Catching up to 2011

photo: "Tida Wave" crossing the finish line- the Winner! (note the firing cannon)

The young and very talented crew on Seabird have entertained us, and offered lots of kiting instruction to the novice kiters. Thank you Gary, Drom and Rachael! The fire dancing was also awesome.

The Gang of 14 on Christmas Eve has dwindled down to 10 of us who are staying on in the Staniel Cay area for the next week full of events, including the Class-A Bahamian sloop regatta.

We are starting to loose patience with these continuous fronts-- it seems we are getting hit once a week, with a 2-3 day blow. It's a constant juggle with anchoring on the protected sides of the islands. At least the kite-boarders have an activity during these blustery days, and of course, as I write this, the northeast is bracing itself for a major snow dump that is likely to close down transportation hubs, & likewise keep everyone "house-bound".

Saturday, January 1, 2011

Happy New Year!

It has been a busy whirl of events here in Staniel Cay. Closing out the year with a free cookout hosted by locals for everyone, a long-drive contest (who can hit the golf ball the farthest out into the bay from the dock), an adrenaline-filled A-class regatta (Paul & I both on the winning boat!), then a pig-roast bar-b-q at the yacht club for New Year’s Eve, followed by midnight fireworks right over Independence.

This morning, we all hauled ourselves out of bed to jump on to Different Drummer for the Cruiser’s Regatta, from which we emerged once again as Champions!!! A great race, with some tough competition, but our crew was tight like clockwork—no mistakes!

We will hit the town beach this evening for the awards ceremony, and another cookout—which just about rounds out all the year end, scheduled activities. I think I will sleep straight for two days….

Welcoming in 2011, and wishing you all peace, health, prosperity—and most of all, may we all remember to Share the Love!

Compass Cay hiking

Cold Front Season (or the Christmas Winds)

(pictures to follow at next strong internet connection....)

Our “gang” is now a 5 boat flotilla, loosely gathered, for the most part, occasionally splitting up to different locations as changes in weather affect our anchorages.
Most recently, 3 of us spent a few days tied up at the marina at Compass Cay. If it’s in the budget, it’s a great treat to be at this dock. The marina is like one giant aquarium. Nurse sharks, snapper, cute, little seargent-majors, and many others swim around in profusion- happily eating up the food scraps tossed over from your meal preparations. Tourists arrive in small power boats to swim with the sharks in the crystal clear water of this marina.
Before it got too windy, we all enjoyed the common grill on the dock bringing our pot-luck dishes and feasting on the fresh wahoo caught on Jabulani. During the blow, we bundled up and headed out on any of the many well-marked trails which criss-cross this small island. Our 2 hour walk, was a hike northward up the spine of the north ridge, over flattened, rough coral (we call moon rock) and along some windswept beach coves (where we look for washed up treasure), finally ending up at the “bubble bath” at the northern tip.
Bubble bath is at the western end of a shallow tidal inlet that pools to over 6 feet at the bottom edge of a large cliff face with a V-shape split that allows breaking waves from the Sound to crash through into the pool, creating a bubbling, frothing, whirling bath!
Our second walk, on the next day, did not end so well. Jasper, (Libby & Frank’s dog) pounced on a baby sting ray and before he could be stopped, he had it in his mouth, and of course got stung—ending up with blood at his neck and a very quiet disposition on the rapid return home.
Apparently, the toxins from a ray are extremely painful, and you must get any remaining barbs out of the skin. The good news is you won’t die from the sting—hot water compresses apparently help disperse the toxins. On a careful note, you must be alert for a secondary infection that could occur in a couple of weeks due to fish toxins—only certain antibiotic can fight this. Jasper woke up himself the following morning, & seems fully recovered at the moment.
Currently, we are anchored at Big Major, next to Fowl Cay. We’ve had a lovely couple of days—kayaking, dinghy into town (Staniel Cay) for a beer & some conch fritters. Yesterday I took the dinghy through the cut to Sampson Cay Marina (next island north) with a pile of laundry, & used their brand new machines to catch up on clean t-shirts & linens. Tina and I ended up staying there for lunch (2 for 1 homemade pizza), ate an entire pizza, & brought one back for the boys. Last night, as the gang played Texas hold-em on Mattina, we watched our second Green Flash at sunset!!
Indepencence has Christmas lights on her mast and boom, as well as decorations in the main salon. It’s beginning to look like Christmas in the tropics…
Wishing you all Happy Holidays and warm companionship!
Till next time….
Sue and Paul

Nassau to Compass Cay

Trucks still drive on this loading dock at Norman's Cay!

Can you believe we played at the swim park in Atlantis? If you are unfamiliar, Atlantis is a resort on Paradise Island ( a bridge over from Nassau), known for stupendous, larger than life architecture, underground meandering aquariums which house everything from beautiful sea-horses to sharks, lobster and jellyfish. There is also a swim-park with rides like "The Leap of Faith", which is a 60-ft. vertical drop into a tube surrounded by shark-swimming waters.

We have visited before, but never had the "wristband" to actually go into these resort perks. The layout and design of this resort is truly visionary, and may arguably be the only successful tourist facility in Nassau. (though, rumors have it they may be in trouble financially)

That was a fun send-off, our last day in Nassau, and finally we have arrived at Norman's Cay. This island was made famous when the Medelin Cartel drug lord Carlos Lehder made this his headquarters in the late 70's. He bullied everyone else off the island and with his armed thugs, prevented any outside planes from landing on his newly-built extended runway.

The remains of a downed drug plane still stick up from the middle of the harbor at low tide, and the ruins of his dock-side operation are crumbling under the palm trees.

Now that the reign of terror is over, private owners have returned to their remote homes on this island, and a small, family-run resort offers cottages on the beach and the only restaurant around. Small charter planes fly in and out.

For the cruiser, it offers a protected harbor and a lovely beach, as well as a road the length of the island, for some good walking, running or biking exercise. When the wind is right, the kite-boarder is kept busy, and on a calm day a kayak up into the north end can take all day.

Obviously, we are in no rush to leave, there is still some spear-fishing to do, as well as more wahoo to catch! Every day boats pull in for the night, and leave next morning-- guess they are in a rush to get to Georgetown! We are happy where we are for the moment, and each day serves up it's own rewards.

The Crossing

Arrival in Nassau

sunset on the banks

Blue Marlin

So, after a false start on Friday afternoon, when the wind failed to settle down, Independence got an early start Saturday morning, Bahamas bound. As the distinct coastline of Dade and Broward County became more and more miniature on the horizon, Paul & I made our last cell phone calls to family & friends to let them know we were off-shore at last. It was calm enough to notice the sharp, short chop at the western wall of the Gulf Stream followed by the distinct 3-knot northward push, resulting in our slower speed.

The daylight hours included several citings. First, the spray of whales that Paul spotted, then minutes later I saw spray twice more (although the type of whale can be identified by the shape of the spray, we do not possess that knowledge!)

While this was happening, we simultaneously hooked our first fish of the season, and true to custom, when we reeled it in it was a barracuda—oh well.

A little later, I spotted a big turtle, lounging at the surface just alongside our boat and finally, in the afternoon one of our reels hits and start spinning out at such a speed, Paul could not stop it, and I throttled back to neutral. This fish was big—it almost spooled us. The next hour Paul fought and pulled back on this fish that was diving deep and taking him from one side of the boat to the other, as I scrambled to pull in the other lines, and pump the boat in and out of gear to keep the fish where we could handle it.

It turned out, Paul’s first guess was correct—a beautiful, blue marlin! (the other guesses were a big tuna, or a shark) We had to cut it away, hook still in, and I fear the worse for the poor fish, but maybe by miracle he revived….

We were pretty exhausted by then, glad for the workout (likely the only exercise we would get for over 20 hours), and also pleased to know that our gear held up and we managed to bring the fish to the boat—it’s always a learning experience!

Sunset was lovely, and after refreshing showers, we enjoyed crab cakes on a bed of greens, that we had purchased from The Fish Peddler, in Ft. Lauderdale. Paul is now feeding me coconut stuffed cookies from the German bakery—yumm…

We have passed several sailboats, with whom we made radio contact—all headed towards Nassau to clear customs and immigration, then on to the Exumas. It is dark, now- the stars are a glittering blanket overhead—so abundant and clear, I have forgotten what the night sky looks like with no other ambient light.

Our plan is to pull over in another couple of hours, just before we leave the shallow waters of the banks at Northwest Channel, which is the entrance to the Tongue of the Ocean- that extremely deep body of water that lies between there and New Providence Island, the location of Nassau. We will drop the anchor in about 10 ft of water about a mile off the waypoint course, and sleep till dawn. Tomorrow, we cruise the Tongue of the Ocean (where the sea state can kick up in a nasty way, but we are counting on continued light & variable wind). We should arrive in Nassau around 1 pm or so, and after customs, etc., if I am lucky and the internet at the Starbucks (!) across from the marina is working, I should be able to post this, and someone other than myself will read it!!!

Tada!

PS Even better.... managed to snag wi-fi on the dock, so I am posting this from the comfort of Independence, safely snuggled in to Harbor Club Marina, rinsed down, and a mahi in our cooler, which will soon be on our dinner plates!!

THANK YOU!

Thanksgiving, for many of us, is a day to gather with family, friends, and loved-ones, and share a feast of bounty, re-connect with many friends and neighbors, enjoy a football game or two, and mostly to count our blessings.

Amidst concerns about rising tensions in North and South Korea, our country’s interminable engagement in Afghanistan and the Middle East, and the stresses of unemployment and economic struggles, we strive to focus on, and acknowledge the many often-overlooked blessings we receive.

And there are many. Wouldn’t it be interesting if every morning, as we tuned in to the news, the headlines would read: “Millions Awoke to Good Health and Sunshine”; or “Strangers Exchange Smiles in Crowded Supermarket”; or possibly “Lovingly Tended Sprouts Yield Bumper Crop of Peas”. Imagining these story leads is fun (try a few of your own.. really).

So, today, I reinforce my commitment to fully acknowledge, with gratitude, each and every one of my meals—the source of nutrition and energy for my living body. I am extremely thankful that my parents, who loved and nurtured me throughout my life, are still a vital source of my life, and able to enjoy their days and their growing family of great-grandchildren. I could almost weep with gratitude that my children, now grown, have found partners to love and be cherished and feel the joy of their own family living. I am grateful that my love and partner has shared with me his life, showing in all that he does his sincere commitment and love. I am fortunate, that in tough economic times, we have been strong and able to share the bounty with those less fortunate. I am also incredibly blessed by the number and the quality of the friendships that have come my way, and pledge to honor those relationships for the true treasure they are.

There are so many more, which is why this spirit of gratitude, which is sparked on Thanksgiving, can easily be carried through every day of the year. So, let’s expand our focus and conversation on the blessings, and limit complaints of real or perceived travails. We might just find that by smiling more often—we start to glow in our hearts, from the moment of waking to “Good Health and Sunshine”!

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!

Culinary Experiences

Paul Wagner carving our "pre-Thanksgiving" turkey
Our hostess, Barb(right), with Kristina and Melanie

But first, ready for this?

A new dining experience that I venture to say anyone reading this has likely not shared... Last night Paul & I joined 2 other couples for a meal in the dark. I mean, total blackness. No hints of light coming through cracks in a window or door, blackout curtains.. total blackness.

This is how it works: You arrive at the restaurant (yes, we paid for this experience), and as you sit at the bar, where there is normal bar lighting and lovely decor, the waiter introduces himself and explores eating allergies and food dislikes with the group. The food here is focused on fresh, Florida produce, fish & organic choices.

After we decide on how many courses (six), and if we want the wine pairings (of course), he leads you to the dark room which has been reserved exclusively for our group. One by one, you place a hand on his shoulder as he brings you in, seats you at the table and indicates the placement of the fork (fork is optional, hands encouraged), napkin and water glass. We have promised not to turn on our cell phones, and once we are all seated, we realize how truly black it is-- even with eyes dilated there is nothing to see. Oh, our waiter wears an infrared light so he can see, & when he enters there is a small red pinpoint of light.

After pouring our waters, he returns with the first wine-- a stemless glass (whew!), that we receive by cupping our hands in a "C" shape on the table in front of us. Somehow, we managed to toast the glasses reaching them toward each other till we clinked! Not to brag, but our group was brilliant at guessing both the wines (except for one) and the foods that were served to us, but I'm getting ahead...

The first course was a salad of beets, bib lettuce and assorted condiments. We soon ditched the forks, and cleaned our plates with our fingers. Did anyone lick the plates? who knows? We got pretty good at it after a while, and enjoyed smelling, tasting and defining what was in our mouths at the time. Six people together can generally come up with most of the flavors, although the pompano had us stumped. Some of us thought it was bison, it had a smoky flavor.

All in all, I would have to say, not only was it a unique way to dine, but a fun way to get to know several new people, whether you were sitting next to each other or not-- the conversation was always all inclusive and generated lots of laughter. If you are not fearful of the dark (or claustrophobic, I guess) this is a terrific idea, and I thank Suzette for being the catalyst for yet another unique birthday celebration! (sorry, no photos, I did not have my "infra-red camera"!)

Kudos must be said also to another great meal we had with friends in Vero Beach, hosted by Barb & Jim Gardner, who treated us to our 2nd annual pre-thanksgiving turkey dinner. Yup, stuffing, gravy & the works-- we are all hoping Barb will continue this wonderful tradition, when several of our "cruising family" finally congregates in southern Florida each November.

By the way, we are just warming up after a surprisingly COLD, cold-front. Jackets, socks, shoes and down comforter, all came in to play. This is Florida, isn't it??

Drop us a line, when you get a chance-dear readers!

S & P

on Independence in Stuart

Settling in to Independence

Still here in Stuart. This has proven to be a reasonable base to both north and south to visit with friends. Nice, having a rental car to run around...

Our first real provisioning trip to BJ's resulted in stuffing paper towel rolls, t.p. rolls, and boxes of zip-lock bags into every nook & cranny, under sinks & shelves. We haven't even started with food yet!--non-perishable first, then there definitely will be very little room left for last minute perishables. Is it my imagination, or does our boat keep getting smaller?

Our shiny, 18-coat varnished, sole-floor is finally starting to set. We are still afraid to walk on it, & yes shoes are still outlawed.

Although, the weather has been beautiful & hot, there is a cold front coming in this weekend, bringing temps down to the 50's. I imagine this is the first of a wave of fronts that begin to sweep in at this time of the year. (A good argument for crossing to the Bahamas in October)

Melanie & Paul are still here in Stuart on their new boat, Kiwi, so we have had some nice company to break up the boat preparations. I am continually grateful for the gift of living this life, water, sunshine.. ok, let's balance that with traffic and far-right republicans...

Southwest Air to Florida

As I read my Facebook feed, I am grateful that, once again, we were able to fly into Florida where Independence waits, thus avoiding the long, sometimes arduous, sometimes boring, trip down the East Coast at bicycle speed. Our cruising buddies have been checking in on their own meandering voyages down the ICW, and we are all beginning to converge down here in our sunny, retirement state of Florida.

The boat launch was uneventful (this is a good thing), and Independence is in good shape. The main upgrade this year (other than the repair of the cracked keel), has been to the interior. After the application of 15 coats of "AllBright" to our teak parquet sole, we feel as though we are stepping onto a mirror when entering the cabin. Shoes will not be allowed to step on this floor! We are still waiting for it to cure completely (2 weeks), before we can even place a chair or the area rugs down on it.

The fumes kept us from sleeping aboard the first few nights, so we became guests at the Gustavson's in Palm Beach, then aboard Wagner's "Kiwi" (still in the yard at Stuart, undergoing renovations)

The first night on Indy, Paul & I camped out on the bridge, as the smell was still noticeable, until just before dawn raindrops woke us up & sent us scurrying to close up the hatches!

We had a wonderful lunch reunion with Kathleen & Jim Ruffino, & yesterday re-united with Kristina & Matt, who are moored at Vero Beach.

We managed to unpack the 13 (!) boxes we shipped ourselves from home, and slowly we will begin the provisioning process. Mostly, we will still be checking out systems, replacing filters, etc.

There is a pot-luck, chili bake-off, halloween party at our marina on Saturday. Too hokey? Should we go? What a bunch of characters seem to be congregated here... lots of folks seemingly here for the season. There is a river walk that begins at the marina restaurant and ends in the heart of historic downtown Stuart-- kinda nice.

Send in your halloween costume ideas, and keep us posted on your own seasonal progress!

Remember, the Trick is to remember life is the Treat!!

With a smile,

yours truly, once again on Independence

October; Harvest, Change & Reflection

Up north in our paradise on the East End of Long Island, we are starting to feel the chill. Summer is over, the air is clean and crisp, and colors are deep and true. A beautiful cheese pumpkin sits on my front stoop waiting to be cooked into a pie & other assorted goodies. Farm stands are overflowing with bounty of the harvest-- the new additions are the many varieties of apples, seckel pears, cauliflower, brussel sprouts, and of course, the colorful winter squashes.

The summer has been grand! Paul & I immersed ourselves in our non-profit organization, the East End Student Film Project, till the end of August. We saw over 50 young kids pass through the animation & filmmaking classes we offered in a great studio space downtown. The EESFP season culminated in the 5th annual student film fest, which played to an overflow crowd and was followed by a great wrap party at our favorite cafe--Aldo's.

After a brief break, the family tumbled headlong into the Great Wedding Event. Lisa and Lance organized the most spectacular, beautiful, (all right, I'll even say "story-book") wedding at a local vineyard--overlooking the bay and Shelter Island. The food, dancing and company were unsurpassed. The event went by so quickly, Lisa & I both agree we would love to be invited back to experience it all over again! For two weeks, family from across the globe came and went, & many pleasant meals were shared by huge gatherings.

As we pack up the outdoor furniture, and replace screens with storm windows, our thoughts begin to focus on the boxes to be packed and sent to Florida in order to shift our lives onto our floating winter home. It's a very different process, now that we have decided to leave Independence in Stuart, stored indoors, over the summer months. The long and eventful, and sometimes not so eventful (read boring) trip down the east coast and mostly in the ICW is for now, a thing of the past. There are certain stops we will miss, but we have gained extra weeks of beautiful fall weather in our northern backyard.

On the 20th of October (less than 2 weeks!) we will fly down to Florida & begin the process of launching Independence, finishing up work/maintenance, heading down to Ft. Lauderdale for complete provisioning, fueling, etc and then we aim to look for our crossing weather window some time in mid-November.

Can't wait to see all our cruising pals, and shift our gears into the small living space we call home on Independence! Hope you all had a great summer...

Fwd: Catching up with the ground hog

Georgetown, Exuma

Friends!

Hard to believe that almost a month has gone by since my last post.  Although we are in Georgetown at this moment (as when I last wrote), we have moved around a bit in the interim.

First we went to Rum Cay, catching a beautiful wahoo on the way, and arriving just in time to spend an evening with Sue & Oscar, before they flew off-island for a visit to Dominica & friends who run an eco-resort there.  Generous, as always, they supplied us with the keys to their golf cart, and access to their home (internet & washing machine).  We made use of their golf cart, with a fun excursion to the north beach, and I spent a few relaxing hours in shade on their beautiful beach.

Every morning began with a bike ride to the airstrip and back, first morning w/ Sue and Oscar, and after they left, I rode with Suzette.  Suzette, Roy & guests on George's beautiful boat, Electra, were tied up just alongside us in the marina, & it was fun to catch up with them for a few days.

Bobby, with his usual generosity of spirit and fun, hosted and kept us all busy with small boat trips around the island to Salt Pond, various remote beaches, coral reefs and other adventure spots.  We returned from all of these with conch, lobster, whelk, and otherwise delicious and delectable treasures.  Evenings would find us up at the Out of the Blue restaurant, in the kitchen, conjuring up dishes, while we talked and sipped wine and saki.  The fish and pizza (on pizza nights) was all roasted in the outside wood-fired oven.

Needless to say, the nights ran late, & exhausted we fell into bed, within minutes of deep slumber.

Paul and I managed several deep dives on the wall just outside the marina.  The deep trenches, and coral formations were as stunning as ever.  After about a week, we took a calm weather day to cruise back to Georgetown, & caught a Mahi on the way back.

Georgetown activities then took over.  Let's see..  yoga and beach walks in the morning, trips into town for laundry, garbage drop-off, or food shopping.  Afternoons might find us at volleyball beach for a rousing game of regulation fours, or maybe just chatting & visiting with other cruisers at Chat 'n Chill.  By then, the happy hour and/or dinner plans have been made with a small or large group- on the beach or someone's boat.  There is usually an option for weekly night activities, such as: Texas Hold 'em, Trivial Pursuit Night, Rockin' Dances, or in town- Rake 'n Scrape (the live Bahamian music).
Being in Georgetown is a different kind of exhausting.

A few days ago, with some settled weather, a few of us cruised to Conception Island (about 35 miles from Gtown, or 5 hours for Independence).  Conception is north of Rum Cay, & is a small, un-inhabited island in the middle of the ocean.  The water is even more crystal clear, staghorn & elkhorn coral formations ring the north side of the island. (similar to Rum Cay)  Picking your way through these formations on the dinghy is quite challenging if the sun is not directly overhead for good visibility, but once you find a spot to anchor and jump in with your mask & fins, it is like a magic wonderland.

We had a pot-luck feast on the beach, & a moonrise bonfire.  Although, we did not catch a fish on our lines on the way over, Paul managed to spear a beautiful yellow-fin grouper to share with the group.  The next day, the boys went out hunting again, and came back with an even bigger grouper!  What a haul!

This morning we left the anchorage at Conception (and the rolling surge), and fished our way back to Georgetown.  We were one of four boats out there, trying everything to snag a fish (following weed lines, birds, hitting favorite pinnacle spots, lures and bait...) and we all got skunked this time.  Where did the fish go?  Oh, I know, that's why they call it fishing, not catching.

So, it's late, I think I have an internet connection so I will send this off with our best wishes & greetings to everyone.

Cheers,
Sue & Paul
Independence

Windy day of kites, Foodie day of walks

Let me begin by saying, that after a long spell without internet, I have access for a short time, so I am pasting a previously written post, as a way of update.

Also, our hearts go out to the poor, and long-suffering Haitians, who now are having to endure this most recent natural tragedy.  We had a brief time of alertness for a possible tsunami watch, which was quickly dismissed, but decided we would be safest in our boats, but not in a harbor if that really came to pass.  Do we begin to sense that this natural planet is having a hard time balancing in a more subtle way the trauma that has been persistently inflicted by human progress?  This is perhaps a topic too wide to broach here, so I will leave it there for now.

We continue to count our blessings for every day, every moment which allows us to enjoy the beauty around us, as well as the tragedy.

Before all these pressing thoughts, the following is how our days have progressed! :

Monday, January 11, 2010
Georgetown, Grand Exuma

There are days that begin, no plan, quiet and easy, with the standard procedure – turn on the single side-band radio for the morning weather report, start up the generator, and boil water for coffee or tea.

This morning started out thus, the wind was still steady & strong from the passage of last night's cold front.  (Which, incidentally, has also clearly reinforced the reason we call it a COLD front.  I know, I know, most of you who are further north are thinking, "you have no idea—you want to talk cold???"  yeah, I know- but when the warmest thing you have on board is a thin fleece, and a foul weather jacket, the chill in the persistent wind is hard to combat).

Anyway, hot tea in hand, fried eggs and fresh bread on my plate, the day stretched out ahead luxuriously empty of commitment.  Perhaps a walk along the beach at low tide, to search out some more emerald nerites (fabulous, tiny, emerald-green snail shells).  Or maybe a little baking, or perhaps simply sitting on the bridge, protected by the enclosure and reading my book.

As those thoughts were percolating in my brain, the radio cackled with the chatter of the "kiter dudes"—Wayne and Charlie, who are arranging a trip down to Man of War Cay, the perfect place for this northeast wind to kite board today.  "Paul, are you in?"

Understand, that Paul took some lessons last year, and over the summer invested in some equipment which he had yet to use, plus a new second kite, which he recently purchased. (you need different sizes for different wind conditions).  Still at the beginner stage, he needed practice, and some support folks to go out with—like now.

I decided to go along for the adventure, packing extra warm clothes in a dry bag, & a small cooler with lunch.
To get there, (a 4-mile dinghy ride,) we loaded up 2 dinghies with 6 kites, 3 boards, rigging paraphernalia, dry bags, lunches and 5 people bundled up in wet gear and foul-weather jackets.  We splashed our way down-wind, being pushed not only by the wind, but the fetch of 2-3 ft. waves rolling down the length of the harbor.  Phew!

"There" turned out to be a huge rolling stretch of white sand bay bottom, totally exposed now, at dead-low tide, the patterns in the sand creating ripple-like wave effects, and numerous small, gray starfish lying scattered under a thin coating of sand.  This giant sand-bar would eventually be covered by water, as the day wore on, and the tide seeped in.  Down wind, of this perch the water is all shallow, and great for boarding, as you can step (or fall) off your board, and be standing less than knee-deep in water.  Makes for an easier start, apparently.

The wind was unrelenting, which is great for the kites, but this was so cold, even the "tough-boys" were freezing.  Everyone got out for some good runs, though Paul is just learning to get on the board, & was trying out the brand new kite.

Fortunately for some of us, we begged a ride back (against the wind & waves) in a larger, go-fast dinghy from a new friend, while Wayne & Paul struck out on their own in the other 2 dinghies.

Everyone returned to their boats, safe, happy, tired and cold!  Hot showers, yay!  We rinsed off the gear & hung it around the boat to dry, then, finally, Paul & I settled in to a nice spaghetti & wahoo meatball sauce dinner with fresh green salad.  A glass of red wine, and a movie (for Paul), while I type up this e-mail.  I guarantee, when our heads hit the pillow, there will be about 30 seconds, and then Zzzzzzzzzzzzzz.

Tuesday, January 12, 2010
The next day.

Yes, it was a sound sleep, and we woke up to… easing winds, calm seas, and sunny skies.  (Still chilly, but as the clouds dissipated, the sun was very warming)

Paul started the day today with a long walk along the Stocking Island beach with Wayne and the mini-dog, Callie.  I did yoga on the beach with the girls.

After preparing a fish salad, from the left over Dorado we caught several days ago, we packed that into the dinghy, and headed to Top of the World, which is Paul & Melanie's paradise piece of Elizabeth Island (the next one down from our anchorage).

They had arranged a beautiful luncheon with our mutual friends- Susa and Peter (from Montauk); and Suzanne & Steve.  Yup, that would be 3 "Sue's" and 2 "Paul's".  We sat out on their deck and devoured a nice chicken chili/stew and a loaf of delicious, crusty bread (Melanie's 48-hour bread, or some such thing) that accounted for 80% of the lunch time conversation.  Laughs and good times….

Later we took a walk on some of their trails, up to the gazebo at the high point (Top of the World), with a view of Georgetown and the entire harbor, and down to one of the pocket beaches, before winding our way back to the boathouse.

By the time we finally rousted ourselves to dinghy back to Independence, it was almost time to prepare dinner, which I did, after admiring a beautiful sunset from our bridge with  Paul and Charlie, whose wife Liz flew home for a week of work.  We then enjoyed a simple vegetable stir-fry, chocolate biscotti, more good conversation, and a late (9 pm!) good night to another amazing day.


Love to all of you,
Sue and Paul

Adventure at anchor

Pipe's Creek, Exuma

I sit and write this as it howls 25 to 30 knots outside.  Paul & I have had a good breakfast (cheese & pepper omelet, ham & toast), plenty of hot tea, & we are now warm & cozy after this morning's frightening wake-up alarm.

Here's the story:
At sunrise, Paul turned on the single-side band radio for the morning Bahama's net weather report.  As I  came up to the salon from below to turn on my iphone to record the report, Paul was anxiously peering forward over our bow, with the short-wave radio mike in one hand.

The large trawler who was anchored upwind of us, was dragging anchor and bearing down on us, thankfully with his engines on.  He was calling another boat on the radio who was not responding, as Paul repeatedly called to him.  Finally, he responded to Paul and immediately accepted Paul's offer for assistance.

Paul jumped in the dinghy, as I handed him the "Look bucket" & he headed up against the wind, current & chop to better assess the situation around the dragging trawler.  It seems he could not raise his dragging anchor (all chain) due to a windlass failure, so Paul helps him release his second anchor, it does not grab, and now both his anchors are dragging.  (Most of us are currently anchored with 2 anchors because of the wind direction change overnight).

Next thing I know, I hear our chain vibrating and rattling, & conclude that he has now snagged our chain, which is right now got all the load holding Independence in place.  By the way, on one side of this channel in which we are anchored, is a rocky shore, and on the other side a shallow, hard, bar.

I hail Paul with the dinghy over to alert him & confirm what he already suspected.  He jumps back on Independence, starts up the engines, and tries to tell the other captain to release all of his main anchor into the water.  At this point, his second anchor has grabbed (however tentatively) & his boat starts swinging on that anchor perilously close to our bow.  If that anchor gives & he moves in any direction, he will uproot our chain & anchor, & we both go!

Now Bruce & Debi have arrived in their dinghy to assist—Paul has shed his wet clothes for a wetsuit (it's chilly, & the water is warmer than the air), & with fins & snorkel, jumps in Debi's dinghy while Bruce & I stay on Independence with fenders & ready to drive the boat if we come loose.  Paul dives the entangled chains, in the very strong current, and manages to free them from each other, at the same time the guy's second anchor releases it's hold, & the boat swings within spitting distance of our bow, poised to ensnare our second anchor rode on the other side!

He guns it forward, and thank goodness, our chain is now clear and we are once again 2 separate units.  Now Bruce has jumped in the dinghy that Deb is driving to go to that boat and assist with pulling up his chain & anchors.  He is joined by Paul & they both haul up both anchors manually, &  finally help him reset both back where he started.  The poor couple are in virtual shock (especially his wife), as the boat is new to them, and with the equipment failure, they were at a loss with just the 2 of them.  He was very grateful & promised Paul to "pay it forward" & help the next guy who is in trouble.

And so… "the code of the sea"—we all look out for each other.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!