Windsong Recovering

Windsong is getting its mast repaired on the go. They met with the insurance adjuster in Belhaven, NC, just two days after the accident. They decided to have an Annapolis, Maryland, rigger do the replacement. As it happens, this rigger would be in Wrightsville Beach, North Carolina, the following weekend, visiting relatives, and he agreed to remove the mast and take it back to Annapolis. A new mast has already been ordered, and when it is ready, it will be shipped to a yard in Florida for installation. So far, we have only lost one day due to a really amazing accident. We spent the weekend in Wrightsville Beach, rented a car, and visited Norm's cousin Bob and his wife Hattie in Ocean Isle, which is about an hour south of Wrightsville Beach. On Sunday, they had some friends from work, along with us from both boats, over to their house for some Frogmore Stew. We all had a great afternoon and a wonderful meal.

Once called Frogmore Stew, this one-pot wonder was created by a National Guardsman when he needed to cook a meal for 100 soldiers. Richard Gay, who learned the recipe from his family, had everyone remembering his stew. The dish was later named Frogmore, where Richard was from, by the guards who teased him about his home. The postal service eliminated the name Frogmore, which changed this popular dish to Lowcountry boil.
This seafood dish is a combination of shrimp, sausage, corn, and potatoes. Great for relaxing trips to the beach, it is also easy to create for a crowd. Lowcountry boil can be served on a newspaper for easy cleanup. Crab, onion, and butter are frequent additions to the pot, and having a removable drain basket only makes cooking easier. The rule of thumb here is the bigger the crowd, the bigger the pot.

Lowcountry Boil

4 pounds of small red potatoes
5 quarts of water
1 (3-ounce) bag of crab boil seasoning
4 tablespoons Old Bay seasoning
2 pounds kielbasa or hot smoked link sausage, cut into 1½-inch pieces
6 ears of corn, halved
4 pounds large fresh shrimp, peeled and deveined
optional Cocktail sauce

Add potatoes to a large pot, then add 5 quarts of water and seasonings. Cover pot and heat to a rolling boil; cook 5 minutes. Add sausage and corn, and return to a boil. Cook 10 minutes or until potatoes are tender.
Add shrimp to the stockpot; cook 3 to 4 minutes or until shrimp turn pink. Drain. Serve with cocktail sauce. Serves 12.

We are spending Thanksgiving at a marina on Pawleys Island, SC. The marina is managed by Ron Hamm. Ron and his wife Silvia, are now former cruisers. We were introduced to them two years ago by Iain and Jan from Jocks Lodge. They just bought a home on Pawleys Island, finally giving up on cruising. We had a great visit to their new home on Wednesday evening. They already had family plans for Thanksgiving, but left us with their car and the keys to their home. Windsong and Ariel have split the preparation of the meal and will have a traditional turkey dinner on board Ariel.

What A Time In The Dismal Swamp

On Tuesday, November 10, just after exiting the lock at Deep Creek and entering the Dismal Swamp Canal, we stopped at the free Elizabeth Dock. Severe weather was forecast, and we knew Elizabeth Dock would be our best option, having waited on the weather there last year. As forecast, the southern Virginia and northern North Carolina area along the coast got beaten up pretty badly with a nasty Nor'easter. Remnants of Hurricane Ida combined with a strong coastal low, all of which was blocked by a high-pressure system to the north. We had around eight inches of rain, and wind gusts were in the 60 - 70 mph range. We could not have been in a better spot since the locks somewhat protect the canal from coastal flooding. We saw the water level in the canal at our end go up about 6 inches, and they did open the flood gates to drain the excess. At the other end of the canal, the water had threatened to breach the lock. The bad news is that the winds toppled some trees across the canal. After the storm passed, we had to wait for the Army Corps of Engineers to clear the canal before we could move on. Finally, on Sunday, the canal was reopened. The current was still pretty strong in the very narrow canal, and we had to watch carefully for floating debris. While waiting on the 1:30 bridge at the far end of the canal, it was quite a challenge to handle the boat with the extra strong current from the receding flood waters flowing toward the bridge. We managed to get turned around with our bow facing the current, which gave us much better control. Windsong was not so fortunate and got pulled over to the side. They snagged their mizzen mast on a tree limb, which is a hazard on this route, and unfortunately, they were dismasted. They were able to come through the bridge with the toppled mast hanging over the side and a tree limb trailing. We all tied to a bulkhead between the bridge and the lock. We had made friends with Debra, her husband David, and her brother Scott on Ling Ling back at Deep Creek, so they also stopped to help out. Between all of us and several people from the neighborhood that turned out, we managed to recover the mast, strip it of all hardware, and get everything stowed on deck. We finished before dark, and we were all pretty worn out, but we enjoyed going out for pizza before turning in for the night.

We Are Heading South At Last

We are now back in Solomons, having failed to escape the Bay before the cold weather settled in. Last night there was a frost in our area. The good news is we are officially on our way south with our buddy boat, Windsong.

A little more than a week ago, we were passing the time on the very peaceful La Trappe creek, enjoying watching huge flocks of geese, when I got the idea to defrost the freezer. Having completed this not-so-enjoyable task, the next day, Linda then noticed the temperature was slowly rising in the freezer. It was very apparent that in my haste to get the defrosting done, I had damaged the evaporator plate. We decided to return to Oxford, now a day sooner than we had planned, to be in a better position to make a repair. Just before arriving at Oxford, we had a call from Ted. He had found that his engine heat exchanger was leaking, and the entire unit would need to be replaced. The part would need to be shipped in, and therefore, we could not leave on schedule. We shared our story, and we were both relieved that we were not holding each other up. The US distributor for our refrigeration system is in Bowie, Maryland, so I made arrangements to go to their office to pick up the parts they recommended, which were a replacement evaporator, but also a filter dryer as a precaution, since the system had been compromised with the leak. Ted's brother-in-law, David, loaned us his car for the trip to Bowie. I installed the really labor-intensive parts, especially fitting the evaporator in the freezer. We made arrangements with Bachelors Point Marina and Boat Yard to evacuate the system and recharge it with R134 refrigerant. We tied up at their T head and stayed a few hours to allow the system to settle down after the new charge. Meanwhile, Ted and Alice were continuing to have their own problems. The first part sent in was defective, so a second had to be shipped. In testing the new heat exchanger, a leak in the exhaust system at the mixing elbow was discovered, which ultimately required the fabrication of a replacement. Both boats were then ready, and wouldn't you know, the winds on the Chesapeake were gusting 35, causing another day's delay.

We enjoyed our stay in Oxford. It is rich in history, having been established as the first port in Maryland in 1683. Ted's sister Margarete and her husband David invited us to dinner one evening. Margarete made the best crab cakes either of us has ever had. They are wonderful host with fascinating stories and have a beautiful home looking out on the Tred Avon River.

Eastern Shore

Having been delayed in Solomons, we trimmed our eastern shore exploration to the Choptank area. Our first visit was to Oxford, where Ted and Alice keep Windsong. They are wrapped up in the final, no matter how well planned, hectic preparations. They took time out to show us around Oxford. Ted's sister and her husband have a beautiful home on the waterfront. They graciously welcomed us into their home. A special treat was to spend a day fishing for rockfish. Ted and his sister own a wooden-hulled fishing boat. Originally built as a work boat, it was soon converted to recreational use. We didn't catch any fish, but we sure enjoyed the day. After leaving Oxford, we went to St. Michaels, arriving at the back door to save a long trip around. We have been there before by car on a couple of occasions and enjoyed seeing it again. After leaving St. Michaels, we went on up the Choptank to Cambridge. There is a small boat basin in town, and we had it to ourselves for the few days we stayed there. Cambridge is pretty good size, so we got in plenty of walking.

Ted and Alice

Ariel in Oxford

There are dozens upon dozens of places to anchor in the Choptank and all of the creeks and rivers that flow into it. We will spend the next few days sampling a few of these. We will return to Oxford on Saturday, and weather permitting, Ariel and Windsong will begin the trip south on Monday.

Rain, Rain And More Rain

We never expected to still be in Solomons at this late date. We went into Spring Cove Marina for one night to facilitate a survey of our boat the following morning. The survey, which is an in-depth inspection of the boat structure and safety by a professional, was required because we are changing insurance carriers. Our plans this winter will take us to the Western Caribbean, which was not covered by our current policy. The survey found only two very minor deficiencies, which we corrected the same day. After the survey, we returned to anchor in Back Creek with a forecast of several days of bad weather. Our next planned stop is Oxford, Maryland, on the Chesapeake's eastern shore and due northeast from Solomons. The winds were forecast to be from the northeast for the next week. It has been just downright cold and rainy, and breezy. It has rained almost continuously for days, with daily high temperatures barely breaking 50. We have made only a couple of excursions off the boat, one to visit Peter and Jane Bugg off Kinvara, dock mates from our marina in Rhode Island, and another just to go ashore for a cup of tea to stretch our legs. John and Linda Piper on Sea Life are anchored nearby, also pinned down, due to high seas. They have been anxious to get to the Norfolk area. We will be traveling again with Ted and Alice aboard Windsong. They keep their boat in Oxford when not traveling, hence Oxford is our next destination. We are looking forward to getting together to work on cruise plans.

More Friends Come To Solomons

After leaving the marina, we stayed relatively close to Solomons Island. We planned to meet Don and Janet Leech, friends from Pittsburgh, when they came to Maryland for the boat show and then on to Solomons. We also expected John and Linda Piper, aboard Sea Life, also mutual friends of Don and Janet, to arrive the same weekend. John and Linda are on their way south, having started in Sandusky, Ohio, in late August. We returned from Smith Creek, just behind Point Lookout at the entrance to the Potomac River, on Friday to find Sea Life quietly anchored in Back Creek. Many years ago, when we lived in Ohio and sailed on Lake Erie in our previous boat, we took many weekend and vacation cruises with John and Linda. We have been looking forward to sharing a few days in the same anchorage with them for a long time now. Don and Janet arrived a day sooner than expected, and we were happy to see them. They sail out of Sandusky, Ohio, and take extended summer cruises on the Great Lakes. We really enjoyed hearing about their trip this past summer from Lake Erie to the North Channel and then on to Lake Michigan. They were very kind to run us around shopping for a few needed items.

John and Linda Piper, Don and Janet Leech

We Are Back in Cruising Mode

We left Spring Cove Marina in Solomons on October 1, after a four-month stay. This summer was our time to visit family and friends and to complete a few boat projects.

Late last May, we were still in the Dismal Swamp, sitting out an all-day rain event, when we received word that Linda's mother, Elizabeth, aged 88, passed away. At the time, she was in a nursing home recovering from hip surgery, and plans were being made for more permanent arrangements, so it actually came as a surprise. We had already made arrangements with a marina on Solomons Island for the summer, so we checked with them to be sure we could arrive a few days earlier than planned. We were still two days away, and the weather was not cooperating. We moved the next day to Hampton in a light drizzle but were then pinned down there for a day due to high winds and rough seas on the Chesapeake Bay. The following day, the wind clocked around enough that we decided we could probably get some sails up to help pound through the waves. It worked as planned, and we arrived at our new summer home late in the afternoon to be greeted by Linda's sister, Dale, and her husband Steve. They were driving up from Florida, and we had made arrangements for them to pick us up on their way to Penn Yan in upstate New York. On the return trip, they dropped us off at BWI airport, as we already had tickets to fly to Cleveland to retrieve our car from storage.
Having made reservations at Spring Cove Marina, sight unseen, we have been extremely pleased. It was perfect for a long-term stay. They have a large tree-covered park-like area with several picnic tables and charcoal grills, which we especially liked.
Our summer was a mix of many boat projects, getting Ariel ready for another couple of years on the go, interspersed with visits to family and friends. In June, we spent a week vacationing with our three children and their families in a large Victorian house we rented in Grand Haven, Michigan. It was a real treat to have everyone together. There was a pool, which was all that was needed to keep our four grandchildren happy. The vacation home was located within a couple of blocks of the downtown area with its shops and restaurants, and also just a few blocks from the very active waterfront. It was touch and go that Pamela would be able to travel to our gathering so late in her pregnancy. Just a few weeks later, on July 23, their second daughter, Claire Parker Supelak, was born.

In mid-June, we returned to upstate New York to visit family. We stayed with Norm's mom, who has become our adopted home base. We moved all of our belongings from our shipping container to a garage owned by Norm's mother. With the passing of Linda's mother, the future of the property on which the container is has become uncertain.

We were at the marina for four months, actually slightly longer, and were anxious to get back to traveling. We made one last trip to visit our families, which took us to New York, Ohio, and Michigan. We spent a couple of days with each of our children and grandchildren. We stayed with Norm's mom a few days while she recovered from a needed surgery. She recovered quickly, and she and Norm's brother Bill brought us back to Ariel and then spent the weekend. We had a wonderful weekend, which included a day in Washington DC. Bill had never been to Washington. He did a tour in Vietnam with the 173rd Airborne, and as difficult for him as it was, he visited the Vietnam Memorial.

Just before leaving Spring Cove Marina, we had a surprise visit from Harry and Barbara Cochran, church friends from Franklin, MA. They travel around the country in a 5th wheel RV, and we enjoyed exchanging experiences with them. There is so much commonality between the RV community and the cruising community. Our paths have come close to crossing several times in the past couple of years, so it was very nice to finally connect.

Claire Parker Supelak

Norm's Mom and brother Bill

Harry and Barbara Cochran

Parked In Solomons

We are now at our summer home at Spring Cove Marina in Solomons, Maryland. It is a wonderful marina, one we had noted when anchored nearby in the past. We have already retrieved our car from storage in Ohio, so we also have the luxury of personal transportation. We expect to stay here for at least three months, mixing our time between visiting family and friends and completing some much-needed maintenance on the boat. We already have a good start on the exterior teak. I have disassembled our windlass (used to lower and lift the anchor) and ordered the parts to bring it back to new condition. It is no longer manufactured, but I found a source for parts in the United Kingdom. So far, we have been able to repair, rather than replace, but I am not sure how long we will be able to do that, especially with the electronics.

Since we are staying put, we will probably not be adding updates to the blog. Once we get going again, we will, of course, publish updates.

Southern Hospitality

We, of course, stopped in Belhaven, North Carolina, one of our favorites.  We were again rewarded with the kindness of strangers.  On our way to the Food Lion supermarket, which by our standards is a short walk, we were offered and accepted a ride.  We were walking with a French Canadian couple, so three of us rode in the back of his pickup truck.  The next morning, we were off to fill a propane tank. Walking through town, we were met on the street by a guy who offered us his car.  Since the propane business was a pretty good distance away and the tank would be heavy on the return trip, we gladly accepted his car keys.  Arriving at the propane facility, we were disappointed to learn no one was available to fill our tank.  Just as we were turning away, a propane delivery truck returned.  The driver had seen us walking through town and returned to help us out.

We finally got to tie up at the town docks in Elizabeth City.  (Last fall, it was too crowded) This, beyond any doubt, is the most cruiser-friendly stop on the entire ICW.  We were greeted by Sam. There is always a greeter waiting during the day.  After getting settled, Sam made sure we knew what was available.  Our highlight for the afternoon was visiting the museum.  This is a large modern building dedicated to the history of the Albemarle Sound and the surrounding area.  It is well done and recommended to anyone visiting nearby.  Like the town dock, it is free.  At 4:30, we were invited to a wine and cheese party, which Elizabeth City is famous for.  The mayor joined us, as well as the tourism staff and the Rose Buddies.  While they do this every night when there are at least five or six boats, they made us feel very special.  Another tradition is that each woman is given a rose, and pictured is Linda receiving her rose from the mayor.

Visiting Bob And Hattie, Ocean Isle, NC

We stopped at a marina at Barefoot Landing in North Myrtle Beach, the first time in a marina since early December.  This is a popular stop as it is in the heart of a tourist area with outlet stores, restaurants, and the House of Blues and Alabama theaters immediately nearby.  While all interesting, our purpose was to stop near my cousin Bob's home in Ocean Isle, North Carolina.  We had not seen Bob in many years and had never met his wife, Hattie.  They drove down the 15 or 20 miles to pick us up so we could spend the day together.  We had a wonderful time catching up.  While in Ocean Isle, we found a marina within about a mile of their home. It is a stack and store place for small power boats, but they have a transient dock that will accommodate us.  We have made plans and are already looking forward to stopping by to see them again in the fall.

Georgia Georgia

We are working our way north at a leisurely pace, which is about 30 miles each weekday. We completed the entire ICW through Georgia for the first time. This completes for us all of the ICW between Norfolk and Fort Lauderdale. Through Georgia, we have to travel during mid-tide and higher since the tidal range is 8 - 9 feet. With our short travel days, we just plan around the tide table. We have had to deal with an onslaught of No-See-Ums. These are particularly nasty insects since the screens that keep out almost all pests are not fine enough to stop the No-See-Ums. Any screen fine enough to stop them will also stop the air flow. It has been rare for us to encounter insects, so we are not really complaining.

The wonderful aspect of the Georgia coast is that it is mostly undeveloped. Much of it is as pictured. This picture was taken at high tide.

Return To The US

We had planned a return from the Abacos to Port Canaveral, which would have saved a couple of days on the ICW. Our backup plan, should the conditions deteriorate, would be Fort Pierce. We left Great Sale Cay at 4 am, and with strong breezes, we were making a steady 7 1/2 knots. We usually assume a speed of 5 1/2 to 6 knots when planning our trip. As we approached the east wall of the Gulf Stream, we realized that with our good speed and with the added benefit of the Gulf Stream current, we would arrive at Port Canaveral too soon, and the lock would not be open. We decided to divert to Fort Pierce. Even though we would arrive at night, we had been there before and felt we could navigate to our anchorage. We did get safely anchored, but it was a challenge, to say the least. None of the day marks on the short stretch of the ICW were lighted, and the side channel was also not lighted. With our flashlight and a careful watch of the depth, we inched our way in without hitting anything or running aground. After several months of wide open seas, it feels like walking on a rail, navigating the ICW. We intend to stay on the ICW all the way north this spring. There are parts of Georgia we have not covered, and some stops we would like to explore a little more now that we have some time.

We used both current analysis and sea surface temperature to plan our crossing route

Pictured is the sea current analysis we used to identify the location of the Gulf Stream. The color scale goes from blue with none or very little current to bright orange with current over 3 knots.

Passing Through the Abacos

We are making a quick pass through the Abacos, revisiting our favorite spots from last year.

Pete's Pub and Gallery

New paint on Hope Town Lighthouse

Weather Forecasting

In the US, numerous weather resources are readily available. For the mariner, it is as easy as tuning the VHF radio to the nearest NOAA weather station. NOAA continuously broadcasts marine and other weather products. Once you leave the US, it is a whole different story. Our primary means of obtaining accurate, reliable weather information is our SSB radio. Chris Parker provides weather and routing information each morning (except Sundays) for the Bahamas and the entire Caribbean. Chris is a sailor and broadcasts from his Morgan 34 'Bel Ami' in Florida. Equally important to us are our GRIB (Gridded Binary Data) files, which we download daily for our geographic area. These are data files from forecasting models. We use the GFS (Global Forecasting System), which is NOAA's forecasting model. There are other models that we sometimes use, such as WW3, which is a forecast of ocean wave dynamics. We view this data with GRIB Explorer from OCENS. A GRIB file contains a lot of data, and presentation is important for the analysis. We download barometric pressure, wind, wave, and precipitation at 6-hour intervals for the next few days, usually five. There are longer forecast time frames, but the accuracy deteriorates significantly. With Chris Parker's forecast, particularly his synoptic forecast, and the GRIB files, we usually have a high confidence level in the forecast for the next 2 - 3 days. The nice benefit of weather forecasting is that you can evaluate the forecast accuracy fairly quickly.


The screen print of a recent GRIB file shows the Abacos, outlined in white. Our position is the red cross. Wind barbs show the wind direction and speed at 2 pm. The solid lines are barometric pressure, and the dashed lines are wave height.

Visiting Eleuthera

We returned to Warderick Wells, moving about 28 miles south of Normans Cay after saying farewell to Warren and Karen. With the forecasted wind direction, we wanted to improve our wind angle for the crossing to Eleuthera. The move paid off big time. We turned the engine off as soon as we cleared the cut and had a wonderful sail all the way over until we were on the bank at Eleuthera. Every place we visit is unique. Eleuthera gets far fewer visiting cruisers, and therefore, it is not really part of their economy, as is the case with many of the islands. We made three overnight stops on Eleuthera. Our plan was to stop at Spanish Wells, which is just north of Eleuthera, but with a forecast for approaching high winds, we did not want to get pinned down. Near Spanish Wells is Royal Island with a great anchorage, but the island is private. There really are no good anchorages in the crowded harbor at Spanish Wells. Not wanting to spend a week on the boat waiting on the weather at Royal Island, we pushed on, and at that, we were cutting it close. The winds were forecast to build in the afternoon and to be almost directly on our nose. We left early and pushed hard, and the winds came in exactly as predicted, but we arrived at Little Harbour at our planned time, which was near high tide. The passage into Little Harbour can be challenging, and for us, the waves were breaking about halfway across the cut, but we did not have any difficulty. We wanted high tide so we could enter the protected harbour just inside the cut. We saw a low reading of 5'7", which isn't too bad for us. We will have to leave on a high tide as well. It is great to come back to familiar territory. Pete's Pub is at Little Harbour and is one of our favorites. This is a great place to wait for fairer winds.

McDuffs on Normans Cay  (Warren)

I made friends with this little guy on my arm.

Not everyone wanted to be so close.

As it turned out, he didn't want to visit with anyone else anyway

(at Pirates Lair, Warderick Wells)

Every town of any size in the Bahamas has a BaTelCo tower for communications. Rock Sound, Eleuthera

Methodist Church - Rock Sound, Eleuthera 

very friendly

Last Days In Exumas

Picking up plastic - the ocean side of all the cays is awash in plastic - this is on Shroud Cay in the Exuma Land and Sea Park

Trash accumulated for park rangers to haul away

The entire center of Shroud Cay is mangroves with some channels accessible by dinghy during high tide - Karen stepping over mangrove roots while returning to the dinghy

Plane wreck at Normans Cay

Starting The Return Trip

We are working our way back up the Exuma chain. Our plan is to cross to Eleuthera, explore there, and then go north to the Abacos to revisit the places where we spent time last season. We stopped one more time at Black Point Settlement, our favorite destination in the Exumas. On Saturday, the primary school held a fundraising fair, with food, music, and games. Karen from Sand Castle and Norm partnered up in the egg-throwing contest and did quite well, but were no match for the Bahamians. Sunday morning, we attended church services at a Baptist church. While the congregation was small, you would never know it from the beautiful sound they generate. We felt so welcomed there. Absolutely everyone made a point to greet us with either a handshake or a hug.

Ariel at Exuma Land and Sea Park

Feeding Time

Big Majors Spot

A group of pigs lives on a small beach on Big Majors Spot. These are just ordinary domestic farm pigs, but they are accustomed to being fed by the cruisers. As you approach the beach, they come out to see what treats you have. We offered bananas and sweet potatoes. They get a little excited and act like they will climb into the dinghy. Once they know the treats are gone, they return to the beach to lie in the sand and wait for the next feeding.

Diane (staying at a safer distance)

Staniel Cay

At Staniel Cay is Thunderball Cave, after which the James Bond movie was named. At low water, you can enter the cave without diving under. At high water, it is just a short stretch through the entrance. The fish expect to be fed. The fish pictured were impatient for me to open the ziplock bag to release the food for them. It only took seconds for them to devour all the food I brought.

Really Busy In George Town

We have had quite a change of pace since returning to George Town. We met Gerald and Diane off Thyme Off from Ottawa, and through them, Marty and Debbie off Bay Pelican from Chicago. The six of us have been almost inseparable, sharing meals and playing dominoes on each other's boats in the evening and participating in activities during the day. We have taken walks ashore, spent time at Volleyball Beach, tried different restaurants for lunch, got engaged in French Day, sponsored by the French Canadians, and learned how to play Bocce Ball. One evening, we had an ABBA night, watching and enjoying an ABBA DVD together. Marty and Deb are heading south to Trinidad this season, so we parted with them. Gerald and Diane need to be in Nassau toward the end of the month to pick up her brother, so we decided to travel back up the Exuma chain with them for a while before we return once again to George Town for the beginning of the Cruisers Regatta. As of this writing, we are at Black Point Settlement. It was good to see Lorraine again and introduce Gerald and Diane to her. We were her only guests for dinner last night, so she decorated our table for a one-day late Valentine's dinner.

Diane, Marty, Gerald

Willie Rolle

Willie's Garden of Eden

Loraine at Loraine's Cafe

Gerald announces sundown on the conch (being a trumpet player, he is very good)

After gracefully entering the dinghy

French Day Gerald and Diane

Bocce Ball

French Day

Linda, Norm, Debbie, Marty, Diane, Gerald

Yoga on the beach each morning (not shown - guys just hanging out)

Gone Fishing

Until very recently, we did not have fishing gear aboard. I couldn't decide exactly what I needed or wanted, so for well over a year, I have been procrastinating. The biggest obstacle has been there is no room on the stern to set up a rod for trolling and little spare room aboard to store fishing equipment. Shortly after we arrived in George Town, I attended a fishing seminar put on by a cruiser very knowledgeable on the subject. This really filled some huge knowledge gaps for me and inspired me to get moving. In George Town, the prices on the fishing gear, as with most everything else was too much. I found the fishing gear prices at a marine supply store on Long Island to be comparable to US prices and 1/3 to 1/2 less than in George Town and Nassau. I had decided with our cluttered stern situation and otherwise limited space aboard to go with a Cuban YoYo, which is a hand line. Our first opportunity to use the new gear was on our return from the northern tip of Long Island to George Town. This route crosses very deep water where the fishing is best. We had our line out for about one hour before we got a hit. We were under sail at about 7 1/2 knots, so first we had to slow the boat down. We rolled in the jib and then turned slightly into the wind. The Mahi Mahi on our line was absolutely beautiful, swimming and fighting in the crystal clear water. As soon as a Mahi Mahi is pulled from the water, they lose their beautiful colors.

We were traveling with Demon Du Midi, so we immediately invited them to a fish dinner. They subsequently caught a smaller Mahi Mahi. It was an all-around good day of sailing and fishing, finished with an excellent dinner and good company.

Exploring Long Island

We are exploring Long Island with Remy and Dominique from Demon Du Midi and Brian and Jan from Wind Chaser. We are taking advantage of a long stretch of good weather without west winds, as there really isn't any protection from the southwest in particular. We traveled as far south on the west side of Long Island that is reasonably possible with our draft. We have been in Thompson Bay near Salt Pond for several days. It is a beautiful location. We rented a van with Demon Du Midi and Wind Chaser so we could explore the entire island. Long Island is about 80 miles long and about 4 miles wide. At our current location, we are below the Tropic of Cancer, so we are now in the tropics.

Roadside lunch spot

Cave just off the beach in Salt Pond - yes, they are bats

Old Spanish Church - thought to have been built by Spanish settlers in the 1700's

St. Peter's Roman Catholic Church - built by Father Jerome after he converted to Catholicism

Brian and  Dominique

Remy and Brian are collecting coconuts