We did not set the hook

Here's the deal--we tend to set our anchor pretty darn well, with at least 5:1 all-chain scope (usually more like 7:1 and more in higher winds) and back down on it at 2400+ rpm. When we first drop, we "soft set" the anchor with a little backing to stretch out the chain and get a feel for the bottom before we snub it and really back down. We are picky about where we anchor and we will have lots of "anchor sex" (dropping and raising the anchor) to get a good set if we need to. But just this once, we didn't do this. 

Three days ago we decided to try an anchorage with known poor holding to see if we could get a set. Why? It was near a place we wanted to go snorkeling the next day, it looked kind of peaceful, and it would have us settled way before sundowner time. Well, we tried all of our usual techniques in a few different spots and still couldn't get a set--the bottom was just too scoured where we could get to with our draft. Our options were to move along to another anchorage or...stay and just not set the hook. What?!?!?!?!  Not set the hook?!?!? 

We were trying to anchor northwest of Channel Cay.

Well, as crazy as it sounds, that is exactly what we did. We realized that we were staying put at low rpm's sometimes and with winds only forecast to be around 10kts all night and plenty of drag room behind us, I suggested we just dump all of our chain out and let the weight of the anchor and chain keep us in place. I was absolutely shocked that the Skipper agreed to try it! I let all of our chain out, snubbed it, and had a cocktail. We monitored our position for a few hours and it looked totally normal, like when we normally set the hook. We set an anchor alarm, went to sleep, and woke up the next morning well-rested, completely alone, and right where we had been when we went to sleep! Would we resort to this frequently? No, but it worked for this calm evening and this set of variables.

Our little private anchorage was amazing! It's a private island, but no one seemed to be staying there and the weather was perfect for outdoor showers!

Contrast that to today...we are expecting 20+kt winds to begin this evening. When we arrived at this anchorage and set the hook winds were out of the south. This morning they were out of the north (and forecast to blow strong from the northeast tonight) so we backed down on the anchor in this new direction just to make sure the anchor was set well. Though we were set well, we ended up pulling the anchor and adjusting our spot just to space better with our neighbors. We are not "set it and forget it" boaters. Even with ground tackle that we trust we take extra measures to make sure our little home stays safe. And now we are really ready for the next blow!

We are anchored in Marsh Harbour with easy shore access for the next few days!

~Jo, 1st Mate

Tragedy in Paradise

Beyond the reach of cell phone towers in the most beautiful anchorage in a secluded chain of islands in one of my favorite places in the world, we were reminded of the harsh reality that is our current world.

Upon settling in at Flamingo Cay we took a short hike from our beautiful anchorage in Coconut Bay to the beach in North Bay. The trail was the usual sharp, perforated rocks of the Bahamas, edged in poison wood and cactus and marked with pieces of plastic flotsam and sun-bleached conch shells. We passed by little pools of water with bright red shrimp and tiny crabs along the way, and were looking forward to checking out a plane wreck that was reported to be on the beach. 

The trail opened to a stunning scene of layers of blue and powdery white sand. It was beautiful! There was also a bunch of plastic trash at and above the high water line. This sadly is not a surprise on a windward shore around here. But we also noticed clothing, some of it in pretty good shape, some in tatters and sun-faded. As we walked east on the beach towards the airplane, we noticed large pieces of brightly-painted wood scattered about. And still more clothing...a lot more than we normally see on a windward beach. And we saw a few bags.

The stunning North Bay beach and the plane wreck we had sought out.

I cautiously walked up the beach towards a nice looking gym bag that seemed to have a nice blouse hanging out of it. And for some reason, I decided to open the bag. Inside were packages of sanitary napkins, a few nice shirts, a pair of earrings, a phone charger cable, and a card. As I reached in for the card a scorpion crawled out about an inch from my hand and I tossed the bag. But the card was in my hand, and when I flipped it over the state of the beach became horrifyingly clear. It was a Haitian ID card. 

We looked around the beach with new eyes. We looked more closely at the scattered wood pieces—they were painted on one side, charred on the other. Some of the clothes were in distinct piles. There was a child’s blanket…stylish jeans…a KFC shirt…men’s cologne and even a pack of condoms (we like to think there was an optimistic man out there). We found several burn piles that looked like little camps along some of the trails. And I wept.

Charred remains of a boat and piles of personal belongings scattered along the beach and in the brush.

There is no telling exactly what we found on the beach today, but it’s hard for me to imagine that we didn’t find the wreckage of a burned-up refugee boat. We talked…told Trent about the geopolitical situation in Haiti and noted how many boats, many overloaded and unseaworthy, are intercepted by the RBDF and USCG in these very waters. 

And we bluntly pointed out that no matter how f’ed up things seemed in the U.S. right now, no one is jumping into unsafe, overcrowded vessels and risking their lives to flee our country. And maybe we just all need to take a second to appreciate that fact.

Trying to focus on the beautiful things.

Epilogue: When we returned to the land of cell service we searched for recent reports of refugee boats in the Raggeds and connected the scene on Flamingo Island to a mass migrant event last fall. Read more at Unprecedented Illegal Migrant Surge in the Southern Bahamas.

~Jo, 1st Mate (with a good bit of help from the Skipper)

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.

Our Florida Painter--how to lock a dinghy

Ok, before anyone gets all upset over this, WE ARE FLORIDA RESIDENTS. The simple truth is that as we've cruised between Maine and the Bahamas, Florida is the only place we have ever been advised to lock our dinghy. Hence why we call this our "Florida Painter." Once we hit some spots in the Caribbean this setup will see more use, but for now, that's what we call it! It's not at every dock (and it's not just docks in Florida!), but reviews of various dinghy docks will let you know which ones are susceptible to theft.

Dinghy locks can get a little controversial in the cruising community for one simple reason--do it wrong and you screw over other boaters! Yep, it's all about courtesy. Crazy, right?

In general, just tying up a dinghy should be simple. You tie off with a cleat hitch with a sufficiently long painter so that other boaters can maneuver your dinghy tie up at a crowded dock. You don't need 12 wraps on the cleat to be secure--just a simple hitch does the job and allows another boat to cleat off on top of you if needed. And with the long painter (one boat length after you're tied off) other boats can scoot around you and land their crew. When you get back, you nudge theirs out of the way on their long painter and pull your dinghy in to load up. Easy! Or at least easy as long as everyone does it. It's generally poor form to tie up your dinghy fore-and-aft as it takes up two cleats and makes it so that no one can maneuver to the dock for the entire length of your dinghy. Please, just don't do it.

But some places are prone to theft and locks are recommended. Even if everyone is only tied up with one line, locks can piss people off if they are super short (or worse, strung through the dinghy handles and locked fore-and-aft). A 3' cable lock means your dinghy can only move a little over a foot from the cleat--it's not maneuverable at all and makes it hard for others to land on a crowded dock. I've seen the super short cables locked to a dock and the long painter floating in the water next to it. The long painter doesn't do any good there--it literally does nothing! 

So what do we do? We use an obnoxiously long steel cable and a U-lock. We have a 30' long, 10mm (I think...maybe 12mm) steel cable. It is looped around our dinghy engine lock, routed over the deck, and led out to the dock. With that kind of length and our 10' dinghy, we can lock up so that our "painter" is 10-20' long! On some cleats we feed the cable through the cleat and back into the dinghy. On others we just slip the U-lock through the center hole of the cleat and lock the cable on. Either way, the cleat is still totally available for someone else to tie off a painter and with all of that cable we can adjust the length of our "painter" to fit the crowding at the dock. Our cable and lock are so beefy that we don't even bother with the rope painter. 

The cable is looped around our outboard lock and run along the deck to the bow under the fuel tank.

The cable is fed through a sturdy cleat and the lock is kept in the dinghy, leaving it 10'+ away from the dock.

This beefy bike lock was left over from our land days and works well!

We've seen skinnier cables, stainless steel chain, and shorter (but not super short) cables just run from the bow--all are options. Just be considerate other boaters and you're good to go!

Once final note...raising your dinghy engine at a crowded dinghy dock is also not a good move. This puts your prop in danger of slicing open someone else's tubes. At really shallow docks where there is plenty of room and everyone can be on about the same length of painter without turning all around and bumping, it can work. But in general, just try to avoid it at docks. Engine up on the beach, engine down at the dock!

Where to hide? A coastal low is coming!

With an impressive coastal low creeping into the forecast models as we made our way through North Carolina, we again had to make a decision about how to keep our home and crew safe. We had hoped to head to Beaufort and hop outside for a run to South Carolina, but that definitely wasn't going to happen. 

Ugh...we don't do 30-40kts offshore! The wave forecasts were scary!

Options were:

1. Secure a slip somewhere in Beaufort, NC. This would put us close to the inlet and ready to jump offshore at the earliest opportunity without having to deal with bumper boats in a crowded anchorage. And we like Beaufort! Depths at some marinas are tight for us, but there are options if they have space.

2. Secure a slip in New Bern, NC. It's a little out of the way, but we've never been there and many friends have spoken highly of the town. Depths and prices were good and it seemed there would be plenty to do.

3. Anchor. We trust our ground tackle and technique, and there are plenty of creeks we could head up and be relatively protected (albeit possibly out of cell service coverage).

4. Secure a slip in Oriental or Bellhaven, NC. That would be back-tracking and visiting places we'd been before, but could work.

We decided to go after option #2--it was new, there was the hope of good wifi, and the town offered things we like to do. We made a reservation request and waited, continuing to look at our other options. As we dropped the hook outside of Oriental we received a confirmation from the New Bern Grand Marina & Yacht Club--we were booked for a week! 

It was admittedly a bit of a slog up the Neuse River in cold north winds today, but after slipping through the bridge we were guided into our slip and tied up in a jiffy. 

First impression--the town is cute! And the marina is great! The bathrooms/office are maybe 2 blocks from the boat, but I quite like the walk. The Dockmaster is very nice and clearly loves this town--he took the time to tell us all about things to do while we are here. The weekly rate is a bargain, restrooms & laundry are clean, trash is easy, wifi is pretty good, and we even managed to hook up to cable for the first time in 2 years. I think we will enjoy this stop and even better, we feel safe here.

This marina has some great protection from the forecast north winds.

The weather decisions are hard. We watched on various forums as other cruisers faced the same forecast and debated costs, schedule, and safety up and down the eastern seaboard. This could be an interesting few days for the cruising community. But this is exactly what cruising is about for us. We don't cruise on a schedule...we like the flexibility to deal with weather, but also to take advantage of experience opportunities when they pop up. And sometimes weather is what presents us with the opportunities!

That’s a wrap! Boat Shows 2021

We came...we worked...we smiled...we shopped!

We worked every single day of the Annapolis Power and Sailboat Shows over the past two weeks, pre-opening to close each day! The Skipper even stayed on an extra day to help with show break-down. How was it? Well, having not worked a paying job together in nearly 20 years we are happy to report that both of us are alive and still speaking to each other! It’s been two years since these shows were held and you could feel the excitement! The booth we worked in this year was a combo of retail safety gear from Fawcett Boat Supplies and boats/motors from their other company, Annapolis Inflatables. It ended up being a great mix for us as we know a few things about dinghies after over a decade aboard and we actually personally use many of the safety items that were being sold! Though the days were usually crazy busy, it was quite fun and we enjoyed working with the FBS/AI team and reps from Highfield Boats, AB Inflatables, ACR, Viking, Gill, Mustang, and Tohatsu. We also managed to see old Navy buddies, college friends, old and new marina friends, cruising pals from our seasons in Bahamas, and cruising/homeschooling moms that I’d only previously “met” online, and we met TONS of new boaters and cruisers that we look forward to sharing an anchorage with in the future! And in addition to our tradition of boat show Painkillers I introduced Frank to pre-show Bloody Mary’s and bagels. He was a fan!

We worked nine full show days...we earned those Painkillers and Bloody Mary's!

YouTube channels and influencers featured more heavily at the boat show this year and while the Skipper still can’t pick any of them out of a crowd except for the two we shared an anchorage and hiking trails with in Maine last year, it was interesting to see the crowds flocking to meet & greets and getting excited about sailing and cruising! Frank even spent a solid 15 minutes talking about RIBs with one popular YouTuber and had no clue who he was (though figured he was “someone” when a guy ran up to him and gushed over him briefly), but I was happy to say hello to Carolyn Shearlock of “The Boat Galley” book fame and thank her for sharing her knowledge over the years. For the most part all the influencers we interacted with around the shows were really nice, genuine, and funny (one super popular one thought they had been left off of our meet & greet schedule poster, but was actually at the wrong booth…we had a good laugh together!), but…like with any group there may be some people you could do without. One influencer approached our team…needed to get photos with the boats at the request of the brand, but “my partner doesn’t want to spring for the ticket to get in.” My manager got the rest of their group into the show (for free), but since I know they cruise on a $1M+ boat I was a little disgusted…tickets are $20 folks. Another (who I didn’t recognize as a YouTuber initially) asked me all about one of our popular products then said, “you want to give me one?” I said, “sure, I can ring you up right over here,” to which he replied, “oh no, that’s not how it works for us.” Um…that’s how it works for your fellow cruisers and pretty sure A-list folks hit up marketing teams and managers for free stuff, not bottom-rung, cruising cashiers. So I’m happy that they inspire others and I love free stuff (who doesn’t), but I can’t get onboard with the begging for/expecting freebies at every turn. Just not my thing. To keep it truthful here we actually did get freebies/swag/lunch from some of the vendors we worked with over the shows…we never asked for it but were offered it in thanks for our work on behalf of their brands—that, IMO, is how it should work and we were humbled by their appreciation.

So…SHOPPING! We actually didn’t have a huge list of “needs” for the boat this year…just some spare parts, cleaning supplies, a little bit of line, etc. But one “want” has been on our list for years and much to our surprise, Fawcett’s had it in stock so we didn’t have to order and ship it! That’s right, we scored a 42” Lewmar Folding Wheel!!!! I can’t wait to enjoy more freedom of movement in the cockpit while we are at anchor. 

Trent was a SUPER shopping helper! And I am in love with the new wheel!

Will we do it again next year? If we are in the country and they need/want us we will! It’s just fun hanging out with so many like-minded folks and getting paid!

~Jo, 1st Mate

A Mother’s Day to remember

Mother’s Day was a lovely affair! While we did tackle some chores (and I honestly was happy with that) the kids treated me to an amazing brunch, complete with mimosas and entertainment (Big Bang Theory). It was awesome!

Early afternoon we noticed some “excitement” near the docks. Long story short, a 31’ sailboat had broken free of its mooring and had run aground. Lots of folks were trying to tug it by hand, with a patrol boat, suggested tying it off to a vehicle on shore...those weren’t working. The tide was dropping and it was a negative tide. Frank headed over to ask the Skipper if he needed anything and as apparently the only other sailboat types around, offered some ideas. We ended up assembling our Fortress anchor (our spare storm anchor) and ran it out to keep the stern clear of the rocks. Frank was actually able to muscle the stern over a bit and I did donuts with the dinghy to try to wake the sailboat off the shoal. But...you can’t fight the tide! We encouraged the owners to head home, enjoy the day as much as they could, and let them know we would keep an eye on the boat/lines/anchors, and agreed we would all get back together when the tide was rising and hope to float her before sunset.

As sunset approached we took soundings with our handheld fathometer—their keel was on the absolute shallowest spot and the way the boat had been pulled earlier in the day was actually toward shallower water. But we were close and we knew the path to deep water! With the sun setting, the Skipper powered forward while his wife and Frank worked the anchor lines and I used the dinghy to push, first from the bow then on the hip...and she broke free! We quickly cleared the lines, and I grabbed the stern anchor line, and they were off to the dock! My job—retrieve the Fortress. It was TOUGH! Once they were docked, I grabbed Frank and headed back to our anchor. We drove over it, tugged, swung, pulled...nothing. We finally decided to just run the line to the dock and come back in the morning for a dive.

The next morning was nice and calm. The water was only about 5 feet deep so Frank held tension on the anchor chain while I dove (no tank, just skin diving) to dig out the anchor. It. Was. In. I dug with my feet, my hands...it was exhausting, but I finally found the flukes and cleared the top of them. Then I dug in and found the crossbar...after a few dives and a hearty pull, it was free! It probably took less than a half hour, but there was a bit there where I wasn’t sure if I could do it.

Happy to have our anchor back. Happy that our new friends’ boat is safe. Happy to be living this crazy, challenging life!

Happy diver with our recovered Fortress anchor!

We ran aground!

There's a saying among Chesapeake Bay sailors that you've either run aground in the Bay or you're a liar. As we've made our way up and down the east coast of the U.S. via the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway (the "ICW") a few times we heard it again, but with a twist--"You've either run aground in the ICW or you're a liar!" Well, we aren't liars!

We earned our stripes and this post's title years ago on the Chesapeake Bay, having furrowed a 6'3" trough at our marina's entrance a few times and touching bottom near the notoriously shifty, partly-marked entrance to Rock Hall, MD...and probably several other times that I've chosen to forget. Our first ICW "touch" was on a spring break trip with our kids probably eight years ago as we made contact with the bottom in an area of known shoaling during a 20kt blow just north of Coinjock. That experience led us to the Coinjock Marina for a night to recover (of course, with their famous prime rib!).

So why is this topic coming back up? We ran aground twice over the past four days! As we departed Vero Beach tracking just adjacent to our inbound track we ran aground! We were thankfully going slow as a manatee had surfaced up ahead and we able to back off, scoot back to the other side of our inbound track, and make for the ICW. Then after a night in Titusville and another in Daytona we headed for our mooring reservation in St. Augustine. It was a busy Saturday on the ICW, but we had a good current pushing us along and Katreina took the helm for a bit. While she was cruising along just right of the channel centerline (still in the channel!) our depth reading went from 18' to 6.5' in a matter of seconds and we felt a "bump" or two! We draw between 6'3" and 6'6" depending on our fuel/water/stores load. Frank immediately jumped to the helm, but the excitement was pretty much over as soon as it began and we were back to having 10 feet beneath our keel. We gave her a little grief, but honestly just laughed about it. She even got some "welcome to the cruisers club" notes from our boating friends. It happens, folks!

Katreina expertly handling the boat traffic on the ICW.

Her "I don't want to talk about it" face after touching bottom.

So are we crappy sailors? I don't think so! Shoaling happens and in places like the Bay and ICW where the water is mud-brown you can't exactly read the depths like you can in the Bahamas, though we have touched bottom there, too, when trying to nose into anchorages. This type of stuff generally happens where the bottom is muddy or sandy, so it's a soft grounding. We use charts, local Notice to Mariners, and the local boating community to learn about places that are known for shoaling and lower speed to minimize the impact should we touch. And we have a tow boat plan in case none of that works!

Could we avoid all of this drama by just staying safely at the dock? Sure, but then we couldn't have great sea stories to share with our friends!

The Royal (Island) Treatment

With the expiration of our cruising permit fast approaching it was time for...another blow! But first we had a great pass through Eleuthera's Current Cut and anchored north of the town of Current for a night. We took a nice walk through this very tidy settlement. Not much to do here in the way of shopping or dining, but the views are great and there is a nice park!

Around Current

From Current it was time to hunker down for a weekend of challenging winds. Why challenging? Strong from the south, clocking to westerly, then strong from the north, then switching back to the south...there are very few anchorages in the Bahamas that are great for that type of forecast given the prevailing easterlies, but as luck would have it we were near a good option--Royal Island! Royal Island is actually where we departed from last year to return to the U.S. so we knew it had good holding and lots of room (a good thing considering 13 boats ended up in there for the excitement!). We edged into the far west end of the harbor and set well in some shallow water--only about 6" under the keel at low tide! But the bottom was soft--sandy and grassy--so we stuck with it. We were also joined by two of our bestest cruising buddy boats who were on their way to the Abacos--so great to see them again and to get to celebrate our friend Ava’s birthday with her!

Just enough room under the keel at low tide, but plenty of room for a party on Kolohe!

Of course, all the excitement started after dark. Rain...20+ knot sustained winds with gusts in the 30's...a 180 degree wind shift...and a swing circle that kept "hopping" toward even shallower water when we had winds over 25 knots. No doubt about it--we were dragging and needed to pull the anchor and reset it...in the dark...in rain...in 20+ knots of wind. The maneuver was expertly executed by Skipper Frank with Katreina as the voice relay when comms between the helm and bow dropped.

Clockwise from upper left: radar of the front; the skipping swing circle as we dragged; the crew; winds when we were dragging; the anchorage as the front passed.

So what happened? A 180 degree wind shift normally isn’t a problem for our anchor, but the bottom is a sticky, sand/mud/thin grass combo and the anchor just got clogged for lack of a better word and didn’t reset. We were doing what we do in these conditions—monitoring our position and anchor alarms and could see what was happening. We pulled it, I had to clean it by hand when our washdown pump couldn’t overcome the goop, and we reset with a smidge more chain for extra security. She set firmly!

This life isn’t without challenges. As we got dried off we heard a Pan Pan call on the VHF from a boat that was anchored nearby, exposed to the north. When the front came through their anchor snubber failed and their windlass ripped off their deck. They had to abandon their ground tackle (including the secondary they had deployed during the emergency) and were safe, but headed out to sea. Talk about freaking terrifying.

We actually had to reset the anchor again around 0500 when the wind shifted 180 degrees again--no problems resetting. We moved after breakfast to a deeper spot with good protection from the day's northerlies and where we could make water in clearer water and with fewer neighbors around to disturb with our generator.

All was pretty calm and we had a great post-storm afternoon with haircuts for the ladies, eight kids jumping off a catamaran to swim with a nurse shark, and one last movie night with the kid boat crews. We are fresh and ready for our final stop in the Bahamas!

What do we do during a blow?

We are hunkered down at the north end of Alabaster Bay for what everyone is calling the "last front of winter!" The forecast called for 2-3 days of 20-30 knots winds...sometimes 25 knots sustained with gusts to 30 knots, sometimes 20 knots sustained with gusts to 25, and sometimes light then gusting to the 20's. And it's cool...in the low 70's! So what do we do when the weather is like this?

First is to figure out our plan for where to be. In this case we chose the north end of Alabaster Bay as there is not much here so we figured not many boats would be here (and therefore less neighbors to worry about bumping). This spot is also right next to the airport so some folks may not love that, but it makes me feel like I'm back on an aircraft carrier! With no protection from the west here, ahead of the front we had to endure a sloppy evening as the winds clocked from southerly through westerly before settling in to the strong north easterlies. We knew to expect it so it was fine. We rigged our snubbers all the way to midship so there was more "stretch" room for gusts and let out 5:1 scope of chain. Once the wind clocked, we backed down on the anchor again to ensure it was set/re-set since we had swung 180 degrees from where we first set it--we were solid! 

Ok, so what do we do so that we don't go crazy cooped up together for days on end? This front presented us with a great distraction...RAIN! I went crazy scrubbing the salt off the hull and giving the deck another quick scrub, but we also set up our new rain collecting system for the first time. We collected at least a few gallons of water and adjusted our setup. It's a nice little supplement to our watermaking--we topped off a tank and filled a bucket to wash some towels.

RAIN! Time to scrub and collect water!

I also clean and cook! I've wiped down the bilges, consolidated stores, wiped down wood, and just generally cleaned a little deeper than usual. The galley has been busy with baking bread and crumbles; cooking up favorites like jollof rice, refried beans, lentil sloppy joe's, and potato salad in the pressure cooker; and crafting beautiful salads with our fresh veggies from the Eleuthera Island Farm. 

Crummy weather makes for a busy, messy galley!

We also knocked out school, stayed caught up on grading, and played games, which included family lessons on how to play poker! So poker, Skip Bo, Farkel, and Uno have been seeing some action the past few days, along with some movies, painting, and even a little spa time hosted by Katreina. 

Game time! Deuces are wild!

With winds staying below 20 knots today we may venture ashore for a nice, long walk. It's a blow, but it doesn't blow!

Change of Plans?

We knew there was a possibility of changing COVID requirements when we made our jump to the Bahamas and the first of those to impact us directly is here. 

We have been in Eleuthera for four days and last night the OPM released this new guidance. What does that mean for us? Maybe nothing.

We currently have 21 days left on our cruising permit in the Bahamas and we need to check out at a Port of Entry on our way out. Prior to this notice we were planning to hunker down for a front this weekend then either:

1. Head to the Abacos (new to us, not as much time as we would like to spend perhaps helping out, shallow for our draft in many places, puts us in a great spot to cross back to northern FL); 

2. Explore some more of Eleuthera, then head to the Berrys (love it, easy check out, shorter hops); or

3. Stay in Eleuthera for the duration of our permit (pretty much how we left last year, but this time we are allowed on island).

In all honesty the new COVID order hasn’t changed much for us. It would mean that we would have to find a place to test here in Eleuthera and in the Abacos or Berrys if we go there and stay for more than 5 days, and incur testing expenses, but otherwise our options are unchanged. So we will move the boat today to get set up for this blow and talk about our options as a family! (All weather-dependent, of course!)

Also, having been in the Bahamas at the start of this pandemic and back again a year later we continue to be impressed with the communication and adaptability of this small, geographically dispersed nation. Their online health visa tools are easy to use and make allowances for gaps in connectivity and weather delays. Their rules cover locals and visitors, and generally have clarification for travelers via plane vs boat. Are there some kinks? Sure. But are they proactively trying to keep their people safe? Absolutely.

Brief stop for repairs!

We’ve been deferring a few repairs on the boat, but as we sailed to Cat Island we discovered one that just can’t wait—the shackle at the mainsail tack had started to loosen itself! We safely anchored and made a few decisions:

1. We are on Spring Break. We are so behind on grading from hanging out with friends, transiting, and just exploring that we need to catch up. And we are at a “new” island! Katreina can do French and Geometry (her book is headed to another cruiser as soon as she’s done) and Trent has to read, but that’s it!

2. We need a down day or two. Or maybe just I do (introvert). 

3. We need to fix the mainsail, the macerator, the fridge latch, and the small leak in the dinghy, and we need to make water and do laundry!

We anchored away from other boats in the Bight at the southern end of Cat Island and got to work. Water making started (Trent is about to fully take that job over!), I did laundry, and Frank tackled the crappy job of fixing the macerator pump. We have a brand new spare pump, but the discharge fitting was broken off so he basically used parts from both pumps to create the new one! A clogged blade and broken impeller were the problems, and he gloved up and got it fixed! 

A 💩 job

We spent the afternoon relaxing, playing games, and skinny dipping (adults only!)! It was so nice to have some complete chill time. We ate a simple dinner, watched the sun set together, and watched a movie...it was awesome. 

This morning winds were super light so we tackled fixing the main sail. We had to release the main halyard to free up the shackle, but dang the sail was stuck! We finally worked it free, reattached the shackle, and furled and unfurled it a few times for good measure. 

The issue (left) and all fixed (right)

Next up...a trip up the mast to inspect the rigging and to re-run a spare halyard that we noticed was rubbing on the genoa halyard. Fun fact—we don’t have electric winches onboard, so the wench is hand-winched up the mast by the Skipper! We checked the navigation lights, looked for any broken strands in the standing rigging, ensured all cotter pins were in place, checked chafe points, looked for signs of anything more than surface rust, and just generally looked for anything sketchy! Once we re-ran the spare halyard everything checked out and I took a ton of pics for the boss man to review. And the view from the top of the mast is always great!

Always fun going aloft!

We got underway by sailing off the anchor and are moving north a bit to go do some sightseeing and get some provisions. We are finally ready to enjoy Cat Island!

One windy night leads to a windy day

Well, the forecast held and well before sunset we were turned into the north winds. The anchorage is pretty packed, but well-spaced and we chatted with a few of the boats around us about scope so we would all be cozy as we moved about. Lines were secured, snubber chafe guards adjusted, anchor checked, and Luci lights illuminated at the bow and stern so boats around us could see our full extent.

I decided to sleep on deck. Why? I honestly love sleeping on deck, but also just to be able to peek around easily as I rolled about in the night. Considering the strong winds and sound of waves, I actually slept really well! I sleep on a super cozy Klymat inflatable mattress when I’m up there. The only real bugger was the rain that came at 0500 which was accompanied by a jump in the wind. I tucked into the companionway and watched the grey, gloomy sun rise.

We are staying here for the day, knocking out some school, reading, and playing some games. It’s kind of a nice way to spend a Sunday!

A new mooring technique?

Tried something new last night!

The fairleads on the bow of this boat are really far forward. When we are on a mooring, no matter how long I make the tie-off lines, they will whack the anchor at some point. It’s awesome when you’re sleeping in the forward cabin. Sometimes I’ll run the lines outside of the stanchions and straight to the cleats (skipping the fairleads), and while it sort of works, it’s not perfect...it doesn’t look as tidy as using the fairleads. 

Last night, I went a whole different route—I flipped the anchor! With the blade pointed to the sky it couldn’t get hung up on the mooring lines, right? Flipping a 45lb anchor in a choppy sea was a good fitness test, but I got it! We had a VERY rocky, rolly, windy night on this mooring, but the one sound that I never heard? The anchor clanging around in the bow roller! 

Is it perfect? No. Would I do it again, especially if we were going to be on a mooring for several nights? Absolutely.

And after yesterday’s epic sail we are now motoring and pounding into seas to get south. Yep, that’s blue water over the bow!

Offshore prep and a run from RI to MD

Having dodged a bullet with the over-forecast wind in Newport, we were ready to head south! The debate—via Long Island Sound (something new!) or direct to Delaware/Chesapeake Bay (the reverse of our summer trip north)? While we would love to see some new places, the forecast was just too good to pass up—we would make the two-night push offshore. 

I don’t mind overnight/offshore transits. The kids, on the other hand, usually groan when we talk about transits like that. They equate it to rolly conditions, Trent getting sick, and rough weather because to be honest, that’s all happened on some of our transits. But not all of them! That’s just what they remember. 

So how do we prep? Other than the basic check weather, fill water, fill diesel...

On deck, jack lines are run bow-to-stern so we can tether safely if we need to go on deck while offshore. Offshore life jackets, tethers, and safety kits (EPIRB, knife, mirror, emergency blanket, personal flare) are brought out for the two main watch-standers. The dinghy is lashed to the arch to limit its motion (we could stow it on the forecastle for extra security, but we don’t generally plan long, rough passages). The Garmin InReach is charged and accessible at the nav station.

Down below we secure computers, books, glasses...anything prone to flight. I pull out our seasickness arsenal (Bonine, DōTerra ginger drops, Trent’s Relief Band). And...I prep food! What I prep depends on the conditions we expect but in general it’s stuff that can grabbed and consumed easily. For example:

- Pasta...ideally something that can be eaten cold. And stay away from tomato sauces if it will be rough—that stuff burns on the way up! My fave is some sort of Mediterranean pasta salad. We also love Mexican or Thai quinoa and chickpea-based salads for a quick meal. We make all of these vegetarian as half our crew is vegetarian, but meat can be added easily.

- Chili or Sloppy Joe’s. These are great, low-splash options for a cold passage. But...see the warning about tomato sauces above and plan a more gentle back-up if needed! Our warm, less volatile go-to is cheese quesadillas—mmmm...bread and cheese!

- Grilled chicken. You can add it to just about anything and it’s yummy even when it’s cold.

- Cheese/crackers and pita chips/hummus. Cut up the cheese before you get underway to save from dancing in swells with a knife in hand.

- Deli meat and stuff for quick sandwiches. 

- Peanut butter. 3/4 of our crew could live off only PB.

- Bagels, a.k.a. my mid watch companion. 

- Jerky. The Skipper would be irked if I failed to provision the jerky stash. There is even vegan jerky now!

- Nuts. Another easy, filling, nutritious grab-and-go.

Ok, that’s a lot of food info but it’s truly a huge part of keeping the crew comfortable and happy no matter how long the journey is. 

So how was this passage? Pretty awesome! We touched out some rough conditions on the first day and had a fantastic second day, including Katreina’s first solo watch as we were off NYC. On the second night we were within reach of several other boats (and many were kid boats!) making the same run. On the third morning we entered Delaware Bay with perfect conditions and a favorable tide. We were able to run up the bay, through the C&D Canal, and up to a nice anchorage on the Sassafras River. I’d do it again!

Heavy weather plans and prep

We have been tracking a nasty front as it marches toward the east coast for a few days and decided to hang out in Newport for it rather than head to Long Island Sound. With that decision made we had to decide—anchor or get a mooring? We started out in the anchorage, but when a boat came and ended up on our bow with very little scope out, we took advantage of a fresh opening elsewhere in the field. With good holding and room all around, we could relax and continue to consider whether we wanted to move or not. 

Well, the forecast has gotten worse, with winds in the 30kt range and gusts in the high 50’s. Another boat came yesterday and ended up about a boat length in front of us with the forecast winds. Not horrible, but not awesome. At least the wind event is mostly during daylight! After chatting with our new neighbors and trading details on our ground tackle, we’ve decided to stay in the anchorage. 

We dropped 30 more feet of chain to give a little more breathing room (and chain does us no good in the locker!), brought the snubbers all the way back to the midship cleats (more cushion for the gusts), charged the batteries, took down the bimini and connector, added some sound dampening to the halyards, wrapped the genoa sheets super tight around the sail, and will clear the cockpit of anything that can take flight after we run into town for a walk. We will be up, ready to power into the wind, fend, cut, whatever if we need to. We see all of our neighbors preparing, too, so we are in good company! Tomorrow morning should be a wild ride!

Weather to leave or not? (A.K.A. A tale of two transit days)

In hindsight, the heat made us do it! We were so ready to be free of the 90F heat wave and get to new places! We debated, straight to Rhode Island, or via NYC and Long Island Sound? Both would work, both were interesting, but in the end, straight to Newport on a 2-night run was better. There were some afternoon thunderstorms in the forecast along the NJ coast for the first day, but figured they would lessen a bit out at sea and we could use some maneuvering to avoid the worst of it. We departed Cape Henlopen for the open sea around 0830. How did that work out for us? Not well. Not well at all.

Five hours into our journey we started to see the storms popping on radar. They were well to the north of us and isolated. As Frank’s 1600-2000 watch approached, a weak front dropping in from the north brought another ingredient to those isolated cells and we were staring at an intense blob. Run to Ocean City, NJ? We would be coming in the channel as the storms reached there. Head south towards Cape May? Another batch of storms was brewing there. Stay out to sea, maybe even a little further out in hopes that some of the energy would dissipate by the time it got to us? We would be so alone and vulnerable. As you may have guessed by now, we stayed out at sea. Frank took his watch, the kids went to their rooms, and I stayed below in full fowlies and my life jacket and harness, ready to spring into action. He took down the sails and motored, trying to keep us steady in the gusts that approached 40 knots. Lightning was all around us for about 3 hours and he got drenched. Around 1900 things calmed enough for me to take him some food on deck. We had some stuff down below that wasn’t secured well enough, but we came through without taking a lightning hit or any damage—what a relief!

The radar picture we were facing and the edge of “the blob.”

By the time I came on watch at 2000 the winds had subsided. I killed the engine, unfurled the genoa, and sailed away on a broad reach while keeping an eye on the veins of lightning astern of us. We were exhausted, but safe. In a total contrast to the first day, the second day was sunny with delightful sailing and tons of visits from playful Atlantic white sided dolphins! I even saw a Minke whale on my morning watch! The only down side? So. Many. BALLOONS! Broke my heart to see so many of them out there. Don’t do a balloon release. Just don’t.

Beauty after the storm.

The kids came out for most of the day, too. The seas were a little rolly, but they were happily tethered into the cockpit with their books. 

How our kid crew handle passages.

We took a lot of beam seas through the night, but made it to Narragansett Bay with the favorable flood tide in the morning. Fog enveloped us as we approached land—we couldn’t even see a marker that was 0.2nm away! We turned on our navigation lights, fired up the radar, and started blasting our automated fog signal through the PA horn on our mast (I LOVE that feature!). And we made it! We grabbed a mooring and some much needed showers and rest. 

A foggy Newport welcome.

Weather decisions are the hardest part of this lifestyle, and that’s coming from someone who used to have to give weather info as part of her career! It is the aspect that brings the most anxiety, yet sometimes the greatest reward. For now, we will enjoy this safe port for a blow that’s coming in two days!

Staniel Cay

After a week in Sampson Cay we pulled the hook to head south!  We had visited Big Major to see the pigs and hang out a bit on Cruiser’s Beach, so we decided to head there.

When we pulled the hook there was some chafe on our snubber lines—may have to craft something for that—and a little wear on the Dyneema shackles we use to attach the snubbers to the chain, but otherwise all was well.  We dropped the hook off Pig Beach and headed to town for an unsuccessful provisioning run, but a highly successful lunch at the Staniel Cay Yacht Club!

But the real treat was yet to come!  We grabbed the kids for a wet and wild dinghy ride to Thunderball Grotto!  Wow, it was amazing!  I loved the pockets of light and life within the cave, and the reef along its outer edges.  The kids loved going in and out through little holes, and we got to explore with our friends from S/V No Limits.  It was a wonderful afternoon!

Tomorrow we sail back north to the Exuma Cays Land and Sea Park for a few days while the weather holds!