Moving On

It has been a great time in Staniel Cay and I have met some wonderful cruisers.  There is certainly no need to feel alone here, nor unsafe.  Everyone looks out for each other, and I soon got to know the boat names on the VHF.

On Sunday, I got the most wonderful call.  Vision Quest (Nancy and Arnon) and Fraulein (Chuck and Jeannie) would be here by lunch time.  I was out in my dinghy to wave them in!!

We had all left Annapolis at the same time and they had taken a different route, enabling them to see a lot of the ICW.  Great experiences for them as first time cruisers.  But they were finally here.  Nancy and I sat in her cockpit that night marveling that we were all here, all in our own boats.

I had spent most of the previous two weeks having a great time with new friends.  A  friend from Charlotte, Jean Woods, had been here for a week and we had explored the beaches, pigs and even an underwater snorkeling trip. We had spent four nights in the marina at Staniel Cay as the wind howled.  I didn’t want to be trapped in my boat, too windy to get ashore, so instead I tied up at the marina, partied a lot and watched the playoff football games.

This week has been a catch up with old friends, and we have had lots of good times together.  And the veggie boat came in, so I now have some fruits and vegetables aboard.  We are ready for the next adventure.
In the process, we have acquired two more boats to travel with us.  Mike, the vet on Mimosa who has been trying unsuccessfully to leave us for two weeks, and Joe on Onward, who is a veteran cruiser in these waters, have decided to move south with us.  So tomorrow we pull up anchor in a three to four day trek to Georgetown.  The weather looks favorable, which is what it’s all about here.  And some of us have visitors flying in to Georgetown.  My sister Pam and her husband will be here the second week in February.

Georgetown is supposedly where it’s at for cruisers, at least for some cruisers.  It’s apparently very crowded with lots to do (bridge games on the beach, volleyball tournaments, mini-courses on a variety of subjects, bars, etc.).  I have no experience so I’ll have to let you know.  But at least it’s something we have to experience, if not endure for long periods of time.

I have to admit that I have fallen in love with this area. The cruisers are so nice, the locals so helpful that it’s bittersweet to leave.  Today Joe and I were invited to Fowl Cay Resort (read swank and expensive) to watch the pastry chef make puff pastry.  Well, it turned into a more than two hour course on pastry, with Joe being hands-on.  He even got to take the pastry home.  And the entire time, the head chef was preparing dinners.  I saw how he prepared lobsters for grilling, chicken and beef kebabs for appetizers, duck breast for cooking and how he used spices.  All while Joe was slaving away with a rolling pin :)  Oh, yes, it will be hard to leave.
So, I’ll let you know next how I like Georgetown.

In the meantime, for those of you who followed my San Blas adventures, you might be interested in the attached article by Wendy Clarke. Wendy is an accomplished journalist, and currently pens the back page of Cruising World each month.  She, her husband John and two kids about 14 and 12, have been cruising for almost four years now.  And we were together in the San Blas when she proposed an article on Chesapeake Bay sailors far from home.  Let me know what you think.

Happy New Year

Happy New Year to all.  I am back in the Bahamas and really enjoying it.  I spent a fabulous New Years Eve with Nancy and Arnon in West Palm Beach catching up and comparing our cruising adventures, and got back to Walkabout on January 2. She appeared none the worse for having been abandoned.  The freezer was still frozen, which was my big concern, the batteries were almost fully charged, and I was good to go.  Except that the day after I arrived, and well forecast, a storm arrived with 30 - 40 knot winds from the west.  And none of these islands have any protection from the west side.  So I stayed in the marina, which was full of boats running from the storm, until the next day, when it had passed.  It was cold and rainy as well as windy, and I was afraid this was a harbinger of January weather.  However, the next day was sunny and warmer, and off I went.

This is the part of the trip I was not sure about.  I am alone on the boat, and was concerned that I could handle all the boat chores alone.  I had to get the boat anchored, get the dinghy off the front deck, and get the motor on the dink by myself.  I headed back to Big Major where I knew there was lots of room and good holding.  And by Thursday, the dink was in the water and I had wheels!!!  By then, it was warmer still, sunny and beautiful and it has been every day since.

There are some great people here and it’s been a lot of fun over the past 10 days.  The wind is light enough that I can dinghy to Staniel Cay (about a quarter mile) so I’m not feeling trapped.  The mail boat did arrive (once) so there were fresh vegetables and fruit in the general store.  And, typical of cruisers everywhere, the parties are continuous.

There are about six large trawlers here who are “parked” for the winter (Fleming 65, Hatteras 60, custom steel 65 foot, big power cat, and a couple others).  These folks brought with them a picnic table, lots of beach chairs, and lumber to build an hors d’oeuvres table on the beach.  Serious partying!!!

I have met Bob on a Gulfstar 49 motor yacht, who bought the boat last April and came from Florida for the winter.  He has had so many problems that he’s heading back to Stuart to get some work done on the boat, while he returns home to Sun Valley Idaho to ski for the rest of the winter.

And there’s Mike, a 40 year old veterinarian, who sold his practice, got divorced, took a sailing course, bought a 32 ft Hunter, and headed to the Bahamas - by himself.  He is having a great time and it’s fun to watch him discover the joys and tribulations of managing his boat.  At one point he got his anchor wrapped around his keel and, not knowing what to do, looked it up in Chapmans.  

Clay and Rita Kay, on a small trawler, spend the entire year in the Bahamas, They are football fanatics and head to the marina on the weekends so they can be in their seats at the Staniel Cay Yacht Club for each game.

And of course everyone is more than willing to help each other out.  I got my dinghy stuck under the dock at low tide at the Yacht Club and Bob jumped in the water to free it.  That had never entered my mind, as there are sharks and 6 foot rays swimming right there (maybe not dangerous but still...).  I think I would still be pulling on the painter trying to get it loose!

I haven’t done much (any) sailing and am looking forward to the 50 mile trip to Georgetown.  Next week my friend Jean Woods will be here and after she leaves I’ll find a weather window to head south.  I’m hoping that Vision Quest and Fraulein will be here by then and we can all go together.

It’s very interesting to be at anchor all the time.  Power management becomes critical.  Batteries run down quickly if lights and electronics are left on, so it’s constantly a balancing act.  And at the moment the power gremlins are winning as I’m having problems getting the generator and battery charger to play nice together.  So I’m running the engine about three hours a day to stay on top of it.

Parts are coming so hopefully this is a temporary situation.  

All is well in this part of the world with new adventures daily.  I hope you are doing well and surviving winter.  At least the days are getting longer now.  

If you have a minute I’d love to hear from you.