Thursday, December 29, 2011

Man-o-War Cay – East Bay

Today was the ‘best day ever’ since leaving Jacksonville. What made it so special was being met outside Man-o-War Cay cut by Barry and Barb on their 17 foot Whaler. They welcomed us to MOW and led us through the cut. They helped me with the mooring, a maneuver I have not done since 1997 at Catalina Island. After visiting for a while in our cockpit, we loaded into their Whaler, headed to the marina dock so they could show us around MOW Cay. Myron and I had our first conch burgers: cracked conch with buffalo sauce, lettuce, onion, tomato, and sweet potato fries on the side. It was fantastic. Are you hungry yet? Even though it tasted like “nap,” we rustled up some energy to tour part of the Cay. Barb and Barry showed us a church for Sunday and introduced us to a number of their friends. It is easy to see why Barb and Barry call this home. I may talk Myron into staying awhile, at least until our Australian friends on Clementine arrive.
We purchased internet for 30 days for this area. I am hoping it will allow us to post some pictures. The juvenile mahi caught on the Gulf Stream.
From Blogger Pictures
A stunning sunrise at Powell Cay.
From Blogger Pictures
Barb and me after a wonderful lunch at Bradleys.
From Blogger Pictures
Love to all,
Dena

Posted via wifi.
{GMST}26|35.416|N|077|00.126|W|Mooring|Man O War Cay{GEND}

Wednesday, December 28, 2011

Great Guana Cay – Little Joes Point

I thought the settlement at Green Turtle Cay was a quaint little town. As I mentioned, the people are incredibly friendly and on the whole quiet lovely. We anchored in White Sound. However, it is a very tight anchorage that allows little scope on the anchor rode, therefore it is not a place I can recommend if the winds might be in the 30’s. Even if you take a mooring, you will have several anchored boats around you that may drag.
The winds came on strong at about 2 am with thunderstorms. They quieted down to about 15-20 knots from the NNW when we left the sound in the morning. The wind direction was across Whale Cay Channel. It was a good romp down to and through the cut. The tide was at slack flood when we sailed through Whale Cay cut and just starting to ebb as we turned into Loggerhead Channel. It was rough, but manageable. We sailed right up to the anchorage. We had done so much motor sailing lately, I forgot how much I prefer to have the motor off.
Tonight the winds have clocked around to the NE and quieted down to just a breeze. It should be a much more enjoyable night although the low will be 59F.
We are out of our mahi mahi. We have plenty other food, we just so enjoy fresh fish that we are inspired to do something about it.
Love to all,
Dena
Posted via wifi.
{GMST}26|40.660|N|077|08.380|W|Anchored|Great Guana Cay{GEND}

Tuesday, December 27, 2011

Green Turtle Cay - White Sound

Late last night our anchorage turned uncomfortable when the winds clocked around to E and then SE. A lee shore makes for very little sleep in the night. At first light, we pulled up anchor and headed to Green Turtle Cay. We started to anchor on the outside of Green Turtle Cay, but the holding ground is quite poor and even our Manson dragged easily. Myron was able to reach Barry over in Man O War via the VHF and get local knowledge about the entrance to White Sound. So we proceeded into that protected area to anchor and prepare the dinghy for Myron's ride to the Custom's office. We followed the instructions in the guide, I stayed on the boat and Myron went to Custom's alone. Alas, this was not what Custom's wanted however and Myron had to make two 2.5 mile trips in this wind, a wet and wild ride, one without me and the second one with me.
On our trip together, we walked around a little, found some homemade ice cream and paid a bundle for it. It was a nice treat to enjoy while we sat on a dock of the bay and watched the comings and goings. The people here are incredibly friendly, locals and cruisers.
Apparently weather conditions are right for 'rage' at the cuts, which means we are here for a short duration. 'Rage on the bar' is the local term for steep, confused overfalling seas due to contrary winds and strong tidal currents between islands. Now that we are checked in, we can explore the island and fish wherever. However, at this point the only agenda item we have is to take a nap!
Love to all,
Dena

Posted via Ham Radio.
{GMST}26|46.772|N|077|20.158|W|Anchored|Green Turtle Cay{GEND}

Monday, December 26, 2011

Powell Cay

Yesterday was a day off and a time of celebration for the birth of Christ our Savior. We realized that we have not had a day off from working on or sailing/moving Hold Fast since Thanksgiving. Before that, with the exception of an entire Sunday with the Clearmans, the last day we had taken off was to walk around Cumberland Island November 3. We spent time with as many friends in Jacksonville as could be arranged during our stay. It was great to see so many good folks and I miss all of you already. We also accomplished quite a bit on Hold Fast. To give you an idea, here are several of things we listed out: replaced primary bilge pump, installed new secondary diesel fuel filter, new hydraulic steering ram and new mount, transmission oil change, new coil for outboard, new stabilizer fins for outboard, outboard transmission oil change, new mizzen installed with reefing lines, new mizzen stack pack made and installed along with mizzen topping lift, fabricated moisture barrier for aft cabin mattress, fabricate dinghy chaps, install new barometer and clock (these were our Christmas gifts!), install new auto pilot, install new alternator and revise mount, change out jerry can boards – oh, and a new passport for Dena…No wonder we are tired! There were still items on our list that did not get completed, one of those projects has now become a priority: side shade screens. Wow the UV here is intense! It make us thankful to have our hard top.
Today we pulled up anchor before dawn and re-positioned close to Green Turtle Cay. This place is called Powell Cay. We took shelter on the southern side due to a slight breeze out of the north. It is not quite as much the ‘middle of nowhere’ as Great Sale Cay, but we are all by ourselves out here. Still, we managed to get a faint internet signal and Myron was able to repair a problem in our Ham email account. The error (a corrupted weather file from NOAA) was not letting us receive any Ham emails, which includes all the weather reports. We thank God to have that resolved.
Our plan is to pull up anchor early again tomorrow, get to Green Turtle Cay and check-in. Hopefully check-in will happen before noon. After that, who knows!
Posted via wifi.
{GMST}26|53.256|N|077|28.486|W|Anchored|Powell Cay{GEND}

Sunday, December 25, 2011

Merry Christmas!

We wish all of you a Merry Christmas!

We are still anchored peacefully in Great Sale Cay, nothing is happened too quickly on board right now. We plan to pull some wind gribs with the Ham radio and figure out next steps. Last night there were eight boats anchored here, and one had Christmas lights on for a while!
This morning we had coffee, biscuits and read the Christmas story according to the gospel of Luke (1:26-2:39). Like the angels and shepherds, we give glory to God in the highest and we join Simeon and Anna in giving thanks to God for bringing the light unto the world and the gift of salvation through Jesus Christ.
May the true meaning of Christmas warm your heart and soul today and everyday.
Love to all,
Dena

Saturday, December 24, 2011

Great Sale Cay, Northwest Harbour

Woo hoo, we are here!! I think Myron did a great job timing the weather window. Crossing the Gulf Stream during the daylight hours gave an opportunity for fishing. He pulled in a juvenile feisty bull Mahi. To our dismay, he also caught in a black plastic trash bag. Our pace was slower than we had hoped which put us at the Matanilla Shoal waypoint after sundown. Still that was an easier approach in pitch dark than exiting St. Lucie's in daylight. I told Myron I really never want to do that inlet again, ever. We were surrounded by all kinds and sizes of fishing boats with fishermen that had been locked down due to weather. These guys were seriously itching to get on the stream. That gung ho convoy of vessels was actually helpful in identifying the channel. I want to note that the inlet is not charted due to its continuous change and shoaling, there is discussion of ceasing to maintain it due to the cost. The inlet was worked up which can make our depth sounder reluctant to give us a reading. I kept running the inlet with the last reading flashing at 13 feet, when suddenly our shallow depth warning went off and the sounder read 3.5 feet. I was sure we were going aground, no matter which way I turned it seemed nothing improved. We were followed by a trawler and he matched my erratic moves, probably assuming that if a sailboat could make it, he could too. We made it, and I think it was by the grace of God.
It was a pleasant crossing. The winds were light, 10 knots or less, out of the ESE. We motor sailed with jib and full main. As the wind lightened, we reefed the main to keep it from flogging itself. The jib was reefed and sheeted inside the rigging. Before sundown the winds increased and turned more SE, which improved our speed. At one point, we had 40 degrees correction on the helm to maintain course against the stream. On my watch, the compass typically read 120 degrees and our actual heading per the GPS was 85 degrees. You have got to respect the stream!
After we crossed onto the banks, the swell quieted down substantially and the winds lessened further. We went through patches of fog and had to put the sails away as they became more of a hindrance than help. We took diver Paul's advice and worked our way about 20 miles onto the banks and found a 15-16 foot shoal to set anchor and wait for sunrise. We did not go to bed right away because we were so taken by the vastness of the stars, the Milky Way and the planets. Jupiter gave a reflection on the water that reached right to Hold Fast.
A hot shower, a couple hours of sleep and we were back in route to Great Sale Cay. It was absolutely peaceful on the banks. Myron put some lines in the water but all we caught was floating grass. We dropped anchor here about 1 pm, settled in and had a tasty meal of that juvenile Mahi with rice and asparagus. That meal is about to be topped off with Hershey kisses that Shari and Paul brought us from China. Dessert treats from China consumed in the Bahamas, who knew? We are figuring out where we want to head and when. The 'plan' is to work our way to Green Turtle Cay to check in. For now though, I am going outside to enjoy this most incredibly gorgeous day!
Love to all,
Dena

Posted via Ham radio.
{GMST}26|58.732|N|078|13.079|W|Anchored|Great Sale Cay{GEND}

Anchored

Hey All, Dena dropped the hook around 1:00am allowing us to get some sleep we are moving on to Sales Cay today.
Peace to all
Myron
Posted via Ham radio.
{GMST}27|10.140|N|078|45.863|W|Anchored|Little Bahamas Bank{GEND}

Friday, December 23, 2011

Half way

Hey All, we sailed out of St. Lucie inlet this morning at 9:30 and are enjoying a beautiful crossing. We are motor-sailing in 10 kts of wind.
Got to go a fish is on!
Myron

Posted via Ham radio.
{GMST}27|12.203|N|079|38.037|W|Crossing|Half Way{GEND}

Thursday, December 22, 2011

Resting and Waiting

Although this was not our planned route, we managed to enjoy ourselves coming south on the ICW. The ICW has been less frustrating south of Ponce de Leon due to two primary reasons: (1) the course is relatively straight as opposed to the repeated hairpins up in Georgia, and (2) the majority of bridges are fixed at 65’ as opposed to draw bridges with timed openings. If any of you are thinking about coming this way, we highly recommend a stop at Vero Beach Municipal Marina. We took a morning there last night, rafted up with ‘Dream Weaver’ a 42 foot Catalina. Taking a mooring is one thing, but we had never rafter up on a mooring before, and the winds were making Dream Weaver hunt back and forth. Since Frank and Patty were not home on Dream Weaver when we arrived, Skip on ‘Ducks in a Row’, a 46’ Hylas, took sympathy on us and lent us a hand. He boarded Dream Weaver to take our lines and it all worked out splendid. We were ever so grateful for Skip’s help. Later on we met Skip’s wife, Betsy and their miniature long-hair dachshund puppy, Drake. I discovered that Betsy was still in the compliance field in investment banking. It was fun talking, such a small world.
We met a number of great people at the marina, as well as on the free bus ride we took to Publix. It is easy to provision, go to the beach, the movies, restaurants, Tiffany’s for Boaters (West Marine), do laundry, drop off trash, get water. Wow, I can see why Vero Beach has earned the nickname ‘Velcro Beach!’ I liked that place, and I would go back.
This morning we topped off with diesel and water and made way for St. Lucie’s. We had an exciting moment attempting to enter the anchorage on the north side of the causeway. The charts indicate an 8 foot depth, but we saw it rise up to 4 feet and had to quickly move out of there (we draw 5 feet). We are now anchored on the south side of the causeway, a little choppy in the SE winds, but Hold Fast can handle it. Here we will wait for a weather window to cross over to the Bahamas. We are listening to Chris’ weather in the mornings and I would imagine there will be others crossing when Chris says it is favorable. Please pray for light winds from the south.
We heard from Kenny and Barb and they are doing great. It was a long four week crossing with little winds. They are currently in the Grenadines and Kenny is tempting us to meet them in Cartagena. As you all know, and as we responded to Kenny, we just do not know our long term plans. Goodness, we are barely managing short-term plans which, right now, only extends to what we are having for dinner!
Love to all,
Dena

Posted via wifi.
{GMST}27|14.972|N|080|13.284|W|Anchored|Jensen Beach{GEND}

Wednesday, December 21, 2011

Vero Beach

Posted via Ham radio.
{GMST}27|39.604|N|080|22.311|W|Mooring|Vero Beach{GEND}

Tuesday, December 20, 2011

Malabar

There were very few boats on the ICW today. Maybe it is because most folks do not go out in this weather and take 15 to 20 knots on the nose, or maybe it is just because most folks are already where they planned to be for Christmas. In any case, we do not mind a smaller crowd and we learned not to make plans about where to be on any date. All we want for Christmas are fair winds and/or a good anchorage!

Only one draw bridge today, all the others were fixed with 65' clearance. For a few hours we had a little of the jib out, sheeted inside the rigging. It gained us half a knot.

For tonight's anchorage, we tucked in behind a spoil island just south of Melbourne. The wind is still blowing strong and the islands protect us from the fetch. There are only about four other boats anchored in this area. We just finished a nice steak dinner and are hoping for a solid night's sleep before we press on tomorrow. We can hear the ocean from here, must be quite a sea breaking.

Love to all,
Dena

Posted via Ham radio.
{GMST}27|59.357|N|080|32.817|W|Heading South|Malabar{GEND}

Monday, December 19, 2011

Titusville at Sunset

Several times today we gave thanks to God our timing was such as to be able to duck into Ponce de Leon inlet when the winds went contrary on us. I say that because last night and today the winds were 15 to 20 out of the SE, almost exactly our intended direction on the outside. Going into the wind on the ICW is much more manageable!

We also thanked God that we did not run Hold Fast aground working to get to our anchorage in the wee hours of this morning. We do our best to keep rested during our off watch, but once at anchor this morning and in our regular aft cabin bed, we slept solid from 5 am until about 9 am. Then we heard calls on the radio about a sailboat that was aground on the very corner we were negotiating just before 3 am. It was low tide around 9 am, by the time we had coffee, discussed next destinations and pulled up anchor, the sailboat was free and on its way.

Our miles made today were better than we imagined, although slow going due to the wind on the nose. We got the anchor down off of Titusville just before sunset. Now it is time to make some well deserved dinner and get a more reasonable amount of sleep.

Love to all,
Dena

Posted via Ham radio.
{GMST}28|37.793|N|080|48.582|W|Heading South|Titusville{GEND}

Rockhouse Creek

Hey all we anchored in Rockhouse Creek at 4:00am ouch!
Oh well, down the ICW.
Myron
Posted via wifi.
{GMST}29|03.663|N|080|55.896|W|Heading for Ponce|Rockhouse Creek{GEND}

Heading For Ponce Inlet

Well it was a great ride while it lasted. The winds have moved to the south east so we are heading for Ponce and the ICW.
Myron
Posted via wifi.
{GMST}29|15.964|N|080|43.830|W|Heading for Ponce|Bahamas Bound{GEND}

Sunday, December 18, 2011

(no subject)

We got off the dock this morning at 6:30 made good time to Mayport.
Myron
Posted via Ham radio.
{GMST}30|18.984|N|081|18.977|W|Heading South|Bahamas Bound{GEND}