BIG RUN

A Thousand Words (Part 2)

2012-01-29T17:00:00.001-05:00

Grotto on Rudder Cut Cay

Another Grotto on Rudder Cut Cay

A Thousand Words

2012-01-27T18:00:00.004-05:00

I don't claim to be a prolific writer or even an award winning blogger. I just try to convey to family and friends how much damn fun we are having as full time cruisers here in the Bahamas. Take for example this past week, we meet 2 fellow cruisers from, well let's just say they fly ol' glory on their boat and would like to remain anonymous. We'll just call them Romeo and Juliet. It was by chance that we had meet them. We had just anchored at Lee Stocking Island south of the Caribbean Marine Research Center and one thing lead to another and for the next week we did it all. We went snorkeling numerous times, moved the boats to Barraterre to watch the New England/Baltimore football game. Romeo left the the Same Ol Place bar feeling quite depressed over the Ravens' loss. Happy hours and dinner parties were always on top of the list. But all good things must come to an end as they were expecting guests flying into Georgetown, Bahamas. Romeo is very knowledgeable about everything Bahamas and with a little coaxing he was willing to share that knowledge, and I took it all in; Thanks Romeo. Juliet, in her own right is also very knowledgeable. Sharon and Juliet had lengthy conversations while the guys were out doing what guys do best - acting like a couple of irresponsible teenagers. I can't go into detail because I "signed a confidentiality agreement" with Romeo.

Back to cruising - Sharon and I decided to leave Childrens Bay anchorage this morning and try a new navigation route that took us on the Brigantine and Galliot Banks instead of the Exuma Sound. Some of the areas had very skinny water (not much depth) but our planning paid off with our arrival time at the questionable area and mother nature supplying high tide when she said she would. Our bank route adventure was was very great cruise on a beautiful and sunny day in the Bahamas. And because my writing skills leave a lot to be desired, I thought I would post a few pictures worth a thousand words.

The Exuma Sound At Lee Stocking Island/Williams Cay

Leaf Cay At Adderlys Cut


Grotto And Beach At Rudder Cut Cay

Bob Snorkeling Somewhere In the Exumas - Secret Fishing Honey Hole

Size Really Does Matter (Mine's Bigger!)

2012-01-25T12:00:00.003-05:00

Lee Stocking Island Sunrise

2012-01-23T09:31:00.002-05:00

M/V Island Link

2012-01-20T01:00:00.003-05:00

This is M/V Island Link, shown with her drop gate stern to the government dock at Salt Pond. She is considered to be a power catamaran. In the Bahamas, this is the mail boat. A few call it the freight boat, but generally it's the mail boat. Once a week on Tuesday, she departs Nassau for Salt Pond, Long Island with anything and everything including the kitchen sink. From goats to people, cars to trucks, building materials to construction equipment, it all comes by boat. Most cargo arrives in one of the trailers you would typically see on the open highway. They can place on average four 40' trailers on the cargo deck. She even brings her own jockey tractor to move the trailers onto shore and also a forklift for palletized freight. One of the most critical items she brings is food including dry goods, refrigerated items and frozen items. It all comes by the mail boat including the mail. Most mail boats may service 2 or 3 islands per trip but Island Link's mission is Long Island. Should you elect to take the 16 hour journey from Potter's Cay Dock in Nassau to the government dock in Salt Pond, the fare is $60.00.

The Guys In The Grey Suits

2012-01-18T19:00:00.000-05:00

In between tanning and getting ready to depart Salt Pond tomorrow, we were entertained by fish the better part of the day. Although difficult to see in the upper photo, the little white streaks are a school of bait fish, each about 1 1/2" long, jumping out of the water because a predator fish is looking for a meal.

The lower photo, well, that's a predator fish. A very big predator fish. It's a shark about 1,000 feet from Big Run. In the photo the shark is toying with a piece of drift wood. This is the second time the shark surfaced to attack the piece of wood. Sharks are called many names but the name I like the best is "the guys in the grey suits".

Salt Pond Sunset

2012-01-16T17:45:00.003-05:00

There was a green flash last night but not tonight and we never tired of watching the sunset (aka "The Event").

Salt Pond Sunset

Tanker Ocean Energy

2012-01-14T07:00:00.004-05:00

This is Tanker Ocean Energy, hailing from Belize City, Belize, . She is 175 feet long, a beam of over 40 feet and a draft of close to 10'. She is just one of many fuel tankers serving the Bahamas. We spotted this ship in Salt Pond, Long Island, Bahamas, which does not have a "deep draft harbor/dock". Ocean Energy came into the harbor with the mid-day high tide. What may be unique about this tanker is how they refuel land based petroleum storage sites. Ocean Energy came to within 1500 feet of shore and dropped her anchors, 2 bow and 1 stern anchor. In the photo, on the port side just at mid-ship is a very large hose reel. The next operation was to "drag" by dinghy not one but two fueling hoses separately to shore and connect to the storage tanks. No ocean terminal to connect to here. Then Ocean Energy delivered the gasoline and diesel fuels by pumping the product to shore. This phase of the operation took a couple of hours and thankfully without incident. Once refueling was complete, Ocean Energy had to wait until the next high tide at midnight to depart the harbor.

Road Trip

2012-01-13T01:00:00.009-05:00

     Thursday was a day of living dangerously. It all started on Tuesday when Sharon and I made an inquiry for a car rental. Long Island (Bahamas) is about 75 miles long, and no more than a couple of miles at its widest reach. There is one main road running north & south, Queens Highway, with a few "side" roads. The roads are narrow with a few twists & turns and do tend to have grades but nothing mountainous. The highest elevation on the island is about 125 feet. Although the car we rented was a conventional car with the steering wheel on the left side, that is also the side of the road you are to be driving on. So, I gave Sharon strict orders, no matter how mad I got at her for reminding me to drive on the left side, she was to badger me with reminders to do so. Actually, if I would have drank 6 Kaliks (Bahamian Beer) before we left at 8 a.m., it would have been easier to drive on the left side!
   While in Salt Pond, we met Dan and Deb (S/V Lady Hawk) from Dover, DE. We knew Dan from last May when he worked at the West Marine Store in Rock Hall. We had run into them in Black Point, Exuma and were surprised to see them again in Salt Pond. They asked if they could share the car rental with us for the day. Hey, when you're a cruiser, you never pass up an opportunity, especially when you can share the cost with someone else. It proved very beneficial as they had toured the island before by car. Dan also shared some of the seat time behind the wheel.
     Our first journey of the day was to go the the very north end of the island, Cape Santa Maria, to the Christopher Columbus Monument, dedicated the the native islanders, the Luycayans and Columbus's arrival in 1492.

   One of the chores for the day was to get our propane tank filled. The tank was to have been filled on Wednesday but the driver for the propane company was on island time. He stopped at Long Island Breeze Resort, cruiser central, but left when he did not see the propane tank. Jackie at Long Island Breeze Resort had called him on the the phone that morning to remind him, but you know it's island time mon! So we drove down to Gordons at the very southern tip of the island to get the tank filled.
      Our next adventure took us to Clarence Town on the east coast of the island. We stopped at the Flying Fish Marina for Kalik and fries. Dan was also on a mission to find some Cuban cigars, but it was no joy for Dan.
      We also visited Dean's Blue Hole near Clarence Town. This blue hole is the deepest on the planet and with the clear water of the Bahamas was very interesting when viewed from the cliffs above. In the photos below, you will notice the dive platform that is used for the free-dive competitions - no scuba tanks!
Despite everybody driving on the wrong side of the road and my Bahamian driving skills, I managed to keep everybody out of harm's way. It was a great road trip.

Click on any photo to see enlargements of photos

Cape Santa Maria Grotto, Long Island

White Cliffs of Cape Santa Maria, Long Island

Christopher Columbus Monument, Cape Santa Maria, Long Island

View from top of Cape Santa Maria Grotto Looking to Atlantic Ocean

"CYA" Sign

Dean's Blue Hole, Long Island - 663' Deep With Free Dive Platform

Cliffs on North Side of Dean's Blue Hole

Uniform Of The Day

2012-01-10T03:00:00.004-05:00

Sharon has decided that her new occupation is a professional beachcomber. In addition to her being Big Run's Navigator, Chef, Junior Mechanic and Apprentice First Class Seaman, she has taken on the responsibility of being Big Run's Official Beachcomber. I sure do like Sharon's uniform of the day.

Wahoo Party

2012-01-09T22:00:00.014-05:00

Location, location, location. To say that we were in the right location is an understatement. We spent 35 days in the Black Point Settlement area. Only 3 nights were spent anchored at the Settlement on the north side of the point, the rest were spent anchored in Plain Bay on the south side of the point. And party, we did just about every kind of party you can imagine. There was the traditional beach party and that was expanded to include a raft party. We also did dinner parties, boat parties, bonfire parties and card parties. Yes Jeff P., you can drum up a Euchre game in the Bahamas. We even did a New Year’s party in the Sand Castle. Just as our Christmas 2010 in Spanish Wells was very special, we had a very special New Year’s Party this year in the Sand Castle with all of our friends from the anchorage and Frank & Peg who own the other home on Plain Bay. Peg’s son Troy, from York, Pennsylvania also joined the festivities.

We did attempt to leave Plain Bay on day 33, but on that morning as we were coming back to Big Run from the Sand Castle, I noticed a new boat in the anchorage that looked very familiar. As we ran the dinghy closer to the sailboat I knew it had to be them but I still had to check the stern for the boat name. Yes, it was S/V Margareta. Long story short, we had never met the crew of this vessel. However, we had on many occasions “ran” into them on the Intra Coastal Waterway. Finally, we had an opportunity to meet before our planned departure of Plain Bay that day. Plans … we learned from our buddy boat Broulee not to make plans in anything other than jello. So, we did not depart Plain Bay that day, and, as a matter of fact we stayed there for another 2 days as we built a new friendship with Bill & Margaret of S/V Margareta. Then on our day 35, this past Saturday, S/V Margareta departed Plain Bay to continue their adventure as they headed south. Two hours after their departure, I decided it was time for us to depart, and by 9 am the anchor was pulled. We were on our way to Georgetown, Yes, I said Georgetown. Sharon and I are not Georgetown people. We would rather not stop there, but that’s how things go when you’re traveling from the Exumas to Long Island in the Bahamas. Always looking to make a grand entrance, we pulled into Sand Dollar Beach anchorage at Georgetown just as all the happy hours were just getting underway. It was 5 o’clock. Fifteen minutes later our VHF radio sounded off with an MMSI call. MMSI calls are a discreet way to hail another vessel without broadcasting your hail over the open airways of channel 16. So the call was from our new friends on S/V Margareta who were also anchored at Sand Dollar Beach. They invited us over for a Wahoo dinner. Before your mind runs rampant, Wahoo is a fish. Bill caught a Wahoo and a Mahi-Mahi earlier in the day. Within an hour Sharon and I were relaxing on S/V Margareta having a grand time enjoying the company of good friends and eating Wahoo. So I guess you could call it a Wahoo party!

Sand Castle

2011-12-29T01:00:00.007-05:00

There are many beautiful homes in the Bahamas, but this is probably the most unique. It is located at our favorite anchorage Plain Bay, which we mistakenly called Little Bay. Adjacent to the home is a small inlet which, on the charts, is called Little Bay, hence the error on our part. Yes, it was built to look like a sand castle. Local sand was supplied to a paint vendor so that the exterior of the home would blend with the local beaches. It's a grand sand castle.

S/V Chiquita

2011-12-27T01:00:00.008-05:00

This is S/V Chiquita. Usually a blog entry of this type would fall under the label "Boats of Interest". However, this entry could also fall under another category - "Persons of Interest". No, don't get the wrong idea, he is not wanted by the police. The sailor that crews this boat, Ron, is a very interesting person. Among his many accomplishments, he built this boat in his back yard in Florida with help from friends, some as far away as Maine. Two weeks prior to launching the boat, he retired from his job and has been conducting sea trials ever since. I think the boat has passed the sea trials as this photo was taken at Black Point Settlement, Exumas, Bahamas.

Rain Showers

2011-12-25T13:00:00.002-05:00

Last year, we celebrated Christmas Eve in Spanish Wells, Eleuthera, Bahamas at the home of a retired harbor pilot. This year was again something new and unique for us. The evening was spent on the beach with Frank, Peg and their son Troy who was visiting from Pennsylvania. Frank & Peg have one of the two homes on Plain Bay, the other is the sand castle. Bill and Mara (S/V Puddlejumper) and Ron (S/V Chiquita) joined the festivities and we had a bonfire and listened to Christmas music. Everyone enjoyed the evening despite a few rain showers.


Looking back at Big Run as we headed to the beach we captured this sunset.

Sharon and Ron enjoying the bonfire.

Bill, Mara & Peg

Seasons Greetings

2011-12-21T01:00:00.003-05:00

We would like to wish our families and friends a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. Another year has passed and we find ourselves to be very fortunate to be full time cruisers but it does come with a price. We do miss our family and friends, and wish we could spend more time with each and every one. You are in our thoughts, and we count the days until we see you again.

Bahama Style

2011-12-10T21:00:00.004-05:00

Standing L-R - Bill & Mara (Puddlejumper), Frank, Rodney (2 By 2), Ken (Meant To Be)

Seated L-R - Peg, Jean, Sharon & Bob (Big Run)

It's been brewing all week, like a stick of dynamite with a long fuse that had been lit, and it was about to explode. On Saturday morning, Bill from Puddlejumper stopped by Big Run to invite us to a beach party. It was about time! The 5 boats, Big Run, Puddlejumper, Two By Two, Meant To Be and Chiquita have been in Plain Bay all week. We kept running into each other on our excursions to shore or as we dinghy'd from boat to boat. Ron from Chiquita and Bill had spent some time Saturday morning prepping the smoker grill on shore and returned to their boats. I went over to Puddlejumper with the dinghy to tow the party raft to shore and returned to the boat. So around 1:00 pm Sharon and I decided to be the first and head into shore. No sooner did we get to shore and the rest of the crews joined us. You will note in the above photo we are relaxing in front of a home. That is Frank and Peg's home whom joined the festivities. Also joining us is Jean, the owner of the other home on the bay, the Sand Castle. After spending the afternoon on the beach, we went up to Frank and Peg's house for a late afternoon dinner which included Peg's conch salad. Despite all the winds we have been having, and today was no different, we have finally got the party started for the season - Bahama style!

Points Unknown

2011-12-09T14:00:00.014-05:00

Long before we departed South Beach, FL on the 17th of November, we were dealing with the wind. It was not a big issue as we traveled down the ICW in October or our travels south in Florida. The wind did delay our departure from Miami for a few days and held us over in Bimini, Bahamas for 5 days. It also gave us one wild night on the Great Bahama Bank at Russel Beacon as the boat did its imitation of the ol' hobby horse. At Norman's Cay in the Exumas, the wind played with the boat, keeping her broadside to the rollers. Then, what was thought to be a safe travel day to Warderick Wells had waves breaking over the bow and covering the pilothouse with "spray".

But not all is lost. We have managed to find our way to our favorite anchorage south of Black Point. After meeting one of the two locals residents (land dwellers) of the anchorage, we have learned that the bay is actually named Plain Bay. Far from plain, beautiful clear water, white sand beaches and great company. Since arriving here on the 29th of November we have met and befriended many other boaters. There's the couple on M/V Two By Two, Rodney and Pauline. They also have a raised pilothouse trawler, a beautiful Nova Scotia 47. Rodney is a Kiwi from New Zealand and Pauly is an Irish lass. We have had some very interesting happy hours with them. Just recently our very good friends Ken and Cindy on S/V Meant To Be have arrived, and we also have had some very memorable times with them as well. We also met Ron on S/V Chiquita, a bright yellow trimaran. He has been doing the single-hand sailing (crew of one) for a long time. When you ask him where he hails from, he tells you either Maine (USA) or the Caribbean, he's not sure which! Right now, Ron is buddy boat with S/V Puddlejumper, a catamaran. Puddlejumper is crewed by Bill and Mara from Arkansas. But we still find one thing missing - Rick, Deb and Izzy from M/V Broulee, our buddy boat from last year. Moving forward, Ken and Cindy will be departing for their journey to Puerto Rico and beyond. Two By Two may be departing for points east or south some time soon, Puddlejumper and Chiquita will be heading north in a day or two. And Big Run, well, we may stick around in Plain Bay waiting for the next group of boaters to stop by on their way to points unknown.

(Bob Gets) 120 Days

2011-11-17T17:00:00.000-05:00

The alarm was set for 3:45 AM, but we didn't need an alarm to get us up this morning, the start of our Bahamas adventure. I was up at 3:20 AM and Sharon was right behind me. After we had secured everything for the crossing, the anchor was up and stowed, and we were underway at 4 AM sharp. We had a good start going out the inlet, Government Cut at South Beach and the shipping channel, until the very end of the channel, a freighter jumped us doing 9 knots. Luckily, our new toy, a AIS (automated identification system) receiver warned us of the approaching freighter. On the down side, we had to maneuver to the NW of the freighter which threw us off course for our rhumb line to Bimini. As we maneuvered to get back on course we discovered we were in the gulf stream, and our attempts to get back on course gave us a SOG (speed over ground) of 2.5 knots. Execute plan B. By sunrise we were back on course for Bimini. It was a beautiful day to be on the open sea where we chugged along at 6.0 knots. Land was sighted at 10:30 AM and by 12:15 PM the hook (anchor) was set. Our next chore was to clear customs and immigration. Last year, immigration gave us 30 days and we spent the last 2 weeks of that 30 days trying to get an extension, which we did, one day prior to our visa expiration . This year, Bob "charmed" the young lady at immigration, who was going to give us only 30 days again, but Bob won her over and she gave us 120 days.

Sunset Over Miami

2011-11-16T18:00:00.001-05:00

Finally, after 10 windy but glorious days in South Beach, our weather window to cross over to the Bahamas is only hours away. Our 2011/2012 Bahamas adventure starts very early Thursday morning. This afternoon the winds died down to a very light breeze, and the seas should be settling down overnight to manageable 2 foot waves for tomorrow. That's better than the 20 MPH winds gusting to 25 MPH and 5'-7' seas with an occasional 9' thrown in to get your attention. On the eve of our departure we were given one final beautiful sunset over Miami.

Hallelujah

2011-11-04T18:00:00.000-04:00

Let's face it, if you have something that is broken and you swap out enough parts, you may sooner or later fix it. To date, we have replaced the high pressure switch, acid washed the membrane, replaced the membrane, replaced the pump head, and today we replaced the heart and soul of the watermaker - the Clark Pump. All I know about the Clark pump is that it is a intensifier. In this case, the Clark Pump will take water under pressure at 60 PSI and greatly boost or intensify the pressure of the water. Then, the water, when passed over the membrane at high pressure forces about 10% of the salt water through the membrane leaving behind such things as salt and other nasty stuff you don't want in your fresh water. Under ideal conditions, that is what should happen, but in our watermaker that had not been the case. So today, when the watermaker dealer came onboard Big Run and listened to our watermaker, without hesitation, he said it's the Clark Pump. So, 6 weeks later and a half hour to swap out the Clark Pump we are back in the business of making fresh water. Oh yea, it was still under warranty - Hallelujah

Cumberland Island National Seashore, GA - 2011

2011-10-24T14:00:00.000-04:00

This is quickly becoming one of our favorite stops, as you will see why. (click on any photo to see enlargement)

Sharon on the telephone receiving Happy Birthday wishes.

The twisted and curvy branches of the Live Oak Tree.

The twisted wood grain of a "dead" Live Oak Tree.

Your Island Guide Bob

Whitetail Deer

One of the island's many feral horses.

Thanksgiving dinner!

Shore bird with large orange beak.

Fiddler crabs.

Good Ol' Southern Hospitality

2011-10-23T14:00:00.005-04:00

After spending a week in Brunswick GA, we continued our trip south on the ICW today. Our stay in Brunswick was not all play, but the fruits of our labor were a little sour. The watermaker, despite all the parts that have been swapped out, still does not want to cooperate with us. Our latest attempt to "fix" the watermaker involved the replacement of the pump head, and once again it has failed to produce potable water. Again we called our new BFF in Florida, but this time we made arrangements for the watermaker dealer to inspect and troubleshoot the watermaker himself. On a good note, while we were at Brunswick we made a trip over to a local fuel dock to fill up Big Run's fuel tanks. While we were there we managed to get free water, which should hold us over until we get to Riviera Beach in Florida.

When we weren't working on the boat in Brunswick, we were with our good friends from S/V Meant To Be, Ken and Cindy, who have a water front home on Back River/Terry Creek. On Monday, our second day in Brunswick, Cindy called to see if we wanted a ride into town. As full time cruisers you never turn down an opportunity and what an opportunity it turned out to be. As Cindy ran a few errands around town, we got a chance to get a feel for the layout of the town. Later, Cindy stopped at Wal-Mart for a few items, and well, we managed to fill up one grocery cart with just about everything we needed to reprovision the boat. Later that day we were invited to Ken and Cindy's beautiful home for dinner. The next day, Tuesday, we spent putting the previous day's bounty away. The following day we received another golden opportunity, the use of Cindy's car to run additional errands in town. Wow, Big Run is now better provisioned than she ever has been. In a small gesture on our part we invited Ken & Cindy out for dinner, but of course they would have to drive! They took us over to St. Simon Island where we got a very nice tour of the island before going to the restaurant Iguana for dinner where we enjoyed the best fried shrimp ever. Then on Friday was a totally unique experience for full time cruisers. We went to the local high school football game which also included a wonderful tailgate party prior to the game. Our time spent in Brunswick was truly a very memorable page to be written in our log. Thank you Ken and Cindy for some good ol' southern hospitality.

Where We Want To Be

2011-10-11T12:00:00.003-04:00

Update on the watermaker. The membrane was replaced yesterday and no joy. Our new best friend in Florida at Murray Marine suspects the pump head is fouled. A replacement pump head and other running spares are being drop shipped to our friends Ken & Cindy (S/V Meant To Be) in Brunswick, GA. Our frustration level has been surpassed by the problems we are experiencing with the watermaker. However, looking back since we have installed the watermaker, it has kept us out of marinas and on the hook, exactly where we want to be.

First Anniversary

2011-10-06T07:00:00.000-04:00

Today marks our first anniversary as full time cruisers. It has been a tremendous adventure, and it shows no signs of slowing down. Just yesterday, after anchoring in a very small creek with swift currents, Sharon made the comment that last year we would not have attempted such a maneuver. The experiences and knowledge we have gained over the last year have been invaluable. This year as we travel south once again on the ICW, our confidence level soars. We consider this to be our sophomore year, but we keep our enthusiasm in check knowing very well that we must maintain a vigil for it is too easy to have a mishap while on the water that could result in unwanted consequences.

The greatest benefit of our cruising experiences is the people we meet. Just the other day we made an acquaintance with a gentleman in Wrightsville Beach. We swapped stories with him at the dock and as we parted company he extended not only his hand in friendship, he also volunteered his time if we needed assistance getting around the area. This does not happen in every port we stop at, but we do frequently meet people that are genuine and sincere. Not wanting to forget some of the special ones are the people we meet on the water, our fellow boaters. In particular, our mentors in the Bahamas, Rick & Deb on M/V Broulee. Rick and Deb (& Izzy the dog) made for some memorable moments that shall never be forgotten. Then there is another couple that was a chance encounter, all because of our boat names, Big Run and Short Walk. Ann and Joe on S/V Short walk are another stand out couple we met in Florida and saw again in the Bahamas and Portsmith, VA. The list goes on and on. Take for example Ken and Cindy on S/V Meant To Be who invited us, two strangers, for Sundowners at our favorite beach in the Bahamas, Little Bay. And who can forget our friends from Long Cove Marina, Rebecca and Trina on M/V Kismet. The list goes on and on. I hope no one feels left out, I was trying to show the broad diversity of the people we meet on the water and land.

If the past is an indication of what the future holds, I would say that Sharon and I are in for the ride of a lifetime. We hope that in another year or two we still hold the enthusiasm we have today on our first anniversary.

Property Tax

2011-10-03T10:00:00.000-04:00

My sister Barb always says "no news is good news", that applies to Big Run. We have been in Wrightsville Beach since last Wednesday and there is not much to report. We came to Wrightsville Beach because we needed repair parts for the watermaker shipped in to us at the Wrightsville Beach Post Office, which is a short 1 mile walk from our anchorage. After contacting every Spectra Watermaker dealer on the east coast for parts, we found a very well stocked dealer in Florida, Murray Marine. On Friday, the replacement high pressure switch for the feed pump arrived and was installed by 2 o'clock in the afternoon. But that did not solve all the problems as we soon discovered that there is a problem with the watermaker membrane and the quality of the water it produces, the parts per million (PPM) count is too high and the water is not potable. Our new watermaker contact is now shipping us cleaning solutions to use on the membrane. The cleaners should arrive on Tuesday by UPS to the local post office. Hopefully the cleaning solutions will lower the PPM to a potable level and we can start living a normal life again - daily showers. In the meantime, here we are anchored in Wrightsville Beach for the 6th day, they may soon charge us a property tax.

Thank You Captain

2011-09-24T17:00:00.003-04:00

Despite the rain all day, today was a pleasure to be on the Intracoastal Waterway (ICW). We managed to get an early start at 0715 this morning at Hospital Point, Mile 0 on the ICW charts. As with last year, we took the Virginia Cut, route 1 of the 2 available routes to the Albemarle Sound, which by the way is how we judge all waters when it comes to wind generated waves. We didn't make it to Albemarle Sound today, but we did make it to Buck Island, our anchorage south of Coinjock, NC. In the 58 miles we traveled today we only encountered 5 other boats heading south. Last year we started our adventure 3 weeks later in mid October and were surrounded by many boats, 20 or more, on this the first leg. This year we traveled for miles at times and never was passed by another boat. We did have one "Chucklehead" who thought because we didn't slow down for him to pass us, he didn't have to slow down either. Obviously he does not know the rules of the road or how to execute an easy pass, aka slow pass. An easy pass first starts with the boat wanting to pass you contacting you by VHF radio. After the details have been worked out, port or starboard side pass, the passing boat will approach your stern, at which time you the lead boat will slow down to idle speed. The boat passing the lead boat slows down and passes on the predetermined side at a slow speed just faster than the lead's boat idle speed so as not to create a wake that would rearrange your galley from a wake that rolls you from side to side. Having any part of your boat's interior rearranged by another boat's wake is not a good thing. It's bad enough that Mother nature does it from time to time. After he has passed you, you fall in behind his stern and the other boat resumes it's speed. One boat that passed us today executed a perfect text book easy pass. Thank you Captain.

Let Us In

2011-09-15T17:00:00.000-04:00

Some of the best news we had in a long time came yesterday in a phone call. We had received a letter from our insurance agent for the boat about a month ago, and Sharon did a follow up email last week. When Sharon didn't hear from the agent on Tuesday this week, she called and spoke with an agent we had worked with before. Yesterday, the agent called back to inform us that we could not get the November 1/Cape Hatteras restriction changed to October 1st. This restriction prohibits us from being south of Cape Hatteras before before November 1st due to hurricane season which expires on November 1st. The good news is that we have changed the location from Cape Hatteras, NC to St. Marys in southern GA. Any further south and we would be in Florida. So on November 1st we plan to be knocking on Florida's front door. Let Us In!

The Herding Effect

2011-09-10T07:00:00.016-04:00

This October will be our first anniversary as full time cruisers. We have learned very much in that time. However, we do realize that there is more to learn. You can never be a consummate master of anything. Part of the learning curve is recognizing tendencies of other boaters. This is especially true when it comes to anchoring, one of my favorite subjects. While in the Bahamas, I paid special attention to our anchor and gear, learning how it reacted to different influences such as tides or winds. It's surprising, when the water is very clear, to see how the boat is oriented into the wind because of your rode, in our case chain, and the relationship of the boat to the actual location of the anchor. On numerous occasions I noted that although we were in a light breeze, enough to put tension on the rode, the anchor was actually resting to either side of the boat or under the boat. On most occasions, the rode served more as an anchor than the anchor itself.

When selecting an anchorage to drop the hook, the exact location can be dictated by tides (currents) and/or the winds for most boaters. Some boaters select a very close, tight anchorage for absolute wind protection, as if they have an auto-defense mechanism to ward off the bugs laying in wait to suck out their blood. We prefer, and it has been well documented in this blog, wide open anchorages, to allow for the slightest breeze to flush out any heat within the boat that has been generated by the sun. Remember when I mentioned tendencies of other boaters? We have discovered a tendency of boaters when they approach an anchorage with another boat already at anchor i.e., Big Run. The new arrival, despite it being a very large anchorage, capable of holding many, many boats, will anchor right next to you, let's say 200 feet away or less. Then as more boats arrive, they too will anchor next to you and any other boats that are already anchored. It's like you know something special about the anchorage, and they want to be part of it too and anchor next to you despite the fact that you do not know them. Never mind the other 20 acres that they could anchor in, they need to be next to someone. We have dubbed this phenomenon the "Herding Effect".

Upgrade

2011-09-09T10:00:00.003-04:00

Morse Code III weighing anchor at Dun Cove

On Wednesday, Sharon and I unofficially started our trek south. We left Reed Creek on the Chester River by 8 a.m. By 10:30 we were transisting Kent Narrows and shortly after that we were on Eastern Bay with an ultimate destination of the Choptank River. As we were approaching Tilghman Point on Eastern Bay we noticed a Kadey Krogen 48 approaching us from Miles River on our port side. After they rounded the point, that put the other Krogen (Morse Code III) on our stern. Once they were on our stern and could read our boat name, they hailed us. Long story short, they were head to the Choptank also and asked if they could tag along as they were "new" to the area. After being pounded by 3-4 foot waves on the bow that were supposed to be 1 footers and a severe downpour, Big Run and Morse Code III dropped anchor together at Dun Cove on Harris Creek. After we were all settled in, Morse Code invited Sharon and I over to their boat. Much to our surprise, we discovered the boat was brand new and had just been commissioned less than a month ago at Annapolis, MD. Congratulations and fair winds to Perry and Karen, the proud owners of Morse Code III. Oh, that new boat smell, just like a new car smell, the aroma is intoxicating and beckons for you to upgrade.

M/V Nellie Crockett

2011-09-05T11:00:00.023-04:00

This is M/V Nellie Crockett of Georgetown, MD. In the above photo she is shown underway during an evening cruise on the East Langford Creek, a tributary of the Chesapeake Bay on the eastern shore. Built in 1926 (some reports list 1925), the Nellie Crockett is a classic frame-and-plank Chesapeake deadrise buy boat with a length of 61.6 feet, a beam of 22.33 feet, and a draft of 6.42 feet. Her gross tonnage is 52 tons with a net of 35 tons. Operating as a buy boat in oyster season, the Nellie Crockett would navigate the waters of the Chesapeake Bay buying oysters directly from the oystermen as they worked the oyster beds. In the off-season she would transport produce and lumber. During World War II she served as a fire boat for the US Coast Guard in the ports of the Chesapeake Bay. Today, the Nellie Crockett is listed as a National Historic Landmark.

The Coast Of Africa

2011-08-30T10:15:00.000-04:00

On Sunday morning, in what was to have been the trailing effects of Hurricane Irene as she moved up the coast towards New England, we were battered with some of the strongest gusts of the storm. As the day progressed the winds began to calm down, and we ventured out of the boat to check for damage. Although we never did feel the brunt of the storm, and slept through what was thought to be the time frame of peak sustained winds, the boat was free of damage. [Insert big sigh of relief.] By Sunday afternoon, Sharon and I began to reassemble the boat. Sunday evening was very calm with no wind, and the water was dead flat calm. You never would have thought that just 12 hours prior we were experiencing some very stout winds from the NW. The only immediate tell tale sign of the storm for us was that the water was littered with leaves and small branches. However, on Monday the waters turned chocolate brown with silt from the rain runoff. Our little world was intact, but the outside world was dealing with massive power outages, 100 year floods, downed trees and other hurricane damage. From all reports, it appears New England suffered the most damage from Hurricane Irene, because of the extensive flooding, although when she arrived in New England, Hurricane Irene had been downgraded to a tropical depression. Now, the National Weather Service is tracking yet another "storm", Katia, just off the coast of Africa.

Goodnight Irene

2011-08-28T18:00:00.003-04:00

It was last Tuesday, the day of the earthquake on the east coast, that Sharon and I decided to continue our trek north. We decided to head back to Rock Hall for a couple of reasons, but the most pressing reason was Hurricane Irene. We arrived at Reed Creek on the Chester River late Wednesday afternoon because we were waiting for favorable tide conditions to transit through Kent Narrows Bridge. That's one place you definitely want the current on your bow. After anchoring on Reed Creek and getting a weather update on Hurricane Irene, we decided that our favorite gunkhole on the Langford Creek would make for a better hurricane hole. When you live on a boat you have three options with respect to hurricanes: 1) go to a marina, 2) have the boat hauled out on to land, or 3) go find a hurricane hole and ride out the storm on the hook, We chose the latter. We moved up to Millstone Point on Thursday and spent the entire day on Friday preparing the boat for Category 1 hurricane conditions. The bimini canvas and frame were removed from the flybridge, the mast was lowered and the kayaks each recieved additional strapping. Next we took care of everything on the foredeck and cockpit. Basically, if we thought it was possible for the wind to pick something up, we stowed it inside the boat. We even got out the duct tape and closed off some vents and hatches that we thought wind driven rain could use to enter the boat. Our next task was to set up our 2-anchor design for winds clocking from the NE to the N and then to the NW as Hurricane Irene moved up the east coast. Our main anchor, a 66 lb. Bruce anchor, was set with 175 feet of chain to a northeasterly direction from the boat's location. The second anchor, which we will call a storm anchor, is a very large Danforth style anchor. The Danforth was set to the northwest of the boat with 210 feet of 1" triple braid. Along with about 100 other small tasks, our hurricane preparations were complete.

Saturday, the day of Hurricane Irene's arrival, was a day of waiting. The morning started overcast but very calm. Gradually, as the morning wore on, the wind started as a very light breeze. The rain started at 10:30 a.m. as a drizzle, and you could start to see the leaves turning on the trees from the increase in the wind. By 1:00 p.m., the rain was a little heavier, and the boat was starting to react to the stronger wind. That afternoon Sharon and I decided to prepare a "ditch bag" with the essentials, a laptop, portable VHF radio, GPS unit, flashlight and other keepsakes. We also dressed for the occasion with our quick drying kayak clothing. By 5:00 p.m. the wind was very strong and the rain was much heavier. For dinner we had some of Sharon's delicious chilli and corn beard. By 7:00 p.m. the winds were very strong, in the 40-50 mph range with gust to 60 mph. We hunkered down and maintained a vigil on the anchor and the TV. The local stations had gone to full time coverage of the hurricane with reports from Baltimore, Annapolis, Easton and Ocean City, MD. At times we found the field reports very amusing, and we waited with anticipation of one young man's reports from Ocean City, MD. After a short nap by yours truly at midnight, Sharon and I called it quits at 12:30 a.m. and said "Goodnight Irene"

What's Next?

2011-08-23T18:00:00.002-04:00

The above photo is one that was taken one week ago on Monday. As we were heading north on the Chesapeake Bay to the Choptank River, we were watching weather radar as storms approached us from the west. The photo is of a funnel cloud that we watched develop from infancy. Of the 6 photos I took, this is the best photo and shows it's early development. Although it never matured into a tornado or a water spout, it did command our attention.

Today, as Sharon and I were working on the boat we experienced a series of vibrations go through the boat. Each set of vibrations were stronger than the previous set. Once again, as with the Great Dismal Swamp smoke, I found myself making a general inspection of the boat and found nothing to cause alarm. Later in the day, Sharon discovered on the internet that we had experienced our first earthquake. Apparently a 5.8 magnitude earthquake 100 miles away can create enough of a shock wave in the water to feel it rumble through the boat.

This next weekend, on Sunday, just in case we get bored, we are expecting to up the excitement a little with the arrival of Hurricane Irene. Funnel clouds, earthquakes and hurricanes, what's next?

M/V Lowe Key

2011-08-18T19:00:00.000-04:00

This is M/V Lowe Key of Cambridge, MD. She is a 1986 Kadey Krogen, hull #93. Shown here anchored on Dun Cove, Harris Creek on the Choptank River.

I Want One

2011-08-16T19:00:00.006-04:00

We left the Potomac River on Monday and were cruising north on the Chesapeake Bay, almost due east of Solomons, MD when I turned for unknown reasons in time to see these two boats approaching us from the stern. I do not know what they are, they look like a government experimental craft. They are very fast and I want one.

Rain, Damn It, Rain

2011-08-13T16:00:00.002-04:00

Here's the situation - you live on a boat. You're anchored 1/4 mile from shore. You're asleep in your stateroom. Hey, it doesn't get any better than that, but wait, you're awakened by the smell of smoke. It's not the typical smell of smoke you would expect on a boat. You might expect to smell smoke from an electrical fire, or, in the case of Big Run, the raunchy smell of burning fiberglass, but that's not the case. This smoke has the smell of a campfire or a fire burning in the fireplace. Well, you live on boat. You don't take a chance. Everything has to be investigated, even if it's 3 a.m. You make a general inspection and nothing, but you still smell smoke so you stick your head out the pilothouse door. Low and behold, the boat is surrounded by a heavy haze that you can see because of the full moon that has the night lit up like day. That heavy haze is smoke, and it has penetrated every nook and cranny of the boat. You retire back to bed but are awakened repeatedly through the night as the stench grows stronger.

The next morning you learn the Dismal Swamp in North Carolina is burning after a lighting strike starts a bush fire, but Big Run is on the Potomac River, between Maryland and Virginia. The Dismal Swamp is 100 miles to the south. Thanks to some strong southerly winds, the smoke has migrated north blanketing the entire region. Later that morning, the Coast Guard station at Norfolk makes an announcement that they have closed the Intra-Coastal Waterway (ICW) to boating traffic due to the fire. Additional reports on the internet quote the authorities saying the fire is 10% contained and, without help from mother nature, the fires could burn for weeks, or because of the area being so remote, months! So a plea goes out to Mother Nature, rain, damn it, rain!

For All To See

2011-08-10T07:00:00.001-04:00

After departing Washington, DC, our plans were to return to Mt. Vernon and take the tour of George Washington's estate. Once again we anchored in front of Mt. Vernon, directly in front of the home. We then lowered the dinghy from the top deck so that we could get an early start the next morning. Our research on the internet reported the estate was open at 8 a.m. for tours. The next morning we took the dinghy to the Mt. Vernon docks only to find that the estate did not open till 9 a.m. We decided to go exploring on a nearby creek, Little Hunting Creek, which was a nice way to kill some time. Finally, at 9 a.m. we returned to the docks to start our tour. Mt. Vernon estate (grounds) has dramatically changed since my visit there many years ago. We toured the home which has not changed in many years and for reasons unknown to me they do not allow you to take photos of the interior, I should have asked why. We were very disappointed with the outbuildings as the ones we did visit were reconstructed buildings. We were impressed with the new visitor's center that was built recently and includes a museum and an educational center, both are highly recommended. The visitor's center is away from George's house and is very well hidden from the home and surroundings, separating the old from the new. After returning to the boat we discovered that we did not take many pictures, due to all the photo restrictions, but we did get a photo of Big Run anchored in front of George's house for all to see

View of the Potomac River (and Big Run) from the porch of Mt Vernon.

Dust Pan and Brush

2011-08-09T16:00:00.000-04:00

We spotted these two vessels on the Potomac River as we were departing from Washington, DC. From their markings, one can decipher that they are operated by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. The vessel in the upper photo with a basket mounted on a forklift type hydraulic unit will scoop up large branches and logs floating in the water. The vessel in the lower photo is of the same design, however for this operation has a small barge attached in the front. The upper vessel scoops up the debris and deposits the material on the barge of the lower vessel. Just think of it as a very expensive dust pan and brush.

Around Town

2011-08-08T06:00:00.000-04:00

Pictorial essay of our adventure in and around Washington, DC.

Smithsonian Institute - "The Castle" tower.

Sharon playing the role of a tourist and checking the official tour map!

Washington Monument

The Capitol dome.

Statue at northwest corner of US Capitol.

World War II Memorial

Ceiling of Statutory Hall - US Capitol

Smithsonian American Art Museum (3rd floor)

Jefferson Memorial

2011-08-07T06:00:00.000-04:00

Smithsonian Institute Art Collections

2011-08-06T07:00:00.000-04:00

Statues/Sculptures at the National Art Museum

Smithsonian American Art Museum

National Portrait Gallery

Nation's Capital

2011-08-05T18:00:00.025-04:00

RIGHT - West (front) View of Capital

LEFT - North View of Capitol

RIGHT - East (rear) View of Capitol

LEFT - House of Representatives

RIGHT - Senate

LEFT & BELOW - Interior Views of Capital Dome

USS Sequoia

2011-08-04T07:00:00.002-04:00

This is the former presidential yacht USS Sequoia. The Sequoia is a 104' Trumpy design built in 1925/26 for a private individual who then resold the vessel to the president of the Sequoia Oil Company. In 1931 the US Government purchased the vessel for prohibition sting operations and this was the start of her government service. Today the vessel is in private ownership and is available for private charters. In the photo below, the Sequoia is shown with Big Run after she was moved to our dock for a private reception.

More George

2011-08-03T19:00:00.002-04:00

Photos of the George Washington Masonic National Memorial in Alexandria, VA

Honest Abe

2011-08-02T18:00:00.002-04:00

George's House

2011-08-01T07:00:00.001-04:00

Sunrise at Mt. Vernon

It has been many years since I stood on the porch of Mt. Vernon as a youth. I very distinctly remember standing there looking out onto the Potamac River. Even then with my very vivid imagination, I never dreamed of being anchored on my boat in front of George's house.

Bald Eagle

2011-07-28T19:30:00.003-04:00

The Mattawoman Creek, just off of the Potomac River, has been a great location for viewing the Bald Eagle.

(Click on any image to see the enlargement)

JELLO

2011-07-27T09:00:00.000-04:00

I am sure by now that everyone has come to the same conclusion; especially those who have a working knowledge of geography, that we are headed for our nation's capital. Our slow boat has been weaving in and out of ever side creek on the Maryland shore of the Potomac River from the Chesapeake Bay to our current location on Mattawoman Creek. We have slip reservations at the Gangplank Marina in Washington, DC for August 1st. Departing from our normal anchor out lifestyle, we may be tied to a dock for up to 7 days. Once we are in the marina, our first priority is engine room maintenance. Then we are off to the grocery store once again to reprovision the boat. The rest of our time on land will be spent playing the role of tourist. Sure hope Mother Nature cooperates and turns down the burners from high heat! For our adventures on land, we plan to use Rick's (M/V Broulee) approach to plans and anything organized - "JELLO"!

Sizzlin' Hot Summer

2011-07-13T17:45:00.001-04:00

Late afternoon thunderstorm at Breton Bay.

Unofficially, the start of summer is Memorial Day, and ever since that time we have been tortured with high temps and humidity. Big Run has been very fortunate ( or not! ) to have the severe storms skirt around her location every time a cool front passes through. It's been one sizzlin' hot summer!

S/V Dove

2011-07-08T01:00:00.001-04:00

This is S/V Dove berthed at historic St. Mary's City, MD. This is a replica of the ship that sailed up the St Mary's river in 1634 with the S/V Ark to establish the first settlement in Maryland. She is 65 feet long with a 17' beam, weighs 25 ton and had a cargo capacity of 40 tons. She was crewed by 7, although today they use a crew of 9.

Although it's built like a tank, this is the dinghy for the S/V Dove

State House

2011-07-07T17:00:00.019-04:00

Today was an educational day for us as we did a walking tour of the historical settlement of St. Mary's City. Founded in 1634, St Mary's City served as the first capitol of Maryland. Below are photos of the State House.

State House as seen from the back.

The Honorable and Distinguished Chair Lady presiding over the house floor.

Meeting room on second floor.

Cool And Comfortable

2011-07-05T20:00:00.001-04:00

Point No Point Lighthouse on the Chesapeake Bay

It wasn't barnacles growing on the anchor rode, but there was some kind of grass or something growing on the chain. It had been 11 days since we dropped anchor, and today was the day to move on. Our plan was to go to the Patuxent (Pat) River and anchor overnight at Mill Creek We did have a contingency plan if we made good time getting to the Pat River, we would push on to the Potomac River. We arrived at the Pat River and decided to make the run to the Potomac and anchor in Smith Creek. We had anchored in Smith Creek back in October 2010 while we waited out a blow. The last time we were here, we had anchored on the west side. However, there was a great private and secluded hole on the east side of the creek. The east anchorage had enough room for one boat. We had very slowly sounded our way in watching the depth sounder register 7 feet. Big Run needs 4.5 feet. Sharon gets very attentive when the sounder registers 6 feet. We had 7 feet all the way in, and that was 2 hours after low tide. As I said, this anchorage had enough room for 1 boat. The north and south shore were about 250 feet away. The cove continued to the east for about 500 feet, and to the west was the entrance. The center was 7 feet, which quickly got skinny to the north and south, and at about 250 feet to the east the 7 foot depth was lost to 2 feet of depth. So, here we are nicely tucked in our private cove. We have gone from a 1 mile by 2 mile wide anchorage on the Little Choptank River to a 10 acre hurricane hole. Yes, hurricane hole, there was absolutely no air (breeze) to be had to cool off the boat. This is a beautiful private cove that would be a great hidey hole from a hurricane, but not on a hot summer night. So tomorrow it's back to the wide open, not so private, wind blown anchorages that we find cool and comfortable.

View of sunset from our not so cool and comfortable anchorage!

Wind Blown Anchorages

2011-07-04T16:00:00.003-04:00

Happy 4th of July to all of our families and friends. We have been "stuck" here on the Little Choptank River for 10 days. When Sharon and I find an anchorage we like, we tend to overstay our welcome. Well, nobody is kicking us out, but when we pull the anchor I am sure the barnacles will have taken up residence on our anchor and chain. Speaking of anchors, it happened again just the other night. Another boat dragged its anchor. Sharon and I had been monitoring the weather with internet radar and while being on watch in the pilothouse. On one of my trips up to the pilothouse to check on the approaching storm, I noticed the only other boat in our anchorage was moving. I made a comment to Sharon, and she agreed that she thought the other boat was moving. We watched the boat for a while and decided that it was dragging its hook, and the souls onboard were down below sound asleep. After watching the boat for what seemed a long time, I decided to sound the danger signal with our ship's horn, 5 blasts of the horn. We waited a minute but did not see any movement on deck. Again I sounded the horn 5 times with each blast longer in duration than my first alarm. We doubt they heard the alarm because they were to our stern and our horns project the sound to our bow. Once again we failed to see any movement on deck. Next, I tried our roof mounted spotlight thinking they would be alarmed by the light shining on and in the boat. By the time I got the light trained on the boat we noticed movement on the pulpit and I immediately turned off the spotlight. Finally, the couple were on deck trying to regain control of their boat before they ran aground. They saved the boat, pulled up anchor and motored to another anchorage in the dark. I estimated that they dragged the hook for over 2,000 feet before we saw them on deck. We like wide open anchorages, and this one is bigger than Comegys Bight on the Chester River. I guess I now know why anyone seldom anchors with us in these spacious, wind blown anchorages.

"Get Out Of Jail Free Card"

2011-06-22T15:22:00.000-04:00

     Yesterday was another first for the crew of Big Run. After spending another night on San Domingo Creek south of St. Michael, MD, Sharon and I decided to head over to Cambridge, MD. About 2 hours into the cruise I looked over to the port side and noticed a United States Coast Guard Vessel 30 feet off of our port beam with its blue lights flashing. It was one of those small 24' RIB with a crew enclosure, enough room to shelter four coasties. After a nod of the my head to acknowledge them I returned to my duties of piloting the boat knowing very well what their intentions were. Later I looked over and one the crew was hanging on the side trying to contact us. I grabbed the microphone of our VHF radio and indicated that they should contact us by radio. The following is a brief history of the VHF radio transmissions:

   Coast Guard: Big Run, Big Run this is the United States Coast Guard 22589 on channel 16

   Big Run: Coast Guard 22589, this is Big Run

     Coast Guard : Big Run, please switch to 22 Alpha

   Big Run: Coast Guard, this is Big Run, shifting to 22 Alpha

       Big Run: Coast Guard, this is Big Run on 22 Alpha

   Coast Guard: Big Run, when was the last time you were boarded?

   Big Run: uh, Never!

      Within 5 minutes, 2 young Coast Guard serviceman were on board Big Run without us having to stop or slow down. For the next 15 minutes we were given a safety inspection and had our documentation checked. Needless to say we passed with flying colors. We were given a "certificate" to show we were boarded and passed our inspection. We were also informed that the certificate was valid for 6 months to 1 year, just in case we were stopped for another inspection within that time frame, we could use that certificate as a "get out of jail free card".

A Good Night's Sleep

2011-06-14T07:00:00.006-04:00

beep.....beep.....beep.....beep.....beep.... what was that, I didn't set an alarm clock. I look at the clock. It's 5:15 a.m. I lay in bed for another 15 seconds before I decide to get up and investigate. As I enter the pilothouse I immediately see why there was an alarm this morning. The raft-up of four sailboats off of our starboard bow has dragged their anchor. Well, only one boat dragged their anchor, the other three that were tied to that boat came along for the ride. Now this floating mass is 150 feet away, and all hands are on deck scurring about like it's a fire drill. Engines are firing up, lines are being cast off. Everybody (sailboats) is abandoning the anchor boat so that they don't go aground on the nearby shoreline. While all the other sailboats make a clean getaway and anchor elsewhere in the cove, the anchor boat of the raft-up stays where he's at. Why not? The anchor is already out. But wait.....beep.....beep.....beep.....beep.....beep....there goes the anchor alarm again. The same boat is dragging the anchor again. The sailboat's first mate emerges from down below to look around, but where is the captain? Finally, after what seemed like 5 minutes the "captain" shows his face at the helm, looks around and disappears below again, with the first mate in tow. As I sit in the pilothouse of our boat prepared to take evasive action, the first mate appears a few minutes later and checks the chartplotter. Did the alarm sound again? I don't know. What I do know is that the "captain" of this sailboat (Andiamo of Annapolis, MD) never checked the integrity of the anchor set after having dragged twice. Never did he start his engines and put the transmission in reverse and pull on his ground tackle to verify the hook was set. And you call yourself a "captain"! (Note - Andiamo is Italian for "Let's Go" - how appropriate)

I have always wondered why boats with minimal tackle for the size of the boat believe that they can attach another 2, 3, 4, or more boats in a raft up situation and expect their tackle to hold when the winds kick up. This is especially true of some sailboats. They try to keep their weight to a minimum, especially on the bow while sacrificing one of the most important pieces of equipment on a boat - the anchor and rode. Power boats are guilty of undersized anchors too, but we don't know what their excuse is for such a small anchors, maybe it's just plain ignorance. The anchor on Big Run is a 66lb. Bruce anchor with 1/2" chain. I did not set up this arrangement, but I am sure glad we have ground tackle for a 50-60 foot boat on a 42 foot boat. Next time someone wants to raft up with you, ask yourself "Do I have the right anchor and rode for a raft up should the winds pick up?" After all, we all want a good night's sleep.

Update - it's now 6:50 a.m. and the anchor alarm has sounded again - hey Captain, do the right thing!

Chill Out

2011-06-08T09:00:00.002-04:00

There are 2 reasons we have returned to the "north" aka Maryland. First, because the insurance company requires us to be north of Cape Hatteras by June 1st, the start of hurricane season. Secondly, we expect to find cooler temps than, let's say, Florida during the summer months. Last week we experienced a severe heat wave, 3 days in the upper 90's, and we are expecting another heat wave to start today. Let me be the first to say that the weather gods must be asleep at the helm, enough is enough - chill out.

How Sweet It Is

2011-06-02T14:00:00.007-04:00

When we left the marina on Monday we went to one of our favorite gunkholes, Millstone Point on the west fork of Langford Creek. Being that it was a holiday weekend, there were 3 boats still on the hook in the area of Millstone Point, but our hole was available - thank you kindly. One boat, Metagene was there, and it's crewed by our friends Rick and Pam. It's always a pleasure to see them again. They hung around for the afternoon and then went south for one last night on the hook at another anchorage before returning home the following day, Tuesday. By 5 o'clock the other 2 boats had left, and we had the anchorage to ourselves. Monday was very hot. Across the bay at Baltimore they had a temperature reading of 99 degrees. Sharon said the swimming was not very refreshing because the water had to be in the 80's.

Tuesday we moved the boat to another favorite anchorage that we use when we need to catch a breeze to cool off the boat - Comegys Bight on the Chester River. Another very hot day and once again Sharon went swimming in waters that were a little cooler than the waters of Langford Creek. I on the other hand took extra showers to cool off because of a case of bronchitis.

Wednesday was our day of truth. Time to test the new water maker. We had decided to wait until the Chester River to draw water for the watermaker because Chester has less sediment floating in it. We started the watermaker and ran it to purge the storage chemicals from in the unit. After 20 minutes we tapped our first glass of "RO" (reverse osmosis) water. I must admit that first glass was very good. We ran the watermaker for 4 hours and made about 36 gallons of water - how sweet it is.

Our first glass of home brewed water!

On The Road Again

2011-05-31T16:00:00.001-04:00

It seems like an eternity since our last blog entry. Since that entry, we have been very busy with more boat work. Like we don't get enough of that! One of the major projects was the installation of a watermaker, one of the few jobs that that was actually a pleasure to do - more showers. When we returned from visiting family and friends in Pennsylvania, we made a trip over to Annapolis, MD before our contract expired for the rental car. What started as a research trip for watermakers turned into a purchase of a unit. It has always be said that you do not make water with the brackish water of the Chesapeake Bay because of all the pollutants that can be found in the bay waters. The manufacturer of our new watermaker closed the deal when they claimed with their system you can make fresh water from the bay. SOLD! The unit arrived from California the following Monday and the install was completed that week. We have yet to start up the unit, we left the marina on Memorial Day with full fresh water tanks.

We also did work on the Ford Lehman engine and the generator set. Each unit received new hoses and antifreeze for the cooling systems, and the Ford Lehman engine also received a new heat exchanger ($$$.$$). We finally moved the Ford Lehman oil filter from its inverted position to a user friendly upright position. Since 1983, every time someone would change the oil filter it would spill its contents because it was mounted in the wrong orientation! Our departure from from the marina was put on hold for 2 days because of a severe fuel leak on the generator. What had a potential for a expensive ($,$$$.$$) new fuel injector pump turned out to be three $.35 o-rings! Another close one!

We could go on and on about all the work we did, but that's all part of boating. Four hard weeks of being on the hard and working everyday made us long for the days of being back on the water. So now we are ready to resume our adventure - as Willie Nelson would say "On the road again......"

Never Done

2011-05-14T07:25:00.004-04:00

It's good to be home; when I say at home I mean the boat, after all it is our only home. After returning to Long Cove Marina on April 25th, we had the boat hauled on Wednesday April 27th. For the next week, Sharon and I worked very hard on repairs, maintenance, cleaning and whatever else we could think of. Then on May 5th we got a rental car and returned to central Pennsylvania to visit with family and friends. It was strange to be driving a car again. It's been 8 months since we sold our truck. The rental company gave us a free upgrade to a "full' size car, a 2011 Toyota Camry, because the intermediate sized vehicle we had booked had not been returned by the time they picked us up. So off to Pennsylvania we go with a trunk packed full of clothing, including dirty laundry. We were able to surprise my mother with our return and in time for a pizza party thanks to my sister. We stayed at mother's apartment for the next week and used her home as a base of operations as we ran many trips and errands. One of our trips was to Rochester, NY to see our youngest son, Grant, at college. He is doing very well at college except for the house cleaning of his dorm room. Boys will be boys. On Sunday, Mothers's Day, we visited Sharon's sister. We also went to see our oldest son Jesse and his girlfriend Kelsie at Jesse's home, a firehouse where he is a live-in volunteer firefighter in addition to his day job as an Emergency Medical Technician. While we were visiting with Jesse, Kelsie's parents dropped by and we were introduced to them for the first time. We then went to my sister's home for Mother's Day celebrations with my mother, sister and all the nieces and nephews. On Monday we were back on the road to visit Sharon's brother and on Tuesday to visit with Sharon's mother. On Thursday we went to visit our best friends Jeff & Wendy. By the way, none of these family members or friends live in the same communities except for Sharon's sister and Jesse, so we did a lot of driving.
Our return to the boat on Friday was uneventful except for the car full we brought back with us. We have learned as full time cruisers that you do not pass up opportunities. Among the clean laundry was 7 gallons of engine oil, 4 gallons of anti-freeze, wood trim & luan plywood, rope lighting, 25 lbs of beef-pork-fish, 2 "helm" chairs for the pilothouse and a ton of other "stuff". And as if the car was not full enough we stopped at the liquor store and the grocery store on the way back. Thinking about this, I believe the provisioning of a boat is never done.

Grant & Sharon in Grant's dorm room

Grant with his Computer Science House (CSH) project over his right shoulder. Grant used laptops as a video conferencing tool for the CSH rooms

Hotplates are not permitted in the dorm but clothes irons are, so one CSH student developed this "toaster oven". Note - they trip the breaker ever time they plug it in!

Jesse standing next to engine in his house

Jesse with sign that hangs over his bunk

Jesse & Kelsie

October 6, 2010

2011-04-25T13:00:00.005-04:00

Back on April 13th I said the big push was on. That was an understatement on my part. We have been on the run since April 4th when we left Miami. We only took one day off, Saturday April 17th, because of a cold front that was predicted to pass through the Carolina's. Severe thunderstorms and 2 tornadoes hit the area north of us in South Carolina on that Saturday, but North Carolina had much more severe weather with many more tornadoes with wide spread destruction and some fatalities. After the severe weather on Saturday we resumed our cruise north on Sunday through the Carolina's and into Virginia by Thursday. This past Friday we found ourselves south of Coinjock, Virginia at mile marker 60 on the ICW. Then, on Saturday during our cruise north we were contacted via VHF radio by Joe & Ann on S/V Short Walk. Although the transmission was weak we did learn that they were ahead of us and were planning to stop at Portsmouth, Virginia, just south of Hospital Point and ICW mile marker zero. The last time we got together with Joe & Ann was back in February at the Little Farmers Cay Festival in the Bahamas. As we approached Hospital Point we hailed Joe & Ann by radio. Ann answered and said they had free dock space available for us and they would try to hold it for Big Run. Long story short, we had a great dinner with Joe & Ann at a German beer garden and returned to their boat to continue with the celebrations of being reunited. Hold on, this is where the plot thickens. During the evening we discussed the weather, which is always a big topic of discussion, we're boaters. The National Weather Service was predicting a break in the weather on Sunday for the Chesapeake Bay but then it also predicted for it to get worse on Monday into Thursday as the winds would intensify from the south and generate 3-4' waves. We hate 3-4' waves with a passion. Now remember we're boaters and we don't pass up opportunities. So on Sunday morning at 5:50 a.m. Big Run and Short Walk pulled away from its nice quiet free dock and headed for the Chesapeake Bay. At 6:00 a.m. Monday, Short Walk parted company at the Bay Bridge and headed the up the bay for Worton Creek as we headed for the Chester River. After twenty eight hours we (Big Run) again docked the boat. That's right! We left Portsmouth, Virginia and pushed all day and all night until we arrived back at Long Cove Marina in Rock Hall, Maryland at 9:50 a.m. Monday morning where our adventure first began on October 6, 2010.

Waccamaw River

2011-04-17T16:00:00.000-04:00

This is the first entry into a new catagory that we will be labeling Best Scenic Waterways. We first saw this waterway on November 2, 2010, when all the leaves had fallen from the trees. Today, the leaves have started to return, and the river has more appeal. Starting at Georgetown, SC and working your way north on the ICW to Enterprise Landing, you will have gone about 26 miles of this 140 mile long river. At the southern portion, the river is flanked with bottomland "fields" and hardwood forest. Traveling further north, you enter into cypress swamps. As each mile passed and the river banks got closer, the birds became more evident, from Bald Eagles to Osprey. The river is also home to the American Black Bear and Reptilian Monsters (alligators), but we did not see either. This is the Waccamaw River.

Solitary riverside tree in the Waccamaw River bottomlands

Hardwood forest encroaching on the river

Bottomland fields and hardwood forest in background

Osprey nest

Cypress swamp

Cypress tree with Spanish Moss

M/V Prince Washington

2011-04-16T18:26:00.001-04:00

This is M/V Prince Washington. It appears to be affiliated with the South Carolina Public Schools. I believe it would more appropriate if it were painted yellow and had a couple of red and amber lights; after all it is a "school boat"

The Big Push Is On.

2011-04-13T17:00:00.002-04:00

We left Miami Beach on Monday, April 4, 2011. Today, we anchored in Beaufort, South Carolina. In just 10 short days our "slow boat to China" has taken us 550 miles, and we have about 750 miles to go to get back to Rock Hall, MD. Over those 10 days we have cruised for an average of 8.7 hours per day, 55 miles per day and averaged 6 miles per hour. We plan to push all the way through to our marina, Long Cove Marina. Our average day starts at any where from 6:30 am to 6:45 am with weighing the anchor. Sharon will make breakfast while we are on the run, most days we skip lunch. We will continue to run to a predetermined anchorage each day. We have revisited some "old" anchorages and discovered some new ones and have abandoned a few because the new anchorages are better. Since returning from the Bahamas on February 26th, we have not stayed in a marina, every night has been spent on the hook. We think we can make it all the way with the fresh water we have on board and our food stores will last longer than that. The big push is on.

M/V Enticer

2011-04-12T16:00:00.001-04:00

This is M/V Enticer of Beaufort, SC. We spotted this beauty on the Calibogue Sound in South Carolina. She is a 1939 85 foot Trumpy Design built by Mathis Yacht. If you have an extra 3.3 million laying around she can be yours.

No Injuries

2011-04-08T17:00:00.001-04:00

When your car has a breakdown, you can pull off to the side of the road. When your boat has a breakdown, you probably can drop anchor where you are and start repairs. When your airplane has a breakdown, you can usually glide in for a landing on the road or a field. But when your helicopter has a breakdown, you have to land immediately. This helicopter was flying over the ICW when all of a sudden it turned around and made an emergency landing in what appeared to be a small clearing in front of these homes along the ICW. This all happened less than a 1/4 mile from us. The bewildered homeowners came out with their cameras and cell phones and started taking pictures, just as we did from the boat. It appeared it was a safe landing and that there were no injuries.

Called It A Day

2011-04-06T19:00:00.011-04:00

Today was finally our day to have it happen. We had friends tell us about it. They have even posted pictures on their blogs. We first spotted dolphins in Oriental, North Carolina back in November of 2010. We have seen dolphins all the way down the coast from North Carolina to the Florida Keys. We did not spot too many dolphins in the Bahamas. The event was very spectacular. It first started with 2 dolphins riding the wake at the bow of the boat. Then, a fishing boat that had been keeping "pace" with us in a no wake zone pointed to 2 more dolphins riding the wake alongside the pilothouse. For 5 minutes or longer we watched the 2 dolphins alongside the boat riding the wake, and it looked like they did it without a flip of their tale fin. I guess you might say they were in a slipstream. All while we were doing 7 miles per hour. Amazing.

The events of the day do not stop there. We also had an event that, well, is one that keeps you on your toes. Late in the afternoon we were returning to an anchorage that we had used back in November when we first got together for happy hour with Joe and Ann from S/V Shortwalk, the Pine Island anchorage. I may have made my cut a little too early, and we went aground. This was not a typical grounding where you power through it or just a simple back up. It probably took us 10 minutes to work ourselves out of that one. Earlier in the day, we went to Manatee Pocket to anchor for the evening, and it was there that we had to power through a potential grounding because of skinny water that was a few inches shy of what we needed. As there was dredging work being done in the vicinity of the anchorage, it was all for nothing, and we left Manatee Pocket for Pine Island. I guess the Manatee Pocket "grounding" was an omen. After the grounding at Pine Island, we left with our tails between our legs and continued for another 10 miles, which brings up the 3rd event for the day.

The final event took all day to develop and was a result of the 2 groundings for the day. We logged 83 miles today, a new Big Run record. Sharon and I weighed anchor at 6:50 this morning on Lake Worth. At 7:15 this evening we dropped anchor at Sebastian inlet. After 12 hours and 25 minutes, 83 miles, 6 bridge opening and 2 groundings we finally called it a day.

Photos of the dolphins playing in our wake.

Suntan Lotion

2011-04-01T18:00:00.002-04:00

Once again we find ourselves in Miami, in particular, the South Beach (SoBe) area. After spending two weeks down in the Keys, we returned again to SoBe. While in the Keys we found a "private" remote anchorage that we liked so much, we stayed for 8 days. We came back to SoBe to make some final provisioning before the big push to go north. We do plan to stop at Cape Canaveral again to see if we can catch a shuttle launch on April 19. After that it's full steam ahead for the Chesapeake Bay and Rock Hall.

While we were in the Keys, we ordered four 6-gallon water containers to shuttle water back to the boat. They were shipped to the local Ace Hardware Store in SoBe. This way we did not have to pay for shipping. Now, when we make a trip for water, we can return to the boat with 38 gallons of water instead of 14 gallons. It doesn't take many trips to replenish the fresh water tanks. Of course, we never let the tanks get too low.

We have been to SoBe so many times we are actually getting around as if we lived here. We have learned a few new shortcuts and found some new stores that may come in handy in the future. This anchorage and its proximity to so many resources makes this an ideal location before crossing over to the Bahamas next fall. Today, we returned to the restaurant Rosinella on Lincoln Avenue Mall. We had lunch there a few weeks back on our first visit to SoBe. This time we were on a mission, to try their extra thin crust pizza. Absolutely the best thin crust pizza I ever had. I had a mozzarella and prosciutto pizza while Sharon had a mozzarella and basil pizza. One of the owners, I presume, was an elderly little short woman which many of the patrons, including 3 police officers, paid their respects to her in a proper Italian way when they entered the restaurant.

Sharon and I had walked down to Fifth Street, first taking Washington Avenue and then Collins Avenue with a side trip through the Hisgtoric Spanish Village district and then finally down through Lummus Park until we got to Fifth Street. Once again we strolled up the beach to the Seventeenth Street lifeguard station. And all the time we were walking on the beach, you could not smell the ocean because of the all suntan lotion.
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A few more photos of the SoBe area.

An early morning view of Lincoln Avenue Mall

Spanish restaurant district.

Lummus Park at the volley ball courts.

Fifth Street lifeguard station

Landscaping outside the fence of upscale condos.

Local jet ski stuntman who entertained us 3 or 4 times a week at our anchorage.

What Do You Think?

2011-03-27T17:00:00.000-04:00

Do you remember the song that had the lyrics "My future is so bright I gotta wear shades", well this entry is not about Sharon's sunglasses but her suntan. This is Sharon's first "full body" suntan. When we had the swimming pool at Big Run, Sharon was only able to work on a suntan on the weekends during the summer because of work. Today, Sharon is able to steal an hour or two each day. I'm glad she is such a devoted sun worshipper, what do you think?

Dead Flat Calm

2011-03-26T12:00:00.000-04:00

Whereas when we got up yesterday morning to foggy conditions, today was completely different. The skies were brilliant blue, no clouds and the wind was calm, as a matter of fact, there was no wind and the water was smoother than glass. Conditions that I would call dead flat calm.

The Pelican Squadron

2011-03-25T09:00:00.003-04:00

We woke up this morning to very foggy conditions, but our spirits were quickly lifted when we spotted this flock of pelicans aka the Pelican Squadron.

Pre-flight briefing.

Test flight.

Flight conditions are favorable.

Mission is a go.

Last group taxiing to runway.

Squadron is airborne.

Great Ride

2011-03-18T13:00:00.004-04:00

This past Monday we were cruising down through the Keys when we received a "private call" on the VHF. It was Rick & Deb onboard Broulee. We had just exited Jewfish Creek when Rick saw us motoring towards them. Broulee was heading back to Miami so that their guests could catch their flight back to Minnesota. We talked to Broulee for quite a while as we passed each other. After all, we each had gone our own way almost 2 weeks ago because Broulee's family was flying in for a short vacation on the boat. Shortly after signing off I hailed Broulee on the VHF to see if they were interested in getting together later in the week before they cruised over to the west coast of Florida. We agreed on a date but we didn't know where, we could work that out later.

So, last night we got together for one last happy hour before they haul the boat out and return to Minnesota for the summer. We had a great time with Rick, Deb & Izzy in the Bahamas, and last night was no different. We know that in the future we can phone Rick & Deb or we can send them an email, but there is nothing like sitting down with two very good friends (and Izzy) and enjoying the companionship of each other. Thanks Rick, Deb & Izzy, it's been a great ride.

Patent Pending

2011-03-16T16:00:00.006-04:00

So everybody wants to know what it's like to be full time cruisers. Here's a little insight - we get up in the morning when we want to, then, an hour or two later we may eat breakfast. After breakfast we think about doing something but usually we don't do it. After that it's time for lunch. Then we'll wait the prescribed 2 hours before going swimming. This 2 hour wait usually involves working on our tans. After swimming, we are very tired so it's nap time. We will usually wake up from our naps because we are so hungry and Sharon will start on dinner. Once again we have eaten too much so we will kick back in our easy chairs and watch television till who knows when..........Wait....I forgot to mention all the boat work that needs to be done. Last week I spent 2 days polishing the stainless steel fixtures on the exterior of the boat. Last night around 7 pm I was in the engine room cleaning the seacock for the generator which had so much growth in it that no water was getting to the generator to help cool the engine. And when you can't sleep at night you lay in bed thinking about projects that need to be done. Take, for example, last night around 4 am, I was contemplating an issue with the anchor washdown. The problem is that it just takes too long. When we anchor in a mud bottom (good holding) the chain, usually 100 feet or more, is retrieved with a coating of mud. This mud needs to be washed off before the chain is stowed in the chain locker. Believe me, it has to be washed or the boat stinks from that foul smelling mud. Washdowns can take 15 minutes or more on a calm day. If the wind is blowing, and remember we are on a boat and the bow (where the anchor chain is attached) is always/usually pointing into the wind when you are anchored, the washdown can take 30 minutes or longer. Getting back to 4 am, the problem is that when I am washing the anchor chain, the water nozzle is 5-7 feet away from the chain and/or the wind is blowing the water stream back on me. So at 4 am in the morning I developed Bob's Magical Anchor Washdown Wand - Patent Pending.

Above Photo - Bob's Magical Anchor Washdown Wand (Patent Pending!) is shown here attached to the coiled hose. Yes, it's a 5 feet long wand complete with on/off valve and adjustable spray nozzle, available soon at your local marine store.

Time To Paddle

2011-03-13T18:26:00.004-04:00

Today, Sharon and I got the kayaks out and went for a spin around our anchorage at Barnes Sound. We had discussed this yesterday when we realized that the 10 weeks spent in the Bahamas was done without kayaking. All of that beautiful water and we never went kayaking. We were to busy enjoying our journeys through the Exumas and when we weren't cruising we were swimming. Hopefully, next year when we return to the Bahamas we will take the time to paddle.

What appears to be a mess of tangled roots is actually a very healthy mangrove that surrounds our anchorage at Barnes Sound.

Key Largo Sunset

2011-03-09T18:54:00.000-05:00

Miami

2011-03-09T18:00:00.000-05:00

Just a few departing shots of Miami.

Home Delivery

2011-03-08T19:13:00.015-05:00

We arrived in SoBe (South Beach) last week on a Monday, and here we are a week later on a Tuesday and we are still here. After being in a third world country (Bahamas) for 10 weeks, I guess we got caught up in the glitz and glamour of Miami and all that she has to offer. Over the course of the last 8 days we have been to the local Publix grocery store 4 times, the liquor store once, Lincoln Avenue Mall 3 times, SoBe Beach twice, the gas station once, the laundromat once, restaurants twice and fetched water numerous times from the local water tap at the boat ramp. So, once again, Big Run is full of food, liquor, water and fuel. Speaking of fuel, the fuel came to us at our anchorage - as in "home delivery".

Upper Photo - the nightclub Fat Tuesday across from Lummus Park in Sobe.

Lower Photo - Sobe beach view in mega-hotel district.

Upper & Lower Photo - more beach views in the mega hotel district of Sobe.

Upper Photo - Petersons' Fuel Barge leaving Big Run after delivering 440 gallons of diesel fuel.

Lower Photo - our view of downtown Miami.

South Beach

2011-03-02T18:00:00.006-05:00

It's everything and then more. First, there is Lincoln Avenue Mall. This is a great place to to see the next fashions coming out of Miami. Lincoln Avenue Mall is about 5 or 6 blocks long running east to west. But there is no avenue, the road area was converted into a courtyard for all the restaurants, art galleries and clothing boutiques that line the "avenue". It's a great place to spend the afternoon shopping or eating your favorite cuisine. Back in the 50's when there was a road and a conventional shopping district it was known as "the Fifth Avenue of the South". You must include this in your travels to the Miami area.

Then there is the world renowned beach. We took a stroll on the beach although it was very windy today from a cold front that came through last night. The ocean temperature was bearable and there were a few hearty souls braving the conditions in the water. And yes, for women it is a topless beach, or would that be topless women for the guys, after all it's South Beach.

M/V Tatoosh

2011-02-28T23:20:00.001-05:00

What is 303 feet long and 46 feet wide, has a big brother 416 feet long, has a helicopter, a 40 foot custom power boat, a 40 foot sailboat, a 6 foot deep swimming pool just to name a few and is owned by Paul Allen, the co-founder of Microsoft? M/V Tatoosh.

Upper Photo - note helicopter and the 40 foot power boat that is stowed on the starboard side

Lower Photo - note the 40' sailboat stowed on the port side.

20,000 Pasty White Kids

2011-02-27T08:10:00.001-05:00

Upper Photo - One of hundreds of Man-of-Wars we saw as we crossed the Straits of Florida.

Saturday was the weather window we needed to make the crossover of the Straits of Florida. Our plans were to go back to Miami to check in, but mother nature said otherwise. Due to the winds and the ocean surge we were once again required to adjust our heading to another port as with other crossings, this time Port Everglades (aka Ft Lauderdale). As we approached Florida's east coast it became quite the spectacle, audibly and visually. As soon as we got within 20 miles of the coast ,the chatter on VHF channel 16 was non-stop. Then when we were about 5 miles from the Port Everglades inlet, the boat traffic became very heavy. What were we thinking of when we decided to return on a Saturday. Oh, I almost forgot, we are boaters and very weather dependent. The madness we saw at the inlet continued all the way up the ICW to our anchorage at Lake Sylvia.

After clearing customs by phone we had to go to the local immigration office and appear in person. Off we go with Rick and Deb in their dinghy to a local marina so that we could catch a taxi to Port Everglades. The taxi ride and the immigration office was uneventful. However, what made this most interesting is that it is the start of Spring Break. Did you ever see 20,000 colleges kids from up north in Florida in February? Yea - 20,000 pasty white kids.

Lower Photo - M/V Broulee heading for Port Everglades (Ft. Lauderdale)

Flip A Coin

2011-02-23T01:00:00.005-05:00

It was December 18th that we crossed over from Miami to the Bahamas. Since that crossing we have had a great time. We have met some really good people, both locals and cruisers. Some have become new friends that we will continue to stay in contact with. While some may consider the Bahamas to be a third world country, and this may be true, we have found the people of the Bahamas to be very pleasant, courteous and very, very happy. As you pass the Bahamians on the street of the small communities of the Exumas, you are greeted with a hello, how you doing or good day, young and old alike. It has also been pleasure to cruise through the islands and swim in the crystal clear water and enjoy all the vistas. We have hundreds of pictures of both the water and the islands.
Sharon and I have decided, because of future cruising plans, that it is the right time to cross over back the the United States, hopefully this week. Many of our new cruising friends will be staying in the Bahamas or heading to other countries. This will make for some interesting happy hours when we catch up with them again. For us, it's back to Florida where we may visit the Keys before heading back to the Chesapeake for a haul out of the boat at Long Cove Marina for maintenance work and boat upgrades . Then our plans, which are now set in jello, may include the New York canal system starting in late May. Previously, we had planned on going to the Canadian Maritimes, so may be we'll just flip a coin!

Fuel Filter

2011-02-17T06:16:00.008-05:00

Big Run is a long range cruiser that can carry 700 gallons of fuel in 2 tanks. As you use fuel and the fuel levels drop in the tank, and if you are on rough seas, the fuel has more of a chance to scour the walls of the tank and break the crud free. Big Run was built in 1983 and it's hard to say if the tanks have ever been cleaned which is why we have an ongoing fuel polishing program. Back on Christmas day I changed the Racor fuel filter, and after 300 hours and 4 occasions of rough seas, the crud in the fuel tanks got the better of the fuel filter.

Boo Boo Hill

2011-02-16T23:00:00.004-05:00

On our way north back through the Exumas, we stopped once again at Warderick Wells. On our first trip to Warderick Wells, Sharon and I never made it to Boo Boo Hill, which is a special place for cruisers. On top of the hill is a collection of sign boards bearing the names of boats, and sometime the crew names of those boats, that have stopped by for a visit and to deposit their sign boards. On our return trip that was our sole mission, to place our sign board on Boo Boo Hill.

Upper Photo - View from the top of Boo Boo Hill

Lower Photo - View of sign boards on top of Boo Boo Hill

Upper Photo - Rick & Deb of MV Broulee after placing their sign board on Boo Boo Hill

Lower Photo - Here I am on Boo Boo Hill adding the finishing touches to our sign using a magnifying glass to burn the boat name into the wood

Compass Cay

2011-02-15T22:48:00.001-05:00

Photos of our anchorage near Compass Cay.

Bahamian Defense Task Force.

2011-02-14T22:15:00.000-05:00

We left Black Point Settlement on the 11th of February for Little Bay because of an expected blow to come through on Saturday/Sunday. We managed to get one of the better anchorages within Little Bay and rode out the blow for a couple of days. Then on the 15th of February the Bahamian Defense Task Force arrived. They slowly dispatched a dinghy which made a quick run over to Black Point. After about an hour the dinghy returned to the area but did not stop at their ship. Instead, the dinghy came into our anchorage and headed to a neighboring sailboat, but nobody was home. Next the dinghy made its way over to our boat, Big Run. After a few quick greetings, we were informed that they would be boarding our vessel for an inspection. Four of the five dinghy occupants boarded our boat but only the officer in charge came into the boat for an inspection. We presented our cruising permits, passports and immigration papers to one of the junior officers while I gave the senior officer a tour of the boat. Fifteen minutes later they all piled back into their small dinghy and proceeded onto the next boat. We watched the task force dinghy makes its rounds through our anchorage for about a half hour, most of the other boaters had left in the dinghies to go elsewhere. It was then that we realized that of the 15 boats there, we were on the only boat to be boarded by the Bahamian Defense Task Force.

Above photo - HMBS Yellow Elder at anchor just outside of Little Bay.

Thanks Willy

2011-02-11T20:46:00.000-05:00

On Great Guana Cay is Black Point Settlement. This is a very small community but one of the nicest we have seen. Within the community of Black Point is a place called the Garden of Eden. It is one man's dream, Willy Rolle. His passion is to find hidden treasures within the landscape of the island. These are not treasures of gold or precious gems but simple items that most of us would overlook. He will find tree trunks, tree branches or even rocks that bear a resemblance of something. It's like looking at the clouds and seeing a dog or a person's face. Willy's front yard is decorated with these items and from the looks of it, he has been at it for many years. Then we got a tour of the back yard where we were treated to many different fruit bearing trees. We even had the chance to sample some of the different fruits of Willy's "garden". This was one of best experiences we have had with the local people of the Bahamas, one that we will treasure for a long time, thanks Willy.

A view from the road of Willy's front yard

A sample of Willy's visions - a goat's head.

A papaya tree in Willy's backyard

Sunrise Or Sunset?

2011-02-10T05:45:00.001-05:00

Bahama Mama

2011-02-08T13:00:00.001-05:00

While we were at the Little Farmers Cay Festival we were introduced to a local wood carver, Fleether Tinker Jr. also known as JR. We enjoyed his work very much and we like to collect items from different areas, so we purchased a Bahama Mama.

Above photo - JR is "autographing" the Bahama Mama we just purchased.

Below photo - This is the Bahama Mama on the boat in a temporary location.

And I Still Don't Believe It!

2011-02-07T13:00:00.043-05:00

Next to Staniel Cay is an Island called Big Major Spot, and on that island is a local attraction. When I first heard about this, my curiosity went through the roof. How many opportunities do you get to see swimming pigs? And I still don't believe it! (Don't forget to click on the photos to enlarge the photo and return to the blog by hitting the back button. You have to see the enlargements!)

Left photo - Charge of the pork brigade!

They lay in the shade on the island until they hear your dinghy motor.

Right - It's an amphibious assault! The pigs will actually swim out to your dinghy for food.

Left - Having overshot the first dinghy the pigs turn on the second dinghy.
Note - to the left of the pigs are small fish jumping out of the water.

Right - Success, the second dinghy has food.

Left - Mrs. Big Pig gets upset as Sharon's food supply is exhausted.

Right - Sharon retreats to the water after Mrs. Big Pig steps on Sharon's foot.

Left - Captain Rick (M/V Broulee) steps in to protect the women as Deb (M/V Broulee) photo documents the action and Sharon watches from the water.

Right - The only injury suffered in the scrimmage was Sharon's foot and her pride. The only thing Sharon could say was " My dad would want to know why I was feeding pigs while being barefoot?"

NOTE TO FAMILY AND FRIENDS - SHARON IS OKAY!

5 Fs

2011-02-05T16:13:00.001-05:00

On the First Friday of February at Little Farmers Cay there is a festival. The locals from the island are joined by Bahamians from other islands as well as cruising visitors for food, music, dancing, contests and Class-C racing. It is known as the 5 Fs (Farmers Cay, Festival, First Friday in February.

The unofficail start to the festival. This is a common sight in the Bahamas - the mail boat. But this one is differnt, the Captain C. She makes a grand entrance which you can hear for a mile away, the music is blaring and she is bringing more party revelers.

On Friday is the BIG Race, for all the marbles and the bragging rights for the next year. Six boats entered for this year race.

And this year's winner is Team Thunderbird!

And now for a little fun. The best Male Legs Contest. Yea, that's Bob. He finished second only because he lacks good dance moves. But it wasn't about the dancing it was about the legs. I was robbed.

And then there was the Best Male Butt Contest. No, Bob did not enter this one.

One of the local young boys having fun with Deb's (M/V Broulee) digital camera.

This sail boat had catastrophic failure on the first day of racing and had to be retired. Here, the boat is being loaded back onto the mail boat.

As the sun was setting on the opening day, this cruiser played Amazing Grace on his bag pipes while we enjoyed dinner at the waterfront restaurant.

The Exuma Community Youth Band was brought for the festivities on day 2, Saturday.

Private Beach

2011-01-31T15:03:00.047-05:00

Sharon and I got to spend some time south of Black Point Settlement at Little Bay. Our buddy boat had some matters to take care of at Staniel Cay, so we took a few days to hang out on the beach. For 3 days Little Bay was our private beach.

Above photo - Sharon makes landfall at Little Bay

Above photo - his and her footprints in the sand

Above photo - view of shoreline on eastern side of island across from Little Bay

The Man Made Stuff In The Bahamas

2011-01-28T14:23:00.001-05:00

Some of the man made stuff in the Bahamas

Grotto

Not the home but their tiki bar.

Cool shot from Black Point Settlement Regatta Point

For a few million you might have a chance to own this home!

Stone beacon on Adderly Cay indicating salt was available.

Free Showers

2011-01-26T20:59:00.004-05:00

We woke up this morning with a plan, but before we discuss the plan let's regress. We returned from Long Island in the Bahamas to George Town on Saturday January 22nd and anchored at Red Shanks. Then the weather went "south" when a cold front stalled and became a trough, and we were stuck in Red Shanks since Saturday because of the wind. Last night I was awakened by an eerie calm that came over the boat as the wind died down and the boat stopped dancing around. This is where the plan from this morning comes into play. Our plan was to weigh anchor, go to Kidd Cove which is the closest anchorage you can get to George Town without running aground. Phase 2 of our plan was to go into town for a few items, return to the boat and head up the coast to The Marina at Emerald Bay. Before we discuss The Marina at Emerald Bay phase, let's go back to the part about weighing the anchor and getting underway to Kidd Cove. Sorry, not gonna happen. Long story short, the engine decided to go on holiday and would not start. After an hour of trying this and trying that I called Rick on M/V Broulee for some input. Before I could hang up the mic after our discussion, Rick was standing on our back porch asking what I had tried and what I didn't try. After about an hour of collective thought and turning wrenches we managed to diagnose the problem and had the engine running. Damn batteries gave us some false readings. We managed to get to George Town, which was very busy because all the other boaters that also had been pinned down by the winds from the previous days. Using a dinghy in windy conditions is just asking for a saltwater shower. We finished our business in George Town and cruised up to The Marina at Emerald Bay to reprovision the boat as we head north back to the Exumas and anchorages we missed on our trip south to George Town. So here we are at the marina again to get some water, food, wash some clothes and yes, those free showers.

Above photo - this group passed us today as we were pulling the anchor at Kidd Cove. The theme for the party was James Bond & Thunderball.

Above photo - breakers on the reefs as your leaving Elizabeth Harbour.

Green Flash

2011-01-25T07:00:00.004-05:00

There is a optical phenomena that most boaters have seen or have heard about. It usually occurs over water as the sun sets on the horizon. It can also happen at sunrise over water, the moment before the sun breaks the horizon. Sharon and I saw our first one on January 3rd when we were at Warderick Wells and the sun was setting. On January 19th I witnessed my second event and it was the best of the two I have seen. Sharon claims she did not see it. It may have been that she blinked at the moment the event occurred. As the sun is setting, at the very last moment (read less than a second) the light is transformed by a prism effect and the sun emits a green light. This optical phenomena is known as a green flash. (Sorry, no pictures of the event)

Another Great Anchorage

2011-01-24T15:00:00.002-05:00

In Florida, there is a boater's destination called Velcro Beach. Actually its rightful name is Vero Beach, but many boaters who have stopped there for visit call it Velcro Beach because you get attached to the place and it's difficult to leave. That is what is happening with us and George Town in the Bahamas. We are back for the third time. Last week we left George Town to go over to Long Island. While we were at Long Island we stayed at Salt Pond (see previous posting) and then moved up the coast of Long Island to Calabash Bay and one of the best looking beaches we have seen by far. Then on the next weather window we crossed the Exuma Sound back to Great Exuma Island and George Town. We are not in Elizabeth Harbour (George Town) but a very close anchorage callled Red Shanks because of a blow that came through on Saturday night. The front passed through and has stalled and turned itself into a (weather) trough. So here we are waiting for another weather window to head north back into the Exumas. There are a lot of anchorages we passed up in the Exumas so that we could be in George Town when we needed our permits renewed 2 weeks ago. At least for now we are waiting out the weather in another great anchorage.

Above photo - raising the anchor early one morning on one of the many trips to Geroge Town. Photo credit - Deb on M/V Broulee.

Above photo - Cruising on the Exuma Sound on the way to George Town. Flat calm waters, cloudless skies - that's ideal conditions. Photo credit - Deb on M/V Broulee.

Above photo - Bob & Sharon going for a dinghy ride. That's our little "sports car" when we are at an anchorage for extended periods. We need more power! Photo credit - Deb on M/V Broulee.

Long Island's Eastern Coast

2011-01-20T12:30:00.001-05:00

Photos of Long Island's Eastern Coast

Above photo - Sharon taking a break in the shade.

Above photo - the seas were calm but they were still rolling onto the beach.

Above photo - looking north.

Above photo - Bob watching the waves roll in.

Salt Pond Sunset

2011-01-20T11:30:00.001-05:00

Above Photo - Last night's sunset at Salt Pond, Long Island, Bahamas

She's A Lady

2011-01-19T21:32:00.002-05:00

Having left The Marina at Emerald Bay yesterday, we anchored once again in Elizabeth Harbour at George Town. It sure felt good to be cruising and on the hook again. However, before we left the marina, we had a blowout of a football party on Saturday and Sunday in the marina's lounge. The late game on Sunday between New England Patriots and the New York Jets was the icing on the cake. All the stops were pulled and we had an warm-up to Super Bowl Sunday. Most of us won't get to see the game! There were probably 18 boaters for the final game, and everybody brought food and their own adult beverage. There were many interesting people who joined the party, but there was one feisty woman who was something special. If you recall, I was discussing in an earlier blog about the gentleman, George, who gave us fish,. This woman is his wife and her name is Carolyn. George had flown back to Washington, DC on Friday. Otherwise George would have attended the party with Carolyn. More about Carolyn later. We had chicken, nachos & cheese, conch fritters (with some of the hottest sauce I ever had), both yellow fin tuna spread and salmon spread, and every other snack you can imagine. The whole gang was rooting for the New England Patriots except for one and that was me. I was rooting for the New York Jets. Sometime in the 3rd quarter I was bragging up the Jets when Carolyn piped up "Do not calculate your juvenile poultry until the process of incubation is fully materialized." When I said Carolyn was feisty that may have been an understatement. Carolyn could go round for round with the guys but with a dignified and sophisticated manner. She's a lady.

Rage

2011-01-16T07:00:00.004-05:00

In the following photographs there is a certain appeal of the seas that have been blown by the winds and crashing onto the coastline. But from a boater's aspect it is something you don't want to get caught in. The Bahamian term for seas of this condition is called "rage".

Above photo - South of marina on the eastern coastline of Great Exuma Island.

Above photo - Same location as the previous photo, showing the fury of the ocean.

Above photo - Looking north, marina entrance is on the left side out of view.

Above photo - Just north of the marina entrance, lower rock formation is jetty on north side of marina entrance channel.

The Non-Technical Stuff

2011-01-15T08:30:00.002-05:00

When the weather has you hunkered down and you have a great WiFi signal what do you do? You make changes to your blog. We have added a "PROFILE" gadget and a "FOLLOWERS" gadget. Trust me that's what they call them - gadgets. Another highly technical term from the world of computer gurus. Both of the new gadgets can be found in the right hand column. Our "PROFILE" will be "evolving" over the next few weeks as we decide who we are. As for "FOLLOWERS", that will be up to our family, friends and others to sign up to show their interest in our blog. Hopefully, Monday, when the weather breaks we can get back to cruising and the non-technical stuff.

Turtle

2011-01-14T08:22:00.000-05:00

Saw this guy swimming around in the marina.