May 2014 - Final Leg Home on Kuivato

My dad (Norm) and I flew down to New Bern on May 17th to continue bringing Kuivato home.  Kuivato faired just fine at the Bridgepointe Marina and all we needed to do was get food provisions on board. We also already had lots of dry goods still onboard from the Bahamas trip so we were in good shape.For this trip we added a new Standard Horizon VHF radio equipped with GPS and an AIS (Automatic Identification System) receiver.  AIS is a relatively new ship position and accident avoidance system where larger vessels and some cruisers transmit a signal that identifies the vessel name, speed and direction. Boats that have AIS receivers can receive this information and easily determine if there is any collision risk. This feature is particularly useful in fog and night sailing. We will be keeping a close eye on ships when crossing the New York Harbor shipping lanes as we sail offshore to Block

On Sunday we cast off from New Bern and motored down the Neuse River to a lovely anchorage on the South River where there was very little development along the shoreline. We anchored in 8 feet of water off the eastern shore to be sheltered from the 20 knot easterly winds predicted to build overnight. It turns out we anchored in front of the Lukens Cemetary, a remote cemetary for the abandoned town of Lukens which is only accessible by boat. Norm, the ultimate explorer, wanted to take a look, so we inflated the dinghy and went ashore. Apparently Lukens was abandoned after the exodus of many of the residents and being repeatedly damaged by hurricanes. Nothing remains of the village except the cemetery which is still used  by Lukens descendents and even the site of family reunions.  In the evening just after dinner, we were surprised by several  dolphins moseying past our stern. 

In the morning we were off to Ocracoke, a harbor locals told us was well worth the visit. Unfortunately the winds were 15-20 knots from the east so we had to beat our way sometimes under shortened sail, engine or both, into a lumpy choppy waves at 3 knots. It was probably the slowest run of the past 7 months, but worth it as Silver Lake harbor on Ocracoke is an interesting place. The island is only accessible by private boat or ferry. The North Carolina DOT even runs a free car ferry from Hatteras to get folks to visit the island and spend money. We arrived at the harbor near sunset after following the dredged channel which is plagued by shoaling. We tied up to an empty dock run by the National Park Service that offers a steeply discounted dockage rate to Seniors ( not me, Norm!). We wondered why the dock was so empty, but it was so late the Park Service office was closed.no one was around.

 A Skipper app image of Silver Lake harbor on Ocracoke  island.

After a rough day we felt like ordering in dinner and a quick internet search found a local family run business that only does  delivery of  "steamer" seafood dinners, so we ordered up. An hour later we were enjoying shrimp, clams, blue crab, corn, andoule sausage, and potatoes in Kuivato's cockpit under the glow of the chili pepper lights and the setting sun.

I woke early and jogged to the ocean side of the island and while lovely, I'm just not into beaches which permit 4-wheel drive vehicles to track up the beach. The harbor town is a funky beachy town with lots of bars, charter fishing boats, restaurants and kite surfing shops, all geared towards tourist. It is also obcessed with Blackbeard (Edward Teach) and the wreck of Queen Anne's Revenge, Blackbeard's flagship, which was believed to have sunk nearby. It turned out a Coast Guard buoy tender ship docked next to Kuivato is currently assisting with recovery of pieces of the wreck. The captain came over ot say hello when he saw  Portsmouth, NH on our transom. He was formerly stationed in New Castle. He then invited us for a tour of the bouy tender and showed us some of the artifacts they had recovered which were in a saltwater pool. We also learned why the dock was so empty and why there was no water or power at the dock pedestals; the Park Service said the dock was closed while they finish some repairs and upgrades. They said we wouldn't be charged for the night but we were nicely asked to leave, which we did after a quick stroll through town.

Whoopee, a fishing success!

The wind today was 15-20 knots but this time from the west so we had a roaring sail north towards Manteo. We were still south of Manteo as the sun was setting so instead of continuing to navigate a narrow dredged channel and enter an unfamiliar harbor in darkness, we anchored just off the channel where the charts indicated a 15 foot area was present and  enjoyed a peaceful evening away from the harbor scene. We continued north on Wednesday morning in the dredged channel with only one soft mud grounding when we misread the buoys at an intersecting channel.

 Channel intersection at Manteo..... "red, green, green, red, red....... huh?" 

Fortunately even though we were motor sailing with a small portion the of the jib unfurled when we grounded, we were able to back off with the engine a full throttle. Once out of the dredged channel, we were able to sail almost all of the way north to  Elizabeth City where we tied up at the free Town dock, Mariners Wharf, to wait for the next bridge opening.  Elizabeth City, like many mid-coast towns, is very welcoming to cruisers by providing free dockage and other shoreside facilities like showers. After getting some lunch ashore we continued on to Lambs Marina (the site of the famous tumbling Thanksgiving turkey story) to fill up with diesel. There is a new dockmaster Bill who was very helpful and told a joke a minute while we were at the dock. One fascinating thing about cruising is all the characters you meet on the waterfront. It seems like at every stop there is an engaging character with a story. 

We continued north towards the Dismal Swamp on the Pasquotank River and anchored for the night in a beautiful quiet place just off the channel by Goat Island. 

Sunrise by Goat Island on the Pasquotank River

The next morning we were up early to catch the 8:30 lock opening at South Mills. The Dismal Swamp water level is maintained approximately 8-10 feet above the slightly tidal water of the Pasquotank to the south and the Elizabeth River to the north at the Portsmouth/Norfolk VA end. We entered the lock with three sailboats and one large powerboat.  Then nothing happened and we noticed the lock gates hadn't closed completely. Soon the sound of hammering on steel was reverberating through the air. It turned out a brass pin on the gate mechanism had broken and was jammed, preventing a replacement pin from being inserted. After 20 minutes of hammering, a tired and frustrated lockmaster paced by muttering something about "cheap Chinese-made metal pins". Norm and I started to wonder if we would be  stuck in the lock all day. But after more hammering, then some silence, the lock doors started to close, hooray! The trip north through the swamp was lovely with the fresh lush green foliage of Spring (in contrast to last November's fall foliage on the chilly run south) and the fragrance of honeysuckle filling the air. 

Heading north in the Dismal Swamp canal.

There was a bit of excitement when the way north was blocked by a sailboat blocking the canal. Apparently the electric fuel pump for their engine started smoking and died. They were pushed to the side of the canal and fortunately one of the Canadian sailors in our parade north passed over a spare fuel pump as they passed by. (Oh, did I mention 75% of the sailboats heading north were Canadian! ) On Kuivato we had just purchased a spare fuel pump just in case we ( or another boat) needed one. Then, at the north end of the Canal, while waiting for the Deep Creek Lock to open, the engine on the large powerboat traveling in our group, died and they to were also pushed to the side so we could pass. Once through the lock, we made our way past the heavy industrial Portsmouth/Norfolk waterfront to the free High Street Basin on the Portsmouth waterfront. We tied up a the exact same spot as the previous November, except this time the Basin is full of boats (all Canadian), the trees are green,there are no Holiday lights, and it's warm. That evening I discovered a deer tick on my leg which iI must have picked up four days earlier during the walk through the Lukens cemetery. I really don't like messing around with the risk of Lyme Desease knowing so many people whose lives have been turned upside down by the Desease.  Fortunately we carry an assortment of antibiotics onboard, so a week long course for Captain Tim.

Since the weather windows for offshore runs north were short we decided Blaock Island was not in the cards and instead Cape May, NJ was our destination. The next day we hoped to start the overnight passage to Cape May but were still concerned the weather window was a bit too tight and the weather models I refer to at Passage Weather  and Pocket GRIB were not in agreement. Also, if the NW winds veered even a bit more north than predicted we would be in for a very uncomfortable and slow night ride in 25 knot north winds. We decided to motor out to the Norfolk entrance past all the Navy ships and see what we encountered. As few miles east of Hampton pounding into a headwind, I decided it was just not worth the risk of getting caught in headwinds, so we turned back and settled into a nice anchorage in Hampton just west of Fort Monroe.  The next morning when I checked the weather history for the previous night I was really glad we decided to wait for a better window because the winds indeed went north, not west. The next window looked like it indicated a departure the following evening  so we settled in, did chores on board and went ashore to tour Fort Monroe. The fort which is best known for its role during the Civil War, protecting the northern shore of Hampton Roads. The Fort also became a refuge for slaves seeking freedom and is the site that inspired the declaration that slaves who escaped the South were "contraband" of war and therefore did not need to be returned to their owners as was previously the case. 

The following evening we left in clear calm weather for Cape May and arrived the following evening in Cape May at sunset. In e morning we fueled up and picked up my good friend Lou, a Jersey boy sailing buddy  I've known for years. We had a great spinnaker run up much of the Jersey shore and the next morning we arrived in New York Harbor at sunrise. The AIS feature on the new radio worked great helping us navigate around the stream of cargo ships entering and exiting the harbor. 

Passing through Hell's Gate from the East River into Long Island Sound enjoying an early morning beverage. 

 Since the wind died as we entered New York Harborwe we motored up the East River past NYC with 6 knots of current. The ride through Hell's Gate and on to Port Jefferson was calm and uneventful. We anchored once again in the Narrows by Strongs Neck where my mom had lived and I went to high school. 

Kuivato at anchor in The Narrows between Strongs Neck and Old Field Point. 

Since two days of blustery east winds were forecast, Lou hopped the train home to NJ, but not before we visiting the tasting room of the Port Jeff Brewing Company. Norm and I visited old friends on Strongs Neck and once the winds went south we set off just before sunset for a nice overnight run to Newport RI, arriving about noontime. Diane, and Norm's girlfriend Mila, joined us in Newport for a lovely day at Gooseberry Island, one of our favorite spots on the New England coast. Norm, Mila, and Diane headed back home and Andrew (one of the Kuivato Tuesday evening racing team) jumped on board for the final overnight on the journey north. After a pre-dawn departure from Sakonnet Point, we arrived in Sandy Bay at  Rockport MA just after sunset. The next morning we were off for the final five hour leg to Portsmouth.

Entering the  Piscataqua River and passing Whaleback Light after seven months and several thousand miles of sailing put me in a reflective state of mind. Our wonderful journey was truly coming to an end, Kuivato was back in her home port, and the warmth and clear waters of the Bahamas were behind us. I was already missing the rhythm of living aboard within a 38 by 12 foot space with the ever changing waterfront scenery. It was truly an amazing trip and Mother Nature shined upon us with mostly great weather. I could already tell getting settled back into work and dealing with all the additional responsibilities and clutter of living on land would be a challenge. 

July 3, 2013

Kuivato is now back at the dock on Badgers Island in Kittery ME. We've been slowly lightening her of all the cruising gear and supplies. We just found 6 liters of seltzer water we wish we had located during the cruise!  We compete in PHRF racing on Tuesday evenings in the Cruising Class.  After about ten races, we are in second place. Racing is a blast, but living aboard and cruising is an amazing and rewarding lifestyle.

Riding the Gulf Stream

April 10th - 

We had a beautiful day of sailing from Green Turtle Cay northwest then west through the Abacos. Since our crossing to the States would be at least four days we planned the details of our offshore crossing watches. What has worked for us in the past is for me to get in a nap after dinner around 2100 and Tim, the night owl, stays up until around 0300.  Tim then wakes me to take over during the  early morning hours until sometime after sunrise. We both then nap throughout the day in the main cabin where we have ourselves set up to sleep during the crossing.

Our last Bahamas sunset.

As sun was setting, we heard the bilge pump turning on more frequently than usual. Tim checked the bilge: it wasn't fresh water so not from the water tanks and it wasn't warm water so it wasn't from the engine cooling system or exhaust, but it was salt water. A search of all below the water line thru-hull fittings didn't find any water entering, but a smalll stream of  salt water was found to be flowing forward from an area near the stern under the quarterberth from an area in the aft section of the boat. After removing some wood panels it appeared the water might be entering through the hull from an area under a bulkhead. Since we were about to sail off the relative security of the 15 deep Abacos bank into open water, we anchored and Tim decided to investigate further. Tim donned his wetsuit to check the hull exterior and he located a small area of the hull at about the right location of the suspected leak where the bottom paint was missing and the gelcoat appeared irregular.  I prepared a glob of underwater epoxy  and Tim applied it to the irregular area hoping it might solve the problem. It seemed that the patch may have worked as the water was no longer streaming from behind the bulkhead.. While we waited for the epoxy to cure a bit before continuing our journey, we ate dinner at anchor. In the meantime the wind and waves were rapidly picking up and for the first time of the trip the anchor started to drag. At the same time a check down below found water once again slowly streaming in. Either the building waves had peeled the epoxy off before it had cured or the area was not the source of the leak. As we were still taking on a small amount of water, we decided it would be prudent to turn around and seek safe harbor 12 miles back east in the lee of Great Sal Cay. Unfortunately, the east wind picked up and we were heading directly into it at only 2 knots. At that rate we would have arrived in the early morning. We looked at each other, assessed our situation and fact that only a small amount of water that was coming in and we decided to turn around and continue on our way north keeping a close eye on the situation. 

It was about 2300, my bedtime, and despite all the excitement, I put my head on the pillow and was immediately in dreamland as usual. We reached the west end of the Abacos Bank by sunrise and continued northwest headed for the Gulf Stream in 2000+ foot deep water. Several hours later  we realized we had entered the Gulf Stream when the water got a bit choppy and the temperature went up to  76 degree. We were also traveling at 9+ knots according the the GPS, several knots more than the average 7 knot boat speed through the water. We had a glorious days and nights of sailing, with a nearly full moon and very little motoring. We were quite fortunate that the weather window Chris Parker and Tim had predicted were perfect. We had no adverse conditions and we settled into our offshore rhythm with ease.

A little friend who joined me on my morning watch.

Tim decided there was not enough excitement during his day watch and decided to do some trolling He caught a mahi mahi but unfortunately he didn't get the assistance of his trusty mate as I was sound asleep, and the lucky fish got away. There is a lot that has to happen on board a sailboat to land a fish while sailing. Later on the third day of the crossing Tim caught something big. We worked for an hour to get it along side and it was a six foot Black Tip Shark known to be excellent eating. However, landing a six foot shark on a sailboat is not feasible.  Thankfully the thrashing shark broke the line and solved the dilemma of how we were going to release the fish. Tim got quite a workout and settled into a well deserved rest.

Working for an hour trying to reel in something big.

A six foot Black Tip Shark 

During the last day of the crossing we suddenly realized we had slowed down. We checked the water temperature ans it had also plummeted to 72 F. How did we lose the Gulf Stream and were we now north or south of it.  Tim thought we had sailed north of it and I thought we sailed south of it. We did a couple of zig zag legs to try to find it and eventually decided to just change our course to sail for Beaufort inlet. Since we never did find the Gulf Stream again, we must have sailed out of it to the north. Since our landfall was likely to be in the middle of the night and Beaufort Inlet can be tricky with strong currents, we decided to sail for Cape Lookout, anchor and get some sleep. 

Gulf Stream map current velocities and direction of flow.

We arrived at Cape Lookout on April 14th at 3 AM, dropped the hook, and were soon fast asleep. In total, we traveled approximately 615 miles from Green Turtle Cay, Bahamas to Morehead City/Beaufort, North Carolina, averaging 7.5 kts. quite an accomplishment!  

Sunrise at Cape Lookout, North Carolina.

We awoke to a gorgeous morning and had a hearty breakfast using up all the food items that are prohibited  to bring into the States. We sailed an hour to Beaufort Inlet and proceeded to Morehead City to meet up with US Customs and Border Patrol officials. A custom official arrived at the dock within an hour, checked our passports and boat documentation, welcomed us back the the States, and sent us on our way.  We then continued north for a couple of hours and west up the Neuse River toward New Bern, NC where we would be  leaving Kuivato to rest for a month. We anchored one last night along the south shore of the River, delaying the end of the journey on last night. The next day we sailed the final miles to New Bern and  docked at the Bridgepointe Marina where Kuivato would rest until Tim and his Dad returned a month later in warmer weather to sail her home to Kittery, Maine.

Kuivato at the Bridgepointe Marina in New Bern, NC

Our route to Beaufort, NC

Two days after driving back to Kittery Maine, we enjoyed our first and last day of skiing for the season, atop Bretton Woods with Mt. Washington in the background.

Eleuthera and the Abacos

We woke up to find a massive cruise ship anchored at our stern ferrying passengers to shore. In short order there were jets skis buzzing us signaling it was time to set sail  for Eleuthera. We sailed a fast and squirrelly downwind run from Little San Salvador to Eleuthera; well it was downwind until we turned the corner for Rock Sound  and we were now beating into the wind. We started the engine but soon determined that we could make faster forward progress under sail tacking into the wind. As soon as we joined the dozen or so cruisers at anchor in Rock Sound Harbor, all to familiar DJ music started blaring across the water from the nearby community local homecoming regatta shack. We soon saw many of the cruisers heading to shore and figured we would join them. The event turned out to be a fundraiser for a local with a medical condition so we purchased the usual dinner of BBQ chicken, peas n rice, mac n cheese, and cole slaw. Exploring  the island was interesting as they too have a blue hole right in town and they have developed the surrounding land into a lovely park, Ocean Hole Park, with walkways and gardens circling the hole. While walking through the park we met the manager of the Princess Cruise Lines "tropical village" (similar to the village we anchored by on Little San Salvador) which we had sailed past along the south shore of Eleuthera. He indicated the the operation employs about 50 locals which was good to hear. He also boasted that they take tourists on trips into the communities which was also good to hear, but of the 3000 or so passengers, only about 100 choose to go on the field trips and escape the fabricated cruise line playgrounds. 

Just relaxing in the hammock.

The next day we needed to find a location with internet access to get some business done and we started out heading to a restaurant/bar that everyone said would fit the bill. Upon arrival we were told they had some problem with their internet connection and didn't know when it would be repaired. So off we went in search of  a "coffee shop" that supposedly had free wifi and had some positive reviews on Active Captain.  The coffee shop turned out to be a clothing store with a coffee urn behind the counter.  The woman working the shop was not internet savy and didn't know the password to access the wifi. We continued our search and had heard of a nearby beach bar that was reported to have wifi, so off we went. Upon arrival at the beach bar we found it had recently closed! While the bar was closed, we wondered if the wifi might still be on and bingo, it was. So we sat down at a table on the deck and started getting some internet tasks done and making Skype calls. At one point, someone associated with the restaurant arrived, confirmed the restaurant was closed, unlocked a door, went inside briefly, exited, locked the door and left. A moment later the wifi connection died. Obviously, the fellow had turned off the wifi and oddly not said a word to us as he left.... unusually unfriendly behavior for the Bahamas. 

On a more fortunate note, once back at the town dock where the dinghy was tied up, several local fishermen had arrived with their daily catch. They certainly seem to know where to search for lobsters and snapper. We bought some of all of the above along with the friendly locals and were delighted to score such fresh fish, yum.

The next morning, yoga on the foredeck for me, a run for Tim, a refreshing swim and French toast for breakfast, what could be nicer? Then northward we sail in a brisk breeze.  We do everything possible to sail instead of motoring including delaying departures if necessary. We arrived a Governors Harbor by mid afternoon and there was quite a swell rolling into the harbor from the northwest, so we tucked ourselves as close to the northeast shore as possible to get out of the worst of the swell until the wind clocked around to the north and east. We eventually found internet access at the local library, did some provisioning, and were able to get our scuba tank filled. It turned out the woman at the dive shop also sold all sorts of items (hand bags, bracelets, picture frames, baskets) she made by weaving discarded colorful telephone wire. We bought one of her pieces that became a lampshade for the LED light bulb we hang in the cockpit. The day was topped off with a lovely 2 mile walk to the ocean side of the island which brought us to a pink sand beach....beautiful. The pink in the sand orignates from the pink coral on the off shore reefs.

The next day our journey northward continued with another  magnificent sail and we arrived at a beautiful anchorage just south of a location known as the Glass Window with time to do some exploring before sunset. 

At anchor near the Glass Window.

The Glass Window is the narrowest part of Eleuthera where the land had been eroded by the fierce Atlantic Ocean to form what was a natural rock arch with the shallow Bahamas bank to the west and the ocean to the east. The  natural land bridge collapsed decades ago and replaced with bridges that repeatedly have been has been torn apart in various storms and rebuilt. We heard the most recent damage from a storm shifted the last bridge a couple feet west.  The views of the crashing waves from the bridge are spectacular and we could only wonder when the bridge would next come tumbling down. Apparently Winslow Homer was also admired the Glass Window, see his painting below from 1885  when the natural bridge was present

The Glass Window on Eleuthera.

Winslow Homer painting of the Glass Window in 1885.

The next day we were off early to pass through a narrow cut, Current Cut with its strong currents, but once again we  timed it perfectly and arrived at slack low tide. Also, having to deal weekly with strong currents in the Piscataqua River at home, any currents we have encountered during our trip have been a cake walk. We decided to anchor off of Little Egg Island to dive on the wreck of the Arimoria, a freighter that caught fire and was run aground in the 1970s. The current over the wreck was quite swift so we anchored Kuivato nearby and launched "Little K" to get over the wreck. We then positioned ourselves up current of the wreck, jumped in, and drifted with the dinghy over the wreck. We both held onto  lines tied to the dinghy and had a very cool drift dive. The wreck was a huge ship that the Captain had purposefully run aground when it became evident the fire could not be controlled and they needed to abandon ship. Apparently the cargo of guano fertilizer burned for weeks. 

Freighter wreck pretty well torn apart by storms.

One of the freighter engines.

 After the dive we went around to the west and lee shore of Little Egg Island and we made our way cautiously toward the shore.  The charts showed lots of coral heads and shallows but it looked as though we could work our way in close to a lovely little beach. Tim hopped in the dinghy with the handheld depth sounder to sound the entry while I practiced keeping Kuivato in place  in the deeper water. After we got settled we went swimming and enjoyed our last dinner before making the crossing to the Abacos with plans to depart before sunrise.

We left before sunrise, enjoyed another smooth crossing with about a dozen other sailboats and caught two 40+ inch Mahi Mahi. There would be no shortage of fish for a while! 

Tim filleting  Mahi Mahi on our rail mounted fish cleaning table.

The few cuts through the reefs and islands on the eastern edge of the Abacos are known for having rage seas when there are high winds and seas. Fortunately, when we arrived the seas were relatively calm when we arrived and entering through Little Harbor Cut was smooth, especially with the electronic charts on OZ. Instead of anchoring with the dozens of other boats by Lynyrad Cay to the north, we decided to anchor in a bight just east of the Little Harbor entrance that we had to ourselves. There was a bit of swell making its way from the cut into the cove, so Tim rigged a bridle on the anchor line to point the bow into the swell which made it quite comfortable.  We took the dinghy into the famous Pete's Pub beach bar and enjoyed their signature Blaster rum punch. Pete and his Father are well known for brass sculptures produced in an on site foundry. We toured the foundry and bought Tim a birthday belt with a brass sea turtle belt buckle made at the foundry; a nice bit of the Abacos to bring home.

Enjoying a drink at Pete's Pub

The next day we had a relaxing sail north and anchored in a sandy patch off of Pelican Cay. We were pleased to still find deserted glorious beaches in the Abacos. We awoke early anxious to meet up again with Graham and Janaki on Leela who were sailing overnight from Nassau to the Abacos. We turned the VHF radio on and instantly heard them hailing a motor boat that had just passed through North Bar Channel Cut to get a report on the cut conditions. The motor boat never responded, but we did and were able to guide them to our anchorage just north of the cut.

Leela entering the Abacos after an overnight sail from Nassau 

While Graham and Janaki were relaxing after their overnight sail, Tim and I went snorkeling at the Pelican Cay reef which is one of the Bahamas Land and Sea Park preserve areas.  It was truly the best dive of the trip. While the water was a bit stirred up, the size of the reef and the fish was impressive. I have never seen so many varieties of fish including a school of spotted sting rays each over 6 feet in diameter, going back and forth patrolling the edge of the reef! Watching the prehistoric looking creatures slowly sail by was totally breathtaking. We practiced our free diving and were able to comfortably hang out 30 feet for a good minute taking in the magnificent underwater scene.

What fun to have Leela back with us and sharing Tim's birthday dinner, fresh mahi mahi.

This time I prepared it with onions peppers and feta cheese and poached it on the grill, perfecto!

Since we had a "schedule" to depart the Abacos in a week, we needed to move along, so we sailed north to an anchorage  just outside Hopetown. We were anchored on 6 feet of water and enjoyed serene swim, snorkle and yoga on the bow with Leela. In the morning we went into the harbor and picked up a mooring owned by the Hope Town Inn and Marina. With the $15 mooring fee you got access to their  very very nice facility with a waterfront pool and bar.  We went ashore and climbed the candy striped red and white lighthouse built in 1864. Apparently it was built with much controversy as many of the locals known as "wreckers", wanted the nearby reef to remain unmarked so they could reap the spoils  of vessels that would wreck  on the reef. The lighthouse still has the original kerosene wick lamp and is hand wound every few hours. After climbing the lightHouse we retired to the pool at the marina. It  was the first time we have ever swam in a pool and had a drink at a bar in the pool; what a hoot.

View of Hope Town from the lighthouse.

Very cool door handles on the lighthouse tower door.

The next day we enjoyed exploring town which had a quite an English influence and doing provisioning, before sailing on to Green Turtle Cay. Chris Parker predicted there was a good blow was coming so we wanted to be in a secure harbor for a couple of nights. We stayed at Donnie's Dock and Marina for $15/ day with $1/ day internet and water at $.10/ gallon on the honor system. What a fabulous find plus there were wonderful cruisers at the dock who became fast friends. One of our goals during this stop was to gather some conch shells to turn into conch horns and we were successful.

Tim opening coconuts and cleaning our conch shell collection.

I organized a potluck gathering the next night for the five boats on the dock and we had a ball touring each other's floating homes while eating delicious smoked Alaskan salmon and conch salad among other delicious dishes.

The next morning April 10th, we prepared to depart for our crossing back to the US. Our plan was to sail nonstop  westward through the Abacos and northward with the Gulf Stream. Chris Parker and the weather maps indicated we had a nice five day window to likely sail all the way to Beaufort, NC in relatively favorable winds and weather. Our new friends arrived to wish us smooth sailing and off we sailed with hopes of returning to the Bahamas in the not to distant future. What a pleasure we have had meeting so many wonderful  cruising friends in these past few months, many I am certain will be lifelong.

Cat Island and North

March 25 - Pocket GRIB (a sweet weather I-Phone app) and Chris Parker's forecast told of a big cold front passing through the Bahamas associated with the Nor'easter passing New England. This meant some strong winds  and squalls were coming our way, clocking west, north to east. Since Conception is out in the ocean without any secure protected harbor,  we needed to get moving to a better anchorage, the closest being over 25 miles away on Cat Island. We departed Conception Island at 0500 to get settled at New Bight behind  BonefishPoint before the severe weather hit. Sailing  once again at astronomical twilight with the moon and stars guiding our way was lovely, I love the sailing in the dark anticipating the rising sun. "Kuivato" is actually a Hopi Indian term for the ritual of greeting the morning sun. As we rounded the south end of Cat Island dark clouds greeted us with stronger  winds, rain, thunder, and lightning.  We briefly considered ducking into a nearby marina ($$$$) but decided to press on the final 10 miles to the anchorage, a bit fearful that a 55 foot aluminum mast is a possible target for a lightning strike which would likely fry all the electronics on Kuivato.  As a precautionary measure we disconnected all our devices from 12 volt power outlets and turned the batteries off. We made it into New Bight  and tucked as close to shore a possible to try to get out of the west swell but  we still spent the rest of the day and  night rocking and a rolling in 30+ knot winds until the wind went north the next morning. We then moved to the east end of the Harbor to be closer to town and the 20-25 knot east winds that were settling in for the next three days. 

We took the dinghy into the beach and hiked up to Mt. Alvernia, the highest hill in the Bahamas at 206 ft. At the summit, the Rev. Father Jerome (AKA, John Cecil Hawes) built his retirement retreat in the 1930s, known as the Hermitage.  Father Jerome, an Englishman,  and trained architect and sculptor, was originally sent to the Bahamas to repair and build churches after the 1908 hurricane. Numerous churches on Cat and Long islands are tributes to his work. When he  retired, he built a mini monastery out of local stone on top of this hill and lived there until his death in 1956. He sounds like quite a remarkable man. Once again, as we ascended the rough stone steps built by Father Jerome, we were the only ones at the site, despite the fact that this is considered one of the most popular tourist attractions in the Bahamas. 

The Hermitage on Cat Island

March 27 - After another onboard gourmet breakfast,  we blasted up the west coast of Cat Island in 25 knot winds at boat speeds topping 9 knots. We were planning on going to Arthur's Town near the north end of the island; however, since we were making such good time we decided to journey on towards Eluthera Island by sailing to Little San Salvadore Island. In 1997 Little San Salvador Island was purchased in buy the Holland American Cruise Line for $6 million and the once remote and unspoiled cruising destination was made private and parts of the island were turned into a playground and faux Bahamian village for cruise ship passengers. While upon arrival we were aghast at the appearance of the once pristine bay cluttered with cheesy cruise line amusement park buildings, we were happy no cruise ships were in port with jet skis and parasailing speed boats buzzing all over. We read that the ships and their hordes were usually gone by 1600 and that you could anchor off the beach while there were no guests present. We just don't get the whole cruise ship scene and these fake cruise stops.

Little San Salvador Resort

Captain napping after a hard day of sailing.

Captain awakening for the ritual sunset conch blowing.

Sunset over Little San Salvador.

Savoring our last month

We have spent the last few days realizing our time here in paradise is limited and we need to start thinking about working our way back to the US coast by early April.  There is still so much to see south and east of Georgetown, but a visit to the far southeast Bahamas will have to wait for another time. 

Chris Parker (remember, the weatherman on SSB radio that has Tim waking most mornings at 6:30 ) called for a significant blow in the coming three days and we were at Little Farmers Cay which is not well protected from the N winds that were predicted. Tim spent the morning jogging around the island and interviewing local island characters to produce a show for Portsmouth Community Radio, while I made lobster salad from last nights grilled tails and enjoyed an hour of yoga on the bow. As usual the day was slipping by and the winds were building as were the seas. We decided to pull the anchor and head south to Lee Stocking Island, a favorite spot to resupply our coconut stash. We had 3 hours to sunset and 18 miles to travel. Luckily the winds were favorable at 20-25 with following seas at 6-8 feet as we scoot down the coast to Adderly Cut. As is our protocol, we plan for the worse and hope for the best and once again the "Kuivato Effect" provided for a fabulous sail into the harbor as the sun was setting with one of the abandoned Caribbean Marine Research Center moorings waiting for us. Last time we were here we heard from the island caretaker that the island had been bought by French investors. During this visit "No Trespassing" signs were now  posted on the dock; it's likely in the near future the island will not be accessible to the public, unfortunately like so many other Exumas islands which are being bought by the world's richest and becoming off limits to the public.

As we consider how we want to spend our last month cruising and how far south to go, we need to seriously consider having favorable winds and weather windows for our journey north back to the US mid-Atlantic coast where we will most likely leave the boat for a month before completing the trip north in warmer weather. 

After collecting a bag of coconuts we left Lee Stocking through Adderly Cut and encountered our first significant "rage" in the cut, where the wind blowing in against an opposing outgoing tide creates steep square waves. At times we wonder if our little 30HP diesel engine and  two-bladed propellor would be enough to propel Kuivato through the cut, but as usual we make it through, though a lot wetter than we anticipated. We turned southeast for George Town and had another rip roaring sail and this time anchored off of Volleyball Beach where all the action happens.  We reprovisioned in George Town and met up with friends Judith and Phil aboard Civitas for a dinner of conch ceviche and lobster salad. 

The next morning we heard about a talk given by a couple who compete in and teach free diving. Ashley and Ren have their company, Evolve Free Diving and Ashley is a three time World Record holder for freediving with no fins. We participated in their day long course which was 2-3 hours of didactic that was safety and technical oriented with a good balance. We then went into waste deep water and practiced our breathing techniques where Tim amazingly was able to breath hold underwater for 4 minutes; I was happy with my 2:15 minutes. Later in the afternoon we went to one of the Stocking Island mooring holes where Ashley and Ren had set up a series of lines for us to dive down. I was a bit nervous about the procedure but Ren was amazingly patient and Tim was close by as my safety. The experience was exhilerating and we practiced breath holding, diving and blackout safety techniques for nearly 3 hours until the sun set. 

Freediving lecture at Volleyball Beach on Stocking Island, Georgetown, Exumas.

Ashley and Ren spend much of the year in Long Island some 25 miles SE from George Town where the Deans Blue Hole is located. Deans is the deepest blue hole in the world at 660 feet and it holds many of the worlds biggest freediving competitions and where many of the world records are set. Of course we decided to go to freediving Mecca and see what this mysterious blue hole was all about. The sail over to Long Island from George Town at sunrise was glorious and fast averaging 7 knots. We anchored at Salt Pond in Thompson Bay by the Long Island Breeze resort which caters to cruisers. The next morning we set out hitch hiking for Deans Blue Hole, 20 miles south along this 80 mile long island. We have met some interesting locals hitch hiking over the past few months and love hearing their stories of the family islands.

We arrived at Deans mid morning after three rides to find William Tunbridge and his wife on the diving platform in the middle of the hole doing practice dives and working out. He is a world record holder and she is a master yoga teacher and they live and train here at Deans. We silently hiked around the hole taking in the unique beauty of the location. We watched in awe as William dove and his wife attained the most amazing yoga poses.

William and his wife training in the blue hole.

Deans Blue Hole

Deans Blue Hole from the air.

Diane in knee deep water, 660 feet to the bottom of the blue hole to left!

At the lip of the blue hole.

Preparing for a free dive.

We then donned our wet suits and snorkel gear and carefully explored. We were able to have conversation with William and his wife about the safety of swimming around the hole and learned that there is no current in the hole to be concerned about. They left and we were fortunate enough to have the place to ourselves for a couple of hours.  We dove down the line (albeit only 20-40 feet), took videos and simply soaked up the adventure. 

Diane diving down the line.

It was a spiritual experience snorkeling and diving in the hole knowing the bottom is over 600 feet below us. Hitch hiking back was a breeze and we met a young woman in her 20's who has been working with William to learn to free dive. She shared some  interesting stories about the blue hole and island life. We asked her mother who was driving how she liked living here on the islands and she responded, "We call it 'vacation life', where you work, but can go to the beach everyday, swim in warm waters, fish ......".  

Long Island is truly a friendly, laid back, and lovely island with some of the best facilities for provisioning we have seen, actually better than George Town in our opinion. We have also met some colorful sailors and shared good good food here on Long Island.

After three days at Salt Pond we left early afternoon for Calabash Bay or Joes Sound in the north of Long Island to get a head start on our crossing to Conception Island. The winds were E/NE about 15 knots.  We  were off the settlement of Simms with Diane at the helm when all of a sudden  we heard a bang and the jib came sliding down the bow stay. Did the jib halyard snap? Tim ran up to the bow and pulled the jib all the way down to find the nylon strap on the head of our new jib, where the halyard is attached, had chaffed through and parted. We diverted to Simms, anchored along a calm lee shore and up the mast Tim went in the bosuns chair to retrieve the halyard. One good thing is that it provided an opportunity to check the mast and other rigging on the way up. Tim pulled out the sail repair gear and an hour later a temporary strap was sewn on the sail and the jib was hauled back up, ready for the next days sail.

Failed Halyard Strap

Tim up the mast To retrieve the jib halyard.

We had dropped the anchor off the quiet little town center ( a government dock and a couple buildings) when promptly at 8 pm loud Bahamian music came booming across the water from a PA system at the dock basin.  Go figure, 20 miles of isolated coast line and we anchor directly off a local "family reunion" fundraiser. Every year the various islands have family reunions when islanders return to their respective family island for a weekend of festivities. This gathering was a fundraiser with food, drink and dance for their reunion this summer. We decided to row in to check it out and everyone was quite friendly plus the men helped to dangle Diane down the 8 foot boat basin wall to the dinghy. The volume of the music made it somewhat difficult to have conversation on the boat and went on until 2 am! Luckily we have earplugs and Diane can sleep through anything!

The next morning we were off to Conception Island with several other sailboats we saw approaching from the south. While we were having a lovely sail, the other boats were all motoring, something we have a hard time understanding; if you have a sailboat, why not sail? It was lovely beat into 15-20 knot winds and we arrived just before sunset to find only a couple powerboats in the large anchorage. For the first time in quite a while we began hearing birds sing. It wasn't until the morning during yoga on the bow that we realized we had been hearing the long tailed tropic birds. They have a beautiful welcoming song which seemed to greet us as we arrived and joined us for our morning exercise. The robins egg blue reflecting off the water on their underside was spectacular! It is difficult to capture the magnificence of the colors here in the Bahamas and here at Conception Island the hues are unlike anywhere we have been. The fine soft sand, water and air all felt like silk on our bodies.

Conception Island with Kuivato in the distance.

Kuivato in the clearest water we have seen.

After doing my routine of laps in these gloriously warm 80 degree crystal clear waters while Tim ran on the beach, we inflated the kayak, loaded iton the dinghy and motored  2 miles to the entrance of a mangrove lined tidal basin. We anchored the dinghy and jumped in the kayak to paddle up the basin a couple of miles. Immediately we saw sea turtles of all sizes scurrying away from the kayak. Apparently they are quite shy, and boy can they scoot fast! Along the trip we saw barracuda, sting rays, tons of conch, and a couple small sharks. We decided to drift snorkel part way back with "Baby K" (as we affectionately call the kayak, to "Little K", the dinghy) thinking we would see swim with the turtles. Unfortunately the turtles are smarter, really shy, or at least have better senses than do, we as we saw nothing but loads of conch of varying sizes. Later that afternoon we watch the sun setting behind Kuivato from the beach. Another day in paradise comes to a close. 

Kayaking at Conception.

Tim scuba diving at Conception Island, Diane free diving to take photos!