February 11, 2010

Do you recognize this sailboat?. It is the ultra high-tech and ridiculously expensive BMWO, the American representative participating in the America's Cup in Valencia, Spain. And for those of you who may not know, the America's Cup is a 'big deal'. The winner receives the oldest active trophy in international sport.

I was reading a newspaper article today, as we sit contentedly at Ocean Reef, about the scheduled races between Switzerland, the current holder of the cup, and the United States. The first race of their three-race series, scheduled for Monday, was cancelled because of light winds. The second race, scheduled for Wednesday, was cancelled because of too much wind and apparently Friday's race has also been cancelled because the waves will be too large.

So I'm thinking, Bummer! That pretty much describes the sailing for Gorma as well.

To put another spin on it, we were on the bus into Freeport yesterday. In the lull in conversation following the discussion of the Super Bowl I asked the driver, 'So where is all that warm Bahamian weather?'

He replied, 'Ya know, mon, sometimes that good weather just slips away for a few days.'

Isn't that the truth.

We have been keeping very busy though. This is a great place to do some varnishing, make a start on the windlass installation and tend to a couple of little projects that were past due. We have made our regular walks along the beach into Lucaya and not missed any 'authentic Bahamian' Monday suppers or Thursday night movies.

Last week we stopped in at a groundhog day happy hour at one of the condos along the beach and were soon welcomed by a wonderful couple from Toronto. When they found out we were from Winnipeg, they said, 'Would you like to meet another couple from Winnipeg.'

They introduced us to Tom and Wendy, who, as it turns out, have a cabin right across the lake at Hecla. We have shared a few Kaliks with them as well as a couple of dinners. It never ceases to amaze how small the world can be.

This is one of the websites where we check the weather, as well as listening to Chris on the radio.

http://www.windfinder.com/forecast/freeport_grand_bahama

Right now it is saying that on Friday night/Saturday morning the winds will be 26 to 34 knots. Much like BMWO , it may be a few days before we are sailing either.

Oh yes, that is Corinne who fancies a spot in next year's Junkanoo.

January 15

Corinne and I went into Freeport this evening to watch Junior Junkanoo. We weren’t sure what to expect, but were absolutely ‘blown away’ by the whole evening.

Junior Junkanoo is a parade/performance/extravaganza involving almost all of the schools on Grand Bahama Island. There were 17 participating schools, from pre-primary to high school.

Students make their own costumes according to a selected theme and, in many cases, have their own band. The costumes are spectacular and the music is stunning. Instruments include drums, cowbells, whistles and, with the older kids, a brass section. It is hard to imagine the enthusiasm and skill with which these are played.

We were at the parade by 6:15 and had a curbside seat. While it was scheduled to start at 6:30, it was more like ten to seven before the first group passed by. They were so cute and very much into the dancing and performing. Every so often one of the youngest would head off in their own direction, dancing along completely oblivious to everything else. At this point one of the many adult aides would scurry off and gently lead the performer back to the parade.

There was a ten minute or so pause before the next group came by and that seemed to be rather typical of the whole evening. However, each group would take five to ten minutes to pass by, and so you really had a chance to appreciate each school. While at first this seemed a little disorganized, by the end it seemed a brilliant way to have a parade.

This last picture shows the growing crowds as the evening progressed. It seemed like there were only a few parents at first, but by the end of the evening we had no trouble believing the ten to fifteen thousand reported by the newspaper. Not bad for a school concert!

We were curious about the historical background of Junkanoo and looked it up on Wikipedia. The following is from that source.

The word "Junkanoo" derived from an African slave master and trader named "John Canoe" in the 17th century. These slaves were not allowed much freedom and would hide in the bushes when they had the chance. While in the bushes they would dance and make music while covered in costumes that they made from various paints that they made and leaves that they found. This festival represented the slave's freedom from slavery.

Modern Bahamian Junkanoo is a parade: a showcase for Bahamian Goombay music and new Junkanoo costumes. Junkanoo groups "rush" from midnight until shortly after dawn, to the music of cowbells, goat- skin drums and various horns, in costumes made from cardboard covered in tiny shreds of colourful crepe paper … It is the most visible and continually experimental artistic realm of Bahamian culture.

January 8-15

Kristi and Brett arrived Friday afternoon and we were very excited. Corinne and I were having a hard time deciding what to show them first. After getting settled in back at the boat, we opted for a walk down the beach to Port Lucaya for an early supper.

The next few days were rather cool and rainy. As such, they were great for reading and relaxing, a couple of refreshing walks on the beach, and Christmas presents.

We rented a car for a couple of days mid-week. On the first day we headed to West End. It was both interesting to get a sense of the other communities on the island, and an adventure, as apparently in Canada we drive on the wrong side of the road.

The next day we headed east to the Lucayan National Park. Along the way we pulled off the main road and headed down a small trail to a deserted beach. The tide was low and the beach was absolutely spectacular.

After hiking through the caves at the park and walking along the boardwalk to the beach, we headed back to Lucaya for a late lunch. We stopped at Garden of the Groves. If a restaurant is all about location, then it is very hard to top this one. The Garden of the Groves was the personal garden and retreat of Wallace Grove, the founder of Freeport.

On Thursday we were invited aboard Exhale, a catamaran owned by John and Joanne, a wonderful couple we have met at Ocean Reef. We motored down to Petersen Cay, about ten miles away, and anchored for a couple of hours for lunch, snorkeling and checking out the beach on the cay.

How quickly a week passes, though. All too quickly it is time to see the kids off and think about where we are headed next .

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.