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...