Sand Castle

     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

     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

     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

       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

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

      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

     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

     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

     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

     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

     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

     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

     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

     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.