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