December 30, 2013
Yesterday we made the 60+ mile trip across the NW Providence Channel from Bimini to West End, Grand Bahama.
The weather, to say the least, has been challenging over the last few weeks. Cold fronts and troughs have dominated the weather pattern resulting in unsettled and unpredictable wind and waves. Two- day windows have been almost non-existent , and often a one-day window is not enough to get you to your next planned stop. Yesterday looked like an opportunity to head north before the winds went lighter, but from the north today.
This trip is a 'blue-water' trip across a very busy shipping channel. This channel is know as the 'Hole in the Wall' and is one of the few places that large ships can transit from the Atlantic to the coast of the US getting around the extensive shallow bank surrounding the Bahamas. We saw 10-12 large ships, but no 'close encounters'. Interestingly, over 1/2 of them were anchored or steaming very slowly, probably killing time before their scheduled docking. Dock space at large shipping terminals is tightly scheduled, so you must arrive on time; steaming hard and then waiting a day or so away from your destination makes arriving on schedule easier.
The day started with actual winds at the dock and from a weather station at our destination below forecast ( 10 knot @ 145). The forecast showed diminishing winds over the day - wrong! The wind steadily increased over the morning to solid 20-25 knots with gusts to 30. The waves progressively grew over the course of the day to 5-7' from astern. With the wind behind us, the ride was actually not that bad. Probably the biggest challenge was getting the mainsail down at our destination. This maneuver entails turning the boat into the wind (and waves) and then lowering and securing the sail(we have an 'old fashioned' fully battened sail, no roller furling or 'Stack-Pac). Luckily, we could tuck in behind a little spit of land south of the marina and escape the wind and waves some. Well the operation was a success and we entered the marina with our mainsail down, but a bit 'messy' with dangling furling and other lines that I would normally neaten up.
Docking at Old Bahama Bay Marina was uneventful, except for being assigned a slip almost on the inner basin wall (the same slip we had here 2 years ago). Maneuvering a full-keel sailboat in and out of a spot like this is not trivial. Before we leave, I am going to make a quick map of the basin, and if we return someday, negotiate a better slip before we are on final approach.
The weather looks like we will be here for about a week. Other than it is relatively expensive, Old Bahama Bay is a pleasant place to be. There is not a lot to do here, however, and we may rent a car and travel to Freeport for a day or two.
Tom
Docked at Old Bahama Bay
West End, Grand Bahama
Monday, December 30, 2013
Tuesday, December 24, 2013
Change of Plans - Christmas in Bimini
December 24, 2013
There is great truth in the saying "You can sail; or you can have a schedule; but you can't have both".
We have now decided to stay in Bimini for Christmas. Yesterday would have been a window to head north to West End, Grand Bahama, but we could not have made it any farther than that with an approaching cold front. Since West End would definitely have been more expensive and probably not as interesting, we have decided to stay in Bimini for Christmas.
This is our third Christmas on the boat and each has been unique. The first was in Everglades City in the Ten Thousand Islands; there we really enjoyed the service at the community church. The second was at Shroud Cay in the Exuma Land Park; there we were virtually alone at a deserted island. This year looks like it will be Bimini; probably attending services at the Methodist church and maybe catching Junkanoo.
What stays the same, however, is the meaning of Christmas and a few traditions that we carry on. First we always try to remember that it is about Christ's birth and its significance to those of us who are followers of Christ.
Our traditions are simple. Instead of a tree, we have a small artificial wreath which we decorate with a select set of decorations; the criteria in the selection were: small, non-fragile, and of special significance. In spite of a good bath when our water heater leaked last year, our decorations have generally fared pretty well.
We will have a traditional Christmas Eve meal that I have fond memories of as a child. Pierogi and sauerkraut with mushrooms and barley are the foundations of a traditional Slovak meatless Christmas Eve dinner. We always try to provision for this meal before we leave the states.
One of the things we would like to catch here in Bimini is the Christmas Junkanoo celebration. However, this is not a rigorously planned event, but will probably occur somewhere in the early morning hours of Boxing Day (day after Christmas). This will involve the 'band' of drums, percussion instruments, and horns that we saw at the tree lighting ceremony. In Nassau it is scheduled to start at 2AM, but word is that it will be around 4-5 AM here. In case you think it impressive that the Bahamians are up that early, we think that they may be that they have not yet gone to bed. We, on the other hand, will catch some sleep and try to get up for the festivities.
Future plans are to probably head north on Friday and continuing over to Green Turtle over the weekend. The weather will probably have little gradient wind, but will be squally.
Have a blessed Christmas!
Tom & Joyce
Docked at Weech's Bimini Dock
Bimini, Bahamas
There is great truth in the saying "You can sail; or you can have a schedule; but you can't have both".
We have now decided to stay in Bimini for Christmas. Yesterday would have been a window to head north to West End, Grand Bahama, but we could not have made it any farther than that with an approaching cold front. Since West End would definitely have been more expensive and probably not as interesting, we have decided to stay in Bimini for Christmas.
This is our third Christmas on the boat and each has been unique. The first was in Everglades City in the Ten Thousand Islands; there we really enjoyed the service at the community church. The second was at Shroud Cay in the Exuma Land Park; there we were virtually alone at a deserted island. This year looks like it will be Bimini; probably attending services at the Methodist church and maybe catching Junkanoo.
What stays the same, however, is the meaning of Christmas and a few traditions that we carry on. First we always try to remember that it is about Christ's birth and its significance to those of us who are followers of Christ.
Our traditions are simple. Instead of a tree, we have a small artificial wreath which we decorate with a select set of decorations; the criteria in the selection were: small, non-fragile, and of special significance. In spite of a good bath when our water heater leaked last year, our decorations have generally fared pretty well.
We will have a traditional Christmas Eve meal that I have fond memories of as a child. Pierogi and sauerkraut with mushrooms and barley are the foundations of a traditional Slovak meatless Christmas Eve dinner. We always try to provision for this meal before we leave the states.
One of the things we would like to catch here in Bimini is the Christmas Junkanoo celebration. However, this is not a rigorously planned event, but will probably occur somewhere in the early morning hours of Boxing Day (day after Christmas). This will involve the 'band' of drums, percussion instruments, and horns that we saw at the tree lighting ceremony. In Nassau it is scheduled to start at 2AM, but word is that it will be around 4-5 AM here. In case you think it impressive that the Bahamians are up that early, we think that they may be that they have not yet gone to bed. We, on the other hand, will catch some sleep and try to get up for the festivities.
Future plans are to probably head north on Friday and continuing over to Green Turtle over the weekend. The weather will probably have little gradient wind, but will be squally.
Have a blessed Christmas!
Tom & Joyce
Docked at Weech's Bimini Dock
Bimini, Bahamas
Saturday, December 21, 2013
Bimini Adventures
December 20, 2013
We have been enjoying our time in Bimini since our arrival last Sunday.
Bimini is somewhat unique (as are most of the islands). It is some ways one of the more 'Americanized' islands, due to its proximity to the US, but still retains a unique culture. There is quite a bit of poverty and no industry outside of tourism. Many cruisers seem to use Bimini to clear customs/immigration and get out as soon as possible; we have typically lingered longer and have grown to enjoy it quite a bit.
First we stay at Weech's Bimini Dock which hosts few cruisers. Other marinas in Bimini offer many more amenities such as wifi, locked gates, picnic areas, pools, etc., but Weech's has a long history and is much more a part of the community. First it is run by the Weech family which were one of the early settlers of Bimini and staying here gives you an opportunity to get to know them. Secondly, it is the marina most open to the community. For example, it is not uncommon to see local fisherman cleaning their catch at the docks and on several nights this week we had two women fishing off the dock right outside our boat. While this might make some uncomfortable, we find it is a great opportunity to meet some locals.
While the Weechs are white, the vast majority of Bimini residents are black. And it is remarkable, especially given the proximity of the island to the US, that the locals are distinctly African, in skin color (very dark), features, and culture.
Culturally, for example, we have learned that Bahamian houses are often nicer on the inside than the outside. While we are far from anthropologists, I think that this stems from the community nature of African culture. I learned the most about this concept from a story told by a pastor from our home church. The church has developed a relationship with a group of national pastors in Ghana and the relationship has grown to regular 'mission' trips to Ghana by members of the staff and congregation. While in Ghana, the pastor observed that there were many 'free range' chickens in a village and that the residents had to go to great lengths to retrieve a meager number of eggs. He made a suggestion to one of the men. Why don't you build some cages, buy some feed, raise chickens and sell the eggs; you may make a little money and everyone will have more eggs - a win-win. Oh no, exclaimed the man, I could not do that! If I had more eggs than I could use, my family and neighbors would expect that that I would give them my excess - it would not cross their mind that they would pay and I would be considered an evil man if I tried to sell them. So to borrow a saying from another more egalitarian culture (Australia) - no one wants to be a 'tall poppy'. Even though it is only 50+ miles a way, it is a different universe from Coconut Grove (Miami) where everyone must drive the most expensive car possible.
Last night we went to the second annual Christmas tree lighting ceremony here in Bimini. Like good Americans, we were there at the advertised starting time and found only a few people gathered at that time - we never seem to learn :-) It started about 45 minutes later and moved at a glacial pace. There were numerous musical and other presentations and it seemed like everyone that wanted to be a part of the program was welcome to participate. But overall it was a neat experience:
Now a few more mundane items (food of course):
If you get to Bimini, you must try the food at the Taste of Heaven Bakery. It is THE staple for box lunches/breakfasts for the locals. Many traditional Bahamian dishes (curries, steam fish, chicken, etc.) for lunch ($6 for a small; $8 for a large including rice and 2 sides) and simple breakfasts (mostly grits and a meat) for $2, $3, or $4. Lunches are not ready until around Noon and usually gone by 1:30 or so.
Also, in the 'don't judge a Bahamian food provider by the building' category - GREAT conch salad at Stuarts.
Currently we hope to leave Bimini on Monday morning and travel north across the NW Providence channel (heavy shipping lane) to West End, Grand Bahama, where we will probably wait out yet another cold front - well it is December!
Tom
Docked at Weech's Bimini Dock
North Bimini
'
We have been enjoying our time in Bimini since our arrival last Sunday.
Bimini is somewhat unique (as are most of the islands). It is some ways one of the more 'Americanized' islands, due to its proximity to the US, but still retains a unique culture. There is quite a bit of poverty and no industry outside of tourism. Many cruisers seem to use Bimini to clear customs/immigration and get out as soon as possible; we have typically lingered longer and have grown to enjoy it quite a bit.
First we stay at Weech's Bimini Dock which hosts few cruisers. Other marinas in Bimini offer many more amenities such as wifi, locked gates, picnic areas, pools, etc., but Weech's has a long history and is much more a part of the community. First it is run by the Weech family which were one of the early settlers of Bimini and staying here gives you an opportunity to get to know them. Secondly, it is the marina most open to the community. For example, it is not uncommon to see local fisherman cleaning their catch at the docks and on several nights this week we had two women fishing off the dock right outside our boat. While this might make some uncomfortable, we find it is a great opportunity to meet some locals.
While the Weechs are white, the vast majority of Bimini residents are black. And it is remarkable, especially given the proximity of the island to the US, that the locals are distinctly African, in skin color (very dark), features, and culture.
Culturally, for example, we have learned that Bahamian houses are often nicer on the inside than the outside. While we are far from anthropologists, I think that this stems from the community nature of African culture. I learned the most about this concept from a story told by a pastor from our home church. The church has developed a relationship with a group of national pastors in Ghana and the relationship has grown to regular 'mission' trips to Ghana by members of the staff and congregation. While in Ghana, the pastor observed that there were many 'free range' chickens in a village and that the residents had to go to great lengths to retrieve a meager number of eggs. He made a suggestion to one of the men. Why don't you build some cages, buy some feed, raise chickens and sell the eggs; you may make a little money and everyone will have more eggs - a win-win. Oh no, exclaimed the man, I could not do that! If I had more eggs than I could use, my family and neighbors would expect that that I would give them my excess - it would not cross their mind that they would pay and I would be considered an evil man if I tried to sell them. So to borrow a saying from another more egalitarian culture (Australia) - no one wants to be a 'tall poppy'. Even though it is only 50+ miles a way, it is a different universe from Coconut Grove (Miami) where everyone must drive the most expensive car possible.
Last night we went to the second annual Christmas tree lighting ceremony here in Bimini. Like good Americans, we were there at the advertised starting time and found only a few people gathered at that time - we never seem to learn :-) It started about 45 minutes later and moved at a glacial pace. There were numerous musical and other presentations and it seemed like everyone that wanted to be a part of the program was welcome to participate. But overall it was a neat experience:
- While it lacked the 'professionalism' that seems be mandatory at similar events in the States, almost every presenter addressed the real meaning of Christmas (Christ's birth) including the Island Administrator - try that in the US.
- The program ended with a 'Junkanoo Rushout'. Junkanoo is a very African-inspired form of Christmas celebration with similarities to 'Carnival'. The 'band' consists of mostly drums and other rhythm instruments with a few horns. They marched around the seating area and ended up in the road. The beat was absolutely hypnotic! People old and young were dancing to the beat. We stayed for quite a long time, in part to see how long they would go on, but they outlasted us and were still going strong when we headed back to the boat. Vigorously beating the drums, particularly the big ones, must be exhausting and in fact we did notice that they traded off playing these.
- As always, the kids were very cute, especially as they danced to the Junkanoo!
Now a few more mundane items (food of course):
If you get to Bimini, you must try the food at the Taste of Heaven Bakery. It is THE staple for box lunches/breakfasts for the locals. Many traditional Bahamian dishes (curries, steam fish, chicken, etc.) for lunch ($6 for a small; $8 for a large including rice and 2 sides) and simple breakfasts (mostly grits and a meat) for $2, $3, or $4. Lunches are not ready until around Noon and usually gone by 1:30 or so.
Also, in the 'don't judge a Bahamian food provider by the building' category - GREAT conch salad at Stuarts.
Currently we hope to leave Bimini on Monday morning and travel north across the NW Providence channel (heavy shipping lane) to West End, Grand Bahama, where we will probably wait out yet another cold front - well it is December!
Tom
Docked at Weech's Bimini Dock
North Bimini
'
Monday, December 16, 2013
We are in the Bahamas
December 15, 2013
We crossed the Gulf Stream today and are currently docked in Alice Town, North Bimini.
We had originally planned to go to West End on Grand Bahama, but the weather did not cooperate, so we decided to at least get across the stream in this window.
The wind was 14-17 knots from the south, which with the effect of the current had us close-hauled for most of the day. The morning was sailable, but not with enough boat speed for the trip so we motor-sailed. Around midday the winds clocked a little towards the west and we were able to sail. Overall our boat speed was great and we made very good time. The seas were a bit rough, however, which made for a less than comfortable ride.
Tomorrow we will try to re-activate our Bahamian phone.
Tom
Docked at Weech's Bimini Dock
Alice Town, North Bimini, Bahamas
Via Satellite Phone
Saturday, December 14, 2013
Farewell Miami - Hello Bahamas
December 14, 2013
After over a week in Miami we are hoping to cross the Gulf Stream tomorrow to Bimini in the Bahamas. This is a change from our original plan to overnight to West End on Grand Bahama. With fronts passing rapidly through, it has been difficult to get good weather on both ends for the 16+ hour trip from Miami to West End. It does, however look like we can squeeze in a quick 10 hour dash across to Bimini tomorrow. This will at least allow us to get over the Stream and plan our next legs from there. It will mean a few more miles, but hopefully worth it in time and safety.
A Gulf Stream crossing, however, is never to be taken lightly so we take all the precautions required for an ocean passage.
Miami, as usual, has been interesting. We have been enjoying our last tastes of 'civilization' before heading to the Bahamas. We did some old favorites (Vizcaya, Barnacle, Starbucks, gelato, Pollo Tropical....).
If you get to Miami, make sure to dine at Pollo Tropical - fast food with a Caribbean twist. They make the best grilled chicken and sides like beans and rice and yucca for Latin tastes and dishes like waffle fries for more American tastes. They are only located in Florida and a few other southern states, but believe it or not, they are owned by a company in Syracuse.
We saw Catching Fire (Hunger Games book 2) twice - great movie!
We went to the new Perez Art Museum of Miami. Most of the art was a bit abstract for our tastes, but here are two favorites:
We went to the Miami Zoo - it is huge - impossible to take it all in in a day. We really enjoyed the Amazon exhibit. Monkeys, jaguar, lemurs, several snakes that will ruin your day, and the cutest gold Panamanian frog. No Amazon pictures, however, but here are some classic flamingos.
Next blog will hopefully be from the Bahamas!
Tom
Moored Coconut Grove (Miami)
After over a week in Miami we are hoping to cross the Gulf Stream tomorrow to Bimini in the Bahamas. This is a change from our original plan to overnight to West End on Grand Bahama. With fronts passing rapidly through, it has been difficult to get good weather on both ends for the 16+ hour trip from Miami to West End. It does, however look like we can squeeze in a quick 10 hour dash across to Bimini tomorrow. This will at least allow us to get over the Stream and plan our next legs from there. It will mean a few more miles, but hopefully worth it in time and safety.
A Gulf Stream crossing, however, is never to be taken lightly so we take all the precautions required for an ocean passage.
Miami, as usual, has been interesting. We have been enjoying our last tastes of 'civilization' before heading to the Bahamas. We did some old favorites (Vizcaya, Barnacle, Starbucks, gelato, Pollo Tropical....).
If you get to Miami, make sure to dine at Pollo Tropical - fast food with a Caribbean twist. They make the best grilled chicken and sides like beans and rice and yucca for Latin tastes and dishes like waffle fries for more American tastes. They are only located in Florida and a few other southern states, but believe it or not, they are owned by a company in Syracuse.
We saw Catching Fire (Hunger Games book 2) twice - great movie!
We went to the new Perez Art Museum of Miami. Most of the art was a bit abstract for our tastes, but here are two favorites:
 |
| 'Progression with Bar' - Tom's Favorite |
 |
| Huge yarn sculpture - Joyce's Favorite |
We went to the Miami Zoo - it is huge - impossible to take it all in in a day. We really enjoyed the Amazon exhibit. Monkeys, jaguar, lemurs, several snakes that will ruin your day, and the cutest gold Panamanian frog. No Amazon pictures, however, but here are some classic flamingos.
 |
| Flamingos - how classic Floridian can you get |
Next blog will hopefully be from the Bahamas!
Tom
Moored Coconut Grove (Miami)
Sunday, December 8, 2013
Quinceañera at Vizcaya
December 7, 2013
Yesterday (Saturday) we visited Vizcaya on Biscayne Bay. Vizcaya was built in the 'gilded era' of early 20th century by millionaire James Deering and is now a county-run museum/garden. With its European-styled architecture and formal gardens it is the perfect venue for Quinceañera photo shoots. We have been there several times before, but this time we went with the specific purpose of 'shooting the Quinceañera shoots' on a fair Saturday afternoon.
First, just a little bit about Quinceañera (pronounced: [kin.se.aˈɲe.ɾa]. It is a celebration of a girl's 15th birthday in Latin cultures and is hugely popular in Miami. It represents a girls transition from childhood to young womanhood and in earlier times announced her availability for marriage.
It is a big, and I am sure expensive, endeavor including a huge party, extensive wardrobe, and many photos. It is quite a show to see the girls with multiple changes of clothes and a entourage of family, friends and photographers. They almost always have a 'traditional' dress (which are always our favorites) along with several more contemporary outfits.
In the following photos I tried to capture some shots of the girls, but also shots of the 'production'.
Moored at Coconut Grove (Miami)
Yesterday (Saturday) we visited Vizcaya on Biscayne Bay. Vizcaya was built in the 'gilded era' of early 20th century by millionaire James Deering and is now a county-run museum/garden. With its European-styled architecture and formal gardens it is the perfect venue for Quinceañera photo shoots. We have been there several times before, but this time we went with the specific purpose of 'shooting the Quinceañera shoots' on a fair Saturday afternoon.
First, just a little bit about Quinceañera (pronounced: [kin.se.aˈɲe.ɾa]. It is a celebration of a girl's 15th birthday in Latin cultures and is hugely popular in Miami. It represents a girls transition from childhood to young womanhood and in earlier times announced her availability for marriage.
It is a big, and I am sure expensive, endeavor including a huge party, extensive wardrobe, and many photos. It is quite a show to see the girls with multiple changes of clothes and a entourage of family, friends and photographers. They almost always have a 'traditional' dress (which are always our favorites) along with several more contemporary outfits.
In the following photos I tried to capture some shots of the girls, but also shots of the 'production'.
 |
| Very traditional & pretty dress |
 |
| Train-carrier - look closely at the footwear under the fancy dress |
 |
| Hair & makeup |
 |
| Very non-traditional, but very cute! |
 |
| Wardrobe |
 |
| Contemporary little black dress |
 |
| With Dad? |
It is nice to see the continuation of tradition in these families - something that I think we could use more of in our culture. I am hopeful that these photos capture a little piece of this tradition and thankful that I completed the shoot without being accused of being a stalker or being punched out by a protective dad :-).
Tom Moored at Coconut Grove (Miami)
Thursday, December 5, 2013
Winter Days, Spring Tides, and Crab Pots - Oh My!
December 5, 2013
We are currently on a mooring in Coconut Grove (Miami) after 4 days of travel from Marco Island on the west coast via the Keys. Overall we had good travel days with motor-sailing/sailing winds and great boat speed. But the trip was not without its challenges.
Winter Days - We are approaching the shortest day of the year, and at best we have about 11 hours of daylight travel time. Each of the last four days were 8+ hours of travel which doesn't leave a lot of daylight to spare.
Spring Tides - Twice a month, at the full and new moon, the tides are exceptionally large (high and low) and our travel spanned a new moon. Adding to this was that the lowest-low was in early morning, increasing the difficulty of getting underway early.
Crab Pots - Stone crab season starts October 15 and the number of pots and floats in the water, especially on the far south west Florida coast, can be incredible. Each pot offers the possibility of wrapping a line around our propeller - a very bad thing. Our full keel design offers more protection from this than most boats, but the risk is still there.
Day one had us leaving Rose Marina on Marco Island a few minutes before sunrise. A light fog further limited visibility. The channel out the bay where the marina is located is narrow and surrounded by shallow shoals. We had recorded a 'track' (a record of where we traveled) on our way in and following it back out helps the navigation immensely. However, as we were about half way out the bay, I noticed that on the chart plotter, our track went on the 'wrong' side of a green day marker. That and a nearby sign disoriented me enough that we strayed out of the channel and ran lightly aground. The tide was rising and in about 5 minutes we were able to back off and continue on our travels.
While overall, we have been very happy with our new Garmin chart plotter, I have been a little disappointed in the accuracy of the cartography. It turns out that the marker that led me astray was misplaced on the Garmin chart. On the way in, navigating visually, I did not notice the discrepancy. Goes to show that the old saying about using 'all available means of navigation' is a wise rule.
That night we planned to anchor in Little Shark River, a place we have been many times. We were a little concerned about the depth at the entrance for departure the next morning, but with a an hour or so delay, we had no problem the next morning. We really enjoy the wildlife in Little Shark River, and were sorry that we could not stay longer.
The crab pots on the next leg, between Little Shark and Marathon are incredibly thick - often you simply do not know which way to turn to avoid them. We were under sail and doing pretty well avoiding them (it actually can be a bit fun - somewhat like a video game) until the wind got light and variable and we had to take the sails down in a section with some of the thickest pots. Since you have limited maneuverability during this process, avoiding the pots becomes even more difficult. Apologies to some crabber, because one float came too close to our propeller and we shredded it. It did not appear that we caught the line at all, but we will do a visual inspection before we leave for the Bahamas.
After an uneventful night anchored off Boot Key in Marathon, on departure we noticed a significant decrease in our cooling sea-water flow. We have transited through a lot of 'eel grass' and likely we have a blockage somewhere. I had cleaned the strainer (filter) the night before so we knew that was OK. So after re-anchoring, I donned my snorkel gear to dive under the boat to look for, and hopefully clear, any obstruction where the water enters the boat. As is typical, conditions were not great with a strong current, but I was finally successful in clearing the blockage and we were on our way up the 'Hawk Channel'.
That night we had an uneventful anchorage at Rodriguez Key, and a good travel day up to Biscayne Bay on our final transit day.
On arrival in Miami we were lucky to get a mooring at Coconut Grove Sailing Club (our favorite place here), but their transient moorings are limited, and we are not sure if we will be able to stay. In any event, our plan is to be in Miami for a week or so and then look for a favorable weather window to cross the Gulf Stream to the Bahamas.
Tom
Moored at Coconut Grove (Miami)
PS It looks like we will be able to stay at Coconut Grove Sailing Club for at least a week or so - hopefully longer if needed.
We are currently on a mooring in Coconut Grove (Miami) after 4 days of travel from Marco Island on the west coast via the Keys. Overall we had good travel days with motor-sailing/sailing winds and great boat speed. But the trip was not without its challenges.
Winter Days - We are approaching the shortest day of the year, and at best we have about 11 hours of daylight travel time. Each of the last four days were 8+ hours of travel which doesn't leave a lot of daylight to spare.
Spring Tides - Twice a month, at the full and new moon, the tides are exceptionally large (high and low) and our travel spanned a new moon. Adding to this was that the lowest-low was in early morning, increasing the difficulty of getting underway early.
Crab Pots - Stone crab season starts October 15 and the number of pots and floats in the water, especially on the far south west Florida coast, can be incredible. Each pot offers the possibility of wrapping a line around our propeller - a very bad thing. Our full keel design offers more protection from this than most boats, but the risk is still there.
Day one had us leaving Rose Marina on Marco Island a few minutes before sunrise. A light fog further limited visibility. The channel out the bay where the marina is located is narrow and surrounded by shallow shoals. We had recorded a 'track' (a record of where we traveled) on our way in and following it back out helps the navigation immensely. However, as we were about half way out the bay, I noticed that on the chart plotter, our track went on the 'wrong' side of a green day marker. That and a nearby sign disoriented me enough that we strayed out of the channel and ran lightly aground. The tide was rising and in about 5 minutes we were able to back off and continue on our travels.
While overall, we have been very happy with our new Garmin chart plotter, I have been a little disappointed in the accuracy of the cartography. It turns out that the marker that led me astray was misplaced on the Garmin chart. On the way in, navigating visually, I did not notice the discrepancy. Goes to show that the old saying about using 'all available means of navigation' is a wise rule.
That night we planned to anchor in Little Shark River, a place we have been many times. We were a little concerned about the depth at the entrance for departure the next morning, but with a an hour or so delay, we had no problem the next morning. We really enjoy the wildlife in Little Shark River, and were sorry that we could not stay longer.
The crab pots on the next leg, between Little Shark and Marathon are incredibly thick - often you simply do not know which way to turn to avoid them. We were under sail and doing pretty well avoiding them (it actually can be a bit fun - somewhat like a video game) until the wind got light and variable and we had to take the sails down in a section with some of the thickest pots. Since you have limited maneuverability during this process, avoiding the pots becomes even more difficult. Apologies to some crabber, because one float came too close to our propeller and we shredded it. It did not appear that we caught the line at all, but we will do a visual inspection before we leave for the Bahamas.
After an uneventful night anchored off Boot Key in Marathon, on departure we noticed a significant decrease in our cooling sea-water flow. We have transited through a lot of 'eel grass' and likely we have a blockage somewhere. I had cleaned the strainer (filter) the night before so we knew that was OK. So after re-anchoring, I donned my snorkel gear to dive under the boat to look for, and hopefully clear, any obstruction where the water enters the boat. As is typical, conditions were not great with a strong current, but I was finally successful in clearing the blockage and we were on our way up the 'Hawk Channel'.
That night we had an uneventful anchorage at Rodriguez Key, and a good travel day up to Biscayne Bay on our final transit day.
On arrival in Miami we were lucky to get a mooring at Coconut Grove Sailing Club (our favorite place here), but their transient moorings are limited, and we are not sure if we will be able to stay. In any event, our plan is to be in Miami for a week or so and then look for a favorable weather window to cross the Gulf Stream to the Bahamas.
Tom
Moored at Coconut Grove (Miami)
PS It looks like we will be able to stay at Coconut Grove Sailing Club for at least a week or so - hopefully longer if needed.
Thursday, November 28, 2013
Thanksgiving Dinner in Marco
November 28, 2013
This is our third Thanksgiving since we began living on the boat, but the first time that we cooked a Thanksgiving dinner on boat. It was, without a doubt, one of the BEST turkey dinners I can remember. Kudos to Joyce the chef!
Our first Thanksgiving on the boat we enjoyed a poolside turkey dinner at Twin Dolphin. The marina restaurant supplied the turkey, everyone brought a side-dish and it was a lot of fun.
We were in Marco last Thanksgiving as well (an unintended tradition?) and we went to Marek's, a nearby and very fancy restaurant. In fact we really didn't know how fancy it was when we made the reservation and only realized when people around the marina said " You are going to Marek's?" While the meal was good (and expensive), it was not great; but, the service was exceptional.
This year it was a Publix's turkey breast, cooked to perfection in our small, but capable oven. The turkey was incredibly moist and tasty. Complimented by mashed potatoes, dressing, and green peas and topped with perhaps Joyce's best gravy ever it was simply delicious!
I have always been a fan of our Princess stove, but she really outdid herself today. We had the oven and all three burners going at the peak of the cooking. Propane is a compact and versatile cooking fuel and you can do anything you can imagine - you just have to be creative on space at times.
We have pumpkin pie for dessert, but it will be a while before we are ready to eat another bite.
Tom
Docked at Rose Marina
Marco Island, FL
This is our third Thanksgiving since we began living on the boat, but the first time that we cooked a Thanksgiving dinner on boat. It was, without a doubt, one of the BEST turkey dinners I can remember. Kudos to Joyce the chef!
Our first Thanksgiving on the boat we enjoyed a poolside turkey dinner at Twin Dolphin. The marina restaurant supplied the turkey, everyone brought a side-dish and it was a lot of fun.
We were in Marco last Thanksgiving as well (an unintended tradition?) and we went to Marek's, a nearby and very fancy restaurant. In fact we really didn't know how fancy it was when we made the reservation and only realized when people around the marina said " You are going to Marek's?" While the meal was good (and expensive), it was not great; but, the service was exceptional.
This year it was a Publix's turkey breast, cooked to perfection in our small, but capable oven. The turkey was incredibly moist and tasty. Complimented by mashed potatoes, dressing, and green peas and topped with perhaps Joyce's best gravy ever it was simply delicious!
I have always been a fan of our Princess stove, but she really outdid herself today. We had the oven and all three burners going at the peak of the cooking. Propane is a compact and versatile cooking fuel and you can do anything you can imagine - you just have to be creative on space at times.
 |
| Princess Stove - picture is of a newer model, but basically the same as ours! |
We have pumpkin pie for dessert, but it will be a while before we are ready to eat another bite.
Tom
Docked at Rose Marina
Marco Island, FL
Burrowing Owls on Marco Island
November 28, 2013
We are spending an unplanned Thanksgiving at Rose Marina on Marco Island. We had originally planned to leave her on Tuesday after laundry, provisioning, and some repairs, but a strong cold front has delayed our departure until the weekend.
The delay did provide an opportunity to get some pictures of some burrowing owls that nest near the marina. We have seen the owls on several previous visits to Marco, but it is difficult to get good photos. But today, one did some great posing and I got some decent shots.
The burrowing owls are 'a species of special concern' (not quite classified as endangered) and are heavily protected in Florida. You can learn more about them at the following website http://myfwc.com/wildlifehabitats/profiles/birds/owls/burrowing-owl/
You do have to feel just a little sorry for the owner, of what I am sure is a fairly valuable piece of Marco real estate, who can do nothing with his property.
We are cooking Thanksgiving dinner on boat today and enjoying a relaxing day.
Just as an update, our windlass seems to be working fine after some 'adjustments'. We also did a long overdue replacement of the sensor on our propane fume detector. The old sensor was getting increasingly flaky. The design when the detector was first installed was a sensor on a 20' cable connected directly to the control unit. This necessitated pulling a new cable, which was not an easy task. The new sensor has a 12" pigtail which will make future replacement much easier.
Current plans are to leave here on Saturday or Sunday and start heading to Miami via Little Shark River, Marathon, and Key Largo (Rodriguez Key).
Tom
Docked at Rose Marina
Marco Island, FL
We are spending an unplanned Thanksgiving at Rose Marina on Marco Island. We had originally planned to leave her on Tuesday after laundry, provisioning, and some repairs, but a strong cold front has delayed our departure until the weekend.
The delay did provide an opportunity to get some pictures of some burrowing owls that nest near the marina. We have seen the owls on several previous visits to Marco, but it is difficult to get good photos. But today, one did some great posing and I got some decent shots.
The burrowing owls are 'a species of special concern' (not quite classified as endangered) and are heavily protected in Florida. You can learn more about them at the following website http://myfwc.com/wildlifehabitats/profiles/birds/owls/burrowing-owl/
You do have to feel just a little sorry for the owner, of what I am sure is a fairly valuable piece of Marco real estate, who can do nothing with his property.
We are cooking Thanksgiving dinner on boat today and enjoying a relaxing day.
Just as an update, our windlass seems to be working fine after some 'adjustments'. We also did a long overdue replacement of the sensor on our propane fume detector. The old sensor was getting increasingly flaky. The design when the detector was first installed was a sensor on a 20' cable connected directly to the control unit. This necessitated pulling a new cable, which was not an easy task. The new sensor has a 12" pigtail which will make future replacement much easier.
Current plans are to leave here on Saturday or Sunday and start heading to Miami via Little Shark River, Marathon, and Key Largo (Rodriguez Key).
Tom
Docked at Rose Marina
Marco Island, FL
Sunday, November 24, 2013
Marco Island
November 24, 2013
We are currently docked at Rose Marina on Marco Island. As is our practice, Rose Marina is a relatively cheap entrée to an up-scale community.
We left Pelican Bay on a high tide the afternoon of 11/20/2013 and made the short trip to an anchorage near Useppa Island. Useppa Island is another exclusive enclave that during the 1960s was a base for training the men involved with the Bay of Pigs 'invasion'. They lived on Useppa and trained on Cayo Costa in relative privacy and secrecy - how things have changed in 50 years! Our move from Pelican Bay was uneventful, except for discovery of a problem with intermittent engagement of our anchor windlass. With the help of the 'wind-lad' (me) we were able to successfully raise our anchor.
On Thursday 11/21/2013 we traveled down Pine Island Sound and anchored at a spot off Punta Rassa in San Carlos Bay to stage for a trip down off-coast to Marco Island.
Friday offered a beautiful sail down the gulf coast with 15-20 knot winds almost close-hauled (off the bow); this was the second year in a row that this leg has been a great sail. We made record time and were in Capri Pass, fueled and docked at Rose Marina by 2:00 PM.
Our first couple days here have been consumed by laundry and working on the windlass problem. Lighthouse, the manufacturer, has been great and offered some good suggestions. One of these was to relieve any strain on one of the power connections - apparently strain on one of the cables has had a history of putting the related solenoid out of alignment and making it work erratically. Totally removing the waterproof gland where the cable enters the control box markedly improved the performance, but I had to 'play' with reinstalling the gland so as to not reintroduce the problem. The biggest breakthrough, however, was when I disconnected the windlass switch in the cockpit (my idea). This switch was installed in parallel with the primary foot switches and for reasons too complicated to go into, I suspected it might be draining too much of the control circuit current. This pretty much eliminated the problem, at least for now. We will be ordering a new solenoid assembly to carry as a spare if the strain/erratic solenoid issue returns/grows. Since we spend the vast majority of our time at anchor, windlass performance is very important to us (especially the wind-lad)!
We had planned to leave here and head for Little Shark River on the far southwest coast of Florida on Tuesday, but a strong cold front is coming through tonight and will probably delay our departure. Currently it looks like the best day to continue south will be Thursday (Thanksgiving Day). We will probably celebrate Thanksgiving on Friday at Little Shark.
After yet another cold front passes, we will continue on to Miami.
Tom
Docked Rose Marina, Marco Island
We are currently docked at Rose Marina on Marco Island. As is our practice, Rose Marina is a relatively cheap entrée to an up-scale community.
We left Pelican Bay on a high tide the afternoon of 11/20/2013 and made the short trip to an anchorage near Useppa Island. Useppa Island is another exclusive enclave that during the 1960s was a base for training the men involved with the Bay of Pigs 'invasion'. They lived on Useppa and trained on Cayo Costa in relative privacy and secrecy - how things have changed in 50 years! Our move from Pelican Bay was uneventful, except for discovery of a problem with intermittent engagement of our anchor windlass. With the help of the 'wind-lad' (me) we were able to successfully raise our anchor.
On Thursday 11/21/2013 we traveled down Pine Island Sound and anchored at a spot off Punta Rassa in San Carlos Bay to stage for a trip down off-coast to Marco Island.
Friday offered a beautiful sail down the gulf coast with 15-20 knot winds almost close-hauled (off the bow); this was the second year in a row that this leg has been a great sail. We made record time and were in Capri Pass, fueled and docked at Rose Marina by 2:00 PM.
Our first couple days here have been consumed by laundry and working on the windlass problem. Lighthouse, the manufacturer, has been great and offered some good suggestions. One of these was to relieve any strain on one of the power connections - apparently strain on one of the cables has had a history of putting the related solenoid out of alignment and making it work erratically. Totally removing the waterproof gland where the cable enters the control box markedly improved the performance, but I had to 'play' with reinstalling the gland so as to not reintroduce the problem. The biggest breakthrough, however, was when I disconnected the windlass switch in the cockpit (my idea). This switch was installed in parallel with the primary foot switches and for reasons too complicated to go into, I suspected it might be draining too much of the control circuit current. This pretty much eliminated the problem, at least for now. We will be ordering a new solenoid assembly to carry as a spare if the strain/erratic solenoid issue returns/grows. Since we spend the vast majority of our time at anchor, windlass performance is very important to us (especially the wind-lad)!
We had planned to leave here and head for Little Shark River on the far southwest coast of Florida on Tuesday, but a strong cold front is coming through tonight and will probably delay our departure. Currently it looks like the best day to continue south will be Thursday (Thanksgiving Day). We will probably celebrate Thanksgiving on Friday at Little Shark.
After yet another cold front passes, we will continue on to Miami.
Tom
Docked Rose Marina, Marco Island
Wednesday, November 20, 2013
Goodbye Manatees in Pelican Bay
November 20, 2013
After anchoring for almost two weeks in Pelican Bay (near Cayo Costa State Park), we are heading further south today. We had planned to leave tomorrow morning, but since the entrance into Pelican Bay is quite skinny (shallow), and low tide is around 8:00 AM, we have decided to leave the anchorage today near high tide and anchor just off the intra-coastal waterway near Useppa Island. Tomorrow, we will go about 30 miles down Pine Island Sound and anchor just off Punta Rassa for the night. Friday, we plan to sail to Marco Island, where we will dock and ‘enjoy’ a few days of cleaning, laundry, grocery shopping and other errands.
One of the highlights of our stay has been the manatees that are in the lagoon near the anchorage. In previous stays, we had never really visited the lagoon much, and when we did, we didn’t see too many manatees. This year, there must have been at least ten of them, including a mum with her baby. We found that a good way to see them was to turn the outboard off as we entered the lagoon and row from there. One day, we had two of them that were following us closely and at times nudging the boat. We do not feed wildlife, nor do we give manatees fresh water, so we initially we thought that they only wanted food and wouldn’t stick around when they saw that we didn’t have any to offer. But, they hovered around the boat for 20 – 30 minutes. They were close enough that we both had a chance to touch one of their heads, and both accidently touched them with the oars that we were using. Another day, we drifted right up to the mum and her baby, and the mum hit the dinghy as it dove down under the water. Even when they were less interested in our visits, we were normally surrounded with manatees within 50 feet of the dinghy. They do move very slowly, and we hope they stay safe as they migrate to their winter homes. Pelican Bay is a slow-speed manatee zone from April 1 through November 15th, but they were still here yesterday, so they will need to keep an extra ear out for motors approaching.
Last year, we saw a lot of white pelicans who stopped either overnight or for a few days during their migration south, but this year, we’ve only seen a couple of small transient groups of them.
Joyce
Anchored Pelican Bay (Cayo Costa Island)
Friday, November 15, 2013
Schedules
November 15, 2013
"A good traveler has no fixed plans and is not intent on arriving." - Lao Tzu
"A good traveler has no fixed plans and is not intent on arriving." - Lao Tzu
Thursday, November 14, 2013
There She Blows!
November 14, 2013
Last night a strong cold front passed through Pelican Bay, bringing us some of the strongest winds we have weathered at anchor in a long time.
The winds were a solid 25-30 knots with gusts to 35. One particular time that I was looking at the wind instrument, the wind was sustained for several minutes at around 32 knots.
To give some perspective, the National Weather Service considers winds at or above 33 knots to be 'gale force'.
The holding is, however, good here and we had decent protection behind Punta Blanco Island for the worst of the blow. The 45 lb. Delta anchor with 125' of 5/16" HT chain did its job well and we held securely. We did set an electronic anchor watch and were ready to get underway if we dragged.
The positive side of strong winds is that with our wind generator, we have had more electricity than we can use - a very rare occasion. We ran the water maker for 7 hours, even though the water clarity here is not ideal for making water and ran the inverter to charge all our battery-powered devices as much as possible. Even today we have had to turn off the solar power (the easiest to disable) for most of the day to keep the wind generator from going in and out of divert - a harmless but annoying behavior.
Today the winds have greatly subsided, and tomorrow we will get the dinghy back in the water and go ashore again.
Tom
Anchored Pelican Bay
Cayo Costa Island, FL
Last night a strong cold front passed through Pelican Bay, bringing us some of the strongest winds we have weathered at anchor in a long time.
The winds were a solid 25-30 knots with gusts to 35. One particular time that I was looking at the wind instrument, the wind was sustained for several minutes at around 32 knots.
To give some perspective, the National Weather Service considers winds at or above 33 knots to be 'gale force'.
The holding is, however, good here and we had decent protection behind Punta Blanco Island for the worst of the blow. The 45 lb. Delta anchor with 125' of 5/16" HT chain did its job well and we held securely. We did set an electronic anchor watch and were ready to get underway if we dragged.
The positive side of strong winds is that with our wind generator, we have had more electricity than we can use - a very rare occasion. We ran the water maker for 7 hours, even though the water clarity here is not ideal for making water and ran the inverter to charge all our battery-powered devices as much as possible. Even today we have had to turn off the solar power (the easiest to disable) for most of the day to keep the wind generator from going in and out of divert - a harmless but annoying behavior.
Today the winds have greatly subsided, and tomorrow we will get the dinghy back in the water and go ashore again.
Tom
Anchored Pelican Bay
Cayo Costa Island, FL
Sunday, November 10, 2013
Pelican Bay Manatees
November 10, 2013
One of the reasons we really enjoy cruising on the west coast of Florida is the abundant wildlife.
We are currently anchored in Pelican Bay on Cayo Costa Island and just had a neat manatee encounter. There is a small lagoon here that is know for sheltering manatees, but at least for the last few years we have not seen any here. In the winter, manatees migrate to warmer waters, these days often near power plants, and we seem to be here after they leave.
But this year when we dinghied into the lagoon, there were at least 5-6, maybe more since they are hard to count. They were mostly just soaking up warmth in the afternoon sun. When they are really 'sun bathing' they will often lie on the surface motionless for up to 5 minutes. The first time we saw this behavior, we thought there was something wrong with them - no just a short nap in the warm sun - I know the feeling. These guys were lying on or just near the surface most of the time, just relaxing.
Manatees are hard to photograph and we did not get any good pictures today. Following are some pictures taken a few years ago at Burnt Store Marina. There is a corner of the basin there, near the 'Yacht Club', where they often hang out and are relatively easy to photograph from the docks.
It has, however, been a bit of a disappointment that we have not seen any white pelicans this year. Last year the bay was full of them. That, however, was the first time we had seen them in numbers in the almost 25 years that we have been coming here, so this is more 'typical'. But we had hoped that they were going to make this a regular stop in their migration, but so far, at least, they have not appeared.
Tomorrow we plan to dinghy over to Cabbage Key for some fresh gulf shrimp and a 'Cheeseburger in Paradise' - yum!
Tom
Anchored in Pelican Bay, Cayo Costa Island, FL
One of the reasons we really enjoy cruising on the west coast of Florida is the abundant wildlife.
We are currently anchored in Pelican Bay on Cayo Costa Island and just had a neat manatee encounter. There is a small lagoon here that is know for sheltering manatees, but at least for the last few years we have not seen any here. In the winter, manatees migrate to warmer waters, these days often near power plants, and we seem to be here after they leave.
But this year when we dinghied into the lagoon, there were at least 5-6, maybe more since they are hard to count. They were mostly just soaking up warmth in the afternoon sun. When they are really 'sun bathing' they will often lie on the surface motionless for up to 5 minutes. The first time we saw this behavior, we thought there was something wrong with them - no just a short nap in the warm sun - I know the feeling. These guys were lying on or just near the surface most of the time, just relaxing.
Manatees are hard to photograph and we did not get any good pictures today. Following are some pictures taken a few years ago at Burnt Store Marina. There is a corner of the basin there, near the 'Yacht Club', where they often hang out and are relatively easy to photograph from the docks.
It has, however, been a bit of a disappointment that we have not seen any white pelicans this year. Last year the bay was full of them. That, however, was the first time we had seen them in numbers in the almost 25 years that we have been coming here, so this is more 'typical'. But we had hoped that they were going to make this a regular stop in their migration, but so far, at least, they have not appeared.
Tomorrow we plan to dinghy over to Cabbage Key for some fresh gulf shrimp and a 'Cheeseburger in Paradise' - yum!
Tom
Anchored in Pelican Bay, Cayo Costa Island, FL
Friday, November 8, 2013
Pelican Bay
November 8, 2013
We are currently anchored in Pelican Bay on Cayo Costa Island after a great trip down off-coast yesterday.
Wednesday we left our dock at Twin Dolphin Marina in Bradenton and traveled down the Manatee River and across Tampa Bay to Egmont Key. We prefer to stage at Egmont for the trip down, but Egmont can be a ‘rolly’ anchorage, especially with an east wind. Since we leave very early, Egmont is an easier departure than from the alternative anchorage at Emerson Point in the river. The east wind had laid down enough for us try Egmont and it wasn’t that bad.
We were up at 3:00 AM and weighed anchor at Egmont at 4:00 AM. It was a very dark night, with no moon and light cloud cover, but the transit out of the Southwest channel with a favorable current was straight forward and we entered the gulf with no problem.
From there it was 58 miles south off the coast to Boca Grande channel. We motor sailed the whole way with excellent boat speed. Sunrise at sea is always fun – following are some pictures of sunrise over Sarasota from about 3 miles off.
As we approached Boca Grande, I noticed a cluster of AIS and radar images in the channel. I had read that they were conducting dredging operations and guessed that was what we were seeing. We then heard some VHF radio traffic from a tug calling a sailboat inbound in the channel – it turns out they were moving the ‘huge’ dredge barge out farther in the channel and he was warning them to stay clear – his words – “we have a 600’ barge on a 300’ towing howser, over 1000’ headed your way!” We contacted the tug and reviewed our intentions to enter the channel from the north near buoys “7” and “8” and proceed inbound. He said OK just stay to the red (right entering) side of the channel. Luckily there is plenty of water outside the marked channel on the ‘red side’ and we stayed well outside the channel and out of his way; this was a good thing, because there was not much room left in the channel proper. Following are some pictures, which do not do justice to his size (they never do).
We are currently anchored in Pelican Bay and plan to stay her for 10+ days. Rest and Relaxation after all the work of getting the boat ready for departure. Following is a picture of a Pelican Bay sunrise.\
Tom
Anchored Pelican Bay, Cayo Costa Island, FL
Wednesday, November 6, 2013
Winter Cruise Begins
November 6, 2013
This is just a short note that we intend to leave our slip at Twin Dolphin Marina in Bradenton, FL today to to begin our winter cruise.
Today will be a 'grueling' 5+ mile trip down the Manatee River to stage for an early morning departure to Boca Grande (Cayo Costa) on Thursday. We had hoped to depart by the end of October, but waiting for a part needed to resolve a problem we discovered on our sea trial and a fairly strong cold front has delayed our departure for a few days.
Thursday will in fact be grueling, as we go off-coast for a total of 75 nautical miles to Cayo Costa. This trip is 13-14 hours, so to get a day light entrance into Pelican Bay we need to leave around 3:30 or 4:30 in the morning ,depending on where we anchor tonight.
We will hang out at anchor in Pelican Bay on Cayo Costa for 10+ days; this is one of our favorite anchorages. Then we will make our way to Miami by early December where we will wait for a weather window to cross to the Bahamas (Abacos).
The long term plan is make our way southward through the Abacos and then cross down to the 'out islands' of Eleuthera, Cat and Long Island and then make our way back north through the Exumas.
We try to keep this blog fairly up to date on our whereabouts, so if you need/want to know where we are - please check it.
There is a map to the left of the latest blog entry that shows our latest position. A hyperlink below that map (Cruise 2013-14) displays another map that shows our trip.
Tom & Joyce
Docked in Bradenton, FL
This is just a short note that we intend to leave our slip at Twin Dolphin Marina in Bradenton, FL today to to begin our winter cruise.
Today will be a 'grueling' 5+ mile trip down the Manatee River to stage for an early morning departure to Boca Grande (Cayo Costa) on Thursday. We had hoped to depart by the end of October, but waiting for a part needed to resolve a problem we discovered on our sea trial and a fairly strong cold front has delayed our departure for a few days.
Thursday will in fact be grueling, as we go off-coast for a total of 75 nautical miles to Cayo Costa. This trip is 13-14 hours, so to get a day light entrance into Pelican Bay we need to leave around 3:30 or 4:30 in the morning ,depending on where we anchor tonight.
We will hang out at anchor in Pelican Bay on Cayo Costa for 10+ days; this is one of our favorite anchorages. Then we will make our way to Miami by early December where we will wait for a weather window to cross to the Bahamas (Abacos).
The long term plan is make our way southward through the Abacos and then cross down to the 'out islands' of Eleuthera, Cat and Long Island and then make our way back north through the Exumas.
We try to keep this blog fairly up to date on our whereabouts, so if you need/want to know where we are - please check it.
There is a map to the left of the latest blog entry that shows our latest position. A hyperlink below that map (Cruise 2013-14) displays another map that shows our trip.
Tom & Joyce
Docked in Bradenton, FL
Saturday, October 26, 2013
Pineland FL - Our Hailing Port
October 26, 2013
We recently took a car trip to Pineland Florida, our boat's hailing port.
We are often asked where Pineland is located and occasionally someone says, "That boat has never been to Pineland!" I will answer those questions in this blog entry.
First what is a hailing port? Traditionally it is a port where a boat is based. You will occasionally hear the word in common speech as in 'He hails from Florida'. It traditionally appears on the stern of the ship under the name.
Why does Barefoot hail from Pineland? We own a parcel of land there on which we hope to build a home someday. Since we currently own no other property, it seemed to make as much sense as anything else.
Where is Pineland? Pineland is located on Pine Island near Fort Meyers. Most people have heard of the islands of Captiva and Sanibel - these are barrier islands forming Pine Island Sound. Pine Island is a island near the mainland that is the Sound's namesake.
Pine Island and Pineland has a rich history and we feel quite connected there.
Pineland was a major center of the Calusa, the native peoples of the area. They built a rather large 'shell mound' there that is still largely intact; many other shells mounds in Florida have been destroyed. The site of the mound is open to the public http://www.flmnh.ufl.edu/rrc/. Our land is less than a mile from the mound and undoubtedly was used by Calusa - we always hope not for a burial ground!
The Calusa have a number of unique attributes: First they were a relatively tall people - unusual in indigenous people of the Americas. They never signed a treaty or made peace with the Europeans - they fought to the last person. It is reputed that Ponce De Leon was fatally wounded by Calusa warriors in 1513. They also were quite the engineers - building a canal cutting across the 2 1/2 mile width of the island to make it easier to travel to the waters to the east.
Obstacles to using Pineland as a Hailing Port. I have wanted to have a boat that hails from Pineland for many years, but Coast Guard documentation rules would have been a barrier in the past. It was the rule that your hailing port had to be either, your legal residence/mailing address or the regional Coast Guard office, which when we resided in New York would have been Cleveland, Ohio. Luckily they changed the rules a few years ago, and now the only requirement is that it be a location with a US Zip code. Also lucky for us, in spite of elimination of many small post offices, Pineland still has a post office and more importantly a zip code.
Lastly, why do some knowledgeable people say that our boat has never been to Pineland? Well they are right. Pineland is reachable by water only via the 'Wilson Cut', a narrow rocky channel that has, at most, only 3 feet of water at low tide. There are reports of boats drawing 2', hitting rocks in the channel. Since we draw 4' 8", it is very unlikely that we would ever attempt it.
On a separate note, we recently went on a 2 day sea trial and the boat performed well. We did find one problem with our Electro Scan marine sanitation device and a control unit is currently in Ft Lauderdale being repaired. This will likely mean that we will miss our planned departure from Twin Dolphin at the end of October by a few days - no big deal.
Tom
Currently docked Twin Dolphin Marina
Bradenton, FL
We recently took a car trip to Pineland Florida, our boat's hailing port.
We are often asked where Pineland is located and occasionally someone says, "That boat has never been to Pineland!" I will answer those questions in this blog entry.
First what is a hailing port? Traditionally it is a port where a boat is based. You will occasionally hear the word in common speech as in 'He hails from Florida'. It traditionally appears on the stern of the ship under the name.
Why does Barefoot hail from Pineland? We own a parcel of land there on which we hope to build a home someday. Since we currently own no other property, it seemed to make as much sense as anything else.
 |
| Our land |
Pine Island and Pineland has a rich history and we feel quite connected there.
Pineland was a major center of the Calusa, the native peoples of the area. They built a rather large 'shell mound' there that is still largely intact; many other shells mounds in Florida have been destroyed. The site of the mound is open to the public http://www.flmnh.ufl.edu/rrc/. Our land is less than a mile from the mound and undoubtedly was used by Calusa - we always hope not for a burial ground!
The Calusa have a number of unique attributes: First they were a relatively tall people - unusual in indigenous people of the Americas. They never signed a treaty or made peace with the Europeans - they fought to the last person. It is reputed that Ponce De Leon was fatally wounded by Calusa warriors in 1513. They also were quite the engineers - building a canal cutting across the 2 1/2 mile width of the island to make it easier to travel to the waters to the east.
Obstacles to using Pineland as a Hailing Port. I have wanted to have a boat that hails from Pineland for many years, but Coast Guard documentation rules would have been a barrier in the past. It was the rule that your hailing port had to be either, your legal residence/mailing address or the regional Coast Guard office, which when we resided in New York would have been Cleveland, Ohio. Luckily they changed the rules a few years ago, and now the only requirement is that it be a location with a US Zip code. Also lucky for us, in spite of elimination of many small post offices, Pineland still has a post office and more importantly a zip code.
Lastly, why do some knowledgeable people say that our boat has never been to Pineland? Well they are right. Pineland is reachable by water only via the 'Wilson Cut', a narrow rocky channel that has, at most, only 3 feet of water at low tide. There are reports of boats drawing 2', hitting rocks in the channel. Since we draw 4' 8", it is very unlikely that we would ever attempt it.
 |
| Wilson Cut from Pineland Sign says "Incoming Traffic has right of way" |
On a separate note, we recently went on a 2 day sea trial and the boat performed well. We did find one problem with our Electro Scan marine sanitation device and a control unit is currently in Ft Lauderdale being repaired. This will likely mean that we will miss our planned departure from Twin Dolphin at the end of October by a few days - no big deal.
Tom
Currently docked Twin Dolphin Marina
Bradenton, FL
Tuesday, September 24, 2013
Hot Time, Summer in the City (Bradenton)
9/24/2013
We have been back on the boat at Twin Dolphin Marina in Bradenton, FL for about 6 weeks after our trip north earlier this summer.
As the subject of the post alludes, it has been hot here - most days in the mid to upper 90's. While we have air conditioning, it is a bit small for the boat and struggles to keep the boat at a reasonable temperature in the afternoon. Next year we plan to come north a little later to miss a bit more of the really hot weather. We also plan to buy an awning that will help keep the sun off the boat which should help.
On Saturday 9/14, we had a relaxing morning at the Sarasota Farmer's Market followed by a great movie ( 'Instructions Not Included'), but our day quickly went downhill as we returned to the boat and saw that there was no water flowing from the air conditioner (for non-boaters, marine air conditioners are typically water-cooled); at that time of day the air conditioner is always running so this was definitely a problem. As we headed below, we encountered distinctly non-air-conditioned temperatures and a thermostat flashing 'HPF' (High Pressure Fault). Quickly researching this error, it pointed to a pump problem or blockage in the cooling water. I was not sure the pump was bad, but it seemed like a likely candidate and something had to be done if we were to stay on the boat that night. West Marine had one in stock so I started to tear out the old one, while Joyce drove to pick up a new pump.
One of 'joys' of an air conditioning problem is that you have none while you are trying to fix it (duh), but in the Florida sun it can be BRUTAL. I must have sweated out gallons of water and had puddles of sweat around me. As with most boat projects, the only uncertainly in time estimates is whether you multiple the initial estimate by 4, 8 or 16, but I finally got the pump in and operating. But 'no joy', the problem persisted. At this point we toughed it out and headed to the Courtyard hotel - no way we were staying on the boat overnight.
A boat neighbor suggested putting some chlorine tablets in the sea strainer to help clean out the cooling water circuit and gave me a handful of the tablets - thank you Ron!. That along with a drop in the water temperature in the marina got the unit working again. It seemed to be a pretty good fix because when I finally got an air conditioning technician to stop by this morning, he declared the water flow and unit operation 'excellent' and did not recommend any further work. Although it was an ordeal in some respects, it was nice to sleep in a king-size bed with a real bathroom and a TV - things we lack on the boat.
Besides air conditioning issues, we have been busy on various boat projects and provisioning. A major project completed for me has been replacing the electrodes in our Electro Scan marine sanitation device (a mini sewage treatment plant). Just take off the top and replace the electrodes - easy-peasy right? Not so much! The replacement entailed removing several adjacent systems to allow removal of the entire unit to access the cover, and obviously the reverse to install. Gotta love fixing boats!
One of Joyce's major accomplishments has been buying all of our 'personal care products' (sun-block, deodorant, shaving cream, vitamins, etc.) for the winter. These items tend to be very expensive in the islands and we try to take a full seasons worth when we leave. We primarily use online stores for these purchases.
We are also in the process of having some routine engine work done, including re-tipping our fuel injectors and installing new engine mounts. After this work is completed, along with the work previously done when the boat was in the yard earlier this summer, we will have completely 'revamped' the 'drive train' of the boat.
It has not been all work - we have enjoyed several movies, shows and museums - anything air conditioned. We also have had the pleasure of the company of Mike & Twyla of MV Nauti Nell this summer at Twin Dolphin. We first meet them at Habour View Marina in Marsh Harbour, Abaco, Bahamas and it has been fun to have them here this summer.
There is still a lot to do on the boat to get ready to leave, but thankfully the weather is getting a little cooler. We are shooting to having pretty much everything done for a 'sea-trial' in mid October.
We are planning to leave here around November 1st to start journeying back to the Bahamas for the winter.
Tom
Docked at Twin Dolphin Marina
Bradenton, FL
We have been back on the boat at Twin Dolphin Marina in Bradenton, FL for about 6 weeks after our trip north earlier this summer.
As the subject of the post alludes, it has been hot here - most days in the mid to upper 90's. While we have air conditioning, it is a bit small for the boat and struggles to keep the boat at a reasonable temperature in the afternoon. Next year we plan to come north a little later to miss a bit more of the really hot weather. We also plan to buy an awning that will help keep the sun off the boat which should help.
On Saturday 9/14, we had a relaxing morning at the Sarasota Farmer's Market followed by a great movie ( 'Instructions Not Included'), but our day quickly went downhill as we returned to the boat and saw that there was no water flowing from the air conditioner (for non-boaters, marine air conditioners are typically water-cooled); at that time of day the air conditioner is always running so this was definitely a problem. As we headed below, we encountered distinctly non-air-conditioned temperatures and a thermostat flashing 'HPF' (High Pressure Fault). Quickly researching this error, it pointed to a pump problem or blockage in the cooling water. I was not sure the pump was bad, but it seemed like a likely candidate and something had to be done if we were to stay on the boat that night. West Marine had one in stock so I started to tear out the old one, while Joyce drove to pick up a new pump.
One of 'joys' of an air conditioning problem is that you have none while you are trying to fix it (duh), but in the Florida sun it can be BRUTAL. I must have sweated out gallons of water and had puddles of sweat around me. As with most boat projects, the only uncertainly in time estimates is whether you multiple the initial estimate by 4, 8 or 16, but I finally got the pump in and operating. But 'no joy', the problem persisted. At this point we toughed it out and headed to the Courtyard hotel - no way we were staying on the boat overnight.
A boat neighbor suggested putting some chlorine tablets in the sea strainer to help clean out the cooling water circuit and gave me a handful of the tablets - thank you Ron!. That along with a drop in the water temperature in the marina got the unit working again. It seemed to be a pretty good fix because when I finally got an air conditioning technician to stop by this morning, he declared the water flow and unit operation 'excellent' and did not recommend any further work. Although it was an ordeal in some respects, it was nice to sleep in a king-size bed with a real bathroom and a TV - things we lack on the boat.
Besides air conditioning issues, we have been busy on various boat projects and provisioning. A major project completed for me has been replacing the electrodes in our Electro Scan marine sanitation device (a mini sewage treatment plant). Just take off the top and replace the electrodes - easy-peasy right? Not so much! The replacement entailed removing several adjacent systems to allow removal of the entire unit to access the cover, and obviously the reverse to install. Gotta love fixing boats!
One of Joyce's major accomplishments has been buying all of our 'personal care products' (sun-block, deodorant, shaving cream, vitamins, etc.) for the winter. These items tend to be very expensive in the islands and we try to take a full seasons worth when we leave. We primarily use online stores for these purchases.
We are also in the process of having some routine engine work done, including re-tipping our fuel injectors and installing new engine mounts. After this work is completed, along with the work previously done when the boat was in the yard earlier this summer, we will have completely 'revamped' the 'drive train' of the boat.
It has not been all work - we have enjoyed several movies, shows and museums - anything air conditioned. We also have had the pleasure of the company of Mike & Twyla of MV Nauti Nell this summer at Twin Dolphin. We first meet them at Habour View Marina in Marsh Harbour, Abaco, Bahamas and it has been fun to have them here this summer.
There is still a lot to do on the boat to get ready to leave, but thankfully the weather is getting a little cooler. We are shooting to having pretty much everything done for a 'sea-trial' in mid October.
We are planning to leave here around November 1st to start journeying back to the Bahamas for the winter.
Tom
Docked at Twin Dolphin Marina
Bradenton, FL
Saturday, August 17, 2013
Summer Trip North
August 11, 2013
We are now back on the boat in Bradenton after a 6+ week trip north.
We had returned to Twin Dolphin Marina in Bradenton in late May after a great winter in the Bahamas. After a few weeks of hard work cleaning and getting the boat ready for summer (hurricane) season we took her back down the Manatee River to Snead Island Boat Works for some routine maintenance while we were gone. One of the peculiarities of living on a boat is that when you take it 'into the shop' you no longer have a place to live, so getting this work done (detailed a bit later) while we made a trip north for a whirlwind tour of doctors, dentists, other professionals, and visits makes sense.
Our trip north in 'Big White' (our 2003 Toyota 4-Runner) was uneventful. After the disappointment of finding out that a Mexican restaurant in Santee, SC with a great pork carnitas that we had been to several times had closed, we discovered a funky little barbeque place with an incredible all-you-can-eat buffet of southern foods (http://www.lonestarbbq.net/). Yum!
Since we are currently nomadic and not sure where we will eventually 'settle down', we have maintained our doctor and other professional relationships in Syracuse where we lived for 30+ years. We have seen these folks for many years (our family doctor for over 30 years) and it is nice to continue seeing them. All our routine medical checkups were without any major issues, probably most notable was that we both had a single filling redone at our dentists.
During our time in Syracuse we had a number of great visits with family and friends. We always say that we don't miss work and winters in Syracuse - but we do miss the people. While in Syracuse we stayed at Cresthill Suites (http://www.cresthillsuites.com/, a great extended stay hotel. They provide breakfast and on 4 nights a week a 'hospitality' hour that can easily be a light meal, so half of your meals are provided and you also have a full kitchen so you can cook as well. The staff is great and the price is reasonable - much less for a month than maintaining a house year round. Unfortunately they only have 3 locations in total, so availability is limited.
We also took a one-week 'vacation' trip to Canada. First we went to a bed & breakfast in St. Jovite, Quebec (near Mont Tremblant) where we have been many times. Actually they are not currently open, but we have become friends with the owners and they let us come anyway. There is a great bike trail (http://www.laurentides.com/en/linear-park-le-ptit-train-du-nord-230-km and I got in some good riding. We have decided to leave my mountain bike in storage in Syracuse so I don't get to ride much, so this was a treat. We then went to Kingston, Ontario staying at another familiar bed & breakfast, the Hochelaga Inn (http://www.hochelagainn.com/. A highlight of this visit was dinner at Chez Piggy (http://www.chezpiggy.com/). Their Gambas al Ajillo (shrimp sautéed in olive oil, garlic, pepper is out standing - ask for extra bread and sop up the oil - delish!
On our car trip back south we stopped in Statesville, NC to visit family and Charleston, SC for a couple of days - what a beautiful city!
Our car trip back south was marred by a minor accident in Gainesville, FL. As we were approaching a busy intersection with a green light, a car pulled out right in front of us. The driver who had been stopped at the intersection, apparently passed out and then the car proceeded through his red light and into the intersection. I was not able to stop but swerved and almost got by him; he hit us in the left rear of the truck with little damage and then he proceeded through the intersection. A brave bystander ran along side him and stopped his car. He was transported to the hospital - we were fine. In the incident we did burst a brake line, but after an unplanned 1-night stay in Gainesville, the truck was repaired and we were on our way. We were thankful, it could have been much worse!
Barefoot greeted us on our arrival back at the marina - she looked great. After 7 months away from the dock she gets a bit 'travel weary' and some rubbing and waxing put her back in prime shape.
Actually we had quite a bit of work done on her as well, but most of it is not very 'visible' Probably the most notable exception is the ship's name that we put on each side of the bow. With the dinghy hanging off the stern, it is hard to read the name written there, but the bow is generally easy to see.
For the cruiser/boaters, here is a list of what was done this summer (don't let anyone tell you living on a boat is cheap!):
Now we are working on the never-ending list of boat projects with a few 'diversions', usually of the air-conditioned variety - August in Florida is hot!
Tom
Docked at Twin Dolphin Marina
We are now back on the boat in Bradenton after a 6+ week trip north.
We had returned to Twin Dolphin Marina in Bradenton in late May after a great winter in the Bahamas. After a few weeks of hard work cleaning and getting the boat ready for summer (hurricane) season we took her back down the Manatee River to Snead Island Boat Works for some routine maintenance while we were gone. One of the peculiarities of living on a boat is that when you take it 'into the shop' you no longer have a place to live, so getting this work done (detailed a bit later) while we made a trip north for a whirlwind tour of doctors, dentists, other professionals, and visits makes sense.
Our trip north in 'Big White' (our 2003 Toyota 4-Runner) was uneventful. After the disappointment of finding out that a Mexican restaurant in Santee, SC with a great pork carnitas that we had been to several times had closed, we discovered a funky little barbeque place with an incredible all-you-can-eat buffet of southern foods (http://www.lonestarbbq.net/). Yum!
Since we are currently nomadic and not sure where we will eventually 'settle down', we have maintained our doctor and other professional relationships in Syracuse where we lived for 30+ years. We have seen these folks for many years (our family doctor for over 30 years) and it is nice to continue seeing them. All our routine medical checkups were without any major issues, probably most notable was that we both had a single filling redone at our dentists.
During our time in Syracuse we had a number of great visits with family and friends. We always say that we don't miss work and winters in Syracuse - but we do miss the people. While in Syracuse we stayed at Cresthill Suites (http://www.cresthillsuites.com/, a great extended stay hotel. They provide breakfast and on 4 nights a week a 'hospitality' hour that can easily be a light meal, so half of your meals are provided and you also have a full kitchen so you can cook as well. The staff is great and the price is reasonable - much less for a month than maintaining a house year round. Unfortunately they only have 3 locations in total, so availability is limited.
We also took a one-week 'vacation' trip to Canada. First we went to a bed & breakfast in St. Jovite, Quebec (near Mont Tremblant) where we have been many times. Actually they are not currently open, but we have become friends with the owners and they let us come anyway. There is a great bike trail (http://www.laurentides.com/en/linear-park-le-ptit-train-du-nord-230-km and I got in some good riding. We have decided to leave my mountain bike in storage in Syracuse so I don't get to ride much, so this was a treat. We then went to Kingston, Ontario staying at another familiar bed & breakfast, the Hochelaga Inn (http://www.hochelagainn.com/. A highlight of this visit was dinner at Chez Piggy (http://www.chezpiggy.com/). Their Gambas al Ajillo (shrimp sautéed in olive oil, garlic, pepper is out standing - ask for extra bread and sop up the oil - delish!
On our car trip back south we stopped in Statesville, NC to visit family and Charleston, SC for a couple of days - what a beautiful city!
Our car trip back south was marred by a minor accident in Gainesville, FL. As we were approaching a busy intersection with a green light, a car pulled out right in front of us. The driver who had been stopped at the intersection, apparently passed out and then the car proceeded through his red light and into the intersection. I was not able to stop but swerved and almost got by him; he hit us in the left rear of the truck with little damage and then he proceeded through the intersection. A brave bystander ran along side him and stopped his car. He was transported to the hospital - we were fine. In the incident we did burst a brake line, but after an unplanned 1-night stay in Gainesville, the truck was repaired and we were on our way. We were thankful, it could have been much worse!
Barefoot greeted us on our arrival back at the marina - she looked great. After 7 months away from the dock she gets a bit 'travel weary' and some rubbing and waxing put her back in prime shape.
Actually we had quite a bit of work done on her as well, but most of it is not very 'visible' Probably the most notable exception is the ship's name that we put on each side of the bow. With the dinghy hanging off the stern, it is hard to read the name written there, but the bow is generally easy to see.
For the cruiser/boaters, here is a list of what was done this summer (don't let anyone tell you living on a boat is cheap!):
- Bottom Paint
- Repainted the 'boot stripe'
- Replaced the primary anchor chain - 250' 5/16 HT (G4)
- Propeller shaft:
- Replaced the cutlass bearing
- Replaced the stuffing box with a drip-less shaft seal http://www.shaftseal.com/en/categories
- Checked the chainplates and re-bedded as necessary
- Standing rigging inspection
- New Garmin 8212 chartplotter
- New Garmin GMI 20 Instruments (3)
- Garmin AIS 600 class B transponder
- Davit extensions
Now we are working on the never-ending list of boat projects with a few 'diversions', usually of the air-conditioned variety - August in Florida is hot!
Docked at Twin Dolphin Marina
Thursday, May 30, 2013
Back at the Dock for the Summer
May 30, 2013
Well we have returned to Twin Dolphin Marina in Bradenton after a 7 month cruise in the Bahamas. We had a great trip and really enjoyed the areas of the Bahamas that we visited this year.
Some statistics:
Days
Anchored/Moored 168 81%
Docked 40 19%
Total 208
Miles (nautical) 1534
Fuel (gals) 232
Water (gals)
Watermaker 1869 91%
Shore Sources 175 9%
Total 2044
9.8 Gal/Day (all uses - drinking, cooking, washing)
We crossed to Bimini in early December and fairly quickly transited to the northern Exumas. We spent over 2 months in the Exumas and then traveled to several of the outer islands - Long Island, Cat Island, and Eleuthera before returning through Bimini after nearly 5 total months in the Bahamas.
We are often asked what were our favorite places. We usually say that based on natural beauty, the Exuma Land and Sea Park, particularly Cambridge Cay was our favorite. From a people perspective, we really enjoyed Black Point on Great Guana and Cat Island.
The Exumas are very nice, anchorages are generally relatively close, and you usually can sail in the relatively protected Bank side so it is easy to move around. If the Exumas have a downside, it is that there are so many cruisers it often feels crowded.
The outer islands require a transit of Exuma Sound, are not as well protected, and anchorages are farther apart so there are significantly fewer cruisers. The islands themselves are much more isolated and traditional. We enjoyed the outer island very much, especially Cat Island and plan to spend more time there next year.
We had planned to return to the Abacos, where we were last year, but ran out of time - hopefully next year.
We often feel that trip mileage figure is fairly unimpressive to many, but a comparison that Joyce thought of puts it in a better perspective. A car at highway speeds goes about 10 times faster than our boat. Thus our 1534 miles is equivalent in time to a 15,340 mile car trip - quite a ways!
The boat performed great; we had two major repair items, both of which were discovered and resolved in the States. Within a couple of weeks of leaving Bradenton, we discovered a leaking water heater, which was replaced at Rose Marina on Marco Island. After returning to Miami, we discovered that our alternator output was very weak. With our solar and wind generators we seldom use the alternator to simply charge, so the output probably had been falling for some time. But a series of cloudy windless days prompted us to run to charge at Coconut Grove Sailing Club where we discovered the problem. We were able to get a non exact replacement (something you
get used to on an 18 year old boat), but with a few minor mounting modifications I got it to fit well.
After a couple of weeks of hard work getting the boat ready for summer/hurricane season, the boat will go to Snead Island Boat Works for a bottom job and a few maintenance items. We will travel to Syracuse for a whirlwind tour of friends, doctors, dentists and other professionals. We no longer have a house in Syracuse, so the trip will be relatively brief and we plan to return to the boat in August.
A link to a map Google map of our trip follows this blog entry.
Following is a link to a blog entry about what we have learned about what works and what doesn't for a cruising boat. It is targeted primarily at cruisers or wanna-be cruisers.
Cruising - What Works and What Doesn't
Tom
Docked in Bradenton FL
Map Cruise 2012-13
Crusing - What Works and What Doesn't
May 30, 2013
What works and what doesn't (In no particular order).
Some statistics on our 2012-13 Cruise:
Days
Anchored/Moored 168 81%
Docked 40 19%
Total 208
Miles (nautical) 1534
Fuel (gals) 232
Water (gals)
Watermaker 1869 91%
Shore Sources 175 9%
Total 2044
9.8 Gal/Day (all uses - drinking, cooking, washing)
Following are some details on our boat and equipment. It contains numerous opinions about issues upon which reasonable sailors may disagree. It is offered for your information - your results may vary.
Boat
We cruise in a 1994 Island Packet 40 - an ocean-capable cutter-rigged sailboat with a 50 HP Yanmar auxiliary engine. We have been extremely pleased with the boat. She is wonderfully balanced under sail and the sail plan is very versatile; we can easily sail at 6.5+ knots with a moderate wind. She motors well; we can cruise at 6+ knots using about 0.7gal of fuel per hour. She is big enough to be comfortable, but not so big in length or draft to constrain where we go.
Shortly after buying her, we had the chain plates and standing rigging (stays and shrouds) replaced. This was not cheap, but it improves sleep when off shore.
I won't get into makes or models, but to wanna-be cruisers, make sure you get an ocean-capable boat. Off shore in any weather, you want a boat built to handle that type of sailing; many 'coastal' cruisers, just won't cut it.
We carry a significant amount of spares for the engine and other essential equipment. When evaluating spares for a system, we ask - what would be the impact of a failure - could we work around it, or would it be significant loss of vital functionally.
Communication
Our boat has two fixed VHF radios (one with a RAM mike at the helm station) and a handheld VHF for dinghy/liferaft use. We carry an 406 EPIRB which can be used to send a satellite 'Mayday'.
Although I am a licensed amateur radio operator and was so sure we would have a SSB (HF) radio installed that I had a Dynaplate installed at our first haul out, we have settled on an Iridium 9555 satellite phone with an external antenna for our remote communication purposes. It allows us to get email from our weather router, other weather information like GRIB files, and provides emergency communication.
Stateside we use a Verizon 'MiFi' for Internet access and we both have data phones. International roaming and especially international data is VERY expensive, so we suspend our Verizon service before we leave the States. This year we got a Bahamian data phone that could be used as an access point for our other devices which has worked very well. We did end up getting a post-paid (annual) contract for the most access per cost, but it can be suspended just like our Verizon service, which we will do over the summer.
Emergency Equipment
We carry a Winslow 6-person offshore life raft. This year it has been stowed in a hanging locker in the aft cabin. Accessibility there is not bad, but you still would have to carry it up the companionway to the cockpit in an emergency. Our intent, and in many way the ideal, would be to lash it to the stern pulpit when on significant passages, but that never seems to happen. We are looking into a Pelican case, which will be located on the cabin top; Winslow maintains that is not the best location for the raft, because you have to go forward to deploy, but it may be the best option from an accessibility and storage point of view.
We carry a significant inventory of medical supplies including prescription antibiotics, pain killers, blood thinners, etc for medical emergencies.
We have a ditch bag on the aft cabin wall near the companionway that contains our EPIRB, handheld VHF, portable GPS, flares, handheld compass, small first aid kit, and other emergency supplies.
We carry a 5-gallon Jerry jug of water on the port rail, which we would attempt to take on the life raft in an emergency.
Electrical
Batteries - all Lifeline AGM
House Bank 3 Grp 27's and 1 8D for a total capacity of 550 amp-hours
Dedicated Starting Bank 1 Grp 27
Charger/Inverter Magnum MS Series
ME-BMK Battery Monitor
ME-ARC Remote Control
Solar
2 Kyocera 135 watt Panels
Blue Sky Solar Boost 3024i Controller
Wind
Eclectic Energy D400 Generator & Diversion Controller
Alternator
Balmar 100 amp with ARS-5 regulator
Since we spend the bulk of our time away from the dock and off the energy grid, batteries and charging systems are critical.
We have been satisfied with the Lifeline AGM batteries. They have some great positive attributes: no maintenance; low self discharge rate; high acceptance rates. On the negative side, they are sensitive to charging voltages, so you have to make sure your regulators/controllers are appropriate and adjusted properly or you will have reduced service life. In fact, we replaced a perfectly good charger with the Magnum, because the old unit lacked an appropriate AGM charging routine.
Contrary to some convention wisdom, we have found, and Lifeline recommends, that their AGMs be periodically equalized or conditioned under cruising conditions. This is required because while cruising, you rarely charge the batteries fully or at a high enough rate, so sulfation builds up; the equalization helps remove it. We try to equalize every time we dock. Also it is critical that your charging sources are temperature compensated - Lifeline flatly states that this is mandatory. This is required since optimal charging voltages are dependent on temperature. All of our sources (except the wind generator) are temperature compensated.
We have been very happy with our solar panels. They were the first alternate energy we installed and based on our initial experience (largely in May) we thought they would be enough to run the boat. But even in the tropics, the days are shorter and the sun weaker in the winter and last year we found they were not providing enough power.
So this last summer we had a D400 wind generator installed. It has been sweet! It is exceptionally quiet and produces great power in 10+ knots of wind. There have been times when we have had to turn off the solar panels because we were fully charged.
We had to replace our Balmar 100 amp alternator this year and the new unit really puts out! However, we rarely run the engine just to charge (probably only a handful of times all year).
We replaced our perfectly good Freedom Charger/Inverter with a Magnum because the previous unit did not have a good AGM charging program. Furthermore the Magnum has a 'Battery Saver' mode that is great for maintaining batteries over the summer. Once it has completed a full charging cycle, the charger goes into this mode where it does not charge at all (not even a float). If the voltage falls below a set level it will initiate another full cycle.
However, we have had a few disappointments with the Magnum. I researched the unit extensively and bought the up-level monitor because it offered the option to 'rebulk' manually. This feature is relevant when the batteries have been in 'Battery Saver' mode for a while and are less than fully charged and you want to leave the dock fully charged. The 'Rebulk' feature allows you to 'command' another charging cycle. After installing the unit and looking in vain for this option, I called the manufacturer and was told that it is a feature of the monitor, but not supported on my model of charger - I wish the manual made that clear!. I have learned a work-around - just disconnect the shore power for a minute and then turn it back on - the unit will start another charging cycle.
The most important 'problem' has been that the unit 'qualifies' the available shore power before closing the transfer switch and allowing the power to flow to the boat. This is intended for applications where the unit is used as an emergency power supply - if the grid power comes on, but is of unacceptable quality, the unit continues to invert to supply emergency power. We had one marina (Highbourne Cay) where the unit refused to accept the power. We had a friend with a Magnum unit that had the same problem at that same marina the previous year. It has not reoccurred at any other marina.
We have not regretted our decision not to have a diesel or portable gas generator. While it would be nice at times, we manage quite nicely on solar and wind. Diesel generators are expensive, take a lot of space, and are high maintenance items; portable generators create gas storage and potential carbon dioxide issues.
Water
We have a 170 gallon water tank which I clean and sanitize annually.
We have a Seagull high efficiency water filter at our galley sink, which we use for all drinking water.
We have a Spectra 200T watermaker with an MPC-5000 controller. It will produce a modest 7 gallons per hour with about a 12 amp DC draw. If there was one piece of equipment you would have to 'pry from our cold dead hands', so to speak, it would be our watermaker. We have cruised (not full time) for over 25 years and we have consistently found that fresh water is invariably your most scarce resource - the one that constrains your trip.
Our water usage has remained a modest 9-10 gallons per day over the years for ALL uses (drinking, cooking, washing) with or without the watermaker. This is higher than some 'extreme' water conservors, but still relatively modest in our opinion. It is an important point that this usage includes virtually all our drinking fluids. We carry only trivial amounts of beer or soda and and use powdered drink mixes for 'flavorful' drinks.
Water is generally available in the Bahamas. Marinas sell it for around $0.50 per gallon, but that creates the need for additional docking and route planning. 'Free' water is also available at many locations, but you usually have to transport it in Jerry jugs. Also in many places (Black Point on Great Guana for example), the majority of the locals do NOT drink the water from the water system - they buy bottled water from Nassau, so is this the water you really want to be drinking? In remoter regions, safe water is often unavailable and you take your chances.
Ground Tackle
When cruising you spend a lot of time at anchor, so ground tackle is very important
Our primary anchor is a 45lb Delta with 225' of 3/8" HT chain; our secondary anchor is a 35lb Delta on 35' of 3/8" HT chain and 225' of 5/8" three strand nylon rode. We also have a Danforth type kedge anchor. We inherited all of these anchors when we bought the boat. We have had great performance from the primary and seldom use the secondary.
We replaced the relatively small vertical windlass that came on the boat with a Lighthouse 1500 horizontal windlass. It has dual chain gypsies, a rope capstan, and 'pull stumps'. Some people say that a strong windlass is one of the things that will easily distinguish a cruising boat a day/coastal sailboat.
There always seems to be an must-have anchor 'du jour', but all anchors have strengths and weaknesses. The Delta is great except in soft mud where it has a tendency to 'keep plowing'; however, it has great holding in sand (even 'muddy' sand) and good penetration in grass. The primary weakness in our ground tackle configuration is that we have two of the same type - it would better to have a second anchor of a different type, probably one better in mud. For a snubber, we use a 'chain grabber' with a bridle of 5/8" 3-strand nylon rode; each leg of the bridle has about 40' of line, so although we only normally use only about 10', we can let out more in storm conditions. We find that the boat 'hangs' better on a bridle, than a single-line snubber.
In the end, successful anchoring comes down to three factors: the anchor, the type and quantity of rode, and your anchoring technique (setting it properly); the anchor is at best a 1/3 of the equation. All chain rode and plenty of it makes for better sleep. We always set/test our anchor with around 2000 RPMs astern - if it holds that, it probably will hold any wind or current.
Refrigeration
We installed a Frigoboat keel-cooled refrigeration system soon after we bought the boat, replacing the relatively old air-cooled unit. The beauty of this unit is that the only moving parts are the compressor itself. No fan as in air-cooled and no pump as in water-cooled. The refrigerant is circulated through a heat exchanger mounted under the hull - the heat gets transferred directly into the water, not accumulating in a space where the compressor is mounted It also has a system that runs the compressor at the most efficient speed for the conditions.
We installed a simple evaporator, as opposed to a divider with a spill-over fan to create a refrigerator/freezer system. This gives us a very small 'freezer' - think of the 'ice box' on your grandmother's old Frigidaire. We do not carry a lot of frozen foods and are happy we have retained the larger refrigerator.
We did not add any insulation to the box and it clearly is under insulated. We may add some someday, but I am concerned that it will reduce our capacity and make our shelves not fit properly.
Provisions
Bottom line, provisions are scarce and relatively expensive in the Bahamas, so you will want to take as much as possible. Many people with ample freezers, take a collection of frozen meats; we have only a modest freezer, so meats are carried on board only when we can buy some locally. We do take a large quantity of canned and dried foods and personal care products.
Stores in many locations have limited selections. Fruits and vegetables are available in limited quantities after the 'mailboat' comes in. On a sailboat, you must either have a memory 'like an elephant' or have some type of inventory control system or you will go 'crazy'. We use an Access database, but spreadsheets or even notebooks will work. In fact since we don't want to start up the computer every time we make an inventory change, we have a small notebook where we record changes and then periodically update the computer database.
Lighting
We replaced all the incandescent bulbs in the Main Cabin and Galley with Sensibulb LED lights. These units are nice in that you can retain the existing fixtures and just replace the old bulb with an LED unit. We also replaced the incandescent anchor light with an LED Anchor/Tricolor with a photo sensor; we really enjoy the photo sensor - just turn on the switch when you anchor and it turns the light on and off as required - no forgetting. The LEDs use about 1/10 the current that a comparable incandescent bulbs uses, but they also cost about 20 times as much. We would like to replace more of the cabin lights, but it is hard to cost-justify for the lesser used lights.
Waste Management
We have a modest 30 gallon holding tank, so we had an Electro Scan Marine Sanitation Device (MSD) installed. This is essentially a mini sewage treatment plant that treats your waste to EPA bacteria standards. Our experience has been mixed, and we probably would not repeat the investment. You cannot use them in 'No Discharge' areas like the Florida Keys. Additionally there are significant additional maintenance requirements. You have clean it every 6 months with a Muratic Acid solution and periodically replace the electrodes, a job that I need to do this fall that I am NOT looking forward to.
Instrumentation
When we bought the boat it had a fairly new Raymarine E120 chart plotter/radar and a mixture of older Raymarine instruments (depth, wind, speed). It also had an older Autohelm (Raymarine) autopilot. All of these systems have been somewhat problematic. The chart plotter has experienced significant screen flicker, which our marine technician has said is somewhat typical of these units. It is somewhat heart stopping (especially offshore at night) when you fear that you will lose your instruments. The autopilot 'failed' last year when it spontaneously went into a 'Permenant Watch Mode' where it beeped every 4 minutes until you hit a button. Raymarine refused to re-flash the firmware saying the unit was obsolete.
Overall our experience with Raymarine has been poor and we are moving to other manufacturers. We replaced the autopilot with a Furuno NAVPilot 700 and it has been working like a pro. We plan to replace the chartplotter, radar, and other instruments with Garmin units this summer.
In general radar is very helpful, especially when sailing off shore at night.
We have not had an AIS (Automatic Identification System) to date but are installing one this year with the new instrumentation. When you encounter large ships at sea (and you will) it is virtually impossible to raise them by radio to discuss passing if you do not know their name - they simply don't respond to "Hey big ship about to run me over" :-). AIS gives you their name. Their radio channels are taped, and they would get in trouble if a clear call went unanswered.
Charting
Do NOT go to the Bahamas without the Explorer Chartbooks/Crusing Guides - they are excellent!
In the Abacos, the Steve Dodge Crusing Guide is also excellent. The Pavlidis guides have a lot of information, but they are often less up to date and we find them harder to use, but they are pretty much the 'only game in town' for the Exumas and Far Bahamas.
Our Raymarine chart plotter uses Navinonics charts. We have found them to be very accurate in the States and even found them good in the Abacos last year. However, they are VERY poor in the southern Bahamas - they show shoals where there are none and vice versa. The Garmin chart plotter we are installing uses Blue Charts which include the excellent Explorer chart detail.
Dinghy
When you are cruising, your dinghy is your SUV - you use it for transportation, carrying groceries, laundry, fuel, water, etc. It is a very important piece of equipment.
We inherited an 11' Achilles dinghy with a high pressure inflatable floor and an 8HP 2-stroke outboard and have used it with mixed results over the last 4 years. It is light and easy to raise and lower and store, but lacks the stability, speed, and carrying capacity of a Rigid Inflatable boat (RIB). While our 'Yugo' of dinghies has been faithful, we will probably upgrade to a RIB sometime in the future.
Conclusion
People cruise in boats that range from simple small sailboats with little equipment to mega-yachts with every toy. We fall somewhere in the lower middle of the spectrum with a boat that is reasonable sound and comfortable for long-term full-time cruising.
The shorter your cruising window, you can live with, and afford, less equipment. Also, in general, younger bodies can handle the stress and strains of smaller, lesser equipped boats than us 'vintage' folks.
We cruised for over 25 years on vacation-length trips on chartered boats before we ever bought our 'big' boat. If you want to go cruising, our biggest advice is to just 'get out there'. Take courses to learn skills; read everything you can about boats and cruising; crew on other peoples boats; charter boats and go on mini-cruises; get away from the dock and learn to live at anchor.
See you 'out there'!
Tom & Joyce
S/V Barefoot
Currently docked Bradenton, FL
What works and what doesn't (In no particular order).
Some statistics on our 2012-13 Cruise:
Days
Anchored/Moored 168 81%
Docked 40 19%
Total 208
Miles (nautical) 1534
Fuel (gals) 232
Water (gals)
Watermaker 1869 91%
Shore Sources 175 9%
Total 2044
9.8 Gal/Day (all uses - drinking, cooking, washing)
Following are some details on our boat and equipment. It contains numerous opinions about issues upon which reasonable sailors may disagree. It is offered for your information - your results may vary.
Boat
We cruise in a 1994 Island Packet 40 - an ocean-capable cutter-rigged sailboat with a 50 HP Yanmar auxiliary engine. We have been extremely pleased with the boat. She is wonderfully balanced under sail and the sail plan is very versatile; we can easily sail at 6.5+ knots with a moderate wind. She motors well; we can cruise at 6+ knots using about 0.7gal of fuel per hour. She is big enough to be comfortable, but not so big in length or draft to constrain where we go.
Shortly after buying her, we had the chain plates and standing rigging (stays and shrouds) replaced. This was not cheap, but it improves sleep when off shore.
I won't get into makes or models, but to wanna-be cruisers, make sure you get an ocean-capable boat. Off shore in any weather, you want a boat built to handle that type of sailing; many 'coastal' cruisers, just won't cut it.
We carry a significant amount of spares for the engine and other essential equipment. When evaluating spares for a system, we ask - what would be the impact of a failure - could we work around it, or would it be significant loss of vital functionally.
Communication
Our boat has two fixed VHF radios (one with a RAM mike at the helm station) and a handheld VHF for dinghy/liferaft use. We carry an 406 EPIRB which can be used to send a satellite 'Mayday'.
Although I am a licensed amateur radio operator and was so sure we would have a SSB (HF) radio installed that I had a Dynaplate installed at our first haul out, we have settled on an Iridium 9555 satellite phone with an external antenna for our remote communication purposes. It allows us to get email from our weather router, other weather information like GRIB files, and provides emergency communication.
Stateside we use a Verizon 'MiFi' for Internet access and we both have data phones. International roaming and especially international data is VERY expensive, so we suspend our Verizon service before we leave the States. This year we got a Bahamian data phone that could be used as an access point for our other devices which has worked very well. We did end up getting a post-paid (annual) contract for the most access per cost, but it can be suspended just like our Verizon service, which we will do over the summer.
Emergency Equipment
We carry a Winslow 6-person offshore life raft. This year it has been stowed in a hanging locker in the aft cabin. Accessibility there is not bad, but you still would have to carry it up the companionway to the cockpit in an emergency. Our intent, and in many way the ideal, would be to lash it to the stern pulpit when on significant passages, but that never seems to happen. We are looking into a Pelican case, which will be located on the cabin top; Winslow maintains that is not the best location for the raft, because you have to go forward to deploy, but it may be the best option from an accessibility and storage point of view.
We carry a significant inventory of medical supplies including prescription antibiotics, pain killers, blood thinners, etc for medical emergencies.
We have a ditch bag on the aft cabin wall near the companionway that contains our EPIRB, handheld VHF, portable GPS, flares, handheld compass, small first aid kit, and other emergency supplies.
We carry a 5-gallon Jerry jug of water on the port rail, which we would attempt to take on the life raft in an emergency.
Electrical
Batteries - all Lifeline AGM
House Bank 3 Grp 27's and 1 8D for a total capacity of 550 amp-hours
Dedicated Starting Bank 1 Grp 27
Charger/Inverter Magnum MS Series
ME-BMK Battery Monitor
ME-ARC Remote Control
Solar
2 Kyocera 135 watt Panels
Blue Sky Solar Boost 3024i Controller
Wind
Eclectic Energy D400 Generator & Diversion Controller
Alternator
Balmar 100 amp with ARS-5 regulator
Since we spend the bulk of our time away from the dock and off the energy grid, batteries and charging systems are critical.
We have been satisfied with the Lifeline AGM batteries. They have some great positive attributes: no maintenance; low self discharge rate; high acceptance rates. On the negative side, they are sensitive to charging voltages, so you have to make sure your regulators/controllers are appropriate and adjusted properly or you will have reduced service life. In fact, we replaced a perfectly good charger with the Magnum, because the old unit lacked an appropriate AGM charging routine.
Contrary to some convention wisdom, we have found, and Lifeline recommends, that their AGMs be periodically equalized or conditioned under cruising conditions. This is required because while cruising, you rarely charge the batteries fully or at a high enough rate, so sulfation builds up; the equalization helps remove it. We try to equalize every time we dock. Also it is critical that your charging sources are temperature compensated - Lifeline flatly states that this is mandatory. This is required since optimal charging voltages are dependent on temperature. All of our sources (except the wind generator) are temperature compensated.
We have been very happy with our solar panels. They were the first alternate energy we installed and based on our initial experience (largely in May) we thought they would be enough to run the boat. But even in the tropics, the days are shorter and the sun weaker in the winter and last year we found they were not providing enough power.
So this last summer we had a D400 wind generator installed. It has been sweet! It is exceptionally quiet and produces great power in 10+ knots of wind. There have been times when we have had to turn off the solar panels because we were fully charged.
We had to replace our Balmar 100 amp alternator this year and the new unit really puts out! However, we rarely run the engine just to charge (probably only a handful of times all year).
We replaced our perfectly good Freedom Charger/Inverter with a Magnum because the previous unit did not have a good AGM charging program. Furthermore the Magnum has a 'Battery Saver' mode that is great for maintaining batteries over the summer. Once it has completed a full charging cycle, the charger goes into this mode where it does not charge at all (not even a float). If the voltage falls below a set level it will initiate another full cycle.
However, we have had a few disappointments with the Magnum. I researched the unit extensively and bought the up-level monitor because it offered the option to 'rebulk' manually. This feature is relevant when the batteries have been in 'Battery Saver' mode for a while and are less than fully charged and you want to leave the dock fully charged. The 'Rebulk' feature allows you to 'command' another charging cycle. After installing the unit and looking in vain for this option, I called the manufacturer and was told that it is a feature of the monitor, but not supported on my model of charger - I wish the manual made that clear!. I have learned a work-around - just disconnect the shore power for a minute and then turn it back on - the unit will start another charging cycle.
The most important 'problem' has been that the unit 'qualifies' the available shore power before closing the transfer switch and allowing the power to flow to the boat. This is intended for applications where the unit is used as an emergency power supply - if the grid power comes on, but is of unacceptable quality, the unit continues to invert to supply emergency power. We had one marina (Highbourne Cay) where the unit refused to accept the power. We had a friend with a Magnum unit that had the same problem at that same marina the previous year. It has not reoccurred at any other marina.
We have not regretted our decision not to have a diesel or portable gas generator. While it would be nice at times, we manage quite nicely on solar and wind. Diesel generators are expensive, take a lot of space, and are high maintenance items; portable generators create gas storage and potential carbon dioxide issues.
Water
We have a 170 gallon water tank which I clean and sanitize annually.
We have a Seagull high efficiency water filter at our galley sink, which we use for all drinking water.
We have a Spectra 200T watermaker with an MPC-5000 controller. It will produce a modest 7 gallons per hour with about a 12 amp DC draw. If there was one piece of equipment you would have to 'pry from our cold dead hands', so to speak, it would be our watermaker. We have cruised (not full time) for over 25 years and we have consistently found that fresh water is invariably your most scarce resource - the one that constrains your trip.
Our water usage has remained a modest 9-10 gallons per day over the years for ALL uses (drinking, cooking, washing) with or without the watermaker. This is higher than some 'extreme' water conservors, but still relatively modest in our opinion. It is an important point that this usage includes virtually all our drinking fluids. We carry only trivial amounts of beer or soda and and use powdered drink mixes for 'flavorful' drinks.
Water is generally available in the Bahamas. Marinas sell it for around $0.50 per gallon, but that creates the need for additional docking and route planning. 'Free' water is also available at many locations, but you usually have to transport it in Jerry jugs. Also in many places (Black Point on Great Guana for example), the majority of the locals do NOT drink the water from the water system - they buy bottled water from Nassau, so is this the water you really want to be drinking? In remoter regions, safe water is often unavailable and you take your chances.
Ground Tackle
When cruising you spend a lot of time at anchor, so ground tackle is very important
Our primary anchor is a 45lb Delta with 225' of 3/8" HT chain; our secondary anchor is a 35lb Delta on 35' of 3/8" HT chain and 225' of 5/8" three strand nylon rode. We also have a Danforth type kedge anchor. We inherited all of these anchors when we bought the boat. We have had great performance from the primary and seldom use the secondary.
We replaced the relatively small vertical windlass that came on the boat with a Lighthouse 1500 horizontal windlass. It has dual chain gypsies, a rope capstan, and 'pull stumps'. Some people say that a strong windlass is one of the things that will easily distinguish a cruising boat a day/coastal sailboat.
There always seems to be an must-have anchor 'du jour', but all anchors have strengths and weaknesses. The Delta is great except in soft mud where it has a tendency to 'keep plowing'; however, it has great holding in sand (even 'muddy' sand) and good penetration in grass. The primary weakness in our ground tackle configuration is that we have two of the same type - it would better to have a second anchor of a different type, probably one better in mud. For a snubber, we use a 'chain grabber' with a bridle of 5/8" 3-strand nylon rode; each leg of the bridle has about 40' of line, so although we only normally use only about 10', we can let out more in storm conditions. We find that the boat 'hangs' better on a bridle, than a single-line snubber.
In the end, successful anchoring comes down to three factors: the anchor, the type and quantity of rode, and your anchoring technique (setting it properly); the anchor is at best a 1/3 of the equation. All chain rode and plenty of it makes for better sleep. We always set/test our anchor with around 2000 RPMs astern - if it holds that, it probably will hold any wind or current.
Refrigeration
We installed a Frigoboat keel-cooled refrigeration system soon after we bought the boat, replacing the relatively old air-cooled unit. The beauty of this unit is that the only moving parts are the compressor itself. No fan as in air-cooled and no pump as in water-cooled. The refrigerant is circulated through a heat exchanger mounted under the hull - the heat gets transferred directly into the water, not accumulating in a space where the compressor is mounted It also has a system that runs the compressor at the most efficient speed for the conditions.
We installed a simple evaporator, as opposed to a divider with a spill-over fan to create a refrigerator/freezer system. This gives us a very small 'freezer' - think of the 'ice box' on your grandmother's old Frigidaire. We do not carry a lot of frozen foods and are happy we have retained the larger refrigerator.
We did not add any insulation to the box and it clearly is under insulated. We may add some someday, but I am concerned that it will reduce our capacity and make our shelves not fit properly.
Provisions
Bottom line, provisions are scarce and relatively expensive in the Bahamas, so you will want to take as much as possible. Many people with ample freezers, take a collection of frozen meats; we have only a modest freezer, so meats are carried on board only when we can buy some locally. We do take a large quantity of canned and dried foods and personal care products.
Stores in many locations have limited selections. Fruits and vegetables are available in limited quantities after the 'mailboat' comes in. On a sailboat, you must either have a memory 'like an elephant' or have some type of inventory control system or you will go 'crazy'. We use an Access database, but spreadsheets or even notebooks will work. In fact since we don't want to start up the computer every time we make an inventory change, we have a small notebook where we record changes and then periodically update the computer database.
Lighting
We replaced all the incandescent bulbs in the Main Cabin and Galley with Sensibulb LED lights. These units are nice in that you can retain the existing fixtures and just replace the old bulb with an LED unit. We also replaced the incandescent anchor light with an LED Anchor/Tricolor with a photo sensor; we really enjoy the photo sensor - just turn on the switch when you anchor and it turns the light on and off as required - no forgetting. The LEDs use about 1/10 the current that a comparable incandescent bulbs uses, but they also cost about 20 times as much. We would like to replace more of the cabin lights, but it is hard to cost-justify for the lesser used lights.
Waste Management
We have a modest 30 gallon holding tank, so we had an Electro Scan Marine Sanitation Device (MSD) installed. This is essentially a mini sewage treatment plant that treats your waste to EPA bacteria standards. Our experience has been mixed, and we probably would not repeat the investment. You cannot use them in 'No Discharge' areas like the Florida Keys. Additionally there are significant additional maintenance requirements. You have clean it every 6 months with a Muratic Acid solution and periodically replace the electrodes, a job that I need to do this fall that I am NOT looking forward to.
Instrumentation
When we bought the boat it had a fairly new Raymarine E120 chart plotter/radar and a mixture of older Raymarine instruments (depth, wind, speed). It also had an older Autohelm (Raymarine) autopilot. All of these systems have been somewhat problematic. The chart plotter has experienced significant screen flicker, which our marine technician has said is somewhat typical of these units. It is somewhat heart stopping (especially offshore at night) when you fear that you will lose your instruments. The autopilot 'failed' last year when it spontaneously went into a 'Permenant Watch Mode' where it beeped every 4 minutes until you hit a button. Raymarine refused to re-flash the firmware saying the unit was obsolete.
Overall our experience with Raymarine has been poor and we are moving to other manufacturers. We replaced the autopilot with a Furuno NAVPilot 700 and it has been working like a pro. We plan to replace the chartplotter, radar, and other instruments with Garmin units this summer.
In general radar is very helpful, especially when sailing off shore at night.
We have not had an AIS (Automatic Identification System) to date but are installing one this year with the new instrumentation. When you encounter large ships at sea (and you will) it is virtually impossible to raise them by radio to discuss passing if you do not know their name - they simply don't respond to "Hey big ship about to run me over" :-). AIS gives you their name. Their radio channels are taped, and they would get in trouble if a clear call went unanswered.
Charting
Do NOT go to the Bahamas without the Explorer Chartbooks/Crusing Guides - they are excellent!
In the Abacos, the Steve Dodge Crusing Guide is also excellent. The Pavlidis guides have a lot of information, but they are often less up to date and we find them harder to use, but they are pretty much the 'only game in town' for the Exumas and Far Bahamas.
Our Raymarine chart plotter uses Navinonics charts. We have found them to be very accurate in the States and even found them good in the Abacos last year. However, they are VERY poor in the southern Bahamas - they show shoals where there are none and vice versa. The Garmin chart plotter we are installing uses Blue Charts which include the excellent Explorer chart detail.
Dinghy
When you are cruising, your dinghy is your SUV - you use it for transportation, carrying groceries, laundry, fuel, water, etc. It is a very important piece of equipment.
We inherited an 11' Achilles dinghy with a high pressure inflatable floor and an 8HP 2-stroke outboard and have used it with mixed results over the last 4 years. It is light and easy to raise and lower and store, but lacks the stability, speed, and carrying capacity of a Rigid Inflatable boat (RIB). While our 'Yugo' of dinghies has been faithful, we will probably upgrade to a RIB sometime in the future.
Conclusion
People cruise in boats that range from simple small sailboats with little equipment to mega-yachts with every toy. We fall somewhere in the lower middle of the spectrum with a boat that is reasonable sound and comfortable for long-term full-time cruising.
The shorter your cruising window, you can live with, and afford, less equipment. Also, in general, younger bodies can handle the stress and strains of smaller, lesser equipped boats than us 'vintage' folks.
We cruised for over 25 years on vacation-length trips on chartered boats before we ever bought our 'big' boat. If you want to go cruising, our biggest advice is to just 'get out there'. Take courses to learn skills; read everything you can about boats and cruising; crew on other peoples boats; charter boats and go on mini-cruises; get away from the dock and learn to live at anchor.
See you 'out there'!
Tom & Joyce
S/V Barefoot
Currently docked Bradenton, FL
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)