St. Augustine, Take 2

I’ll apologize up front if this reads like a love letter, but St. Augustine just works for me. Our first visit here was during the tourist-crazy week of Thanksgiving. This visit, during a pandemic lockdown, was a stark contrast. And yet, my love for the town hasn’t changed.

We spent 10 days on a mooring ball at the municipal marina this time, taking full advantage of their laundry and clean showers. The staff employed extra cleaning practices and boaters gave each other a wide berth on the piers and in the lounge. The morning cruisers net gave us a chance to chat with fellow boaters and I truly looked forward to it every day!

This was a working port! We rented a car to pick up our mail in Green Cove Springs, filled propane, fuel, and water, pumped out our holding tanks (awesome service included with the mooring!), did lots of laundry, installed some of the parts we had ordered, did winch maintenance, and even managed to wax the upper hull and topsides of the boat! We also loaded up on groceries again with an Instacart delivery right to the marina.

Ok, we managed a little fun, too. This was the first place we could easily make it to shore for some walking and without the throngs of tourists it was lovely and peaceful. It’s also a town with great food and while some places we closed, many were trying to keep going and we tried to support them! While Chinese takeout was the first dining out experience we had there, here are a few stand-outs:

     - The Floridian. A friend recommended this place on our last visit and we just didn’t make it there. But this time...we had it TWICE! It was that good! They have this awesome “Supper Club” menu that includes an entree and three sides (which can be dessert!) for two people for $22-$26. The first time we ordered we were blown away by the quality, quantity, and superb flavor of all our dishes. The blackened tofu was a hit with the vegetarian crew! We couldn’t believe we had such a great meal for under $50 for the whole family. The second time we ordered we added a cocktail jar—it was amazing, too! We will definitely be back.

     - Maple Street Biscuit Company. I know what you’re thinking...biscuits! But that’s not actually what I got the first time we stopped there! Their “community pantry” sign caught my eye...toilet paper, fruit, pasta, flour, meat...and we needed TP! I grabbed some essentials and their large mimosa kit (bottle of Prosecco and fresh-squeezed OJ). We finally did try the biscuits on Sunday morning when they have a great brunch deal on yummy biscuits and gravy. Thankfully we left a few days later or you’d be reading my “how to lose biscuit weight” posts.

     - St. Augustine Distillery. The liquor locker was pretty bare so we stocked up on these fine local spirits and mixers. They were also giving away a little bottle of hand sanitizer with each purchase, and you could buy a 32oz refill bottle. We needed some if we were going to do even the little bit of shopping we had planned, so this was a great find. 

     - Kilwin’s. This is for the kids! It had been 3 months since they last had ice cream so they were very excited when they saw Kilwin’s was open. The shop had clear physical distancing guidance posted and we enjoyed some fresh, delicious ice cream!

This town is just the complete package for me. Good marine services, walkable sights, great food, history, and a fun, active cruisers net. This may just become our FL base! Next time maybe we will hit it somewhere between tourist-crazy and locked-down. Until then, stay safe, sailors! 

Back to reality—midcoast FL

We didn’t stay too long in Lake Worth before hopping outside for a run up to Fort Pierce. One of our hatches cracked just as we got to US waters, so it was high time we headed toward our mail box!

Boo! This hatch is a goner!

With strong winds out of the north in the forecast we hit our old anchorage in Fort Pierce with lots of other boats. Frank ventured into town long enough to get liquor and fuel, and to see that we didn’t want to spend too much time in town as not everyone seemed interested in physical distancing. For a little treat, I ran ashore for the first time in about three weeks to grab pizza for the crew!

From there, we hit the ICW! This was a new stretch for us. We stopped in Indian Harbour Beach and got our first load of groceries in the US via Publix Instacart. Man, was that convenient! 

FOOD! The dinghy is loaded!

Fully loaded with food, we continued north and stopped near the Ponce Inlet for a few days to wait out some really nasty weather. 35kt gusts veering 90 degrees, thunder, and loads of rain! Ok, I was a little excited about the rain as I could finally give the boat a good scrub. I’ve yet to meet a cruiser that doesn’t love a good freshwater wash down!

Rain=clean boat

Once we left Ponce Inlet, we had to weave our way through the skinny stretch of water near Fort Matanzas—thankfully it had been dredged! We made it St. Augustine without incident and everyone enjoyed the luxury of a long, hot shower! We will be here for a bit to get mail and enjoy some long walks ashore. We honestly have barely been ashore as we continue to try to isolate ourselves. As we get to smaller cities, I think we will be more comfortable wandering.

Home sweet home on a mooring ball.

An (Essential) Oily Boat, Part 2: The Medicine Cabinet

Provisioning for health care on a cruising boat can be tricky as you have to consider the needs of every crew member, the ailments you're likely to encounter in various locales, the scarcity of pharmacies, and of course, storage space! While dōTERRA has a wide range of products, I tend to stick with topical applications and a few drops/tablets and that's it. At this point, we don't carry supplements or even veggie caps, but I can imagine that may change over the years. Just keeping it simple for now!  Now, the goods...

Lots of power in a small package!

The Breathe Respiratory Blend was my "gateway" essential oil and is one of the most frequently used in our family as we have an asthmatic and allergy sufferers. Even the Captain can't argue with how amazing this oil is! We mix the oil blend in a roller ball with fractionated coconut oil for a ready-to-use stuffy-nose fixer. I'm also a huge fan of the Breathe Respiratory Drops--they clear me right up! We also keep a bottle of TriEase soft gels on hand for issues with seasonal/environmental irritants. If we run out, we just do a shot of water with lemon, peppermint, and lavender oil! And there's nothing quite as soothing as hot water with lemon oil to soothe an irritated throat.

Who's got tummy problems? No one here, of course, but just in case we have a few DigestZen Digestive Blend products on hand to help us out, including a roller ball and DigestTabs. Along those lines and SUPER helpful while we're boating is Ginger oil! Ginger is a natural powerhouse against seasickness and while you can take it internally, topically, or aromatically, my favorite way to tackle seasickness is their Ginger Digestive Drops. These babies are so yummy and you can shove them in your pocket to get you through an entire watch at the helm. I made sure we had space for three bags before we left the U.S.!

Other dōTERRA products that we reach for regularly:
- Deep Blue Soothing Blend. When you're walking on a bucking bronco all the time and hauling on lines, you're bound to tweak a muscle here and there. Deep Blue to the rescue! We mostly use the rub, though I do have the oil as well for those extra sore spots.

- Correct-X. Use it in place of Neosporin.
- Frankincense, Lavender, Tea Tree oils. These three oils can be used together or on their own for a variety of ailments! We use them for our skin (eczema) and scalp irritation, to keep nails and skin healthy, and to fight infections.
- Balance Grounding Blend. Takes the edge off of anxiety!
- PastTense Tension Blend. This really helps with my tension headaches and migraines. So much help in a tiny, convenient package!
- TerraShield Outdoor Blend. This all-natural bug repellant keeps the no-see-ums at bay! I keep a spray bottle of it in the backpack that we take to shore.

To keep our storage simple, I have two small oil boxes onboard—one in the kitchen with the oils that I mostly use for cooking/can be ingested and the other is kept in our forward head with the more “medicinal” oils or any that can’t be ingested. This system helps me keep my collection in check and also helps the rest of the family know which oils are ok to take internally without asking me.

And obviously, there is the prevention track. We try to stay fit and healthy through our food, activities, and being super careful as we move around and work on the boat.

The End of Cruising Season #1

With more stringent lockdowns getting announced, rising numbers of cases in the Bahamas, and a weather window in sight, Monday we left Hatchet Bay to begin our trip back to the states. We had a great sail most of the way and slid through Current Cut at 10.5 knots over ground! I spent the day cooking for our transit—cold pasta salad, beans and rice, bread, and cut cheese and sausage. We spent our last night on the hook in Bahamas at Royal Island in northern Eleuthera.

Hatchet Bay to Royal Island 

Tuesday morning we checked the forecast one more time and decided it was time. We weighed anchor for the last time in The Bahamas this season and set a course for Lake Worth (West Palm Beach), FL via a track that would take us north of the Berry Islands. We had a good sail for most of the journey, we didn't have to motor much, a full moon lit up our overnight transit, the Gulf Stream crossing was WAY more chill than it was on the way over in December, and we were accompanied by dolphins as we approached Florida.

Royal Island to Lake Worth, FL

By 1700 EDT Wednesday we were anchored, the Bahamian courtesy flag was down, and we were enjoying the last two Kalik beers. We checked in to the U.S. using the Customs and Border Patrol "ROAM" app and it was super easy.

As we officially end our first season in The Bahamas, a few reflections:
- The Bahamas was the beautiful, friendly country that I remembered from my youth.
- We met quite a few wonderful cruisers and cruising families before COVID-19 took over. We have stayed in touch with many of them as we all navigate the future and we are thankful for their friendship. We have really loved seeing familiar boat names in anchorages and on AIS as we make our way north, too!
- Wetsuits = Happy Snorkelers
- There is so much more to see. We all loved our time in the Exumas, but didn't get as much time in Eleuthera or the Berrys as we wanted, nor did we get out to Rum and Conception Cay. Next time!
- Our dried provisions worked well. I will tweak the exact items we bring next season, but I never felt like we were desperately out of food. Now rum, on the other hand...
- Our kids weren't entirely ready to let go of their core group of friends, but did start to make new cruising friends. Again, COVID-19 came to play a role in that.
- The decision to leave was extremely tough for us. We felt safe in The Bahamas and wanted to continue to support their economy. Our plan had also been to spend April volunteering in the Abacos with Hurricane Dorian recovery efforts--all four of us had something to bring to the effort. COVID-19 put a stop to that and it was really tough to want to help both physically and economically, but doing so safely and without impact to their fragile healthcare system was not going to happen. You know something is serious when a community that needs help asks you not to come help so that they can remain safe. We respected their wishes and didn't stop there.
- Sometimes you just need a $4 avocado.

Eleuthera--Hatchet Bay

Well, this stop has become a bit anti-climatic! We came to Hatchet Bay to get some protection from southerly winds and to continue COVID watch. The caves, the seahorse pond, the parks...closed. We came in just as a nation-wide curfew was put in place limiting movement in the islands and shutting down businesses. The holding is good, the anchorage offers protection from all directions, and the water is warm and clear so we can get plenty of exercise swimming around the boat. We can't explore anything on land that we had wanted to and the snorkeling outside of the bay is so-so, but we are safe! We've definitely fallen into a routine of school in the morning, afternoon workout/swim, dinner, then Netflix as a family. It's not a bad way to quarantine!

Snorkeling, cooking, fitness, relaxing, making masks, counting upside-down jellyfish...all in a day at Hatchet Bay.

 Peaceful quarantine.

But we think the writing is on the wall. The country is, understandably, beginning to tighten down non-essential activities and turn there attention to their citizens. They aren't kicking boaters out, and some places are trying to help boaters get fuel, food, medicine, etc., but when you see a country whose economy is dependent on tourism shut down major tourism activities, you know it's serious. While we aren't super excited about heading to Florida right now with all the virus cases there, we understand that the Bahamian healthcare services can barely support their own population without having to worry about visitors. And while food and fuel shipments are still happening now, there's no telling if or when they may get disrupted. At this point, we are going to look for a weather window to head to Florida.

An (Essential) Oily Boat, Part 1: The Clean Team

This is an oily boat. Not in the "belching yuck into the bilge" sort of way, but in the now popular "use of essential oils for health and well-being" sort of way. A few years ago my friend Jess (Zest and Well-Being Oils) turned me onto dōTERRA Essential Oils and they quickly became a part of our boat's load-out. My gateway oil, the one that got me hooked, was their Breathe Respiratory Blend. More on that one later.

Today it's all about keeping the boat clean, which means it's mostly about the OnGuard Protective Blend! The OnGuard collection uses wild orange peel, clove bud, cinnamon leaf, cinnamon bark, eucalyptus leaf, and rosemary leaf/flower essential oils in everything from toothpaste to laundry detergent to internal supplements. Yep, you can ingest it! Since the cleaning products we use got straight into the water, we only use all-natural products. Even the Captain likes the cinnamon/citrusy scent of this oil! On Lehe Paine we mostly use the blend for:
- toothpaste
- multi-purpose cleaner spray (from the dōTERRA concentrate, great for kitchen, bathroom, bulkheads, the bilge...everywhere!)
- laundry detergent
- foaming hand soap (2T Dr. Bronner's, 1T fractionated coconut oil, 20 drops EO, 1C water)
- diffusing (if we are tied to a dock/power)

Another oil that sees use in the cleaning department is Lemon! It's a super versatile oil and we use it in food as well, but for cleaning it can be used on wood, metal, countertops, leather, just about any surface. It really comes in handy when we have goopy sticker residue that needs to come off--lemon oil cuts rights through it. Tea Tree oil also comes into play as a surface cleaner (mixed as a spray with water and a little vinegar) as I've had some success using it to clean/inhibit mold growth on the bulkheads.

And finally, there's "any purifying, yummy smelling oil" for our room spray! There is some controversy here as the Captain disagrees with my use of the vodka stores, but a 50/50 mix of vodka and water with essential oils in a fine mist spray bottle makes a great room spray! Purify Cleansing Blend is my go-to for this one, but I'll usually add lavender or some citrus oil to it.

 The Clean Team

That about covers our use of oils to clean on the boat. Simple, concentrated, space-saving, and gentle on the environment!

We also use oils in the kitchen, the bar, and the medicine cabinet—more to follow!