Travel Planning: Water vs Land

When we decided to take this year off of cruising to "land travel," it was in part to take a break from the stress (read: weather) you meet as full-time cruisers. When cruising, we of course had some places and people that we wanted to see, but weather always had a >51% say in what we actually did! Anyone who has cruised for even a few weeks knows that time is devoted every day to studying the weather forecast, the charts, where your buddies are, where you can get a slip if you need one, where to pick up parts, and figuring out when/where to pump out/fill up/dump trash...it's not all cocktails and sunsets! And sometimes the weather can be more than a nuisance--it can be downright terrifying. 

Wind, waves, rain, and rainbows! Riding out a front in an exposed anchorage with fantastic holding in the Exumas, Bahamas.

So now that we are firmly in land-travel mode, how are we doing? Well, I certainly don't check the weather as often! Now our time is spent pouring over calendars, tour reviews, tour comparisons, travel mode options, neighborhood reviews, talking to fellow travelers, etc. It's still a lot of planning, but I feel like time and money are the drivers now whereas weather used to dominate. For example, I spent almost 2 hours this weekend trying to book a "promotional" rate on an airline that would have had us all flying for $400USD. I entered in ALL of our family's info multiple times only to have the promotional rate be "no longer available" and after several rounds of that I FINALLY secured suitable flights for $800USD for the family. That was a crusher! But with four travelers we really do spend time carefully comparing options since "only $20 more" on a tour adds up to $80 for us (which is like two nights of nice lodging for the whole family here) so it's worth the effort. This weekend after getting some tips from some girls we met in a hot spring (yep, that's a totally normal statement now), we made the decision to walk away from a $1300USD, 9-hour trip by plane and instead go for a $300USD, 33-hour bus trip (including 20 hours on a posh bus!) for our move from Peru to Chile. We have the time, so why not save the money and try something new? If we hate it, we'll just drink less wine and go back to booking flights (don't tell Frank that I said that!).

The "Travel Agents" enjoying the fruits of some of their labors in the Andes Mountains in Peru.

We are making this journey with a mix of week-long to month-long lodgings, with a few weeks of "do all the touristy" stuff mixed in here and there. We will probably learn quite a few lessons as we go!

~Jo, Nomadic Momma 

A long chapter comes to a close

It was bound to happen someday, but I'm somehow still surprised that the day has come! We have moved off the boat! But let me back up a little...

Last week we took the boat out for one last sail as a family of four (For now or forever? I have no clue.) on the Patuxent River and realized the prop could use a scraping to make the trek to Deltaville smoother and faster. So I donned head-to-toe gear to try to avoid getting stung by jellyfish and did a little free diving to knock off the hard growth. We actually found out that the windlass was broken when we went to anchor for the prop cleaning so add that to the "fix sometime" list! Thankfully it works in the "up" direction so it's not super critical. Anyway, it was a great day on the water! We sailed and shared some of our favorite boat memories.

Light winds but still a great day on the water!

The next day, after determining that there wasn't much wind at all for the journey to Deltaville, we took the sails down since we need to do that anyway before she sits on the hard. And then we said goodbye to neighbors, had one last "Trent's famous pasta" night on the boat, and Sunday morning 3/4 of the crew departed by boat and 1/4 departed via car. NAS Patuxent River's marina has been a great home for the past two summers, but it was time to go!

Wonderful farewell gifts from S/V Cuckoo and Trent's famous pasta before the crew got her underway from West Basin Marina for one final time. 

After a night on the hook in Little Bay, VA, the crew arrived in Deltaville at high tide and we were hauled at 1300. We got settled in a nearby hotel and enjoyed air conditioning while the boat was getting power-washed and blocked, then we went over in the evening to move out and to move the dinghy from the davits to the foredeck. It was SO hot and we decided that they only way this was going to work was to get up at sunrise the next day to do some of the major jobs like winterizing the engine and water systems. So Tuesday started very early, but we made some great progress on winterizing everything, wiping down every surface with vinegar (which was hell because it was so humid, but it had to be done), and topping off the diesel. We took a break during the hot afternoon to rest and to wash all the linens at a not-so-nearby laundromat (literally my only complaint about Deltaville!). And by late afternoon, we were done.

It was a smooth haul-out.

Sweaty work, but she's winterized, emptied, and the dinghy is on the bow.

Done. 

Finished. 

Moved out. 

All smiles because we are finished with the nasty work, but crying a little on the inside.

When we moved off the boat in 2015 I wasn't emotional. I knew our time on land was finite. I knew we'd be back as soon as my command tour was over. This time is different. This time I can't definitively say when or where we are returning and that really is affecting me. But we are making sure the boat is "ready" for whatever "next" is by getting the hull sandblasted/painted and that gives me some comfort. 

~Jo, former 1st Mate/nomadic momma

Summer boat chores (to prep for a crazy winter!)

Now that we have been back at the boat we have been busy knocking out routine maintenance and also getting ready to put the boat on the hard for the year. It's weird for a lot of reasons, but one of the most striking is that since moving aboard in 2009 we have NEVER had to winterize the boat and now we will have to!

We kicked things off with a solid flushing/de-jellyfishing of the air conditioning system. It's a constant battle here in the lower Chesapeake Bay, but a/c is soooo nice!

A VERY clean strainer; the "to-do" post-its; picking up packages and parts with my partner.

Some of the other boaty things we've done:
- changed engine oil filter, fuel filters, Racor filters, v-belt, impeller, cleaned intake strainer
- changed transmission oil
- flushed and replaced coolant
- conducted outboard maintenance and lay-up
- topped off batteries
- lubed shaft seal
- washed and waxed the deck and cockpit

- applied a coat of Semco seal to the teak
- polished stainless steel
- cleaned the dinghy

Teamwork makes the dream work! The kid crew has been SUPER helpful in our endeavors!

A cleaned/waxed/sealed cockpit!

This next week will be spent purging as much as we possibly can, emptying the galley of all food, and prepping to move the boat down to Deltaville, VA at the end of the month. I am SUPER excited about our next adventure, but my heart breaks a little as I think about leaving our girl on the hard.

Love our home!

~Jo, 1st Mate (for at least another week!)

Marina Life

Long, hot showers. Laundry we can walk to. $5 weekend movies. A car. $2 bowling on Wednesdays. A three-minute drive to the grocery store. Paintball weekends. Old friends. Mail. Local distilleries and wineries. Long walks. A little mom maintenance...

Friends! Land fun!

These are just a few of the things we've been enjoying since we came to our summer home less than two weeks ago. But we've also been catching up on some deferred maintenance on the boat, too! She's been given a good scrub outside, the anchor windlass has been serviced, batteries have been topped off and equalized, the fridge has been defrosted (and boy was THAT overdue!), the water maker has been pickled, a/c filters have been cleaned, rugs have been cleaned, and the bilges have been super-cleaned! And we also did a beach clean-up as a family!

We have plenty of cleaning and projects to keep us busy this summer!

Cleaning a beach as part of "Clean the Bay Day."

And somewhere among all of that work we got the Skipper a whole new wardrobe (not exaggerating), went on a few dates, and started prepping the starboard aft cabin for the return of OUR DAUGHTER! I can't tell you how EXCITED we are for all that June has to offer! The Skipper is on his way to Scotland for another round of hiking and Scotch-tasting this week with his brother-in-law, then next week Trent and I will join Grandma Sue and fly to France! We can't wait to hug on Katreina and meet her French family before taking a week to do a little sightseeing in France. 

We are so thankful for all that our girl has experienced this past year while living in Tours and can't wait to meet the family that has welcomed her so generously. Good things are coming.

~Jo, 1st Mate

Hurry up and wait...and get home!

As military veterans, "hurry up and wait" is something we have known all too well over the years! It transfers well to boat life as we are always at the mercy of Mother Nature and boy does she make us hurry up and wait sometimes!

We hurried out of Charleston after one night with the intent to do an overnight passage to Beaufort, NC. In the middle of the night, thunderstorms offshore and lumpy, short-period seas drove us to head for Wrightsville Beach, NC instead. We arrived just after sunrise and grabbed a prime spot to wait out the clocking winds over the next few days. Shore access is super easy here so we went right in for a big Mexican lunch and some errands!

Passing by the T/S State of Maine at anchor in Charleston; a little bird hopped a ride with us; and we finally had a meal and margaritas ashore!

Winds were pretty strong out of the north for days. We kept looking for a chance to creep along close to shore to Beaufort but seas were still forecast to be uncomfortable (and this is supposed to be fun!). The ICW was an option, but we aren’t huge fans of this section so we waited. We booked some travel (woo hoo!), relaxed, and eventually…I got stir-crazy. We have sooooo much to do this summer and once I was rested, I became restless! So I pitched a plan…a 24-hour run to Florida and back. See, we have some things in storage that we need for travel and school next year, and some things that would be better to have on the boat this summer. With a 1-day rental I could make it there, get stuff out of storage, get our mail, sleep a bit, and get back! I left at 1730 one day and was back 24 hours later with our stuff and a bag of Bojangles biscuits for the boys. Success!

The life of a road warrior. Outside of the boat and our car, this little bit of stuff in storage is all we own.

By the time I got back Frank had also decided that we might as well take the ICW. With just a few long days in the ditch, we could be back to our marina in Maryland. After six nights in Wrightsville Beach we set off on a long, cold, windy transit to Morehead City. It honestly went fine and we had a pretty good rest despite thunderstorms in the area.

I was NOT ready for this wardrobe!

Wind, fog, and thunderstorms would continue to factor into our travels as we went from Morehead City to just south of Dowry Creek Marina. Our transit of the Alligator-Pungo Canal and Albemarle Sound the next day was one of the calmest we’ve ever had, and we had a very peaceful night on the hook in the North River, just south of Coinjock. We were up at sunrise Sunday to make the run to Norfolk, but opted to continue on until sunset and settle into a nice creek up the Poquoson River near York Point, VA to wait out some severe storms the following day.

Scenes along the NC/VA Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway.

We were up at sunrise again today and now here we are, heading north in Chesapeake Bay, just north of the Potomac River. Tonight we will tie up to a dock for the night for the first time since mid-December. 

I really do love sunrise on the water!

This will be our home base for the summer. In two weeks we will begin some travel that will end with our daughter returning to the U.S. after 10 months in France. We won’t spend much time on the water this summer and will instead spend our time visiting friends and family and preparing for the next chapter as this one closes. Lots of changes coming, but it’s good to be home.

~Jo, 1st Mate

Goodbye, Bahamas! Hello, Charleston!

And we're off! Well...not so fast! First I had to untangle the anchor chain from a submerged casuarina tree. Then we had to adjust some settings on the autopilot and run a calibration (a.k.a. drive in a bunch of circles) since we were having autopilot issues on our way into this anchorage. But once that was done we were on our way around 1700 on May 1st! I provided a killer dinner of teriyaki wings and fried rice and we went right into the watch rotation (Frank 00-04, 08-12, 16-20; Jo 04-08, 12-16, 20-00; Trent wherever he can help out during daylight), sailing into the sunset!

Calibration worked and we have autopilot! And dinner! And a beautiful sunset!

The next morning we came off the bank and turned north into the Gulf Stream. We had great sailing and were making 8-9 knots over ground with the help of the stream. 

Sunrise and sunset at sea.

On May 3rd we had another great day of sailing, caught and lost a mahi, and had a tight flyover from a USMC Harrier jet.

Everyone stood some watch today! Too bad we lost this fish (out that little hole in the step!), but the evening was magical.

We finally had to motor a little bit during the night, but on the 04-08 watch the sails came back out so we could slow down to enter Charleston after sunrise. I managed to sail all the way up the channel and it was great! I also got to see the T/S State of Maine, the training ship from my alma mater Maine Maritime Academy, as we came up the river. We checked in with the CBP ROAM app, got some fuel and water at the city marina, and anchored off of Fort Johnson to wait out a stormy afternoon and night. 

Final sunrise of the transit and celebrating a successful homecoming.

This roughly 60-hour transit was really pretty nice. It's great to have made so much progress up the coast in such a short time, and to have done so much of it under sail. My emotions are all over the place. I know that our whole lifestyle as a family is about to change and I want to savor every last minute on the water, but at the same time I want to get to Maryland and get moving on the "next." But for now, we are here.

~Jo, 1st Mate

Eleuthera...with a few new twists!

Our time in Eleuthera has admittedly been a bit more subdued this year. While we love so much about the island, we are excited to visit new places still before our cruising season is over so we sort of marched on up the island, stopping in Rock Sound and Governor's Harbour before shooting through Current Cut to the northern end of the island. 

Rock Sounds was perfect for a mix of chores and treats--there is a new ice cream spot! This is also where we spent our 105th consecutive day away from a dock (and still going)!

We had good southerly protection and easy access to town at Governor's Harbour.

We spent a few days bouncing around Meeks Patch and Russel Island anchorages as the winds went from westerly to northerly to easterly. We were surprised to be all alone as we anchored off of the Sandbar Bar & Grill for a few nights (and a few good meals), then equally surprised to be one of only a few boats to enjoy the protection of Meeks Patch in easterlies. Honestly the main anchorage off of Spanish Wells looked like a washing machine when we transited it the other day! Meeks is only 15 mins away...I don't really get it. And throw in Current and Royal Island and this area has all-around protection all within easy reach. 

"X" marks the three anchorages we hit before heading into Spanish Wells for a mooring. We actually never anchored in the "main" anchorage while we were there.

Our "solo" spot on Russel Island was right off of the Sandbar Bar & Grill. This place has a beach you can dink to, amazing cocktails, a little happy hour action, good eats, and BRUNCH! Ah, so nice for the northerly winds!

Our sweet spot on the west side of Meeks Patch had a cute little beach for sundowners and even some piggy neighbors (not our thing, but they looked well-cared for!).

NEW THINGS! We switched up our roles a bit while bouncing around anchorages, with the Skipper taking a turn on the bow and Swab and the 1st Mate covering helm duties once each! It's good practice every now and then (but I like my spot on the bow!).

Anyway, we headed into Spanish Wells proper and took one of Bandit's mooring balls for a few days so that we could have easy access to town and an easy northbound departure. At $25/day it's really a steal for easy access to town in any conditions (just be ready for close neighbors and maybe even closer commercial traffic!). 

The moorings are close together which can make snagging them a little challenging depending on the wind/current. We had an early wake-up when the East Wind freight boat had to turn around pretty darn close to us!

The mission for Spanish Wells was easy--drop a bag of trash, get two gallons of gas, get some fresh food, goof off in a golf cart, and eat and drink WAY too much at Budda's. We accomplished it all easily in a day and a half! We even had a fun dinghy cruise and chatted with fellow cruisers, too! It's a cute, fun little area and I'm happy we got a few days here before moving on.

We love some Budda's! Also love the ease of provisioning here and the fact that the "big" grocery store has this whole "locally made" bread/hot sauce/jam/pickles section.

By far this was the main attraction for the boy!

~Jo, 1st Mate

Panama!

Back in the fall of 2021 we lingered a bit to see our friends on S/V Kolohe...after all, they were headed for the Pacific and we weren't likely to see them for a very long time! As we parted ways we told them to let us know if they needed help in the Panama Canal as transiting boats have crew requirements to meet. Well, fast-forward to February 2022 and Ava (perhaps jokingly!) asked if I and another of the cruising moms wanted to come be line handlers for their canal transit. As we were sailing near George Town in the Exumas (which has a big airport), I jumped at the opportunity to help! We even tried to get the whole family in on it, but having failed to secure a trustworthy boat-sitter, we opted to send the 1st Mate off to Panama while the Skipper and Swab stayed in George Town for some SCUBA action. 

Jo & Ava in October 2021--NOT the last time they would see each other!

The trip required a flight to Miami with a connection to Panama City, Panama and therefore required a COVID test within a day of the Miami stop. Easy-peasy in George Town! Wednesday I took a water taxi to a land taxi to the airport and had a really smooth day of travel (complete with luxurious lounge time in Miami!) and arrived in Panama City that night. Michael drove me from the airport to Shelter Bay Marina, arriving at the boat around 2300.

The next day I met the other volunteer line handler, Robert, and got to see two of my favorite cruising kiddos again! We walked the lush jungle trails around the marina and the old Army facilities, spotting monkeys and looking for sloth. While we were out, the boat got word that their hired line handler would be arriving THAT EVENING (Thursday) and that they needed to meet the agent at 0430 the NEXT MORNING (Friday) at an anchorage outside of the marina. As they didn't want to leave the marina in the dark, we all had to kick it into gear! While they wrapped up final provisioning, sail repairs, and rental car return, I stayed back with the boys to tidy up the boat for all the additional folks, stow gear, and handle trash. We were so efficient that David and I managed to squeeze in a little pool time! As twilight was setting in the other line handler, José, arrived and we immediately got underway. We made it to the anchorage as the last glimmer of daylight disappeared and settled in for a short, rolly night. 

Crammed a lot into a short stay at Shelter Bay Marina!

The crew prepares.

When the agent lept aboard Kolohe at 0500 Friday they quickly got underway and headed for the first lock, Gatun, where we would ride a triple-flight of locks up 85 feet to Gatun Lake as the sun rose. For this portion, we were port-side tied to a big fishing boat so we didn't have to handle big lines as much as we had to watch fenders and snug up tight to the other boat. Kolohe was the last boat in as the doors to the Atlantic closed behind them and their adventure began.

It was action-packed from "anchor up" until we officially waved good-bye to the Atlantic Ocean!

By 0815 we were clear of Gatun Locks, breakfast was served, and we transited Gatun Lake for the next four-ish hours. It was beautiful! Some boats spend the night in the lake as part of their transit, but Kolohe was scheduled to chug along.

Serious props to Ava for keeping the whole crew fed throughout the day! Gatun Lake was a nice journey.

Next up was the single-step Pedro Miguel Locks which would lower Kolohe 31 feet. We ended up "centered" and alone for this lock so we got to catch the monkey-fists from the tenders ashore, send our big lines up to bollards, and then each of the four line handlers (Ava, Robert, José, and I) tended our lines as we descended. Once the doors opened (we were in the front!), we quickly pulled our big lines back aboard and prepared for the next lock!

Ava, Robert, & I preparing for the next locks. I tended the port bow when we were centered.

Miraflores Locks, the final two-step lock in our journey, would lower Kolohe the final 54 feet (plus or minus for tides) to the Pacific Ocean. This was a moving one, and offered some excitement! We briefly tied up alongside a wall to wait for our turn, then we again set up for a center/solo locking. Between the two steps, we retrieved our heavy lines but the tenders ashore kept the messenger lines and walked along with us to set us up in the final step. Kolohe was in the front! It was so awesome to see this family that we love so much make this big step in their cruising journey. When the doors to the Pacific opened I couldn't help but smile! By 1500 they were through! We dropped off José and the fenders and lines, dropped off the agent, and anchored off of Flamenco Island. It was a whirlwind day, but they did it! Ava and I jumped in the water at sunset to properly celebrate, too!

My toss for our short tie-up was short, but the shore team saved me! Ava and I taking a moment to be silly before we were all back in action for the first step of Miraflores (that's Robert securing the messenger line to our lines).

The opening of the second-to-last lock...almost there!

Ava with a well-earned celebration as we are free at the final lock!  Robert and I were super happy to help Michael and Ava through this part of their journey (and we did it under the watchful eyes of many tourists at the Visitors Center!).

The next day I looked for some parts ashore while they ran errands, and with Frank's help changed my flight to depart Panama City on Sunday, overnight in Miami, and return to George Town Monday. Why would I put myself through that? Trent was SCUBA diving! And if I got back Monday night they had room on his dive Tuesday morning! So worth it! It also freed Kolohe up to not have to wait on my flight as Robert and I had different travel plans. While I would have loved to stay longer, I was super excited to get back to my guys!

I am so proud of the Kolohe crew! You can continue to follow their journey at https://www.sailingkolohe.com and on Instagram!

FUN FACT: Both the Skipper and I have been through the Panama Canal before! It was in 2002 and it was on a bigger, grayer ship...he was a Conning Officer and I was an unqualified nobody! 

~Jo, 1st Mate

Anchor Anxiety

Cruising the Bahamas this time of year means sitting through a few nasty fronts, which can lead to stressful anchoring decisions. We have been anchored in a very well-protected spot off of Stocking Island near George Town, Exuma for a few weeks now--so protected that our boat tends to spin in little wind eddies but never really feels the full brunt of the wind. It's a deep spot...28' so we set our hook with 145' of chain (28' of depth plus 5' of freeboard is 33'...5:1 scope would be 165', but we kept it "short" due to the protection we had). Sweet for a big blow, right? Well...

As other boats moved into the area ahead of this weekend's blow we had one monohull sailboat settle in about a boat length from our port side when we were both pointed/stretched out in the east wind. (Note--one's tolerance for "close" neighbors has to go up in some popular anchorages in Bahamas!) They were just to the north of us and we routinely shifted in the wind eddy so we were on their bow at about a boat length. While we wouldn't have dropped where they did, they were behind us for the forecast winds and we let it go. Well...the blow started and we continued our little spin, sometimes near that boat, sometimes near another. While the winds were blowing near 30 knots we were seeing less than 10 knots on our boat, but occasionally a gust would make it to us and stretch the chain out. While the wind was forecast to be ENE, we were seeing ESE wrapping around the point we were anchored at. The result? At 0400 our bow was pointed ESE, as was the nearby monohull, and as we both stretched out on our chains we got VERY close to them. At one point, their bow was less than 6' from our dinghy in the davits. After we verified that we had not drug, we had to assume that they had way less scope out than we did. We made the decision to shorten scope to 125' and monitor from deck until sunrise. 

The view from the cockpit after we shortened scope.

In the morning, we were still "talking distance" to the other boat. We waived at them, hailed them on deck, hailed them on the radio...no joy...and finally got in our dinghy to go chat. We found out they had anchored in 28' as well, but only had 50' of chain out. That was a surprise! Kind of wonder if the boats behind them knew that! We let them know about the events of the night (they didn't know we'd gotten so close to them) and it quickly became clear that they thought we had drug towards them. When we explained that no, we had not drug (verified via our instruments), but that we had more scope out than they did and that caused the closeness when we shifted, they didn't really seem to agree or understand (English wasn't their first language, but we were communicating well). They didn't want to drop more chain because they were, admittedly, pretty close to some other boats, too, but eventually dropped maybe 10 more feet. 

After watching the boats move about for another hour we decided to just clear out all together. We pulled our 125' of chain and had to work a little to get the well-set anchor out! We moved to a less protected space near friends that has gobs of room between boats. We were in such a protected area, but we just weren't comfortable with our motion compared to that nearest boat anymore. 

WHAT WE DID WRONG: We should have discussed scope length right when they anchored so that we all had an idea of the geometry problem. And even though it's generally up to the newest arrival to ask the scope question of the boats around them, we should have thrown that custom out and pushed the issue with the new arrival. 

WHAT WE DID RIGHT: We set the anchor well initially, then backed down on it again before the blow just to be sure we were set. We kept our radio on. We had lights on the bow and stern in addition to our anchor lights. We made adjustments when we saw they were necessary and then stayed on deck to ensure the boats stayed safe. And when we just couldn't come to agreement with our neighbor, we moved. 

Bottom line--we cruisers may not always agree, but it's up to each Skipper to make the decisions that are right for their own boat. The other boat probably has their own tale of their perspective, that a boat drug onto them, but it is what it is and we have to act on our perspective.

Sea Change

Three weeks ago we mentioned that changes may be coming to our crew (What Is Next?) and a few days ago we came to a decision, one that surprisingly we all agree on after a bit of discussion. This summer we will return to the U.S. (as we had already planned), welcome Katreina home from France, welcome two of her French friends for a visit, then put the boat on the hard for some much-needed work and a break for boat and crew. 

Video chatting with Katreina 5 days ago to let her know that she won't be heading to a brick and mortar school quite yet!

And the crew will...TRAVEL! We have decided to do another year of homeschool while we do some less weather-dependent travel via air/land. How long? Depends on the crew! To where? Well, those votes are being tallied now...we will update this post when the results are in!

Keeping the votes anonymous!

UPDATE! All family members have casted their votes and...

¡NOS VAMOS A SUDAMÉRICA! ¿Donde exactamente? ¡No sabemos!

Captivating Conception Island

We left the hustle and bustle of George Town for the peace (and good hunting!) of Calabash Bay on Long Island. While the anchorage can be a little rolly, it was fine while we were there. Highlights: two spider crabs*, three lobsters*, and happy hour with friends at Cape Santa Maria Resort.

Happy Hour with S/V Makae. Sunsets here are amazing!

Calabash is also a natural departure point for those heading to Conception Island and we lucked into weather that would support a visit to one of our favorite, pristine stops! It didn’t hurt that we also picked up two mahi mahi* on the way. We were too early for the tropic birds on this visit, but we did have a great time exploring the island on foot and snorkeling the crystal clear waters. As the island is a national park and therefore a no-take zone, the sea life is abundant and not shy!

Such beauty on land...

...and in the sea!

This was also a great stop to say goodbye to our friends on S/V Makae as they continue their trip south. It’s been great connecting with someone from my little hometown in Illinois, meeting his beautiful wife, and talking all about boats and travel with them! 

We will miss you, Shanty and Kurt! Fair winds and following seas, S/V Makae!

We were super surprised by just how busy is was out there! We’ve never seen more than a dozen boats at Conception, but there were 20 our first night and 30 our second! Having debated heading to San Salvador, weather uncertainty had us heading back to Calabash. It was odd to be more “alone” when we returned to Long Island, sharing the southern anchorage with just one other boat (another Beneteau 393!). Hoping we will be able to visit Conception again this season when we start our northbound journey, but if we don’t I’m glad we at least made it out there once! (And San Salvador…I’ve still got my eye on you!)

* No awesome pics of our catches so that we don't confuse anyone about Conception Island--it is a NO TAKE ZONE. All of our catches were on Long Island...we'll share those details shortly!

Hatch green chilis from S/V Makae...what a great parting gift!

~Jo, 1st Mate