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was a real concern.
BV19: HOW TO RIG A WHISKER POLE How We Rig the Whisker Pole On Our Boat. 1. Check the integrity and functionality of the pole and its pull line (the line that runs the length of the pole and is used to open the mouth of the pole from afar). Look to make sure there are no major chafe points in the line, or areas where the line looks like it NOTORIOUS NORMAN’S CAY Lehder eventually constructed a 3,300-foot (1,000 m) long runway for his fleet of smuggling aircraft. To protect the island, he planted armed guards and attack dogs all along the beaches and runway, as well as radar to identify and fend off any pilot foolish enough to try andland there.
SEPTEMBER 2016
September 28, 2016. September 28, 2016. anniedike. “If we snap one of those battens, I don’t have a spare,” Yannick tells the crew after we put in the third reef. Thankfully the storm off the tip of Florida was intense but very brief, lasting a grand total of NEW ANCHOR: SARCA EXCEL NO. 4 (37-LBS) New Anchor: Sarca Excel No. 4 (37-lbs) – Research and Selection. Ask 10 sailboat owners what is the best anchor and you will get 20 opinions. One, because we are opinionated (because this is important stuff!) and two, because—as is the case with almost everything in boating, it’s a compromise—it’s hard to say which single anchoris
HAVE WIND WILL TRAVEL Then a noise trickled in through the dorade and she thought she heard banter; “ Shh ” a muffled voice said, “we’re not supposed to be here at night.”. Then through the lee boards, shoes and pant legs caught her sight. Worried Plaintiff’s Rest was, the clatterers had come aboard to steal like a vixen. BOOKS – HAVE WIND WILL TRAVEL Time. It’s slipping. No, it’s skittering, skyrocketing away. Whatever new warp speed we have found ourselves in—be it a product of COVID, today’s information-overload era, the rapidity of global change, or just age (I’m almost forty)—it has told Phillip and I one thing: If the world can change entirely tomorrow, it matters more than ever how you spend today. CREW – HAVE WIND WILL TRAVEL Annie and Phillip, my wife Debbie and I sail our Ericson “Easy” in the same places you do so I’m sure we’ll run into you guys. We are at Island Cove and have logged a little over 1000 nautical miles a year since buying her in March three years ago. LEAVING PALAFOX MARINA … MAYBE FOREVER Leaving Palafox Marina . Maybe Forever. I can’t tell you how many times Phillip and I have left Palafox Marina, whether it was headed out to our favorite anchorage, Ft. McRee, or just for a day sail, or sometimes to shoot all the way out into the Gulf and head south to the Keys, Cuba, the Bahamas, or beyond. There was always a sense of ROT NOT! ARTICLE IN SAIL MAGAZINE Thanks Frank. I had honestly forgot that one was coming out in June (I wrote it over a year ago), but I was so excited to see it. Phillip brought home the issue saying there was a surprise for me in it, and I thought it might be a mention in someone else’s article. MARCH 2013 – HAVE WIND WILL TRAVEL It was a great sail and a great day that told Phillip and I that sailing was going to be, had to be, a big part of our future. We didn’t end up getting that boat. It was a bit out of our price range and while probably worth the money (that was a quality vessel), it wouldn’t have left us much cash in the kitty to sail on, and thatwas a real concern.
BV19: HOW TO RIG A WHISKER POLE How We Rig the Whisker Pole On Our Boat. 1. Check the integrity and functionality of the pole and its pull line (the line that runs the length of the pole and is used to open the mouth of the pole from afar). Look to make sure there are no major chafe points in the line, or areas where the line looks like it NOTORIOUS NORMAN’S CAY Lehder eventually constructed a 3,300-foot (1,000 m) long runway for his fleet of smuggling aircraft. To protect the island, he planted armed guards and attack dogs all along the beaches and runway, as well as radar to identify and fend off any pilot foolish enough to try andland there.
SEPTEMBER 2016
September 28, 2016. September 28, 2016. anniedike. “If we snap one of those battens, I don’t have a spare,” Yannick tells the crew after we put in the third reef. Thankfully the storm off the tip of Florida was intense but very brief, lasting a grand total of NEW ANCHOR: SARCA EXCEL NO. 4 (37-LBS) New Anchor: Sarca Excel No. 4 (37-lbs) – Research and Selection. Ask 10 sailboat owners what is the best anchor and you will get 20 opinions. One, because we are opinionated (because this is important stuff!) and two, because—as is the case with almost everything in boating, it’s a compromise—it’s hard to say which single anchoris
GET ON BOARD
Curious about cruising? Come aboard! At HaveWindWillTravel.com, we are creating cruisers, one dreamer at a time by sharing our story through books, blogs and videos, touring other boats and our Gifts of Cruising that we previously gave through Patreon. If you love sailing videos, we produced five seasons on YouTube documenting our initial cruising days, our three-month stint in the shipyard BOAT – HAVE WIND WILL TRAVEL Boat. A 35-foot Hinterhoeller Niagara built in 1985, Plaintiff’s Rest is a classic sailing vessel fit to satisfy any sailor’s thirst for blue water. She is moderately heavy (don’t worry, unlike women of the human variety, she takes that as a compliment) so she pointswell and holds a
ROT NOT! ARTICLE IN SAIL MAGAZINE Thanks Frank. I had honestly forgot that one was coming out in June (I wrote it over a year ago), but I was so excited to see it. Phillip brought home the issue saying there was a surprise for me in it, and I thought it might be a mention in someone else’s article. PLAINTIFF’S REST OVERHAUL Plaintiff’s Rest Overhaul – The Short List. May 5, 2021 anniedike. Time. It’s slipping. No, it’s skittering, skyrocketing away. Whatever new warp speed we have found ourselves in—be it a product of COVID, today’s information-overload era, the rapidity of global change, or just age (I’m almost forty)—it has told Phillip and Ione
TAKE A VIRTUAL TRIP WITH US! TO OUR FAVORITE ISLAND IN THE I’ll tell you, it was really tough for Phillip and I to leave Spanish Wells, but we were excited to venture out on what we expected to be our longest passage yet on Plaintiff’s Rest on an 8-10 day run offshore on the “I65” route from Eleuthera down to the BVIs.Boy, do we have some doozies toLAZY GECKO SAILING
Once she’s on board in principle, get her (comfortably and confidently) on board in practice with sailing lessons and continued training and teaching together. “Put her behind the helm!” says Linus Wilson. “Make her retrieve a cushion,” says Pam Wall. “Getover your fear of
ATTACHING SOLAR PANELS TO BIMINI With the Velcro outlines in place, we were ready to slap some panels on the bimini! While the decision to stitch the Velcro onto the bimini was an easy one (it’s canvas, that’s a no-brainer), how, exactly, to attach the Velcro to the panels was another story. Although the panels we bought (the Renogy monocrystalline) are technicallyCAPTAIN’S QUIZ!
A. the last vessel in the tow. B. the last vessel in the tow and it is carrying a crew. C. manned, regardless of its position in the tow. D. None of the above are correct. I can’t wait to see how you guys did. While much of this stuff has been intuitive, and I’m thankful for my time on the water which taught me these things via so-called LET’S TALK ABOUT THIS CAPTAIN’S EXAM So, the “Captain-in-a-Box” package I purchased from Mariner’s Learning System consists of five study books (both hard copy and digital), which cover each topic on the exam with a practice exam at the end of each (hard copy and digital, so two practice tests for LET’S TALK ABOUT THIS CAPTAIN’S PAPERWORK Let’s Talk About This Captain’s Paperwork. My, my, the paperwork for this thing! It was almost as hard to complete as the Captain’s License exam. Okay, not really. That exam was no freaking joke. But the paperwork was a bit of a hurdle to overcome too. Applicant Annie, mailing off her paperwork September 13, 2017. HAVE WIND WILL TRAVEL Then a noise trickled in through the dorade and she thought she heard banter; “ Shh ” a muffled voice said, “we’re not supposed to be here at night.”. Then through the lee boards, shoes and pant legs caught her sight. Worried Plaintiff’s Rest was, the clatterers had come aboard to steal like a vixen. CREW – HAVE WIND WILL TRAVEL Captain – Phillip Plaintiff’s Rest is aptly captained by the one and only Phillip. A true sailor, Phillip comes from a long line of avid boaters and spent a good number of his childhood days out o PLAINTIFF’S REST OVERHAUL Plaintiff’s Rest Overhaul – The Short List. May 5, 2021 anniedike. Time. It’s slipping. No, it’s skittering, skyrocketing away. Whatever new warp speed we have found ourselves in—be it a product of COVID, today’s information-overload era, the rapidity of global change, or just age (I’m almost forty)—it has told Phillip and Ione
LEAVING PALAFOX MARINA … MAYBE FOREVER Leaving Palafox Marina . Maybe Forever. I can’t tell you how many times Phillip and I have left Palafox Marina, whether it was headed out to our favorite anchorage, Ft. McRee, or just for a day sail, or sometimes to shoot all the way out into the Gulf and head south to the Keys, Cuba, the Bahamas, or beyond. There was always a sense of BV19: HOW TO RIG A WHISKER POLE How We Rig the Whisker Pole On Our Boat. 1. Check the integrity and functionality of the pole and its pull line (the line that runs the length of the pole and is used to open the mouth of the pole from afar). Look to make sure there are no major chafe points in the line, or areas where the line looks like it MARCH 2013 – HAVE WIND WILL TRAVEL It was a great sail and a great day that told Phillip and I that sailing was going to be, had to be, a big part of our future. We didn’t end up getting that boat. It was a bit out of our price range and while probably worth the money (that was a quality vessel), it wouldn’t have left us much cash in the kitty to sail on, and thatwas a real concern.
NOTORIOUS NORMAN’S CAY Lehder eventually constructed a 3,300-foot (1,000 m) long runway for his fleet of smuggling aircraft. To protect the island, he planted armed guards and attack dogs all along the beaches and runway, as well as radar to identify and fend off any pilot foolish enough to try andland there.
LET’S TALK ABOUT THIS CAPTAIN’S EXAM We’ll get there. First, let’s talk about this Captain’s Exam. Had I known exactly what it was going to be like going in, I would have approached my studies in a completely different manner. And, it was partially on a stroke of wild luck in the last two days before the exam that I took the steps that actually enabled me to pass.SEPTEMBER 2016
September 28, 2016. September 28, 2016. anniedike. “If we snap one of those battens, I don’t have a spare,” Yannick tells the crew after we put in the third reef. Thankfully the storm off the tip of Florida was intense but very brief, lasting a grand total of STEVE SMITH MOBILE RIGGING June 3, 2014. June 2, 2014. anniedike. It wasn’t ten minutes after we hung up with Steve that we had the engine cranked and warming. We were pulling our dock line off of the mooring ball to head over to the SMMR, Inc. shop on Salt Creek so Steve could have a look at our busted Jenny swivel. We could tell Steve was real sharp over the phone. HAVE WIND WILL TRAVEL Then a noise trickled in through the dorade and she thought she heard banter; “ Shh ” a muffled voice said, “we’re not supposed to be here at night.”. Then through the lee boards, shoes and pant legs caught her sight. Worried Plaintiff’s Rest was, the clatterers had come aboard to steal like a vixen. CREW – HAVE WIND WILL TRAVEL Captain – Phillip Plaintiff’s Rest is aptly captained by the one and only Phillip. A true sailor, Phillip comes from a long line of avid boaters and spent a good number of his childhood days out o PLAINTIFF’S REST OVERHAUL Plaintiff’s Rest Overhaul – The Short List. May 5, 2021 anniedike. Time. It’s slipping. No, it’s skittering, skyrocketing away. Whatever new warp speed we have found ourselves in—be it a product of COVID, today’s information-overload era, the rapidity of global change, or just age (I’m almost forty)—it has told Phillip and Ione
LEAVING PALAFOX MARINA … MAYBE FOREVER Leaving Palafox Marina . Maybe Forever. I can’t tell you how many times Phillip and I have left Palafox Marina, whether it was headed out to our favorite anchorage, Ft. McRee, or just for a day sail, or sometimes to shoot all the way out into the Gulf and head south to the Keys, Cuba, the Bahamas, or beyond. There was always a sense of BV19: HOW TO RIG A WHISKER POLE How We Rig the Whisker Pole On Our Boat. 1. Check the integrity and functionality of the pole and its pull line (the line that runs the length of the pole and is used to open the mouth of the pole from afar). Look to make sure there are no major chafe points in the line, or areas where the line looks like it MARCH 2013 – HAVE WIND WILL TRAVEL It was a great sail and a great day that told Phillip and I that sailing was going to be, had to be, a big part of our future. We didn’t end up getting that boat. It was a bit out of our price range and while probably worth the money (that was a quality vessel), it wouldn’t have left us much cash in the kitty to sail on, and thatwas a real concern.
NOTORIOUS NORMAN’S CAY Lehder eventually constructed a 3,300-foot (1,000 m) long runway for his fleet of smuggling aircraft. To protect the island, he planted armed guards and attack dogs all along the beaches and runway, as well as radar to identify and fend off any pilot foolish enough to try andland there.
LET’S TALK ABOUT THIS CAPTAIN’S EXAM We’ll get there. First, let’s talk about this Captain’s Exam. Had I known exactly what it was going to be like going in, I would have approached my studies in a completely different manner. And, it was partially on a stroke of wild luck in the last two days before the exam that I took the steps that actually enabled me to pass.SEPTEMBER 2016
September 28, 2016. September 28, 2016. anniedike. “If we snap one of those battens, I don’t have a spare,” Yannick tells the crew after we put in the third reef. Thankfully the storm off the tip of Florida was intense but very brief, lasting a grand total of STEVE SMITH MOBILE RIGGING June 3, 2014. June 2, 2014. anniedike. It wasn’t ten minutes after we hung up with Steve that we had the engine cranked and warming. We were pulling our dock line off of the mooring ball to head over to the SMMR, Inc. shop on Salt Creek so Steve could have a look at our busted Jenny swivel. We could tell Steve was real sharp over the phone. CREW – HAVE WIND WILL TRAVEL Annie and Phillip, my wife Debbie and I sail our Ericson “Easy” in the same places you do so I’m sure we’ll run into you guys. We are at Island Cove and have logged a little over 1000 nautical miles a year since buying her in March three years ago.GET ON BOARD
Curious about cruising? Come aboard! At HaveWindWillTravel.com, we are creating cruisers, one dreamer at a time by sharing our story through books, blogs and videos, touring other boats and our Gifts of Cruising that we previously gave through Patreon. If you love sailing videos, we produced five seasons on YouTube documenting our initial cruising days, our three-month stint in the shipyard BOAT – HAVE WIND WILL TRAVEL Boat. A 35-foot Hinterhoeller Niagara built in 1985, Plaintiff’s Rest is a classic sailing vessel fit to satisfy any sailor’s thirst for blue water. She is moderately heavy (don’t worry, unlike women of the human variety, she takes that as a compliment) so she pointswell and holds a
ROT NOT! ARTICLE IN SAIL MAGAZINE Thanks Frank. I had honestly forgot that one was coming out in June (I wrote it over a year ago), but I was so excited to see it. Phillip brought home the issue saying there was a surprise for me in it, and I thought it might be a mention in someone else’s article. ENGINE CRANK FAIL! (AN ORDEAL OR Engine Crank FAIL! (An Ordeal or an Adventure?) March 17, 2021 anniedike. Got a question for you. How many times have you started a story with: “Remember that time I did everything right?”. Not many, I would assume. The best stories, mine at least, typically start with: “Oh man, remember that time I screwed everything up?” . ATTACHING SOLAR PANELS TO BIMINI With the Velcro outlines in place, we were ready to slap some panels on the bimini! While the decision to stitch the Velcro onto the bimini was an easy one (it’s canvas, that’s a no-brainer), how, exactly, to attach the Velcro to the panels was another story. Although the panels we bought (the Renogy monocrystalline) are technicallyAUTO-PILOT FAILURE
This crew member, in particular, is a little crazy. Dancing at the helm is the absolute best way to hold a hand-steering shift. We weren’t even sure, yet, whether the auto-pilot could be repaired in the Azores and Yannick was rightfully leery of docking his 46-footcatamaran.
LET’S TALK ABOUT THIS CAPTAIN’S EXAM So, the “Captain-in-a-Box” package I purchased from Mariner’s Learning System consists of five study books (both hard copy and digital), which cover each topic on the exam with a practice exam at the end of each (hard copy and digital, so two practice tests for STRANDED NAKED IN THE BAHAMAS?? July 3rd is the famous Stranded Naked, Cheeseburger in Paradise party (although I’ve been advised we do wear clothes — bummer!). I will help crew the July 4th Green Turtle race and the July 6th Treasure Cay to Guana Cay race then fly from Marsh Harbour back to Ft. Lauderdale.Red = cab.
LET’S TALK ABOUT THIS CAPTAIN’S PAPERWORK Let’s Talk About This Captain’s Paperwork. My, my, the paperwork for this thing! It was almost as hard to complete as the Captain’s License exam. Okay, not really. That exam was no freaking joke. But the paperwork was a bit of a hurdle to overcome too. Applicant Annie, mailing off her paperwork September 13, 2017. HAVE WIND WILL TRAVEL Then a noise trickled in through the dorade and she thought she heard banter; “ Shh ” a muffled voice said, “we’re not supposed to be here at night.”. Then through the lee boards, shoes and pant legs caught her sight. Worried Plaintiff’s Rest was, the clatterers had come aboard to steal like a vixen. PLAINTIFF’S REST OVERHAUL Plaintiff’s Rest Overhaul – The Short List. May 5, 2021 anniedike. Time. It’s slipping. No, it’s skittering, skyrocketing away. Whatever new warp speed we have found ourselves in—be it a product of COVID, today’s information-overload era, the rapidity of global change, or just age (I’m almost forty)—it has told Phillip and Ione
LEAVING PALAFOX MARINA … MAYBE FOREVER Leaving Palafox Marina . Maybe Forever. I can’t tell you how many times Phillip and I have left Palafox Marina, whether it was headed out to our favorite anchorage, Ft. McRee, or just for a day sail, or sometimes to shoot all the way out into the Gulf and head south to the Keys, Cuba, the Bahamas, or beyond. There was always a sense of MARCH 2013 – HAVE WIND WILL TRAVEL It was a great sail and a great day that told Phillip and I that sailing was going to be, had to be, a big part of our future. We didn’t end up getting that boat. It was a bit out of our price range and while probably worth the money (that was a quality vessel), it wouldn’t have left us much cash in the kitty to sail on, and thatwas a real concern.
BV19: HOW TO RIG A WHISKER POLE How We Rig the Whisker Pole On Our Boat. 1. Check the integrity and functionality of the pole and its pull line (the line that runs the length of the pole and is used to open the mouth of the pole from afar). Look to make sure there are no major chafe points in the line, or areas where the line looks like it NOTORIOUS NORMAN’S CAY Lehder eventually constructed a 3,300-foot (1,000 m) long runway for his fleet of smuggling aircraft. To protect the island, he planted armed guards and attack dogs all along the beaches and runway, as well as radar to identify and fend off any pilot foolish enough to try andland there.
SEPTEMBER 2016
September 28, 2016. September 28, 2016. anniedike. “If we snap one of those battens, I don’t have a spare,” Yannick tells the crew after we put in the third reef. Thankfully the storm off the tip of Florida was intense but very brief, lasting a grand total of LET’S TALK ABOUT THIS CAPTAIN’S EXAM We’ll get there. First, let’s talk about this Captain’s Exam. Had I known exactly what it was going to be like going in, I would have approached my studies in a completely different manner. And, it was partially on a stroke of wild luck in the last two days before the exam that I took the steps that actually enabled me to pass. LET’S TALK ABOUT THIS CAPTAIN’S PAPERWORK Let’s Talk About This Captain’s Paperwork. My, my, the paperwork for this thing! It was almost as hard to complete as the Captain’s License exam. Okay, not really. That exam was no freaking joke. But the paperwork was a bit of a hurdle to overcome too. Applicant Annie, mailing off her paperwork September 13, 2017. STEVE SMITH MOBILE RIGGING June 3, 2014. June 2, 2014. anniedike. It wasn’t ten minutes after we hung up with Steve that we had the engine cranked and warming. We were pulling our dock line off of the mooring ball to head over to the SMMR, Inc. shop on Salt Creek so Steve could have a look at our busted Jenny swivel. We could tell Steve was real sharp over the phone. HAVE WIND WILL TRAVEL Then a noise trickled in through the dorade and she thought she heard banter; “ Shh ” a muffled voice said, “we’re not supposed to be here at night.”. Then through the lee boards, shoes and pant legs caught her sight. Worried Plaintiff’s Rest was, the clatterers had come aboard to steal like a vixen. PLAINTIFF’S REST OVERHAUL Plaintiff’s Rest Overhaul – The Short List. May 5, 2021 anniedike. Time. It’s slipping. No, it’s skittering, skyrocketing away. Whatever new warp speed we have found ourselves in—be it a product of COVID, today’s information-overload era, the rapidity of global change, or just age (I’m almost forty)—it has told Phillip and Ione
LEAVING PALAFOX MARINA … MAYBE FOREVER Leaving Palafox Marina . Maybe Forever. I can’t tell you how many times Phillip and I have left Palafox Marina, whether it was headed out to our favorite anchorage, Ft. McRee, or just for a day sail, or sometimes to shoot all the way out into the Gulf and head south to the Keys, Cuba, the Bahamas, or beyond. There was always a sense of MARCH 2013 – HAVE WIND WILL TRAVEL It was a great sail and a great day that told Phillip and I that sailing was going to be, had to be, a big part of our future. We didn’t end up getting that boat. It was a bit out of our price range and while probably worth the money (that was a quality vessel), it wouldn’t have left us much cash in the kitty to sail on, and thatwas a real concern.
BV19: HOW TO RIG A WHISKER POLE How We Rig the Whisker Pole On Our Boat. 1. Check the integrity and functionality of the pole and its pull line (the line that runs the length of the pole and is used to open the mouth of the pole from afar). Look to make sure there are no major chafe points in the line, or areas where the line looks like it NOTORIOUS NORMAN’S CAY Lehder eventually constructed a 3,300-foot (1,000 m) long runway for his fleet of smuggling aircraft. To protect the island, he planted armed guards and attack dogs all along the beaches and runway, as well as radar to identify and fend off any pilot foolish enough to try andland there.
SEPTEMBER 2016
September 28, 2016. September 28, 2016. anniedike. “If we snap one of those battens, I don’t have a spare,” Yannick tells the crew after we put in the third reef. Thankfully the storm off the tip of Florida was intense but very brief, lasting a grand total of LET’S TALK ABOUT THIS CAPTAIN’S EXAM We’ll get there. First, let’s talk about this Captain’s Exam. Had I known exactly what it was going to be like going in, I would have approached my studies in a completely different manner. And, it was partially on a stroke of wild luck in the last two days before the exam that I took the steps that actually enabled me to pass. LET’S TALK ABOUT THIS CAPTAIN’S PAPERWORK Let’s Talk About This Captain’s Paperwork. My, my, the paperwork for this thing! It was almost as hard to complete as the Captain’s License exam. Okay, not really. That exam was no freaking joke. But the paperwork was a bit of a hurdle to overcome too. Applicant Annie, mailing off her paperwork September 13, 2017. STEVE SMITH MOBILE RIGGING June 3, 2014. June 2, 2014. anniedike. It wasn’t ten minutes after we hung up with Steve that we had the engine cranked and warming. We were pulling our dock line off of the mooring ball to head over to the SMMR, Inc. shop on Salt Creek so Steve could have a look at our busted Jenny swivel. We could tell Steve was real sharp over the phone. BOOKS – HAVE WIND WILL TRAVEL Time. It’s slipping. No, it’s skittering, skyrocketing away. Whatever new warp speed we have found ourselves in—be it a product of COVID, today’s information-overload era, the rapidity of global change, or just age (I’m almost forty)—it has told Phillip and I one thing: If the world can change entirely tomorrow, it matters more than ever how you spend today. CREW – HAVE WIND WILL TRAVEL Annie and Phillip, my wife Debbie and I sail our Ericson “Easy” in the same places you do so I’m sure we’ll run into you guys. We are at Island Cove and have logged a little over 1000 nautical miles a year since buying her in March three years ago.GET ON BOARD
Curious about cruising? Come aboard! At HaveWindWillTravel.com, we are creating cruisers, one dreamer at a time by sharing our story through books, blogs and videos, touring other boats and our Gifts of Cruising that we previously gave through Patreon. If you love sailing videos, we produced five seasons on YouTube documenting our initial cruising days, our three-month stint in the shipyardOUR JOURNEY
Our Journey. Six years now Phillip and I have been sailing and sharing here at HaveWind, and—now, with our first Atlantic Circle complete—we’re often asked where all we have traveled by sailboat. Well, this should explain it! A six-year HaveWind animated-footage timeline as well as a HAVE WIND WILL TRAVEL It’s astounding. Between the vast, deep Atlantic on one side and the jewel-toned shallow basin of the Caribbean on the other. In between these two vast bodies of water stands one tiny hole, a cleft in the rocky shores connected by a single bridge. This “hole” is known as the Glass Window, and it BOAT – HAVE WIND WILL TRAVEL Boat. A 35-foot Hinterhoeller Niagara built in 1985, Plaintiff’s Rest is a classic sailing vessel fit to satisfy any sailor’s thirst for blue water. She is moderately heavy (don’t worry, unlike women of the human variety, she takes that as a compliment) so she pointswell and holds a
ATTACHING SOLAR PANELS TO BIMINI With the Velcro outlines in place, we were ready to slap some panels on the bimini! While the decision to stitch the Velcro onto the bimini was an easy one (it’s canvas, that’s a no-brainer), how, exactly, to attach the Velcro to the panels was another story. Although the panels we bought (the Renogy monocrystalline) are technically LET’S TALK ABOUT THIS CAPTAIN’S PAPERWORK Let’s Talk About This Captain’s Paperwork. My, my, the paperwork for this thing! It was almost as hard to complete as the Captain’s License exam. Okay, not really. That exam was no freaking joke. But the paperwork was a bit of a hurdle to overcome too. Applicant Annie, mailing off her paperwork September 13, 2017. LET’S TALK ABOUT THIS CAPTAIN’S EXAM So, the “Captain-in-a-Box” package I purchased from Mariner’s Learning System consists of five study books (both hard copy and digital), which cover each topic on the exam with a practice exam at the end of each (hard copy and digital, so two practice tests for STRANDED NAKED IN THE BAHAMAS?? July 3rd is the famous Stranded Naked, Cheeseburger in Paradise party (although I’ve been advised we do wear clothes — bummer!). I will help crew the July 4th Green Turtle race and the July 6th Treasure Cay to Guana Cay race then fly from Marsh Harbour back to Ft. Lauderdale.Red = cab.
HAVE WIND WILL TRAVEL Curious about cruising? Come aboard.Skip to content
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OUR FIRST TASTE OF THE EXUMAS: LIVING LARGE AT HIGHBOURNE CAY Posted on September 21, 2019by anniedike
While I feel very lucky Phillip and I cruised the Abacos last year when they were still intact, I feel even more lucky that in “blog time” I am now able to share the wonderful islands that still remain. I don’t mind saying it again—remember: The best way to help the Bahamas rebuild,
is to continue to visit the islands that were spared. And, why would you not? When this awaits! This was mine and Phillip’s first introduction to the Exuuuummmaaas: Highbourne Cay! If you recall our stop into Morgan’s Bluff on the north tip of Andros was an unexpected, but highly-rewarding, detour. We had been getting our teeth kicked in sailing into some rough winds coming out of the Northwest Providence Channel that were unexpectedly more south_east_ than south, the exact direction we would have to sail if we wanted to go directly to the Exumas from Bimini (which had been our original plan). But, go where the weather takes you, right? And Andros really wowed us, even with just a short overnight stay. As I mentioned previously, we are definitely planning to spend more time there this coming season and fully explore all that the Andros Barrier Reef has to offer! Our goal this past season, however, was to GET TO THE EXUMAS. Phillip and I had not cruised them yet, and we had heard from so many other cruisers how enchanting and unique they are. So, we said “See you later, Andros!” It was Exumas or bust.*
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And, wouldn’t you know it. Those winds that were bashing us around the day before laid down and shifted more to the south, allowing us to sail … for a bit … until they completely died. You know there are only three kinds of wind,
don’t you? What are you gonna do? We spent a wonderful day motoring across the Tongue of the Ocean, however, with the trolling line out, mind you. Thinking surely we would catch another nice whopping fish (now, when it was calm and we had nothing else to really do). But, no, the seas have quite the sense of humor. I’m starting to think there are only three types of fish, too: 1) the monsters that bite at the worst time; 2) the even bigger catches that would impress all your friends that never bite at all (or take your lure if they do); and 3) the little ones you catch often but they’re too small to keep. Would you agree? Phillip and I definitely would have loved to have another guy like this to have bitten when we were crossing the deep blue! But, fish. What are you gonna do? You’re going to eat wine and cheese instead! That’s what you’re going to do. We have plenty of that on-board, and a nice easy passage made for a nice wine, cheese, and book session. I believe I was reading _Where the Crawdads Sing _at that time. Could not put it down. Any of you read that one? Or let me know what your other favorite read has been recently. I absolutely devour books when we’re on passage. It’s my favorite time to read! : ) We eased into sunset and around the east tip of Nassau, where we really had to watch the AIS traffic. When we spent those threetorturous months
in the Pensacola Shipyard with Brandon at Perdido Sailor back in 2016, we installed AIS on the boat. Man, life on the hard. Those are some hard-earned, well-worth-it memories! Although we only receive AIS transmissions, we do not transmit, Phillip and I have found it to be a fantastic addition to the boat. I love (love, love!) that when it’s completely dark out, cloudy, with no moon or stars to light the horizon on a night passage, that at least AIS is looking out and showing me where the boats are. It is also immensely comforting to have AIS tell me how big the other ships are, which way they are going, and what our CPA (closest point of approach) is. Phillip and I will never regret the decision to install AIS. Also, this may sound silly to admit, but it is rather entertaining at night. Phillip and I hold two-hour shifts on and off and sometimes those two hours can tick by rather slowly. It’s kind of fun to click on AIS and see who else is out there, what is their ship name, how big is it, and even hale them on the radio if you need to communicate a safe passing. I was sure glad we had it, too, on my shift that night, as this is what Nassau looked like when we rounded the bend. A web of ships! We had set our sights on Highbourne Cay, one of the most northern of the Exumas and a good “dive in” point for the Exumas as they have a little marina there with fuel and a few sparse provisions. It would be the last marina we would see in the Exumas for a while, so we planned to drop the hook on the lee side of Highbourne Cay and spend a fun day exploring Highbourne and the surrounding islands. And the Exumas immediately began welcoming us with a glistening, dazzling show! As we started to near Highbourne Cay, the dark, deep water of the Tongue of the Ocean began to shallow and transform into this crystalline blue. It was absolutely stunning. Hard to believe our boat was swishing and swaying though such a breathtaking jeweledsurface.
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Phillip and I both couldn’t stop staring and taking pictures. Well, okay _I_ was the one taking the pictures. It’s tough being the ship’s historian. Someone’s gotta take all the selfies to prove we were there! : ) The folks at the Highbourne Cay Marina were super helpful and friendly and got us all topped up for our planned passages further down into the Exumas. We arrived fairly early in the morning with an open day ahead, which Phillip naturally filled with wonderful plans to dinghy a bit to the north up to South Allan’s Island and Iguana Beach. That man is the best trip planner; he always picks something fun, interesting, active, and usually delicious. I am one lucky gal I will tell you that. On the way up, we found a beautiful little reef to snorkel and threw out our trusty Mantus dinghy anchor. That thing is such an asset on the dinghy. Very well-designed, super functional, and—once dug in—mighty strong. The anchorage there at South Allan’s was stunning. Staying the night on the hook in there would feel like you have the world toyourself.
Well, you and the lizards! There were plenty of them on IguanaBeach.
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Are iguanas lizards? Maybe not. Hopefully I didn’t offend them in my squeaky “I want a lizard selfie” run to the beach! : ) There is a lizard back there, I promise. I don’t like to get too close to things that can leap and claw my eyes out. Dinghying back to our boat is when I took this famous shot of our stern. The water in the Exumas was definitely of another caliber. For dinner that night we decided to dinghy ashore and eat at the Xuma restaurant the guys at the marina had told us about, which from a quick stroll-by earlier that day, looked fabulous. So, Phillip and I made the absolute perfect decision to blow our load there that night and splurge on an insanely-indulgent fine-dining dinner at Highbourne Cay. Besides, we _had _to celebrate and cheers our first stop in the Exumas. It took years of planning, hard work, saving, and some rather grueling boat projects to get our boat this far. It was worth every cent, every calorie. Some meals just are. Next up, we’ll take you to Norman’s Cay with its sunken drug plane and the famous MacDuff’s Restaurant. Cheers!
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THE BEST DORIAN RELIEF: GO VISIT THE SPARED BAHAMIAN ISLANDS! Posted on September 10, 2019by anniedike
I’ve been struggling to write this, or write or post anything actually, here at HaveWind in the tragic aftermath of Dorian. I can only imagine what it is like right now, boots on the ground, with fresh water and supplies running low, people injured and unable to get medical help, not to mention the heartbreaking decimation of so many beautiful houses, marinas, and restaurants. Although _Plaintiff’s Rest_ was mercifully spared, how can I post photos of us smiling, out on the boat, saying, look at us: “Just another great day sailing” when so many others have lost so much? I just can’t. To be honest, other than sharing relief effort links and donating and contributing ourselves, I didn’t know what else to say. Hence the recent silence and the last photo I posted anywhere: But, thankfully, this is why I have Phillip. My idea guy. Thisis what he said:
“TELL THEM THE BEST THING THEY CAN DO TO HELP THE BAHAMAS RECOVER AND REBUILD IS TO CONTINUE VISITING THE ISLANDS THAT WERE SPARED.” _Brilliant_. You can see why I love that man. I realized how insightful he was and how right. Phillip was _so_ right. Many of the Bahamians who lived and worked in the Abacos are going to start migrating down to Andros, Nassau, the Berries, Eleuthera, and the Exumas and surrounding islands in hopes of rebuilding and finding work. And, the economy in the Bahamas is supported almost entirely by tourism. If we don’t continue traveling to the Bahamian Islands that were spared and continue to contribute to their tourist economy there, they will likely not be able to survive. While the loss of the beautiful Abacos, which—up until Dorian—Phillip and I had been planning on cruising again this coming season, is a tragedy, there remains so many places south of the Abacos that are equally breathtaking and that need our support. This was a message we recently received from the Association of Bahamas Marinas: Immediate relief efforts are imperative now to save lives and get people healthy and safe, and thankfully many people now are sharing various resources to help do that. Although it is exceedingly sad to know there are humans on the earth that prey on people trying to help in a time of tragedy like this, it is simply true, so please research relief organizations before donating. Also, many try to go straight to the hurricane site right after the storm to bring supplies, but that can put them in a terribly dangerous situation fraught with the potential for injury, disease, and crime. Donations to the organizations that are providing supplies to Bahamians in need or helping them evacuate is crucial _right now_. But, I agree with Phillip that—_long-term_—to help save the Bahamian economy, tourism must come back. If you had ever just fancied the idea to visit the Bahamas, PLEASE MAKE IT A PRIORITY TO VISIT THE SPARED ISLANDS IN THE COMING YEARS AS THEY WILL NEED OUR TOURIST DOLLARS TO SURVIVE AND REBUILD. With that in mind, I wanted to share with you all some previews of the other wondrous places south of the Abacos that Phillip and I visited the last time we were in the Bahamas, that were thankfully spared from Dorian and that we look forward to sharing in more detail with you in upcoming blog posts (full of fun travel stories) because I feel we have to continue focusing on that, too: the excitement and wonder of travel. Hurricanes are horrible, but they cannot be stopped or controlled. How we choose to spend our time, despite them, however, is something we are all able to control. Our collective decision to continue to bring tourism to the Bahamas can help bring the Abacos back. My good friend Pam Wall, whom I will be speaking with at Cruiser’s Universityat the
upcoming Annapolis Boat Show (please sign up if you want to attend our “Old Salts, New Systems” talk and haven’t already! : ) initially inspired Phillip and I to travel to the Abacos back in 2015. Thankfully, we did in 2017-2018 and got to enjoy those wonderful islands before they were decimated. But, I will now join the chant Pam said so energetically to us to hopefully inspire you all this coming cruising season to:GO TO THE BAHAMAS!
Andros, Nassau, the Berries, Eleuthera, and the Exumas and surrounding islands still have so much to offer and they desperately need your support. Tourism is their lifeblood. Keep it pumping! Here are some of the breathtaking sights, scenes, bites, and drinks that await. Phillip and I hope to see some of you there!ANDROS
I wrote extensively about Andros last time,
showcasing all of the wonderful tucked-away treats that often skipped-over island offered up for us. I’m so glad it was spared as we have plans to go back and stay in Fresh Water Creek and dive and spear-fish the great Andros Barrier Reef. The cost for cruising there (water and food) is much better as it is a bigger island, able to obtain and preserve more food and supplies.*
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Here are some resources for things to do and see in Andros: https://www.lonelyplanet.com/the-bahamas/out-islands/andros http://www.bahamas-travel.info/islands/andros.htmlTHE BERRY ISLANDS
If you recall Phillip and I sailed there previously on our way home from the Abacos and met the wildly-memorable Steve and Pat who inspired my “People with Gusto”
article in SAIL Magazine. The Berries offered Phillip and I some of the best spearfishing we have done in the Bahamas, and some of thebluest waters.
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They also have a world-class big fishing tournament. Learn more about all the wonderful things you can do and see in the Berries here: https://www.bahamas.com/islands/berry-islandsNASSAU
Phillip and wandered through the jaw-dropping Atlantis resort the last time we flew through Nassau and, for those of you who love the lavish, indulgent, resort-feel vacation, Nassau is an absolute dream. Five-star dining, incredible shopping, and all still with the mind-boggling green-blue beaches that you can only find in the Bahamas. We learned last time from our cab driver that Tiger Woods has his own golf course there, and restaurant that you can eat at.*
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Here are some more resources for all of the amazing things you can doin Nassau:
https://www.townandcountrymag.com/leisure/travel-guide/a9261279/nassau-bahamas-travel-guide/ https://www.nassauparadiseisland.com I also really liked what these fellow travel bloggers had to say about Nassau: https://finduslost.com/the-complete-nassau-bahamas-travel-guide/ELEUTHERA
Phillip and I stayed for a while in Harbour Island, in Eleuthera, hunkering down as a blow passed through, and we really loved the community, the restaurants, and … for us … the kite-surfing! I wrote a fun blog post previously about our passage through the Devil’s Backbone into Harbour Islandand
all of the fun things Harbour Island had to offer, from the pink sand beach on the North (where you can ride horses on the beach!), to the snorkeling, shelling, eat at Sip-Sip on the Atlantic Coast, and somuch more!
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Here are some more resources for Eleuthera. Phillip and I barely scraped the surface exploring Harbour Island. Next time we plan to rent a car and drive around to experience the entire island: https://www.harpersbazaar.com/culture/travel-dining/a14754507/just-back-from-eleuthera-bahamas/ https://www.lonelyplanet.com/the-bahamas/out-islands/eleutheraCAT ISLAND
Phillip and I have not personally been so I don’t have any personal photos to share, but I will tell you one of the reasons I knew I wanted to travel the Exumas and surrounding islands the next time we came to the Bahamas was because of a photo I saw that a friend postedof Cat Island!
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Here are some resources for things to do at Cat Island: https://www.tripadvisor.com/Tourism-g147427-Cat_Island_Out_Islands_Bahamas-Vacations.html https://www.bahamas.com/islands/cat-island A fellow travel blogger also put together this nice travel guide forCat
Island: https://www.outislandlifebahamas.com/2018/08/a-mini-travel-guide-to-cat-island/THE EXUMAS
Thankfully, Phillip were able to make a quick jaunt over, from Andros, to the Exumas the last time we were there. While we did not get to spend too much time exploring the Exumas (our plan is to do more this coming season), from what we saw we were spellbound. They really are telling you the truth when they say you’ve never seen beauty like the Exumas. We cannot wait to share more about these places we traveled to in the Exumas:HIGBOURNE CAY
With its picturesque marina, fun, fascinating snorkeling, and wonderfully-decadent Xuma’s Restaurant:
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Here is more information on what Highbourne Cay has to offer: https://highbournecaybahamas.com They even offer a snorkeling and diving guide for the island: https://highbournecaybahamas.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/WTD_Highbourne.pdfNORMAN’S CAY
With its famous MacDuff’s Restaurantand sunken plane!
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More info on Norman’s Cay: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Norman%27s_Cay http://bahamascruisersguide.com/Exumas/Exumas/NormansC.htmlWARDERICK WELLS CAY
This was mine and Phillip’s favorite destination out of our entire trip to the Bahamas this last spring. Warderick Wells is a protected land and sea park so there is no fishing on the reefs, which means they are exquisite and so well-preserved! There’s also a friendly neighborhood nurse shark that visits every new boat that comes into the anchorage, as well as a fabulous walking trail with blow holes and a signing tree. I cannot wait to tell you more about this fabulous island, and the hilarious docking (or I guess you could call it balling … yeah you can make a comment about that ; ) balling debacle we had there! Good stories lie ahead my friends!*
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Here is some more information about the beauty and preserved sites Warderick Wells has to offer: http://www.bahamascruisersguide.com/page75/page19/page19.html > Exuma Cays Land and Sea Park (Warderick Wells)>
https://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowTopic-g147432-i7577-k605722-Warderick_Wells-Staniel_Cay_Out_Islands_Bahamas.html And, these are only three of the dozens of islands that make up the Exumas, each with something unique and magical to share. And, everyone who lives on those islands is hoping and praying for tourists just like you to come visit and keep bringing your support and important cruising dollars to their struggling economy. Why hesitate? So much beauty and awe awaits! We hope his can help encourage some followers to set their sights on the amazing islands that still remain. Our thoughts are with those in the Abacos working hard now to get safe, healthy, and out of there if need be. Dorian was such a devastating monster. But, the Bahamas will and can rebuild. With our help. Andros, Nassau, the Berries, Eleuthera, and the exquisite Exumas still await. Our message to offer the best Dorian relief is: GO VISIT THE SPARED BAHAMAS! Posted in Uncategorized| Tagged
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ONE OF THE BAHAMAS’ BEST KEPT SECRETS: ANDROS Posted on August 23, 2019by anniedike
Phillip and I had no plans to stop in Andros on our last voyage through the Bahamas. Although we do have a good friend who told us (when we were planning our first trip to the Bahamas in 2017) that it is a great spot for kitesurfing, we got caught up like most do in our excitement to see the _Exuuumas_! When most people write and post about the remote, untouched beauty of the Bahamas, they’re usually referring to the Exumas and surrounding islands. Places like CatIsland:
Staniel Cay with its famous James Bond Thunderball Grotto: Or Little Exuma with its Tropic of Cancer Beach: Many Bahamas cruisers told us while the Abacos are fun and stunning in their own right, there is just something pristinely breathtaking about the Exumas. So, when we left Bimini headed toward New Providence Channel all headings were pointing east, to the Exumas. But, as you know from our last blog and my scariest moment of the trip,
the weather forced us on a slight detour. And, as is usually the case, Phillip and I were thrilled we took the detour because it revealed to us yet another new, exciting destination in the Bahamas:Andros.
Although our mere single-night stay this last time proved to us Andros is a rare gem, with experiences and stories all its own, after researching further we have since learned Andros is one of the most cost-effective and well-stocked islands in the Bahamas. Because it is so large, produce and water are often in much greater supply than the smaller islands. As many of you may know, water can cost as much as $1.00/gallon in certain areas of the Bahamas. With as much water as Phillip and I need to drink while sweating and dehydrating daily in the Bahamas and use for showering and rinsing the boat, the price for water in the Bahamas can start to creep into the budget. We also learned Andros is home to one of the best and largest barrier reefs in the Bahamas, the Andros Barrier Reef, which Phillip and I plan to dive and snorkel in the future. _Ahhhh … it’s so comforting to see healthy reefs!_ The spearfishing would also be good on the east shore of Andros as it drops right into the Tongue of the Ocean. Catching fresh fish to cook on the boat every night is not only delicious, it’s also not bad on the wallet either. All told, Phillip and I are planning to check out Fresh Water Creek and spend more time in Andros the next time we sail by. We know it’s worth another stop for more discovery because we got a personal, local peek into the island this last time when Phillip scored three-hour driving tour guided by a long-time Andros local and the Harbor Master, a wonderful woman named Kenedra (whose name I can only hope I’m spelling correctly) and her bubbly daughter,Diamond!
We dropped the hook in Morgan’s Bluff rather early in the morning, hours before dinner time (and you remember what was for dinner thatnight! : ).
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With the whole afternoon on our hands, Phillip and I decided to venture ashore to take a poke around and see what life is like atMorgan’s Bluff.
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I’ll admit it is just a beautiful little beach with a tiny little rum bar, but that sounds like heaven to me! And, it was. The beach there on the north end of Andros was nothing short ofstunning.
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And, an ice cold Kalik and rum drink after the beat-down and fish battle we’d just been through was quite the reward. After talking with a local at the bar, we inquired about a potential tour of the island and he personally set us up with the Harbour Master, Kenedra, who offered to take us around the island herself personally that afternoon by car. This was such a surprise andwonderful treat.
Kenedra first took us to the huge rocky bluff on the northern tip of Andros. It really is a steep ways up with a harsh rocky shorebelow.
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Legend has it, the cruel and infamous buccaneer Henry Morgan (you guessed it … _THE_ Captain Morgan) had a hideout in a cave at this most northwestern tip of Andros. He and his crew allegedly hid their booty, both gold and rum (that’s worth hiding!), in the cave because the bluff the cave is located under was a notoriously dangerous spot for ships. Since most other sailors and pirates avoided this area because of its treacherous shore, Captain Morgan thought it was the best place in the world for his treasure.*
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Kenendra snapped mine and Phillip’s photo in front of the sign commemorating the Captain Morgan legend on Andros. She told us, though, by the end of his career, legend says Captain Morgan was known not for his keen pirating abilities, but for his excessive drinking and weight gain. Blame it on the rum … Kenedra drove us all over the island, stopping frequently to catch up with fellow Andros residents. (This is very common in the Bahamas.) Locals usually do not pass each other on the roads without honking and waving, at the very least, and often not without stopping and talking for a bit. It never ceases to amaze me how connected they are, compared to people in the States who can go for days, weeks (months even!), without talking to any people in their neighborhood. The sense of community there is truly heart-warming. After the Bluff and Captain Morgan’s famous cave (and specifically in response to her daughter, Diamond’s, insistent urging) Kenedra also took us to a quirky little hotel, the PinevilleMotel , where
the owner has a petting zoo with an eclectic mix of animals, ranging from goats, to peacocks, to rabbits.*
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I wanted to pet (keep) them all! Thankfully, Phillip put the kibosh on it (or that would make for quite an interesting sail on _Plaintiff’s Rest_ the next day! Phillip and I also posed for another cameo photo on the Pineville Motel’s Disco Stage._Yeah baby!_
Kenedra also took us to an exquisite little bungalow resort on the island, the Andros Island Beach Resort,
and introduced us to the owner who runs the rental units (adorable little cottages right on the beach) and the restaurant.*
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Phillip and I were really surprised to see such amazing accomodations here, that would cost upwards of $500/night on the east coast of Florida going for a mere $200/night in the Bahamas. Another reasonit pays to travel.
Diamond was cracking me up at this point. Over the course of the three hours she went from shy and unengaged to bubbly and inquisitive. Diamond and I became good little buddies by the end of it. She wanted to braid my hair. I should have let her! Our last stop on the tour was the “Blue Hole.” While we have since learned there are many of these in the Bahamas, the one in Andros carries all the way out to the ocean.*
The hole formed when a portion of the limestone island caved in, leaving a stunning blue water hole in the middle of the island fauna that is filled with cold, rainwater. But, if you dive the hole, you will start to lower down into water with more salinity and you can eventually cave dive your way out of the hole into the Tongue of the Ocean on the east coast of Andros.*
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How cool is that? It was cool enough for Phillip to jump in! I only hesitated (as you all know I love to jump from cliffs) knowing if I got soaked I’d have to drench Kenedra’s car with my wet soppy clothes and wild pile of hair. Stinking hair … there are so many times I wish I was bald and more “quick-dry” like Phillip. The highlight of the Andros tour, however, was not a destination, but it was a big deal. It was a dilly! While we were chatting and driving around in the car, Diamond, happily jumping into our conversation the further we drove, suddenly blurted out “Have you guys tried a dilly yet?” I wasn’t sure how to answer that. I didn’t even know what a dilly was. _Is it a food? Is it a dance? A local handshake? _I could confidently say to Diamond, “No, I have not tried a dilly yet.” With a gleam in her eye, her mom Kenedra (without saying a word) drove several roads leaning forward and looking up and out the windshield to the left and right, finally pulled off near a particular tree. No sooner than she put it in park, Diamond busted out of the car and started sprinting toward a very tall, bushy tree and began whacking at the upper branches with a long stick. Phillip and I exchanged a fun “_What’s the dilly-yo?”_glance as Kenedra followed her daughter and startedwhacking too.
Unfortunately, just as soon as it became clear to us they were trying to knock some type of fruit off of the tree for us to try, Kenedra said: “I tink dey all been picked ooh-vuh.” But Diamond would not give up. She kept scrambling, kept whacking, until we finally heard a muffled voice from within the cavern of the fauna. “I got one!” Diamond cried as she came running out, her spoils in hand: a perfectly ripe dilly fruit. Kenedra and Diamond eyed us as we eyed the fruit. Diamond cracked it in half with her hands (a dilly is roughly the consistently of a firm kiwi on the outside, an almost ripe peach on the inside). The two halves were a bright, blazingorange.
Definitely a fruit I had never seen before. The word guava came to mind, but then I remembered those are green on the outside, pink on the inside. This dilly was totally different. But, the taste wasvery similar.
_Mmmm guava_ … I thought as the super sweet interior slipped down my throat. Phillip and I ate both of our halves right there on the side of the road in Andros, getting all sticky-fingered without even caring, and we still note it as one our favorite “bites” of theentire trip.
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I think it was the combination of the surprise and newness Andros offered, the generosity of our hosts, and Diamond’s enthusiasm to share something of her local community with new friends. All of it came together to culminate in the perfect sweet treat. As we said goodbye to Kenedra and Diamond and dinghied back to our boat, Phillip and I agreed that’s what Andros felt like to us: the perfect sweet treat. New, unexpected, and rewarding. Andros, we will definitely be back. Next up, we’ll weigh anchor from (Captain) Morgan’s Bluff and make our way to our first island in the Exumas! Man, so much work and effort has gone into bringing the boat to this point. I still get thrills now just remembering and writing about it. Stay tuned! Posted in Uncategorized| Tagged
bahamas | 2 Comments FISH OFF THE HOOK – MY SCARIEST MOMENT OF THE TRIP Posted on August 3, 2019by anniedike
Do you see it in the photo? That fish is off the hook! Literally! Looking back, I still can’t believe Phillip and I actually got that one into the cockpit, but the pics are proof: WEDID!
Ahoy followers! After that stretchy sidebar,
it’s now time to get back to our Bahamas saga. When we last left our hapless crew, Phillip and I (well, actually _I_) had just accomplished my best de-docking ever leaving Bimini (and, don’t worry, there will be plenty more not-so-great dockings after). We were heading out early in the morning after a five-day hunker-down (that’s a military term I think) in Bimini when we had some steady east winds upwards of 18 kts on us for several days. While it did make for some great kiting inBimini
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after five days, most of the boats on our pier were ready to toss the lines and get going. The winds were predicted to be a light ESE, that Philip and I were hoping would turn more south than east. (And, I hope you’ll notice my clever “hope” foreshadowing here. As is often the case when we try to predict the wind, we are wrong. I would call it bad foreblowing as opposed to foreshadowing but I wouldn’t want to entice toooo many foul jokes : ). The winds were nice enough to start. We were hauling away from Bimini toward our entrance into the Great Bahamas Bank with plans to make an overnight passage to either the west harbor on Nassau or—if things were going well on the passage—all the way to the Exumas, which was our ultimate goal this first leg of the trip. Always good to have planned “outs” and “plan Bs” at the ready. It was a brisk romp in about 18kts of breeze (not what we expected, so much for the foreblowing) but it was comfortable making our way toward the Great Bahamas Bank. Phillip and I are still very pleased with our decision to trade out our whopping 135% genoa for our 90% offshore working jib when we’re cruising island to island (or country to country) and know we’ll be doing a good bit of offshore cruising. Unlike “Genny,” our little “Wendy” (aptly named by one of my HaveWind followers) is super sporty and rarely gets overpowered. It was really a fun day sailing all the way into the Great Bahamas Bank andbeyond.
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While I didn’t expect it, after spending only five days and four nights on the dock in Bimini, I had already missed offshore voyaging. That may sound a little silly having just crossed the Gulf Stream to get to Bimini, I’m serious! When you actually get going and find yourself weighing anchor (or tossing the lines) and getting the boat moving—to an entirely new location—every 3-4 days, 5 days starts to seem just one to many. The moment you’re back offshore, moving again, you realize how much you missed it. And, it didn’t hurt that the stars over the Bahamas Bank that night were just decadent. A white smattering of them, like salt on the sky. And, I remember seeing several shooting stars that evening (and making several wishes). That I cannot share! (It’s a StarPact.)
The next morning, I had the sunrise shift, which is totally fine with me. I love the shift where the sky transitions from night to day. It’s amazing to watch it change seemingly slowly at first and then so quickly. It still stuns me sometimes—when Phillip and I are in work mode, doing all of our busy marketing and lawyer work on land, where we don’t see near as many sunrises and sunsets as when we’re on the boat cruising—that this still happens out there. Out there, every morning (when it is clear), the sky turns from this velvety purple, to mind-boggling magenta, to a warm welcoming pinkish-yellow. Every day. Whether you see it or not. It’s not like wondering whether a tree that falls in the forest makes a sound. No. I’m confident every single sunrise is beautiful, exquisite, whether seen or not. But, that serene “Ahhh … life is wonderful” Annie-moment didn’t last long as we were coming towards the entry into the Northwest Providence Channel and the Tongue of the Ocean. In reality, it is a rather wide entrance. But, when a barge is coming through at the very same time, it is a rather narrow entrance. Phillip had only been asleep about 40 minutes when I was debating waking him again. Not that we try to be prideful, in not _needing_to wake the other crew member (known on our boat as the “other captain” : ) up—well, Phillip might be … a tad … he still is a Marine, or helpful, in letting the other person sleep more when we know they aretired.
No. On _Plaintiff’s Rest_we try to always follow the standing “When to Wake the Captain Rule”
which I have written on before. That rule is: It’s time to wake the Captain when you’ve thought: _Maybe I should wake the Captain_. Standing rule. Applies all the time. And, with a 600-foot barge coming toward the NW Providence Channel inlet the exact same time I was with a CPA (closest point of approach on our AIS) narrowing from 0.8 of a mile to 0.6 down to 0.3 in about 20 minutes, I knew it was time to wake my “other captain.” While Phillip was not thrilled with his 40-minute-only nap, he is always very diligent in getting up and getting alert quickly when there is a potential issue. Although this one was a little embarrassing in that by the time we passed the barge just before the entrance, it was clear 0.4 nm apart is a perfectly safe distance in the daytime with everyone motoring along in calm seas. The entrance to the channel suddenly felt monstrously wide leaving me plenty of room, which _might_have left me a little embarrassed for having woke Phillip. But, I was not. This is the very reason for the rule. It alleviates the need to feel embarrassed or ashamed. (And I like it that way.) But that little “adventure” was just the start of our harrowing day which turned out to be MY scariest moment of the entire trip. I have written about Phillip’s before. It was our “AutoTurn-Notto
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dilemma before we left for the Bahamas (which, granted, was before we left for our trip) but that was Phillip’s answer when he was asked: “What was your scariest moment of the trip?” That was his. This was mine. As we started to make our way into the Tongue of the Ocean, things got a little bumpy. The predicted “light” ESE winds were 18+ kts right on the nose. While Phillip and I had been hoping they would turn south sooner as predicted, they had not. And, ironically, although they had been blowing like stink dead out of the east for days, we would have welcomed an east wind now as it would have been more on our beam, rather than the nose. But, nope. We had those two kinds of winds that often occur together: winds of the wrong speed and in the wrong direction. “My favorite!” said no sailor ever. While we were … _somewhat_ comfortable … it was a bit of a bash-around bumpy ride, and the thought of continuing in that fashion for another 6-7 hours to Nassau or (worse) another 18-24 to the Exumas was … not very appealing. After some discussion, thought, and chart-checking, Phillip and I decided to pull into Andros. We had never been there before, but a good friend of ours from back in Pensacola (Captain Jack if you’re listening – here’s your “shout-out!”) had highly recommended it as a more untouched part of the Bahamas and a great spot for kitesurfing. Two things we love to find the most while traveling: tranquility and kite access. So, we decided to head for a new anchorage to us, a place we had not originally intended to go during this trip to the Bahamas, but NOT “going with the weather” was a lesson we had learned in thepast.
The wind and seas were telling us to get out of this mess, so that is exactly what we chose to do. Morgan’s Bluff looked like a safe little harbor that would offer us awesome protection from the ESE and S winds for the evening while this stuff blew over. It seemed, from the info in the charts, there was not much to do ashore, but we didn’t care. Phillip and I can make a lot of fun out of “not much” if we need to, and that’s only if we need. We are perfectly content to sip sundowners in the cockpit, cook aboard, and watch the sun go down. So, it was Morgan’s Bluff or bust! But, that also meant coming into a new, narrow entrance in some kicked-up seas with winds on the nose knocking the boat all around. Good times. While the B&G chartplotter showed a nice little curve of an inlet with plenty of depth and very clear markers for it, that map was for FantasyLand! In reality, there were no markers in sight. Although this is common in many places in the Bahamas (they simply don’t have the government funding, or the need, to maintain navigation markers as rigorously as we do in the states), it’s often not a big deal because the Explorer Charts are soooo accurate. If I haven’t stressed that point strongly enough, I’ll happily do it again: If you’re planning to go to the Bahamas, get and study the Explorer Charts before you go and use them while you navigate! www.explorercharts.com.
Phillip was at the helm while I was religiously trying to match the lats and lons on the Explorer Charts to what was showing on the B&G as we made our way into Morgan’s Bluff in Andros. Maybe for some of you this is easy (following lats and lons on a diagonal). Annie proved to be not so good at it. To my credit, I asked Phillip to let me helm this time on the way in while _he _navigated (since I did such a piss-poor job of it when we made our way into Bimini)
but he said he was “in the zone.” I would have loved to have been in his zone, because I was totally screwing up my zone. I don’t know how else to explain it other than a brain fart. For some reason I was watching and monitoring the lats just fine, counting each degree as one, but stupidly my brain decided to attribute ten degrees to every one on the lons so I had us coming in almost dead from the north straight toward Morgan’s Bluff as opposed to making a wide curve to the east and coming in inside the inlet. This is the actual, natural channel you _should_ take into Morgan’s Bluff. This is the haphazard path I had us on which was littered with little “x’s” on the chart to mark rocks. : O Once I realized my mistake I could see we were weaving through some rocks along our path toward the harbor with no seemingly safe space to turn around, so there was just nothing we could do but hope the rocks were deep enough not to cause any problems. That was one of the worst gut-wrenching moments I’ve had on our boat, feeling the boat rise and fall with the waves and thinking I might be the cause of our keel striking a rock. It literally made me feel sick, and I hope I never have that feeling again (although I’m sure I will). The only other time I’ve felt physically ill because of something that might happen to the boat was when Hurricane Nate was seemingly making its way to Pensacola in 2017. Yuck. I will also go ahead and admit here I didn’t disclose the full gravity of our situation to Phillip at that time for two reasons: 1) I knew we couldn’t change or improve it at that point so why worry him further, I thought; and 2) I became too distracted anyway when right as we were bashing through the hairiest part, we got aFISH ON!!!
Isn’t that when it always happens? Phillip and I had been trolling the entire time since we left Pensacola, all the way around the Florida Keys, across the Gulf Stream, and once again when we got into the Tongue of the Ocean, and that entire time fish after fish had bitten off our lure. Phillip and I joked often—when people, in person or on Facebook asked whether we’d caught any fish on the trip: “Of we’ve done plenty of fishing,” we’d say. “We just haven’t done any catching.” And, it’s true. We lost lure after lure to those feisty fish in the Gulf. I had to laugh thinking all those hours we spent when we were sailing over _to_the Bahamas, in calm seas just watching the fishing line hoping for a bite, reeling it in time and again “just to check” we’d say, and throwing it back out. Any of those times would have been the perfect time to snag a big fish. But, no, Neptune has to throw one our way when we’re beating and bashing along, off of the safe path (thanks Annie), making our way into a new, unknown harbor. That’s the perfect time to be hauling in a fish! So, haul we did! I took the helm and Phillip started pulling slowly and steadily winding our hand reel in. I will say I was grateful for the excitement of the fish in that moment to dissipate some of my boat nerves. In that sense the fish was a blessing. But, boy was he a monster?! Here’s one quick little video of him popping outof the water.
The first time I saw him zip to the outside of the boat, breach the surface and sink back down, I knew he was big. Phillip could tell by how hard he was having to pull—using his entire body to arch back to get some length in the line so he could then fold the hand reel over to get another 10 inches on the guy. It was a slow and steady fight but Phillip finally brought him close enough where I could try to gaff him, which can be very hard to do with a fighting monster three feet below you, on a bobbing, swaying boat. But I finally got him right under the gills and by some wicked twist of fate it was at that very moment the hook came out of his mouth, which meant my gaff was the _only_thing standing between us and the biggest fish we’ve ever seen behind _Plaintiff’s Rest. _I was terrified he was going to kick and flail and fight his way off—and, believe me, he tried—but I kept turning the hook in hopes it would hold—and, thankfully, it DID! When I hauled that bloody beast over the lifesling (leaving a nasty bloody trail on it but I didn’t give a you-know-what) and flopped him into the cockpit floor, Phillip let out a “Holy crap, that guy is huge!” And he was. That was the biggest fish we have caught to date on _Plaintiff’s Rest_. He was as long as my leg! And, that’s not a tall fish tale. We have proof! That photo, however, was the second picture I made Phillip take because I wanted to capture the full length of that guy before I hacked him up and, in trying to do so the first time, the fish flipped off my gaff right when Phillip clicked the camera. So, we captured afish in mid-air!
It was such a wild, heart-pumping moment pulling that guy in while bashing our way into Andros, scary but fun, frightening but exhilarating. Cruising often feels like that. All the times between the leisure, lavish cocktails-and-bikini days. How did my friend Pat define cruising? Oh yeah: Serene, tropical days interspersed with moments of sheer terror. Yeah, that about sums it up. Oh, that and the fish! I made a bloodbath of our cockpit cleaning that big boy up. But look at that filet. It’s bigger than my thigh! (And I’ve got some meaty thighs!) As Phillip and I often do when we catch a fish that big, we cut up equally-sized (to the best of our ability) filets and bag some for the fridge, but more for the freezer so we can enjoy fresh fish at any time during our travels. The Mahi we cooked up that night, was probably some of the best fish we had during our entire trip to the Bahamas. (I’m sure the sheer terror of the moment combined with the monstrous fight getting him into the boat, followed by the hour-long cleaning of the fish, then the boat had some impact on the flavor, but it was a well-earned reward). And, I kid you not, that fish fed Phillip and I, two filets each (at least, sometimes 2-3), six dinners over during our Bahamas trip. It had to be 8-9 pounds of edible fish. That guy was such a blessing! A long-awaited one, and certainly a wildly ill-timed one, but a blessing all the same!Thank you Neptune!!
Next up, we’ll share one of our favorite new places in the Bahamas. A spot Phillip and I never thought we would stop at this trip but one we cannot wait to go back to explore further: the beautiful, untouched, but well-resourced, Andros. Stay tuned! Posted in Uncategorized| Tagged
bahamas , fishing
, fishing on a sailboat, offshore
| 2 Comments
STRETCHING THE LOVE WITH SPANDEX THERAPY Posted on July 24, 2019by anniedike
It’s like stretchy therapy for your heart and soul. Because life happens. We all struggle. Laughter helps. But, spandex heals. Hello HaveWinders! I wanted to take a quick detour from our Bahamas tales to share some exciting news and one helluva inspiring story. If Spandex Therapy is anything, it’s about sharing people’s stories. But it is also my latest business venture! This lovely (and very funny) gal here, Rachel, and I recently launched our Spandex Therapy website and swag at a Pensacolapaddle board event!
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When my friend, Rachel, first came to me with the idea, my face probably looked a lot like yours did when you read the title of this blog. “What is Spandex Therapy?” you’re probably wandering. The funny thing is, YOU are probably a huge fan of what we call “spandex therapy” already, you just didn’t know it. Spandex Therapy is about inspiring and connecting people who get their bodies moving to keep their minds balanced and buoyant. We share their stories because they empower us in the face of our own struggles, because everyone has a story. Whatever you’re struggling with—whether it’s huge (the loss of a loved one or some other deep heartbreak or sorrow) or just the minor stresses of life that make us feel small, angry, stressed, disappointed, like a failure—it helps to step outside, move your feet, connect with nature and other people, and let the stress you’re dealing with start to pour out of you (like sweat!). Spandex Therapy offers content and gear that inspires people to laugh a little, love a lot, and go work IT out. It’s not exercise. It’s therapy … at yourown pace.
You see? That’s some pretty empowering stuff. That’s why when Rachel asked me to be her business partner in launching this awesome platform, I said yes! She sealed the deal with a unicorn ring. I’m a sucker for unicorns. And, look at me. Donning spandex right there! I mean, I practically live in spandex!*
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You all have seen me in so many different photos at HaveWind getting my sweat on in spandex (often not from working out, just from working on the boat) but that counts as therapy, too. Whatever you do outside to stay active and improve yourself and your life, it counts. One of the reasons I immediately fell in love with Rachel’s Spandex Therapy concept was because it screamed of my ownexperience.
I wrote a good deal in my book _ Keys to the Kingdom _about the years I spent in a bad marriage, practicing law to the point of busting an artery. I was heavy. I was drinking too much. I was hardly active. And, I knew I needed a change. While I did not know cruising the world on a sailboat would BE the change, I knew sitting in an office 8-10 hours every day working in front of a computer doing a job that made my blood pressure soar was not healthy for me. A huge impetus for my own life transition was a desire to GET OUTSIDE and GET ACTIVE. I wanted to travel, to try new things (which included sailing and kitesurfing and eventually aerial silks!). All of those activities are therapeutic for me. They keep me balanced, happy, and whole.*
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That is the reason I joined Rachel in her admirable cause, and because she is an exceptionally inspiring person. You see, like me, Rachel also has a life-transition story. While every other person I have met who understands Spandex Therapy has an equally empowering story, Rachel’s does stand out. Four years ago, Rachel was not the person you see today: running 5Ks, doing open bike rides, marathons,triathlons, etc.
She weighed over 200 pounds and was a smoker. She had just gone through a wicked divorce from a man who was suffering extensively at the hands of his own demons, and trying to raise their young son alone as a single, working mother. Her life was then thrown into a tailspin when her father’s son was rendered a paraplegic in a motorcycle accident. He hit rock bottom, as did she. But, instead of crumpling, Rachel put on her sneakers instead. She found strength (as so many do) in the supportive Spandex community. She also got to witness first-hand the healing power spandex had on her ex-husband as he began racing in his wheelchair. He is now much healthier, physically and mentally, and an avid wheelchair athlete. He is an entirely different person, as is she. Rachel went from doing 5Ks to 10Ks to a half-marathon, to a full, to finally a very dark year she spent training for Ironman, where she ran the last 16 miles in the pouring rain, but she freakingdid it!
Rachel finished! She did a 70-point-freaking-3! She didn’t find out until several weeks later, however, that Ironman did not agree. When the official times were posted, Rachel saw a big “DNF” next to her name, which meant she “Did Not Finish.” She missed the 17-hour limit by one minute. Onemeasly minute …
But, you know why that didn’t have any impact on her? Because Rachel’s got one helluva sense of humor, which I think is necessary to get us all through this crazy ride that is life. “DNF is better than DNS” she says with a smile. “Didn’t Never Start!” _That gal_… Despite the Ironman disappointment, Rachel is still an avid racer, runner, biker, etc. “I just have to TriHarder,” she says. Ha! Because “triathlons make me wet.” You’ll see a lot of fun taglines like these on our Spandex Swag, which I’ll be sporting often because: Folks like Rachel and so many of her Spandex Therapy tribe members, as well my many other idols whom I’ve written about before—Pam Wall,
my featured _People With Gusto_ (Pat and Steve),
my inspiring silky friend Nikki Beck—whose
stories of happiness despite heartbreak, courage in the face of what would seem to be catastrophe, always inspire and humble me. They remind me that whatever little stress or struggle I’m going through likely pales in comparison to someone else’s. By sharing our stories we all empower each other to grow, laugh, and heal. That’s what Spandex Therapy is about and I’m proud to be a part of the team. Feel free to check out our platforms: www.spandextherapy.com www.facebook.com/spandextherapy/ www.instagram.com/spandextherapy/ And follow the journey. Our whole goal is to: Posted in Uncategorized| 1 Comment
MY BEST DE-DOCKING YET! Posted on July 11, 2019by
anniedike
Man am I proud to tell this story. You all know what a stupidly frightening part of cruising docking has been for me. I’veshared many times
on this platform my worst fears in cruising. Number one has tobe hurricanes
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sickening feeling that everything we’ve worked so hard for could be wiped out with one callous sweep of Mother Nature’s hand (although I could never blame her with the unforgivable way humans have absolutely ravaged this earth). Number two, however, used to be docking. And, I do hope you noticed the phrase “used to be” there. While I still think Phillip and I have a perfectly admirable healthy fear of docking, after this last voyage to the Bahamas, I think I finally knocked docking down a rung or two where it now resides under heavy weather sailing and running aground. Number five is running out of booze. Always has. Always will be. Ahoy crew! When I last left you here on the blog, Phillip and I had just experienced our best and worst days on the trip in Bimini, Bahamas. Well, I have to admit this docking day would probably rank up there as well, at least in one of the top five best days of our trip for sure. It was when we de-docked after staying five days in Bimini. (And, I’ll admit I’m not even sure de-dock is a true word, but it’s an acclaimed one here at HaveWind, respected, revered, and used often!) Phillip and I knew, when we arrived in Bimini, that it was going to be a while before we could leave. The GRIBS were telling us it was going to blow a hard east, southeast, upwards of 18, 20, even 25+ mph for days. As leaving Bimini to travel anywhere else in the Bahamas would be a no-fun bash to windward, all five boats on our finger pier decided to stay in Bimini for a week to let the winds die down. And, this was no setback by any means. Bimini is a fun, funky place with several little restaurants and bars, good grocery stores (I mean, good for the Bahamas). If an island gets a boat in every week with fresh produce, you feel like you’re in heaven. There was also a stunning bluewater shore on the north side of Alice Town.*
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I would also be remiss if I did not mention Joe’s Conch Shack in Bimini. The fun “friendly” place, the sign says with a huge conch pasted on some even huger boobs. _Yes, very friendly_. But, honestly, they were. We had the honor of meeting Joe, himself, who told us his tale of how he got into the conch salad business, the many years he spent making conch salad roadside as well as table-side at fancy events, and all of the “running around” he did. “I’ve got twelve wives and fifteen kids,” Joe said. “I did my running around.” Ha haaaaa. Love that guy. And, watching him dice an onion into pieces smaller than my pinkie nails without even looking at it will blow your mind. I’ll be he’s cut somewhere north of a milliononions in his life.
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While it was howling, Phillip and I were grateful for the time it afforded us to really explore Bimini and immerse ourselves in the island culture. And, thankfully, when it blows, we know we also have another fantastic activity option: kitesurfing. I will say, that is one of the best things about being a kite-surfing-cruiser. Usually sailors like to sail in winds of 10-15, often downwind in the direction they want to travel, but we all know it’s not very often those two things happen: wind in the right speed and the right direction. So, for many cruisers, days of winds of 20+ that would be on the nose, force them to stay hunkered down in their boats with little to do on the water. This is one circumstance where being able to kite-surf truly gives Phillip and I an exceptional alternative. When the wind is too rough to sail, it often lends us the perfect conditions to tear it the *_bleep_* up on the kite! And, we do get a lot of looks from folks in the marina, biding time in their cockpits, wishing the wind would die down, watching us walk back and forth with all of our kite gear and, if they can see us on the water, watching us zip and slide while riding the kite—often with a face of envy. I will not lie in saying Phillip and I kind of like that face. It reminds us how much the work and investment we put into learning how to kite and acquiring the gear to be able to take it with us on the boat so we can kite while cruising was 100% worth it. In Bimini, we were lucky to have an awesome dock neighbor, Justin, docked right next to us at BlueWater Marina who turned out to be a professional photographer with some high-end equipment. He and his sweet girlfriend, Rosie, spent a couple of very fun afternoons capturing photos of me and Phillip kitesurfing, offering us some of the best pictures Phillip and I have ever seen of ourselves kitesurfing, and we were super grateful. And, it seemed a fun way for them to pass the time on the dock while the wind was hammering us in Bimini. Many thanks to Justin and Rosie for these amazingkitesurfing photos!
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But, when many cruisers are waiting for the winds to settle down so they can make the jump to the next location, they often all seize the same weather window to leave. When the forecast finally showed a lighter south wind day, all five boats on our finger pier decided to leave the following morning—some headed east toward Nassau and beyond, others headed west across the Gulf Stream back to the states. The next day we were all gathered and walking the dock early, ready to help toss lines and make sure each boat got off safely. I love that comradery and generosity among cruisers. The first boat off the dock was a Catalina 42 on the farthest dock out near the channel. The winds were blowing a light ESE not expected to have much effect on the boats so we were all anticipating fairly easy shove-offs. That was the idea anyway … NOTE: No boats were substantially harmed in this de-docking or theremake.
The Catalina came off the dock no problem. With five hands on the dock helping to ease the boat out, everything was going very smoothly. The captain then began to back the boat up a bit further and turn his stern to his left (the north) so he could then shift to forward and navigate his way out between the two finger piers. As he was backing up, however, the wind and current was clearly impacting him more than he anticipated. The captain and his mate were waving and saying goodbyes not quite aware of how quickly his port side was nearing the dock. Then we heard him shout, “The wind’s got me!” when he realized how far his boat had drifted toward the finger piers and pilings he had just escaped. Everyone on the dock immediately began running either to the stern of their own boat to fend off or to the end of a finger pier and we all began pushing on the Catalina anywhere we could—the toe rail, stanchion posts, the stern. It was like a human assembly line working the boat off the dock at each contact point. And, despite a few light bumps, our team of five was soon able to get the boat moving safely back in the middle of the aisle between thefinger piers.
_Whew!_ we all breathed collectively. Next up to leave was the Benneteau to the right (south) of _Plaintiff’s Rest_. This was the boat owned by Justin and his lovely girlfriend, Rosie, who had taken our kitesurfing photos. Phillip and I and the rest of our de-docking team were up on the dock and ready to help them with their lines. Thankfully, again, everything went smoothly as Justin exited the slip. He started backing up and turning his stern to the north to navigate his way out. I remember someone saying, “Alright, this one’s got it.” To which I responded: “It’s not over yet!” I didn’t mean to jinx them but, unfortunately, just as the Catalina captain had done, as Justin and Rosie were farewelling and saying goodbyes, Justin’s Benneteau was drifting perilously close to the dock. When Justin realized how close he was, we all could see the whites of his eyes as the folks on the dock ran through the same drill we had just been through, fending the Benneteau off at every stern, finger pier, and piling we could reach and—again—it took a five-man team to keep the bumps light and get the boat moving safelyagain.
Having watched both of those boats de-dock, I knew I was in for it. Phillip and I had decided at the beginning of this trip that we were going to split helm duties 50-50. It didn’t matter the conditions or if the various entrances, anchorages, or docks seemed trickier than others, if it was “your day to helm” it was simply your day to helm. Sailor up and grab the wheel. Well, today was my day. After we saw the first two boats bump their way out of the marina, Phillip asked me if I wanted to let him take the boat off the dock that day and I said no. I had to man up. This was our deal. And, I did feel much more confident in my de-docking skills at that point. I mean, I haven’t side-skidded into a tiny slip with cross winds and current … _yet_, but I had done my fair share of some backing up and maneuvering—even in tiny spaces where the docking was not super easy. Marathon, FL was one example where I had to make several circles before I could get turned the way I wanted to and docked on the fuel dock, and I felt in control and calm the entire time. Primarily, I was now much better at using thrust, forward, reverse, and the rudder to move the boat the way I intended. There was no getting out of it. It was my day. But, I did have one condition: “I want that beefy guy on the dock helping when we leave,” I told Phillip. That beefy guy is Scott. He and Heather from www.cheapasstravelers.com on _s/v Amun-Ra_, a beautiful 37-foot Endeavour, cruise with their incredibly well-mannered dog, Jetson. They were a lot of fun to hang out with on the dock while we were in Bimini and they’re both cockpit-fitness gurus, which Phillip and I can appreciate. Cruising is a lot easier and way more fun if you’re fit, and they both definitely are. But, with the number of boats left on the dock dwindling and Scott having shouldered the brunt of the boat-shoving that morning, I definitely wanted to leave while he was still there. So Phillip and I checked the fluids, cranked, and readied the boat to leave while we still had some strong hands on deck for help. I didn’t _want_ to need the help, but I darn sure wanted it _there_ if I did happen to need it. Thankfully, the docking debacles of the previous two boats that had just left had taught me a lot. They are both able captains and were just surprised by the swift force of the current in the marina. I definitely had the benefit of hindsight and experience. The lesson was: back way the heck up before shifting to forward and throttling my ass off to get out of there. That was my plan anyway. And, it was one that would have served me far better had I done that during my most memorable (and emotional) de-docking: my first one, where I almost ripped one of our shrouds off and suffered a teary come-apart afterward. If you haven’t seen that awesomely-raw footage, please feel free to view it, the first video in the article, here. _You’re
welcome. _
I was not going to make that mistake again. Nuh-uh. No way. Not Captain Annie. I kicked it in reverse and the 2-3 folks left on the dock helped our boat off and tossed Phillip the last of the lines. I kept backing up, backing up, and backing up, until I could see the whites of Phillip’s eyes worried I had gone too far. I could tell he was trying not to say anything, but he finally caved. “Don’t go back too far,” he said. But, I have to tell you I relished in thismoment.
There have been many times where Phillip was at the helm, and I was at the bow, feeling unsure of the boat’s movement, what hold the conditions may have on it, or whether Phillip had the control I desperately hoped he did. And the reason I did not know any of that is because I was _not_ at the helm. Holding the helm tells you everything you need to know about how the boat is responding. In that moment I knew. I knew I needed to go a bit further back and I could feel the minute I put it in forward, the boat was going to start lunging back toward the piers on my port side. It’s hard to explain, but I could just … _feel it_. “Just a bit more,” I told Phillip. “I see it,” referring to the boats and piers I was coming perilously close to behind me. When I felt I had got as close as I safely could to the finger piers behind me on starboard, I then threw her in forward and gunned the shit out of that thing. Brandon would have called me a “throttle jockey” and boy was I one that day! I’ve never throttled that thing so hard! I revved her up, threw the wheel over hard to starboard, and rocketed out of that marina without hitting a thing. Scott, Heather, if you’re reading this: while I’m so glad I didn’t need you on the dock that day, I’m so grateful you were there. This one goes out to all the cruisers who have run to help a struggling boat while docking or de-docking, because you know that is going to be you someday and you will want every hand on deck possible to wrestle your boat to safety. It was a pretty cool feeling that day to be the first boat that didn’t bump on the way out (thanks mostly to experience and hindsight, that always helps) and to be the only female among the boats that had left from our pier so far that day to do it. Rosie the Riveter would be proud. Phillip sure was too, grinning from ear to ear as we pulled out into the channel in Bimini, unscathed. _Whew!_ Another de-docking behind us. And, Heather from CheapAssTravelers was conveniently walking around at the north tip of the island, where we kited, as we motored by, and she snapped a few pics of us heading out that day. Thank you Heather! Despite my small accomplishment in successfully de-docking, however, I cannot claim the Most Badass Female Award that day. Ironically, while I thought it was quite a big deal I had got off the dock without a scratch—with five hands helping and a two-member crew—we later learned another female that morning had de-docked entirely alone, while traveling single-handed, AND sailed her boat solo across the Gulf Stream back to the states. I mean … damn. It was such an honor to meet Jessie from Kate and Jessie On a Boat which was a very popular series in Bob Bitchin’s _Cruising Outpost _ magazine in 2017. Jessie is now married to a right and witty English chap named Luke, and the two of them had just completed their first Atlantic circle as their honeymoon which they concluded in Bimini. Yes, you read that right: first two-crew offshore ocean-crossing + honeymoon. I mean … _Yes, I had to keep saying that when I was around her. Jessie is just so stinkin’ impressive!_ While Luke had to ferry back to the states to check in, Jessie sailed herself ALONE across the Gulf Stream and into Miami. She cracked me up with her reasoning: “I’ve sailed across the Atlantic Ocean twice, and Luke was asleep half the time, so I’ve practically crossed the Atlantic alone. I’m sure I can do this.” That girl. This one goes out to you Jessie, and your incredible feat! You can follow Jessie and Luke’s continued adventures at www.instagram.com/jessiebrave and www.onaboat.net.
We’ve got more fun Bahamas stories and lessons to share here with you next time at HaveWind. Next up, we make our way across the Grand Bank and have one of our biggest scares and wildest moments (of course they happen at the same time) outside of Andros. Stay tuned! More photos from our time in Bimini – enjoy!*
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Posted in Uncategorized| Tagged
bahamas , bimini
, docking
, kitesurfing
| 6 Comments
OUR BEST DAY AND WORST DAY, BOTH IN BIMINI Posted on July 1, 2019by anniedike
It’s a small boat, right? I mean, I know it depends on whether you’re getting tossed around in some gnarly sea conditions. Then 35-feet is quite a small boat, way too _small_. You’d much rather be on a 900-foot cargo ship then. On the other hand, when you’re docking in wind or current and you’re barreling toward a slip that looks like the mere eye of a needle that you’re expected to actually fit your boat into, she’s quite a big boat then, 35-feet is way too _big _to fit in that tiny slot without hitting every piling and other boat on the way in. But, there’s also another time the boat seems a bit too small: when you’re in an argument with your one other crew member. I mentioned this moment in my Birthday Tribute:
37 reasons (to match my proud 37 years!) why this past voyage to the Bahamas was one of our best yet. It was the fight Phillip and I got into when we were navigating our way into Bimini. This was after a very (I hate to say it, but sometimes it just is – luck runs both ways) easy Gulf Stream crossing from Marathon, Phillip and I were making our way into the BIMINI entrance (as shown on the Explorer Charts – do not do the Bahamas without them) when things went sideways.*
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As I said before, nothing needs to be re-hashed, but it was one of the most heated moments Phillip and I have had on the boat. And, for us, those are exceedingly rare. Honestly, in the six years we’ve been sailing together, I can count the number of arguments Phillip and I have had, where we actually raised our voices on the boat, on one hand. And, that’s not meant to be boastful. I know many couples vary greatly from us and many have their own dynamic, their own way of communicating and showing their love and passion for one another, and for conveying their anger or disappointment. Many couples fight often (and often it’s lightheartedly although their words are still sharp). Spats are just a part of their discourse and that works for them. That does not work for Phillip and me. All evidence to the contrary, I am exceedingly anti-confrontational. I get nervous and shaky at the thought of having to argue with someone I love, which often results in me doing a piss-poor job of standing up for myself and persuasively stating my position. I know what you’re probably thinking. _But she was a lawyer_. I said “with someone I love.” When it’s opposing counsel on the other side, just another lawyer just doing his job, too, then look the heck out. I’m a tiger. But, that’s worlds away from having an argument with Phillip. With Phillip, I turn into a sniffly puddle of goo when I have to confront him. But I’m proud to say I did not this time. Bottom line was, I screwed up plotting the coordinates in real-time as we were coming in via the BIMINI waypoint on the Explorer Charts. By the time I realized my mistake, I had us closer to the breakers to the south of the entrance than either of us would haveliked.
And, let’s see what you guys can make of this. In my state of confused worry and fear, trying to convey to Phillip that I might have had him holding too much a southern line as he was sailing toward theentrance I said:
“You’ve gone too far east. You need to go north.” Makes perfect sense, doesn’t it? What, really? That’s crazytalk??
Phillip’s face probably looked something like yours does now. “We’re going east,” he said deadpan. “East is the goal until we get into the channel.” Then I blundered and muttered and tried to show him coordinates on the chart _while he’s trying to hand-steer under sail into the entrance, _a very wise time to put charts in front of his face, don’t you think? Yeah, he didn’t think so either. Needless to say some harsh words came my way which I deserved but did not take well. But, Phillip and I know when to put a disagreement aside for a later date so we can (pardon my French) get shit done in the moment. Despite my goof, we made it into the channel just fine and were navigating perfectly north through the channel into Bimini. Now it was time to find our marina (we had decided to stay at Blue Water Marina, a nice
middle-ground choice between Brown and Big Game we thought), hale the dockmaster, locate our slip, and get docked. There would always be time to discuss our little tiff later. So, that’s what wedid.
Phillip did a great job docking the boat, with great help from a very friendly chap on the dock. The dockhands in the Bahamas are all so helpful and friendly! Then, later, after some steam had worn off, I mustered up some goo-prevention strength and found the courage to tell Phillip, without sniffles, that I was just trying to keep the boat off the breakers to the south and that he had hurt my feelings. And, he, rightfully explained how consumed he was in the moment and how my north-west mumbo-jumbo was, quite frankly, a disappointment. But, we talked it out, then we made up, joined hands and sang Kumbaya. I’m kidding. Although there is, and will always be, random song outbursts on _Plaintiff’s Rest_. Ironically, we learned later that the BIMINI entrance on the Explorer Charts suffers from continual shoaling on the south side of the North Bimini Entrance Point. So, my blunder probably kept us off of that unknown shoaling to the north. _Oh the irony!_ But, that is just another great example of the lack of any need to get flustered or high-and-mighty while cruising. Mistakes are just par for the course and sometimes they prove—with the benefit of hindsight—to not even be mistakes at all. Some turn out to be happy accidents that save your hide. Or hull, as the casemay be.
But, what was most ironic about having a fight make _that day_—our very first day in the Bahamas (which probably had Phillip and I both silently worried about how the rest of this voyage was going to go) one of our worst on the boat was that the _next day_ turned out to be our best day of the voyage. Cruising is funny that way in how quickly things can turn good or bad. I think that’s a huge part of what makes you feel so alive out there. Everything is so volatile. Whether or not things are going to go as planned (when you can even plan them), whether you’ll get into some unexpected weather, whether you’ll be able to safely find where you’re going, and whether that place will be a total dud or absolutely obliterate every expectation you had for it is always up in the air. Every outcome is waiting to be lived to see how it turns out. None of them can in any way be predicted. I’m hoping that makes sense to those of you reading who have not yet gone cruising and are just in the planning and plotting phases of it. Because, to me, the unexpectedness of it all, the IN-ability to plan your days and adventures is what makes it even better. Case in point: our best day in the Bahamas was the very next day in Bimini. Phillip—my Paddington Bear, the best travel buddy you can possibly have (sorry, he’s taken)—surprised me with a booked charter dive our very first full day in Bimini. “We’re going to dive the _Sapona_!” he said. I had no clue what a sapona was, but I didn’t care. I was going diving! “Awesome! My first sapona!” I squealed, which made Phillip chuckle. _He loves me ‘cause I’m blonde._ (Sorry, I’m taken, too.) Turns out, there’s only one _Sapona_, so this was my first _and last_, but I learned all about the _Sapona_on the boat ride out to our dive spot and was fascinated by its rich history. The _SS Sapona_, a cargo steamer, was part of a fleet of concrete ships built at the directive of Woodrow Wilson for use during World War I. After the War, it was sold to a Miami developer who used it initially as a casino, then later for oil storage. It was then sold to another developer in 1924 who used it to store alcohol during the Prohibition, but with plans to turn it into a floating nightclub thereafter. Unfortunately, the _Sapona_ ran aground near Bimini during a hurricane in 1926 and broke apart. Now, sitting in only 15 feet of water and having amassed an impressive fish and marine life population, it is a popular dive spot for professional charter dive boats and cruisers in the Bahamas. You can learn more about the fascinating _SS Sapona_ here.
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It was an incredible dive with lots of nooks and crannies for fish to hide. We saw a stingray bigger than a circle I can make with both arms, a nurse shark, my very first puffer fish (and his little puffer kid!). It was a baby puffer fish that I wanted to adopt but the dive guys vetoed it. The huge prop and anchor of the _Sapona_that are partially submerged were both mesmerizing and a little haunting at the same time. Anytime I see a man-made structure sunk underwater, I get a bit of a creepy feeling thinking the ghosts that went down with it are still there. Do underwater planes or boats ever give any of you that feeling? I have to brave up a little before I can swim my whole body into a sunken structure for that reason, thinking the ghost in there might grab me and never let me back up! What I didn’t know, however, until we completed the dive and I saw people scaling the side of the _Sapona_ and climbing on top was that people _jumped off_ this thing! It’s like rite of Bimini passage. I mean … What did I say on the back of my _Salt of aSailor
_book?
“I leapt off cliffs.” Or old, grounded cargo steamers, as the case may be. Phillip knew there was no way he was going to keep me from jumping off that boat. And, boy was it a rickety climb up to the top, a plaintiff’s lawyer’s dream! But, while we both made it, Phillip declined to scale his way to the tippity top like I did. I didn’t call him the p-word, but you know I was thinking it. Ha! Sorry. You can take the Tomboy out of the backwoods, but you can’t take the Tomboy out of the girl. I scrambled my way up to the upper most point and lunged high and wide out into the 40-foot drop. It was awesome! I hadn’t jumped from a height that high since college and it was invigorating. But, this “high” still was not the highest high of that day. I mean, Phillip and I had some pretty freaking amazing days in the Bahamas. It was very hard to select this one, but looking back after the trip, we both did. Do you want to know why? Because that day we swam with sharks! Not just one shark, or even just a handful of sharks, we swam with dozens of them! Right by us! All around us! And, this was nothing like the tank dive Phillip (again, another surprise, love that Paddington!) took me on in Tampa at the Florida Aquarium. Awesome video of that dive for you here. You’re welcome! These sharks weren’t in a tank. They didn’t swim with humans in their quarters every day. They were out there in the open water, allowed to do whatever the heck they wanted, which would include gnawing on humans. Granted, these sharks were somewhat “trained” in that this dive boat stopped often to take swimmers down with them and always fed them afterward. No comment on that practice. I’m just grateful it allowed Phillip and I a truly unforgettable encounter with one of the most majestic and important animals in our oceans. My biggest take-away from that aquarium dive with the sharks was not simply the accomplishment of braving up and swimming with them but the education and enlightenment as to the true nature of sharks, their docile temperament, the need for them in our oceans, and the unfortunate, very human-like tragedy of the greedy plunder with which we trap, maim and needlessly kill them. It is just sad and inexcusable. We are not the victim, nor the prey. Sharks are. So, when our dive boat made an unexpected stop after rounding all of us divers and snorkelers (and jumpers!) up from the _Sapona_at “Shark Alley” on the way back to Bimini—the waters around our boat teeming with big black, swirling creatures—and the captain asked any of us, jokingly, if we wanted to go for a swim, Phillip and I said “Absolutely!” and started donning our masks.*
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Yes, we _are_those crazy people who swim with sharks. All told there were about 15-20 reef sharks, ranging from five to maybe eight-feet long. Big, beautiful creatures that maneuvered around us with surprising ease. While they seemed a little curious, they didn’t seem at all hostile. They were just swimming, waiting on their reward of a fish feast afterward. Phillip and I were the only divers to dive down with the dive guide and stand on the bottom, still as a piling, while they circled around us. It was an incredible,unforgettable dive.
And, it was really fun to watch the boat crew feed the sharks afterward to see what they are capable of, but thankfully did not do while we were down there. The swirling mass of them, circling and sliding around and over one another to gracefully inhale each piece of fish thrown in. It was mesmerizing! Video Annie joked: “What? You don’t want to go for a swim?” And, speaking of Video Annie, I don’t have any footage to show you of the sharks because another great thing happened on that, the best day of our voyage: my GoPro broke. Yep. It went kaput. No pulse. No battery. It simply would not turn on after the _Sapona_jump. And, for a moment I was frantically trying to pull the battery out and put it back in to reboot it while the dive guide was getting us ready to go down with the sharks, and I was frustrated and irritated and cursing it. Then, something just clicked inside and I said, “f*ck it.” I have mentioned manytimes
on this
platform my dread of losing the power and feeling of a moment because I was more worried about filming it than living it. GoPro’s death that day relieved me of that worry on that fantastic day. With the ability to film no longer even an option, there was nothing to stop me from just jumping in, camera-free, and recording it all up here. (Yep, I’m sure you can imagine me tapping my temple. Right here, in the thinktank, my memory bank.) So, I could then, in my own time, put it into spellbinding words later for myself and for you all here. I believe in words. And
that was such a freeing feeling. I then knew I would never have to wrestle with that decision at any other point during our Bahamas voyage. GoPro simply wiped that worry away and silently told me: “Go. Just live it. Keep this just for you two.” So, that’s what we did. And, for that, we thank him. R.I.P. GoPro. Next up, we’ll share our fantastic experience kite-surfing in Bimini (complete with incredible footage and photos taken by a dock neighbor there at Blue Water Marina – thank you Justin!) and our exciting sail over to Andros where we caught our first monster fish of the trip! Stay tuned. Posted in Uncategorized| Tagged
bahamas , bimini
, cruising bahamas
, navigation
, sharks
| 10 Comments
96 HOURS ACROSS THE GULF Posted on June 21, 2019by anniedike
I’m trying to think back on each and every one of them. How can they have slipped by so quickly? Sure, I spent some sleeping (not many, though), but the rest were spent gloriously lounging in the cockpit watching the water go by, devouring books (devouring food!), and counting a billion stars. While you’re out there, and it’s sometimes a little rough and uncomfortable, you can catch yourself wishing the time away. But, once the voyage is behind you—that incredible experience is tucked away merely as a memory in your mind—you want every hour back. All 96 of them. Photos and video from our Gulf-crossing for you all below! Phillip and I have crossed the Gulf now, on a five-day, four-night non-stop run, three times on our boat. It is always a passage we plan well in advance for, watching weather windows religiously as well as re-checking and double-checking all of the systems on the boat before we leave, because the Gulf is no freaking joke. Having crossed the Atlantic twice now, Phillip and I always readily agree the Gulf is still one of the most gnarly bodies of water we have ever crossed. Although the Bay of Biscay is now right up there with it! But, the Gulf never fails to throw a challenge at us. It certainly did this time, right out of the gate. Now that I’ve shared the turmoil we were dealing with in the days before we left when Auto would turn notto,
you know it was a stressful time for us for sure, wondering whether we were going to be able to leave or not and—if we did—whether the systems would perform consistently. But, that’s a risk that is always present in offshore sailing. Once everything is working as best as it can, the chance of something going wrong is no reason _not_ to leave. Once our auto-pilot, Lord Nelson, was cleaned and calibrated and performing perfectly and our GPS was restored after a B&G update, our boat was once again back in high-caliber condition, ready to romp. While it was stressful dealing with these hiccups in the days before we left, Phillip and I were still grateful all the pieces came together right before a decent weather window opened up. And, I say ‘decent’ because the Gulf rarely offers five full straight days of perfect weather. You’re usually going to get into some kind of stuff (think 4-6 foot seas and winds of 20+) somewhere along the journey for some stretch of time. It’s often just deciding whether you want it on the front end or the back end. And, there’s often an equally good chance of wind shifting on to your nose, or dying altogether. The Gulf is like a variety show. You never know what it’s truly going to feel like until you get waaaay the heck out there and, by then, you’re already there. No turning back. Just sit down, buckle in, and endure theshow.
In the last weeks of April when we were planning to shove off, Phillip and I were looking at a stretch of nice winds in the Gulf. In the high teens and mid-twenties, mind you, but on the stern. Downwind sailing is my favorite kind of sailing. We were planning to let a front pass through Pensacola, bringing some rain and storms, then ride the back end of that out into the Gulf with some great north wind pushing us out. While we knew the seas would be a bit kicked up from the storm, on PassageWeather.com it looked like once we got about five or six hours off the coast, they would start to lay down. _Looked like …_ I’m not going to lie, our first day on passage was pretty intense. I’m confident we were bucking our way through steady 7-footers with the occasional 9 or 10-foot wave that would send us careening. I recall many times Phillip and I would be talking and we both would stop mid-sentence when we saw a monster building on the stern that blocked out the sun. Not a word would be spoken until we watched the mighty wave pick up our seemingly light-as-a-feather boat and shove her stern hard over, the bow lunging the opposite direction in response. Phillip and I would hold our breath as our horizon spun 90 degrees and Lord Nelson squealed out trying to get the boat back on course. I am grateful to say, even with some of the biggest following waves he’s steered in yet, Lord Nelson held every time. No matter how hard we were shoved and tossed, he would emit his mighty _whiiieeerrrrr_ and bring us back on course. When Phillip and I would regain our breath after these moments and continue where we’d left off, it always included a sentiment to Lord Nelson. He worked so hard below-decks during that passage, steering us all 96 hours across the Gulf. Thankfully those rough seas only lasted the first 24-or-so hours. Well into our second day, the Gulf laid down to 3-5 footers with following winds in the upper teens and Phillip and I were glad we left when we did (even with the bumpy start) because the winds pushed us comfortably the next two days and the boat practically sailed herself most of the way down to the Keys. We had to motor for 20-or-so hours the last stretch when the winds laid down but with all of the attention we had given Westie (our 30 hp Westerbeke diesel engine) this past summer,
we knew he was eager for the spotlight and ready to run as long as we needed him. And, he certainly did, without a hiccup. Honestly, the best part about our last voyage across the Gulf was the immense feeling of pride it gave Phillip and me in our capable, comfortable boat. The phrase “dialed in” I don’t even believe can do it justice. _Plaintiff’s Rest _was not just dialed in, she was performing the best we had ever seen her, while setting her own personal record (a speed of 10.2 kts surfing down a wave), _while_ crossing one of the toughest bodies of water_ in_ some of the biggest seas we’ve sailed her in. Through all of that, it was like she was telling us it was … easy. All of the work we had put into her—replacing the rigging, reinforcing the mast, the rudder, the keel, all of that engine work, digging out rot anywhere we saw it, and repairing everything we knew was an issue as soon as we could—had made her so incredibly capable and strong. And yet so simple and comfortable. While there were, of course, dolphins—which make us (me) squeal uncontrollably, still, every time—and there was phosphorescence at night, brilliant turquoise horizons, shooting stars, the joy of peeling off foul foulies, and all of the things that make offshore sailing so mind-altering for us (no fish though, those wily bastards!), I think the best part about this voyage, for me and Phillip, was the ease and comfort of it. Not because the sea state and winds made it easy or comfortable—they did not—but because theboat did.
The moon peeking through the clouds during our departure Moon on the bow With a brilliant sunrise emerging on the stern It felt like a sign of good luck for our voyage Headed out the Pensacola Pass Captain Phillip at the helm Captain Annie joins him – what’s better than one Captain on a boat? Starting to get tossed just a bit in the Gulf (this was one of the few times we were topside during the first 24 hours) This was one of the others. While video never does it justice, you can see we’re moving pretty good here, up and down and heeling side to side, while Phillip was re-securing the anchor. Dolphins on starboard! Never gets old Day two – still donning our foulies (which were quite foul by then, trust me) Great winds for night sailing, and we love watching ships on the AIS – it’s usually a very good night shift distraction and entertainment “Mornin’” says Offshore Annie Then: “Look what I found!” : ) Nothing better Phillip fishing … not catching (those wily bastards bit off several of our lures!) “It’s gonna be a sweet sound, coming down, on the night shift!” Phillip just finishing his as the sun rises over the stern. Say “Hello!” to … SKIN. Day three we were thrilled to doff the foulies! I see that smile! That’s Phillip’s offshore smile. : ) Our new Excel anchor taking in his first offshore voyage I love living in a bikini! Nuff said It’s my cruising uniform (sure makes lifeeasy not having to
think about what to wear … an to not have to brush my hair!) Our one glass of wine at sunset ration – makes it so worth it! We figured we were getting closer to land once we started to see the shrimp boats Last day on passage, we were feeling right and lazy! Thanks again for the coozie, Geckos! Ahhh … 96 hours of offshore sailing behind us, we had definitely earned a relaxing afternoon poolside in Marathon. Posted in Uncategorized| Tagged
Bahamas Bound ,
gulf crossing ,
offshore sailing
| 9 Comments
AUTO TURN NOTTO: WHAT ALMOST PREVENTED OUR BAHAMAS DEPARTURE Posted on June 7, 2019by anniedike
“What was one of the scariest moments of your Bahamas trip?” a fellow cruiser asked us the other night during our first post-Bahamas reunion. Ironically, he had asked Phillip first while I was in the restroom, so he got to ask me separately and it was quite interesting for Phillip and I to see how differently we both answered that question. Apparently—and this was unbeknownst to me then—THIS incident was the scariest part of the trip for Phillip. Granted, it happened before the trip, but Phillip deemed this his biggest scare. That, and the knowledge we gained during the process, I felt made itworthy to share.
Our boat, you see, has quite the sense of humor. It’s like she senses a coming departure date, and she knows she’s about to have to work really hard to carry us across the Gulf. So, to balance things out, she likes to throw a little wrench in our final prep plans and enjoys watching _us _work really hard for a few days figuring out her last-minute equipment failure before we leave. This time it was one of the most important systems on our boat: Lord Nelson. Many of you may already know who that is. Lord Nelson is our auto-pilot—an HLD 350 hydraulic drive with a Simrad AP26 control head and an AC20 computer—named after the gallant Lord Nelson boat he came off of when we acquired him in 2016. Previously, we had an Auto Helm 3000, a belt-driven wheel helm that was, well, pretty much useless. It was weak and unable to hold in any winds over 10 kts. For this reason—when we were hauled out during our extensive mast stringer repair and re-rig for three months in 2016,
we built a new fiberglass shelf for Lord Nelson and had Brandon with Perdido Sailor help us with the install. Lord Nelson is a very strong, below-decks hydraulic auto-pilot that Phillip and I have been very impressed with. That guy’s got a grip, I will tell you! But, as with any “new” system on the boat, you have to work out the kinks, and it became clear to us, not long after his install, that Lord Nelson’s got a little sense of humor of his own. During our voyage to Cuba, our first long offshore voyage using Lord Nelson, he initially unthreaded his own arm. Phillip and I were beating into some pretty heavy stuff during that passage, so it gave us a great deal of alarm when the auto-pilot’s Simrad device began cackling out and Lord Nelson gave up the wheel. Thankfully, Phillip was close enough to the helm to get control of the boat _before_ we got backwinded (or “all f&*ked up” as Annie would say). Don’t ask me how this weird un-threading happened, because it’s still a mystery to us. We were simply thrilled it was a super easy solution. I hopped down in the port lazarette (we spend a good bit of time in the lazarettes on our boat), threaded it back on, Loc-tited it for good measure (we love Loc-Tite), and we were back in business. Finding the problem is usually 80% of the battle. All too often on the boat it is a very, _very _simple fix (_i.e., _tightening a loose bolt) that causes a very, _very _big problem (_i.e., _the auto-pilot’s not holding). That was Lord Nelson’s first snafu (that’s the word of the day today). Another time, also during our infamous voyage to Cuba—you can tell we learned a TON about our boat during that bash-across._Yes that one …_
Lord Nelson started beeping and braying and telling us he was having “rudder response failure.” After an embarrassing amount of tinkering and troubleshooting that did not involve the basics—_i.e., _making sure all the nuts and bolts and connections are tight—Phillip found the nuts holding Nelson’s base plate steady had wiggled loose during our rambunctious voyage. Imagine trying to push something to exact measurements while your feet are on shifting sand. Thankfully, again, this was a stupid-easy fix (tighten the nuts). Lord Nelson was then able to steer us all the way—through some serious wind and seas across the Gulf Stream—to the entrance to Marina Hemingway. We knew then we had made the right decision in upgrading from our wheel helm to hydraulic Lord Nelson. When we hauled out in 2018 (to, among other things, reinforce ourrudder post
,
replace our coupling and cutlass bearing, and switch to a composting head)
Phillip noticed Lord Nelson appeared to be leaking out of his rear bushing on the rod. As with most any other problem or issue we discover while we’re hauled out, we try to tackle it then and there, when we’re knee-deep in “boat project mode” and have the help, expertise, and tools of Brandon and his crew at Perdido Sailor at our side. Brandon recommended we take Lord Nelson to a local hydraulic shop to have them open him up and replace all the bushings. “While you’re in there,” he reasoned. Sage advice. While that seemed like a simple task, it was anything but. I’ll spare you the entire saga by simply sharingthis post
and saying once again how unbelievably patient and persistent this guy at Industrial Hydraulic Services in Pensacola was. I am so grateful we fell into his hands. So, with allll that work we put into Lord Nelson in the prior years, we had very high hopes he would perform beautifully on this voyage to the Bahamas and for many more passages and years to come. I mean, it’s an old (which we prefer), strong system that—when fully-functional—is powerful enough to hold our boat in virtually any and all offshore conditions. Lord Nelson was definitely not a system we had any worries about when we were preparing the boat this past February and March to leave for the Bahamas in April. Apparently Lord Nelson felt differently about it. During one of our last day sails before we were going to untie the lines and sail south for the season, Lord Nelson shocked Phillip and I both when he beeped out this strange ACXX WARNING (meaning he required too much voltage to turn the wheel, so he shut off) when he was holding while we were raising the main. After we got the main up, and put Lord Nelson back on, he was fine. No other issues; he held for several more hours in light and some sporty winds under engine and sail. Then again, as we were coming back in, Lord Nelson gave up the ghost (oddly again when we had him holding while we were dropping the main) with the same ACXX warning. It was just … _strange._ There’s no other word for it, and there seemed to be no discernible reason or cause for it. This time, being a bit more Lord Nelson-savvy, Phillip and I checked all of his bolts and nuts and wire connections. We un-connected his wires, cleaned them and re-connected. But, he had cut out in such freak moments—that we couldn’t seem to replicate—Phillip and I were unsure whether we’d solved anything or not, which was very unnerving with our planned departure date coming up. I can tell you one of the very first things we will not leave the dock, headed off on an extended offshore voyage, _without_ is a reliable auto-pilot. He’s like a third crew member; easily the most skilled and capable one at holding the wheel. The thought of traveling with a potentially faulty auto-pilot is what Phillip readily admitted gave him the biggest scare of our trip. Having planned and prepared for months, with a good weather window ahead of us in the Gulf, Lord Nelson’s condition was almost a deal-breaker. Thinking there was a possibility we were going to have to replace the drive unit before we could leave, Phillip and I were frantically searching the web and making calls trying to find a replacement drive, which proved to be a challenge as our unit is so old and unique and no longer manufactured. The only used ones available were overseas and would take weeks to arrive (although we thought about shipping them to Key West and hand-steering there—not a great idea, but one of our last-ditch ones). Newer, different drives all proved to be too big to fit and operate on the shelf we had built for Lord Nelson. When we did find a different newer drive (the Simrad T0)
which _would_ fit in our space, they were all unavailable or out of stock. Multiple calls to a guy at our local West Marine resulted in just one (only one unit in the entire U.S., I’m not kidding). It was in New York but, once located, it was deemed already sold. Unless our unit was repairable (in the next two days) our Bahamas trip looked like it was going to be postponed indefinitely. With our focus now on _fixing_ Lord Nelson, assuming it was possible and that we could do it quickly (two very big assumptions), Phillip did some research and discovered these mysterious motor brushes. A mystery to me, that is, as I still don’t have my head wrapped quite around what it is they do, exactly, or _brush_ per se, if anything. I know they somehow make an electrical connection in the motor, but there’s still some magic going on there for me. I mean, here’s what they look like. Weird little buggers: However, we were struggling to find what types of brushes had been installed in our unit so we could even buy new ones and hope that fixed it. Remember our unit was made years ago and is no longer manufactured, meaning the employees at Simrad weren’t quite sure what brushes had gone in there to begin with. Frustrated and irritated with our prospects, we got a little desperate. Two days before our departure date, I stopped into a small motor maintenance shop in Pensacola hoping beyond hope, initially, just for answers: what brushes were in our motor and could the shop order and replace them? Like a punch to the gut, when I told the guy the specs of our unit, he immediately told me he was sure he would not have any brushes in stock that would fit our old Simrad unit. It was his belief, they would not be manufactured anymore and he would have to machine new ones using the old ones as a template. This could take 5-7 days, he told me, if it all went without issue. (When do boat projects ever go off “without issue,” am I right?). I had every intention of walking out of his shop and simply going home to tell Phillip our plight, when desperation and crazy hope overcame me. I drove straight to the boat, sweated my ass off in the lazarette, but I disconnected and disassembled Lord Nelson and removed him. It’s not a super fun job. Thankfully, having been very involved in his install and our many times trouble-shooting and working on him, I was very familiar with his assembly, so I could do this on my own. Ladies, this is a testament to getting to know your boat just as much as your counterpart so you can be just as capable as he or she when it comes to troubleshooting and repairs (because it will often, time and time and time again, come time for troubleshooting and repairs. It’s aboat … )
A greasy, sweaty mess, I stunned the motor shop guy coming back in with my beast in hand. “This is Lord Nelson,” I told him, as I asked if he could please get inside him as soon as possible so we could get moving on our brush project (and get the heck on our way to the Bahamas!). Motor Man took Lord Nelson, wrote down my info, gave me a ticket, and said he would get on it as soon as he could (hopefully tomorrow). It was all I could do. But, I would have never guessed my rash decision ended up saving our whole departure. While I was merely hopeful this magic Motor Man would be able to get inside Lord Nelson, find the brushes, make new ones and have us up and running and heading off to the Bahamas—albeit perhaps a week or two after our originally planned departure date—I had no idea he would call the next day and tell me: “It’s fixed.” Remember what I said about ridiculously-easy fixes usually being the source of the most ridiculously deal-breaker breakdowns? You want to know what was wrong with Lord Nelson that was preventing him from being able to steer our boat?He was dirty.
That’s all. Just dirty. Motor Man—who is a great mechanic with an uncanny devotion to customer service and whose real name is Glen at Escambia Electric Motor Service here in Pensacola (and whom Phillip and I will be forever grateful to)—found, when he opened Lord Nelson’s motor up that it was all gunked up and gummy (likely from the hydraulic fluid that had been leaking). He was so greasy and dirty that his brushes (which were in great shape – yay!) simply weren’t able to make good contact. Glen said it was arching and sparking in there, struggling so hard to make a connection to run the motor that it was pulling 15 amps at times. That was the reason for the ACXX message and failure. Once Glen cleaned him all up, Lord Nelson was running beautifully, drawing only 2 amps. That’s it. What a pleasant surprise. He was justdirty.
And, it was our last day before we had planned to leave. All we had to do was pick up our buddy Nelson, re-install him on the boat, then we could pop out for a quick motor-about to make sure he was calibrated and working properly and *_voila_*! Our we-almost-didn’t-go, auto-turn-notto problem would be solved. That’s it. Boom. Done. You can go now. It’s rather funny now looking back on it. And, as is so often the case with our boat—I swear she just knows how to break down with grace at the perfect time—this snafu happened at just the right time. Imagine if this ACXX message and an auto-pilot failure had started occurring two days into the Gulf, 100 nm from shore? Phillip and I would have had a very different, much more dangerous offshore experience. But, no, our boat had the wherewithal to show us this problem days before we were leaving in our own protected home waters. I mean, when you realize that, you just want to give her a massive fist bump. _Right on, boat. _*thunk* And, please use this story as a reminder: when your boat seems to be giving you trouble and having issues, she may very well be simply trying to talk to you and tell you exactly what is going on with her. You just have to listen and look. Phillip and I are still not near as good as we should be, not quite 100% attune, but we’ve been through enough now to know, if she’s giving us “problems” it’s likely she’s trying to get our attention so we can fix something well before it blows up into something major. She’s usually doingus a serious solid.
So, there you have it: Phillip’s biggest scare of our trip. And, I’ve spared from this story the issues we had with our GPS during these last days as well. Turns out total lack of a GPS signal can be the result of needing to do a simple upgrade of the micro-chip in the B&G. I’ll tell you the thought of leaving without a reliable auto-pilot _or_ GPS was another pretty big scare. But, again, this happened in just a way that we were able to address and fix it in the safety of home waters where we have unlimited wifi access. Thanksagain, boat. *bump*
Now, you may be wondering what _my _biggest scare of the trip was? You’ll have to follow along! It wasn’t until we got near Andros. But, Phillip and I hope repair and equipment failure posts like this one help educate you all and give you some encouragement if you, too (as all boat owners do) often run into problems out there. Think of it as just your boat trying to show you something before it becomes a colossal, no-go-for-you issue and thank her! Next up on the blog: our five-day sail across the Gulf of Mexico.Stay tuned!
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BIRTHDAY TRIBUTE: 37 REASONS WHY THIS PAST VOYAGE WAS OUR BEST YET Posted on May 31, 2019by anniedike
REASON NO. 1: MY GOPRO BROKE OUR FIRST DAY IN THE BAHAMAS. Why is that a good thing? Because it was the universe telling me to just live in the moment—to see, taste, and feel it, rather than _film_ it. Ahoy crew! Now that Phillip and I have completed our Bahamas cruise and tucked in safe for hurricane season, I’m excited to share all of the fun stories and photos from our incredible Bahamas voyage with you all here on the blog. I decided—as a fitting birthday tribute (this little sailor turned a proud 37 on May 28th : )—to first share the 37 highs and lows that Phillip and I have agreed made this last voyage to the Bahamas our BEST TRIP YET. The reasons might surprise you. Remember: it’s usually not the cocktails and sunsets you remember the most. NO. 2: WE HAD A GREAT SEND-OFF * Our friends in Pensacola are keepers, I will tell you that. Brandon made (try to wrap your head around this) bacon-wrapped, beer-battered onion rings along with a massive rack of ribs, well mainly just as a Saturday BBQ—that man loves to grill—but Phillip and I commandeered it as our “send-off feast” and it was incredible! Our buddy (and original boat broker, who helped us find our Niagara 35), Kevin, also brought us a nice bottle of champagne (complete with its own boat bubble packing!), and we had one rip-roaring last hoorah at our favorite Ft. McRee anchorage before leaving. Yes, those glasses do say _“Party Rock!” _*
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NO. 3: WE HAD TWO CAPTAINS ABOARD * Double the knowledge, experience, and credentials; double the ease of cruising. Nuff said. With both of us now equally capable of steering, navigating, AND docking, Phillip and I both felt an increased sense of confidence when we left the dock in April. NO. 4: WE HAD PLENTY OF WINE NO. 5: WE HAD PLENTY OF STORAGE SPACE FOR SAID WINE*
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NO. 6: WE SCORED ON SALSA! * Yes, salsa is serious on our boat. I always prefer it at room temp (and, yes, I have eaten a whole jar in one sitting to enjoy the full-warm goodness before it went into the flavor-sucking hole that is the fridge. We also always try to reduce foods we bring on the boat that have to be refrigerated, so when we found these perfect single-serving sized cans at Wal-Mart that taste like they were just chopped on a beach-side salsa stand, we were stoked! These guys made for a wonderfully-tasty treat often on _Plaintiff’s Rest_ and we were able to reduce trash by throwing the cans overboard when we were underway offshore! Win-win. What do you say? _“Arriba!!” _ NO. 7: WE GOT LUCKY (ON A WEATHER-WINDOW) * While Phillip and I both often readily agree it is rare to find a perfect “good” downwind five-day weather window across the Gulf, we did find a rather peachy four-day one that suited us just fine. While our first day out of the gate was a bit sporty, I’m excited to tell you in a future post how well our baby girl performed in 20 knots of wind (albeit on the stern—my favorite kind) and 6-8 (sometimes 10) foot seas. It was a romp. Whew! NO. 8: DESPITE A LAST-MINUTE BREAKDOWN, LORD NELSON HELD THE ENTIRETIME
* This is my next story coming up on the blog: _Auto Turn Notto: The Problem That Almost Prevented Our Departure. _It’s quite an interesting saga. It never ceases to amaze me how often massive problems (the auto-pilot is not working) are caused by the tiniest of conditions (a bolt is not tightened or a connection is loose, for example). But, Phillip and I certainly learned a ton about our hydraulic auto-pilot in the process, and we hope you will too. After solving this problem—we *hope*—we now have Lord Nelson running in a condition that will last us ten more years of cruising. That was our hope when he had Brandon with Perdido Sailor help us install him during our extended stay in the shipyardback in 2016.
Screenshot from Shipyard Video #69: Meet Our Hydraulic Auto-Pilot“Mr. Roboto”
NO. 9: WE LEFT UNDER THE MOST BEAUTIFUL SUNRISE I HAVE EVERPHOTOGRAPHED
NO. 10: WE HAD ANOTHER SUCCESSFUL, SAFE GULF-CROSSING * Crossing the Gulf of Mexico is no friggin’ joke. Phillip and I have told many, many cruisers that, despite our multiple Atlantic-Ocean crossings, the Gulf still ranks as one of the most gnarly bodies of water we have crossed, often packing the worst punch. We have spent too many a day and night bashing and crashing across the Gulf. So, anytime we have a successful, no damage, no injuries crossing of the Gulf of Mexico, we will happily and unapologetically celebrate it. _Ahhhh .._. NO. 11: WE WERE ONLY IN FOULIES FOR ONE DAY * Previous Gulf-Crossings, particularly those undertaken in November or December have seen us in stinky, sweaty fouls for days. Yuck! Phillip and I were thrilled this time, leaving later in the year (April), to start pulling off those foul (in many ways) layers, justnorth of Tampa!
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NO. 12: WE GOT IN A MASSIVE FIGHT IN BIMINI * Doesn’t sound like a good thing, does it? Well it’s not when you’re in the thick of it. But, if you come out stronger and closer on the other side, it’s worth it. Couples have to fight occasionally to let the steam out and regroup. I had made a stupid error in my lat-lon navigation trying to help Phillip (who was holding the helm at the time) into the entrance to Bimini (bad on me) but Phillip responded with a comment that cut me to the core (bad on him). And, it doesn’t need to be repeated. It wasn’t an expletive, just hurtful. But, the upside was my response. While I usually swallow that hurt down, trying not to “rock the boat” so to speak, I knew Phillip and I had many tight-quarter days ahead on the boat, so I spoke up and let it out so we could vent and heal and it was the right decision. I’m getting better at this adult stuff, I’m telling you! NO. 13: WE GOT STUCK IN BIMINI * Again, doesn’t sound like a good thing, right? For Phillip and I—who really like to stay on the move when we’re cruising, staying usually only 2-3 days in one place before moving onto the next—a forced five-day stay in one place can be a bit of a bugger. Buuuuttt, that is only true when there’s no wind there or no good place to kite. If it’s blowing like stink for days and we have the ability to kite, Phillip and I are happy to park it and get on that wind. We spent three glorious days in a row kiting the snot out of 20-25+ winds in Bimini. It was awesome!*
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NO. 14: WE FAILED (INITIALLY) AT FISHING … * Shouldn’t sound like a good thing, either? No “fish on” to shout about. For the first week of our cruising, when we were doing most of our offshore voyaging and expecting to catch _most_ of our fish, Phillip and I didn’t catch a damn thing. Those crafty fish stole lure after lure, laughing at us the entire time. But, it was this extended fish failure that made our first catch that muchsweeter.
NO. 15: THEN WE CAUGHT OUR BIGGEST MAHI EVER!*
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* It was glorious. That beautiful bounty of the sea fed us six times over, three filets a piece. I’m not kidding. Neptune rewarded our initial failed attempts in droves. NO. 16: THE WEATHER FORCED US TO A NEW PLACE * Morgan’s Bluff! Have any of you been there? While Phillip and I were not sure whether we were going to stop in Andros this year, as the Exumas were certainly calling (and while I would not call it a “schedule” _per se_, as commuter cruisers, we do have limited time and have to make destination decisions accordingly), the weather made the decision for us. Coming into the Northwest Providence Channel, the wind turned more southeast than we anticipated and began building to 18 and upwards—not a comfortable wind speed on the nose on our boat. So, it was either beat into _that_ all the way to the Exumas or tuck in at Morgan’s Bluff, a place we knew nothing about but that brought us one of our most memorable moments of the entire trip: NO. 17: WE ATE OUR FIRST DILLY (IT’S KIND OF A BIG DILLY-YO) * This was such an unexpected and eye-opening experience. While Morgan’s Bluff does not have much to offer if you just dinghy to shore—a pretty beach and one little bar—Phillip and I were lucky enough to find a local to hire to drive us around the entire island and give us a three-hour tour (that, thankfully, did not leave us shipwrecked!). Kanendra, the dock master there at Morgan’s Bluff, along with her daughter, Diamond, took us around and showed us the cave where Captain Morgan allegedly hid his treasures, the blue hole (where the limestone core has fallen through and you can dive straight through to the ocean), the cute little resort bungalows you can rent, along with the extensive devastation that still exists from Hurricane Matthew. It was enlightening and incredibly interesting. And, Diamond, herself, a child of only eight, was adamant about sharing a particular experience with us—eating our first dilly fruit. Diamond picked this one herself and Phillip and I ate it right on the stop, getting all sticky in the process. It was the sweetest fruit I believe I’ve ever eaten and an awesome moment!*
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NO. 18: WE DID SOOOOO MUCH SAILING * This surprised even us: Phillip and I sailed so much, we started to run low on battery power because we hadn’t cranked the engine in a while sailing almost the entire way from anchorage to anchorage. We were very lucky, both across the Gulf and the Stream, and with almost every island hop, to have steady winds on our stern that just pushed us along. It was incredible. Phillip and I did some of our favorite sailing, ever on our boat, on this last trip. NO. 19: WE REEFED RIGHT! * This was a little trick we learned from Andy Schell and Mia at 59-North . You wrap the reef line once around the boom and _then_ tie it to allow the reef line to cinch the sail _alll_ the way down to the boom to get a flatter, more effective reef. The days we did have to sail to windward in winds that require us to reef (generally 15 kts and up), this trick helped us put a tighter reef in and sail more comfortably to weather. Feel free to comment on my “beanie hair” – I should have left the darn thing on – but you can see the reef trick! Thanks Andy! NO. 20: TWO WEEKS IN, WE STILL HAD ENOUGH WINE!_Cheers! _
NO. 21: WE STUDIED THE CHARTS AND GRIBS TOGETHER * I realize only now—with six years of cruising and a Captain’s License under my belt—how little help I was during mine and Phillip’s first cruising years. Sure, I was a hard worker. I crawled down into holes to try and fix things. I cooked. I cleaned. I got greasy and helped where I could. But, I never pushed myself to get knowledgeable enough about the more difficult things, like navigation, weather-watching, and making wise passage decisions. Now that I have, Phillip and I enjoy checking the weather together (that is an every morning and every afternoon event and conversation we have when we’re cruising), studying the charts, and deciding “Where to next?” _together_ and we then share the roles navigating in. At least this way if we run-aground, we can share the blame! Let’s hope that never happens … although I’m sure it will again someday. NO. 22: WE WERE EXCEEDINGLY IMPRESSED WITH OUR BOAT * She never ceased to amaze and impress us. Granted, Phillip and I put a lot of time and money into her and try our best to be very diligent, pro-active boat owners, but that does not mean you’re going to have a boat that performs 100% of the time. I’ll say our baby girl did everything we asked of her (which was often to run hard for 24 hours-plus under sail, engine, or both, with Lord Nelson doing all the steering) about 95% of the time. She was just a beast out there—moving comfortably in all types of weather, practically sailing herself all over the Bahamas. Pretty much every system worked, every bit of the time. While this is a HUGE reason we always strive for less, more simplistic systems on our boat, it was clear to Phillip and I, those choices (and the work they required) were totally worth it. I am immensely proud to say our boat is “dialed in.” NO. 23: WE MADE IT TO THE EXUMAS! * That, in and of itself, was an accomplishment, as we were not sure our time allotment would allow it. We were not able to make it to the Exumas last year when we did the Abacos—although our diversion to the Berries brought us a fantastic encounter with new friends and an amazing experience that was the subject of my latest article in SAILMagazine
—Phillip
and I both still had a desire to see and experience for ourselves the breathtaking beauty so many have told us is unique only to the Exumas. And, boy were they right. Photos just can’t capture it, but they cantry!
Annie and Plaintiff’s Rest in Warderwick Wells Cay in the Exumas NO. 24: I WAS PUBLISHED UNDERWAY! * This was such a treat! To have an article of mine, “People With Gusto: the people you meet when cruising”—ironically
_about_ the Berry Islands in the Bahamas—come out in the latest SAIL Magazine _while_ Phillip and I were sailing to the Bahamas. It was fun to be a bit of celebrity in certain marinas along the way where people had seen the article. Thanks again to Peter Nielson and the SAIL Magazine crew for running my piece!*
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NO. 25: WE MET THE AMAZING JESSIE (FROM JESSIE & KATE) * Speaking of meeting amazing people while cruising, we were lucky enough to cross paths with this inspiring young sailor/photographer: Jessie from Cruising Outpost’s “Jessie & Kate on a Boat” series. Leave a comment below if you enjoyed their articles in _Cruising Outpos t_. Jessie was such a warm, candid person and so fun and interesting to talk to. You can imagine she and I immediately meshed and scurried to the corner to chatter like schoolgirls. I’ll admit to a little girl-crush on her; I’m not scared. Jessie is phenomenal. She and her husband, Luke, came into Bimini on the way back from their Atlantic-Circle honeymoon. I mean … damn. Reminds of the amazing Pam Wall . I am so inspired by these hearty sailing ladies! Keep it up salty gals!! You can follow Jessie’s continued adventures on Instagram at www.instagram.com/jessiebrave/.
NO. 26: WE WERE ABLE TO SCRUB OUR OWN BOTTOM * Many thanks to Mantus on this one! When Phillip and I learned they had designed a smaller, more portable scuba set-up , we snagged one so we could use it during our cruising to dive a really cool reef that might be perhaps a little too deep for repeated snorkel dives and also to scrub our own bottom. This saves us about $100/month if we can do our bottom ourselves, so it has proven well-worth the investment for us. Plus, it’s convenient to have a little scuba set-up just forfun on the boat.
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NO. 26: WE GOT TO DIVE THIS! NO. 27: WE GOT TO CHEERS EVERYDAY TO VIEWS LIKE THIS! NO. 28: WE GOT TO WAKE EVERY MORNING TO VIEWS LIKE THIS! NO. 29: WE GOT TO SWIM EVERYDAY IN WATERS LIKE THIS NO. 30: WE GOT TO SWIM WITH FRIENDLY GUYS LIKE THIS NO. 31: WE GOT TO EAT FOOD LIKE THIS NO. 32: WE GOT TO WALK BEACHES AS AMAZING AS THIS NO. 33: WE GOT TO HARVEST OUR OWN CONCH NO. 34: WE GOT TO SNORKEL PRETTY MUCH EVERY DAY NO. 35: WE GOT TO SPEND AN ENTIRE VACATION WITH OUR BEST FRIEND NO. 36: WE HAD A LIFE-CHANGING SWIM WITH A TURTLE * I’m proud to say because I was IN the moment, not filming it, I don’t have an image, but I don’t need one. My words and memory will do it justice, just you wait. I named him Rasta because he was sochiiiilllll.
NO. 37: SIX WEEKS IN, WE STILL HAD ENOUGH WINE!_Cheers!_
Posted in Uncategorized| Tagged
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, gulf crossing
, gulf stream
, offshore
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