Cruising (maritime), leisurely travel by boat, yacht, or cruise ship

The above is the definition of Cruising according to Wikipedia.  But talk to any cruisers, and their definition is - repairing boats in exotic places.

Yup, we have now officially joined the Cruisers club.  You have read about our experience with our fridge/freezer - that was the initiation.  I'll give you an update on that in a minute.  But first, let me explain how we have become full fledged members.

We left South Caicos on Saturday morning with a beautiful sunny sky, a good strong wind at about 15 to 20 knots and a hope to see some of the Humpback Whales that winter in this part of the world.  It was going to be a 5 day trip, sailing through the nights to get to BVI in good time to meet up with Antje on February 4th.  The plan was to get through the Mona Passage before a patch of bad weather coming through on Tuesday/Wednesday.

Jens and I do the night sailing - actually Jens does the sailing, and I take a pillow and a blanket and sleep in the cockpit.  Late in the first night there was a huge bang!  Jens could see that it was a broken rope.  Luckily it was only the reefing rope for the Genoa sail that broke.  Nothing that would prevent us from continuing on our way.

We saw the whales on Sunday afternoon.  Fantastic!  A little far from the boat, but close enough to see how big they are.  There were two of them jumping out of the sea and splashing back in again.  What a sight.

And then, another bang!!!  This time it was the halyard rope holding up the Genoa that broke.  (In sailing, a halyard or halliard is a line (rope) that is used to hoist a sail, a flag or a yard.  Thanks to Wikipedia for the definition), The sail started coming down and falling into the sea.  OMG.  Jens and Eric quickly got the sail down completely and tied it to the bow of the boat.  The Genoa is the sail that gives us most of the speed and works together with the main sail. We couldn't continue without it.   Next action point was to find the nearest harbour where we could stop in for repairs.  It was another three hours of sailing before we reached Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic.

We are now at Ocean World Marina.  Monday was a national holiday, so the marine stores were closed and we couldn't get the ropes we needed.  However, luckily they had a refrigeration specialist on duty and he came by and fixed our freezer.  Ice cubes are now ready Khaled!

We'll buy some new rope today and get our Genoa back up and then we're ready to roll.  However, we've lost our weather window and can't leave before Thursday.

A star fish comes to visit

One of the beautiful things about the waters in this part of the world is their clarity.  You can see the bottom even at 100 feet.  We’ve often spotted star fish along the bottom and as you know there are hundreds of kinds of star fish.  Eric was out snorkeling and saw a real beauty.  He brought it up to the boat for us to see and photograph and then gently put it back.  Tempting to keep it, but we didn’t want to kill the lovely creature.

It’s one thing we all have in common – the joy of seeing what nature has to offer and happy to observe without interfering.

Jason, Eric and Liz at the BBQ at Southside Marina, Providenciales

Thursday night cruisers BBQ at Southside Marina

Hodge Podge

Blogging:

It seems that everyone is blogging these days.  It’s quite easy to set one up and I am still playing with it to try to make it attractive and easy to use.  I have some limitations – either with the software and/or with my lack of computer skills when it comes to this sort of thing.  So it’s a bit of trial and error; advice from Eric and once in a while checking the on line help (as a last resort of course). 

We have a nice community of followers for our blog made up of family, friends, friends of friends, ex-colleagues and I think a few who just happen to stumble upon us.  I can see that we have people from Russia, Turkey, Sweden, Denmark, UAE, Canada, USA, Bahamas, Barbados, Venezuela and Germany checking out our blog now and then.  We have had almost 3000 views since we started.

I’m always happy to get emails from friends who have read the blog.  It helps us feel connected to the world and our friends and loved ones, especially during those times when we are out in the ocean with no land in site.

Getting Seasick:  Hmmm.  Here’s something I am struggling with.  I was really hoping I would get used to this rocking and rolling but I still get green during the rougher days unless I’m sitting in the cockpit or lying down.  We have tried the tablets which seem to work if you’re willing to suffer the side effects.  They tend to make me very grumpy, tired and give me a headache (and I think my grumpiness probably gives Jens and the rest of the crew a headache!).  We are now trying the wrist bands which use acupressure.  This is the first day with them on and it seems to help.  But we don’t have such a rough sea today.  Jury is still out. 

Fridge and Freezer Update:  When we reached Southside Marina a repair man was called first thing Monday.  He said he would be there just after lunch. We waited till 6PM – no show.  We called them again and he promised to show up on Tuesday.  We were diving in the morning and arranged to meet him at 2PM.   And yes, he showed up and Jens felt he knew what he was talking about, so all was good.  The repair wasn’t anything too expensive, but he needed to order parts which he said would be in by Thursday morning and he would come back at 10AM to fix it.  Apparently it is some kind of a blocked filter (technical details can be provided on request by the Captain).  Southside marina has a sand bar near its entrance and we can only leave during high tide which was at 11:30 so it was a bit close, but manageable.  When he didn’t show by 11AM, they called the office only to be told the parts would not be in until Monday!  So, needless to say, Jens told them to forget it as we can’t hang around until Monday if we’re going to be in BVI on February 4^th.  We are still limping along with a fridge and freezer that work intermittently.   The saga continues.

Dexter:  Just finished Season 5.  Phew.  I never thought I would be so concerned about a serial killer getting caught!  What is wrong with us?  But we love Dexter and his very quirky sister.

A Cruiser Friendly Port

We've spent the last five days enjoying the company and services of Southside Marina in Providenciales, Turks and Caicos.  We haven't had years of experience at marinas, but so far, I would rank Southside at the top of the list together with Osprey Point Marina and Gratitude Yachts.  We had originally planned to stay in another marina, but after several failed attempts at hailing them on the radio, Simon from Southside, came on and offered to call them on the telephone for us.  Even then, they did not respond to so our radio calls, so we turned around and decided to stay at Southside.  It has turned out to be a very good decision!

Southside is a small marina on the other side of the island from all the resorts and condos making it a bit more peaceful.  However, since they are a bit far from shopping and things, Charlyn is more than ready to drive you where you need to go.  She was kind enough to take us to into town for our grocery shopping and at the same time gave us an orientation tour of the island.  The IGA supermarket is a dream!  The variety, I have to say, rivals the Foodland in Port Carling.  A bit more expensive, but that's to be expected.  The Wine Cellar was also a great stop - can you believe they even had Canadian wines!  And if you want to go out for dinner, Bob, the owner of Southside will take you over to Turtle Cove area (and back again if you are ready when he is!).  What other marina offers this type of service.

Charlyn and Evelyn

Simon doing is morning broadcast.

Simon and Charlyn do a fantastic job of looking after you and give the marina a feeling of community for us transients.  Simon, with his morning weather reports using his BBC radio voice, keeps everyone up to date with what's happening.

And the fearsome threesome (Bob, Simon and Charlyn) host a happy hour every night at five with Charlyn ringing the bells to call us all in for our sundowner! Thursdays is BBQ night.  Bring your own meat, a dish to share, and your own drinks.  People come in from their anchorages and other marinas and some locals join in as well.  It's a great opportunity to talk about where you've been and where you're going.  It's likely you'll find someone who has been where you're going and can share some advice; or they're going the same way as you and you know you may run into them again somewhere along the way.

January Map ... so far

The trip so far.  We'll be heading off to BVI in the next few days.

Diving off West Caicos

Jens and I headed out for a bit of diving today.  Liz and Eric went with Jason for a snorkelling adventure. We all saw lots of great marine life and coral.  They almost got a lobster.  Imagine- we could have had fresh lobster for dinner.  I guess we'll have to settle for some Wahoo and the Sugar Pie for dessert.

I brought my trusty Sony with the marine housing and got a few good shots of the sharks. Yes, Sharks!  At one point we had about three of them around us - circling, circling, circling.   A girl from Kansas was diving with us and she said she felt "terrorized" by them.  Maybe she's suffering from a bit of a 9/11 hangover.  I thought they looked quite friendly.

Ok - maybe this one scared me a little.

No - not a shark - a turtle :-)

Jens is the one on the right.

Sugar Pie for Dessert Tonight

I just made a sugar pie from scratch.  It looks and smells wonderful; I hope it tastes as good.  Yumm.

Sugar Pie

Pigs Can't Fly, but Can They Swim?

Staniel Cay

     After a long and bumpy night at Warderick Wells, we were happy to be in a Marina.  Staniel Cay Yacht Club was the perfect haven for us.  They have great facilities and a town nearby with an airfield.  We decided to treat ourselves to dinner at the Yacht Club after we spent the day scouring the town for some fresh fruits and vegetables.  We are so used to having everything we could possibly need.  Life on the islands is something to get used to.  The choice of vegetables was a few lemons, onions and potatoes.  Pretty slim pickings.  Dinner was really nice after having taken some hot showers.  After dinner we hung out at the bar and made a few new friends.  Erik (who is with NYPD) and his wife Helena and Bob and Craig who are here on Bob’s boat the Eyamana.  Craig is a crew member on Bob’s yacht and also flies Bob’s plane.  What a great time we had telling stories and drinking a little too much.  Our bartender had a bit of a heavy hand you see.   We finished the evening with a night cap on Bob’s yacht.  Nothing like a pina colada to top up a half dozen G&T’s.  We may run into Bob in BVI – he’s not sure where his next destination will be. 

     Before heading out to Farmers Cay, we stopped at Major Cay to see a sight you would not believe if I didn’t have the photos to prove it.  We took the dinghy in to feed the pigs.  They actually swim out to the dinghy for the treats.  Who knew that pigs could swim.  They are pretty fast swimmers as well keeping up with our dinghy that was doing about 1.5 knots.

General Stuff

     Well, my attempts at flag making have led me to believe it would have been worth the $100 to have it made professionally.  The fabric I used is fine, but the paint just doesn’t stand up to the beating and the weather.  I tried to repaint it, but the paint doesn’t stay on worth a darn.  It comes off so easily.  Even if I should put the blue painters tape on it, it comes right off.  I either need to find a more durable adhesive fabric paint or give up on the idea.

     On our long sailing days, I spend my time reading.  I just finished reading a book by a new author Amor Towles.  Very well written, interesting, good build up of characters and quite entertaining. 

We’re still making our way through Dexter Season Five and The Shield Season Two.  We spend our evenings cooking and playing cards.  Uno, Rummy 500 and we plan to teach Liz and Eric to play Euchre. 

Leaving Exuma Cays and Heading to Long Island

     We headed out of Exuma Cays and over to Long Island today.  A journey of around 56 knots.  Fairly high seas, big swells and the wind coming from the East which was the direction we were heading.  That meant motoring all the way.  We anchored in Calabash Bay just outside a resort.  We had to pass through some reefs to get into the quieter waters and a quiet night.  The water is getting warmer as we head south – around 25- 27 degrees C.  Perfect for an evening swim before dinner.

Another beautiful sunset in the Bahamas. 

Long Island to Mayaguana

     It has been a long two days with a 36 hour sailing trip from Clarence Town Long Island to Mayaguana Island.  And then an early 2AM start to head over to Turks and Caicos.  But we sailed 98% of the way – strong winds, not necessarily in the best direction which meant some tacking and a longer trip.  But that’s the life of a sailor. 

Night Sailing

     No photos here but I can describe what it’s like to sail at night.  When it’s a clear sky with no moon, the stars pop out at you so you feel that you can touch them.  With no light pollution or obstructions, they reach from one horizon to the other.  Imagine the Little Dipper hanging in the sky looking as though it’s about to take a scoop out of the ocean.  It really is incredible to know you are sitting in a small boat in an ocean that is sometimes up to 20,000 feet deep and no land in sight in any direction.  Somehow the stars feel a little closer.

     Another great catch yesterday – just as the sun was coming down and we had just about given up catching anything.  Along comes a Wahoo.  What is a Wahoo you say?  We’ll, first we all started by saying wahoooo!!! We caught a fish; and a big one too.  Then Eric looked it up and found it was a Wahoo that we caught.  They are a long, narrow bodied fish with a long snout and a long dorsal fin.  It’s a dark blue on top and pale blue on the bottom with blackish blue vertical stripes.  They are said to get as big as 6 fee in length and up to 100 pounds.  I think the one we caught was about 2 feet long and around 10 pounds.  Still plenty of good eating to be done. 

Wahoo!

     We had a nice encounter with some dolphins the other day.  There were 5 or 6 of them swimming around the bow of the boat.  Playing with the stream of water from the boat and with each other.  They stayed with us for about 15 minutes.  Really nice to see them.  Again, I’m just not quick enough on the shutter to get a good shot of them.  Next time I’ll use my little movie camera.  Stay tuned for that! 

Can you see the dolphin just below the surface of the water?

     A scary sight – Eric spotted a tornado at sea.  Headed right for us.  Jens got the engine going and I went down to put the zoom lens on the camera.  We sailed out of its way and I was able to get a few good shots.  Quite a thing to see.  Apparently tornadoes at sea are called waterspouts and can be quite dangerous.  They say that the Florida Keys can have 400-500 per season.  

     We are now settled at the South Side Marina in Providenciale, Caicos.  We'll be here for a few days and hope to get some diving in.  Yippee!

Warderick Well and Staniel Cay

What they say about The Exumas in Wikipeadia:  The Exumas are an archipelago of 365 cays and islands, beginning just 35 miles southeast of Nassau, an exotic collection of tiny jewels set in the most beautiful aquamarine and sapphire water you’ve ever imagined.

I definitely agree with the description of the water.  It's a beautiful sight.  We left Allan's Cay sailing south for six hours to Warderick Well.  This is part of the Exuma National Reserve - so no fishing allowed.  We have a strong wind coming in from the N/NE which made for good sailing, but not so good for mooring.  Our fellow sailors were also looking for spots to get in out of the wind for the night and all the good mooring spots were taken. 

We are the boat on the far right out of the shelter from the wind and the waves.  Rocking and rolling all night long!  Not a fun time at Warderick Wells that night.

We were not so lucky and had a very bouncy night.  So bouncy in fact that none of us slept more than a few hours.  We headed out at daybreak and arrived to Staniel Cay around noon.   Sailing with only the Genoa up we were making 6.5 to 6.9 knots in a wind gusting up to 20 knots.  Staniels is turning out to be a great spot - with a nice marina, friendly staff and a lovely town.  We take the chance here to get some laundry done and do a bit of housekeeping on the boat.

At Wardericks Well, we explored the Island hiking to Barefoot Beach and up to BooBoo Hill where we left a piece of driftwood with our ship's name on it (like thousands of others before us).  We learned how to get the meat out of the Conch shell and tips on how to cook it from a fellow Canadian sailor.  

We will have a nice dinner tonight at the marina, a good sleep in a quiet slip out of the wind and the waves and tomorrow we'll continue on our journey. The cold North wind will be with us for a few more days it seems.  Seems the Captain has prepared the sundowners ---- that's all for today.  Till next time we run into a wifi spot!  Cheers! 

From Nassau to Exuma Cays

Catching Jack Fish on the way to Allan's Cay.

Iguana's in Allen's Cay

We have arrived to Allan’s Cay after spending 2 nights in Nassau Harbour.

Allan’s Cay is at the northern end of the Exuma Cays – a narrow band of islands or small groupings of rocks.  Allan’s Cay is known for its iguanas.  No one lives on most of these cays and many are part of a national reserve.  Surprisingly, we are here with 11 other boats of which at least four of us are flying Canadian flags. 

Our stay in Nassau was interesting.  This town has suffered from the recession, but I would hazard to say that it has been on the decline for some time.  Don’t get me wrong, it is still beautiful and friendly.  And there is still plenty of money around – huge homes and estates, name brand shops and so on.  But you can see that the money is only spent on the areas where the big cruise ships come in.  It is clear they have refurbished a 1 mile strip from the docks; after that it quickly changes back to a worn out, unkempt looking island.  The harbour is noisy and busy.  We spoke to a couple at the antique map store who say the recession has been hard on them but they believe Bahamas is back in the top three favourite destinations.  The number of cruise ships coming into port have increased from one or two per week to two or three per night. 

It was nice to get out of there and back to the clear turquoise waters of the Bahamas.  Twenty meters deep and you can still see the bottom.  There was almost no wind so the sea was flat and smooth.  A gorgeous day for traveling, but not enough wind for sailing.  We caught two Jack fish and a Barracuda on the way across to Exuma Cays.  We didn't keep the Barracuda (too big) but had the Jack fish for dinner.  So the score is now tied at 4 all.  

We plan to stay in Allan’s Cay for the day and start heading south again tomorrow morning stopping at Warderick's Well and then off to Staniel's Cay.  

Exploring Bahamas

We have been in Bahamas for 5 days now.  We are definitely getting the Island disease where one day just runs into another and who really knows if it's Monday, Tuesday or Friday.  Does it matter, after all?  We made our way from West End, Grand Bahamas to the Berry Islands and have now anchored outside of Atlantis in Nassau.
The Bahamas are still a very popular place for the big cruise lines.  It's incredible how big these ships are. We can see five of them from where we are anchored today.

We headed down to Berry Islands, trying our hand at fishing.  We invested in some fishing line and lures and so far, I am sad to say, the ROI has not been great.  The score is Segwun 1; Fish 4.  Meaning, we have caught 1 fish and the Fish have stolen 4 lures.  But we are on a learning curve and the joy and excitement of catching that first ocean fish was definitely worth it.  We're still not sure what it was we caught, but we fried it in a pan of butter and garlic and it sure was delicious.

We also ate our first Conch at the restaurant in Grand Harbour.  Deep fried conch tastes a little like calamari.  I've never seen so many conch shell in my life.  I always thought they were quite rare, but here in the Islands, they are plentiful!  

We spent some time on a 7 mile long beach - on which we were the only sun bathers.  Great choice as the other end of the island is home to the cruise ships.   As we passed by the next day we saw crowded beaches, seadoos, parasailers and lots of boat traffic.    

Some of my TP colleagues may recognize the blue bag.  It is not so far from home - Miami is just across the Gulf...  In the background are Liz and Eric taking in the sun.  The water is a beautiful blue, skies are clear, sand is like sugar.  Perfect!

Our Little Harbour anchorage where we hoped to meet Chester and enjoy some of his cooking for which he is famous.  Unfortunately, he was out all day and couldn't accommodate us.

Ok last picture ...  always a favourite of mine are sunrises and sunsets.  Day after tomorrow we plan to head out again, hoping to reach Allan's cay.  We probably won't have internet for a while.  Stay tuned!

Moving on out of the ICW

Our last night on the ICW - a short one for Jens and I as we wanted to be sure to arrive at West End, Grand Bahamas during daylight.  We set out at 2 AM .... yes, 2 AM!!!   It was a beautiful, clear night with no wind and a fantastically bright moon following us from behind.  The sea was calm until we hit the Gulf Stream where it takes on a life of its own.  Swells of 4 to 5 feet and movement in all directions.  Needless to say, this sailor turned a little green again and had to lay down for a bit.  Or was I just a little tired from our early rise?  No, I'm pretty sure my stomach doesn't like the turbulent seas.   I was able to get a nice sunrise shot of our first day in open water - no sign of land in any direction!

I can imagine how difficult this crossing could be in high winds.  Not to mention rain and cold.  We had to motor all the way, but I think we have to consider ourselves lucky that our crossing was as smooth as it could be.

Our crew, Eric and Liz, also felt it.  This was the first time in any kind of waves for both of them.  Luckily it wasn't too bad, just a slight feeling of being nauseous and the more you think of it, the worse it gets.   They are both getting quite comfortable on the boat and are good at getting us anchored, moored and ready to set sail.  It's nice having the company and I have to say we have been eating some very nice meals.  Now we have to test our fishing skills.  We have lures and line and are hoping for a bit of beginner's luck and start adding fresh fish to the menu.
We reached the Grand Bahamas around 1PM - much earlier than anticipated so it gives us an afternoon of chilling out, enjoying the beautiful clear aqua coloured water and perhaps a wee nap.  LIz and Eric were in snorkelling and they have already found a treasure.  A fantastic conch shell which has since been sent back to it's ocean home.

Pelicans

Two more days on the ICW

Our second and third day on the ICW started with a deep chill in the air.  The cabin temperature was showing 0 degrees C yesterday.  Jens started up the GenSet and turned on the heating.  We didn’t really expect to have the heating on in Florida, but these cold days are not unusual in Central Florida in January.  We started out early planning to get as far South as quickly as possible.  Despite wearing plenty of layers (ski underwear, shirt, sweater, vest, jacket, wool hat, rain pants and jacket, gloves and boots) Jens was still chilly standing at the helm.  I was in the galley preparing lots of hot coffee and a hot bowl of oats to help him warm up. 

Thank to a clear skies these past few days and a tapering wind, we have been slowly reducing the amount of clothing we are wearing as the day goes on and are actually able to get a bit of sun.
We have seen many dolphins but I have yet to get a good photo … I’m just not quick enough!  And lots of pelicans of various colours.  I find the pelicans quite fascinating with their awkward but controlled flight and diving into the water to catch fish.  They almost seem to be just one small step up from prehistoric times.

Oh, and we had another casualty on board thanks to a motor boat that zoomed by without consideration for his wake.  This time it was the Bodum coffee pot.  Poo!  We’ll have to settle for instant until we can get to shore and replace it.  That was my fault.  I was getting a little too used to having calm waters and no other boat traffic and I left the pot on the counter.  Normally, I tuck it into the sink with the dish soap, handsoap and kettle.

We covered 53 nautical miles yesterday and 60 today.  We've got another half day tomorrow and will head out to Bahamas on Saturday.  The crossing should take us about 12 hours or so.  Can't wait!

Wheels on Land

Off on our shopping spree aboard our "new" bikes!

Eric putting in the block for the new flag line.

The Adventure Begins!!!

Very exciting start to the New Year!  We returned to Daytona on January 1st and SY SEGWUN was just as we left her.  We are here with Eric and Liz who will be aboard for the next 2 1/2 months.  It was a bit hectic leaving Toronto ... who knew that so many people would be traveling in the early hours of New Year's day!  The line ups were huge - and our dear friends at Air Canada just had to charge us to bring our bikes with us!  But we are very happy to have wheels.  Thanks to Larry and Michelle with our new folding bikes we can now zip around town and explore our ports of call.  We used them today to get to the grocery store.  What was a 60 minute walk to the WalMart became a quick 10 minute cycle!
During our trip home we had a few projects to finish.  We brought the old sail cover with us and we turned it into two canvas bags for the folding bicycles and a cover for our dinghy motor.  The rest we will use to cover the jerry cans we'll need to buy to have extra fuel on board for our ocean crossing.  I also sewed two new shower curtains, a yellow quarantine flag, and two flags with SEGWUN's logo.

Eric climbed the mast today to put up a block for another flag line.  We now have the Canadian flag and the ship's flag flying!  Photos to come tomorrow. 

We have loaded the fridge and freezer with provisions.  Every nook and cranny is now full of food, beer wine and other necessities.  We have topped up our fuel and water supplies, emptied the holding tank and are now positioned at the dock ready to head out on the ICW in the morning.  We'll continue south for the next few days staying on the ICW as far as we can and then out to the Atlantic and across to the Bahamas.  Ready to go!