December 31 – January 7

New Years Eve.

We planned with fellow cruisers to go to Bikini Bottom, a neat little bar on the beach, for dinner and then to Count Basie Square in Port Lucaya to ring in the New Year.

And who knew Count Basie was Bahamian?

It was a beautiful evening and we watched a gorgeous sunset as walked along the beach to the bar. After a couple of beverages we had a great dinner of pulled pork, peas and rice, mac and cheese and coleslaw. A great band plays at Bikini Bottom every Saturday night, and they were a highlight this evening as well. Their playlist includes a number of rather cheeky songs, including the ever-popular Who Put the Pepper in my Vaseline.

Just before 11:00 pm we flagged down a taxi into Port Lucaya and caught the last part of the stage show. The packed square was charged with excitement and while the Michael Jackson impersonator may have left a little to the imagination, there was a terrific fireworks show at midnight. We then headed back to the boat, celebrating the fact that this was the first time we had been up this late in quite some time.

Since New Years the weather has been rather cool. This just means, among other things, that it is good weather for fishing. John and I headed out a couple of times, and much to my surprise, were rather successful. We caught ten or twelve fish the first time out and five or six the next time. The peculiar thing about this is we basically had no idea what we had caught as there were at least eight different varieties. When we returned home each day, we would get the fish identification books and the underwater chart, a couple of Kaliks and try to figure out what we had. Along with the help of passers-by we determined that we had some porgies, a red hind, a couple of angelfish, some grunts and …

The other highlight of the week was finding the perfect spot on the beach to watch the 49er World Championships. These sailboats are absolute hot rods and the racing was very exciting in brisk winds. As the boats round the mark, which you may be able to see in the picture, there were occasions when one would tip, causing all sorts of commotion. It was not uncommon to see a crewmember catapulted at least ten feet through the air. Definitely a younger man’s boat, although Corinne likes to tell that I sailed a Sunfish in much the same way when we were first dating.

December 21-30

We passed a Bahamian fellow the other day in a neighbouring resort setting up a table with souvenirs to sell and he says ‘Hey mon, how you doin?’

We replied, ‘Terrific. How are you doing?’

He said, ‘Great, it’s the Bahamas, mon!’

And it really has been a lot of fun. We have been walking the beach almost every day, doing some snorkeling and exploring, and generally beginning to find our way around. Our walks often take us to Port Lucaya for our three Kaliks, and the other day I introduced myself to my second most favorite pirate.

Christmas Eve was a bit of a sad time – we really missed being with family and friends. Christmas day was a beautiful day, though, and we were up pretty early for a long walk on the beach. Christmas dinner was a pot-luck around the pool, not 50 feet from our boat, with 45 to 50 people attending. After dinner we had a monstrous gift exchange. I had at least five different gifts pass through my hands and ended up with a rope puzzle that has no directions. I wonder how our family would feel about the possibility of stealing presents after they have been opened.

We always say that we meet so many interesting people cruising. Seated at our dinner table were Chas and Kat, a couple who travel around the world presenting seminars based on dolphin therapy, and Sara, a retired bobby, who is currently refurbishing a sailboat she bought on Ebay.

Buses seem always to be a source of stories. The other day we were returning from Port Lucaya after visiting friends who had just crossed from Florida. The buses quit running ‘about’ sunset, which it was, so we weren’t sure if we were going to be able to catch one back to Ocean Reef. We wandered over to the bus stop, where another group was also waiting. They were in conversation with Gynger, spelled with a ‘y’, who promptly came over to introduce himself. He was a Bahamian fellow who assured us that a bus would be along shortly, and if not, he would have to go and steal one. Two more groups gathered at the bus stop, and Gynger introduced himself to everyone once again, as if for the first time.

Just when everyone was wondering if there would be another bus, one pulled into the bus stop. Buses are vans, often Toyotas, and twelve of us were more than happy to squeeze into this van with Gynger. Just as we were all settled into our seats, Gynger burst into a raucous stream-of-consciousness Christmas carol for the entire, thankfully short, ride home.

As we neared our stop I said, ‘Gynger, I’ve heard a lot of Christmas carols this past week, and I can’t say that I remember anything like that.’ He replied, ‘Merry Christmas, mon, and began humming.’

Do you recognize this boat? Apparently the second and third sequels to Pirates of the Caribbean were made on Grand Bahama Island. Ghost is, we believe, one of the pirate ships in those movies. It is moored in one of the canals just a short distance from the marina where we stayed when clearing customs.

The Bahamas have two or three national dishes, but my advice is to skip the first two and hold out for a conch salad, and on a really good day, a side of conch fritters. Today was a really good day!

December 11-20

From Vero Beach it is two pretty full days to Lake Worth, our jumping-off spot for the Bahamas. The weather when we left was windy and squally, which means heavy rain showers with even gustier winds in the showers. We were feeling just a little adventurous for heading out in these conditions when we came across this sight. There were at least 50 Optis, a small dinghy designed specifically for youngsters, spread out over a one to two mile race course. The kids appeared to be having an absolute blast in the windy conditions.

Another two miles further along was another race event with more than 60 small boats, Lasers and 420s, screaming along. The young teens in these boats were very good sailors with more tricks up their sleeves than I will ever know.

Lake Worth has two large anchorages where boats congregate to wait for a ‘window’ to cross to the Bahamas. Waiting entails listening to the weather broadcast early each morning and then rehashing it all day long with other sailors. We passed on the first day of the window because it was still windy with larger seas. We passed on the second day as well, with 10 plus knot headwinds, because the third day (and likely final day for some time) was forecast to be the most benign day of all three.

Such shrewd planners we are! We woke up to pouring rain and fluky winds from the north. The very first admonition about crossing the Gulf Stream is ‘Never, ever, do this when the wind has a northerly component to it.'

After sitting in the cockpit all morning, feeling quite soggy, Corinne informed me that we would never get to the Bahamas before February, and another day in Lake Worth may just drive her crazy. Apparently someone was listening, because shortly after lunch there was a break in the clouds and the winds began to blow lightly from the east. Later in the afternoon, along with with another boat that we had been talking to over the radio, but not met otherwise, we poked our noses out into the ocean.

The seas were not overly lumpy and for the first couple of hours we had a lovely close-reached sail. Then the winds eased as they shifted to ahead of us and it was a fifteen hour motor-sail trip to Port Lucaya. It is just a little disconcerting as the sun sets and it becomes very dark, with only the stars and some cloud-to-cloud lightening in the distance shining through. This is a picture of navigation lights of Nimuë, our partner in crossing.

As we settled into our slip at Port Lucaya, with yellow quarantine flag flying in anticipation of a visit from the Customs and Immigration officials, we sat back to unwind and enjoy a wonderfully warm Bahamian morning. To make the picture perfect, we were being serenaded by that Carribbean classic from the town square – I’m Dreaming of a White Christmas.

When we walked into the office of the Immigration officer later in the morning, he stood up to shake our hands and in a hearty voice said, ’Welcome to the Bahamas. We were wondering when you would get here.’

After completing the arrival formalities we wandered through the market square and got directions to the beach. We also made one purchase. You are able to buy three Kaliks – a Bahamian beer – for five dollars. They will open them for you and give you a paper bag so that you can drink them as you are walking along. The beer was freezing cold and couldn’t have tasted better on an absolutely gorgeous beach.

The next morning we were up early to move over to Ocean Reef Yacht Club. We are snuggled into a very comfortable slip where we have weathered the first winter 'norther'. There is a very friendly cruising community here and the resort offers access to all the amenities. We have a feeling we may just like it here! Now we are going to have to find out about ‘ting-em’.

November 6 - December 10

As we keep telling everyone, winter cruising is a pretty ‘good gig’ and so we are happy to be at it again.

We drove to Green Cove Springs, arriving November 10, and Gormã was moved into the work yard the next day. It always takes much longer than we remember to get her ready to launch, and this year was no exception. There is the waxing, polishing and painting for me, and the washing, washing and washing for Corinne. Florida summers are really hard on boats, and so the first week is sometimes a little discouraging.

In addition, we had a few boat repairs - nothing major - but always a learning curve. Our two week preparation was rather unexpectedly extended to three weeks due to a breakdown with the travel lift, that magical piece of machinery that carries the boat from land to water. While at first a little disappointing, we ended up having to scramble in order to have everything ready for the launch. Where does the time go?

Once in the water, we were a day to get all the last minute things done, and then on our way. One of our last purchases was fresh caught Mayport shrimp. We celebrated our first night cruising with a tasty dinner at Blount Island in the St. John's River.

The next day we travelled to St. Augustine, a favorite spot. As a sidebar, the previous week we had driven down to St. Augustine, a thirty minute jaunt from Green Cove Springs. By boat it has been two full days. Occasionally we have to remind ourselves that it is the journey, and not the destination.


We stayed over at St. Augustine for Saturday. Two years ago, we watched part of the Santa Claus parade and wondered if we had missed Santa Claus, or if he simply didn’t make it as far south as St. Augustine. We are happy to report that he actually does ‘do’ the parade in St. Augustine, and we have the pictures to prove it. This is also the weekend of the British reenactment of the night watch. It is most interesting to see everybody dressed in period dress walking through the streets of the very old Spanish part of town, ensuring that things are safe for the night.

Another four days of travelling down the ICW (Intracoastal Waterway), and we are now on a mooring ball in Vero Beach. This is another great spot to visit – easy shopping, nice access to the ocean beaches, and a place to begin thinking about possible crossings to the Bahamas. We are up early each morning listening to Chris Parker, the weather guru, hoping to find that perfect window for the next leg.

March 31-

We are on our way to San Mateo, Florida, where we will store the boat at Gibson’s Dry Dock. It is a little sad, but will be fun to be home again too.

This has been a wonderful trip and a great adventure, and we are definitely looking forward to doing it again. We have learned so much about the places we have been, some things about ourselves, and a little bit about what is really ‘important’ to us.

One should never take for granted the comfort of a long warm shower or the bounty of the produce section of a good grocery store. We will always marvel at the stars at night, beautiful blue water and sandy beaches, and family and good friends.

That’s it for now, mon!

March 26-29

Chris Parker is the weather guru for cruisers, and most everyone wakes up to catch his SSB radio broadcast at 6:30 in the morning, every day except Sunday. There have been a number of cold fronts passing through, but he sees a ‘window’ to make the passage to Florida in the next few days. If we do not capitalize on it, it will be at least a week before there is another opportunity.

With this in mind, we are off to Highbourne Cay on Wednesday and then to West Bay on New Providence Island on Thursday. The forecast still looks good, so early Friday morning it is off to Lake Worth in Florida.

The waves in the Tongue of the Ocean have been quite large over the past week, but have been subsiding in the last couple of days. Thus it was with just a little trepidation that we stuck our noses out there at first light in the morning.

We have been sailing together with Cipango for the last couple of weeks, and this picture shows them just a little off our port side. We were simultaneously in the trough of waves and all we could see were their sails.

The wind was fresh and true all day and we had one of the best sails we have ever had. From the Tongue of the Ocean we passed through the Northwest Channel onto the Banks, which were never more than 12 to 20 feet deep.

At about midnight we passed by an outcropping known as Hens and Chickens and set our sights on Florida. It is always a little unnerving to be sailing at night. The funny thing is, you can’t see all that much. The stars, however, were spectacular, and when you looked down at the wake it appeared to be full of little fireflies called bioluminescence.

It was a beautiful night and an uneventful crossing. As the sun came up in the morning the wind changed slightly and we were able to sail the last four hours to Lake Worth. We travelled for 28.5 hours and in that time covered 174.7 nautical miles.

Is it any wonder that afternoon burgers and beers at the Tiki Hut were a real treat?

March 13-25

We sailed down to Cambridge Cay on Thursday and picked up a mooring ball in a terrific anchorage. The mooring is nestled between cays and so is protected from winds and waves from all directions. This is one of the few true ‘hidey holes’ in the entire Exumas chain.

Cambridge is also a jumping off spot to a number of interesting spots. In the afternoon we went by dinghy down to the Acquarium, a great snorkeling spot with a wide variety of fish. As we are in the Land and Sea Park we are seeing many more and a greater variety of fish. The tidal currents can be quite strong, though, and you have to pick your snorkeling times accordingly.

On the way back to the boat we stopped at another location where a small plane had crashed. It was rather spooky to dive down and see the wings and fuselage still intact. I could not, however, muster the nerve to swim down and peek into the open cabin door!


The next day we went by dinghy over to Compass Cay. This is a very pretty cay with a nice marina and a number of guest cabins. Guests and visitors can feed the nurse sharks which congregate around the dinghy dock, and on a nice day even go for a swim with them. None of us capitalized on this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, though.

We did, however, walk over to the beach on the ocean side of the cay. It is a gorgeous beach overlooking that fabulous aquamarine blue water.

On Sunday we sailed down to Emerald Rock at Warderick Wells and then on Thursday moved over to the North anchorage. We have been thinking we should be moving further north, but windy weather has made it an easy decision to remain until after Easter.

Actually, if the truth be told, we have been away from any opportuntiy to resupply for a while and are pretty much out of fresh produce. That may be the more compelling reason that we are looking forward to the pot luck Easter meal. And what a great afternoon it was.