out of the light.
 And before we knew it Thanksgiving was upon us. Being out in the boat,just the two of us, it was a bit of a depressing outlook but the staff at the marina turned that around famously. They provided ham, turkey, stuffing, potatoes, gravy and various fixings, while the boaters all brought sides and deserts. There had to be one hundred people present at the feast that went off without a hitch. The food was terrific and the company even better. All in all a very good holiday shared with the boating community!
 It's no surprise we all stayed around into the sunset enjoying the company, weather and good food! A beautiful sunset capped a great experience. The next morning the weather forecast offered hope of a crossing to the Bahamas in the not so distant future so last minute provisioning became sincere which meant I spent quite a bit of time on the bicycles provided by the marina searching out commodities.
 Fortunately Publix is close by and they had a sale on prime rib so a three rib roast found its way into the shopping list. Otherwise last minute boating requirements were filled by a ride down to West Marine where we ran into more folks we spent time with in the Bahamas. Yes, Stu was working and we reminisced about the Grand Bahama Road Trip where Stu thought we were taking him out into the back country to rob him. Many good laughs were revisited.
 And eventually, the window opened. As was related by Doris, it wasn't really a window, it was a peep hole. We normally hope for a three day window of good weather because that is how long it takes to reach Elbow Cay from West Palm Beach Florida. This window starting on Wednesday the 4th of December was really only a two day window but if you left Tuesday before it laid down you could stretch it.
 So we decided to leave Tuesday for West End. I was apprehensive of the forecast because it was on the far side of what works for us. Many other boaters were going to wait for Wednesday where the stream was projected to lay down farther. It was estimated to be a foot or less all the way across the passage to West End. However, if we left on Wednesday the winds were going to increase and that meant we would be exposed to waiting at Green Turtle for the Atlantic to lay down again. So getting out and crossing the stream was the best approach we had to getting the whole trip done.
 It was about half way across that Deb took on this glazed kind of stare that an axe murderer has when they are about to commit a crime. Not that I know any, but I am sure there are people that can relate to "the look". It is a look of impending doom that is best left to someone else. But being in the middle of the Gulf Stream I knew it was all on me. So I did my best to down play the rolling. We were making good progress. Of course this was not flying well. And then it happened.
 We were surrounded by a pod of Spinner Dolphins that came at us from all angles. They jumped in our wake, came right at the bow and dove under us. They looked as though they were having a great time in what we thought was uncomfortable water. Certainly they were loving it. One person's cure is another's poison? Anyway the visit was extremely well receive and Deb completely forgot she was sea sick.

We were very fortunate to get reacquainted with another boating couple we new from Sea Spray and make the crossing together. But the unexpected pleasure came from their invitation to dinner aboard their boat. It seems Laura had a turkey stashed and put it in their oven half way across the stream. We had a fabulous dinner with them and in the morning we all parted company since they were headed to the Exumas and we were going to the Abacos. Hopefully we get to cross paths soon. We owe them a dinner!
 Our next day took us across the Little Bahama Bank all the way to Spanish Cay which is a familiar stop for many. Sadly the restaurant was not open due to a lack of traffic so we had a light meal aboard Freedom and headed out in the morning for Whale Cay and Hope Town. Whale Cay channel is not to be taken lightly and it was obviously a good day to make passage here as several other boats were traveling the same route. With relatively mild but building wind out of the East and South East we went out the channel and around Whale Cay into Loggerhead Channel at slack high tide. Since there was only one or two feet of swell with a foot of wind chop on top coming at us the ride was quite good and the transit was easy.
 It wasn't long after we arrived at our Winter home Sea Spray where the staff welcomed us and we had several folks on the dock helping us in. This is where the first issue with the tow showed up because I snagged the dink on a pole and we had to shut things down while I untangled it all. No damage was done, the trip is over for the time being, and all is well.
 All in all we left at the right time and got it done with a reasonable amount of safety and comfortable conditions.     

  

Summer has come and gone and took us with it.

 With the turning of the Seasons, the arrival of Fall we loaded up Freedom, prepared the tow and left for the East Coast of Florida. Things really did not work out well with regard to weather opportunities to cross the Gulf Stream until November so we stayed put in North Fort Myers until our monthly contract expired.
 Fortunately we had some great company to while away some time with and some of that time was spent at the Zombie Fest in Fort Myers. I have to admit all of the Zombies were well behaved. It's not like Halloween where all sorts pranks and other mischief are carried out. However it is a family affair for many. I was surprised to see whole families including toddlers in costumes that were composed of torn clothing and bloody make up. They say it takes all kinds and that night clearly brought home the point.
 Once the Zombie night passed the movement of clothing, food and other consumables onto Freedom began in earnest and I'd say it took a good three days of work spread out over several days to make that happen. Then the condo was shut down and we moved aboard for our last night in the Fort Myers area. With the rising of the last sun from the condo we got on Freedom and spun her around so we could set up the new dink for the ride across the state to Stuart.

 The first day across Florida to Clewiston went really well. All of the locks and bridges opened up quickly on call so our delays were minimal. Normally we had Freedom loping along at about 8-9 miles per hour which translated to an average speed of around 7 mph across the state in spite of the stops for bridges and locks. We were initially a little apprehensive about this trip due to the dink but it was easily managed but certainly a reflection on what it would have been like to haul a 17 foot center console along with us. I'm happy we decided to keep the tender size where we did at 13 feet and 800 pounds.
 Clewiston has a marina by the name Roland Martin and the place works well for us as a stop across the state. They have a long dock just beyond the Clewiston lock and room for large yachts. The wifi was good, and we enjoyed dinner on the deck right next to and above Freedom. I will say that this is the only place we have dined that provided insect repellent along with the condiments in the basket on the table. They have fans just about every 10 feet around the perimeter of the dining area which is not enclosed. The mosquitoes are killer and fly right up into a stout breeze so they can feast right along with you. So we ate quickly and retreated to the cabin on Freedom and in the morning we pulled out onto Lake Okeechobee to find that the wind forecast was different and we faced a good 2 feet of chop for quite a while. Freedom has no issue with that but the dink was on a short tow and it chaffed up the lines going in the haws holes out of Freedom. The chafe was bad enough I ordered new and larger line and more of it. Additional chafe gear completes that project so it was a good thing it happened on the Lake instead out on the Gulf Stream.

The bad side is that this delayed us from taking advantage of a very good crossing opportunity and the weather forecasters are not optimistic for another window until some time in December. Been there done that, and it'll happen again. Fortunately we have no schedule and live by the principle that the most dangerous item on a cruising boat is a calendar. So we'll sit on the lee side of Grumpy and continue to let him knock down the wind and water that would otherwise be coming into the marina where he is.
    

Summer moves along

 After several months here in Florida, I ask myself why am I here? Really. Well, there are many good reasons I suppose like reconnecting with family and friends, getting Freedom cleaned up implementing repairs and upgrades, as well as pursuing another dink. While the Bahamas have grown on us getting back in the U.S. where we have good, no, great shopping and access to whatever we need is a necessity. Living life here for so long has left its mark making it difficult to live without all of those things we have grown accustomed to.
 Part of being here for the Summer ensures we will experience some weather and that begs the question, "you want to be here for hurricane season?". I will admit Andrea had us concerned for a while. Initially the forecasts were for quite a bit of rain  and winds were predicted to be quite high. But as it turned out the worst affect we noticed was surge coming into the marina raising Freedom up so far I had difficulty getting onto the boat to double check settings and lines. So Andrea came and left without much ado.
 In fact she didn't get in between us and celebrating our anniversary. That went without a hitch at the The Veranda in Fort Myers. The service was outstanding as well as the food. We were going to take Freedom across to the City marina but with all of the commotion caused by the weather, a taxi seemed like a less challenging approach. Docking Freedom in 40 MPH winds is an experience left to the uninitiated and less aware. Since we used a taxi to get there and back we had no apprehensions about splitting a bottle of wine over dinner so the environment was all good. It was a great night out and we had plenty left over for lunch the next day!
 And that takes me to the OP where I wonder why we are here. All throughout the Winter we sort of wander aimlessly around the Abacos during its off season. Beaches are empty, shelling is good and peaceful since no one else is around and the establishments are all pleased to have some business. We get over here, and even though the West coast of Florida is more laid back than other areas, it's still culture shock returning to the area. Leaving the tranquility of the Bahamas has a price. But life goes on.
 With quite a bit of maintenance done on Freedom we still had more to perform so opening up the salon floor again came sooner than I was ready for. It was time to boil out the heat exchangers and oil coolers because Freedom would start to run warm under a heavy load. Calcification and crud accretion from the salt water inside the exchangers reduces their effectiveness. Along the way through this chore several old zincs that snapped off inside the exchangers along with other debris in the form of weeds were removed from the input side of the transmission oil coolers. These particular coolers are first in line from the sea strainer so cleaning them up along with the boil out had a pronounced and positive affect.
 But in a surprise the new dink showed up pretty much unexpectedly so we took a break to get that transfer accomplished and then check it out on the water. For our first ride we took the dink down stream to Pine Island and after a little confusion we made it to Woody's where we had a great lunch with a really cold beer. The confusion was born out of all the canals in Florida and my lack of ability to pick the correct one on Google Earth to transfer to the Garmin hand held plotter we have. I was off by one canal so we shot 20 minutes going up a dead end which turned out to be about 20 yards from Woody's. Oh well.. However I was rescued by the new Galaxy S4 droid I upgraded to. A few days before we received the dink I received it and installed Plan2Nav on it along with the charts for the East Coast of the U.S. and Bahamas. Since it includes Active Captain I was able to locate Woody's and correct the mistaken turns. That made the investment in the charts well worth while given how reasonable they are for a smart phone. All in all an awesome application backed up by some very good chartography. The only issue is the lack of visability the S4 display has in sunlight.
 Back on Freedom the upgrades and maintenance continued in between visits from friends and family. With all of the work in tight quarters I'll take all excuses to break away from Freedom. At this point at least the bilge work is winding down. So far the list goes something like this; turbos removed and replaced with factory remans, wifi booster replaced, cell phone booster installed, props removed and tuned, splice up a bridle for dink towing, engine battery charger replaced, battery monitor for the house bank installed, all oil and filters along with fuel filters changed out, buzz out some rust on the genny and replace the OEM muffler that didn't for the genny, various zincs replaced, and order a custom pizza stone for the oven. Yes, a pizza stone. It was "one of those things".  

 

Back in the States

 Now that we have been back in the States quite a while we're already thinking about getting back to the Bahamas. We've never been over in the late Spring or Summer so there is some interested in that time of year. But now is the time to give Freedom her due and make sure she is ready for another season. Oil samples were pulled anylised and returned, maintenance lists were made, and the shopping began.

 Over the years we have always monitored Freedom's engine oil using Blackstone Labs and their input has been appreciated. I will say that this is not an exact science and the best approach is to look at the trends not the isolated reports. Basing the decision to tear down an engine on one report would not be a wise approach and Freedom has proved that point with the last sample. This one turned out to be good. Wear materials were down significantly from the prior report. I was always a little concerned about the way I collected the sample last Spring and perhaps that concern is now justified. We'll see what happens next year. But we did have some oil showing up on the compressor side of the starboard turbocharger fittings and that indicated a leak in the turbo. Sure enough removal of the turbo proved that point well. So both turbos were removed and replaced. As a part of removing the turbos we opened them up and sure enough the starboard turbo was "slobbering" oil the intake system could do without.

 Along with the turbos we lost the engine battery bank charger, the site survey wifi router, sold the dink Madonna then ordered her replacement, installed a house battery bank monitor, and cell phone booster amp. A few boat units to be sure. It's all water under the hull.
 In between the shopping sprees and rain which we have had 10+ inches of so far, we made a stop at the Tampa Aquarium where we met this fellow. I was surprised he had his eyes open given it was day time. But he merely looked people over and as the cameras came up to capture his image, he would squint his eyes knowing a flash was coming. I didn't have ours on but if I held the camera up there long enough he reacted in anticipation. The aquarium was a good stop up in Tampa that broke up a long day of driving to RIB dealers and scrounging parts for Freedom.

We also [sarcasm] enjoyed [/sarcasm] shelling out on Sanibel Island. I have to admit that if one gets there early enough one can find some very nice specimens that would show well in any collection. However, if you get to this spot late, you will find the competition almost threatening. I wasn't there a minute before I was ready to leave for a walk down the beach and hope to catch something that was recently washed in. I mean, shelling on the beach is not supposed to be like riding the subway in NYC.