Bahamas to the DR

Long Island, Mayaguana, Turks and Caicos and the Dominican Republic (DR)

We have left George Town and started our trip to the Dominican Republic known as the DR from here on in. Upon leaving George Town we said good bye to Anneteak who we have been traveling with since Vero Beach (five months ago) how time flies. Anneteak (Anne and Brad) are headed back to Florida and then flying to New Brunswick. We also left new found friends on Dream Ketcher (Patti and Dave) as they were headed back to the US. Will also miss weekly hold’em games but more to experience in the near future. Sweet Chariot (Tammie and Jim) are taking a similar route to the DR and they decided to leave on the same day as us.

The winds were good but against us but we managed to motor to Long Island. It was an uneventful day except for a call from Sweet Chariot, they hooked a mahi mahi fish. They called and said they had dinner. We waited patiently to arrive with dinner but the winds kicked up and to get to their boat would have been a wild dinghy ride so we settled for a rain check for the mahi mahi. Spent the night rocking and rolling all night from the surge that came into the anchorage.

Next morning the winds were more co-operative and we were off to Mayaguana. We had to go into the wind for the first hour then we turned onto our course and were able to get the sails out. Nice sailing weather. Sweet Chariot were closer inland with all sails up and guess what they called and they have another mahi mahi. At this time I think they are pulling our leg and they just stocked up before leaving George Town so we decided that we needed to get some fishing in and see if we can catch something too.

Well we sailed for about 4 hours Jack and I are comfortable in the cockpit Xanadu is handling the weather sailing smoothly along and then we here this singing sound I looked at Jack and he looks at me then it registers, the fishing line.  We have a fish on for the first time.  We here a line run out so it took a second or two to figure out what was going on. Yes that is right our first fish caught on our line while sailing. Then realization sets in what do we do next:

How do we kill it, how do we get it on board more importantly where on the deck and where to clean it. I had already read the fishing books but now we need to have a plan. We have our gaff but who wants blood all over the deck. Finally figure out a spot, so Jack is still fighting the fish and I am steering the boat. Jack’s word it must be a big one as the rod is bending to the point I thought it would snap. At first I thought the fish would win and then finally we see it about 50 yards behind the boat. We get it closer and then we finally see it and it is a barracuda. This is about the only fish we can identify without looking at the charts. They are oily and boney to eat so we decided we did not want it but we wanted our lure back. The problem with that is they have huge sharp teeth. The barracuda is about 3 feet long but put up quite the fight. We now have it near the boat Jack is armed with gloves and long handed pliers and a gaff. Soon as the fish is out of the water it takes a huge leap we thought it went up on the dodger but lucky for us it was just the lure and the fish got away.  Of course neither one of us thought to get the camera. Our first fish and no record except for our memory.

Well the rest of the day was quiet we are pulling into Mayaquana and it has a huge reef around it most of it submerged but with the charts and chart plotter it was a pretty easy access to the anchorage but from the angle it looked like we were in the middle of the ocean but finally we find a spot in about 10 feet of water protected by some land. We left through the night so we would get to Turks and Caicos in the daylight so we would have no problems with the reefs there...

We arrived at the Turks and Caicos about mid-afternoon and it takes us about an hour to get to Provo. Beautiful beaches on the north shore of Providence. Lots of reefs and coral heads and beautiful turquoise water just makes you want to jump in and enjoy the area but there is also larger fish out here too. Provo is known for its many dive and snorkelling sights. It has many resorts to visit but way out of our budget so we settle for an anchorage. They have a lot of security and take it very serious if you just try to drop and anchor and leave next morning without checking in. We were staying for a few days so were we fine.  We checked in and it cost us $50.00. We spent two days in Provo went into town when we finally found the right way. We got a ride with a local person living there when we found we were walking to a dead end area. Language does make a difference when getting instructions. Oh well he was nice and gave us a ride into town.

We were going to pick up some groceries but ended up with some milk and bread. I picked up 3 lbs. of apples $10.99. Veg’s were extremely expensive and so was most of everything else. For the guys here is a good comparison: 24 of Coors light: Canada $40.00, Florida $21.00 Bahamas $43.00 Turks and Caicos $63.00. Good thing we stocked up in Florida. I even took a picture of the SKU.

So once again we sailed over night to the Dominican Republic, stars were out and wind was good until Jack takes the helm. Next thing I know Jack is calling me it is black and we need to get the sails down we thought there maybe a squall coming through. I go back to bed and then the rain starts no wind just a huge downpour. Washed the salt off the decks and Jack got a good shower too.  He was pretty wet even with his jacket on. That passed and the rest of the trip was pretty pleasant.

We got to the DR at about 8 in the morning. Found a place to anchor and checked in. You had to go to 4 different places. They were very nice and it cost about $70.00 to check in for all the different offices.

Since we have been in Lupron we have gone to several beaches, Puerto Plata, Columbus’s landing here in Isabella, gone to movie night, and Texas hold’em night. A few of the boats that arrived after us play and set up a game and Jack came in first and I was the first out. We are in a well-protected harbour and the people are so nice here. I much prefer it here than Puerto Plata.  Beer is about $1.75 for a quart. Lunches that you cannot eat the whole thing are about 100 pesos which is about $2.50, no taxes. Dinner will range from 150 pesos to 400. Usually it works out for dinner about $10.00 per couple. To rent a car and driver for the day is $40.00 plus lunch not bad when 2 couples share the cost.

We I have a bunch of pictures so here they are:

 

 

THAT ABOUT WRAPS IT UP EXCEPT FOR WHO AM I (Linda) with and a cold beer. There was no photoshop pictures.

Jack and Linda

Marathon Florida

Hello Everyone,

 

It has been awhile since we have updated the blog.  It is Feb. 15, 2013 and we are in Marathon Florida.  We are behind schedule but are enjoying the weather here and learning the weather patterns down here so we can continue our journey.

We have heard about the weather that you have been experiencing and we don’t really miss it but do miss relatives, friends and ooops television once in awhile.

Well we are getting a few matters in order to make the crossing to the Bahamas. We are hooking up our SSB radio, getting a new anchor light ours is a dull orange colour and food. Knocking on wood we have not had any more engine problems, electrical fixed with the help of Jamison in Marathon. He replaced charger, cleaned up some wiring and gave some general advice. We also got a freezer for the boat as our small compartment in the fridge would only hold about 4 days of meat so now we will be good for about 1 to 2 months and room to make some ice. The freezer fits nicely under the salon table at the bow end without taking up any leg space.

So back to our adventures. We will be here for about another 2 to 3 weeks. Marathon is nice to get stuff done. My projects while we are here is to make covers for our gas cans and to do some teak refinishing. Jack is such as slave driver ha ha, but we want to move on the nicer waters.

 The internet here is extremely bad and trying to download pictures on the blog takes forever. I tried to get on my facebook page but since I have not been on it forever I forgot password and I have tried all the suggestions that facebook has given me but no go. I can get on from Jack’s but cannot get on it to change or add anything. I guess my next resource is to open a new page more computer work. I thought I was getting away from all that but bottom line is it is more important now so I can stay in touch.

We went to Key West.  It was nice but very touristy. Great sunsets and good eats. Marty was done and joined us and we made use of his car and had some great times together some were just sitting in the cockpit, barbecuing and watching the sun set or rise. We also had a visit from Frans and Vita. It’s always nice to meet up with long time friends. While we were in Miami Lois and Bernie came to visit. They were staying in Fort Myers on the west side on Florida. It makes a difference when you have a car. Gets expensive renting cars. For Christmas we went to Kathy and Ross’s for a few days. It really is great seeing everyone but makes me homesick. Well before you know it I will probably be making a trip home as there is another little one on its way. Yes Colleen is having her second baby in July but we will have a lot of area to cover before that time.

Jack will have to update on the actual route we will be taking over the next few months with my sense of direction for currents and winds we will end up in Africa and I definitely do not want to end up going across the Atlantic.

 They have pig races in Marahton.  This is the finish line.

 

Bimini Bahamas

March 30, 2013

We are currently sailing across the Great Bahamas Bank at about 6 knots, winds are between 15 to 20 knots waves about 3 feet, sun is shining. The waters are only about 20 feet and an aquamarine colour. The sails are up and Xanadu is cutting through the waves like butter giving us a pleasant ride.

It has been awhile since we have updates our blog but this is the start of the interesting part of our journey.

We have finally left the safe confines of the us waters to search out lands where life is more relaxed and not driven by the all mighty dollar even though it is a necessity but not to the extent that we are used to.

We sent seven weeks in Marathon Florida. We provisioned Xanadu for the next 8 weeks and then ran out of space to put things. So we did some minor repairs and checked out charts and weather forecasts during that time to be prepared to leave the big cities behind.

Finally a weather window opens up where we would sail across the Florida Straits and through the Gulf Stream from the south with southeast winds directing us to Bimini, Bahamas. It was supposed to be an easy crossing but even with the best planning Mother Nature does not adhere to schedules.

We went across the reefs in Florida not big deal except wind on our nose and we felt like we were in a washing machine but once through we turned east and picked up the south winds and things settled down for a bit. The crossing over to Bimini was comfortable but once in a while a larger wave would toss us around. Lesson learned from this crossing make sure all you lockers hold tight the ones that don’t add extra security in our way was bungee cords. Books seem to find their way out of there assigned areas.

We arrived in Bimini in calming seas but coming around the reef takes a little getting used to as the water is crystal clear and is hard to determine how far down the bottom is. We got a slip and prepared to clear customs. The marina supplied us with the paperwork, filled it out, took in our documentation to the customs office they asked how long we would be staying and granted our request. Now we are official and can start our sailing adventure that is right we are actually using our sails instead of the motor what a relief.

We ended staying in Bimini for 7 days as the weather just would not co-operate. These cold fronts kept coming through the Abacus with gale force squalls but the exumas in South Bahamas were having nicer weather so we waited patiently for the first opportunity to leave. As the weather was not settling down we decided to skip the berry islands and head south to New Providence. We wanted to leave the squalls behind us.

It was an interesting stay in Bimini. We were fortunate to meet a gentleman by the name of Mr. Sanders.  His family lived in the Bahamas and he was educated in the us and Britain. He researched the history of Bimini wrote books about it and taught in the local schools. He also is in the process of building the Dolphin House. This is a work of art. The house has been built from left over building material and natural products of the island. It is well constructed to survive hurricanes and has a uniqueness that has to be seen. Every wall has a unique design incorporating conch shells, seashells, sea glass, left over ceramics and stain Glass, bottles and many other items too many to mention. Once again pictures say a thousand words.

On Bimini one side faces the banks and the other side is the FLORIDA Straits. Only two roads on the island but the beaches are beautiful on the west side of the island. We also visited a local place called Sherry’s and had rum punches and conch and guess what I Linda actually liked it. We also visited the shark research center on South Bimini. They took us out on the flats where they had pens with lemon sharks and rays in them. Of course they explained a lot first before we waded out to the pens.  The people there went in the pens with the sharks and rays and show us how they handled the creatures then a though came to me we are outside the pens where there are homes to more sharks and other creatures but the only creature that bothered us was a crab he kept trying to get your toes he was about three inches long. It was well worth the visit.

The rest of the time we watch the bull sharks swim around our boat when the fishermen came in and cleaned their catches. We met up Pat and Addison from Toronto and jack tried his hand at diving for lobster. Well no pictures on that one as we could not find any and Lobster season ends March 31.

We also met up with several other boats some going to the exumas and some returning to Florida so there we many rum punches and stories to be told.

We finally get our weather window and headed off to New Providence. We sailed all night in the company of five other boats all keeping in touch through the trip. We went to West end with two other boats and the others went to Nassau.

We sent a day in West End and hiked around the island taking in some ruins and beach areas. It has great swimming here and many nice places on the beach.

Well that brings us up to today Saturday March 30 we are travelling to Allen cay and we plan to send two days there do some snorkeling and enjoying the beach. I plan to get my sketch pad out and try to get it down on paper but my camera will be very busy.

Jack is trying his hand at fishing there is supposed to be mahi mahi and wahoo in this part of the Bahamas but so far no luck. I guess I will still need to go to the store once in a while.

I will close this portion of our trip with saying we are enjoying another beautiful day in the Bahamas.

 

Miami To Marathon

Miami to Marathon leaving this week onto Bahamas.

|Yes it has been awhile but we finally left Vero Beach after a stay of 7 weeks. There was plenty to and a hard place to leave after travelling for 6 months. The other name for Vero Beach is Velro Beach and it has earned it's name honestly.

The anchorage had many sightings of dolphins who would entertain us with their antics of jumping out of the water, teasing the dogs on an adjacent boat and just swimming around our boat.

Vero Beach was a good place to get food and enjoy the beach area and had alot of entertaining.

Well we then met up with Ann and Brad from Anneteak who have been travelling buddies to the Bahamas.

We also have met up with Pat and Addison form PCYC and have met up with them again in Marathon.

The visit to Miami was quite an experience. Coming into the channel we met up with a cruise ship, a container ship and a barge. There is no words than describe this experience but perhaps the pictures will do it justice.  We anchored off Bell Island and were able to dingy over to south beach and had a great time eating and drinking our way down south Beach.

We were joined by Lois and Bernie. They came over from Fort Myers and spent a few days.  Lois and I were able to get in some golfing too while the boys sent the day at the boat and local bar.

We then went to Marathon and have been there for 7 weeks. We hope to have all our additions done new solar panels, fixing wind generator.

Vero (Velro) Beach

Yes we are in Vero Beach Florida. It's nickname Velcro Beach could easily apply to many people we are stalled here but have plans to continue our trip to the Bahamas in the new year.

It has been six months travelling and I (Linda) needed a break. I returned to Toronto and visited family sorted out a few items and just ran out of time. Made it down to the clubhouse once but did not see any year round boaters. Saw Marion and Jason. Went to poker on Friday night and met up with Ron. It was great seeing everyone but there were so many people that I missed two weeks is just not enough time to fit everyone in.

I think Jack was relieved that I was back as I think he may have had reservations as to whether I would return but the warm weather won out and the support of my family to continue this once in a life time adventure brought me back to the sunny skies of Florida and celebrating Christmas in shorts.

When I returned home Chris my son in law came down and sailed the boat down from St. Augustine to Vero Beach. They saw the festival of lights in St. Augustine but as I was in Toronto no pictures were taken. They took the boat down the ICW as there were high winds out on the ocean.

Jack will have to fill you in on that part of the trip.

Since we have been in Vero Beach we have met up with many of our fellow cruisers and former PCYC members Pat and Addison Chan.

Pat and Addison had us over for dinner where of course caught up on our adventures and our woes.
It was great to see them and plan to send some time with them once Xmas is over as their wealth of knowledge on the next section of our trip is invaluable.

The dolphins welcomed me back with quite a spectacular show which I managed to get photos of.

This is a hub for people going over to the Bahamas. Great place to recuperate, provision and do some maintenance on your boat.  Speaking of maintenance we had the big brown mustache not from the ICW but also from the St.Lawrence well found a natural product to get rid of it and I am going to take picture of before and after. The pro.duct is real lemon straight from the bottle. Works wanders.
It is better than the harsh chemicals that west marine sells.

Thank heavens we have not been having any more overheating problems once we cleaned out the v drive but as Murphy`s Law will have it electrical problems raised its head.  Perhaps Xanadu is a little tired too. When we were on the mooring ball the batteries would only charge up to about 40 % amp hours when the generator was on, of course the search was on. Addison came over and gave us a hand but still we had a problem so we decided to take a slip for a few days to see if we could find the problem and guess what plugged her in and she charges up to a 100% amp hours in about 6 hours.

Now what do you do just like going to the doctor feeling miserable and once you get an appointment everything is fine. The local people here are willing to lend a hand and refer you to the right people to help you, Thursday night get together and a Xmas pot luck which we will miss as we are meeting up with our friends Kathy and Ross.

My list of chores seem to be getting longer instead of shorter.  I thought I was retired well there goes that idea as I do not have enough hours in the day to get everything done but at least I have more time to accomplish the list over the next few years I hope it will be enough time.

I am going to have visitors to come down so I can relax and enjoy company that will take my mind off the ever endless list of chores to enjoy the sunsets and stars at night and good company.
miss you all
We have an addition to the Xanadu a portable freezer whoops Jack won't fit but those steaks certainly will. yes Ron we know you like your steak so when will you and Meg be visiting, so don't take too long as the steaks may be gone.

I know that there will be alot of PCYC members that will be heading south in the near future please keep in touch so we can get together. Well enough of that we miss you all and hope to catch up either on the seas or on land don't forget to let us know your plans but as boaters know our schedules are not carved in stone and we will pass sometimes at night but more often than not.

Back again

Dec. 12, 2012

Hi everyone,

We have had a few technical issues. We had to change providers and hopefully we will back up and running once again.

Just to let you know we are in Vero Beach Florida and will be here for a few more days so if we can get Internet we will be updating the blog over the next week.

Thanks for keeping in touch and will be posting again soon.

Linda and Jack

On to Charleston

Hi everyone,

All of the boats that were waiting for the effects of Hurricane Sandy to leave the Georgetown area slowly started to move out one or two at a time.  Some boats were on a tight schedule and others were just wanting to get south to warmer weather.  We left on Nov. 1st after staying an extra day for some rain to pass through.  The weather was quite cool compared to what we had been getting prior to Sandy's arrival.  The lows over night were 39*F for a couple of nights.
We heard that almost all of the marinas in Great Kills NY on Staten Island were pretty much wiped out.  We stayed there for about 5 days when we were passing through and we really feel for these people.  They are so friendly and helpful and just a great boating community.  I'm sure that they will bounce back.

Leaving Georgetown our plan was to get as far along as we could and anchor for the night, then have a short run into Charleston the next morning.  We stopped at a place called Dewees Creek, abut 15 miles from Charleston.  This creek is about 150 yards across, is 60 feet deep in places and winds on for miles.  We anchored in 15 feet of water about two miles up the creek.  There was nothing but marshes as far as we could see in all directions, it was very weird but great for looking at stars.

The next morning we past the Isle of Palms area of golf courses and luxury homes before arriving in Charleston at 1045 on Friday.  It was good to get in early for a change.  We were planning on staying for a few days and take in the sights.  We anchored in the Ashley River until Tuesday then took a slip for the night because of some bad weather that was coming through.  We did the tourist thing daily and did a lot of walking.  We walked through the beautiful streets, took a horse and carriage tour with 14 other people.  It was very informative with the knowledgeable guide and saved a lot of walking.  After stopping in Georgetown and learning a bit about the plantations in that area, we actually went to the Rice Museum, and that's not named for somebody called Rice, it's really about rice, and how the rich plantation owners only lived at the plantations for a very short period each year and spent the remainder of their time at their mansions in Charleston.  A lot of the mansions have been passed down from generation to generation and are amazing in the way that they still look after all these years and the hurricanes, tornadoes and an earthquake.  The landscaping is first rate and very tastefully done and well maintained.







Palm trees growing wilde everywhere now


 Large open areas of marsh





Isle of Palms real estate for sale



Into the large open Charleston Harbor

The true charm of Charleston



 Right at the Charleston water front



 

Lots of beautiful churches



 

Mansions are everywhere.  These are from the plantation hay days, now some of them are multi dwellings but some are still single family dwellings 

 This old fire hall still has the brass pole

 This is the owner of Piggly Wiggly grocery stores home

 This is a mansion that we toured from 1825.  The owner had 25 plantations and one of the heirs still lives on the third floor. 

 There are different districts through Charleston

 They are really fond of pineapples 

 The government has a lot of money invested here

The best deal in town and the wings are Jack's way

 

 Cool sign

One day we went across the Cooper River by water taxi to Patriots Point in Mt. Pleasant.  They have a WW II aircraft carrier, destroyer and submarine that are all open for touring.  It was a full day getting there and touring the carrier and sub, we didn't have enough time to go aboard the destroyer.  It was a full day of going up and down ladders and through hatches and checking out everything.  Our last day in Charleston at the marina was spent doing boat chores and just taking it easy.

USS Yorktown

Ward room of Yorktown

 Pilots briefing room

One of the early jets to fly off of the Yorktown

The next morning we were leaving but got off to a late start because we had to wait for a favourable current, then get fuel and a pump out.  In doing all of this we missed a bridge opening and had to wait another half hour.  We anchored early in another creek and the next day went on to Beaufort SC and anchored again and didn't go ashore.   By the time we get the dinghy ready and get into town, everything would be closed in most of these places.  From Beaufort we went to another anchorage just past Savannah in the Herb River.  The anchorages in these creeks and rivers have very good holding and good protection from winds.  They do have some current in them with the tides in Georgia and you end up facing up stream or down stream according to the tide.

There is a lot of shoaling in the ICW through Georgia, so sometimes you have to time your passage through certain areas when the tide is at least mid hieght.  When we left the Herb R., we left at 1045 so that we could pass through a place called Hell Gate that is notouriously shoaled in places.  After we went through Hell Gate and a couple of other thin sections we got to Walburg Creek and anchored for the night.  We had another passage similar to Hell Gate coming up the next day and we decided to take the outside route in the ocean.  It turned out to be a good move.  We made the 45 mile trip to St. Simons Island in 7 hours totally hassel free.  At 0830 we were sailing along in shorts and tee shirts.  The temperature was 70* and sunny.  We have stayed in St. Simoms for two days because today the weather was rain on and off all day.  Tomorrow morning we will be leaving for either Cumberland Is. GA or Fernandina Beach FL.  It depends on how the weather is.

Have a great week
Jack and Linda

I will post more pictures when I get a chance next time that I have internet service.