Dirty Laundry

Photo credit - Ken & Cindy, S/V Meant To Be

     The dinghy, the backbone of the cruising world.  Once you drop the hook for the mothership, the dinghy becomes your runabout.  In the above photo, Sharon and I are returning to Big Run after doing laundry at Black Point Settlement.  It's a 15 minute dinghy ride over to Black Point Settlement from Plain Bay.  If we didn't have the dinghy, it would be a 2+ mile walk to town with over 2 weeks of dirty laundry.

The Plain Bay Gang - Part 2

Photo courtesy of Cindy & Ken, S/V Meant To Be

     Christmas dinner at Frank & Peg's home included turkey and all the fixings for the Plain Bay Gang.

The Plain Bay Gang

       We had left Plain Bay about 10 days prior to our return to the bay on the 16th of this month.  During those ten days, we anchored over at Black Point Settlement for a few days before heading north to Pipe Creek to do some snorkeling and fishing.  The anchorage at Pipe Creek is a little exposed to foul weather, especially when the weather comes from the south, west or north, so we were forced to leave after few days because of an approaching "cold" front and seek refuge in between the Majors (Big Majors Cay & Little Majors Cay).  We are not to thrilled with between the Majors as an anchorage because the currents and winds combined can sometimes foul your anchor.  After anchoring that morning, we decided that afternoon to head over to the Big Major anchorage near pig beach.  Pig Beach is for pigs that haven't learned to fly so that they can go swimming!  Well, after watching pasty white women in muumuu dresses and large sun hats get absolutely giddy over swimming pigs, we decided Sunday morning it was time to get back to Plain Bay.  As we rounded Black Point we could see there was one catamaran anchored in the southern section of Plain Bay.  As I glassed the bay I thought the boat looked familiar and just about the time my brain was thinking the boat looked familiar the call came over the VHF "Big Run, Big Run.....where have you been?"  There she was, the boat, and crew we have been searching for - Bill and Mara on S/V Puddlejumper!   I immediately returned their hail and after a few moments Puddlejumper informed us they were 10 minutes away from leaving the anchorage and heading south.  I asked if they could stay for an hour or better yet can they stay for happy hour!  It was a great surprise to see Puddlejumper anchored there.  Back in January 2012 we left Puddlejumper in Plain Bay without getting their email address.  Then in August I posted on the Blog that we were seeking contact information for Puddlejumper.  Many people helped us with the endeavor, but still no contact.  Then in early December our friends on S/V Meant To Be contacted us from Morgan's Buff in Andros, Bahamas that Puddlejumper had dropped anchor just 2 hours after Meant To Be dropped their anchor.  Yes, Puddlejumer stayed in Plain Bay with us for happy hour that evening and over the next four days we had plenty of time to catch up over more happy hours, land excursions and a few games of Euchre.  We learned from Bill and Mara that many friends had contacted them about our inquiry we had posted on this blog.  Bill and Mara had attempted to contact us through the blog's comment section but without success.  Then, when Puddlejumper arrived in Morgan's Bluff, Meant To Be informed Puddlejumper that Big Run was in Plain Bay.  After a few days in Morgan's Bluff, Puddlejumper headed down to Plain Bay only to find an empty anchorage.  Had our departure from Big Major been delayed by 10 minutes we would have missed a glorious 4 day reunion.

      As the week progressed, S/V Meant To Be arrived at the anchorage and the homeowners at Plain Bay also returned to the islands. Thursday evening we all went to town for burgers and rum punch at DeShaMon Restaurant in Black Point Settlement.  As there was ten of us for the dinner party,  the restaurant sent a pick up truck to shuttle us into town which is 2.2 miles from Plain Bay anchorage.   In the photo below is part of the Plain Bay Gang.

The Plain Bay Gang at DeShaMon Restaurant.

    

Trying To Escape

    Last night was a typical night.  We went over to S/V Eleanor M last night for another social hour(s).  What we did not expect was the surprise that was laying in store for us this morning.  You have to get up early to catch the weather reports, and we also had laundry to do today.  I was up at 6 a.m., and Sharon was up shortly thereafter.  During my morning routine, I noticed a "new" sailboat in Black Point Harbour.  The odd thing was its location and its orientation to the wind.  The sailboat was on the north side of the harbour laying in an east west fashion.  All the rest of the boats on the hook were on the south side of the harbour facing SSE because of the breeze.  Upon further investigation with the binoculars, it appeared the vessel was on the rocks, in a state of disrepair and not a soul to be seen.   After the weather report and breakfast, we went into town and discovered the story behind the mystery vessel.  The story goes like this.  The boat was sailed from Haiti with 103 immigrants on board trying to find a better life.  Sometime during the night,  many individuals were dropped off at Bitter Guana Cay, an uninhabited island lying to the north of Black Point Harbour.  Then, the sailboat with many people still onboard was sailed south to Black Point Harbour and scuttled on the rocks so that the remaining passengers could escape to land.  As we did our morning errands in town, we witnessed the local police boat hauling (Haitian) people to Regatta Point at the edge of town.  This was the processing station for the illegal immigrants as they are going to be taken by boat up to Nassau and then returned to Haiti and the life they were trying to escape.

103 people on this boat gives you idea of how desperate they are for a better life.

I Can Handle That!

     It has been a little over four weeks since our arrival here in the Bahamas.  I would have to admit that the weather has been, let's just say a little different than previous years.  The wind, or the lack thereof, helped us to cross over to Nassau in an overnight run.  Prior to Thursday of this past week, the sustained winds had been limiting our activities.  We did manage to squeeze in a few walks and did go snorkeling on the lee side of the island when the winds shifted to a north-northeasterly fresh breeze.  However, the event that did shock everyone was this past Thursday when during the overnight hours the skies opened up and dropped 3 1/2 inches of rain on everyone.  This was a widespread rainmaker that covered the majority of the central Bahamas.  Back in Pennsylvania that much rain overnight would have caused some minor flooding and delayed school openings.  But things are starting to moderate in the next week's forecast.  As a matter of fact, boats are now making the crossing from Florida to many different locations in the Bahamas.  One boat in particular is heading our way, S/V Meant To Be.  Yes, our favorite catamaran couple, Ken, Cindy and Miko their dog, are coming to the Exumas to drop in and continue what we started back in October in their hometown of Brunswick, GA. So let me see if I have this right.  There will be dinner parties, check.  Happy hours, check.  Sundowners, check, and a few social hours, check!  Who cares (or not!) what Mother Nature throws at us when you have friends dropping in to say hello.  I can handle that!  

Better Off Left Alone

     Update on the photo uploading issue mentioned in my previous blog entry.  It appears that deep in the bowels of the Google sacred castle, there is a dungeon filled with computer gurus who have decided to reinvent the wheel.  They figured a round wheel can and will be perfected.  The google version of the wheel is shaped like a triangle, and the sudden thud heard around the world was the wheel set into motion and landing on one of its flat sides.  Actually, the noise was from Google falling flat on its face!  Many of Google's blooogers are experiencing the same SNAFU that I have experienced and some have tried to circumvent the issue by taking drastic measures only to be regretting their actions.  Some bloggers claim to have email & Facebook addresses for the powers that be, but it's one of those cases where the lights are on but nobody's home!

     Meanwhile, back on the ranch, Mother Nature has flexed her muscle once again here in Paradise.  Today's forecast is to be followed by 5 more days of the same - windy with passing squalls.  Windy is sustained 20 knots and gusting to 25.  Translation:  not a good idea to dinghy ashore unless you like a salt spray shower.  No problem.  Once you get to shore, the passing rain squall will rinse off the salt.  What about the trip back to the boat?  You catch my drift. These next 5 days will not fall into the category of being 315 days.

     As a counter measure to being "trapped" on the boat for an extended period, I have decided to do absolutely nothing today.  Then, when I am totally bored out of my mind tomorrow, I can start a new book or rebuild a few water pumps, or figure out why our VHF radio transmits but does not receive.  The boat list goes on and on and on and.................  Or I can sit and wait out the weather, just like I'm going to wait for Google to return the blogging world to its normal configuration when it was better off left alone.

Plan B

     I was in the process of uploading 5 new photos for the "Big Run Blog" when I received this notification:

"Whoops! You're out of space. You are currently using 100% of your 1 GB quota for photos.

Photos are stored in your Picasa Web Albums account and are included in your 1 GB free quota for photos. Additional storage you purchase is shared between several Google products and is in addition to your free quota."

     I think it's time to develop a Plan B.

M/V Lady Frances

      This is M/V Lady Frances, hailing from Nassau, Bahamas.  She is the backbone of the outter islands and the lifeline to the civilized world.  In the Bahamas she is quite often called the mail boat.  There are many mail boats in the Bahamas.  Most resemble the Lady Francis.  Although called a mail boat, she carries everything and anything.  Remember there are no roads from there to here.  If you're building a house, the mail boat brought the materials.  If you bought a new car, the mail boat brought it.  When the mail boat arrives it's a social event in Black Point Settlement, everybody comes to the government dock.  We always look forward to the mail boat's arrival for she brings fresh produce.

315 Day

     The Bahamas Meteorology Department boasts that the Bahamas are bathed in sunshine for 315+ days a year, and today was one of those days.  So much so that we have started calling those weather perfect days a "315 day".  

       Today was the first day we were able to get the kayaks down and do some paddling.  Until today, it has been too windy to enjoy a good paddle.  Our trip started at 9:30 this morning after a hearty breakfast pizza Sharon made on the grill.  Yea, I get pizza for breakfast.  Our destination was Jack's Bay Cove, just to the south of Plain Bay at White Point.  From Plain Bay it is a 2.5 mile paddle that took us about 1.5 hours to reach the cove.  A slight breeze pushed us down along the west side of Great Guana Cay giving us an opportunity to view all the creatures lurking in the shallow waters along the edge of the cay.  We did see briefly a loggerhead turtle, but mostly small fish.  This was our first visit for this year to the cove.  Compared to previous visits last year, the cove did experience some beach erosion from Hurricane Sandy and it did have a lot of sea grass deposited on the beach.  The return paddle to Plain Bay has us slipping the head breeze by hugging the cliffs where we did find the cave shown in the photos below.  As we crossed Plain Bay back to Big Run, the head wind did not slow us down.  This was truly a 315 day! 

This cave was big enough to  accommodate 20 kayakers!

Reason To Celebrate

     Early Saturday afternoon we arrived at Black Point Settlement in the Bahamas.  We were quite surprised to find an empty harbor.  The lack of boats here in the Exumas is probably due to it being early in the season, Hurricane Sandy and the persistent blow that has been plaguing the Bahamas since this past Tuesday.  If we didn't have the weather window that we did on Monday and Tuesday, Big Run would still be sitting in Miami. 

     One of the first things we did when we got to Black Point was to launch the dinghy and dinghy over to the government dock so we could go for a walk.  We decided to walk over to the east side of the island and check the beach to see the effects that Hurricane Sandy had on the beaches.  As we walked through the town we noticed that the homes had weathered the hurricane very well.  A few missing shingles but no extensive damage for an area that experienced 105 MPH winds.  The beaches were actually in very good condition also with little or no beach erosion.  Despite the blowing winds and spray from the surf, we did a little beachcoming.  Sharon was on the hunt for sea glass, and I was looking for small pieces of drift wood  and fishing buoy floats.  I found one nice float to add to the S/V Meant To Be collection and we both managed to find  about two handfuls of nicely  "polished" sea glass.

     On the bright side of all these winds is that our wind generator is producing electricity very nicely, thank you very much. Before retiring each night I check the battery charge state.  Last night it was minus 60 amp hours.  This morning when I checked the batteries it was minus 67 amp hours.  In 9 hours we had a deficit of 7 amp hours.  Thanks to the new refrigeration system and some stout winds we have reason to celebrate.

The Bahamians love to express themselves with brilliant colors.  (Black Point Settlement)

    

Stay

    Our first year in the Bahamas, we were given 30 days on our cruising permit at the Bimini Immigrations Office and spent the last 10 days of that initial permit trying to get an extension, which we did receive while in Georgetown.  Last year, our second trip to the Bahamas I sweet-talked the young lady at the Bimini Immigrations Office into giving us 120 days.  We also needed to get an extension for that permit because our transmission died  when we were attempting to cross the Tongue Of The Ocean while heading back to the United States.  This year, our first time checking in at Nassau, the officials, one customs agent and one immigration agent, came to the boat at the marina and granted us 180 days.  They don't want us to leave; we may have to stay!

Diesel Engine

       Last Thursday, as Sharon and I studied the latest weather forecast we noticed a weather window of opportunity for Monday and Tuesday to cross over to the Bahamas.  All of our sources confirmed the same prediction, low winds.  Low winds translate into a good sea state for Big Run.  Usually, we don't give any credence to weather predictions over 2 days out, but we still had to prepare.  Thursday afternoon I started  doing maintenance work when I noticed our water maker was throwing a hissy fit.  After a few phone calls to the local watermaker dealer and Rick (M/V Broulee), we decided to head north back to West Palm Beach area where a very reputable watermaker dealer is located.  Well, there goes the crossing opportunity out the window.  As we traveled north I worked the phones and was able to get a different dealer in Ft. Lauderdale to look at the watermaker on Saturday.  What was thought to be catastrophic failure may have been operator error.  Chalk that one up to the learning curve.  We did manage to salvage the trip to Ft. Lauderdale by buying diesel fuel from Peterson's Fuel Barge for $.50 a gallon cheaper than the marinas' advertised price in Miami

      Back in Miami on Sunday and all was a go for a crossing Monday morning for the weather window got even better.  Monday morning the anchor was hauled by 6:10 a.m. Last year we hauled the anchor by 4 a.m.  But this year was going to be different.  Last year we traveled to Bimini and checked in.  This year our plans was to do an overnight crossing to Nassau.  Travel time was estimated to be 26 hours.

Inbound freighter as we exit government cut in Miami.

      Just after exiting government cut in Miami, the Coast Guard announced they were closing government cut due to inbound cruise ships, a common practice by the USCG and without warning.  We cleared that obstacle by 5 minutes.  One hour into our journey we found ourselves in the grip of the Gulf Stream.  The Gulf Stream is a northbound flow of water in the Florida Straits.  When you have any winds with a northerly component, the Gulf Stream can get a little bumpy but today it was very manageable.  So, between a strong drift north by the current and the northwest breeze, our first 20 miles were a little bit of a challenge.  Six hours into the crossing both the current and sea state started to relax its grip on Big Run.  By 2 p.m., we had crossed the Florida Straits and were just south of Bimini on the The Great Bahama Bank.  For the next 9 hours we experienced almost dead flat calm conditions, barely a ripple on the water as we crossed the bank.  In the photo below you'll notice a near "lost horizon" condition, where the horizon between the water and sky merge to the point of being invisible.

Traveling the The Great Bahama Bank, twenty miles from anywhere, a weary traveler takes a rest on our pulpit.

     By 11 p.m. we arrived at the Northwest Channel, the upper reach of the Tongue Of The Ocean. This was our next crucial point in time. The Tongue Of The Ocean has been our second arch nemesis, next to the Albermarle Sound in North Carolina.  As we entered the deep water of the Northwest Channel, we found that the water had been tamed by the lack of winds.  Again, dead flat calm conditions.   We felt like we were in a dream, perfect conditions for Big Run. No hobby horsing by the bow of the boat, no pitching side to side as the boat was rolled by beam seas.  What a ride!  Conditions were so good we had to throttle back so as not to arrive at the Nassau marina before they opened.  This was the ultimate crossing.  As a matter of fact, from the time we entered the Great Bahama Bank to the entrance to Nassau Harbour, the only way you could tell the boat was moving was by the low rumbling sound of Big Run's diesel engine.

Sunrise on The Tongue Of The Ocean.  Note the inbound cruise ship on the left heading for Nassau Harbour on the right.

The old and the new.  Lighthouse at Nassau Harbor entrance overshadowed by Atlantis looming in the background.

A Crowning Moment

      Enough is enough.  It's time to get out of dodge, or in this case, West Palm Beach, Florida.  By this time on Sunday, Sharon and I had enough of marina life.  But there was one problem.  The weather in central Florida is still being influenced by Hurricane Sandy, and the cold front that kept Sandy out of Florida.  Since late Saturday, the winds have been pounding Big Run on the port beam with 20-25 MPH winds sustained.  We had to secure Big Run in the slip with two more lines, for a total of 12 lines.  With the winds on the port beam, it was going to be difficult to back Big Run out of the slip.  If we were to attempt to release from the dock in a haphazard fashion, the winds would have slammed Big Run into the pilings on the starboard side.  Sunday was spent preparing to leave the marina on Monday morning when we anticipated light winds early in the morning just before sunrise.  Another challenge caused by Sandy was the extreme high tides.  Sunday morning the water was over the docks.  Monday morning's high tide was predicted for 9 a.m.  Early Sunday afternoon, during low tide, we managed to get off the boat.  Sharon went to the office to pay the bill while I disconnected the utilities - electric, water and cable.  We also had to reconfigure all the dock lines.  The bow lines, which had been set up for the strong northerly winds on Friday, were changed over to single lines.  The port bow had been secured with triple lines, and the starboard bow was double for the storm.  Once converted, all the lines were set up for quick release from on the boat for Monday morning as we would not be able to get off of the boat due to high tide.  By 3 p.m. all of the preparations were made for Monday morning.

     We were that anxious to get out of the marina, we didn't need an alarm clock Monday morning and were up by 6:30 a.m.  We discussed our plan and set the wheels in motion at 7:00, just barely enough light to see the channel out of the marina back onto the ICW.  Our plan was to remove all dock lines on the starboard side of the boat.  Then, slowly work the boat back an extra 10 feet by pulling on the port stern line and then letting out some slack on the port bow line.  Once we had the boat moved back as far as possible, we had to release the one all important line, the port midship line which keep us tight to the port side pilings.  Once the midship line was release, we had to work quickly.  On cue, I released the bow line, and simultaneously Sharon released the port midship line while maintaining tension on the port stern line.  I quickly went to the pilothouse to put the transmission in reverse.  As designed, the lines released, and Big Run very gracefully backed out of the slip without leaning on or rubbing a piling while the winds were blowing at 20 MPH on the port beam.  As I continued to back Big Run away from the marina, Sharon was responsible to retrieve the dock lines that had released from their dock cleats and pilings and fell into the water.  Although the lines were still attached to the boat, Sharon had to accomplish her mission quickly to keep the lines from fouling the prop.  By 7:10 a.m. we had Big Run turned around and heading out the channel towards the ICW.  Thanks to some creative docking line design we looked like we knew what we were doing.  Too bad nobody was watching.  Definitely a crowning moment. 

Tired Of Waiting

      "If you're waiting on me you're wasting time".  This is something I have told Sharon on a few occasions.  I'm always ready.  For the last 5 days I have been waiting on a woman, not Sharon but Sandy.  For the last 5 days we have been wasting time in a marina in West Palm Beach, Florida.  It all started last Saturday or Sunday when a yet to be named unorganized cluster of storm cells reared their ugly heads into a tropical depression well south of Jamaica.  At this point in time we were moving south on the ICW through Florida.  On Monday, as the predictions started leaning on a northerly track, we called the marina that we had previously booked for Wednesday night for other reasons, plan A.  The marina said they had a slip for us if we decided to come in on Tuesday.  Our original plan, Plan A, was to stay at the marina Wednesday night, go to the U.S. Customs & Immigrations Office on Thursday morning for our Local Boaters Option (LBO) interview and leave late Thursday morning for points south, Miami.  The LBO is a program designed to reduce the amount of hoops we, as boaters, experience when we return to the U.S. from foreign waters.  More on that next Spring when we return from the Bahamas; back to Plan B.  Late Tuesday afternoon we arrived at the marina, after the office staff had left but a few dock workers stayed on to catch our lines.  On Wednesday, Sharon went to the office to do an official check in when she was informed that if the winds from the storm exceeded 45 MPH sustained, the marina GM would shut down the marina and all boats would have to leave.  Now think about that decision, the storm is approaching, the winds would be at 45 MPH sustained, probably gusting to 60 and I would have to leave the marina when the GM orders us out.  In your dreams!  Fortunately for the GM, the winds never reached 45 sustained or I would have had to break the GM's little stone cold heart and stay nicely tied up to a rock solid concrete dock.  Friday was a day mainly spent in the pilothouse watching the events of the storm unfold around us.  One boat broke free from its mooring and drifted towards the marina but was snagged by a anchor line that the owner of a large catamaran had deployed to keep his boat from pounding the dock because of the northerly winds.  That was the highlight of the day as the owner of the drifting boat and the marina's dockmaster went diving to free the boat from the anchor line.  The boat was freed from the anchor line and was never seen again.   Rain squall after rain squall came through the area, the winds reached 40 MPH sustained with gust to 55 MPH. The eye of the storm passed 190 miles to the east of us on Friday.  Today, Saturday, Hurricane Sandy is on her way north, but I find myself still having to wait as her winds continue to buffer us from the west.  This is our third hurricane while on the boat.  There was Hurricane Earl in 2010, Hurricane Irene in 2011 and now, Hurricane Sandy in 2012.  For Hurricane Irene we were on the hook and the other two hurricanes were rode out in marinas.

     The eye of Hurricane Sandy passed just to the south and east of our cruising grounds in the Bahamas, the Exumas.  We did hear from Frank and Peg, who have a home at our favorite Bahamian anchorage,  They are doing well and everybody is okay.  They did experience 105 MPH winds and their home was not damaged.  Now, if we can get rid of Sandy I'm ready to get back on track.  I'm tired of waiting.

Weather Window

     The last sixteen days were spent in Brunswick, GA with Ken & Cindy (S/V Meant To Be).  We were anchored just a short dinghy ride from their waterfront home which includes a deep water dock for their catamaran and a dinghy dock for us.  When we weren’t busy with happy hours, dinner parties, dining out or going to the county fair, we were busy working!  I was waiting for teak deck seam caulk and because the manufacturer botched the next day air shipping, I had plenty of time to help Ken with his projects.  It felt good to be doing house projects but not as good as not having a house and not having to do house projects all year long.  No more owning a house, our next home will be a condo where the landlord takes care of the all problems.  Ken and I did finish a screening project he had started earlier for the screened-in covered porch.  We even had time to work on some of Ken’s boat projects.  One of the boat projects was to add 165 feet of chain rode to the catamaran’s existing chain rode.  Now, the catamaran has an all chain rode of over 300 feet.  I wish Big Run had the same, you never know when you’ll need it.  Sharon volunteered to work at the local humane society where Cindy also volunteered.  Sharon had the opportunity to walk as many dogs as she wanted, but was given strict orders that she could not keep any of them.  Sharon also helped Cindy with a dock decorating project.  Cindy wanted to use the fishing buoys to decorate the dock with what she had found while beachcombing in the Bahamas.  We knew of the project and decided to contribute all the fishing buoys we had stashed in Big Run’s lazarette.

     It was great time, thanks Ken & Cindy,  but it was time to move on.  We did make plans to reunite with Ken & Cindy in the Bahamas, probably at our favorite anchorage, Plain Bay.  Until then, our next destination is Miami and South Beach.  We’ll hang out there waiting to cross over to the Bahamas, but we’ll have to wait for a good weather window.

"Farewell till we meet again dinner" at Driftwood Bistro on Jekyll Island, Ga.  Left to Right - Sharon, Ken & Cindy (S/V Meant To Be) & Bob.   "Flip that Fish"!

Brunswick, GA

     In celebration of our reunion with Ken & Cindy (S/V Meant To Be), Mother Nature provided us with a spectacular "event" over Brunswick, GA.

Swimming Lessons

     After 8 glorious days on the Waccamaw River at Butler Island, we slowly made our way south to Cumberland Island, another one of our favorite ICW stops.  As with previous stops, we have made numerous hikes through the live oaks and on the beach.  I have often wondered what live oaks are called when they die off - Firewood!  Back to the business at hand.  One of the many benefits of Cumberland Island has been the wildlife.  This year has not been a disappointment with the wild horses, turkey and other creatures.  Yesterday was quite a surprise for us as we sat on the boat watching the tide go out, very much like watching paint dry.  Except this paint drying episode had a twist to it.  To the west of our anchorage is a shoal that at low tide is exposed.  At half tide I kept looking over at a formation on the shoal.  Although partially submerged, it kept my interest.  As the tide receded even more, I was drawn into a curious mode and would scan it more regularly with the binoculars.  Although it was only 150 yards from the boat, I was not able to get a good view because of the way the object was laying.  The key word here is laying.  Finally at low tide, when the object was fully exposed I discovered it was an alligator laying on the shoal.  It appeared to have something in its mouth.  Then, all of a sudden as on cue, with a violent lift of its head and partially opening of its jaws repeatedly, the alligator started to swallow its prey.  We could not decide what the alligator was having for lunch but inquiring minds wanted to know.  Off to the dinghy for a closer look.  As I was getting into the dinghy, the alligator must have caught wind of my plans and slowly lumbered into the water.  I was able to get the dinghy close to the alligator, about 30 yards, but I don't think the alligator appreciated my interruption of its lunch and just stared at me.  I slowly backed off and returned to the boat but not before getting a few decent pictures of the alligator in the water.  Cancel today's swimming lessons.

Basking in the sun while savoring lunch

Still working on swallowing lunch, gator needed something to wash lunch down.

The partially open mouth convinced me to back off.

Cumberland Island, GA

Sunset at.....

The Waccamaw River

Sunset on...........

$10,000 Fine

    What's wrong in the above photo?  If you are a boater and have navigated through bridges, you should have spotted it immediately.  If you're not a boater, welcome to ICW Bridges 101.  Boats have 2 drafts, the all important one is "What floats your boat?".  Big Run needs 4'6" of water and then we're still not going anywhere.  So we need 5', Sharon prefers nothing less than 6'.  The second draft is your air draft or "How tall is your boat?".  Measured from the waterline to the top of the tallest fixture is your "air draft".  Big Run's tallest item is our VHF antennas yielding us an air draft of 28'.  It is very critical to know both of your drafts.  However, your draft (water) when approaching a bridge is not critical because you're probably already and should be in the bridge's navigation channel.  Here is where the air draft becomes so important.  Most bridges have boards at each entrance to the bridge's fender system.  On the boards are the bridge's clearance based on the tide height.  In the above picture you would read the clearance at the waterline.  But in the above picture of the boards for the Barefoot Landing Swing Bridge in South Carolina, one would have to question "Which board is positioned correctly and do I trust the dude that installed the boards(s) can read a tape measure?".  The prudent sailor would hail the bridge tender.  I almost forgot one other thing.  If you request a bridge opening but your boat would clear the bridge span without an opening, you are subject to a $10,000 fine.

German Lager Beer

     The third time is the charm.  Last night we dined at a restaurant in Portsmouth,VA.  We were first introduced to The Bier Garden in 2011 by Joe & Ann (S/V Shortwalk) and dined there twice with Joe & Ann.  We have always enjoyed the food and the company was always the best.  Last night we dined with Rick & Deb (M/V Broulee).  Both Rick and Deb raved about their dishes being some of the best German cuisine they have ever had, both having spent time in Germany.  But last night I managed to bring back the flavor of Germany I remember from the days of my youth.  I was born an Army Brat in Munich, Germany and my family returned to Germany with my father for his second tour of duty when I was just 7 years old.    For each of my previous visits to The Bier Garden restaurant I kept seeking the German sausages (wurst) I developed a passion for while I lived in Germany. Over the years I had forgotten which wurst I craved.  Last night, instead of a hit or miss entree dinner for the taste I was looking for, the waitress said I could have a platter with each of the four wurst they offered. Cholesterol City here I come.  It may not have been the healthiest dinner on the menu but it was what I have been searching for.  Over the years I have tried so many "authentic" German wurst, but last night I rediscovered the flavor I had been seeking - Bauernwurst.   And to wash it down was an excellent Germany lager beer.    

A Win Win Situation

Although smaller than the previous units, the new freezer and fridge are very energy efficient.

     It's been a little less than a week since the new refrigerator and freezer have been put into service, and the preliminary data on battery usage is exceeding my expectations.  The old units were energy hogs.  On a typical day, they would consume 400+ amp (12VDC) hours between charges while we were on the hook.  To recover those hours we would run the diesel generator to create 120VAC power to operate the 12VDC chargers.  Charging the batteries each day while on the hook would take 6 hours.  The problem with the old units is that they were 110VAC that were powered by 12VDC batteries through an innverter.  It takes 10 amps of 12VDC power to produce 1 amp of 120VAC power.  The old freezer ran 24/7 and the old fridge ran 16/7, but between the two, consumed on average 2.5 amps of 120VAC per hour or 25 amps of 12VDC power. So, recovering 425 amps hours became an expensive proposition when diesel fuel is in the $3.59+ range.

     Now, the new units, which are dual electric (12VDC & 120VAC) and being operated on 12VDC power, consume less than 50 amp hours overnight.   The old units would consume 200 amp hours (12VDC) in the same time frame.  Since the units have been installed we have been moving the boat everyday and the batteries have been charged by a dedicated alternator on the engine.  Today,  Big Run is staying on the hook and not running the generator to charge the batteries.  We can also operate the TV or watch a DVD without placing a large deficit on the 12VDC amp hours.  Also, something that was not notably beneficial with the old units was our wind generator.  The wind generator could not keep up with the energy consumption.  We could not see the benefits of the wind generator, although it was producing power.  Today, when the new freezer and fridge are temperature satisfied and in the standby mode, we can actually see that the wind generator is charging the batteries.  This has turned into a win win situation.

Happy Hours

M/V Broulee passing the light at Thomas Point Shoal (Annapolis, MD)

     What was supposed to be a quick one day reunion with Rick, Deb & Izzy (M/V Broulee) has turned into the start of our newest adventure as we have decided to start moving south.  We will buddy boat with Broulee for a few days, slowing moving down the Chesapeake Bay.  One of the many perks of having a buddy boat is the "mandatory" happy hours.

Make It Neat

     When it rains it pours.  Our streak of bad luck continues to haunt us as we have experienced yet another setback/delay.  Last Friday, we discovered the refrigerator went on strike - permanently.  The refrigerator is a vintage 1991 model that had been repaired once already by a previous owner for a refrigerant leak in 1999 and has developed another leak.  The freezer, a separate unit which is from a pre-refrigerator era, is questionable as to its true condition and is suspect for catastrophic failure in the very near future.  So, out with the old and in with the new. Both units will be replaced this week.  Hopefully, and if my calculations are correct, the new units will greatly reduce our electrical loads on the house batteries because they are dual electric, 12VDC & 120VAC.  The old units were 120VAC and between the two we would burn up 300+ amps hours (12VDC) between battery chargings.  We will run the new units on the 12VDC side at about 1/3 of the amp draw or less.  More on that later after we have a chance to get some real time operational data.  The only down side to the new units is they are a little smaller and the freezer does not have an ice maker.  No ice maker, oh well, back to scotch - make it neat.

Stink

     Delays, delays and even more delays.  Last week we tried to return to Pennsylvania one more time before we shoved off for points south (read Bahamas).  Ten minutes before we were to drive back to Pennsylvania, Sharon checked the shower box (pump) in the forward bilge to make sure it had worked properly after I took a shower.  The pump worked as designed but the holding tank macerator pump had ruptured and raw sewage had found its way into the front bilge.  Wait, I just took a shower, now I got to clean up poop?  Long story short, the holding tank vent had failed due to corrosion in the hull fitting and the tank aerator built up pressure in the holding tank until sewage was forced out a failed gasket in the macerator pump.  Glad it was the pump and not the tank.  For tank repairs, a seacock would need to be removed from the front bilge and that would call for the boat to be hauled onto the hard, then the seacock and tank could be removed from the front bilge compartment.  That would have been an expensive proposition to haul the boat again just one week after it was launched.  Now, we are back on course although we are preforming sea trials and other tests of boat systems while staying in close proximity to the marina.  And to debunk a myth, EVERYBODY'S poop does stink

2012 Cruise, Part II

     On the 29th of July, Big Run was gracefully slipped back into the water.  This past Friday, August 3rd, we did a short sea trial and I am proud to say everything checked out okay (or not).  The work on Big Run continues and the work list is getting shorter.  Although we were land lubbers for 10 weeks and we enjoyed it very much, especially reuniting with family and friends, our short sea trial has rekindled our passion to be on the water.  Our tentative plans are to return to Pennsylvania this week, drop off my mother's car, and my sister will bring us back to the boat so that we can start the 2012 cruise, part II.

Cheers

     We learned a very valuable lesson this past weekend.  When boaters get together, it's always a good time, even if you are on land!  Although Short Walk (Joe & Ann - they'll always be Short Walk to us) sold their boat, Sharon and I traveled to Doylestown, Pa last week to visit Joe & Ann.  We had a wonderful time reuniting with Short Walk and learned that, although you are homeless (read boatless), boaters still know how to have a great time.  In addition to meals that make you go back for seconds, the company was the best.  And if that wasn't enough excitement we went on a field trip and toured Fonthill Castle (www.mercermuseum.org), very cool.  So the moral of the story is, "You can run, you can hide, hell, you can sell your boat, we will find you and a great time will be had by all".  Cheers!

Fonthill Castle - Note the "all concrete' construction, including the roof!

Fonthill's owner, Henry Chapman Mercer, was an avid tile collector and tile manufacturer (Moravian Tile Works).  In the photo is a very small sampling of the tile that was incorporated into the home.  Interior photos are prohibited, this photo was taken, by permission, of an exterior porch ceiling.

Two of my favorites ladies, Ann and Sharon.  I have more!

Portable outhouse at Fonthill Castle, check out the air conditioner on top!

  

We Are Living

     This posting is long overdue,  Just like our return to the boat is very long overdue  Back in May, after our return to "our" marina in Rock Hall, we spent some time on the hook catching up on boat maintenance.  Then on May 17th, we had the boat hauled and put on the hard for the summer.  I know it sounds crazy for full time cruisers to have their boat on the hard for the summer.  We thought it would be a new adventure to "go home" for a few months,  What an obscene notion!  When we developed the boat motto, "Everyday is an adventure, every evening is an event", little did we know that the adventures on water are far better than those on land.  We are currently staying with family in metropolitan Harrisburg, PA.  For two people that lived most of their lives in the country with only two traffic lights, our tolerance for red lights in the city went out the window many weeks ago.  We would rather be waiting for a bridge opening on the ICW.  And with the traffic lights come traffic congestion.  We never saw a rush hour on the water.  We never had to keep the boat between the painted lines, just out of skinny water! We never had to look for a parking space, just a place with the best vista to drop the boat hook.  We never have boats tailgating us, because they all pass us whenever they want to, albeit some of them wake us. When we are on the water, without a car, having to walk to grocery stores, waking up to a new adventure every day, we are living.

Emergency Repairs

     Over the last few months I have discussed the woes of boating, in particular from the maintenance point of view.  We had our major mechanical malfunction while in the Bahamas with the ruptured oil cooler for the transmission resulting in catastrophic transmission failure.  This past Friday I installed a new fresh water pump for the domestic side of the boat.  You know, so that we can take a shower, wash dishes or flush a toilet.  The old pump needs a complete overhaul including the pressure switch and, once it has been overhauled by yours truly, will be placed in the boat's inventory as a spare.  We carry many spares and with Big Run spending most of the time on the hook and traveling to remote areas (read Bahamas), we need to carry a large inventory of spares.  Back to the new water pump.  Less than 24 hours after being put into service, as Sharon was taking a shower, the pump failed.  After diagnosing the new pump I discovered that the pressure switch, for one reason or another, had failed.  Fortunately,  the pressure switch from the old pump was still good.  Now, we need to remove the new pump, reinstall the faulty pressure switch and return the entire unit to the vendor that supplied it to our marina where we had purchased the pump.  

     After our transmission "adventure" I started thinking about preventive maintenance and how much is enough.  I had once asked Rick (M/V Broulee) "How much preventive maintenance is enough?"  Rick just shrugged his shoulders and shook his head.  I replaced the water pump as a preventive maintenance measure and what do I get?  More aggravation.  For anyone thinking about a boating lifestyle, you may want to reconsider boating if you lack a mechanical and electrical background.  You must also understand that you are on call 24/7 for emergency repairs.

Back In The Exumas

     This past week has been very busy with land adventures and adventures on the water.  On Sunday we traveled through the Dismal Swamp Canal.  The canal is a little like the interstate, straight and boring.  Sunday afternoon we found a free dock in Portsmouth and waited for Joe & Ann on S/V Short Walk to arrive on Monday.  Short Walk arrived just in time to take one of the last two free dock spaces.  That evening we dined at the Bier Garden where we enjoyed some wonderful German cuisine. 

      Tuesday was a new adventure as we toured the Battleship Wisconsin.  Joe at 6'4" and myself at 6' found it difficult to navigate the decks because of the low overheads.  Joe, a former serviceman of the Navy, was able to get around better than myself.  Thanks to hardhats, we all walked away without injury.

     Tuesday night was a planned outing that exceeded our expectations.  The four of us went to The Commodore Theatre in Portsmouth.  This theatre was restored to an art deco design of the 40's with an additional flair of having tables instead of rows of theatre seating.  On each table was a telephone, your direct connection to the kitchen.  Call in your order, dine at your table before the movie, and if you tell the kitchen to hold your desert, it will be served part way through the movie.  What a unique experience!  The movie - The Hunger Games - my rating 6 out of 10.

     Wednesday morning came at 6a.m. as we prepared to run the Chesapeake Bay non-stop.  We did this last year because of the weather and did it again this year for the same reason.  With a little push from the winds and favorable tides at the right times we got back to Long Cove Marina on Thursday morning at 7:10a.m.  That was 3 hours better than last year's run.

     Thursday morning was a time of recuperation but on Friday it was boat work, boat work, boat work.  Saturday was boat washing day before the rains came!  Now, it's time to get back out on the hook.  The next three weeks will be spent painting teak and whatever other work we can manage to do.  Who said "Let's Go Boating!"  Who knows, but maybe I'll get a chance to kick back with a cold beer and watch a sunset reminiscing that I was back in the Exumas (Bahamas).

On the foredeck of Battleship Wisconsin

Hard working woman

The ladies take a stroll on the fantail

Joe & Ann (S/V Short Walk) at Commodore Theatre

The Pasquotank River

     When you depart the Alligator River in North Carolina and are heading north, you must make a navigational decision - ICW Route 1 through Coinjock or ICW Route 2 through the Dismal Swamp.  We have always chosen Route 1 through Coinjock, whether we were heading south or north.  However, there is always an exception and that would be our migration north this spring, when we chose Route 2.  When you depart Elizabeth City, NC for the Dismal Swamp, you travel north on a river to access the Dismal Swamp Canal.  There is an abundance of wildlife on this river as shown in the photos below.  This river is our third installment in the Best Scenic Waterways.  This river is the Pasquotank River.

M/V "Rust Bucket"

     The only reason this boat qualifies for the "Boats of Interest" label is because the twin 150 Mercs mounted on the stern are worth 25 times more than the value of this rust bucket.

The Rest Is History

     The story has been told once or twice, or even more, but it does warrant another time because it was purely a chance encounter.  Sharon and I were on our inaugural trip south on the ICW.in 2010.   Somewhere in the vicinity of Cocoa Beach, FL we were passed by a sailboat.  Yes, I said passed by a sailboat.  When you're a slow boat to China, aka a trawler, you do get passed by other boats that are traditionally slower than yourself.  But in this case, being passed by this sailboat was a very good thing.  After being passed, the sailboat's Admiral, Ann, hailed us because of our boat name and our hailing port.  We are Big Run with a hailing port of Rock Hall, MD, and they are Short Walk with a hailing port of Furlong, PA.  Okay, the hailing ports don't match but they do keep their boat in Rock Hall, MD.  It's all about the boat  names. We chatted on the radio with them for awhile.  As these two slow boats traveled south on the ICW that afternoon, we were never separated by much distance, and soon it was time to look for an anchorage.  Both Short Walk and Big Run shared an anchorage that night at Pine Island which included an impromptu happy hour, and the rest is history. 

Goose Creek

     We have passed through this waterway many times, but never on a sunny day.  Although each day was grey and overcast, it was always a beautiful and scenic waterway.  Located in North Carolina just south of the Pamilco River, the creek is about 5 miles long and is packed with swamps, marshes woodlands and small tributaries.  It has earned our title of best scenic waterway, this is Goose Creek.

A Fighting Chance

     We've been slowly making our way north since our departure from Stuart, FL on the 30th of March.  Some days we cruised for 40 or 50 miles.  Some days we cruised 60 or 70 miles.  Sometimes we took the day off.  We cruised for 5 days with our good friends Rick, Deb & Izzy (M/V Broulee).  One day we cruised for 87 miles with the help of a flood tide so that we could rendezvous with our good friends Joe & Ann on S/V Short Walk.  Since reuniting with Short Walk on the 9th of April, we have been cruising with them.  They have been taking side excursions to different towns to visit friends.  We have been meeting some of our friends on the waterway.  Just last night I went up to the pilothouse just before sunset and spotted M/V Epilogue, another Krogen 42, heading off for a different anchorage.  They had not seen us because of the other boats that had anchored with us.  We hailed them on the VHF radio and managed to catch up on some things.  This morning Epilogue stopped by for a drive-by hello.  We hadn't seen Phillip and Connie for almost 18 months and we managed to say hello and spend a few moments "together" albeit from 30 feet away as we each stayed on our respective boats. 

     If our planning pans out, remember Jello, Short Walk should catch up to us on Thursday morning in our current anchorage on the Alligator River. Our anchorage is on the south side of the Albemarle Sound.  This body of water has always been our arch enemy because we do not have stabilizers which would prevent us from rolling from side to side.  The Sound is oriented in a east west lay and with its shallow depth can provide for some very rough seas when the winds are strong.  Big Run always handles best when she is very heavy so yesterday we topped off the fuel and fresh water tanks to give us a fighting chance.

ICW Sunrise

M/V Broulee departing Cumberland Island (4-5-2012)

S/V Short Walk on the hook at Butler Island (4-11-2012)