Google Earth track file
Not too many picture ops on the trip from Jacksonville, up the ditch to St. Mary's Inlet and offshore through the night to Savannah, so here's a collage of both our pix and Amy's.
Sunday, April 19, 2009
Jax to Savannah
Amy doesn't feel she was well used because we only did one overnight, but we were glad to have her along. It was an easy passage, we didn't go outside straight from Jacksonville because the wind was still NE and strong, but when we got to the FL/GA border the wind was E and quieter and out we went. We were able to sail until about 3 AM when the wind turned S and died (it happened on Dan's watch, so we blame it on him!) Sunrise found us just outside the Savannah River sea buoy, just like we planned. It took a while to motor up the river against a 2 knot current and turn a south a bit down the ICW to Thunderbolt. We had stopped at Thunderbolt on the way down so we could visit with Dan's cousin Steve Bliss and his family. We are imposing on them again, this time to get Amy to the bus or train back to FL. ~~~_/)~~~D&M
Google Earth track file
Not too many picture ops on the trip from Jacksonville, up the ditch to St. Mary's Inlet and offshore through the night to Savannah, so here's a collage of both our pix and Amy's.
Google Earth track file
Not too many picture ops on the trip from Jacksonville, up the ditch to St. Mary's Inlet and offshore through the night to Savannah, so here's a collage of both our pix and Amy's.
Friday, April 17, 2009
St. Augustine to Jacksonville
Can't decide if it is good or bad but we're heading north! Our stay in St. Augustine was very productive. Not only is the bottom clean, shiny and blue, but the topsides got an acid wash and a professional wax job. We also had the name replaced, so that is also shiny and new (and a bit larger.) As soon as we were hauled we checked the cutlass bearing and found that it needed to be replaced. Camanchee Cove Yacht Harbor did an admirable job and we were splashed on Thursday afternoon (a day late due to a very very rainy blustery Tuesday.) We made good use of the time ashore to restock the boat and luckily had some Trader Joe's supplies that Amy brought down from Raleigh.
After a send-off breakfast at Jay and Pegg's we loaded the boat and headed up the ICW because the wind was from the NE (on the nose) and blowing close to 20 knots. We had an uneventful trip up the ditch- - -only one little bump (ACK! not our new paint job) when Dan got too close to shore. We left the ICW for a few miles to return to a good anchorage we had found on our way back from our Thanksgiving trip up the St. John's River. We dropped the hook at 4:30 and discussed options for tomorrow. We'll see...~~~_/)~~~D&M
Google Earth track file
Here's the latest addition to the crew list on Brunelle. Amy (no longer house sitting) is joining us for the first leg of our journey north.
Ahhh! Can you hear the sigh of relief from Martha when she can finally have flowers aboard. Amazingly we couldn't find or pick any in the Bahamas.
Another new addition, a topsy turvy tomato grower! We rigged it as we set off this morning, but Dan being Dan he had to engineer it better! Voila!
After a send-off breakfast at Jay and Pegg's we loaded the boat and headed up the ICW because the wind was from the NE (on the nose) and blowing close to 20 knots. We had an uneventful trip up the ditch- - -only one little bump (ACK! not our new paint job) when Dan got too close to shore. We left the ICW for a few miles to return to a good anchorage we had found on our way back from our Thanksgiving trip up the St. John's River. We dropped the hook at 4:30 and discussed options for tomorrow. We'll see...~~~_/)~~~D&M
Google Earth track file
Here's the latest addition to the crew list on Brunelle. Amy (no longer house sitting) is joining us for the first leg of our journey north.
Ahhh! Can you hear the sigh of relief from Martha when she can finally have flowers aboard. Amazingly we couldn't find or pick any in the Bahamas.
Another new addition, a topsy turvy tomato grower! We rigged it as we set off this morning, but Dan being Dan he had to engineer it better! Voila!
Sunday, April 12, 2009
HAPPY EASTER!
Just a quick note because I wanted to share our manatee sighting with everyone! We have been wined and dined ever since we arrived here in St. A. Jay and Pegg included us in all their social activites this weekend, two parties and an Easter Parade! We ended up missing the parade because we spotted the manatee just when we should have been leaving for the parade and spent quite a while watching this gentle giant. We are ready to have Brunelle hauled in the morning for a new coat of bottom paint, and we're not in a great hurry to leave this beautiful weather until we hear that it's a bit warmer back home. ~~~(\_~~~D&M
This guy had more furry growth than Brunelle's bottom(and a barnacle on his tail!) Of course, Brunelle has been moving faster than this manatee moved. He seemed to be enjoying his back rub, and nibbling on the growth around the dock.
This guy had more furry growth than Brunelle's bottom(and a barnacle on his tail!) Of course, Brunelle has been moving faster than this manatee moved. He seemed to be enjoying his back rub, and nibbling on the growth around the dock.
Saturday, April 11, 2009
Green Turtle Cay to St. Augustine, FL
Just about 48 hours from Green Turtle to the sea buoy off St. Augustine.
We turned in at the St. Augustine sea buoy at ten past seven this morning. We would have been here earlier, but didn't want to come in at night, so we left the Gulf Stream early and headed in toward shore where we could easily make 5+ knots, not the 7 or 8 we were making with the help of the Gulf Stream!
We left Green Turtle at 7:00 am and powered most of the day in 2-3 knots of wind. We had originally thought we would anchor in the lee of Great Sale Cay for the night and then head across the bank and stream, but the night was so beautiful we decided to keep going and figure out how to slow down somewhere along the line. The full moon made it very easy to see that we were alone except for the company of "Road to the Isles", a pretty schooner we had seen often in the Exumas, and we also docked with them at Green Turtle.
We were able to sail starting in the afternoon on Thursday and had the jib out the rest of the time, sometimes with the help of the engine, but at least half the time we were under jib alone. The ride was a bit rolly as the wind was almost directly behind us, sometimes as strong as 20 knots, but running before it made it seem like it was less. We tried doing 3 hour watches, but antsy Dan just couldn't stay asleep for long, so I kept "sending him to his room" to get a few more winks! We plan to have a good nap today after we deal with the customs guy who is due around noon.
We are scheduled for a haul out on Monday to paint the bottom before heading up the "ditch." We are due back in the water Wednesday, and will be on our way as soon as we get organized. ~~~(\_~~~D&M
Google Earth track file for 4/09-4/11
Road to the Isles accompanied us on our trip across from the Bahamas.
Not much to see during two days and nights at sea.
We turned in at the St. Augustine sea buoy at ten past seven this morning. We would have been here earlier, but didn't want to come in at night, so we left the Gulf Stream early and headed in toward shore where we could easily make 5+ knots, not the 7 or 8 we were making with the help of the Gulf Stream!
We left Green Turtle at 7:00 am and powered most of the day in 2-3 knots of wind. We had originally thought we would anchor in the lee of Great Sale Cay for the night and then head across the bank and stream, but the night was so beautiful we decided to keep going and figure out how to slow down somewhere along the line. The full moon made it very easy to see that we were alone except for the company of "Road to the Isles", a pretty schooner we had seen often in the Exumas, and we also docked with them at Green Turtle.
We were able to sail starting in the afternoon on Thursday and had the jib out the rest of the time, sometimes with the help of the engine, but at least half the time we were under jib alone. The ride was a bit rolly as the wind was almost directly behind us, sometimes as strong as 20 knots, but running before it made it seem like it was less. We tried doing 3 hour watches, but antsy Dan just couldn't stay asleep for long, so I kept "sending him to his room" to get a few more winks! We plan to have a good nap today after we deal with the customs guy who is due around noon.
We are scheduled for a haul out on Monday to paint the bottom before heading up the "ditch." We are due back in the water Wednesday, and will be on our way as soon as we get organized. ~~~(\_~~~D&M
Google Earth track file for 4/09-4/11
Road to the Isles accompanied us on our trip across from the Bahamas.
Not much to see during two days and nights at sea.
Wednesday, April 8, 2009
Green Turtle Cay
The window of opportunity is here! We have been sitting in Black Sound on Green Turtle Cay for three days while the wind howled and the rigging whistled, but today dawned with a beautiful change. The wind is around 10 knots from the Nw and the sun is out, so we decided to rent a golf cart and tour the island. We hit both beaches near Black Sound - - one on the windward side where we found beautiful shells and the other in Gillam Bay where the scenery was spectacular and there is a development being built.... but not what you are thinking. The houses are all at least $2 million, and the one we saw advertised is 4.4 mil! Amazingly there was lots of activity at the building sites. Maybe they don't know about the money crunch the rest of the world is facing.
We had the golf cart for the whole day, so we headed to White Sound after lunch and checked out the fancier marinas there. We are happy to be where we are in Black Sound. We are near town and the atmosphere in Black Sound is much quieter. After dinner ashore, our last night on Bahamas soil, we will get to bed early so we are ready for an early departure for Great Sale Cay. We'll anchor there overnight and then leave early to head across the Little Bahama Bank and the Gulf Stream (as long as the weather does what the weathermen say it is supposed to do.) We hope to be in Florida by Easter! ~~~(\_~~~D&M
We really enjoyed our dune buggy style golf cart for our ride around the island---some roads were less than smooth!!
Brunelle and Arete enjoyed their stay at the new and not quite finished Leeward Yacht Club. Luckily the rates reflected the unfinished state of affairs -- $.63/ft per night!
We had the golf cart for the whole day, so we headed to White Sound after lunch and checked out the fancier marinas there. We are happy to be where we are in Black Sound. We are near town and the atmosphere in Black Sound is much quieter. After dinner ashore, our last night on Bahamas soil, we will get to bed early so we are ready for an early departure for Great Sale Cay. We'll anchor there overnight and then leave early to head across the Little Bahama Bank and the Gulf Stream (as long as the weather does what the weathermen say it is supposed to do.) We hope to be in Florida by Easter! ~~~(\_~~~D&M
We really enjoyed our dune buggy style golf cart for our ride around the island---some roads were less than smooth!!
Brunelle and Arete enjoyed their stay at the new and not quite finished Leeward Yacht Club. Luckily the rates reflected the unfinished state of affairs -- $.63/ft per night!
Sunday, April 5, 2009
Hopetown to Green Turtle Cay
With our six foot draft we had to wait for an almost high tide to leave Hopetown and faced the same issue for entering the very tight Man O War Cay channel on Friday. Luckily it was only an hour sail between the two, so we accomplished both! We got to Man O War Cay Friday afternoon and picked up a mooring in a very crowded harbor. We then dinghied around looking for another one for Arete and luckily found one. We pooled resources for a joint dinner ashore (we sent Robby to Marsh Harbour on the ferry Saturday morning for an ATM run).
Saturday was Sojer Day, the first (hopefully annual) heritage festival on Man O War Cay. Man O War is a very religious (therefore dry) community that was established by loyalists right after the Revolution. It is almost entirely white and has a history of fine boat building which still continues today. We enjoyed following the Heritage Trail set up by the residents and were invited into private homes, churches, museums and of course shops! We were surprised that at least half of the people attending the festival were residents and we continually heard exclamations about this or that old relative's picture. After a sumptuous lunch of deviled eggs, conch salad, lobster fritters, broccoli salad, homemade ice cream and chocolate cake, Carol and I did more adventuring ashore while Rob and Dan headed out to Brunelle to "chill." We had bought some conch chowder at the festival which we took back for dinner.
Sunday morning found us leaving relatively early to get out before it became too shallow and we took a leisurely motorsail in very light winds, arriving off Green Turtle Cay around 1:00 pm. We anchored out and put the dingy down to check out the three different harbors on Green Turtle. We decided to stay in Black Sound (at the southern end of the cay) instead of White Sound at the north. There is also a small, shallow harbor where the settlement of New Plymouth is located, but it isn't suitable for cruising boats. We are tied up at a brand new marina called Leeward Yacht Club - - so new that the showers and bathrooms are not ready yet! Also no wifi, so we will be sending this from "Pineapples" - a beach bar on the other side of the harbor whenever we go over there. We are pretty sure we are going to be here for 3 or 4 days because there is a major cold front coming through tomorrow and the winds will be strong and northwesterly - not conducive to heading across to Florida. We hope to be able to head off by next weekend, but that will be dictated by the weather!
~~~(\_~~~D&M
Googel Eart track file for 4/3
Googel Eart track file for 4/5
We enjoyed learning all about Man O War Cay at Sojer Heritage Day. Rob and Carol bought a gorgeous half model and Carol and Martha got several great photos from a local artist.
The "William Albury" schooner was built on Man O War Cay.
Martha (with new haircut---thanks Carol!) enjoys her Kindle as we sail from Man O War Cay to Green Turtle Cay.
Saturday was Sojer Day, the first (hopefully annual) heritage festival on Man O War Cay. Man O War is a very religious (therefore dry) community that was established by loyalists right after the Revolution. It is almost entirely white and has a history of fine boat building which still continues today. We enjoyed following the Heritage Trail set up by the residents and were invited into private homes, churches, museums and of course shops! We were surprised that at least half of the people attending the festival were residents and we continually heard exclamations about this or that old relative's picture. After a sumptuous lunch of deviled eggs, conch salad, lobster fritters, broccoli salad, homemade ice cream and chocolate cake, Carol and I did more adventuring ashore while Rob and Dan headed out to Brunelle to "chill." We had bought some conch chowder at the festival which we took back for dinner.
Sunday morning found us leaving relatively early to get out before it became too shallow and we took a leisurely motorsail in very light winds, arriving off Green Turtle Cay around 1:00 pm. We anchored out and put the dingy down to check out the three different harbors on Green Turtle. We decided to stay in Black Sound (at the southern end of the cay) instead of White Sound at the north. There is also a small, shallow harbor where the settlement of New Plymouth is located, but it isn't suitable for cruising boats. We are tied up at a brand new marina called Leeward Yacht Club - - so new that the showers and bathrooms are not ready yet! Also no wifi, so we will be sending this from "Pineapples" - a beach bar on the other side of the harbor whenever we go over there. We are pretty sure we are going to be here for 3 or 4 days because there is a major cold front coming through tomorrow and the winds will be strong and northwesterly - not conducive to heading across to Florida. We hope to be able to head off by next weekend, but that will be dictated by the weather!
~~~(\_~~~D&M
Googel Eart track file for 4/3
Googel Eart track file for 4/5
We enjoyed learning all about Man O War Cay at Sojer Heritage Day. Rob and Carol bought a gorgeous half model and Carol and Martha got several great photos from a local artist.
The "William Albury" schooner was built on Man O War Cay.
Martha (with new haircut---thanks Carol!) enjoys her Kindle as we sail from Man O War Cay to Green Turtle Cay.
Thursday, April 2, 2009
Nassau to Hopetown, Elbow Cay, Abacos
Sunday found us back at Starbucks for a delicious breakfast sandwich and a last check of email before we headed off for points north. We left Nassau harbor around 10 and headed NE for Royal Island which is just west of the tip of Eleuthera Island. It is a very handy and snug harbor with not much scenery and no facilites, but it is a great place to stop off on one's way to the Abacos. After a quiet night we got an early start for the 60+ mile trip to Little Harbor Inlet on the SE corner of Great Abaco Island. We entered the inlet at around 5 o'clock, but didn't stop at Little Harbor because the entrance carries only 3 feet and our only chance would be at high tide, so we continued on to a good anchorage at Lynyard Cay. We were part of a fleet of at least 10 boats that crossed from Royal to Lynyard.
We decided to spend another night anchored at Lynyard because we had heard that the beach there was worth exploring and also we wanted to dinghy back to Little Harbor to visit Pete's Pub and Gallery, famous for good food and a studio and gallery showcasing Pete's bronze sculptures and several other artists' works. We did both, the beach (on the windward side had loads of flotsam, but also some pretty beach glass) and the pub and gallery. We lucked out and got a tour of the studio and foundry which was fascinating. After lunch at the pub we hit the gallery and bought a bronze (tiny, but we like it!) and a watercolor print.
Today we sailed from Lynyard to Hopetown by a very circuitous route. There are no navigational marks, just waypoints that must be heeded to avoid all sorts of shallows. We picked up a mooring around noon, had a bloody mary to celebrate a safe, grounding free, trip across the shallows particularly at the entrance to the harbor. (Another "high tide only" place for a boat with 6' of draft.) After lunch we headed ashore to climb the lighthouse and then dinghied across to the other side of the harbor to explore the town. We had our first ice cream in 3 months! We had dinner ashore at Harbour's Edge. You can dinghy right up to the restaurant and tie up while you eat. We passed up their delicious looking desserts because we had found a freshly made key lime pie at Vernon's grocery store! ~~~(\_~~~D&M
Google Earth track file for 3/29
Google Earth track file for 3/30
Google Earth track file for 4/01
Our first beach bar! We have been so deprived! Pete's Pub and Gallery in Little Harbor, Great Abaco is not to be missed.
We passed this island sloop sailing from Lynyard Cay to Hopetown harbor and it reminded me of my sister Alice's last painting, so I played with it a bit.
Brunelle snuggled in under the watchful eye of the Elbow Cay Lighthouse (1864) in Hopetown Harbor, Abacos
Brunelle viewed from the top of the lighthouse.
Hopetown viewed from the lighthouse, the Atlantic Ocean is on the windward side of Elbow Cay.
We decided to spend another night anchored at Lynyard because we had heard that the beach there was worth exploring and also we wanted to dinghy back to Little Harbor to visit Pete's Pub and Gallery, famous for good food and a studio and gallery showcasing Pete's bronze sculptures and several other artists' works. We did both, the beach (on the windward side had loads of flotsam, but also some pretty beach glass) and the pub and gallery. We lucked out and got a tour of the studio and foundry which was fascinating. After lunch at the pub we hit the gallery and bought a bronze (tiny, but we like it!) and a watercolor print.
Today we sailed from Lynyard to Hopetown by a very circuitous route. There are no navigational marks, just waypoints that must be heeded to avoid all sorts of shallows. We picked up a mooring around noon, had a bloody mary to celebrate a safe, grounding free, trip across the shallows particularly at the entrance to the harbor. (Another "high tide only" place for a boat with 6' of draft.) After lunch we headed ashore to climb the lighthouse and then dinghied across to the other side of the harbor to explore the town. We had our first ice cream in 3 months! We had dinner ashore at Harbour's Edge. You can dinghy right up to the restaurant and tie up while you eat. We passed up their delicious looking desserts because we had found a freshly made key lime pie at Vernon's grocery store! ~~~(\_~~~D&M
Google Earth track file for 3/29
Google Earth track file for 3/30
Google Earth track file for 4/01
Our first beach bar! We have been so deprived! Pete's Pub and Gallery in Little Harbor, Great Abaco is not to be missed.
We passed this island sloop sailing from Lynyard Cay to Hopetown harbor and it reminded me of my sister Alice's last painting, so I played with it a bit.
Brunelle snuggled in under the watchful eye of the Elbow Cay Lighthouse (1864) in Hopetown Harbor, Abacos
Brunelle viewed from the top of the lighthouse.
Hopetown viewed from the lighthouse, the Atlantic Ocean is on the windward side of Elbow Cay.
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