Apr 1–Apr 11 Breezing through the Bahamas The first stop in April was Conception Island. It's some sort of national park where all the plant and animal life are protected. There are no man-made amenities there, just natural beauty - a quiet anchorage off a pristine island with beautiful beaches and good snorkeling. We stayed 4 days soaking up the peaceful setting. A cold front was moving through causing winds out of the W, so we anchored on the east side of the island in an anchorage that wasn't used very often. While walking the E beach, Jennifer and Linda found a kayak paddle that had drifted ashore with the usual plastic flotsum and jetsum. Being a national park, you couldn't remove shells or plants from the island, but surely they wouldn't mind if we removed some of the garbage and took it with us. The paddle made a perfect complement to the kayak we found drifting between the Turks and Caicos and the Bahamas the week before. Seems like it was meant for us.
Fishing outside of the park boundaries, Jim caught a jack. It was excellent. Jennifer's not much of a fish eater, and she even thought it was good enough to ask for a second piece.
Jennifer was really looking forward to a stop at George Town on Great Exuma Island because there are usually lots of kids there. Rumor had it that there were over 30 kids this year and they even had their own net on the VHF radio every morning to organize activities for the day. When we got there, we announced that we were a new boat in the harbor and put out a call for other kid boats. Not a single boat kid was left in George Town! Oh well, you adjust and make the best of it. Instead of playing with kids, Jennifer got to play with Cecelia, a very cute 6 week old puppy. Jess and Nate on Panacia had just gotten her and were willing let us all have a little puppy time. Boat kids or no boat kids, we still spent one afternoon at Volley Ball Beach. That's were everyone would gather if they were still there. Jim and Linda had a bowl of fresh conch salad and Jennifer played on the rope swing. You climb up in a tree, grab the rope and swing out like Tarzan. Kind of scary the first time. We all tried it.
The Exuma islands stretch out north and south for a long ways and it took us several days to sail though them. The winds were light, so we sailed with the spinnaker for 3 days. Even with that we didn't go very fast, but it was a nice ride. We made a stop at the Exuma Land and Sea Park at Warderick Wells, another protected area like Conception Island. The fish definitely knew they are protected there and they knew that sooner or later boaters would throw something edible overboard. Several large horse-eye jacks and a shark sucker circled our boat for hours. We tossed our pork chop bones overboard after dinner without thinking and the fish fought over them - not sure what they did with them, but they were in a hurry to check them out. The snorkeling was good there too, with a a lot of queen angelfish. Other stops in the Exumas included Black Point and Allen's Cay with the large iguanas on shore. Fishing in the Exumas was disappointing. All Jim caught was a shark sucker - very ugly and smelly. After a picture it went right back in the water.
Apr 11–Apr 18 More Bahamas We were close to Nassau now and looking at the guide books gave us a few different approaches to staying there. They ranged from anchoring out for free in an area of shifting currents to tying up at a very overpriced marina with a 40' minimum that had a lot of freebies included. Believe it or not, we chose the overpriced marina and tied up at Atlantis Marina on Paradise Island. Atlantis is a high end resort with its own shops, restaurants, casino, huge aquarium, beautiful grounds and a huge outdoor water park. The water park was the clincher for us. Jennifer and Linda spent a good part of the day going on slide after slide - with tubes, without tubes, single tubes, double tubes. There was a river ride that let you drift along in smooth water and in rapids for over a mile. They floated around that many times and took all the side options that sent them down slides and spiralling tubes. On a Tuesday in April the crowds were low, so we got our money's worth out of our marina fees. The whole experience at Atlantis was culture shock, but for the one day we managed quite well going back to the peace and quiet of our boat for meals and to sleep.
We left the next day to head across the harbor for a quieter, cheaper marina with a grocery store and internet cafe across the street. After the shore chores were done we settled in and visited with our boat neighbors, Alex and Irina. Originally from Russia, they immigrated to the US about 20 years ago. Now fed up with the rat race, they decided to move on to a boat in the Bahamas. Alex still telecommutes to a job back in America and they are learning more about sailing as they go. Some day they hope to set off on their own sailing adventure, but for right now they are happy to have broken away from the hustle and bustle of the American suburbs and come to a place where there's time to visit and learn from whoever their boat neighbors happen to be today.
After two days in Nassau, the weather was still good for a trip N to the Berry Islands. Then there was another decision point. Should we continue further north to the Abacos or head across the banks to Bimina and cross the Gulf Stream. With a light wind behind us we opted for the 94 mile stretch across the Bahama Banks. The winds were so light, we expected it to take all day and all night with an early morning arrival in Bimini. At times we had to reef or take down a sail to slow down so we wouldn't get there before daylight. We came in and bypassed all the marinas and anchored near the newly opened Big Game Club Marina. Fred on Casa Mare was our only neighbor in the anchorage. We invited him over for conch fritters one night. Although we'd never met him before, we were surprised by how many mutual acquaintances we had. He knew Biscayne Bay, the first real kid boat we met in Florida back in December of 2008. Turns out they lost their boat in a tsunami before reaching Australia.
Three days in Bimini was enough this time - one to relax, one to get conch and celebrate Jim & Linda's 18th anniversary, and one to get ready to go again. We left at 3:30am on the 19th with Casa Mare. It was so calm when we started we had to motor sail. By mid morning we were sailing without the motor and with the full current of the Gulf Stream. At times the GPS registered over 9 knots over the ground. Wow, quite a lift from the current and still a smooth ride! By early afternoon we came in the Lake Worth Inlet near Palm Beach, Florida. We checked into the country by phone with our "Local Boater Card" and stopped off at a marina to top off our fuel and water - 2 gallons diesel and a lot of water. Water was free, not $0.50 a gallon. What a treat! Everyone went into the marina store for a snack or drink. We could feel the business and see that everyone was in a rush and this was only Tuesday, not even a weekend. We left the marina and went off to anchor for the night away from the crowds trying to delay reentry into this fast paced culture a bit longer. Fred was anchored there too, not anxious to go ashore either.
We're finally back in America. All three of us are excited, but apprehensive about the transition to shore life and American culture. We'll keep you posted and let you know how it goes.
Apr 19–May 2 Florida After Fort Pierce we sailed on the outside to Cape Canaveral. Two canals and a lock brought us west to the ICW, which we followed to Titusville, FL. Fishing was good off Cape Canaveral. Jim caught 3 King mackerel in about 15 minutes just before we went through the inlet.
Our friends on Wendreda were waiting for us at the marina in Titusville. Jim and Sharon and their 4 kids have been out cruising for the last 3 1/2 years and were preparing to head back to their home in Ireland. We met them 1 1/2 years ago in Martinique and had seen them in quite a few ports along the way. The kids kept in touch through email, so they were expecting us. They lost no time getting reacquainted and were soon off to play. The adults had lots of stories to share too. There was a lot of discussion about what lay ahead for us as we ended our trips and adjusted to life on shore again. The 10 days we spent at the marina served as decompression time getting ready for the big transition ahead of us.
The Kennedy Space Center was close by, but we had decided not to go because of the logistics of getting there, the cost and the crowds. Then DOC stepped into our lives. Jim met him on a walk into town to buy rum. They became fast friends when they discovered they'd both spent time in Morocco. DOC ended up coming to the marina that day and giving a presentation on the space program to all the kids. He used to work at Cape Canaveral and had been sharing his knowledge with kids for 15 years. His polished presentation was full of pictures, posters and other props including an insulating tile from a shuttle and the foil like material they wrap satellites in. The following day DOC offered to take us to the Kennedy Space Center. He had enough room in his car for Jennifer to bring a friend, so Shelly from Wendreda joined us. Her family had been given 4 passes to the KSC that they weren't going to use, so they offered them to us. To top that off, the KSC wasn't even crowded! With the transportation logistics, cost and crowds covered, all that was left was to have a good time. DOC wasn't an official tour guide, but he knew how to make the most out of a day at the KSC while keeping the stress level low and the fun level high. We saw a lot, learned a lot and had a lot of fun too. Our favorite attraction was the Shuttle Launch Experience. Astronauts who have flown in the shuttle say it is closer to the real experience than the simulators they used for training.
The launch of the last Endeavor shuttle was scheduled for April 29. We planned to watch it from the marina in Titusville. Linda's relatives (Ken, Phyllis, Kristen and Sophia) drove all the way from Minnesota to watch the launch too. We had a nice visit with them on Opus on the 29th, but the shuttle launch was postponed. Ken and family returned 3 days later for an even better visit on Opus, but still no launch. At least the manatees in the marina gave us a good show so Sophia could have a good "can't see this in Minnesota" story to share with her school friends.
In contrast to the shuttle with all it's high tech navigation systems, replicas on Columbus's ships, the Nina and the Pinta docked at the Titusville marina while we were there. The marina was just an overnight stop for them on their way to a tourist stop in Daytona. We got to see them without a crowd and have a leisurely visit with the captains and crew.