ahhh the life!
Friday, November 28, 2008
Well the Exuma Cays continue to be our home....
The other day we did some hard core sight seeing! We went to feed some pigs, and yes, they swam out to our boat! From there we snorkeled along an amazing cove with a cave! The fish were all the colors of the rainbow, and let me tell you, we got swarmed by a blue/yellow/white fish, I am talking schools of fish (thanks to the bread crumbs!) WOW!
From there we sailed to Emerald Bay. The wind was ok, and we ended up reaching 7km with some help from the motors. Richard put out a fishing line, hoping something would bite! Low and behold it did! MAHI!!! He reiled in the fish and I helped gut it! Later that night, thanksgiving night, we fully enjoyed fresh fish, the best I have ever had! It was a nice little celebrations with Richard, Kathryn, myself and the mahi!
Next stop...Georgetown to wait out some bad weather, and then SOUTH!
Fishhhhhh!
The other day we did some hard core sight seeing! We went to feed some pigs, and yes, they swam out to our boat! From there we snorkeled along an amazing cove with a cave! The fish were all the colors of the rainbow, and let me tell you, we got swarmed by a blue/yellow/white fish, I am talking schools of fish (thanks to the bread crumbs!) WOW!
From there we sailed to Emerald Bay. The wind was ok, and we ended up reaching 7km with some help from the motors. Richard put out a fishing line, hoping something would bite! Low and behold it did! MAHI!!! He reiled in the fish and I helped gut it! Later that night, thanksgiving night, we fully enjoyed fresh fish, the best I have ever had! It was a nice little celebrations with Richard, Kathryn, myself and the mahi!
Next stop...Georgetown to wait out some bad weather, and then SOUTH!
Fishhhhhh!
Thursday, November 27, 2008
Grand Bahama and Rose Island...
Last days on Grand Bahama
On Grand Bahama Island Richard and I met a lot of ‘fellow’ sailors. One couple, Kim and Steve, who sail the Fine Lion, are incredibly funny people! Alex our next-door neighbor was also a ‘hoot’ he was a unique sailor new the entire sailboat life. We frequently hit up the Corner Bar with these people. We also came to understand that there would be a traditional Fish Fry along the beach, needless to say, we were there! The Fish Fry was fun, full of people, some bohemians and some tourists, fresh fish and perfect island music. We ate the freshly fried fish, that was accompanied by macaroni and cheese casserole Bahama style (a thick rectangular mesh of cheese, overcooked noodles, and some funky spice), chickpeas and rice, and a nice cold beer! After dinner, the dance floor started to fill and I busted a move to a few songs, especially the Cha-cha slide, I mean I had to show off my moves! Haha
The next day a Rent-a-car was at our disposal, at NO cost to us, wohoo! We took advantage of this situation and explored the island, went grocery shopping, and visited some property that our neighbor Alex was interested in purchasing. Let me tell you, we went to this International Bazzar area, where there were supposedly shops, restaurants and what not, We arrived and it was EMPTY, completely barren. That goes to show how the economy is affectiong international tourism, WOW! The grocery store was well, tyipicall for being out of the states, worse than most in South America. The selection was mimimal, however we restocked most everything we were missing, checking the expiration dates very closely!
Later that day Kathryn, Richards’s girl, and my old employer came into town. She flew in; we enjoyed a nice dinner and were off to our next destination, Rose Island. I had the first shift at the helm, while Richard and Kathryn attempted to get some shut eye. It was about a 4hr shift. I kept track of our heading, speed, and other data on the deck log. A few boats came and went, one cruise ship was right on our tail for a while, there was some fuzzy communication on the radio, and other than that, I stayed awake by polishing off a bag of animal crackers, YUM! And it was my turn to get to bed!
The waves/swells were not that bad. The boat rocked me to sleep. 8am, and it was my turn again. It was a lot nicer sailing during the day. We had to sails up, the main sail, the Genowa sail, and both motors going. We reached a max speed of 7.5km that day. We pulled into the Nassau marina to fill up the fuel tanks. There were three huge cruise ships docked as we pulled in, they were MASSIVE! After fueling up, we made our way to Rose Island, a small island right off Nassau. We anchored there for the night. After dropping anchor, Richard geared up and dove on the anchor making sure it was well attached, later that evening and the following day we were expecting 25k winds.
Day two at Rose Island was spent relaxing and exploring. Our sailing buddies Kim and Steve of the Fine Lion ended up anchoring in the same bay. I swam over to their boat to say hi. They were both eager to invite me for some Conch salad. Steve did some diving earlier that day; he speared two lobsters and a few Conchs, nice! We took their dingy and did some exploring on a nearby island. White soft sand, a hammock, and an old green chair are what our findings consisted of. Later that day they both came over for dinner. We ended up eating the FRESH lobster, and let me tell you , I have never ever had such fresh lobster! YUM!
The next day we hauled anchor and set sail for a new destination on the Exhume chain of Cays. They day was choppy, windy, rainy, and gusty. We sailed for 7hours with wind up to 25knots, and reached speeds of 10kmh! We had to reap the main sail so that the wind didn’t give us too much power, also so that the sails would take it! Half way through the journey the clouds came in and gave us a nice rain shower! The boat seemed as if it were a bunking bronco and we all had to hold on to something to stay standing! As our destination came into sight, land hoe! Kathryn and I prepared to hook the mooring ball which would act as our anchor that night. Let me tell you it was one HARD task! First, the wind then the current, and finally trying to steer the boat with such slight maneuvers! Our task was to use a pole and hook a thick line attached to the mooring ball, bring up the loop at the end of the line and connect it to the boat. After about three attempts, we got it, too bad it was over a cable, which it should have been under, ok, re-do! Two poles in the water later, a who-knows-what kind of, know later and about 10+ attempts later we FINALLY got it! What a stressful ordeal!
That night we all enjoyed our cocktails to the max!
After a night of being rocked to sleep, as the wind didn’t die down until the morning, it was a whole new day! I woke up to one of the most breathtaking sights on earth! Little islands surrounding us by 350 degrees, shades of blue, green, and white water, white soft sand, and islands for miles and miles! Words are not enough to describe the beauty. That day we spent some time exploring the island. We were about to go for a swim, Richard jumped in first, and all of a sudden SHARKKKK!
Instincts told us to get away, so Kathryn and I backed up, while Richard, who was still in the water yelled “lower the latter” so that he could get back in the boat! So much for swimming! After visiting the office, one of three buildings for miles, they informed us that it was a harmless shark and all it wanted was some food scraps! Thank God! We also hiked along the island. We took the dinghy to a beach, anchored it, explored the beauty of the island, and returned! Too bad that high tide was coming in and our little dinghy was about to be taken away! We trudged through 10meters of knee high water and arrived at the boat, the anchor was hardly attached to the sand underneath! Good thing we didn’t end up swimming back!
Tuesday, November 18, 2008
Grand Bahama
We made it! Two days ago Blue crossed the Gulf Stream and made it to Port Lucay on Grand Bahama Island
Grand Bahama is one of the northernmost of the islands of the Bahamas, and the closest major island to the United States, lying just 55 mi (90 km) off the state of Florida. Grand Bahama is the fourth largest island in the Bahamas island chain of approximately 700 islands and cays. Richard and I began our trek across the gulf stream at 12:30 am. We left Lake Worth, where we anchored the day before, departing from West Palm Beach, and made our way to the headwaters. The river and the ocean colliding made for a choppy beginning.
We motored and used two of the sails, the main sail, and the Genoa sail, our greatest speed fell around 8nm. We sailed all through the night. The stars were amazing, even though the full moon lit our path. Richard took the first shift, and then it was my turn. After going to the bathroom and having my urine experience ‘g-force’ I made it back up to the cockpit, feeling a bit queasy. It is recommended to stay on the main deck, aka, not go below, and I did. Oops! Well after a short puke fest, I felt better. Some sateen crackers helped me stay awake while sailing the ship form 3am-6am. Basically I had to stay on the lookout for other boats and make sure we had a full sails. It was then Richard’s turn to sail, and mine to go back to sleep. I t was hard falling back to sleep because the boat was rocking so much, but thanks to my iPod it wasn’t that hard. 9am, my shift, and it was light out! Exciting! The water was SO blue, I mean bright blue. Eventually we came to see land, which was Grand Bahamas. We entered into the inlet and docked at a marina. For the past two days we have been here, at the marina. Fixing some things that broke, washing down the boat, and obviously enjoying some cocktails, I mean HAPPY HOUR!!!!! Life is good!
A little history:
The Spanish gave the island the name Gran Bajamar, meaning "Great Shallows", and what the eventual name of the Bahamas islands as a whole is derived from. Grand Bahama's existence for almost two centuries was largely governed by the nature of these "great shallows" - the coral reefs surrounding the island were treacherous, and repelled its Spanish owners (who largely left it alone apart from for infrequent en-route stops by ships for provisions) while attracting pirates, who would lure ships onto the reefs where they would run aground and be plundered. The Spaniards took little interest in the island after enslaving the native Lucayan inhabitants. The islands were claimed by Great Britain in 1670. Piracy continued to thrive for at least half a century after the British takeover, though the problem was eventually brought under control.
Grand Bahama was to remain relatively quiet until the mid-nineteenth century, with only around 200-400 regular inhabitants in the capital, West End. In 1834, the towns of Pinder’s Point, Russell Town and Williams Town were established by former Bahamian slaves after the abolition of slavery in the British empire. The island was still little developed until a brief boom in economic activity during the American Civil War, when it was a center for blockade runners smuggling goods (mostly weaponry, sugar and cotton) to the Confederacy. A second brief smuggling boom occurred during the years of prohibition in the USA.
some pics of the boat... the deck, the kitchen/hall/bathroom...
Grand Bahama is one of the northernmost of the islands of the Bahamas, and the closest major island to the United States, lying just 55 mi (90 km) off the state of Florida. Grand Bahama is the fourth largest island in the Bahamas island chain of approximately 700 islands and cays. Richard and I began our trek across the gulf stream at 12:30 am. We left Lake Worth, where we anchored the day before, departing from West Palm Beach, and made our way to the headwaters. The river and the ocean colliding made for a choppy beginning.
We motored and used two of the sails, the main sail, and the Genoa sail, our greatest speed fell around 8nm. We sailed all through the night. The stars were amazing, even though the full moon lit our path. Richard took the first shift, and then it was my turn. After going to the bathroom and having my urine experience ‘g-force’ I made it back up to the cockpit, feeling a bit queasy. It is recommended to stay on the main deck, aka, not go below, and I did. Oops! Well after a short puke fest, I felt better. Some sateen crackers helped me stay awake while sailing the ship form 3am-6am. Basically I had to stay on the lookout for other boats and make sure we had a full sails. It was then Richard’s turn to sail, and mine to go back to sleep. I t was hard falling back to sleep because the boat was rocking so much, but thanks to my iPod it wasn’t that hard. 9am, my shift, and it was light out! Exciting! The water was SO blue, I mean bright blue. Eventually we came to see land, which was Grand Bahamas. We entered into the inlet and docked at a marina. For the past two days we have been here, at the marina. Fixing some things that broke, washing down the boat, and obviously enjoying some cocktails, I mean HAPPY HOUR!!!!! Life is good!
A little history:
The Spanish gave the island the name Gran Bajamar, meaning "Great Shallows", and what the eventual name of the Bahamas islands as a whole is derived from. Grand Bahama's existence for almost two centuries was largely governed by the nature of these "great shallows" - the coral reefs surrounding the island were treacherous, and repelled its Spanish owners (who largely left it alone apart from for infrequent en-route stops by ships for provisions) while attracting pirates, who would lure ships onto the reefs where they would run aground and be plundered. The Spaniards took little interest in the island after enslaving the native Lucayan inhabitants. The islands were claimed by Great Britain in 1670. Piracy continued to thrive for at least half a century after the British takeover, though the problem was eventually brought under control.
Grand Bahama was to remain relatively quiet until the mid-nineteenth century, with only around 200-400 regular inhabitants in the capital, West End. In 1834, the towns of Pinder’s Point, Russell Town and Williams Town were established by former Bahamian slaves after the abolition of slavery in the British empire. The island was still little developed until a brief boom in economic activity during the American Civil War, when it was a center for blockade runners smuggling goods (mostly weaponry, sugar and cotton) to the Confederacy. A second brief smuggling boom occurred during the years of prohibition in the USA.
some pics of the boat... the deck, the kitchen/hall/bathroom...
Monday, November 17, 2008
Wednesday, November 12, 2008
West Palm Beach and then some...
Sleeping on the boat is amazing. The boat, obviously rocks from side to side, acting like a cradle; every night the waves rock me to sleep. The bathroom, also known as the head, is one of a kind. When one flushes the toilet, also known as the head, the flusher heeds to be held down until the pump pumps the sewage up, over, and then down to the reservoir. The kitchen/living area, known as the saloon, is very spacious; there is an entertainment system, a work space, couch/table combination, and a nice big counter with lots of room for storage. The kitchen, known as the gully, is well, small, but much larger than on other boats. The there are tons of appliances that all fit like a puzzle, the fridge holds a lot, the microwave and convection oven get the job done, the stove and oven, the stainless steel sink, the cappuccino maker, toaster, and not to forget all of the storage space. Richard is a great cook who likes fresh, organic, natural foods, this is the first time I have eaten this well in a long time, I mean who knew there is a special knife for slicing cheese or cutting tomatoes (can you tell I have been living like a college student since I have graduated? I have however steered away from boxed macaroni!) The entire boat is like a puzzle, every floorboard, sole, has a storage compartment underneath it, which is one of the challenges, remembering where everything is stowed. My room, known as an estate, is quite spacious! I have my own closet, a few drawers, some shelves, and a bunch of windows, better known as portholes, and hatches. The deck of the boat if filled with rope, lines, that control the sails, whether it be the jib sail, the screecher sail, or the main sail. Well, I hope that gives you an idea of how I have been living the past week.
The past few days I have also been brushing up on my meteorology skills, thank goodness for that meteorology class I took at WSU! If you have not heard a hurricane has been brewing up just south of Cuba. Richard and I have been tracking it since Monday; however the meteorologist just deemed it a class III hurricane. Obviously, we will continue to monitor it as if moves north.
Day 4-6 have been spent on the open waterways of Southern Florida. Day four we departed from Stewart, FL and sailed south to Lake Worth, FL. My first time sailing the ocean, funny thing there was not enough wind, so we motored down. It took us about 5 hours until we entered the ICW (Inner Coastal Waterway), a river way between the coast and the mainland. We anchored there. The next morning, day five, we were going to make our way down to Miami, however the weather was not favorable, the hurricane was growing and we did not want to go to where there may be winds of 30-45MPH! The next day, same story. We woke up, checked the forecast and no good. Richard came up with the plan to stay north, basically were we were, until the heavy winds would pass. Those days, waiting out the weather were spent, lounging around, reading, working on mini projects, going for a swim, journaling, cooking and eating, what a life! Day six and we moved a little further south. We are not docked in a slip in West Palm Beach, FL. Conveniently, this marina is only 45min away from where Ezequiel is. He is going to come visit tonight! Yipeee! And because of the bad weather, I get to go stay with him for the night and celebrate his 30th birthday with him tomorrow, the 9th of November! Yeah, thatís right 30! Hahahaha
Paloma, the tropical storm, which turned into a hurricane, forced us to wait out the weather in a nearby harbor. Taking up anchor for the first time was not that bad. On Blue, there is an anchor that is mechanically controlled, yep that means no pulling up anchor for my ëmuscularí arms! Haha! We motored down the ICW, going under my first lift bridge, and docking at West Palm Beach Harbor. Docking was also an experience, learning what line goes where, how it should be tied down, putting up the bumpers, and connecting all the cables (water hose, electrical cords) to the dock. After getting all settled in Richard and I attended the local farmers market. We stocked up on fresh produce, beard, and pasta. Later that day Ezequiel picked me up, West Palm Beach is about 1hr 15 min away from Ft. Lauderdale, where he lives. Ezequiel stayed for an amazing dinner, and then we took off, back to Ft. L to celebrate his BIG day!
Sunday the 9th, the big day of Eze turning 30! Ezeís dad, Carlos, invited us to a local deli for a truly ëAmericaní breakfast. From there, an intensive soccer match, lunch, and then the surprise! The b-day giftÖ a flight in a glider airplane. We made the drive to the airport in Holmestead, and Eze got the flight of his life, aerobatics and all! From there we made our way back to West Palm Beach, back on the boat for me! We stopped and enjoyed an amazing dinner at a Japanese restaurant, and obviously had dessert! Cheesecake Factory proved to be more than sufficient! My famous words ìwhy did I do this to myself!î, I was SOOOO full!
Back on the boat
For the past three days we waited for hurricane Paloma to pass, which it did. And now, we have to wait for our ëweather windowí. My days have been filled, by visiting Starbucks, roaming the downtown of West Palm Beach, running on some amazing paths (by the ocean front, and weaving in and out of neighborhoods filled with castle like houses!), reading, writing, checking the weather forecast, and meeting locals. Hopefully a nice weather window comes and we can make our way over to the Bahamas.
Oh Ari, this is for you
Spain, Costa Rica, Canada, Mexico, Portugal, Tunisia, Italy, Germany, Check Republic, Holland, Switzerland, Austria, Argentina, Uruguay, Chile, Bolivia, Peru, Ecuador, Colombia, and Brazil for 30 minutes. Cheers!
The past few days I have also been brushing up on my meteorology skills, thank goodness for that meteorology class I took at WSU! If you have not heard a hurricane has been brewing up just south of Cuba. Richard and I have been tracking it since Monday; however the meteorologist just deemed it a class III hurricane. Obviously, we will continue to monitor it as if moves north.
Day 4-6 have been spent on the open waterways of Southern Florida. Day four we departed from Stewart, FL and sailed south to Lake Worth, FL. My first time sailing the ocean, funny thing there was not enough wind, so we motored down. It took us about 5 hours until we entered the ICW (Inner Coastal Waterway), a river way between the coast and the mainland. We anchored there. The next morning, day five, we were going to make our way down to Miami, however the weather was not favorable, the hurricane was growing and we did not want to go to where there may be winds of 30-45MPH! The next day, same story. We woke up, checked the forecast and no good. Richard came up with the plan to stay north, basically were we were, until the heavy winds would pass. Those days, waiting out the weather were spent, lounging around, reading, working on mini projects, going for a swim, journaling, cooking and eating, what a life! Day six and we moved a little further south. We are not docked in a slip in West Palm Beach, FL. Conveniently, this marina is only 45min away from where Ezequiel is. He is going to come visit tonight! Yipeee! And because of the bad weather, I get to go stay with him for the night and celebrate his 30th birthday with him tomorrow, the 9th of November! Yeah, thatís right 30! Hahahaha
Paloma, the tropical storm, which turned into a hurricane, forced us to wait out the weather in a nearby harbor. Taking up anchor for the first time was not that bad. On Blue, there is an anchor that is mechanically controlled, yep that means no pulling up anchor for my ëmuscularí arms! Haha! We motored down the ICW, going under my first lift bridge, and docking at West Palm Beach Harbor. Docking was also an experience, learning what line goes where, how it should be tied down, putting up the bumpers, and connecting all the cables (water hose, electrical cords) to the dock. After getting all settled in Richard and I attended the local farmers market. We stocked up on fresh produce, beard, and pasta. Later that day Ezequiel picked me up, West Palm Beach is about 1hr 15 min away from Ft. Lauderdale, where he lives. Ezequiel stayed for an amazing dinner, and then we took off, back to Ft. L to celebrate his BIG day!
Sunday the 9th, the big day of Eze turning 30! Ezeís dad, Carlos, invited us to a local deli for a truly ëAmericaní breakfast. From there, an intensive soccer match, lunch, and then the surprise! The b-day giftÖ a flight in a glider airplane. We made the drive to the airport in Holmestead, and Eze got the flight of his life, aerobatics and all! From there we made our way back to West Palm Beach, back on the boat for me! We stopped and enjoyed an amazing dinner at a Japanese restaurant, and obviously had dessert! Cheesecake Factory proved to be more than sufficient! My famous words ìwhy did I do this to myself!î, I was SOOOO full!
Back on the boat
For the past three days we waited for hurricane Paloma to pass, which it did. And now, we have to wait for our ëweather windowí. My days have been filled, by visiting Starbucks, roaming the downtown of West Palm Beach, running on some amazing paths (by the ocean front, and weaving in and out of neighborhoods filled with castle like houses!), reading, writing, checking the weather forecast, and meeting locals. Hopefully a nice weather window comes and we can make our way over to the Bahamas.
Oh Ari, this is for you
Spain, Costa Rica, Canada, Mexico, Portugal, Tunisia, Italy, Germany, Check Republic, Holland, Switzerland, Austria, Argentina, Uruguay, Chile, Bolivia, Peru, Ecuador, Colombia, and Brazil for 30 minutes. Cheers!
Tuesday, November 4, 2008
Day 1, Errands
Sunshine and a gentle breeze was my wake up call. Richard, the captain of Blue, and I spent the day running errands. We filled up two carts with grocery bags, went to about 4 different sail boat stores, and two other random stores. I finished settling into my quarters. My room is nice and spacious, full or storage, and has a cool cross breeze from the ports and hatches. I have an emergency exit window right next to my bed that is parallel to the ocean, I can't help but look for fish everytime I wake up. After a long, and hectic day, we were spent.
That evening I went for a run, taking advantage of my time on land. On my run, I saw a family dumpster diving in back of a locar restaurant, sad. It made me think of South America, as well as how lucky I am to have such a wonderful like, and amazing adventure ahead of me.
Dinner time with some of Richard's old sailing friends. Old, as in friends from the past, as well as in age. We dined at one upscale restaurant, and thank goodness my parents taught me what forks to use and when!
Seting Sail with 'Blue'
Time to set sail!
About seven months ago, an old employer and friend of mine heard that I was going to be in South/Central America. She knew that I was gong to have an evenful, unconventional year and informed me that her significant other might be looking for a crew to help him sail the Carribean and Bahamas in late October. I was so excited to hear of such an opportunity.
While I was traveling South America this opportunity became a reality, and that is when I decided to skip Central America, in turn for the Bahamas and Carribean. I ended my South America trip in Colombia and then flew to FL to visit Ezequile, the BF, and await my departure on 'Blue'
I ended up spending two months in FL working at Offerdahl's Cafe, one month to gain some income, and the other awaiting the departure date.
Well that day has finally arrived! Tomorrow, the 5th is the big day. TAKE OFF!
Ezequile drove me up from Sunrise, FL, where he lives, about 2 hrs North to Stewart, FL where the boat is docked. We arrived, said goodbye, and I spent my first night sleeping on a sail boat. Not bad! I got a good first night of sleep.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)